The First Half of Round 8 - The Lessons We Have Learned
May 19th 2008 10:54
ROUND 8 WRAP (The first 4 games) – THE LESSONS WE HAVE LEARNT
Collingwood v StKilda
For a game that was close all night this match still seemed to lack an x factor. Perhaps it was the injuries to key players that contributed to the air of impotence or perhaps it was the fact that both teams have failed thus far to fulfil some lofty pre-season expectations. In any case despite being close all night this game ebbed and flowed evenly without ever really capturing the imagination. Indeed both sides play similarly uninteresting brands of football with a tendency to lose to the good teams while dealing with the poor ones. For this reason at lease the game was important to distinguish the two from one another.
StKilda appear to be struggling with the exact same problems they always have. Gehrig seems disinterested while overall the team appears to have no middle tier of players. 9 players had 9 touches or less while Ball, Sam Fisher, Hayes, Montagna and Dal Santo racked up 26 touches. Once again despite a list promising so much talent StKilda produced overall unimaginative football cost along to a respectable 9 point loss. It is always harsh to make a call on a player’s future career with two thirds of a season still to play but StKilda may need to make a decision on several players already. Fraser Gehrig is clearly not the player he once was and will certainly not play beyond this season and perhaps not this week. The player to have perhaps flown under the radar in terms of how poorly they are playing is clearly Raphael Clarke. While the hype surrounds Gehrig and his future R. Clarke appears to lack awareness and turns what little of the ball he gets over to the opposition. Indeed his recent performances beg the question “did this man come as a free 2 for 1 deal with his far more talented brother?” It is not all doom and gloom for StKilda, they are a reasonable side with a talented midfield in particular, however the aforementioned players are at present a negative influence on the team.
Collingwood have learned that once again they can scrape their way to mediocre victories against similarly skilled sides but once again fail to inspire confidence that they may play deep into September. Glimpses of spark via an impressive Harry O’Brien tackle and goal and a brilliant solo running goal from Leon Davis illuminated an otherwise generic and robotic side. Perhaps this is Malthouse’s intention, to play a brand of football that is replicable by anyone the club recruits, a brand that shuns playing on or running with the ball. There is genuine talent in the side with players like Didak, Davis, Medhurst and Thomas gradually making the transition from flighty forward pockets to genuine midfielders. However when it comes to the overall style of play Collingwood is the football equivalent of a state issued Soviet tank – big, slow and grinding their way bit by bit until the other sides have wasted their shots and give up. The improvement in the small forwards cum midfielders is exciting but the lack of invention within this teams game plan leaves a taste of inevitability lingering on the palate. Expect them to finish 8th and lose ‘admirably’ by 5 or 6 goals to Geelong this Friday.
Hawthorn v Port Adelaide
With PA on the rise and Hawthorn looking irresistible this clash promised a lot and it delivered. Port Adelaide looked great all day seriously threatening the Hawks and reminding us how they made it to a Grand Final in 2007. The Hawks however ticked another box by coming back from 6 goals down to add a big come from behind win to their 7 others this season.
For the Power it seems we have learned something that maybe wasn’t obvious before – this team is not only young, fast and talented they are hard and aggressive also. There were few passengers for the Power (although Brendan Lade seems to be well below his best) in a game that they probably should have won. With Mitchell being knocked unconscious, McGlynn being reported, Crawford sparring with Brogan and the final insult delivered via imitation from Mark Williams (player) these two sides are developing a spiteful modern rivalry and it is in no small part due to Ports style of play. This is also in light of their typically aggressive performance against traditional rivals Adelaide earlier this year. The lesson for teams coming up against Port in the future is simple – expect to come home sore, and if you shirk the issue, expect to lose.
