They are saying Spherical 7 is when the ladder has begun to take its correct form – however I wager whoever got here up with that didn’t know Opening Spherical was coming.
16 groups have now performed seven video games – Gold Coast and Essendon are, in fact, caught on six – and we’re beginning to be taught who’s scorching and who’s not.
Collingwood? Scorching. Gold Coast? Scorching sufficient to kick ten targets in a row after giving Sydney a begin. The Bulldogs? Undoubtedly scorching, with or with out Sam Darcy.
West Coast? Not. St Kilda? Quickly cooling. Adelaide? Not chilly simply but, however trying dangerously tepid.
From resurgent Blues to controversial suspensions and but extra jumper conflict farces, there’s loads to unpack. Let’s start.
1. There’s no level in re-signing Bevo now
After spending the higher a part of three years within the footy scorching seat, it should be good for Luke Beveridge to not have constant scrutiny on his teaching future.
Within the final 12 months of his Western Bulldogs contract, when his job, actually, has by no means been much less safe, Beveridge is teaching the lights out, marshalling an injury-ravaged group to a creditable 4-3 file after seven rounds – together with a pair of slender losses to first and second on the ladder in Collingwood and Brisbane.
The Bulldogs’ win over GWS was their – and Beveridge’s – most spectacular win but; dominant within the midfield, well-organised structurally and in a position to cowl for each Sam Darcy’s damage up entrance and Liam Jones’ omission down again, the Canines had been too robust and too slick for a Giants outfit many have in premiership rivalry.
Naturally, the dominant win has led to requires Bevo’s contract scenario to be instantly resolved by the membership – so it would shock you to be taught that, as a resolute Beveridge defender over the past three years on this column, I’d be towards being so hasty.
For one factor, it’s Spherical 7: the Canines have began effectively, however they’re nonetheless solely clinging to the sting of the eight. Shedding to Port Adelaide, a bogey aspect, in Ballarat subsequent week, will doubtless tumble them down the ladder once more.
Nevertheless effectively the Bulldogs are taking part in proper now, constant kind is one thing that has eluded this group in recent times: in 2023, as an illustration, they began 7-3 and regarded good for a top-four end, solely to overlook the eight altogether.
The membership would are available for a barrage of criticism in the event that they re-signed Beveridge now, solely to endure a mediocre remainder of the season and, in a aggressive 12 months for finals placings, both miss the eight or once more loss an elimination last in unedifying style.
The Bulldogs hierarchy knew what they had been doing after they opted to not prolong Beveridge’s contract and permit issues to play out within the final 12 months of his present deal.
So far as messages go, it’s fairly clear: wait and see what the season has in retailer, after which make the decision both approach.
To carry agency to that wouldn’t be disrespectful in any respect to Beveridge, no matter whether or not different golf equipment are serious about attempting to poach him – though he has publicly refuted claims of a hyperlink with Melbourne and stated he would take a break from teaching if not on the Canines subsequent season.
It additionally absolutely wouldn’t impression the gamers, regardless of their clear love for the coach – if something, wouldn’t nonetheless with the ability to affect his teaching future encourage the group to play higher, because it did for Port Adelaide with Ken Hinkley in 2023, fairly than destabilise them?
To re-sign Beveridge off the again of a powerful few weeks could be a knee-jerk response with probably ruinous penalties. All issues thought-about, it’s way more prudent to attend and see how 2025 unfolds earlier than deciding.
Luke Beveridge. (Picture by Michael Willson/AFL Images by way of Getty Photographs)
2. The place do the Swans go from right here?
12 months on from Brisbane’s spectacular season turnaround and eventual premiership, it will be silly to jot down off a reigning grand last loser due to a poor begin to the 12 months.
However there’s no denying Sydney are in a correct rut, and after essentially the most disastrous show of their 12 months thus far in blowing a 25-point result in be overrun and swamped by Gold Coast, it leaves Dean Cox in a critically difficult scenario simply seven video games into his teaching profession.
It’s straightforward in charge a down run of kind on accidents, nevertheless it’s fairly clear the Swans have been ravaged to past the tipping level: Errol Gulden, Callum Mills and Tom Papley are essential cogs who’ve missed nearly your entire season thus far, whereas Joel Amartey, Robbie Fox, Taylor Adams and Logan McDonald are different greatest 22 gamers who’ve barely featured.
