Tigers toothless when it counts
For a club that has turned underwhelming performances into an art form, Richmond saved one of its masterpieces for the bright lights of Friday night footy. In their worst performance since... well, two weeks ago, the Tigers were utterly impotent after half-time as they scored just one goal in an hour of play and the Demons piled on six in the tumbling rain. Their entire night was summed up by a forgettable 90 seconds by Ben Griffiths in the first quarter. First, the forward missed a set shot from around 20m out, on a slight angle, to the groan of Richmond fans. A minute later, he received a free kick 60m from goal and without even looking for a leading team-mate, barreled the ball into the seventh row of the crowd.
The Tigers played dumb football all night, with many of their stars down on form and the class of Brett Deledio sorely missed. To cap off a miserable night, debutante Nathan Drummond suffered a season-ending knee injury going back with the flight of the ball. It was the most courageous things a Tiger did all night, and it ended in heartbreak.
It’s a shame Richmond’s putrid performance overshadowed what Paul Roos described as the best Melbourne victory under his tenure. Improvement is evident across the board but spearhead Jesse Hogan, in just his fourth game, was the game’s biggest story. Heading in, Tigers full-back Alex Rance hadn’t conceded a goal or lost a one on one contest all season. Ten minutes into the game, he’d done both. Hogan ended with six marks and two goals, but the hope he provided Demons fans outshone anything on the stat sheet.
Mick gets a reprieve… for a week, at least
It wasn’t pretty and not even the most ardent Blues fan will rush to Name-a-Game to purchase a copy on DVD. But neither point mattered when Carlton broke their duck by spluttering their way to their first win of the season against the Saints in Wellington. Coming from 26 points down in the second quarter, the Blues upped the ante after half-time and the young Saints simply couldn’t go with them. Without the influence of the absent Chris Judd, Tom Bell crashed and bashed his way to four goals, Lachie Henderson booted five of his own and highly rated young midfielder Patrick Cripps impressed with 33 possessions, nine tackles and a goal.
Mick Malthouse, whose coaching future had generated more column inches than the Blues’ 0-3 start to the season, was visibly relieved in his post-match press conference. Last week, he spoke to reporters about the toll the scrutiny had taken on his family. This week, his players chased, tackled and harassed until the final siren.
Malthouse will break Jock McHale’s coaching record on Friday night when the Blues take on the Magpies. Here’s hoping that the goodwill generated from Saturday’s victory results in less chatter about his future and more chatter about his enormous contribution to the game. For the week, at least.
Young Pies go the distance
There has been plenty of pessimism around Collingwood, most of it a little unfounded. It’s easy to remember that 14 players from their 2011 grand final side are no longer at the club; that they were in the top eight for most of last season before they succumbed to late-season injuries and that they boast three top 10 draft picks yet to debut (Matt Scharenberg, Nathan Freeman and Darcy Moore). But few saw Saturday’s impressive win over Essendon coming. The Pies played with an infectious ferocity from start to finish and the Bombers had no answers. Even in the last minute of the game, with the margin 20 points, the Pies gang-tackled Bomber after Bomber trying to will the ball their way.
The most pleasing thing for Collingwood was that it wasn’t the usual guard on show. Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan played well without dominating, and Travis Cloke was well held by Cale Hooker. Instead it was the likes of Taylor Adams and Anzac medalist Paul Seedsman who did the damage. Former Lion Jack Crisp is the prototype of the big-bodied modern-day midfielder – the steak knives in the Dayne Beams trade who has had more of an impact for his new club than Beams has. Brodie Grundy covers the ground better than most ruckmen and will be one of the league’s best in time, and Jack Frost had Jake Carlisle’s measure all day.
Collingwood may not make the finals, and there are certainly losses to come. But as Saturday’s result showed, reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated.
From fizzer to blockbuster in the blink of an eye
Last year’s grand finalists travelled interstate to meet contenders, and were given harsh lessons about intensity and pressure early on. But Hawthorn and Sydney are very, very good teams and responded as very, very good teams should, turning two potential fizzers into compelling encounters.
Port Adelaide was at its blistering best against the Hawks early. In the first 10 minutes, Hawk midfielders couldn’t get their hands on the ball as Port piled on the goals. They kicked goals bursting out of tackles; goals from contested marks and goals from the boundary line. They’d kicked seven before Jack Gunston put Hawthorn on the board.
The second quarter was a stalemate but Hawthorn responded after half-time. They inched closer and closer, with the final quarter played almost exclusively played in their forward line (28 to five inside 50m is a smashing in anyone’s language) as tired Power players appeared to be running in quicksand. But the Power deserved to hold on, their win all the more impressive given it was without prime movers Robbie Gray and Ollie Wines.
There were similar ebbs and flows over in Perth. Fremantle jumped the Swans, opening a seven goal to one half-time lead. The Lyon Cage was shaking, David Mundy was busting tackles with ease and Nat Fyfe was everywhere. For Swans fans, there were painful memories of last year’s grand final when their side simply unable to handle the heat.
But the second half was played on Sydney’s terms. Dan Hannebery and Luke Parker lifted, and Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin menaced Fremantle’s understrength backline. The Swans closed within a goal with 11 minutes remaining, but Matthew Pavlich and Chris Mayne steadied the ship and the Dockers were home.
It’s hard to know how to read either game in the wash up. It’s rare to see Hawthorn or Sydney so badly beaten in a half, but Port Adelaide and Fremantle both wilted after half-time. If nothing else, we know there are at least four serious contenders for the flag.
Adelaide appalling; Bulldogs brilliant
The round’s biggest upset was saved for the Sunday twilight graveyard slot, as the fast, fierce Bulldogs put Adelaide to the sword. The Crows were on fire in the first two rounds, giving Phil Walsh a dream start to his coaching career. But there were some worrying signs last week when they let Melbourne jump them early at Adelaide Oval, and Adelaide’s eventual 25-point victory was less than impressive. They were even more sluggish out of the blocks yesterday, and the Dogs made them pay. The Crows were almost six goals down at quarter-time, their big names ineffective and their desire lacking. The rout continued for another two quarters before Eddie Betts pegged the margin back with three final-quarter goals. With a mouthwatering showdown against Port Adelaide looming on Sunday, Walsh will have a few sleepless nights this week.
As for the Bulldogs, they move to 3-1 and were simply sensational. Veteran skipper Rob Murphy bounced around like a 25-year-old, Luke Dahlhaus and Jackson Macrae provided plenty of run and hugely talented forward Jake Stringer was subbed off with leather poisoning at three quarter time after booting six goals. Throw in Marcus Bontempelli and it’s a list of young talent any club would kill for. The Bulldogs hunt in numbers and run as hard defensively as they do offensively. It’s a great combination, and if they keep that type of form up, they won’t be stuck in the graveyard timeslots for much longer.
