2014 AFL season discussion

bruschi

Just a general thread for discussing the progress of the season. A weekly one wouldnt get enough traffic, and the welcome thread is wrongly being used for it, so any game or otherwise AFL topic of discussion can be done here!

Tigerandahalf

Didn't realise that the first series of games was finished. I see the Swans were beaten by GWS - big shock. Be interesting to see how Franklin affects the team given that Sydney have generally put the team first before any player. Their togetherness and work ethic was a real strength. I see T Walsh won't be back until round 4.
I will probably only get to see bits of games in the mornings but will pop in here now and then to keep up to date.

SSK

If we could play in the ANZ every week we'd be bankers for the Premiership! Pendlebury was magic. Not sure what's gone wrong with Sydney, they're not functioning at all even though Buddy was pretty good tonight.

Might need to reassess my prediction of Port to miss the 8, they were superb today. Adelaide are a poor side though IMO. The Adelaide Oval is fantastic venue and setting, I'll be looking to get down there for a game at some stage.

I was at the MCG on Thursday night, I wasn't really impressed by either team. Carlton are going nowhere and Richmond aren't playing to their potential. Great atmosphere at the end in spite of the lower than expected crowd.

It's been a great weekend of footy so far after the farce of the split round 1.

Mackman

Port we're very good, I hope they show last year wasn't a fluke.

Got soaked at Subi earlier this evening, worth it though to see Freo win against a good GC side. Sloppy game though, not gonna win any awards for entertainment.
Lyons men getting the job done again

I'm loving the way the games are umpired so far this year, letting a lot go which keeps the game flowing nicely

SSK

Mackman wrote: »

Port we're very good, I hope they show last year wasn't a fluke.

Got soaked at Subi earlier this evening, worth it though to see Freo win against a good GC side. Sloppy game though, not gonna win any awards for entertainment.
Lyons men getting the job done again

I'm loving the way the games are umpired so far this year, letting a lot go which keeps the game flowing nicely

In total agreement on the umpiring, it's making the games far better spectacles. I hope they stick to their guns if the heat comes on after one or two badly umpired games.

seipeal1

What an atmosphere at Adelaide Oval on Saturday. It was fantastic. Great stadium. Port going places, Crows going nowhere and very disappointing so far. Could be a long year if they are beaten by Sydney.
Impressed with Essendon. They will not self combust with this coach, IMO. Hawthorn continue to be the Standard. The 2 Perth teams looking very strong.

SSK

seipeal1 wrote: »

What an atmosphere at Adelaide Oval on Saturday. It was fantastic. Great stadium. Port going places, Crows going nowhere and very disappointing so far. Could be a long year if they are beaten by Sydney.
Impressed with Essendon. They will not self combust with this coach, IMO. Hawthorn continue to be the Standard. The 2 Perth teams looking very strong.

Were you at it? It looked superb on TV, a hell of a difference to Footy Park out in the middle of nowhere.

Mad4simmental

Nathan Fyfe possabley going to get a two week ban. Don't like the thought of that playing Hawks next Friday, :-(

bruschi

Sydney are off to a horrible start too, and doesnt bode well for Buddy considering the amount of attention the deal brought to the club.

Essendon are the pick for me so far of teams I didnt expect to be doing well. Going great so far, despite losing on Friday. the difference in intensity in their game and some of the others I watched was considerable. Port are doing well, but won 2 games I'd have expected them to. Richmond are only stuttering along. Why they can never put Carlton away I dont know.

SSK

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Nathan Fyfe possabley going to get a two week ban. Don't like the thought of that playing Hawks next Friday, :-(

Both Fyfe and Rockliff out of Brownlow contention early, all it needs now is Stevie J to get his customary week or two and the count could turn into a farce.

Mackman

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Nathan Fyfe possabley going to get a two week ban. Don't like the thought of that playing Hawks next Friday, :-(

Footy's getting soft when a bloke gets 2 weeks for a hip and shoulder. They will outlaw tackling next.

bruschi

Mackman wrote: »

Footy's getting soft when a bloke gets 2 weeks for a hip and shoulder. They will outlaw tackling next.

ah it was a poor challenge. unfortunate in its result I suppose, but regardless of that, he made a challenge, and connected with his opponents head which drew blood. Obviously the intention wasnt to use his own head to hit him, but at the same time, if you go to challenge someone, and connect forcefully with their head, then you are going to be done. some say it was accidental, but it wasnt really, he initiated a challenge, and the result was a clash of heads.

its actually ironic that you say they'll outlaw tackling, where if Fyfe had to try wrap him up in a tackle rather than go for a big hit, chances are there would be nothing wrong at all.

