At the Trough Rd 7
The Bombers notched another win bolstering their top four aspirations. The Blues blew their chance to hold top spot after Rd 7 for the first time since Moses wore shorts. Adelaide belted the Cats and the Hawks wayward ways let a percentage boost go begging. Brad Scott was clearly frustrated by the umpires interpretation of Jack Zeibell’s slide and Taylor Walker fronts the judiciary again. We’ll take a look at the highs and lows of Rd 7.
Top Dollar!
5. Matty Boyd: The Bulldogs skipper led the way against a more fancied opposition as the boys from the west disposed of a lackluster North Melbourne outfit. Boyd was unstoppable in the clinches and his ability to win the contested ball made Ryan Griffen’s day very productive. Boyd finished with 44 disposals, 20 of which were contested. 7 marks and 4 tackles to go with his 10 clearances. A great performance from an honest footballer.
4. Ben Howlett: If you’re like me then you probably had the Bombers finishing in that 12-7 bracket of teams. Beat the shit teams and steal a couple against the rest. Well, Hirdy’s lads have stuck it up most of us so far and despite having a few easy games under their belt, they are pointing directly at a top four spot. The reason they’ve been performing despite not being highly rated is the emergence of players like Howlett. A young kid in his third season is leading the AFL in tackles and the pressure he creates around the contest gives the likes of Stanton the opportunity to shine. Well done lad!
3. Richmond: Honourable in defeat, valiant, unlucky…All used to describe the Tigers this year. This weekend they got their scalp with a five goal drubbing of Sydney. No one can doubt the talent of their midfield group and Reiwoldt is a great target. Questions were about their defence and they’ve been answered. Rance is leading the way and Dylan Grimes has emerged as a quality player. The poise of Morris and Ellis, both in their first year and the use of Bachar Houli as a distributor has proven to be a winner. They'll go ok this year.
2. Scott Thompson: The Crows are flying high right now and it’s great to see them going well. Dangerfield is truly an A Grader now but the driving force behind the Crows is Scotty Thompson. Occasionally he’ll butcher the nut but his work rate and competitive attitude are second to none. He’s third in the league in disposals and also in contested possessions which highlights his ability to win it both inside and out. Is currently equal with Jobe Watson on top of the clearance tally as well. A genuine superstar and as long as he’s firing the Crows will be a force.
1. The Giants: It’s hard not to get caught up in the emotion when a new team takes their first scalp. GWS have shown that whilst they won't win many, their emphasis is on being hard at the contest and quick with the ball. Sure they make some mistakes but that’s to be expected as they find their feet. Sheedy and Co have recruited soundly with the likes of Chad Cornes playing some amazing footy and setting the standard. The kids look great with Coniglio, Cameron and Greene leading the way. Still no Jono Patton so they’ll only get better. Exciting times. If only they could get some members.
Shithouse!
1. Terry Wallace: The Plough was a good player. Premierships, B & F’s and All Australians. He was a mediocre coach. 45% career winning percentage bolstered by a couple of good seasons with Footscray. His recruiting at Richmond was dog shit. Jarrad Oakley Nicholls at pick 8 and Richard Tambling at pick 4 some of the more notable decisions. Now he’s got the hide to write an article about retrospective drafts. Anyone could pick a winner in retrospect. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. The trick is to get it right the first time. Something you failed to do Terry.
2. Drew and Lindsay: North are struggling a bit at present and much of that falls on their forward line. Petrie is a shadow of the player who took 50 contested marks last year and North have struggled to find another avenue to goal. Lindsay Thomas also seems to have failed in his bid to overcome his kicking demons. His misses on the weekend were crucial and if you believe Brad Scott, career threatening. If he can’t find the middle then he is of little value.
3. Kicking for Goal: Whilst were on Lindsay Thomas, what is up with goal kicking this year? Franklin is the worst offender with 19 – 31 and another handful out of bounds. He should have the Coleman in the bag at this point. For some reason, blokes who can hit a 60m pass within a foot of their intended target can’t seems to kick it through a 4 metre gap from 30 out. It boggles the mind. It also annoys the shit out of the select few who may have had a dabble at the line. Sort is out you clowns.
4. Marc Murphy: Good kid, plenty of talent. A star in the making. Really, really struggles when given the hard tag. It can’t be that he’s to precious given he wins plenty of contested ball, he just can’t seem to find the space he needs to have an impact. Granted that Clint Jones is a King among taggers but you can bet your last Peter Mac that other sides will take note and Murphy will have plenty more rubbed in his face in the coming weeks.
5. Having a Bubble: Every week I say I’m not going to give Melbourne any more stick and every week they come up with something so ridiculous I’d be irresponsible not to have a crack. This week is wasn’t the players that let the club down but it was the half a dozen listed blokes who, according to their coach, aren’t good enough to get a run in an 0-7 team with a percentage of 56.8 and very few prospects. Jack Watts and Co were seen laughing it up in the stands while their club mates were given a bath. And not for the first time. I tell you what Jack, the whole football world is seeing why you can’t cut it. Your attitude is for shit. I hope Mark Neeld put you in the boxing ring with Chunk Jones for 10 minutes at the start of Monday training. Let’s see a belly giggle now!
