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Forever riding the sporting rollercoaster. Sucker for analysis and talking stats on 91.3 SportFM. @DemPanopoulos.
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Nick Daicos is arguably the best player in the AFL in just his third season and, likely, the most needlessly divisive. Maybe it’s the…
It’s simple for the Saints – if you have the money, spend it. Rumours of the club putting forward a $12 million, eight-year deal…
Port Adelaide is not playing the sort of footy that brings a team any sort of success - and mixed with Ken Hinkley’s unacceptable approach, it will lead to disastrous results.
Melbourne’s complete reliance on Clayton Oliver has them positioned as a fake contender and Oliver finding form will completely transform this accidental top-four team.…
The Blues have truly stood up and are a genuine flag threat in 2024 and they have their younger brigade of troops to thank for it.
There’s a slight disconnect between the data, the record and the eye test for the Brisbane Lions to start season 2024. This week, Champion…
The 2024 edition of the Bulldogs has no system. It feels at times that Luke Beveridge is just picking players he had previously had a vested interest in recruiting.
Overreacting to a single loss is one of the most overplayed scenarios in sport, but it’s important for the Swans to still believe that…
Valiant. Brave. Gutsy. In footballing parlance, these synonyms tend to be used to describe the efforts of bad teams that are having a crack.…
Nicks has received an extension as a show of faith, but by and large, the pass mark for Adelaide this season is a finals appearance.
As bitter as a pill as it may be to swallow, Brad Scott preaching patience is exactly what will lead to Essendon’s sustained finals…
St Kilda fans should dare to dream in 2024. In a season where trying to narrow down finals contenders to a final eight seems…
The 2024 AFL season is here! Not officially - no, the first bounce of the season proper isn’t for another few weeks, but The…
Port Adelaide’s attempts to fill gaps on their list in the trade period haven’t made them any better and could come back to haunt…
The Swans clearly believe the 2024 flag could be theirs and have positioned themselves well with the signings of Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams.…
Career-length contract extensions are in vogue, but are they the best thing for a club to do? First off, power to the players themselves…
On behalf of every neutral observer, can the Magpies and Lions please put on a good show for this year’s Grand Final? We haven’t…
Finish the story. It’s extraordinary the Giants and Blues have made it to preliminary final weekend. After the byes they were 14th and 15th…
There’s something off about Port Adelaide now we’re at the business end of the season - and it’s hard to know exactly who to…
All eight clubs playing finals in 2023 will be facing elimination at some point, which offers the opportunity for some players to stand up…
I’m going to need to stop tipping Richmond and calling them certainties.
The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 16
100%, too much emphasis is placed on these amounts that tend to be irrelevant as time goes on. I’d argue that contract length rather than dollar value, is a bigger factor. It doesn’t bother me that Hannebery is on $800k at the Saints for example, but the risk with the length of contract, that’s what can tie a club up more going forward.
Adam Cerra and the issues with AFL trade rumours
I think when it entered a fifth season of being played out of position, there was an underlying consensus of a failed pick, that’s certainly what I was reading a lot of from some Bomber fans and the general football fraternity. Reality dictates patience can be afforded, overreactions tend to ensue.
Adam Cerra and the issues with AFL trade rumours
Here I was thinking I’d gone slightly against the grain 😂
The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 15
I love it Stirling, could be quite the turnaround this week to rise up the tipping ladder!
The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 15
As the author, it wasn’t thoughtless. Happy for people to disagree if they’re satisfied with the incident – it seems likely that it will be a suspension next season when the wording is tightened up to not use the ball being close as an excuse to blatantly charge into others that you know are in the vicinity, particularly if it results in hospitalisation.
How the Saints crashed down to earth
I’m not a Saints fan myself but having been bullish on the Dockers for the last couple of years, I tend to agree that they’re closer than St Kilda!
How the Saints crashed down to earth
Don! Saints fans are going through enough pain as it is, we can’t all cover absences as decently as your mob have 😂
How the Saints crashed down to earth
It’s a great point Stirling and one that is very much on the coaching staff to drive for the playing group.
