5 Lessons Learned – AFL Round 21
Was that the best round of footy this year?!
A round where top spot lost by 112 points, another Carlton v Collingwood clash ending in chaos, the battle for bottom spot going the distance, and the Bombers pinching the Dockers.
Take a breath, or try to, because it’s tight at the top, and in a season that seems to deliver every twist and turn, we’re going to try and sum up the round, a multi of hindsight we like to call 5 Lessons Learned – AFL Round 21.
With Pick 1, the Richmond Football Club select…
Those are the exact words we will hear on November 24, as the Kangas took care of the Tigers in the battle of the bottom.
It’s not often you lose and still win, but that’s the case for Richmond, who probably had themselves to blame for poor kicking in front of goals.
This clash taught us a few things about the future of either side and whilst Richmond are still competitive, their youth development simply won’t cut it in years to come.
On the other side, the Roos have young players excelling already, and yes they’re a few years ahead in redevelopment, but the Tigers knew this was coming.
Zane Duursma got up for a potential Mark of the Year nomination, soaring over Noah Balta on the wing, producing one of the best moments you’ll get from a first-year player.
Luke Davies-Uniacke stood up for the Roos when it mattered, a massive 33 disposal and three goal performance that included the biggest shank goal you might see this year.
Young guns Harry Sheezel and Colby McKercher were productive off half back for the Roos, and Nick Larkey took control up forward kicking five straight.
The Roos sit 17th, and will still get a star in the draft, with about four players all potential number one picks.
So as far as North is concerned, winning doesn’t stop them from getting an elite player anymore, they’re almost guaranteed one no matter how this season ends.
Collingwood v Carlton: The Scott Pendlebury 400th Edition
400 of the best for Scott Pendlebury, and what a fitting way to celebrate such a milestone in yet another Pies v Blues thriller.
To call it a classic is probably over the top when you look at the quality of the game, which was well below standard to start as the Blues went 0.8 to the Pies two goals.
Harry McKay’s Row Z dribble goal got the Blues on the board, but it was the Pies who quickly got on top like they do every time against the Blues, over the top.
The Blues are outcoached without question every meeting against the Pies, and their inability to take the game to Collingwood always makes things tight, with no room for error.
Even whilst dominating in most key stats around the ground, there was no sense of clinical urgency from the Blues, who were sloppy in transition, and lacking connection offensively.
The Pies found multiple avenues to goals, sharing the footy around inside 50, and they were switched on to make the most of their opportunities in front of the big sticks.
As the Pies extended their lead to 32-points early in the fourth quarter, it was almost a guaranteed bet that the Blues would come back hard, which they did.
Big goals from Elijah Hollands and Jack Martin got the Blues back with two points, and with the ball going end to end, it felt like the Pies were going to grind it out.
But Mitch McGovern came in clutch with a diving mark 40 metres out, knicked in the head by Lachie Schultz’s foot on landing, accidental, but it certainly looked to impact him.
Such is Collingwood’s close game luck against the Blues, the shot missed everything, which wasn’t too remanent of his 2017 goal after the siren to get a draw against the Pies playing for Adelaide.
Scary to think what the Pies can do in these final few weeks with just a sniff. They’d have to beat one of Brisbane or Sydney, with a likely win over Melbourne.
The way Sydney is going, they’ll be licking their lips.
Sorry, what was that? The Swans are down 70-0?!
That’s what we all said to the person next to us, fixated on Collingwood v Carlton, but unaware of the absolute annihilation that pursued at Adelaide Oval.
Brutal, bullish, clinical, and decisive, the Power were all that and more, and not once did they look like taking their foot off.
Living up to the moment has always been Port’s problem, but it feels like there’s been a breath of fresh air with such low expectations in this back end.
The Power kept the Swans scoreless at Quarter Time, only the 20th time in VFL/AFL history where the top side went scoreless in the first.
The Swans conceded 69 inside 50s, smashed in the centre stoppages, letting the Power get a heap of uncontested possessions.
Questions now really start to mount on the Swans, who are in some of the worst form the competition has seen this year, almost locked in for a top four spot with three other teams in season-best form.
They’ve lost flare and contest pressure, unable to restrict opposition scores and inside 50 entries.
It was evident against Fremantle and St Kilda, but the excuse that it’s just a blip may have carried over more than they expected.
Losses like these can completely derail a season, and there’s one team that is well known for finishing other’s seasons, who the Swans will be dreading to play next week, Collingwood.
Canberra Collapse
Hawthorn looked a treat again, leading by 28-points at three-quarter time, answering every question that came their way, but let it slip big time.
The Giants came from the clouds, starting the quarter off strong with a Toby Greene snap, and soon after clawing back to 16 points through Darcy Jones.
Jesse Hogan established himself at the top of the Coleman medal after Charlie Curnow had his streak broken against the Pies, kicking a bag of five, two of those crucial in the final term.
The unrelenting pressure paid off for the Giants, and Tom Green was the man to put them in front late, snapping from 30 metres, putting a dagger in the Hawks.
Hawthorn kicked five in a row in the first quarter and were super switched on to punish the giants on turnover, extending their lead out to 29 points late in the third quarter.
It’s a loss that isn’t detrimental to their AFL finals hopes, especially with other results going their way, but it almost guaranteed them the comfort of a finals lock.
It is a recurring issue for the Hawks, who have let a few big leads slip, so close game finishes aren’t embedded in the Hawks system just yet.
The Giants were quite poor again but got out of a big hole, so they’re still dangerous come September, but their performances still feel underwhelming.
You know what they say about a week in football…
That it’s long. Maybe for better or worse, but seven minutes into the final quarter when it was almost certainly worse for Essendon, it became that much better.
Facing a 25-point deficit early into the fourth quarter, the Bombers pulled it out of the bag, kicking five in a row, starting with Nic Martin.
Nate Caddy got out the back for one, Martin booted through another, and before we knew it, another centre clearance led to Jade Gresham putting the Bombers back in the lead with eight minutes.
It felt like Kyle Langford’s goal a minute later was too much for the Dockers, and as six minutes went by of end-to-end action, Jye Amiss locked things up with 36 seconds.
But out of the centre stoppage, Merrett and Durham combined, belting through a point on the run, enough to get the Dons home by a point and well and truly keep in the hunt for September action.
Fremantle continues to suck us in and let us down time and time again, and it’s a loss that will sting given how close they were to locking up a top four spot.
Life becomes hard all of a sudden with their final three games against Geelong, GWS, and Port Adelaide.
The Bombers are still dependent on things to go their way, with a certain win against the Suns next week, but the Swans and Lions to finish, so at least one of those would need to be a win to make it.