I do not know about you but I like football spread over the week, I only wish the non paid TV people get to watch more with Foxtel monopolising the game.
Brisbane defeated Carlton by 19 points
We all watched this just to see how Fevola would react in playing a real match against his old team in Carlton. The result was Jonathan Brown continuing in the fight who is the best CHF in the competition between him & Nick Riewoldt with seven match breaking goals.
For the first half Carlton could not score a goal with more scoring shots than Brisbane but where down by 5 goals with 11 behinds & only three goals. A brilliant third quarter got them back in the lead however Brown kicked several important goals to keep them in the game. Last week it was Betts & Yarren who starred up forward with three goals each, this week they had 21 possessions & 0 goals together but for round two, it was O’hAlipin who kicked four & Henderson kicking three against his old team.
One thing I have noticed about Fevola in his two games for Brisbane so far is that he does not whinge as much as he did when he played for Carlton.
Collingwood defeated Melbourne by 1 point
I have asked this question in the talking points section below but I must ask the question why do some teams just not show up? Last weekend Collingwood where amazing & this weekend it took several Malthouse serves to stumble over the line against cellar dweller Melbourne.
Lets give Melbourne credit where it is due, it was like coach Bailey selected 22 different players as the team had effort, put pressure on the Magpies & had determination unlike last week. Jamar played the game of his lifetime dominating the ruck against Jolly ‘the super recruit’ & Fraser.
Green, Petterd (dropped the match winning mark) & Davey were Melbournes best. I think Malthouse was Collingwoods best player with his players scared of another spray if they lost.
St Kilda defeated Kangaroos by 104 points
North was slow out of the blocks again & St Kilda is a top two side and wont allow you to get back into the game unlike Port last weekend. 8 first half goals saw St Kilda dominate from the beginning & St Kilda had a lead of 60 points before North even managed to kick a goal, it was all over from then.
Riewoldt kicked seven goals with Goddard kicking four with Milne & Peake three each, St Kilda also had plenty of ball winners with over a 100 more collective possessions than North with half of their team having 20 or more lead by Montagna with 35, Dal Santo 33 & Goddard also getting 29 with his four goals.
North had many quiet players tonight lead by captain Harvey who was blanketed by Jones & may be spending the next week or so on the sidelines after being suspended. North did win the hit outs with McIntosh getting almost the same as the whole St Kilda team with 31. Norths young guns in Bastinac, Ziebell and Wright all struggled against the big boys of St Kilda which would have hurt a few Dreamteam coaches (me included).
Port Adelaide defeated West Coast by 3 points
I think its safe to say that West Coast lost this game with dumb football & poor disposal, when they learn how to play & make the right decision I think they will be a good team but until then they will leave Worsfold with an ulcer.
For the first quarter and a half Port dominated with run from defence from Carlile & Chapman being unmanned & providing great run. West Coast played better accountable football for the next quarter and a half and managed to get a 13 point lead lead by the new West Coast hero in Nit Nat (Cox who??).
The game was all set up for a great last quarter & for the second week in a row, West Coast let the opposition kick multiple unanswered goals. It started with Pearce’s run & ended with Davenport who kicked four last quarter goals. Kennedy managed to kick four matched against several Port defenders but they struggled with LeCras out. It surely must be time for West Coast to play Weeden.
Sydney defeated Adelaide by 43 points
Adelaide look gone, I know its only two games down but when you look at the fact that both teams they have lost against where outside the top 8 last year & Adelaide are suppose to be a top four side this year. Last year Adelaide’s forward line was one of the best but between Porplyzia, Burton & Tippett they only managed to score one goal and it was left to Dangerfield who lifted after a quiet first half & kicked five second half goals.
Sydney on the other hand look dangerous after they kicked seven goals in the second quarter which gave them a 41 point half time lead. Their forward line this weekend was lead by McGlynn who kicked a career best 5 goals & had a host of other players kicking multiple goals in O’Keefe BOG with 3 goals & 29 possessions and Seaby, Bradshaw & Kennedy kicked two each.
