Collingwood defeated Fremantle by 36 points
This is why no one rates Pavlich as a player because in the big game matches he does not turn up to play, a lot like the whole Fremantle side who let Collingwood get out to a big lead after five goals in a row in the first quarter. Freo did manage to get back into the game in an inspired second quarter but after half time Collingwood kicked 10 of the next 16 goals.
For the third week in a row Collingwood had over 13 individual goal kickers with Cloke kicking five and Didak kicking three. An injury to McPharlin really hurt Fremantle’s defensive pressure as they where out played and Collingwood kicked three goals from the goal square with no one else 40m from them.
Ryder celebrates with Jetta and Monfries after another great win against the slow Saints
Western Bulldogs defeated Sydney by 38 points
It has been a tough last couple of weeks with some very indifferent form as they slide down the premiership odds ladder and then their one shinning light Griffen pulls out. This game showed why the Dogs where so desperate for a key forward, with Barry Hall being the difference in this game with 5 goals, opponents bouncing off him and pulling tricks as he wound the clock back to his Swans hey day.
Barry better watch out though as Brian Lake has continued his wanders down forward and kicked two from full back. Who was the last full back who wanted to play forward like him?
West Coast defeated Melbourne by 29 points
Melbourne was favourites for one of the first times in the last three years and they chocked with the expectation. West Coast are not known for their pressure and tackling yet they where out shinned in these important areas over the Demons who struggled and only kicked one goal in the last half.
West Coast still have their own demons with their disposal issues and finding another forward target who can help out Kennedy and LeCras but they have won outside off Perth and that is a start.
The game was won in the ruck battle with Jamar out pointing both Cox and Nit Nat in the first half but he rucked unaided for all year so far and its hard work to keep battling two different ruckmen. He struggled to keep up with Cox in the third quarter as he wound the clock back and dominated. This along with Priddas’ 30+ possessions helped shifted the midfield battle towards the away side.
Geelong defeated Brisbane by 81 points
Brisbane have been unlucky with injuries and this is why Lions coach Voss risked everything with his trading last year and that was to build depth and he is needing it all at the moment. They managed to keep in touch with Geelong for the first half even with more in accurate kicking and sore key forwards.
Geelong then kicked 13 goals in the second half with Johnson kicking 6 goals, a career high. Hawkins played back up ruck and played his best game and kicked 4 goals. Ablett jnr had a quiet game, in fact it was almost like he was not there, maybe he stopped off at the Gold Coast?
Geelong are warming up nicely and you get the feeling they are happy with Collingwood getting all the attention
North Melbourne defeated Adelaide by 9 points
We saw four teams in action in this game. The first team was the brilliant fast Kangaroos who kicked 12 goals in three quarters and had last years finalists on the ropes, they then went and swapped with another team where they could only kick one point for a quarter. The other team was Adelaide who struggled to kick four goals in three quarters and then they smashed the hot Roos and kicked 7 goals in a quarter!
Will the real team please stand up….
Hawthorn defeated Richmond by 3 points
At the end of the game, it was not Franklins or Rioli‘s brilliance that was the difference between these two teams, one team tipped to struggle and the other tipped to bounce back into the finals. The difference was Sam Mitchell’s tackle on Shane Tuck in the last 30 seconds as he was streaming into goals. Not only did it save the game for the Hawks but maybe also their season.
Riewoldt kicked four goals and was the main focal point for the Tigers while Cotchin continued his rise as a premier midfielder with 27 possessions while the defensive pair of Will Thursfield and Luke McGuane kept Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin to just four goals between them.
Burgoyne in his first game for the brown and gold showed why the Hawks were so hard headed in getting him over from the Power last year.
Carlton defeated Port Adelaide by 26 points
This is Carltons best start to a season since 2001 even with their poor first three games with Judd missing and it was Judd who inspired his team to a six goal last quarter which got them to the lead in the first minute of the last quarter after being nine points down at the three quarter break.
Port had the better of Carlton early in the game but they could not kick enough goals to match their dominance and Schulz, Ebert and Gray all need to kick more goals than just the one a game.
For Carlton O’hAilpin and Kreuzer both kicked three goals while the smalls feed off them. Kreuzer really took a huge stride in this career with a dominate display in a game that matters.
Essendon defeated St Kilda by 12 points
The ABC commentators said it perfectly about this game, we all knew Essendon was a real chance but who was brave enough to tip against St Kilda even with their poor form? I know I was not.
Matthew Knights coached his ruckmen well with them taking on the under siege Dawson, I really like the mix of the athleticism of Ryder and the bustling style of David Hille who bagged four goals but was reported and will miss the Dream Time match next week.
Kosi tried hard and showed promise but then had old man Fletcher moved onto him and then it was game over for him. St Kilda are really struggling at the moment with St Nick missing and it was left to ruckman Gardiner to try and kick his side to a win, he managed three but between Milne and Schneider they only managed to kick the one goal.
