How is a round nine between West Coast and Richmond in Perth “the biggest game of the year?” Surely you jest brother.

Richmond has a double up fixture against Geelong (top four) and Essendon (top eight) – both finalists. Not Richmond’s fault that Essendon has dropped all the way off.

Richmond also has a double up against St Kilda. Again, another side expected to fly high in 2018 but has wildly dropped off out of nowhere.

All this mention of home ground advantage and no mention of the fact that West Coast was paid 21 free kicks to Richmond’s 10.

West Coast are a great team playing an exciting brand of football. The pitchforks are out for Richmond in a ridiculous way in the last month or so.

Richmond defeated Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval last year. They finished in the top eight. Not a good team?

They also lost to Greater Western Sydney by three points on the siren after a Shai Bolton goal was disallowed seconds earlier.

This idea that Richmond can’t play away from Victoria is entirely fantasy.

Wouldn’t think Collingwood v St Kilda will be tough match up. Collingwood a 90 per cent chance at a win. Hawthorn v Brisbane a much more interesting encounter.

Dennis Commetti is living in the past. You see it with fans and pundits alike all the time. When a side struggles for an extended time and then enter a phase of success there’s always a caravan of folks who never move on and can’t produce a real read on the current, in the new competition.

Wait for Richmond to lose its second match of the season. People like Commetti will start to suggest that they knew it all along, Richmond will barely make finals, blah blah blah. Then they’ll win another month and half of matches in a row.

“Even if they win a flag, the Tigers will not be great.” Madness. How can any side who wins a premiership not be great?

Amazing how a bloke with this mindset can describe a Cyril Rioli knock on as “impossible to believe” and “like magic” but an AFL team wins a premiership and it doesn’t deserve the lukewarm adjective of “great.”

Agreed. I said it in an article a few days ago and it wasn’t a popular sentiment but I thought the Hawthorn v Sydney contest was very lacklustre.

Genuine thrilling contests are two great teams and two great plans going head to head. A real chess match. Friday night felt like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Agreed. North Melbourne are playing a wild brand of football, completely ruthless and against the Tigers to be honest – very dirty.

It’s been a great move, they’ve totally revamped in the confidence department. But I still think they totally lack the talent to make finals.

Ben Brown would’ve had zero impact on the contest against Richmond without the umpires and he won’t get that every week. Waite is a dinosaur and it shows from time to time. Higgins is a star but a risk for injury constantly.

I don’t think they’re close to an A grade midfield either. Cunnington is such a hard nut, and congratulations on the contested football numbers – deserves the record.

But he was close to another record too – most clangers. 12 clangers. One off the AFL record. Most by any other player on the ground by nearly double. Finishing with a disposal efficiency of above 60 per cent was some kind of miracle.

Agree 100 per cent.

In the modern era you need to have a dream run with injuries to win a premiership. The competition is too even to do it without complete access to your stars for the whole campaign more or less.

At the moment the Giants are a 6-7-8 placed side, perhaps winning the in first round of finals but losing in the second. If they make it through the preliminary round I think any of the other three sides will crush them anywhere, anytime.

I almost hope they don’t make it all together. As a squad they look exhausted already and there’s such a long way to go. Would hate to see another preliminary final loss crush the hopes and ambition of talented players.

That’s a fair point and honestly in reflection is a bit of personal bias from myself.

I really, really rate Zak Jones as a footballer. I think he’s got a super career ahead of him. Halfway through last night I was thinking he might set the contest on fire, like it was primed for him, but felt like he left a bit on the table.

You obviously take issue with the use of the word allow but I’m not sure of your point – are you saying Hawthorn’s defence didn’t allow him to kick seven?

I’m guessing you feel like it strips him of achievement. Don’t get me wrong – Ronke was fantastic, just about the only player that made the match worth watching.

I do disagree in the characterisation of the match as skilful. I don’t think that’s true.

Thank you for the feedback.

You said it was definitely a high quality contest – would you be able to tell me what parameters you used to judge that?

This is a great call – totally agree.

