Nothing in the AFL makes sense anymore
It’s official: we’re living in the post-truth AFL, and nothing makes sense anymore.
Ryan Buckland
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Joined January 2014
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Ryan likes his sport played efficiently, effectively and elegantly, like a Nic Naitanui hit out to advantage. Always searching for an interesting angle, Ryan loves nothing more than digging deep into the play and searching for the signal others miss in the noise. You can follow Ryan here (@RyanBuckland7).
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West Coast vs Melbourne: Preliminary final forecast
Perth holds no fear for Melbourne, so it goes. But there’s many more reasons for the Dees to feel confident heading into this afternoon’s preliminary final against the West Coast Eagles.
Pre-agency: The next stage of the AFL’s glacial player movement evolution
There’s a common thread to a whole heap of mooted player exchanges looming large over the 2018 off season. And it suggests players, their agents and many clubs are growing more sophisticated in how they deal with player exchange.
The Hawks and Giants will be better in 2019 for their 2018 performances
Another weekend, another post-mortem or two for finals losers. Both Hawthorn and the GWS Giants lost, but won plenty along the way.
Collingwood vs GWS Giants: Semi Final Forecast
The second chances are done; now we’re playing for keeps. And the Pies have a fight on their hands to progress to the penultimate weekend of the season.
What now for the Geelong Cats, the AFL's most interesting team?
As you might expect, the washup from Week 1 of this year’s AFL finals series has centred on the two eliminated losers.
West Coast vs Collingwood: Qualifying final forecast
Hands up who picked this match-up before the beginning of the season? It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but now it is, and the winner of Eagles-Magpies takes their first step towards the players’ race on grand final day.
Mega finals preview column: Who can topple the Tiges?
Are you ready for the most compelling AFL finals series ever? I hope so, because it starts tonight, and here’s everything you need to know.
If the AFL wants to keep the pre-finals bye, it has to make more of it
The third year of the AFL’s pre-finals bye felt like a real season momentum killer, unlike the two which preceded it. We cannot abide this going forward.
How the Brisbane Lions can leap into finals contention in 2019
A team’s record is rarely a perfect indicator of its underlying potential. So it is for this year’s Brisbane Lions, who should harbour realistic ambitions to finish inside the top eight in 2019.
Here's who should be in the 2018 All Australian Team
Later on today the AFL will unveil the initial All Australian squad of 40, ahead of the team’s announcement on Wednesday. We can skip all that: here’s the team of the year for 2018.
The AFL top eight is set, but the demon is in the detail
Port Adelaide could certainly beat Essendon this Friday night. But the Gold Coast Suns ain’t beating the Cats at the Cattery. Ladies and gentlemen: your top eight for 2018 has been decided.
Dee-lighful! Melbourne lock in finals berth with win in the west
The Melbourne Demons are playing finals for the first time in more than a decade, after overcoming the West Coast Eagles to win by 17 points.
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Match result: The Melbourne Demons are playing finals for the first time in more than a decade, after overcoming the West Coast Eagles to win by 17 points.
Will Richmond's challenger please stand up?
It has been a tough fortnight for anyone bar the Tigers as we hit the final fortnight of the season. It leaves one pondering: is season 2018 a wrap?
If the Gaff incident doesn’t change the AFL’s attitude, nothing will
It’s Andrew Gaff week, and while I’d prefer to be discussing him in the context of a Brownlow Medal win or premiership victory, the reality is neither of these are now possible in 2018.
Believe it or not, the run home became even more exciting after a captivating Round 20
Let’s just pretend yesterday didn’t happen, ok? The first five games of Round 20 were decided by less than a goal each – the first time so many games had been within a straight kick margin in the history of the competition.
Seven crazy predictions for the final month of the 2018 season
The league has lost its mind, and thus so have I. As our entrée to the run home, here are some crazy, fearless predictions.
With four AFL rounds to go, every spot in the eight is up for grabs
The state of the game truthers were left red-faced once more as the footy threw us another series of curve balls in this tense, competitive season.
State of the game? It's the state of the football media that's the problem
All the talk about football this year has focussed on what’s wrong. A lot is right, a fact which was confirmed in a weekend of upsets and ladder-shattering results.
I don’t think it’s ranting. Collingwood/GWS will be the third team in 19 years or something like that to play a preliminary final off a six day break. It’s just not the done thing. The AFL has lost the plot when it comes to appeasing its main broadcaster this year and this is just another example of it.
What now for the Geelong Cats, the AFL's most interesting team?
Rance led the league in one on one contests by so far it’s a joke, taking the best forward of the opposition most of the time, and lost fewer than almost all of them. Add to that his spoiling, intercept work and ability to set up the play and he is the first man picked in the team. It’s trendy to say he’s not that good; don’t fall for it.
Here's who should be in the 2018 All Australian Team
And the fans are heading for the exits.
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 28m – And that’s probably the game. Melbourne finds Jake Melksham unmarked deep inside 50. He takes his full 30 seconds and kicks the goal. Melbourne by 17 points.