What is there left to say about Hawthorn? Simply brilliant, not only does this team play hard and tight in defence, quick and strong in the midfield and frighteningly potent in the forward line. If Collingwood is a Soviet tank the Hawks are an invisible stealth fighter jet screaming across the sky doing tricks Tom Cruise would be jealous of. Buddy only had the 8 shots on goal to be one below his average while Cyril Rioli kicked 1 goal 4, Roughead only 3 and Williams only 1. Crawford too only had 9 possessions. This was ultimately not a great game from the Hawks and they still won without getting anywhere near the maximum output from their forward line. The only thing that can stop this team is themselves… and maybe the Cats. Lesson learned from this game? The Hawks are outstanding and they can get even better.
Richmond v Geelong
Admittedly if Hawthorn has some improvement left then Geelong hasn’t even got out of first gear. It is an exciting prospect to think of Hawthorn playing to their full potential but then we’ve seen what talented teams do when they play as well as they can, they win Premierships by 119 points. Geelong managed to play one quarter of football in the wet against Richmond and still win. This might be a concern if they had to play Hawthorn before round 17 but as it is Geelong are timing their run perfectly. Indeed while people like me rant and rave about the sight of a full strength Hawthorn side Geelong are cruising along playing at somewhere near 40% of their ability and still haven’t lost. Except that they need Ottens back to sure up the ruck Geelong are foxing the whole competition into thinking perhaps they aren’t the best while still winning the whole time. Remember how Sydney at their peak started slow then built momentum late in the season to finish 4th and be ripe for the finals? Geelong are doing the same thing… without losing.
Richmond on the other hand while showing improvement would be unwise to pat themselves on the back just yet. The skill level of this side defies belief as they turn it over with disturbing frequency. Jordan McMahon and Kane Johnson appear as repeat offenders in this category despite getting the ball more often than previous seasons, some slack should probably be given due to the wet conditions also. Jack Riewoldt too is not improving and needs a serious pre-season in the gym. However Richardson continues to defy his age, Deledio seems more at home pushing up from the forward line and Nathan Foley is a gun. The team is settling and this semblance of system and style is probably the biggest contributing factor to their improved performances. That said Geelong beat them with an arm and a leg tied behind their backs and their free hand was still drinking Crownies from last years Premiership after party. The tigers are better than last years 3.5 wins but not by much. Perhaps the biggest lesson learned for the Tigers was the impressive debut of Trent Cotchin. Skilled, tall, agile and quick Cotchin looked as comfortable on the MCG in 7 degrees and pouring rain as any player ever has.
Carlton v Brisbane
Carlton, much like Richmond, reminded us that improvement is a long process. Having earned some impressive victories to be 3-4, including their first win in Perth for some 7 years, Carlton’s momentum was abruptly halted on Saturday night. Ultimately it was just a terribly slow start that killed Carlton who despite only losing by 33 points Carlton was never really in the hunt. The midfield with Stevens and Judd heading the likes of Murphy, Gibbs, Carrazzo and Scotland appears more and more reliable, but overall the side is taking time to mature and develop into a more cohesive unit. Although the future looks bright as long as Fevola continues his form, Saturday night taught us that Carlton are not yet to be relied on for a full 4 quarter effort.
Brisbane on the other hand looks to be something of a dark horse. Widely tipped to finish just in or out of the 8 with the unexpected evenness of teams below 3rd position Brisbane may well set their sights on a top 4 finish. If Brown and Bradshaw manage to both fire on the same night for once Brisbane have a forward line that could yield almost 15 goals from 2 players. The team does not play a high possession brand of football, regularly gaining less overall touches than their opposition but this may say more about Brisbane’s directness than their inability to get the ball. And watch out when they don’t have the ball because Brisbane tackles hard and often. This makes for a style of play that makes it extremely difficult for opposition sides to get any run and rhythm in their game and when Brisbane inevitably cause the turnover they sting their enemies quickly going the other way. The Lions taught us that you don’t actually have to have the skills of a Geelong or Hawthorn or indeed rack up touches like WC of 2005-2007. Rather a direct style coupled with fierce midfield and backline aggression can be just as effective. They should also wear the old Fitzroy jersey permanently “memories, like the corner of my mind…”
Collingwood v StKilda
For a game that was close all night this match still seemed to lack an x factor. Perhaps it was the injuries to key players that contributed to the air of impotence or perhaps it was the fact that both teams have failed thus far to fulfil some lofty pre-season expectations. In any case despite being close all night this game ebbed and flowed evenly without ever really capturing the imagination. Indeed both sides play similarly uninteresting brands of football with a tendency to lose to the good teams while dealing with the poor ones. For this reason at lease the game was important to distinguish the two from one another.