It leaves Cox in a parlous place in his first season in cost. It will be straightforward to say he has a plum job given most coaches normally come into the function with their groups both at all-time low or near it; the previous West Coast ruckman, although, has no grace interval owing to the Swans’ latest success below John Longmire.
The query now’s, what strings can he pull to maintain the Swans hanging robust till the cavalry returns, as Beveridge has completed on the Bulldogs?
We noticed one late towards Gold Coast: Nick Blakey, hitherto in All-Australian kind at half-back, was thrust ahead with the match all however over, and responded with three final-quarter targets.
His top and robust palms overhead proved a troublesome match-up for even the Suns’ stingy defence, and he definitely appears to be like a extra pure ahead than Tom McCartin.
Sydney have loads of rebounding defenders – none of Blakey’s calibre, however sufficient to, within the phrases of Billy Beane in Moneyball, recreate him within the mixture.
The Swans are 2-5, nevertheless it’s in no way curtains for his or her season simply but. However within the medium time period not less than, loads has obtained to be mounted for final 12 months’s runner-up to get again to their greatest … that’s, if the humiliation of two grand last thrashings in three years hasn’t damaged them.
3. Are the Blues … again?
Wins over North Melbourne and West Coast, emphatic to disregard, had been straightforward to miss given the standard of the opposition.
However Carlton’s overcome an in-form Geelong on Sunday afternoon on the MCG has me involved.
With Harry McKay again and mixing with Charlie Curnow for one of many few instances since late final 12 months amid damage woes for each of them, the Blues regarded deadly sufficient in assault to capitalise on the whole stoppage dominance their midfield had over the Cats’.
Patrick Cripps and George Hewett had been completely huge within the last quarter – Hewett’s game-icing 50m set shot within the final quarter is one thing I didn’t know he had in his package bag – whereas Jacob Weitering was once more phenomenal in defence and Mitch McGovern had fairly probably one of the best sport of his topsy-turvy profession.
Tom De Koning appears to save lots of his greatest for Geelong, too; an utter monster within the ruck and across the floor, he was clearly one of the best man afield – and made St Kilda’s monstrous contract provide to him appear like worth for cash.
Victory was spectacular on two fronts: to overwhelm a high quality Cats outfit with a dominant first three quarters was a reminder of the Blues’ fearsome energy at their greatest, whereas the best way they responded to Geelong’s frenetic begin to the final quarter, which absolutely would have introduced again all of the recollections of their woeful finishes to matches this 12 months, was arguably much more gladdening to navy blue hearts.
Remarkably, Carlton are the one group this 12 months which has led at half time in each match they’ve performed.
At 3-4, their season was in no way previous the purpose of no return: with a handy-looking draw forward of them, together with video games towards the Kangaroos and Eagles once more, there’s an actual likelihood they will surge again up the ladder.
And all of us keep in mind from 2023 simply how devastating the Blues may be when the wind is of their sails.
4. The REAL motive why Collingwood play at so few venues
Over the previous couple of weeks, a social media development – led, in fact, by GWS’ media group – has began to ridicule the quantity of venues different golf equipment play at in comparison with Collingwood.
It has compelled me to do one thing that I contemplate to be borderline heresy – defend the Magpies.
To state the apparent: sure, the Pies do play at only a few venues in comparison with different golf equipment, notably Gold Coast and GWS.
Harvey Thomas has performed at extra grounds in 25 profession video games than Scott Pendlebury in 410; David Swallow, the AFL record-holder, has 22 venues to his identify, together with matches in Townsville and Tasmania, Mount Barker and Ballarat, and naturally China.
However there’s a reasonably apparent motive for this – and each different group within the AFL is liable for it.
For one factor, Collingwood have only one house floor – the MCG. In contrast to the Giants, they don’t play a portion of their house video games in Canberra, or Ballarat for the Bulldogs, or Darwin for Gold Coast. They don’t want the cash to promote them, nor do they want a second supporter base – it’s the good thing about being the most important membership within the land.
For an additional, each single different membership views a match towards the Magpies as a marquee sport. Hawthorn aren’t losing a Pies sport in entrance of 15,000 in Launceston after they may get 75,000 to the MCG; ditto Geelong in Geelong.
GWS, the instigators of the venue complaints, aren’t asking to play Collingwood, the one membership apart from Sydney to often pull a crowd at ENGIE Stadium, at Manuka Oval, are they? That’s reserved for golf equipment just like the Bulldogs, St Kilda, North Melbourne and non-Victorian groups with smaller membership bases just like the Suns, Fremantle and Brisbane.