Fremantle defeated Essendon by 44 points
It is the first time in 13 years Fremantle have won their opening two games to the season & the first win in Melbourne for 16 matches. Raises a few points, one how good have Fremantle looked so far this year? and two how will this defeat effect Essendon?
What will please Essendon was the first half efforts of Gumbleton who kicked two goals including taking a couple of great marks that had the commentators glowing. Howlett was another who showed plenty in the first half before running out steam like the rest of the team as they only managed three goals in the second half. Williams has struggled for two games & still looks to be out on the outer of the team.
The two leading disposal getters for the game was Barlow & Broughton who where both rookie’s. Cometti said several recruiters should be sacked after letting some of these rookie’s go & with Sandilands, ‘Peski’ Ballayntyne & Silvagni also playing well Freo are building a team not just on high picks but also quality mature age picks.
Top 8 Ladder after Round 2
- St Kilda: 8 points 188.19%
- Fremantle: 8 points 176.34%
- Brisbane: 8 points 130%
- Collingwood: 8 points 120.79%
- Port Adelaide: 8 points 110.12%
Round 2 Talking Points
- Last week we asked who was the better CHF between Brown & Riewoldt. After both kicked 7 on the weekend, would you add any new points to this argument?
- Riewoldt did have a great day but it was after St Kilda was 8 goals up before he starred, yet you look at Brown, it was his goals & marks that kept Brisbane in the game & then it was him that helped win the game.
- After Collingwood failed to turn up & almost lost, is it proof that some teams just do not come to play? Malthouse has said no it is not the case before but how can he explain the effort against Melbourne?
- Yes Melbourne came to play but if Collingwood did the same we would not be having this discussion.
- Will we see Brennan & Hurn get suspended for their head high hits on the weekend?
- I hope not, it is a contact sport after all.
- Why do coaches after an injury or two all complain & whinge about extensions to the bench?
- Think its an over reaction. Collingwood, Port & Freo all had less players than their opposition yet they still managed to win. How many times does a team really loose a game with less players? I doubt its as much as what Harvey and others coaches think. I find it funny he says we only had 20 fit players when Tarrent was injured in the last minute.
- Are Adelaide finished?
- Coach Craig says form is still a month away but is that too late? The Hawks showed last year that a slow start to the season is dangerous & I get the feeling Adelaide will also find that out.
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April 5th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Is the zone dead? Not at all, it seems to be working fine for Fremantle. In fact, it would seem that’s what has turned them around so far in 2010.
.-= Ian´s last blog ..newlander77: It looks like all undefeated #afl teams play one another this weekend. =-.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:57 am
@Ian, Yes teams still use the zone but in the last two weeks I have seen numerous average teams break the zone easy as. Perfect example is the WCE, win-less yet have broken the zone and kicked easy peasy goals with a forward waiting all alone in the goal square and kick a simple goal. WCE is not the only team who has done that.
I was listening to Lloyd & Richardson and they all have said that they would have loved to still be playing and getting easy goals like that. Yes the zone worked for Hawthorn in 2008 but that is over a year ago & that is now ‘old hat’, time to move on from the zone…
April 5th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Malthouse summed it up in the press conference, he know the guys were flat before the game. A wise demon supporter on the train home said he knew the older guys like Medhurst, Davis, Brown etc would be stuffed after last weeks game. His theory was that the Demons failed to turn up last week so they were fresh. The pies gave it their all last week and had nothing to give this week.
