Hawks share the load
There weren’t many predictions of doom for Hawthorn in the post-Lance Franklin era. A stellar cast of Roughead, Rioli and the emerging Gunston were still all mainstays inside the Hawks forward line. But what would happen when these three “name” forwards were kept quiet or had off games? It speaks volumes that the Hawks’ victory on Thursday night was fuelled more by a range of attacking cameos, rather than the direct route we’ve come to know. A range of smalls, flankers, midfielders and an ageing tall inflicted the scoreboard damage that sunk the relentless Crows.
Luke Breust continues to fly under the radar, arguably one of the best small to mid-sized forwards in the league with a staggering return of 83 goals (57 last year, 26 so far this year) in the last 18 months. His three goals lead the line for the Hawks, with two of them being steadiers mid-game when the Crows threatened in the second and third quarters. Hale, Smith, Hartung, Puopolo, Ceglar, Duryea, Hill, Burgoyne, Suckling, Hodge and Shiels all hit the scoreboard. Rioli’s solitary goal was the only major from the trio of name forwards. Regardless of their start to the year, this is the factor that makes them an omnipresent premiership threat – unpredictability. Talls playing like smalls, smalls playing like talls. Wingers becoming back pockets for a contest in the defensive half, half back flankers playing as attacking threats for a throw in at half forward. Hours of planning from an opposition coach torched in an instant by the instinct and awareness drilled into this outfit. And they’re still probably yet to play their best football.
Paper-thin Eagles hold it together
When Will Schofield went off the ground mid-way through the final quarter, you’d have almost excused an Eagles collapse. All season, West Coast have been fighting a steep uphill battle in terms of defensive coverage. Eric McKenzie and Mitch Brown’s absence, compounded with the retirement of Beau Waters meant the absolute bare minimum was being scraped together in the riskiest part of the ground. Enlisted was the mature rookie upgrade Jeremy McGovern, a utility who spent time in defence purely because the forward line was crammed full of able talls. Will Schofield, Sam Butler, captain Shannon Hurn and Sharrod Wellingham every week have been scrounging for dear life, knowing any drop in output would likely see the floodgates open.
The Eagles effort and press as a team willed Richmond away from getting back into the game. A large majority of Richmond’s shots on goal came from wide and difficult areas – a sign that the Eagles were pressuring and influencing the opposition’s ball use. Perhaps they were assisted by a few unforced areas, but it was a final term that showed grit and resolve. These low-rent Glen Jakovich impersonations week in, week out by Schofield and McGovern are holding it together. There’s a strong chance that at some point it all comes undone (especially with Schofield now under an injury cloud), but it’s fascinating to watch a group entrusted with a difficult responsibility and lift to face it.
Patrick Cripps: destroyer of worlds
It’s not just the numbers Patrick Cripps is able to rack up that makes him a marvel, it’s the level of direct visual influence he can have on a match. Footballers at 20 years of age usually only show mediocrity and growing pains, punctuated by the occasional flash of brilliance. His first 12 games not only suggest he has the abilities of a well-rounded footballer, but the application of a professional. Thirty-one disposals (16 contested), 80% disposal efficiency, 12 tackles, 10 clearances, seven inside 50s and two goal assists is a disturbingly good return early on in any career.
Again, at 20 years old, he has seemingly mastered a struggle that all midfielders at the professional level have faced. He’s already blessed with the footy nous of someone who knows when to attack and when to defend, when to bust open the opposition and when to close in on the player with the ball. Of course consistency, continued development and serious opposition attention are all challenges yet to come. But for beleaguered Carlton supporters, he is alone worth the price of admission during this rebuild. If Carlton can somehow build a midfield around this precious talent, God only knows what he’s eventually capable of.
Brisbane’s Long and Winding Road
After the dissolution of the Beatles and a strained relationship with Yoko Ono was put on hold, John Lennon spent 18 months drunkenly stumbling through LA with a cast of the rich and infamous. Since 2005, the Lions have faced a similar period of aimless drifting and self-destruction. Their eventual falling away as a superpower, the failed tenure of Michael Voss and poor start to Justin Leppitsch’s coaching career has yielded one finals win in 10 years.
Perhaps the biggest indictment of all, will be how little their second half capitulation against the Bulldogs will be spoken about. They now exist in nowhere territory, completely ignored and in a state of near invisibility. In a year of interstate teams seemingly changing their fortunes and gaining positive press (Fremantle, West Coast, Adelaide, GWS), Brisbane seem to drift further and further away from their target. Their squad might still be incomplete, but the level of effort this season has been deplorable at times. Compared to the Saints or the Bulldogs who are at a similar stage of development, there is a lack of verve and daring from this outfit. Lennon told Playboy in 1980, the last interview he ever gave, that the ‘Lost Weekend’ allowed him and Yoko to “re-order [their] priorities”. The Lions’ catalyst for change has to come out of reflecting on why these collapses keep happening.
Dees put their best foot forward
After the prolonged torture of last week’s final quarter, Dees fans were shown mercy when they held off the Cats in a fantastic performance. Although the Cats began to toil in the final term, the game was seemingly over seconds into the quarter when Nathan Jones slotted a goal from 40. It was a fantastic showcase for the next generation bar Hogan – Neal-Bullen, Brayshaw, Gawn and Viney had great games. This is the kind of victory they have to build on and have to use as an example over the next few seasons. There weren’t many passengers and few Dees players second guessed their run at a contest or role in setting up defensively. Repeat this often enough in game and the positive growth will come.