Tigerandahalf

What way are the Irish boys going so far?
Hanley, Touhy and Clarke were all getting regular gametime last year. Clarke appeared to be slipping out of contention though at year end.

Mad4simmental

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

What way are the Irish boys going so far?
Hanley, Touhy and Clarke were all getting regular gametime last year. Clarke appeared to be slipping out of contention though at year end.

Tougy hasn't done much yet but it's early. I love his power, like to see him get up more and drop in a few long bombs,

seipeal1

SSK wrote: »

Were you at it? It looked superb on TV, a hell of a difference to Footy Park out in the middle of nowhere.

It was a great atmosphere, so much better than AAMI and the fact that the location is right in the heart of the city only made it better. I really enjoyed it even though the result and performance by the crows was poor. Looking forward to see if the Crows fans can serve up the same atmosphere next Saturday.

And another sellout as well.

SSK

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

What way are the Irish boys going so far?
Hanley, Touhy and Clarke were all getting regular gametime last year. Clarke appeared to be slipping out of contention though at year end.

Hanley was excellent at the weekend, he's playing more back in defence again this year so he may not kick the same amount of goals as last year but he'll be very close to All Australian if he plays that way for the year.

Clarke was awful against Freo and got dropped, he is struggling both with the physicality and pace of the game at the moment and if it wasn't for the horrendous injury list we have at the moment he'd be miles away from getting a game. He played well in the reserves at the weekend so he may get another shot at some point.

Tuohy hasn't been great defensively and is struggling to get his hands on the ball going forward. A few factors at play here: He's been asked to be the number 1 small/medium defender which means he's had Monfries and Martin the last 2 weeks so he's been on good players, Carlton's midfield has been extremely average putting the defence under massive pressure and Tuohy doesn't seem fully fit, he's prioritising his defensive game which means he is struggling to provide enough run to bring the ball out of defence.

Walsh is still injured from that shocking hamstring he got last year but he isn't too far away, Mooney has been playing a bit of defence for the Collingwood reserves but won't be in seniors contention for a while. Sheehan kicked a couple of goals for the Carlton reserves in a practice game and was quite impressive by all accounts and he plays his first VFL game this weekend. Byrne is injured and hasn't played yet but I doubt there are any expectations of him playing senior footy this year.

bruschi

watched the Carlton Richmond game, and in fairness to Tuohy, he had an unenviable task. Carltons set up left him quite often isolated deep on a quality speedy player. Martins last goal was a typical example of that. It was pretty much impossible to defend no matter who it was with the isolation he was left in.

I cant see Walsh making any impact at Sydney, not with Buddy, Reid and Tippet there as the big forwards. There just isnt any room for him at all in the side, regardless of how good/bad he is. Clarke should hopefully get another run out. He wasnt the only one poor against Freo, and its often the case in a tanking like that a few scapegoats are made. And then they go on to win the next game and the team wont change much after that. Just unfortunate from his personal point of view where things went. Mooney has a lot of promise, so would be good to see him get a few more games again this year.

Mackman

bruschi wrote: »

ah it was a poor challenge. unfortunate in its result I suppose, but regardless of that, he made a challenge, and connected with his opponents head which drew blood. Obviously the intention wasnt to use his own head to hit him, but at the same time, if you go to challenge someone, and connect forcefully with their head, then you are going to be done. some say it was accidental, but it wasnt really, he initiated a challenge, and the result was a clash of heads.

its actually ironic that you say they'll outlaw tackling, where if Fyfe had to try wrap him up in a tackle rather than go for a big hit, chances are there would be nothing wrong at all.

By the letter of the law, yes, he made contact and heads clashed, so he gets weeks. But the law itself needs to be looked at. Players will become afraid to bump in case this happens to them. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if coaches tell them to avoid bumping.

Bumps like Fyfe's happen in every game, he was just unlucky. As was Hunt from Geelong.

He couldn't have tackled because the ball was kicked just before he reached him, If he laid a tackle if would have been behind the play and a free so he made a judgement call. Didn't pay off

bruschi

Mackman wrote: »

By the letter of the law, yes, he made contact and heads clashed, so he gets weeks. But the law itself needs to be looked at. Players will become afraid to bump in case this happens to them. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if coaches tell them to avoid bumping.

Bumps like Fyfe's happen in every game, he was just unlucky. As was Hunt from Geelong.