Malthouse also mentioned that Melbourne treat the game against Collingwood as their grand final, so he expects to have a tough game against them, also the fact that they changed the game style to man on man and it worked well for them. In reality, I don’t expect Melbourne to put up that sort of performance again, well maybe not until round 4 against the Tigers.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:30 am
@the_tony, M.C.G, they simply don’t play well there against good sides. Last year they lost to Adel, Geel (twice), Ess, Carl, Haw and St.K. They had plenty of opportunities to ‘turn it on’ on the weekend but couldn’t shake a melbourne side full of kids. If they play like that this week they will be obliterated.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:00 am
@the_tony, I am sorry Tony but I do not buy it. Yes in some games the team looks flat in the locker room (We’ve all played to some level & probably experienced it) but it is shifting the blame elsewhere if he praises Melbourne & does not focus on his side instead.
It is no wonder Collingwood are hell bent on moving him on asap, they will never win a grand final if they keep shifting the blame when they loose.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
@Jermayn, Ahh Jermayn, you really need to calm down on your Malthouse hating ways.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Its not that I hate Malthouse, I cannot handle his excuses. When he coached West Coast he made excuses for not doing more with the line up he had (lets be honest it was a great side) & now he makes excuses when his Collingwood side under perform. He has coached for over 10 years & what has he done in the last 5-6 years?
April 6th, 2010 at 9:18 am
First of all can I just say that i watched two massively different games on the weekend. Bulldogs v Richmond, I know the Tigers are no good but this game was atrocious. The skill level by both teams was way down and even when there was no pressure at all, players were dropping marks, mis-kicking the ball, handballing to no one. The Bulldogs took three quarters to finally start playing the way they normally do. And on top of that it was quite possibly the worst display of umpiring I have ever seen in my life. A soft free kick would be paid and then moments later a clear blatant free kick would be ignored. One umpire even blew the whistle by mistake, all the players stopped and then he called play on and lied about blowing the whistle. We talk alot every week about the match review panel but should there be an umpire review panel as well?
In contrast the Hawthorn v Geelong game was unbelievable. The pressure was enourmous and led to many mistakes but the opposing side was quick to jump on it. The umpiring I thought was very good also. The only thing that let the game down was the shocking goal kicking.
Collingwood should not have won that game, they were extremely lucky to do so. I think they started to believe their own hype. Collingwood’s odds for a flag were slashed last week and I disagree especially after the weekend’s performance. Melbourne were very good, but Collingwood was also very poor.
To the questions
1. Brown is still number one by far, he plays well even when the Lions don’t, Riewoldt is quite often useless when the saints struggle
2. I think it’s more that Collingwood saw Melbourne as an easy game. No game is an easy game if you think like that
3. To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if all get suspended. the way the tribunal has been going all will probably recieve a suspension.
4. I think when a player gets injured immediately it does put strain on the side, if two get injured it seriously limits rest time for other players. So yes sometimes it does have a major impact on the side, other times it doesn’t. It’s a game to game kind of thing.
5. I would say on the ropes but not KO’d yet. If they fail to win the next few then yes. Just remember its only round two.
6. It is not dead, it can still be very succesful but teams have to play it smart. I hope it dies because man on man is so much more entertaining.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:24 am
What is wrong with the Bulldogs at the moment? IMO they played worse than they did against Collingwood whose form against Melbourne was ordinary. Of course this implies Richmond is many goals worse than everybody else- but who would argue with that? They seriously need to improve their kicking.
In answer to your q’s
1. Brown of course- he’s played in 3 premierships compared to Riewaldts zero.
2. Collingwood aren’t as good as they think they are- ditto the Bulldogs at the moment.
3.Who knows, there is so much inconsistency, they seem influenced a lot by current public opinion. BTW did anyone see Mooneys hit on the Hawk defender just before half time- he should go for that.
