Greetings from Florida!
Should you’re studying this version of Six Factors proper because it’s being revealed, then yours really might be ready patiently at Miami Airport for his connecting flight to Trinidad and Tobago, the place I’ll be stationed for the following few days for the beginning of the T20 World Cup.
I received’t lie, the journey over has been an annoying one – I received caught in Sydney for 12 hours when my flight out of Australia was delayed, giving me each the nice fortune of having the ability to watch GWS’ thrilling win over Geelong in its entirety on the airport and the misfortune of getting to slog by means of North Melbourne’s newest inept show towards Port Adelaide.
A giant due to Jono Baruch for stepping in for me on the every day Footy Repair column on Saturday – when you haven’t learn his Dreamtime article but, test it out.
From but extra umpiring debate, to a different Essendon win, to an enormous and weird build-up throughout the week, there’s loads to unpack as at all times – so arriverderci for now, and let’s dive in.
1. Can we cease saying Essendon aren’t really that good?
I’ve watched and written sufficient concerning the Bombers this yr to be assured of 1 factor – they’re pretty much as good an Essendon group as has been put out on the park for the most effective a part of 20 years.
That’s why the rising rumblings that they’re really not that good, that their proportion is a greater indicator of their high quality than the 8-1-2 report they at present maintain almost midway by means of the season, and that they’ve had an important run and can get came upon within the second a part of 24, fills me with dread.
The Bombers had been removed from at their greatest towards Richmond on Saturday evening, simply as they weren’t in scraping previous West Coast a number of weeks in the past; but in each instances, they by no means really regarded like shedding regardless of having to struggle it out proper to the tip. That’s merely un-Essendon-like in my lifetime, who’ve hardly ever did not let their supporters down simply when issues appear to be getting good once more.
In all honesty, it doesn’t even matter in the event that they’re really that good proper in the meanwhile: sitting second on the ladder, with a draw that makes their proportion significantly extra irrelevant than it could be in any other case, and 6 premiership factors clear inside the highest three, the Bombers couldn’t be higher positioned for a run on the high 4.
You already know who else we held doubts over presently of the yr? Richmond in 2017, who had had a equally barren finals run for greater than a decade prior, and who arrange their season with a 5-0 begin that allowed them to experience bumps, bruises and heartbreak for the remainder of the season, completed entrenched within the high 4, and kick-start a dynasty in September.
Think about the smug, glad look on Bombers followers’ faces if we maintain writing them off proper all year long, at the same time as they proceed to win ugly, stockpile premiership factors, and prime themselves for the primary finals collection in 20 years the place they’ve a greater than even probability of breaking that notorious drought.
*shudders*
Kyle Langford celebrates a aim. (Photograph by Dylan Burns/AFL Pictures through Getty Photographs)
2. THAT Friday evening name was the correct one
That’s two weeks in a row now a free kick at an important late stage of a good recreation has been lambasted across the footy world, regardless of being technically – and sure, that’s the most effective phrase for it – right.
Substitute Izak Rankine for Lachie Sullivan, swap the MCG for Optus Stadium, and swap the transgression from working too far to failing to return the ball to the umpire for a ball-up: in each cases, a name was made by the umpire to howls of protests, and ended up enjoying an enormous half in proceedings.
I strongly defended the Rankine resolution final week, and the Sullivan free kick to Fremantle on Friday evening was solely a higher instance of how deep down, what we actually need is vibes-based umpiring.
As a lot as everybody cries out for consistency in officiating from quarter to quarter and recreation to recreation, the very last thing we need to see is ultra-harsh, letter of the regulation choices which have a demonstrative affect on the sport. Regardless of the fierce backlash the umpires genuinely placing the whistle away received for the final 10 minutes of the 2023 preliminary remaining between Collingwood and GWS, within the eyes of most of us followers – and the bigger portion of the media, as nicely – we don’t need to see targets kicked due to ‘tiggy touchwood’ administrative frees.
