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Opinion
Round 8 began with a resurgent Power team winning their third game in a row.
There were four games that had a margin of less than 27 points, but the average margin of all nine games was 41.88 points per game as the other five games were one-sided.
The trend of assistant coaches filling in for senior coaches due to COVID protocols winning has been broken; Matthew Knights coached an Eagles team that lost to the Lions, while Scott Burns coached a Crows team that lost to the Blues.
Unfortunately, the Eagles and Kangaroos are becoming irrelevant, as they lost by massive margins. The two teams combined for a total of 54 points, which shows they have plenty of work to do, with the Kangaroos scoring 24 points and the Eagles 30 points.
Thankfully, there were many positive points of interest that came to the fore in Round 8.
There were two big stories over the weekend with the Suns showing character to win against the Swans, which should ease the pressure on Stuart Dew. Then there was a win for the ages with the Bombers winning a game against the Hawks, despite Essendon being forced to make five late changes.
There were a few key forwards who stood up for their teams, with Tom J. Lynch of the Tigers, Peter Wright from the Bombers and Charlie Curnow all managing to kick six goals!
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
There was a goal of the year contender from Nathan O’Driscoll of the Dockers for the second week in a row and Jack Ginnivan of the Magpies continues to perform well with three goals. Last but not least, Dustin Martin was back and the Tigers looked ahead of the pack.
An honourable mention to another Martin – Nic Martin from the Bombers, who showed that you don’t have to be one of the top draft picks to play at the highest level.
Adelaide Crows: The game was lost in the premiership quarter
The Crows kicked the first two goals of the game, but lost the game by eight goals. They lost the game in the third quarter as their deficit for them in that quarter alone was 40 points. At least there were a few players who showed great endeavour; Jordan Dawson, Rory Laird and Ben Keays. They ended up fighting in the last quarter, but it was too little, too late.
Brisbane Lions: They never let up
The Lions put in a four-quarter effort against a depleted Eagles team. They coped without any of their three tall forwards after quarter time; Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood were unavailable to play due to injury, while Daniel McStay was subbed out with an ankle injury at quarter time.
They had to find other avenues to goal, with Hugh McCluggage and Charlie Cameron kicking four goals each. They had nine different goal scorers. In the second half, they scored 11 goals and three behinds.
Carlton Blues: They played with freedom
The Blues weren’t scared to take the game on; they moved the ball and weren’t afraid to switch the play. The story of the day was Curnow, who kicked six goals and provided an alternative to Harry McKay.
Five of the seven Blues goal kickers were multiple goal kickers! The main part of the game that they would be disappointed in was the fourth, which they lost by 18 points, along with conceding the opening two goals of the game.
Last but not least, it appears as if they should be talked about as a contender as they played a scintillating brand of footy. Patrick Cripps remains in contention for the Brownlow Medal.
Collingwood Magpies: A game deservedly lost
The Magpies weren’t up to the same standard as the Tigers. The game was lost by the Collingwood partly due to Darcy Moore conceding five goals to Tom J. Lynch in the first half.
They did well to kick the four goals late in the game, which meant that they didn’t throw in the towel. Therefore, under Craig McRae they keep taking risks of moving the ball and trying to score. No one’s going to win every game, but the way they attacked until the end can be some consolation.
Essendon Bombers: That’s what you call resilience
The Bombers clearly came into the game with ready-made excuses, as they had five late changes! They were already under the pump from the media and trailed on the scoreboard in each of the opening three quarters. It’s a win that could galvanise them.
Two-metre Peter kicked six goals and was part of the reason why they won. The four points was the icing on the cake and should give them a break (from the media scrutiny).
Fremantle Dockers: A test of depth that they passed with flying colours
The Dockers put in a four-quarter effort; you could be forgiven for thinking that the Dockers weren’t missing any of their best 22 as they totally obliterated the Kangaroos. From the opening bounce, Fremantle treated the game as if it was a grand final. Credit to Justin Longmuir as they appeared to be hungry and striving for perfection.
(Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )
Geelong Cats: No Selwood, no problem
The Cats showcased their depth and annihilated GWS. Jeremy Cameron kicked more goals than the Giants as he finished the game with five goals. There was a lack of care and endeavour from the Giants that was exposed by a ruthless Cats outfit. They blooded two youngsters and didn’t leave any stone unturned when they didn’t have the footy.
It was great to see Zach Guthrie make a solid contribution.
The Giants simply had no answers.
Gold Coast Suns: They played like their lives depended on it
The Suns players and Stuart Dew treated their game against the Sydney Swans as if it was a grand final. A late out was Noah Anderson; one of their best players in season 2022.
They could’ve been five goals ahead at quarter time and the game should’ve been over. It didn’t deter the Suns as they put in a four-quarter effort. It was great to see Izak Rankine silence the doubters, kicking two goals and displaying his youthful exuberance.