4. Four i/c players is enough already. Shorten the quarters if you are worried about fatigue.
5. No way- they will be hard to beat in the second half of the season.
6. Will work against the poor teams but not the teams who can kick the ball properly!
April 6th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Looks like Brennan & Hurn are out for one & two weeks, very poor decision. I would have thought Brennan’s bump was more reckless than Hurns, the more I see the decisions its like if the player gets injured or put on a stretcher, then they get more weeks…
[edit] Mooney sighted for “negligent conduct”, I thought it was a fair bump. Fair enough for Scarlett, Shiells & Osborne but would rather all the players get let off. AFL is getting soft
April 6th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
@Bob, What is wrong with the Bulldogs? Number one I think they were trying to be too cute on the weekend. They were trying to do their usual flashy stuff but they need to realise that if it doesn’t work you need to go back to basics. I know it is no excuse but most of the players are still recovering from the flu that went around and as a result they were a bit sluggish. But if you saw the last quarter they started to get some fluency going and I think that come next week they will be a different side
April 6th, 2010 at 11:05 am
1. Still Brown. I could have kicked seven against the Kangaroos on Saturday night!
2. The favoured team a few percent down meets an unfavoured team a few percent above their normal level and you have the makings of an upset. Despite 100-point-plus margins, there’s not much difference between all 16 teams.
4. Teams have played at a disadvantage due to injury since the very first game of aussie rules. How many players on the bench will ultimately be needed? Will aussie rules finish up looking like NFL with more players OFF the field than ON it? Sorry, it’s a nonsense issue.
6. The ‘zone’ has always been vulnerable to a fast break, and if you have forwards who are bludging, they’ll always be in position to take the easy pass into open space. If it is time to ‘move on’, what will you move on to? This is just part of the tactical cut and thrust of modern football.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Respect: a crucial element of sport =-.
April 6th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
I’m not at all sure what you’re implying here, however, it’s worth noting that in both games, Williams has been picked up by the opposition’s #1 defender (arguable for Freo, but you get my drift). It’s possible the coach has asked him to sacrifice his own game and stats to keep that defender as far away from the meaningful action as possible whilst remaining a credible threat. That would certainly have been the case against Scarlett and I think there’s a fair case for doing the same with Tarrant. It may be that it’ll be round 4, and Hurley’s assumed return to the team, before Williams ‘gets let off the leash’. If he can then play a similar role to Monfries, the Bombers will be pretty pleased.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Respect: a crucial element of sport =-.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
So one goal a game is what your after from Williams ARB? Its not just his goal output that is a worry, its also his work rate. He worked a lot harder at Hawthorn than what he has so far in the two games.
I hope for your sake Hurley (a second year player) & Gumbleton (who looked better) will help release the pressure/ attention off Williams but I think their is more than just him getting the best defender.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
@Jermayn, The Bombers are really putting a lot of eggs in the Hurley and Gumbo bucket, they are 3 or 4 years away from being elite players. What they will need is a midfield to get them a lot of opportunities and I can’t see that happening with the current group.
Jobe is tenacious and great at getting the ball but he needs help and I’m not to sure he has great kicking skills, I seem to recall him hand-balling a helluva lot and from what I know about the game, you can’t mark a hand ball.
April 7th, 2010 at 10:01 am
@the_tony, and the Neagle and Daniher buckets too! Hurley showed last year he is almost a ready-made KPP. Gumbleton is an act of faith in the potential he showed at under age level. Neagle is an exercise in waiting for the various pennies to drop — he CAN play, but i think HE needs to realise that. Daniher has yet to get a chance to show his wares properly and we must assume that the coaching staff don’t think he’s ready. They are, after all, a lot, lot closer than we are!
The midfield is coming along. Watson is improving his kicking and there is plenty of help when they all decide to play well.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Respect: a crucial element of sport =-.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:54 am
@Jermayn, Well, the delivery was pretty crap against the Dockers, so that’s not going to help either. It’s been two games. Not everyone is able to slot into a new team and perform immediately. He may, ultimately, turn out to be a poor decision by the Bombers, but it’s way too early to tell. As far as goals are concerned, I don’t care how many goals he kicks as long as he’s performing the role the coach has asked of him.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Respect: a crucial element of sport =-.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
@aussierulesblog, I agree delivery was average in the second half but the reason I say what I originally did was NOT just based on his goal output. Its also based on his work effort, it was almost non-existent, he hardly tried to run Tarrent around.