Top 8 Ladder after Round 8
- Collingwood: 28 points – 145.01%
- Geelong: 24 points – 152.41%
- Fremantle: 24 points – 119.84%
- Western Bulldogs: 20 points – 119.28%
- Carlton: 20 points – 119.18%
- Sydney: 20 points – 114.61%
- St Kilda: 20 points – 112.86%
- Port Adelaide: 20 points – 87.77%
Round 8 Talking points
- Why cannot umpires just stick to wearing white?
- I do not understand in the first place why they do not keep with white in the first place, seems to have worked for 100 years before.
- With all the Gold Coasts hit list signing up, will anyone sign for 2011?
- I am kinder glad and hope they do not as it will only ruin the game even more than certain idiots already have.
- Do you agree with Saints coach that St Nick missing is not the reason why they are struggling?
- Yes and no… I think they have not addressed their weakness from last year. Yes Lovett was a risk that did not pay off but surely they have another option than just Schneider for someone to inject some pace into their midfield.
- We are over 1/3 of the way into the regular season, will the top 8 change?
- No, just the order. I see Freo dropping and maybe Carlton slipping into 4th spot.
- Was Watts really that impressive?
- I think his praise from everyone was just sympathy as when he needed to stand up, he failed imo. I also saw his team mates shake their heads in disbelief after he dropped an easy mark uncontested in the goal square.
- Will Richmond win a game?
- I hope so, they have continually improved and I like the fact Hardwick is getting back to basics with his team unlike the previous coach.
May 17th, 2010 at 7:10 am
Another great round of games, hate to say it but Coll and Geel are looking dominant. Other than that its very even.
1.Agree. May have to modify some away strips slightly but shouldn’t be too hard.
2. Why should anyone sign until seasons end. Brian Lake did well for himself by holding out.
3.Who knows, I doubt even the coach or the players know why form suddenly falls off. Same thing has happened to the Bulldogs, my guess is that both teams will come good eventually.
4.Would not rule out NM, Ess or Bris yet. The form guide is very fickle this season.
5.He’ll be a handy player but he’s no Wayne Carey. Sort of like Tom Hawkins.
6.Yes they will. They are definitely improving.
May 17th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
@Bob,
1) I read with interest that Angry Anderson has said its the Hawks fault because they wore their home strip. Like hello!! Who do we go to watch? The umpires or the game? Its the umpires if anything that should switch not to conflict with the players…
If Angry Anderson takes over Dumb Demetriou, we will be sorry. bit like Gillard taking over Rudd, will be the downfall of the game.
3) I get the feeling that St Nick playing so well hides their defencies. ie: Judd and co playing well for the Eagles back in 05/ 06 hide the fact that they had shallow talent…
4) I still like Brisbane but Luke Power and Fevola need to lift, both have been very average so far this year.
.-= Jermayn´s last blog ..2010 Round 8 Wrapup =-.
May 17th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
@Jermayn, Ok before everyone gets too carried away with this whole umpire colour clash thing, if you actaully read the article properly you would see this:
“Anderson said that at the start of last week Hawthorn was scheduled to wear its mostly-white clash strip but requested a change to wear its home guernsey despite knowing the umpires would be wearing their lime green outfits.”
So in conclusion it was Hawthorn’s own fault if there was a clash. Because in my opinion lime green doesn’t clash with Richmond’s strip anyway
May 17th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Pavlich
I thought he did OK (from the TV coverage), but he can’t carry the whole team. There’ve been signs over recent weeks that the Dockers would come back to earth. Not the first team the ’Woods have trashed this season. Freo should bounce back after a few ‘off’ weeks, but this is only their apprenticeship as a good team, so let’s wait and see.
Geelong/Brisbane
The Pussies were simply awesome. The way they flip the ball around as they run it through the lines reminds me of the Globetrotters — just so far ahead of their opponents! Brisbane haven’t covered their deficiencies all that well and look hamstrung by both key forwards nursing injury. Early tip: Pussies to tame the Magpies.
Bombers/Saints
Some confidence and some effective run and carry were translated into a good victory. The Saints look to have lost some confidence without Riewoldt to make the midfield look good.
Seriously, while Riewoldt’s work rate and coverage of the ground do help the midfield, the biggest effects of losing him is that the other forwards now get better quality opponents and they’re getting targeted more often by the midfield.
Kosi is a tease.
Talking points
1. With many clubs choosing nearly all-white clash strips, umpires in white for every game simply isn’t going to work. Someone at AFL House needs to view the approved strips for each team for each game in advance and make an assessment of an appropriate colour for the umps. Two stuff-ups in two weeks suggests this is not being done.
2. Given the culture in AFL, we’re not going to know who GC17 have signed until the season finishes. That makes it doubly hard for them to entice players as no-one is going to want to join another Brisbane Bears and be thrashed every week, and the club can hardly publicise their key signings. It will be potential competitiveness that tips the scales for Ablett in my view. If GC17 can put together a credible list, he’d be mad not to take the money, but he’ll never be able to shine up there the way he shines surrounded by the Geelong list.