I simply don’t assume we are able to have it each methods.
To the letter of the regulation, Sullivan giving the ball to Nick Daicos as an alternative of umpire Matthew Nicholls is a free kick-worthy mistake: if we would like the umpire in that state of affairs to contemplate the spirit by which the regulation was enforced – that Sullivan in all probability wasn’t losing time – then we are able to immediately hand over on any consistency within the guidelines and it’ll be open season.
Cricket had the same reckoning final yr: you’ll battle to search out an Australia who doesn’t assume Jonny Bairstow was pretty and squarely stumped by Alex Carey at Lord’s, despite the fact that that mode of dismissal was clearly not what the rulemakers had in thoughts when composing the legal guidelines of the sport. Bairstow transgressed, and he paid the worth. So did Sullivan.
In the end, the umpires are ready the place they will’t win: as a result of if Collingwood did win that recreation by beneath a aim and that free kick wasn’t paid by Nicholls, you might be somebody would have put that imaginative and prescient up on social media and accused the umps of costing Freo the sport by not paying a free that was there, simply as occurred on On the Sofa final week the place an umpire’s mistaking in calling time-on prolonged the Port Adelaide-Hawthorn recreation by 19 essential seconds.
Within the case of Rankine, Sullivan and in addition Laitham Vandermeer on Thursday evening in knocking the ball out of Sydney’s Hayden McLean’s palms for the game-sealing 50m penalty, the correct resolution was made in accordance with the AFL’s legal guidelines.
If umpires are anticipated to observe not simply this algorithm, but in addition contemplate within the second whether or not it actually deserves a free kick – or, in all three instances, such a heavy consequence out of paying it – then our sport turns into all however not possible to officiate. We will’t have our cake and eat it too.
3. The worst footy take of 2024
I genuinely don’t know what Nathan Buckley was pondering when he wrote this on X throughout the week:
It’s been fairly some time since I’ve come throughout a take this unhealthy – and it’s particularly galling coming from a footy legend whose opinions on the sport are often as sharp as anybody within the media business.
I’m actually undecided the place to start unpacking Buckley’s ideas on Luke Parker’s bump on Josh Smith – however the concept that a footballer at any degree ought to have anticipated being splattered by an surprising bump nicely off the ball is laughable.
Why didn’t Smith count on to be poleaxed? Most likely as a result of he was 5 metres behind the footy on the time, as was Parker, and certain had his consideration focussed on chasing his Swans opponent.
A single-minded dedication to hunt the following contest is a cornerstone of footy, way over ironing out a participant – for Buckley to recommend that Parker’s proper to bump supersedes that’s actually ridiculous. That’s like saying when you run a pink mild and T-bone a P-Plater it’s partly the P-Plater’s fault for not reacting to you coming quick sufficient and slamming on the brakes.
The AFL has made it clear for a decade now: when you select to bump, and your bump hits an opponent within the head, then you’ll be suspended. If that bump additionally leaves them concussed, or with the kind of critical accidents Smith sustained, then you’ll be spending a big time on the sidelines.
The six-week sanction is a significantly harsh one – in writing final week, I advocated for 5 – however let’s not child round right here: Smith goes to be sidelined for longer, and will doubtlessly have lifelong ramifications out of successful like that.
Little question Parker didn’t imply to deal out such extreme accidents. However he did imply to bump him, and that bump did appreciable injury. No quantity of nonsensical victim-blaming could make that any much less his fault, and his fault solely.
4. Pies’ ‘Gold Coast hub’ proposal makes zero sense
I can’t be the one one utterly baffled by Collingwood’s mooted plan to ‘promote’ one in all their residence video games as much as the Gold Coast.