StKilda appear to be struggling with the exact same problems they always have. Gehrig seems disinterested while overall the team appears to have no middle tier of players. 9 players had 9 touches or less while Ball, Sam Fisher, Hayes, Montagna and Dal Santo racked up 26 touches. Once again despite a list promising so much talent StKilda produced overall unimaginative football cost along to a respectable 9 point loss. It is always harsh to make a call on a player’s future career with two thirds of a season still to play but StKilda may need to make a decision on several players already. Fraser Gehrig is clearly not the player he once was and will certainly not play beyond this season and perhaps not this week. The player to have perhaps flown under the radar in terms of how poorly they are playing is clearly Raphael Clarke. While the hype surrounds Gehrig and his future R. Clarke appears to lack awareness and turns what little of the ball he gets over to the opposition. Indeed his recent performances beg the question “did this man come as a free 2 for 1 deal with his far more talented brother?” It is not all doom and gloom for StKilda, they are a reasonable side with a talented midfield in particular, however the aforementioned players are at present a negative influence on the team.
Collingwood have learned that once again they can scrape their way to mediocre victories against similarly skilled sides but once again fail to inspire confidence that they may play deep into September. Glimpses of spark via an impressive Harry O’Brien tackle and goal and a brilliant solo running goal from Leon Davis illuminated an otherwise generic and robotic side. Perhaps this is Malthouse’s intention, to play a brand of football that is replicable by anyone the club recruits, a brand that shuns playing on or running with the ball. There is genuine talent in the side with players like Didak, Davis, Medhurst and Thomas gradually making the transition from flighty forward pockets to genuine midfielders. However when it comes to the overall style of play Collingwood is the football equivalent of a state issued Soviet tank – big, slow and grinding their way bit by bit until the other sides have wasted their shots and give up. The improvement in the small forwards cum midfielders is exciting but the lack of invention within this teams game plan leaves a taste of inevitability lingering on the palate. Expect them to finish 8th and lose ‘admirably’ by 5 or 6 goals to Geelong this Friday.
Hawthorn v Port Adelaide
With PA on the rise and Hawthorn looking irresistible this clash promised a lot and it delivered. Port Adelaide looked great all day seriously threatening the Hawks and reminding us how they made it to a Grand Final in 2007. The Hawks however ticked another box by coming back from 6 goals down to add a big come from behind win to their 7 others this season.
For the Power it seems we have learned something that maybe wasn’t obvious before – this team is not only young, fast and talented they are hard and aggressive also. There were few passengers for the Power (although Brendan Lade seems to be well below his best) in a game that they probably should have won. With Mitchell being knocked unconscious, McGlynn being reported, Crawford sparring with Brogan and the final insult delivered via imitation from Mark Williams (player) these two sides are developing a spiteful modern rivalry and it is in no small part due to Ports style of play. This is also in light of their typically aggressive performance against traditional rivals Adelaide earlier this year. The lesson for teams coming up against Port in the future is simple – expect to come home sore, and if you shirk the issue, expect to lose.
