At the Trough. Rd 11
The first of the bye rounds saw more of the great footy we’ve been treated to this year. Fremantle got an away win against the Tigers on the back of their inspirational skipper. The Suns were trounced again and the Demons showed some more signs of life. Poor kicking for goal again impacted the results with both Essendon and the Blues failing to convert and the Hawk machine is gaining momentum. We’ll take a look at the highs and lows of round 11.
Top Dollar!
5. St Nick: The heart and soul of the St Kilda football club relished spending the majority of his time, one-out in the 50 and his seven goal bag is proof of that. Despite the fact that the Suns are light on for key defenders and the delivery from the midfield was first rate, the big fellas work rate was as high as ever and he put the score on the board.
4. Junior Boy: Often lamented from his lack of possessions and subsequent lack of influence on the game, Cyril Rioli works as hard as anyone in the game without the ball in hand. It’s easy to get blinded by his freakish skill and lightning pace but the icing on the cake is his defensive pressure. 14 tackles against the Power on Sunday as part of 32 pressure acts. Outstanding.
3. Great Danes: One’s been doing it at will for years. The other has shown glimpses of his abilities but this year has brought a new found consistency to his game. Collingwood’s Danes, Swan and Beams have forged a great understanding and have been able to feed off each other at the contest. Against Melbourne they were unstoppable amassing a combined 79 possessions, 17 marks, 8 tackles, 14 clearances and three goals.
2. Mighty Pav: Matthew Pavlich is an ornament to the game. He’s been an outstanding player for the Dockers since day one and rarely has a bad day. 6 All Australian gongs. 6 club best and fairests and 6 times club leading goal kicker. His 6 goals on Saturday in the piss at the MCG was his biggest haul in two years but his poise and skill under trying conditions reminded us all what the great man is capable of.
1. Hall of Fame: Arguably the biggest night in football where the greats of our game are recognized for their achievements and every so often, a legend is named. Last night Barry Cable was elevated to Legend status and deservedly so. 400 odd games in WA and VIC. B & F’s galore, premierships, all the bells and whistles. A very humble man who had the added obstacle of facing up to overt racism from the outer and also from within his own club. I couldn't think of a more deserving recipient of the highest honor in football. Big thumbs up to the Hall of Fame inductees as well, Crawford, Harvey, Archer and Grant from recent times, the South Australian Legend Graham Cornes and Melbourne Ruckman Bob Johnson. Thoroughly deserved.
Shithouse!
1. Agreeing with Robbo: It’s not often that the big drunk and myself see eye to eye but his comments regarding the leaking of the Hall of Fame inductees were spot on. Journalism is a competitive business. Everyone wants to be the first to break a story but there are limits. The HoF has been accepted as off limits for years and this has been widely respected. What I can’t fathom is how the Age would allow the leak to be published. Everyone in the football community knows it’s not on and in the end, you just look like a dickhead.
2. Stomping: Whilst I’ll admit there wasn’t a heap in it, Josh Hunt’s decision to ‘stomp’ on Eddie Betts’ hand was a dog act. It wasn’t a stomp, more a sprig massage but it is still weak as piss. Josh Hunt is not a small unit and I’d imagine it wouldn’t have been all that pleasant. Perhaps his non contest from a few weeks ago that made him look like a skirt is haunting him and he’s trying to be a tough guy…Pick another strategy mate. That is bullshit.
3. Conversion: Carlton shot themselves in the foot by kicking 2.9 in the last term against the Cats to come up 12 points short. The Bombers kicked 2.15 in the first three quarters against the Swans and finished with a flurry to come up four points short. I watched both of those games and I firmly believe that 70 percent of those misses would have been kicked by a one legged New Zealander on an acid binge. I doesn’t matter how good the skills set gets, for some reason the goal kicking doesn’t improve. No professional footballer should miss from inside the corridor. Not good enough.
4. Shameful Suns: Gold Coast have a legitimate excuse for being shit. They’ve got 14 players under 20 on their list. They are building. Unfortunately, what they are not doing is improving. They have some good players out to injury but the effort, or lack thereof is the distressing point. They seem completely and utterly disinterested right now and approach each game in the hope that they might have a noble loss. Must be tough for the coach and the players knowing you are outgunned but the competitive edge still needs to be there.
5. Weak as Westhoff: Sunday should have been a big game for Justin Westhoff. The Power had won three on the trot and the versatile forward was playing in his hundredth game. With his face on the banner as Port entered the stadium you could have been forgiven for thinking he might have a crack and try and inspire his team. As it was he had 14 touches at less than 60 percent efficiency and failed to record a stat in the first and last quarters. A poor showing for a man dubbed a future leader of the club.