Particularly with what you said about his body language. I think you can read so much in the way players carry themselves – just look at Patrick Dangerfield, Dustin Martin, Nat Fyfe, Toby Greene – James Sicily is another example I love, it was so obvious from the way he moved early on that he was going to fly through the season.

Gary Ablett Junior is the only player I think who bucks this trend with his reserved nature.

But anyway – Weitering looks like he’s in trouble at the moment. Needs to put plenty of time into his mindset.

G’day mate – just a heads up.

North Melbourne 14.14 (98) defeated Hawthorn 11.4 (70).

If Hawthorn are the real deal then…wow.

Oh and the travel thing.

“And yes, they haven’t left Victoria, but if you were paying attention, you’d notice that all of their opponents are also Victorian, so yknow, there’s nothing there.”

The point is they haven’t had to endure any of the stresses of playing on the road.

I’m actually a big fan of Hawthorn – I’ve got heaps of respect for Clarkson and the now departed Luke Hodge is in my opinion one of the most easily overlooked and underrated footballers of the modern era. So, no, I’m not just blindly hoping against them. Honestly I hope they do make finals – because my Tigers would destroy them head to head in September and it would be another step closer to back-to-back premierships.

If you want evidence as to how Rioli is past it try watching some of his football this season. Four rounds in and the former master has two goals and two behinds to his name. People like to tout that Rioli is a man that can destroy an opposition with less than 15 disposals because of his immaculate Norm Smith winning performance but it’s an overstated reputation and nowadays 15 disposals is a reach for Rioli anyway.

Rioli did no damage to Melbourne – his team’s easiest win of the season. Played a passable game against Richmond, was completely non-existent against Geelong and was good against Collingwood in the season opener. His disposal efficency is right down, he can’t get his hands on the ball and his tackle numbers are probably below par for its importance in Hawthorn’s machine.

I won’t address the other two because I’ve dedicated plenty of space to Rioli but it’s a similar story for the others.

You’re probably right that I was a touch too tough Kurt. I just think that after four rounds and what I would describe as a B grade start to the season, describing the Hawks as “back” multiple times – back, I can only assume means more or less back to their best – which was three premierships in a row – is completely over the top.

Completely disagree with the overall message of this article in so many different ways.

The biggest issue of all – it’s been one month of football so far. All football punters know that in the first five or six weeks of the season anything can happen and predicting form is very difficult.

Ryan you suggest that Hawthorn have gone on a blitz against quality opposition in the first month – but have they really? In the opening round they got the job done against Collingwood who in one of the worst tactical moves of all time decided to let Tom Mitchell run free. Hardly two chess masters going head to head. In round two they escaped with a win against Geelong by a single point – a Geelong which has looked very, very far from the standard football it should be capable of with the list that it has.

Then the Hawks got crushed by Richmond. Richmond played three quarters of A grade football and then went to sleep completely in the last term and the Hawks still got done by 13 points. Most recently the Hawks have got the job done against Melbourne – a Demons team that played the worst football the club has produced in three or four years.

Beyond the first month of football the Hawks best 22 is littered with players who are past it – Cyril Rioli is the biggest example, he can’t find the footy to save his life this season. Puopolo and Roughead are both also past it – and that’s three of the biggest names in the forward line – the thing that has to actually win the game on the scoreboard for Hawthorn. Oh and O’Meara is a genuine risk of a career ending injury every time he lines up to play.

All of this – and Hawthorn are yet to even LEAVE VICTORIA yet. They haven’t even played away from home yet! Give me a call when they win games against GWS, West Coach, Richmond, Sydney – hell even Geelong for a second time or Port Adelaide. Let’s even see how they go against North Melbourne this weekend.

To suggest that Hawthorn is somehow within reach of finals – or heaven forbid a premiership – after the month of football we’ve seen is a bit of a joke.

Completely agree with you Trevor.

I think St Kilda has been really unlucky in the last couple of seasons in that when they tend to shine and do their most damaging football, they do it just as the opposition is in the bottom of a dip and they look a certain percentage better than they actually are.