It’s a bit wealthy for the Giants specifically to make this criticism, given for the final two years they’ve benefitted from taking part in the Magpies as their Opening Spherical fixture, with the only real goal of getting a sizeable crowd to start out the 12 months. Notably, these two video games are within the prime 9 for highest AFL attendances on the Showground, behind six video games towards Sydney and the well-known Giants-Bulldogs 2016 preliminary last.
Little doubt the Pies have structural advantages due to their large measurement and stature – however each different membership appears completely completely happy to harness that when it fits them, because the Bulldogs did for his or her centenary celebrations, as a race MCG house sport towards the black and white military yielded them their greatest ever home-and-away crowd.
A lot because it pains me to take the Magpies’ aspect on this, we will’t have our cake and eat it too.
5. Roo’s ridiculous suspension should deliver MRO overhaul
Paul Curtis shouldn’t have been suspended for 3 weeks for his sort out on Josh Sinn.
And the truth that he’s, in my opinion, practically sure to have it overturned on Tuesday evening on the Tribunal, the place North Melbourne will nearly definitely take the case, is simply as problematic.
The system with which Match Assessment Officer Michael Christian operates is essentially flawed, and proportion is a key a part of it.
The most important subject with Curtis’ ban is that it was both going to be three video games, if deemed a reportable offence, or zero if not.
I believe most individuals may settle for {that a} sort out leading to a suspension, in practically all circumstances, will lead to one sport on the sidelines. North would possibly even have thought-about not difficult it.
However three video games is patently ridiculous, for one thing that might effectively have gained Curtis a holding the ball free kick.
This isn’t Christian’s fault, both – it’s a difficulty, as soon as once more, with the inflexible and rigid tips by which he has to function.
What Curtis did indisputably made excessive contact and had the extreme impression of a concussion – however was it careless? What else was he meant to do in that scenario?
The answer for me, as I’ve stated earlier than, is so as to add an ‘unintended’ clause to the rules, as an alternative choice to ‘careless’ for extra reckless actions the place somebody getting harm was just about unavoidable – like, say, Conor Nash on Gryan Miers final week.
Beneath this clause, the utmost suspension a participant can get could be per week’s suspension – which, because it occurs, just about matches the Curtis case.
The issue with issues remaining as they’re is that golf equipment are responsibility sure to problem such suspensions, and with loads of them getting off, the intent of the bans – to stamp such incidents out of the sport – is getting misplaced.
It’s effectively previous time to repair that.
Paul Curtis’ sort out on Josh Sinn left the Port Adelaide defender with a concussion. (Picture by James Elsby/AFL Images by way of Getty Photographs)
6. It’s time to deal with the farcical jumper conflict drawback
We’ve already seen loads of ridiculous jumper clashes this season, however the sight of Collingwood, decked out in a predominantly white jumper with black shorts, going through a predominantly black-jumpered with white shorts Essendon was laughably farcical.
The explanation, I believe, is that Essendon don’t have a viable away strip to offer sufficient of a distinction.
At the moment, that’s ridiculous.
It’s time for the league to mandate each membership have a ‘conflict’ jumper – actually, simply name it an away guernsey, like most different competitions world wide do.
Within the NRL, as an illustration, Penrith have a pink jumper that they often put on as a distinction to the black – the away colors don’t even should have something to do together with your present jumper, to be honest.
This isn’t even about aesthetics – it’s about perform. I reckon there have been three or 4 incidents on Friday the place Bomber gamers mistook a Collingwood opponent for a teammate.
If golf equipment can deliver out Anzac Day-inspired jumpers with minimal points, it shouldn’t be exhausting in any respect to count on them to fabricate a bona fide away jumper that they put on for all non-home video games. Hell, they could make some merchandising cash from it, too.
Random ideas
– Truthful play to Tim English – his ruckwork has improved tremendously this 12 months.
– Nick Haynes may not be washed in spite of everything.
– Andrew Brayshaw ought to be the Brownlow favorite proper now. Sneakily having an unimaginable season.
– Was that simply one of the best sport of Mabior Chol’s life?
– I’m not going to enter particulars, however secure to say there’s an fascinating correlation between folks attacking Alex Pearce for an Instagram put up who don’t have something to say about sure Sydney gamers with controversial social media follows…
