We’ve had motion, drama, controversy and speaking factors to spare – and the spherical is barely half over!
Anzac Spherical is at all times probably the most keenly anticipated of the AFL season, and this 12 months has been no exception – and with an Anzac Day blockbuster to salivate over nonetheless to come back, I for one can’t wait to see what the following two days will deliver.
However from Tribunal dialogue to reinvented weapons and every little thing in between, there’s greater than sufficient to debate already. Let’s dive in.
1. Callan Ward deserved his suspension…
You solely wanted to have a look at social media within the minutes after Callan Ward’s harmful sort out on Lachie Neale on Saturday afternoon to understand simply how divisive this debate has turn into.
Even the media are not sure the right way to course of this newest incident. “I feel Lachie Neale contributed to that greater than the tackler,” Garry Lyon stated on Fox Footy on the time, earlier than amending his stance after seeing a replay to “not contributed, however didn’t do every little thing he might to work his means via this”.
Right here’s my take: Ward wrapped Neale up, had him lifeless to rights, after which ruined it by intentionally taking him to floor. He lowers his physique, he locks Neale’s legs along with his personal, and left him unprotected.
He properly and really earned his one-week suspension – if something, it most likely ought to have been two.
Spare me the argument that Neale had an arm free – it was the alternative arm to the facet of the physique that hit the bottom, which means he’d want to achieve throughout his physique, and possibly threat a popped shoulder, to efficiently break his fall.
You possibly can inform by how excessive his head ricocheted after hitting the bottom how weak he was: it’s a miracle he prevented a concussion. Had he been knocked out, Ward could be taking a look at a four-week ban much like Nathan Broad’s from Spherical 2, which is extraordinarily related if barely worse.
Spare me additionally the notion that Neale went limp to take advantage of the free kick, as Lyon insinuated. Sure, Neale gave up – however he had no means of predicting Ward would sling him to floor. He’s given up as a result of he’s been caught stone chilly holding the ball by one of many recreation’s greatest tacklers.
I’m actually baffled by this notion Neale was enjoying for a free – and even when he had been, Ward nonetheless has an obligation of care. Feedback like Lyon’s on the official tv broadcast, particularly within the present concussion shopper, are borderline irresponsible.
Lastly, spare me the concept this might have been prevented by the umpire blowing his whistle earlier, as Taylor Adams – at present serving a one-match ban for his personal harmful sort out – referred to as for on Twitter.
For starters, I don’t suppose any of us need to open the can of worms pinging gamers for holding the ball the moment they’re tackled would create. It’s a part of the foundations that gamers want time to eliminate the footy – all we’ll see from extra trigger-happy umpires is fewer holding the balls, faster ball-ups, and extra congestion.
Including to that, Ward had Neale lifeless to rights, and didn’t have to take him to floor to win the free kick. The umpire was within the technique of paying holding the ball as he made the movement that value him every week.
There’s nothing malicious about what Ward did – gamers are taught to forestall any escape with tackles, and the simplest means to try this is taking gamers to floor. As not too long ago as 5 years in the past, not solely is the Giants veteran within the clear, however he wins the free for holding the ball too.
The NRL is at present present process a looking on hip-drop tackles, and the harm they’re inflicting from gamers ‘dropping anchor’ throughout tackles. The AFL should do the identical on Ward’s leg-lock, which increasingly gamers are including to their tackling method to forestall a fast kick away.
It’s slowly occurring, however we as a footy public most likely additionally want to vary our considering round harmful tackles. Prevailing opinion final week on Zach Merrett and Adams’ suspensions appeared to exonerate that pair for no different purpose than the gamers they tackled have been unharmed, and had their reverse arm free.
The MRO have been wildly inconsistent on this all 12 months – Will Day and Gary Rohan’s two- and one-match Easter Monday suspensions when Rohan’s was clearly worse probably the most egregious instance – however to their credit score, the message has now been despatched. For those who take a participant to floor, and their head hits the turf, it’s every week a minimum of.
Neglect making it simpler for gamers – they simply want to enhance their sort out method. It’ll occur if we give it time, so long as within the now, those who err should pay the worth.