West Coast: 14.7 (91)
Melbourne: 16.12 (108)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 27m – Dean Kent takes a mark just inside 50 from some good work from Christian Salem, and he kicks the goal. Melbourne’s up by 11 points, with two minutes on the game clock. Tough ask for West Coast from here.
West Coast: 14.7 (91)
Melbourne: 15.12 (102)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Max Gawn has gone behind the ball at this stoppage.
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 24m – Elliot Yeo takes a huge mark to help West Coast exit Melbourne’s half of the ground, but they can’t capitalise with a poor entry kick. Melbourne by five, and they’ve started to slow the game down.
West Coast: 14.7 (91)
Melbourne: 14.12 (96)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 21m – It’s getting tense out there as the ball is camped on the West Coast forward 50. Melbourne gets a break and Mitch Hannan finds an unmarked Jake Melksham in the goal square. They’re back in front, by five points.
West Coast: 14.7 (91)
Melbourne: 14.12 (96)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 18m – Mark LeCras puts West Coast in front! The Eagles break from a D50 exit and despite a poor Jack Redden kick which is smothered find Mark LeCras leading about 40 metres out. They’re in front. Huge. Seven minutes on the game clock.
West Coast: 14.7 (91)
Melbourne: 13.12 (90)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Mark LeCras has a shot at goal. This could be for a West Coast lead for the first time today
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Gee it’d be a deflating one. They’ve had so much of hte play on their terms
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 15m – And West Coast finds the answer! A free kick off the back of the square results in a West Coast forward thrust, and Willie Rioli snaps true roving a pack inside 50. Three points. Great game this.
West Coast: 13.7 (85)
Melbourne: 13.10 (88)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 14m – Melbourne gets the centre break again – as they’ve done for much of the day – but Jake Melksham can’t find the big posts. The kick out heads out of bounds but West Coast manage to snuff the re-entry. They break to the open side but can’t find a shot at goal. That was a huge opportunity to close within a goal.
West Coast: 12.7 (79)
Melbourne: 13.10 (88)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 12m – A sparkling run through the middle from Brad Sheppard, who finds Jamie Cripps inside 50. Cripps keeps the ball in front of him and hangs it to a wide open Mark Hutchings, who marks 40 metres out dead in front and goals. Eight points again.
West Coast: 12.7 (79)
Melbourne: 13.9 (87)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 10m – We’ve definitely entered a different phase of play here, with the ball spending time going back and forth around the West Coast forward 50 arc. There’s skill errors and fumbles galore, and all we get out of it is a West Coast behind. On the ensuing kick in another incisive Melbourne kick opens up the fat side of the ground, and Jake Melksham finds Mitch Hannan inside 50. He misses, and we start it all again.
West Coast: 11.7 (73)
Melbourne: 13.9 (87)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Melbourne wouldn’t want to be getting too conservative though, they have given up bursts of goals to the Eagles on a couple of occasions today.
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 5m – The ball spends some time on the broadcast wing, and the Eagles get a clean look inside 50 on the back of some great work in the clinches. However the entry kick is shanked, and Melbourne exit with ease switching to the outer side. The game certainly looks a bit less skilful to start the last, perhaps the effects of the warm temperature are kicking in.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 13.8 (86)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 3m – Melbourne gets the first of the quarter with some strong pressure locking the ball in from a centre clearance. Jake Melksham continues a very good day for Melbourne’s half forward line, and the Dees are out by 14 points again.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 13.8 (86)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Three quarter time – An eight point Melbourne lead at the last change. Still anyone’s game. West Coast will be happy with everything but the scoreline in that quarter.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 12.8 (80)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 32m – With a minute to go West Coast strikes back through Dan Venables, after a rare clean centre break. We’re going to head to the three quarter time break with the game well and truly up in the air. The Eagles get a free kick for high contact that should’ve been converted to 50 for a poor return. The siren sounds, and the crowd expresses its feelings in the usual way.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 12.8 (80)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 30m – And just like that they get a break with some stellar work from Clayton Oliver at a back 50 stoppage. Mitch Hannan takes a mark out the back and kicks the goal. For all the great play the Eagles had in the first 15 minutes of the quarter, Melbourne has managed to eek it back out to the half time margin (14 points).
West Coast: 10.6 (66)
Melbourne: 12.8 (80)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 28m – West Coast has its press well set and are getting some repeat entries inside 50. But no reward, it’s still eight points.
West Coast: 10.6 (66)
Melbourne: 11.8 (74)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 26m – Melbourne gets the centre break with some great follow up work from Max Gawn, and Charlie Spargo (who has done some great stuff from the half forward line) finds Tom McDonald about 20 metres out. He kicks the goal, and it’s back to eight points.
West Coast: 10.6 (66)
Melbourne: 11.8 (74)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
They didn’t show up…
West Coast vs Melbourne: Preliminary final forecast