For starters, the notion of the Pies having the ability to stage-manage their fixture to make sure that ‘residence’ recreation comes every week after an away recreation towards the Suns, thereby permitting them to spend a fortnight in Queensland with out the necessity for repeat journey, in addition to designate a fellow Victorian membership – nearly actually the Western Bulldogs, St Kilda or North Melbourne – as their opponents smacks of the kind of vanity that has been mercifully absent at this membership since Eddie McGuire’s departure as president.
If the Magpies need to promote a recreation to the Gold Coast, then fantastic: however they need to be required to do it in a spherical of the AFL’s selecting, similar to each different group that sells a recreation. And similar to Richmond and the Western Bulldogs had occur after they too bought video games north to Cairns, and Melbourne for his or her latest matches in Alice Springs and Darwin, their opponent needs to be a group designed to maximise crowd attendance. On this case, the one logical choices can be the Suns themselves, or Brisbane.
It’s additionally telling that the Pies are solely keen to half with one in all their league-required Marvel Stadium residence video games, which their supporters have decried for years, quite than a beloved MCG match at which they’re entitled to 14 matches per yr – 9 residence and 5 away.
Spare me that the Magpies have a cope with the Melbourne Cricket Membership requiring a set quantity of video games on the venue – if that’s the case, then the Pies both don’t have any choice to promote a recreation elsewhere, or needs to be negotiating with the MCC to have a type of residence video games taken from them.
But it surely’s greater than that – why the Pies would even need to shift a Marvel recreation, which whereas not superb is no less than an accessible location for a majority of their fan base, to a venue most won’t be able to journey to for monetary, work or household causes, is bewildering.
Collingwood have already got a greater deal than most different golf equipment within the league, together with the opposite Victorian ones, with regards to enjoying video games of their residence state. Why they might hand over even one slice of that benefit is difficult to fathom.
(Photograph by Jono Searle/AFL Pictures/through Getty Photographs)
5. Feeling vindicated concerning the Hawks
My most controversial tip in my pre-season ‘AFL Oracle’ articles was backing in Hawthorn to make an surprising run into the finals in 2024.
Protected to say that even a month in the past, that was trying like a significantly grim tip, with the Hawks trying each inch a bottom-three and even bottom-two group in shedding their first 5 video games of the season.
However Sam Mitchell’s group are enjoying good footy proper now – with 4 wins of their final six video games, there might be little doubt. And their fifth consecutive victory over Brisbane on Sunday was fairly clearly probably the most spectacular of the bunch.
That is the Hawks I believed we’d be seeing extra of within the pre-season, the Hawks that went on a tear late within the season to assist bury the Western Bulldogs’ finals run, hand Collingwood and Brisbane shock blips en path to the grand remaining and show a ache within the bottom for each group within the recreation.
So I’m no less than feeling a bit of bit higher that my ‘Hawks for the eight’ tip is now unlikely to be remembered fairly as famously as Robert Partitions ‘Eagles for the spoon’ prediction in 2018.
The Hawks match up exceedingly nicely on the Lions, with their brigade of feisty on-ballers much less excessive profile however greater than a match for Josh Dunkley, Lachie Neale et.al: after a tough month, James Worpel was tireless at Marvei Stadium to prepared the ground with 9 clearances, a lot of them in a second-term purple patch.
Up ahead, Jack Gunston is exhibiting there’s nonetheless a bit of left within the tank, and is benefitting from some a lot improved ball motion additional afield: beside him, Mabior Chol had in all probability his greatest recreation as a Hawk with three important targets.
Lloyd Meek’s affect within the ruck can’t be overstated: a bullocking contested beast of an enormous man, he will get his palms as soiled as any ruck within the recreation, and whereas not as rangy because the lankier Ned Reeves, he’s precisely what the Hawks must get probably the most out of a bunch of on-ballers that love busting tackles, laying even greater ones and on the whole taking no prisoners.
Will it result in a run to the finals? It’s nonetheless unlikely – a 4-7 report leaves them three video games and a sizeable proportion hole outdoors the eight, and with so many groups in a sizeable logjam from fourth to twelfth, their poor begin to the season could find yourself costing them.