2. … and Mitch Duncan can rely himself fortunate
I used to be sure Mitch Duncan’s bump on Robbie Fox would sum up how tough being an AFL footballer is lately.
The obligation of care is so extremely excessive, and instinctive, split-second choices with no malice behind them are getting put beneath the microscope on a weekly foundation. Gamers are getting rubbed out for acts that they’d have been praised for all their lives.
I’m glad Duncan ended up with no case to reply – however on the identical time, clearing him feels inconsistent with the message the AFL clearly needs to ship.
It’s true Fox runs over the ball, however on the tremendous slow-mo, you’ll be able to see Duncan readying to bump even whereas the footy is in dispute. On the level of contact, the ball is behind him, however by that time, it’s too late to vary his path.
The foundations of the sport are clear: should you select to bump, and catch somebody excessive, you’ll be able to count on to pay the worth. And you may’t actually dispute that Duncan selected to bump.
The issue in Duncan’s case is the alternatives he had weren’t nice. He has a proper to contest the footy – nobody needs to see a recreation the place gamers again out when the ball is in dispute for concern of inflicting damage.
Duncan couldn’t probably predict Fox going to floor – the Swan was nonetheless on his toes when he tucks his shoulder in for the bump. Within the break up seconds between Duncan bracing and the contact, there’s no time to regulate or to react, even for a gifted athlete with reflexes the remainder of us can’t come near.
If Duncan doesn’t bump, then Fox possible takes his legs out, which we all know could cause severe harm. Or in the event that they each attain the ball on the identical time, which Duncan was most likely anticipating earlier than Fox overran it, there’s an actual threat of a nasty head conflict just like the notorious one between Troy Selwood and Alex Rance in 2009.
Not like with Ward, I’m unsure there was an affordable different for the Cats veteran. There’s a distinction between his bump and Tom Jonas’ on Jai Culley earlier on Saturday, the place Jonas selected to focus on the participant as an alternative of making an attempt to smother, made head contact – sure, a head conflict counts as head contact – and deserved a ban for it.
I can’t shake the sensation that had Fox been concussed, we is perhaps taking a look at a really totally different situation. Which is an issue. Can an end result be proper for the mistaken causes?
3. Giving the Bont the credit score he’s due
For 18 months now, Marcus Bontempelli has been a sufferer of his personal extraordinary requirements.
Carrying niggling accidents all season lengthy in 2022, he was nonetheless ok to common 23.5 disposals, greater than a aim a recreation and end fourth within the league for common inside 50s per recreation – but as a result of it wasn’t a patch on his unbelievable 2021, he’d miss out on a fourth consecutive All-Australian choice to lesser gamers rising to new ranges.
We’re seeing one thing much like begin 2023 – as a result of the Western Bulldogs have been up and down and since he’s Marcus Bontempelli, the affect he’s having has gone beneath the radar. Even after Friday evening’s Herculean efficiency in opposition to Fremantle, the Fox Footy panel by some means tried to show best-afield honours right into a debate between the Canines captain and Adam Treloar (who was additionally glorious, by the way in which).
I’ve clearly received a canine on this combat, however simply as criticism of Bontempelli’s greater than anticipated variety of clangers in a equally dominant outing in opposition to Brisbane a couple of weeks in the past was off the mark, so was this. The Canines quantity 4 was the perfect man on Optus Stadium by the size of the strait.
For this season alone, solely Jeremy Cameron is having a greater 12 months – and even then, there’s not so much in it. Bontempelli was a one-man band within the Canines’ two dismal performances to begin the 12 months, and has since strapped his teammates on his again and carried them over the road in a minimum of two of their three wins. Towards Port Adelaide, it was solely when he inexplicably spent prolonged intervals resting ahead within the essential last time period when the Energy made their decisive break.
Bontempelli does all of it. He’s an exquisite person of the ball, going at 75.6 per cent disposal effectivity per 12 months, and nearly each single one advantages his group. He hits the scoreboard. He wins his personal ball, and tackles ferociously with out it. He makes determined defensive 50 spoils to save lots of objectives, and takes contested marks inside attacking 50.