What is there left to say about Hawthorn? Simply brilliant, not only does this team play hard and tight in defence, quick and strong in the midfield and frighteningly potent in the forward line. If Collingwood is a Soviet tank the Hawks are an invisible stealth fighter jet screaming across the sky doing tricks Tom Cruise would be jealous of. Buddy only had the 8 shots on goal to be one below his average while Cyril Rioli kicked 1 goal 4, Roughead only 3 and Williams only 1. Crawford too only had 9 possessions. This was ultimately not a great game from the Hawks and they still won without getting anywhere near the maximum output from their forward line. The only thing that can stop this team is themselves… and maybe the Cats. Lesson learned from this game? The Hawks are outstanding and they can get even better.
Richmond v Geelong
Admittedly if Hawthorn has some improvement left then Geelong hasn’t even got out of first gear. It is an exciting prospect to think of Hawthorn playing to their full potential but then we’ve seen what talented teams do when they play as well as they can, they win Premierships by 119 points. Geelong managed to play one quarter of football in the wet against Richmond and still win. This might be a concern if they had to play Hawthorn before round 17 but as it is Geelong are timing their run perfectly. Indeed while people like me rant and rave about the sight of a full strength Hawthorn side Geelong are cruising along playing at somewhere near 40% of their ability and still haven’t lost. Except that they need Ottens back to sure up the ruck Geelong are foxing the whole competition into thinking perhaps they aren’t the best while still winning the whole time. Remember how Sydney at their peak started slow then built momentum late in the season to finish 4th and be ripe for the finals? Geelong are doing the same thing… without losing.
Richmond on the other hand while showing improvement would be unwise to pat themselves on the back just yet. The skill level of this side defies belief as they turn it over with disturbing frequency. Jordan McMahon and Kane Johnson appear as repeat offenders in this category despite getting the ball more often than previous seasons, some slack should probably be given due to the wet conditions also. Jack Riewoldt too is not improving and needs a serious pre-season in the gym. However Richardson continues to defy his age, Deledio seems more at home pushing up from the forward line and Nathan Foley is a gun. The team is settling and this semblance of system and style is probably the biggest contributing factor to their improved performances. That said Geelong beat them with an arm and a leg tied behind their backs and their free hand was still drinking Crownies from last years Premiership after party. The tigers are better than last years 3.5 wins but not by much. Perhaps the biggest lesson learned for the Tigers was the impressive debut of Trent Cotchin. Skilled, tall, agile and quick Cotchin looked as comfortable on the MCG in 7 degrees and pouring rain as any player ever has.
Carlton v Brisbane
Carlton, much like Richmond, reminded us that improvement is a long process. Having earned some impressive victories to be 3-4, including their first win in Perth for some 7 years, Carlton’s momentum was abruptly halted on Saturday night. Ultimately it was just a terribly slow start that killed Carlton who despite only losing by 33 points Carlton was never really in the hunt. The midfield with Stevens and Judd heading the likes of Murphy, Gibbs, Carrazzo and Scotland appears more and more reliable, but overall the side is taking time to mature and develop into a more cohesive unit. Although the future looks bright as long as Fevola continues his form, Saturday night taught us that Carlton are not yet to be relied on for a full 4 quarter effort.
Brisbane on the other hand looks to be something of a dark horse. Widely tipped to finish just in or out of the 8 with the unexpected evenness of teams below 3rd position Brisbane may well set their sights on a top 4 finish. If Brown and Bradshaw manage to both fire on the same night for once Brisbane have a forward line that could yield almost 15 goals from 2 players. The team does not play a high possession brand of football, regularly gaining less overall touches than their opposition but this may say more about Brisbane’s directness than their inability to get the ball. And watch out when they don’t have the ball because Brisbane tackles hard and often. This makes for a style of play that makes it extremely difficult for opposition sides to get any run and rhythm in their game and when Brisbane inevitably cause the turnover they sting their enemies quickly going the other way. The Lions taught us that you don’t actually have to have the skills of a Geelong or Hawthorn or indeed rack up touches like WC of 2005-2007. Rather a direct style coupled with fierce midfield and backline aggression can be just as effective. They should also wear the old Fitzroy jersey permanently “memories, like the corner of my mind…”
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