He couldn't have tackled because the ball was kicked just before he reached him, If he laid a tackle if would have been behind the play and a free so he made a judgement call. Didn't pay off

I think that would be a severe over reaction that coaches say not to bump because of what happened Fyfe. If they said to tidy up their bump, as it was a sloppy effort, made worse by clashing heads, then that would make sense. But at the end of it all, he went to bump an opponent, and caught him on the head. I absolutely agree it was unfortunate the end result, and obviously not the intention, but he still has a duty of care when making a challenge. I also think it was close enough to the ball that if he laid a tackle it would have been fine, tackles like that are rarely paid as long as they are in the motion of the tackle whilst the kick is being made.

2 weeks was a lot though, was it because of bad history or what? one week, IMO, would more than suffice, and to be honest, even a reprimand that brought him close to the 100 points would have been enough too.

SSK

bruschi wrote: »

I think that would be a severe over reaction that coaches say not to bump because of what happened Fyfe. If they said to tidy up their bump, as it was a sloppy effort, made worse by clashing heads, then that would make sense. But at the end of it all, he went to bump an opponent, and caught him on the head. I absolutely agree it was unfortunate the end result, and obviously not the intention, but he still has a duty of care when making a challenge. I also think it was close enough to the ball that if he laid a tackle it would have been fine, tackles like that are rarely paid as long as they are in the motion of the tackle whilst the kick is being made.

2 weeks was a lot though, was it because of bad history or what? one week, IMO, would more than suffice, and to be honest, even a reprimand that brought him close to the 100 points would have been enough too.

Fyfe and Hunt were both charged with the exact same offence according to 360 the other night, Fyfe has a poor record so even with an early plea he couldn't get it reduced to one week like Hunt.

I agree with you on the bump, a properly executed bump won't cause an issue but when it results in a clash of heads/drawing of blood/front on contact then it will be looked at. The major problem is that in the eyes of the public (and the players it seems) there doesn't seem to be any consistency in the sanctions and intent to injure doesn't seem adequately punished (McKernan last year for instance)

If I was coach though I'd be telling my players to avoid the over the top physical bump completely. The laying down a marker aspect of it doesn't seem worth the risk of suspension, particularly when there's such a fine line between what is legitimate and not.

Mackman

Yeah he had some carry over points from last year.

I totally agree the head should be protected, but AFL is a contact sport, incidental head clashes will happen. Now if Fyfe bumped Rischitelli (sp?) and his shoulder hit his head, I would have no issue with a suspension whatsoever.

I just don't think its a good sign of things to come, I can guarantee if a few more high profile players get suspended for incidental head contact from a bump, the rule will be looked at again.

jackbhoy

Sheez, Hawks tearing Freo a new one in first half. Was almost tempted to switch my tip to Freo when all but one of Fox panel tipped Dockers, glad I didn't!
I am sure Freo will stage some sort fo fightback in second half but don't have the firepower to overhaul that lead...

Mackman

jackbhoy wrote: »

Sheez, Hawks tearing Freo a new one in first half. Was almost tempted to switch my tip to Freo when all but one of Fox panel tipped Dockers, glad I didn't!
I am sure Freo will stage some sort fo fightback in second half but don't have the firepower to overhaul that lead...

Pathetic, insipid performance by Freo. The score line is very flattering.

I'm off to get drunk

SSK

Dear god the Hawks are good. As in incredibly good for a team looking to go back to back with their fair share of injuries. That goal by Breust has to be goal of the year, just pure genius by Cyril, Puopulo and Breust after a brilliant defensive effort.

As a Pies fan who saw Freo absolutely dominate us 3 weeks ago I'm scared about facing Hawthorn now. Surely Fyfe and Barlow, as good as they are don't make that much of difference?

bruschi

just finishing watching todays game. Freo were awful. absolutely terrible. Now granted, the Hawks were very good, their pressure, their break from defence to attack was lightening, but its hard to read too much into it.

also, I hate it when a team peaks so early in a season. its very hard to sustain that level of performance for the 22 games and finals. They look impressive, and without doubt, they have to be clear favorites to retain the flag, but it wouldnt surprise me to see them falter towards the end of the year.

jackbhoy

God, Tiges were sh1te today. We looked clueless and seem to have actually gone backwards from last year. Fair play to the Doggies, they really deserved the win. Went much harder at the ball, played smart, heads-up footy and converted when they got inside 50.