That’s with out mentioning the innumerable occasions through the years that he has saved the Canines with a clutch last quarter aim when it has mattered most. Nobody within the final 20 years has been a greater big-moment participant than Marcus Bontempelli.
No participant within the recreation, not even Cameron, does as many issues in addition to him. On the time of writing (Sunday night of Spherical 6), he’s within the high three within the AFL for each clearances and tackles this 12 months. That’s absurd.
I’m going to make a daring assertion: I used to be too younger to recollect something however the twilight of their careers, however I refuse to consider Nathan Buckley, James Hird and Michael Voss might probably be higher than this bloke. Of his contemporaries, I’d solely put Gary Ablett and September Dustin Martin forward of him, with Patrick Dangerfield and Scott Pendlebury neck in neck. If he will be going as properly into his 30s as these two, he’ll transfer into outright second.
The Bont is six rounds into an awfully good season, one which he’s singularly accountable for extra of his group’s wins than anybody within the AFL. He’s properly overdue for some severe acclaim.
(Picture by Dylan Burns/AFL Pictures by way of Getty Photos)
4. Why can we care about Mark of the Week?
A few times yearly, a complete bunch of individuals completely lose their minds over a dodgy Mark of the Spherical nomination.
So it was this week, when Harry Himmelberg’s epic, game-winning speccy in opposition to Hawthorn didn’t win the nod for Collect Spherical, with a good however far inferior Cody Weightman mark thus honoured.
Himmelberg’s snub received every little thing from well mannered befuddlement, to real outrage, to some good old school #Vicbias accusations from South Australian icon Graham Cornes.
Right here’s the factor, although: this simply doesn’t matter. Okay, Himmelberg’s was clearly the higher mark and will have been rewarded – however a preferred vote, which is how Marks of the Spherical are decided, will at all times throw up peculiariies like this. Hell, two years in the past Shai Bolton’s precise Mark of the Yr didn’t win its spherical vote, all as a result of Collingwood efficiently lobbied its Twitter base into getting Brody Mihocek comfortably forward.
There are not any prizes for Mark of the Spherical (although it’d be good if the participant’s grassroots footy group received a cheeky grand splashed their means – a free concept for you, AFL), and the factors for selecting the 12 months’s greatest mark on the finish of the season offers solely the smallest of weightings to that widespread vote.
All it’s is a little bit of innocent enjoyable the place members of the general public get the prospect to vote for his or her favorite gamers or groups. Sure, comedy conditions can ensue out of that – the Bulldogs ought to body Dwayne Russell’s SEN feedback calling them a ‘massive membership’ with a stronger voting bloc than the Giants over the Weightman-Himmelberg fiasco – however certainly we’ve all received higher issues to be upset about?
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5. Port swingman’s outstanding profession resurrection
It has turn into frequent lately for struggling forwards to be thrown into the defence to revive their careers. Liam Jones, Darcy Moore, Jayden Laverde and Brennan Cox are only a few present backline mainstays who’ve made the swap everlasting.
It’s far rarer to see the alternative occur – a long-time defender swap to the ahead line with success. Aaron Naughton has made the conversion profitable after dominating as a junior intercept king, whereas Brody Mihocek has beautifully grown into his position as Collingwood’s foremost spearhead having been recruited from the VFL as a key again. And now we will add Darcy Byrne-Jones to these ranks.
A 2020 All-Australian half-back, Byrne-Jones’ profession appeared on the crossroads when he was demoted to the sub position in opposition to Sydney, after an detached begin to 2023 (and, in reality, an detached two years) in defence. However changing the ineffectual Junior Rioli late within the recreation, the 27-year previous was essential within the Energy’s final-quarter comeback, along with his ahead line strain and clear ball use enjoying an enormous position in a well-known win.
Since then, Byrne-Jones has gone from power to power: important with two objectives within the moist in opposition to the Western Bulldogs whereas additionally placing the clamps on Bailey Dale, he was among the best afield in opposition to West Coast on Saturday. He completed with eight rating involvements, equal second-most on the bottom, whereas laying a game-best three tackles inside 50 and kicking two objectives of his personal.
