Round 9: the other games.

[liz]

Still early in the season, but after losing to Hawthorn today, it's hard to see St Kilda making the finals. There's a few teams that appear to be better than them, between them and the bottom of the eight.

At the start of the season I thought there were maybe 14 teams capable of playing finals. I'd written off Hawthorn, North, West Coast and Richmond. I also thought Geelong were unlikely to. I didn't necessarily think all the other teams were genuine premiership contenders but I thought most of them would be bunched together in the middle of the table right up until the end of the season.

The wheat seems to have been sorted from the chaff much more quickly than I expected. I've not changed my view on the four 'can'ts', but clearly I got Geelong wrong. Of the rest, Brisbane still have quality in their squad but have incurred all the injury bad luck they've avoided for the past few seasons in the space of a couple of months. They might still sneak into the eight but I won't be surprised if they don't.

Gold Coast have been terribly disappointing against any half-decent team. It's not just that they've lost. They've lost badly. Their performance against Brisbane last weekend was downright pathetic. I know Hardwick is holding out for a 2023-GWS style emergence in the second half of this season but I don't see it. The Saints look dull and workmanlike. The Dogs seem incapable of stringing two good performances together. Adelaide are an enigma.

I still think Adelaide or the Dogs could sneak into the eight but I reckon it's unlikely. Which really just leaves Collingwood as the team outside the eight that looms as dangerous, but only if they turn their own injury woes around. The positive for them, compared to Brisbane, is that their injuries seem to be shorter terms ones than the Lions'.

[i'm-uninformed2]

St Kilda were never making the finals this year, and I still don’t know how they did last year. They have some good young midfielders, but the emphasis is on young; their key position stocks are putrid; they’ve got two good field kicks; and Ross Lyon is Ross Lyon so they play boring defensive crap.

[Nico]

I went to the Essendon/GWS snore fest. GWS looked the better team until mid 3rd quarter when they looked to run out of petrol. In the last quarter their legs seemed like they were made of lead. The game was played pretty much down the wings and both sides looked scared to go up the guts. I also went to the Melbourne/Geelong game last week and it was the same for 3 quarters until both sides decided if they were to win they had to play down the corridor. I was in the MCC members and the game was so boring that for long periods all you heard from the fans was....talking.

In the Herald Sun yesterday there was an article under Mark Robinson's name by, of all people, Rodney Eade. Eade said coaches were scared to let other sides score. Of all people to comment on that. Who can forget his last game when we drew with St Kilda in what was regarded as the worst game of all time.

Essendon have a pretty easy draw and they may very well finish on top if us and Geelong falter. Not that they impressed. On that game it's hard to see GWS being there at the skinny end to the season.

[Industrial Fan]

Was hard to see Gws mounting a comeback in that one wasn’t it. Like they were running through treacle.

Bombers were pretty sloppy too, not sure how they’ve ended up in third place but likewise people probably speculate how the swans are on top after losing to Richmond.

[dejavoodoo44]

At the start of the season I thought there were maybe 14 teams capable of playing finals. I'd written off Hawthorn, North, West Coast and Richmond. I also thought Geelong were unlikely to. I didn't necessarily think all the other teams were genuine premiership contenders but I thought most of them would be bunched together in the middle of the table right up until the end of the season.

The wheat seems to have been sorted from the chaff much more quickly than I expected. I've not changed my view on the four 'can'ts', but clearly I got Geelong wrong. Of the rest, Brisbane still have quality in their squad but have incurred all the injury bad luck they've avoided for the past few seasons in the space of a couple of months. They might still sneak into the eight but I won't be surprised if they don't.

Gold Coast have been terribly disappointing against any half-decent team. It's not just that they've lost. They've lost badly. Their performance against Brisbane last weekend was downright pathetic. I know Hardwick is holding out for a 2023-GWS style emergence in the second half of this season but I don't see it. The Saints look dull and workmanlike. The Dogs seem incapable of stringing two good performances together. Adelaide are an enigma.