Levi Casboult and Mabior Chol have both kicked at least one goal in every game in season 2022. The Suns defence restricted Buddy to one goal. The icing on the cake was the return to AFL footy of Rory Thompson.
GWS Giants: No changes made, in a game where there’s no disputing they were astray
The Giants played a game of footy which will have more questions asked of their current predicament. First of all, Jake Riccardi kicked nine goals in the reserves last week and could’ve been a handy addition to the team.
The proof is in the pudding as they kicked two goals and nine behinds after quarter time! It’s difficult to decipher that in Round 7 they played exceptionally well, while in Round 8 they weren’t at the races!
Hawthorn: A three-quarter effort
Hawthorn controlled the game on the scoreboard for three quarters. They led the Bombers at every change except the only one that counts. It was a capitulation that left Sam Mitchell looking lost for answers in the fourth quarter, as Hawthorn lost the final term by seven goals!
(Photo by Cameron Grimes/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Melbourne Demons: They were challenged, and, as usual, responded
The Demons at one stage had kicked nine goals to the Saints’ one, during the second quarter. The Saints managed to lower the margin to 35 points at halftime and 24 points in the fourth quarter through Jack Higgins’ only goal of the game.
The Demons’ pressure never wavered and they were calm and composed with their ball movement. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Melbourne, but their motivation and effort levels were always high even though the Saints had the momentum for a short period of time. The Demons were simply too good!
North Melbourne Kangaroos: No system, no plan
The Kangaroos came into a game against a Dockers team that had lost six players through HS protocols. The Kangaroos appeared to be the team who had lost some of their players. They looked disorientated as no one knew their role. It appeared as if they are a team that was playing without a coach.
Port Adelaide Power: Hinkley outcoached Beveridge
The Power came up against a Bulldogs team who they were hungry to beat. There’s no disputing that despite the Bulldogs missing players through injury, they lost to a Power team that came in with a solid plan; they outhunted and outworked the Bulldogs. Port had superior ball movement and were more composed than the Bulldogs.
There’s no doubt that Hinkley deserves plenty of plaudits for taking a team that was zero and five to winning three games in a row.
Richmond Tigers: Dusty is back!
The Tigers welcomed back fan favourite Dusty and you wouldn’t have known he hadn’t played in a while; he makes playing footy look easy. His return lifted the morale of the entire team as he finished the game with two goals and made a difference every time he was near the ball.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
The standout was Tom J. Lynch with six goals. The youthful exuberance of Maurice Rioli was there for all to see.
Toby Nankervis led from the front with 33 hit-outs to go with his 23 disposals.
St Kilda Saints: Failed to change and too much was left to too few
The Saints didn’t make enough alterations and throw enough different options at the Demons and they were too predictable. Max King, Jack Higgins and Jade Gresham performed poorly. In a game that they were expected to lose, they should’ve thrown the magnets around.
Tim Membrey should’ve played in the forward 50. They should’ve moved Jade Gresham into the midfield and even move Higgins to the wing, as he couldn’t get into the game. Their best players were Brad Crouch, Jack Sinclair, Sbastian Ross, Jack Steele and Membrey. The Demons simply outclassed the Saints!
Sydney Swans: A goalless fourth quarter says it all
The Swans didn’t play at the same intensity as the Suns; to put it simply the Swans didn’t display the same amount of endeavour. It appeared as if they believed that they would just get the four points. They didn’t have one multiple goal kicker! Despite restricting Touk Miller to 20 disposals, who’s probably the Suns best player, the Swans had too many passengers.
West Coast Eagles: It can’t get worse than this
The Eagles are in deep trouble; it’s going to be a long season for them. Despite restricting the Lions to five goals in the first half, West Coast only managed two scoring shots in the first half. They only had two goal kickers by the end of the game, with Liam Ryan kicking three of their four goals for the game.
It’s a privilege to play AFL footy, but the Eagles didn’t seem to believe that. There’s no disputing that despite being depleted, a team with a starting midfield with of Jack Redden, Andrew Gaff and Tim Kelly shouldn’t lose by 75 points and only kick four goals.
Western Bulldogs: The scoreboard flattered them
The Bulldogs’ season was on the line, but you wouldn’t have known it. There’s no disputing that they were missing key players; Marcus Bontempelli, Tim English, Lachie Hunter and Alex Keath just to name four, but their system didn’t stack up.
It appeared as the Power had worked out the Bulldogs’ deficiencies and exploited them. They clearly need to work on their defence and the term commonly used by many expert commentators, ‘Naughton or bust’, came to the fore as he kicked four of their ten goals and was constantly targeted in the Bulldogs’ forward 50.
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