The last few seasons the Saints always seem to win a few decent games at the end of the home and away, produce a few inspired performances on an individual level, and then as a result the media always starts praising them as the next big thing for the future. This reputation carries into the next season and then they flounder.

The Saints are really being found out without Nick Reiwoldt in particular. One of the all time great leaders of the club is gone for the first time in a long time and they have had no chance of filling that gaping hole.

So I take it from you bringing that up that you think Carlton and Brendan Bolton should be given more time to climb the ladder because they had to do a lot more overhaul personnel wise? How much more time would you give them to start bringing in results? Expectation for them to make the top eight?

Really good question Macca.

2010 – Nine retirements/delistings and one traded out.
2011 – 10 retirements/delistings and one traded out.
2012 – Eight retirements/delistings and one traded out.

Not too sure how that compares to Carlton at this stage but if I’m remembering correctly Brendan Bolton and co have been aiming for like a 25 per cent turn over each season? I may be wrong there though.

Congratulations on your first article Max.

When judging Brendan Bolton’s time as coach so far I think you’re best comparing his run to Damien Hardwick’s at Richmond – if you think it’s fair to consider Hardwick and Richmond a good example of a successful rebuild.

Bolton Year 1 – Seven Wins / 15 Losses.
Hardwick Year 1 – Six Wins / 16 Losses.

Bolton Year 2 – Six Wins / 16 Losses.
Hardwick Year 2 – Eight Wins / 13 Losses.

Hardwick Year 3 – 10 Wins / 11 Losses.
Bolton Year 3 – No Wins / Four Losses (so far).

Hardwick Year 4 – 15 Wins, Seven Losses, Top Eight.
Bolton Year 4 – ???????.

I’d be giving him at least until the end of 2019 before doing a hardcore assessment. Seems like he’s behind pace at this stage but Carlton’s list really is a rabble. Also worth remembering that Hardwick did it with compromised drafts. But regardless I’d give Bolton more time.

Confused about your tone Dalgety – are you suggesting that no club has ever failed to support a player with serious personal issues?

Elliot Yeo arrived at Brisbane fresh from the draft and was completely left on his own, failing to develop any sort of successful independence away from his family and all under the unwatchful eye of his AFL club. Brendan Fevola’s personal life was a wreck at Carlton and no one stopped it from happening. Chris Yarran likewise kept his methamphetamine addiction a complete secret for years and years and both of his club’s struggled to support him. Ben Cousins? Chris Mainwaring? Daniel Kerr?

Clubs drop the ball on player welfare all the time. Melbourne has done a great job with Jesse Hogan and will be rewarded for it.

Hard to see any of the three departing their home clubs for Fremantle.

Jeremy McGovern, much like Alex Rance and David Astbury in recent years at Richmond, has the chance to leave but has been weaved into his side’s overall system as a huge cog in the machine and as a result is unlikely to walk away. I also get the feeling McGovern and coach Adam Simpson are close and McGovern has bought in to the West Coast system.

Jesse Hogan is a 99 per cent chance to stay at Melbourne. Melbourne is a club in the biggest AFL city of all that seems to be on the rise and Hogan will want to be there when they run out in September for the first time. Beyond that Melbourne has been ultra supportive in Hogan’s dramas off the field and he’ll be expected to pay it back – much like Dustin Martin and Richmond in 2017.

Not too sure about Angus Brayshaw – I feel like he’s the most likely to walk away of the three but is still unlikely. He’s a part of the young brigade and is well respected at the Demons, hard to justify walking away from that for the risk of a lacklustre career in Western Australia. Better to be terrible in Melbourne than terrible in Perth.

Definitely the latter – Geelong, Hawthorn and North Melbourne are all being petted after a strong showing against abysmal oppositions.

Geelong got the job done against a decimated St Kilda that are already off the rails and writing off their season. Hawthorn crushed Melbourne, a club they have a fantastic recent record against, with the Demons playing their worst brand of football in four years. North Melbourne smashed Carlton – I mean, come on. Carlton.