The thing that caught me about Melbourne before the 2020 season was a clear idea of how they wanted to build their team, and the shortened season wasn’t going to suit them, but 2021 would see them rise with their defence and fitness level superior to the rest.
Right now, the Saints need to clearly define what it is they’re trying to do. My big fear is that this stagnance is so self-inflicted and locked in contractually with some players that an immediate turnaround to Premiership contention is unlikely without us being shown signs. Not sure this is the coaching group to inspire significant change.
How the Saints crashed down to earth
I wouldn’t label it as negatively as that, but I certainly agree that these were different circumstances that weren’t explored by the greater media upon the start of this year’s preseason.
Certainly didn’t think Carlton would play finals and my Saints thoughts of being fringe top eight were admittedly related to the intent of the recruiting predominately, but we’ve seen 2021 play out and 2020 form simply hasn’t been transferrable for half the competition.
How the Saints crashed down to earth
That’s alright, perhaps the rivalry between the two clubs can tint opinions on the lists, particularly when a lot of the Hawks would be unknown to opposition fans.
Lots of teams go through declines at the same rate, so I wouldn’t be too fussed using that as a reason for not being able to bounce back, even your mob had their struggles and randomly put exciting footy together!
Also, I don’t support the Hawks, just a neutral observer that consumes footy and watches patterns, trends etc
How the Hawks are planning their return to relevance
It’s an understandable reaction, it’s certainly one that if you look back at my pieces, is actually quite common, even if those pieces age pretty well.
I think we tend to too caught up in the immediate results. I thought Hawthorn would win the wooden spoon, and North was a little better this season. Therefore I’m not overreacting to that particular result. As outlined in the piece though, I look at Hawthorn’s squad and the indicators in recruiting and see real positivity in it. That’s the beauty in all of this thought isn’t it? Time will tell!
How the Hawks are planning their return to relevance
There certainly are plenty of examples both ways I think, just what I’ve seen, the Hawks absolutely nailed the mid-season draft with these two players. If they’re both successful, that fast tracks things a bit. If not, it was a free hit but still disappointing. I’m backing them in.
I tend to agree with all those Magpies players, although I never saw them play and thought their numbers were a reasonable reflection – perhaps only Sier as the one to become a bonafide best 22 player, but that was mainly due to presumed opportunity rather than standout features.
How the Hawks are planning their return to relevance
And that’s totally fine, I’m generally taking a broader point of view with these pieces outside of what we currently see in front of us so only time will tell.
Not sure about the Wills comparison if you’ve seen the other two play – Wills was one-dimensional and his path without improvement seemed a bit obvious to the naked eye.
How the Hawks are planning their return to relevance
If you create a checklist of what you want from a defender, you’d take into account one-on-one ability, defending the lead, position, intercepting and a few other categories among other things. Roughead is better than Moore at actually defending contests, but Moore is arguably the league’s best interceptor and has aerial dominance thanks to how he reads the play, that’s why everyone loves him.
The difference between Moore and Weitering in reading the play and intercepting is far closer than the difference between them in defending a singular opponent. People love highlights, but if you’re building a team from scratch, I’d always go with the player that can do everything to an elite level, which is the reason why this piece explores why Weitering is the best defender in the league.
Why Jacob Weitering is clearly the AFL's best key defender
Absolutely, team defences are what make premiership teams, as highlighted by the deficiencies in Carlton’s transitional defence in particular. Once they figure that out, they’ll be the hardest to stop – just a matter of if it can be done while Weitering is at the top of the tree over the next decade. Carlton fans would certainly hope so.
Why Jacob Weitering is clearly the AFL's best key defender
West Coast have thrived as a defensive unit for a long time which allows their key defenders to kill the ball. McGovern has been a gun for a long time, Barrass continuing to emerge, but we’ve seen this season what happens when the unit isn’t as cohesive as it has been for the last few years.