Sydney’s Ryan Clarke revived his personal profession as a defensive ahead locking down on the opposition’s greatest rebounder final 12 months. Byrne-Jones has that knack, however with some further perks: he has real aim sense, presents properly for the ball, and reads the play higher than most, a trait clearly honed from his expertise down again.
You don’t usually see established gamers reinvent themselves in a brand new position so late of their careers, and after three weeks and three wins, Byrne-Jones is properly and really entrenched again within the Energy’s greatest 22. Forward of their conflict with St Kilda on Friday evening, you’d should count on Saints star Jack Sinclair will probably be in his sights.
6. The worst absorb footy disproved forever
I don’t hate any sizzling take from AFL speaking heads with fairly as a lot ardour as I do the ‘he’s not of their subsequent premiership group’ take.
Yearly, a struggling group with a bunch of previous gamers is urged by somebody to tear every little thing down and begin anew, ship anybody over the age of 30 to the knackery, and put money into youth.
Not solely have we seen numerous examples of that not working – Melbourne all through the 2010s, for only one instance – however Adelaide certainly proved as soon as and for all on Sunday that have continues to be probably the most essential trait in footy.
The 2 greatest Crows on the bottom of their thrilling win over Hawthorn have been Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane, each of whom appeared over the hill again in Matthew Nicks’ first 12 months in 2020. There have been many requires one or each to be moved on within the title of youth again then; had they carried out it, they’d have misplaced this recreation by 5 objectives.
Walker stays the Crows’ primary ahead goal, concurrently taking strain off Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe whereas additionally nonetheless kicking objectives by the bucketload. Alongside along with his 4 main in opposition to the Hawks got here eight marks and 20 disposals as he pushed as much as the wings to assist his group.
33 on Tuesday, he’s nonetheless nearly as good as each – and importantly, he’s wiser. Numerous occasions he discovered his means into house not even the Hawks defenders knew was there. It was talked about on Fox Footy’s broadcast that the Crows are among the many greatest groups within the AFL at delivering inside 50, however I reckon an enormous a part of that’s how straightforward Walker makes passing it to him.
Sloane was simply as important: with the Crows getting properly crushed across the ball by the Hawks’ underrated midfield brigade, the veteran’s bullocking second half was important. With 5 clearances, 30 disposals and 12 contested possessions, the bash and crash nature of a hard-fought match in Tasmania suited him all the way down to a tee. It was the perfect match I’ve seen him play since a minimum of 2019.
The Crows dodged an enormous bullet in Tasmania, in opposition to a Hawks outfit whose model of kamikaze footy will see them annihilated various occasions this 12 months, however can’t be underestimated due to it. They’ll trigger a couple of upsets this 12 months.
Geelong received a premiership with the oldest group in footy historical past final 12 months. Hopefully they, plus Walker and Sloane’s Sunday heroics, can finish the discuss that gamers in rebuilding sides immediately lose all worth the second they hit 30.
Random ideas
– I’m formally frightened about Alex Pearce.
– St Kilda’s transition defending is subsequent degree. What number of occasions within the final quarter did the Blues have nobody to kick to after they wanted to maneuver it shortly?
– He’d be a nightmare to barrack for, however as a impartial, I really like watching Sam Frost to dying.
– Reckon we might have carried out with out mentioning Rhett Bazzo’s household tragedy a number of occasions throughout his AFL return, Kelli Underwood.
– I really feel like the one individuals that actually get behind Thursday evening footy within the media. Anybody else within the ‘it’s positive besides when it’s my group enjoying’ camp?
– Adam Kingsley needing a stress ball is lovely.
– Real query: is Todd Goldstein a top-20 participant in North Melbourne’s historical past? He’s received to be a minimum of shut.
– Comfort for the Blues – Patrick Cripps may simply be again.
– Brent Daniels’ return from one million accidents final 12 months has flown beneath the radar. He’s been elite.
– Why is it seen as worse for Harry McKay to spray a snap than it could be for him to shank a set shot?
– Poor Xavier O’Neill – think about getting dropped when your group has 24 match blokes to select from. Wasn’t even the sub!
– So flat about Touk Miller. Hope it isn’t severe.