However similar to in 2023, these Hawks have proven there’s a shiny future forward. Extra wins like their newest over the Lions, and that future will maintain looming nearer and nearer till it’s upon us. After which… look out.
6. It’s as much as golf equipment – not the league – to repair the damage toll
Whether or not it’s the additional fatigue of Opening Spherical, the additional week of footy attributable to Collect Spherical, merely the rigorous calls for of contemporary footy or simply the truth that we carry on speaking about it of late, the quantity of injured gamers sitting in every group’s casualty wards has acquired loads of consideration in the previous few weeks.
With Richmond, Collingwood and Carlton particularly affected by prolonged damage lists, little surprise the talk has been on the tip of loads of media airtime; Craig McRae particularly used his spot on SEN to advocate for shorter quarters, an idea that has been rising in traction amongst those that imagine video games go on for too lengthy.
“There’s lots of gamers out of the sport. We would like the most effective gamers enjoying for lengthy intervals,” McRae mentioned.
“In order for you my opinion, I simply really feel like the sport itself, we’re asking lots of our gamers. Is the sport too lengthy?”
Presumably, these of this view imagine the heavy damage toll is primarily attributable to fatigue – so soft-tissue accidents quite than unfortunate or collision incidents similar to concussions, damaged bones and the like.
Right here’s the factor, although: at what level ought to it’s incumbent on particular person groups and their medical departments to make adjustments to attempt to scale back mentioned fatigue on their very own phrases, quite than making an attempt to get the league to make a radical change to attempt to repair it?
The Tigers’ damage checklist particularly has been borne principally of easy unhealthy luck: issues like Shai Bolton’s damage within the Dreamtime on the ‘G match, or Maurice Rioli’s sickening ankle damage from their loss to the Western Bulldogs, aren’t the kind of issues that may be mounted with shorter video games.
It’s additionally vital to not that the AFL Gamers Affiliation and the golf equipment ticked off the additional weekend of footy Collect Spherical would add to the fixture, presumably understanding full nicely the dangers in doing so.
So perhaps it’s time for groups to look inward to resolve the issue, and get extra artistic with managing their gamers. Perhaps it means extra relaxation for gamers throughout the season, or reductions to their coaching workload, or simply plain managing extra gamers out of video games, like Geelong did with Tom Hawkins for his or her journey to the Gold Coast.
As to McRae’s second level: I don’t find out about you, however I don’t go to video games to essentially see the most effective gamers in motion: I am going to see my group win, and couldn’t notably care much less in the event that they achieve this with out good gamers in motion.
And there are few issues cooler than a younger participant getting a possibility on the large stage and profiting from it, like Joe Richards and Harvey Harrison for Collingwood on Friday evening, who mightn’t have been enjoying had been it not for the Pies’ in depth casualty ward.
There are lots of concepts for golf equipment on their very own to trial to attempt to deal with an issue that, let’s face it, isn’t affecting each membership – St Kilda, for instance, have a tiny damage checklist, whereas the Bulldogs’ one is made to look worse than it’s by the standard of the gamers sidelined – earlier than we go to the intense of slicing down video games.
They may work higher, too.
Random ideas
– Useless set loser behaviour this.
– If North ever get good, I can completely see Paul Curtis changing into a critical participant.
– Carlton getting two free kicks in three and a half quarters after weeks of opposition followers claiming they’re getting an armchair experience from the umps is extraordinarily amusing.
– I reckon we’re deep into single-figure numbers of Dustin Martin ‘holy s–t’ moments, so we should always respect them much more after they come.
– It’s removed from as egregious as Jude Bolton asking Jeremy Finlayson about his spouse’s battle with most cancers final yr, and Abbey Holmes dealt with it as professionally and empathetically as potential, however I’m nonetheless undecided there was any must ask Alex Pearce about Cam McCarthy straight after the sport.