Also, consider that both these players defend one third of the one-on-one contests that Weitering does, and both still have a higher losing percentage.
I think Barrass, in particular, was underrated for a while but is now sitting in a position that is too highly rated for his output. Both players struggle to defend the lead, it’s just that West Coast have usually been able to cover that by having their defenders stationed in the space to prevent too many hit-up targets close to goal. Sheppard continues to be the club’s best defender.
Why Jacob Weitering is clearly the AFL's best key defender
Instead of analysing the team, investigating why they are/aren’t performing and assessing the players on the list and gameplan, most default to saying they should be moved elsewhere and were a mistake on a weekly basis. It’s such a tired and easy default that lacks any reasoning or insight when we’re in the 11th year of people saying the same thing.
People seem to hate to acknowledge that injuries play a role in performance, even though club supporters are happy to use it for themselves. Given the Suns’ fanbase isn’t as big, it simply isn’t heard as much. Gold Coast have been decimated at times over their history when it looked like something was going to eventuate.
Looking at a fully fit Gold Coast squad, they have the talent to be on the brink of finals and there is clear improvement on its way with the quality of young talent. People that follow the AFL and genuinely look at things objectively shouldn’t default to the common argument that they’re a bad investment – let’s see what the responses are when they make the finals in the next couple of seasons.
Let’s not mask piling in because it’s easy and funny for some with arguments of validity, that’s not the default reasoning for challenging the investment for 95% of people who do it.
How the Suns can salvage their 2021 season
Stay in high spirits! Even more so regardless of tomorrow night‘s result…it’s a harmless game for your mob to lose I think, even if the Power gets up they’re a level below the Dogs.
Why Tiger Time is far from over
Successful teams, in any sport, turn into the most hated franchises until their silverware is well and truly in the past. A quick look at social media would show that many think Richmond are done, but even doubts at this early stage, with the numbers and trends, are a little premature.
This isn’t a piece to suggest the Tigers will definitely win the flag, my GF tip has stayed with BL/WCE since the start of the year, but the Tigers are a better chance than most, even at 4-4.
Why Tiger Time is far from over
Check out The Roar’s Expert Tipping Panel piece for my thoughts on that 😛
Why Tiger Time is far from over
Very much hope that Cox plays, he has had an incredibly underrated start to the season. My concern with Chapman is the I think his frame just isn’t set enough to be able to cover Allen at full force – although believing social media chatter, Barrass is in doubt and Allen could move back. Same can be said for Luke Ryan though, so who truly knows!
How Fremantle have made the Western Derby relevant once again
All-Australian Brad Sheppard is the most underrated player in the competition?
Why Tom Liberatore is the AFL's most underrated player
I’d definitely like to see Williams at some stage, that rare talent would be great to see at senior level, I suspect he probably needs to turn that 0.3 last week to 3.0 to get a gig. For me, it’s Woodcock and that good start in the midfield this season that should be capitalised upon.
Why Port Adelaide are struggling more than you think
Then the flow on would be, do Parish and Langford get these full-time opportunities that they’ve clearly been waiting for? Let’s not forget that for all intents and purposes, Rutten was in charge last year and the positioning of these guys in particular remained relatively peripheral.
Caldwell likely would’ve played a lot of midfield, Shiel and McGrath obviously in there, I think that this is a significant silver lining for the Bombers which turned them from a team with long-term projections to one that is performing well right now.
Laverde and Stewart are doing their best at the moment but the latter in particular won’t have much business being there when the Bombers really start to fire up. I’m excited by the young talent as many are, thrilled for the fans that the club took a punt on Baldwin who is supremely talented and Reid was my favourite of the three picks at draft time.
Just need to see more cohesion to go with the excitement. My personal opinion is that it should be super comfortable for Geelong this evening and it will show the gap that exists. If the Bombers are really competitive though, then we’ll see the mental strength here is off the charts, an intangible that is incredibly important.
Are we overhyping the Bombers in 2021?