3. Pace is not the issue, in my view. The Saints have dropped confidence and their forwards are getting better defenders than they would if Riewoldt was playing. Riewoldt also drags other forward’s defenders to him as they try to double or triple team him, which leaves those forwards free to be creative and dangerous — which is obviously not happening now. And, as we decided last week, Kosi is a hack who can’t stand up in Riewoldt’s shadow, so he’s hardly going to take on the leading role and make it his own when Riewoldt isn’t there.
5. A bit harsh. In his age group, he was outstanding, so he should become a very good player. He may not have the physical or emotional maturity to step straight in and look at home.
6. Yes (just hope it’s not next week!).
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Kennett wrong on Cousins interview =-.
May 17th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Just an update on the umpire colour clash ‘issue’. It appears that Hawthorn requested that they wear their normal guernsey DESPITE knowing in advance that the umpires would be decked out in the ‘learner’s’ pastel yellow/green colour. Clarkson’s comments suggest some sort of attempt to deflect attention.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Kennett wrong on Cousins interview =-.
May 17th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
@ARB – I understand that but shouldn’t the umpires choose their colours after the clubs?
May 18th, 2010 at 8:03 am
@Jermayn,
I think this was a special case being the respect for umpires round (or whatever they called it). Frankly, seeing bits of the game online and on TV, I can’t see what Clarkson was on about. Having seen the umpires’ uniforms live on Sunday evening, I still can’t understand how they’d clash with either Hawthorn or Richmond. The more you examine Clarkson’s outburst, the more likely that it is a smokescreen for something else.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Kennett wrong on Cousins interview =-.
May 18th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
@aussierulesblog, I understand what your saying but my argument stays the same, its about the players and not the umpires. Who cares if its umpire appretiation round..
Actually this would be one of the first cases you have taken the stand for them
.-= Jermayn´s last blog ..2010 Round 8 Wrapup =-.
May 18th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
@aussierulesblog,
. I simply recognise that a promotion such as this one doesn’t, in a practical sense, allow for chopping and changing of colours. It’s either umpire appreciation round or it’s not. If it is, they wear the pastel yellow/green gear and clubs work their own way around that. It’s only one round for crying out loud!
It’s not a stand on behalf of umpires
And remember, my friend, without umpires, we don’t have a game! In general, you’ll find that my criticisms are of the umpiring administration rather than the umpires themselves. Of course, I make an exception for McBurney and McLaren. The point is, the game at all levels needs new umpires coming through. “Who cares if its [sic] umpire appretiation [sic] round,” is a very myopic response.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Kennett wrong on Cousins interview =-.
May 17th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Fremantle – are still a good side but they showed they have a way to go.
Collingwood – showed they are a very good side, but i wonder how they will go with their game plan as the year progresses.
Bulldogs – Bounced into form, and with a few players set to return in the coming weeks will be one to watch i think
Sydney – Outplayed and outlasted. Are a good side but like Freo have a way to go.
Melbourne & West Coast – The most boring game I have seen this year except for Saints v Dogs. So boring in fact I turned it off after half time. Melbourne are improving but need to beat teams like West Coast if they want to be taken seriously, and the Eagles are still below average. They have played ok but need to really think about development
North – Played really well but then almost lost, and probably should have in the end.
Adelaide – Played poorly but then should have won.
Geelong – Premiership favorite.
Brisbane – struggling with many key players injured
Hawthorn – Campbell Brown showed us footy isn’t as soft as some think, Hawks are done yet but are very close to it.
Richmond – had a real dig but do not have a good team at all. Reiwoldt starting to show why he was considered to be a better future player than his crybaby cousin.
Carlton – in good form, need to be more consistent
Port – Good against lowly teams, average against average teams and not great against good teams
Essendon – Blew St Kilda away and are looking promising
St Kilda – No Riewoldt…no flag…no Saints. If the dogs had of beaten them a few weeks ago they would be 0-4 without him
May 17th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
1. Dumb question…
2. We’ll see what happens. I still think Ablett will join his little brother up there
3. No. They have played quite well everywhere else on the field but when they go forward there is no one there. Kosi is useless, Milne & Schneider can only do so much.
4. Probably not much. Essendon and Brisbane may make it back in with Sydney and Port slipping out. Probably end up something like this 1st Geelong, 2nd Dogs, 3rd Pies, 4th St Kilda, 5th Carlton, 6th Freo, 7th & 8th will be between Port, Syd, Bris and Ess.
5. No. But he will get better.
6. Hopefully. They are trying hard and do deserve to.
May 18th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
@Mike, So you think St Kilda will manage fourth spot? West Coast are a chance to defeat them this weekend…
.-= Jermayn´s last blog ..2010 Round 8 Wrapup =-.