I still think Adelaide or the Dogs could sneak into the eight but I reckon it's unlikely. Which really just leaves Collingwood as the team outside the eight that looms as dangerous, but only if they turn their own injury woes around. The positive for them, compared to Brisbane, is that their injuries seem to be shorter terms ones than the Lions'.

Yes, in regards to the Suns, since they're always on free to air up here, I've seen a lot of them, and their effort against the Lions was probably one of the most insipid that I've seen. While there were plenty of bigger thrashings in their early years, to never look winning against an injury ravaged side that's below them on the ladder, was just mystifyingly bad.

That being said, I'll be tuning in next week and hoping that they'll beat Geelong. Which I think they've got a reasonable chance. They've won their last five games in Darwin and the hapless North may have played them back into form. While Geelong have never played there and some of their older players may not like it.

[dejavoodoo44]

St Kilda were never making the finals this year, and I still don’t know how they did last year. They have some good young midfielders, but the emphasis is on young; their key position stocks are putrid; they’ve got two good field kicks; and Ross Lyon is Ross Lyon so they play boring defensive crap.

I was actually very impressed that Lyon got them to the finals last year, since they had a huge injury toll, especially early on. So I thought they might be pretty good this season, but it seems they're not.

I do wonder, without much evidence, if Lyon is one of those coaches that micromanages a bit too much? That is, they're constantly telling players what they should and shouldn't be doing, so eventually the players start to doubt their own instinctive decision making. Which might be a drawback in a game as chaotic as ours.

- - - Updated - - -

I went to the Essendon/GWS snore fest. GWS looked the better team until mid 3rd quarter when they looked to run out of petrol. In the last quarter their legs seemed like they were made of lead.

They might have been a bit cooked, after playing a very good side the previous week.

[Hotpotato]

Just been a goal scored either end Crows v Lions
If both sides had a goal keeper, they would have been points.

[dejavoodoo44]

If the Crows lose this, I suspect many of their fans will be a bit pissed off with Nicks. He tactically subbed out young key defender, Daniel Curtin, at half time, only to lose key defender, Josh Worrell, a couple of minutes into the second half, with what looked like a broken wrist.

[Hotpotato]

Dawson = elite

[i'm-uninformed2]

If the Crows lose this, I suspect many of their fans will be a bit pissed off with Nicks. He tactically subbed out young key defender, Daniel Curtin, at half time, only to lose key defender, Josh Worrell, a couple of minutes into the second half, with what looked like a broken wrist.

I’ve got a couple of mates in Adelaide who are Crows fans. They’ve gone from loving him last year and thinking they were robbed (I agree with them to drive them mad) to wanting to run him out of town

[dejavoodoo44]

I’ve got a couple of mates in Adelaide who are Crows fans. They’ve gone from loving him last year and thinking they were robbed (I agree with them to drive them mad) to wanting to run him out of town

Yes, their Bigfooty autopsy thread is almost on par with Bulldogs fans and Beveridge. Which seems quite harsh on Nicks.

[Trever]

Feel really sorry for this fan. The contact was really friendly from both player and fan. The way the AFL statement referred to the fan was terrible. Treating him like a teenager that had been grounded.

Collingwood Magpies fan banned for grabbing West Coast Eagles Harvey Johnston

[Dow]

Feel really sorry for this fan. The contact was really friendly from both player and fan. The way the AFL statement referred to the fan was terrible. Treating him like a teenager that had been grounded.

Collingwood Magpies fan banned for grabbing West Coast Eagles Harvey Johnston

Why would you touch a player like that especially during a game, no matter what his intentions are - I feel the punishment fit the crime on this occasion

[Trever]

Why would you touch a player like that especially during a game, no matter what his intentions are - I feel the punishment fit the crime on this occasion

It happened in a split second and the fan acted in a naturaly friendly way.

If you’re going to ban this fan then everyone who ran onto the SCG for Buddy’s 1000 goal should be banned. I was on the ground for that moment and San Wicks walked past me pretty closely. I should be banned along with everyone else. Come on AFL come and give me my years ban.

[Nico]

Why would you touch a player like that especially during a game, no matter what his intentions are - I feel the punishment fit the crime on this occasion

He'll have plenty of time to concentrate on his degree in Rocket Science.