We looked so flat. I have no idea what the game plan is. We have one of best contested mark forwards of last 10 years and we leave him looking around in midfield/half-back while we thump long balls in on top of Vickery, usually to a 3 on 1. I understand we need to vary the game plan a bit from the old 'just kick it to Jack' but it's just ridiculauous how little we utilise one of most dangerous forwards in the game. When we actually reverted to hitting Riewoldt with decent ball he got 4 goals and Dogs had no answer, too little too late though. :mad:

Collingwood, Hawthorn, Geelong and Brisbane (away) in next 4. Could easily be 1-7 before bye if we don't wake up.

Mad4simmental

Disgusted freo, that is all,

seipeal1

jackbhoy wrote: »

God, Tiges were sh1te today. We looked clueless and seem to have actually gone backwards from last year. Fair play to the Doggies, they really deserved the win. Went much harder at the ball, played smart, heads-up footy and converted when they got inside 50.

We looked so flat. I have no idea what the game plan is. We have one of best contested mark forwards of last 10 years and we leave him looking around in midfield/half-back while we thump long balls in on top of Vickery, usually to a 3 on 1. I understand we need to vary the game plan a bit from the old 'just kick it to Jack' but it's just ridiculauous how little we utilise one of most dangerous forwards in the game. When we actually reverted to hitting Riewoldt with decent ball he got 4 goals and Dogs had no answer, too little too late though. :mad:

Collingwood, Hawthorn, Geelong and Brisbane (away) in next 4. Could easily be 1-7 before bye if we don't wake up.

Good to see there may be another biggish club potentially 1-7!!! Watched Adelaide and Sydney yesterday and it is a long season already!!! . Back St. Kilda next week. Crows are brrrrruuuuutal.
Nearly as bad as Carlton. Nearly. Now, there's something to cheer you up!!!!

SSK

Once more unto the breach tonight for the Pies. Bloody miserable last few days in Melbourne will make it a bit of a lottery. Deledio is a massive out for Richmond, if he was fit I wouldn't be confident at all but I think we may have enough to get over the line.

A huge weekend for a lot of clubs, both teams tonight, Adelaide, Sydney and Carlton all facing must win games. Freo and Essendon in particular is going to be a massive contest.

Mackman

SSK wrote: »

Once more unto the breach tonight for the Pies. Bloody miserable last few days in Melbourne will make it a bit of a lottery. Deledio is a massive out for Richmond, if he was fit I wouldn't be confident at all but I think we may have enough to get over the line.

A huge weekend for a lot of clubs, both teams tonight, Adelaide, Sydney and Carlton all facing must win games. Freo and Essendon in particular is going to be a massive contest.

Carlton and Adelaide under massive pressure. Adelaide have the excuse of having a heap of injuries to key players, not sure what the Blues excuse is though.

Whats wrong with Delidio? Out for long? Should be a good game tonight. Two teams around about the same level, Collingwood has the talent, but can they find that groove. Can Cloke kick a bag in his 200th? Can the Tiges keep it together for 4 quarters? Not if they keep relying on Vickery IMO, Leave Reidwolt in the forward 50!!

Its a pity the Eagles have so many injuries, Playing the Cats at Skilled would have been a great test to see exactly where they are at.

Massive test for the Dockers on Sunday against the Dons who are flying at the moment. We get some big names back, Dawson, Pearce, Clarke and Sylvia is set to make his debut. Hopefully, he can play to his potential. I'll be there, praying its not a repeat of last years clash.

jackbhoy

Mackman wrote: »

Carlton and Adelaide under massive pressure. Adelaide have the excuse of having a heap of injuries to key players, not sure what the Blues excuse is though.

Whats wrong with Delidio? Out for long? Should be a good game tonight. Two teams around about the same level, Collingwood has the talent, but can they find that groove. Can Cloke kick a bag in his 200th? Can the Tiges keep it together for 4 quarters? Not if they keep relying on Vickery IMO, Leave Reidwolt in the forward 50!!

Its a pity the Eagles have so many injuries, Playing the Cats at Skilled would have been a great test to see exactly where they are at.

Massive test for the Dockers on Sunday against the Dons who are flying at the moment. We get some big names back, Dawson, Pearce, Clarke and Sylvia is set to make his debut. Hopefully, he can play to his potential. I'll be there, praying its not a repeat of last years clash.

Deledio has an Achilles issue. Apparently he has had problems with it for years but this is first time it has made him miss games. Hopefully it's cleared up asap as we miss him badly.

Cloke worries me, he had free rein against us last year and we had no answer for him, even with our best defender (Rance) on the ground. Without Rance tonight he could have a field day on Astbury.