AFL Indigenous Round, much like any of the AFL’s one-off rounds that they put on it continues to get better every single year. The pre-game ceremonies, the embrace of our nation’s original culture and the jerseys, they all just keep outdoing the year before and it is fantastic to see. And what a round it was! There were some expected results as any round has, but plenty of upsets that continue to keep us on our toes as we get closer to the halfway point of the season that brings in the byes.
First off, Port Adelaide over Melbourne. Yes, it was a minuscule win, they were at home and the ball was a cake of soap in the final half, but I am brave enough to admit I might have been wrong about the Power in 2023. I wrote them off before the season even began and here they are sitting a game clear in 3rd spot, don’t I have egg on my face? But whether or not they continue their winning ways or bottom out and miss the 8 is irrelevant, as the club have well and truly found their next star. No, it is not Connor Rozee, no it is not Jason Horne-Francis, but it is the young man who has teased us with his brilliance without sustaining it before, Zak Butters. His start to the year has been electric and with a 41-touch and 2-goal game against what I consider the best club in the comp, he showed the world that he can hang with the giants.
Elsewhere, the Dockers proved they are right back on track with a win over the Cats, who mind you found themselves horribly exposed without Patty Dangerfield again, which is worrying, to say the least, but at least the boys from Freo have found their form again.
Carlton lost again and the Bombers got back to winning ways and at the end of it all we are left with what looks to be yet another almighty race to the finish line and we are only 10 weeks in! Just 2 games separate 7th from 15th, while the Top 6 all sit at least 8 points clear of Geelong in 7th place. As we have learned in the last few years, 8 does not fit into 2 and it is really anyone’s game right now for what that final 8 will look like, with only 3 teams completely gone. As it should be really, the gap between clubs was getting too wide there for a few years, I for one am glad we are back to each and every week being as unpredictable as the last.
The good
I Was Wrong About The Bombers
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As I mentioned earlier, I am brave enough to admit when I am wrong and just as I am about Port, I was completely wrong about Essendon.
New coach, new gameplay, new captain and a list that wouldn’t be able to sustain a strong year with an established system in place anyways, Essendon will struggle yet again in 2023. Their front office is in disarray and it will reflect on the field in what will be a very tough year in every aspect of the Essendon Football Club. Another rebuild begins and they always take years to work, expect only a handful of wins to come from the red and black this season.
2023 Essendon Bombers Season Preview – By Mitchell Cashmore
As you can read from the quote, I put the Dons on blast in my season preview. I was convinced that with their shambolic boardroom calling the shots, sacking coaches without a backup plan and changing things up every few seconds there was no possible way that they could be successful in 2023. Well, we are 10 rounds in and they have already been way more successful than I ever predicted. They might not make the finals, but they already have a handful of wins and will almost certainly finish higher than the 16th that I predicted them finishing, albeit maybe mathematically that was never a possibility anyways.
But, nonetheless, they showed on Saturday night that they can play one hell of a game of football and when they looked beaten for all money they kicked back and kicked hard. Sam Durham take a bow. His last quarter will be one of the best you see all year with he and the likes of captain Zach Merrett in the middle deciding to put the Dons on their backs and scrape them home with the narrowest of victories. They outplayed the Tigers in every way possible and once again exposed Richmond for being unable to finish off a close game (They’ve now lost 13 straight matches when they are decided by less than a goal.).
Overall, the boys from Tullamarine have impressed me and this will most definitely be going in the ‘I was wrong’ column in the final year season review.
The Bad
Swans Win On A Technicality
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Boy wasn’t that like kissing your cousin. Worse than a complete draw in my opinion, because at least then both teams are rewarded with 2 points on the ladder. Unfortunately for North Melbourne, who had smashed Sydney in every way but the scoreboard on Saturday afternoon left with nothing. Yes, the rules are the rules and there is nothing we can do about that, it still feels bad that North could lose in such a way. But I am not complaining about the rule, as of course, North broke it and was punished as such, I am talking about how that was the only thing it took for Swans to get over the line. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
The Swans were a shadow of their former selves, being beaten to the ball at almost every contest and it showed on the stat sheet. North turned the ball over 9 more times, yet had a whopping 20 more clearances. They used the ball more efficiently and they looked rejuvenated, perhaps playing in the spirit of their coach who has had to take time away from the game for mental reasons.
The only Swans players that had a return to form were Chad Warner and most importantly, Lance Franklin. Buddy has been copping ridiculous amounts of hate in the last month due to his waning form. I said to stick fat because at any moment he could switch it back on and that is exactly what he did. 3 goals, a behind, a few contested marks and he was a clear presence all game. The big man was back to being the game changer that he has been all of his career and one can only hope that he can maintain it, because if the Swans plan on improving to the point where they can win games on the regular.
The Ugly
West Coast Put In Pathetic Performance
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We keep thinking West Coast’s season couldn’t plummet any further, Simpson’s merry men just keep getting worse and worse. A devastating defeat by a team dwelling at the league’s basement, resulting in a staggering 116-point margin, has left the Eagles in a state of utter humiliation. In the aftermath of the match, Adam Simpson expressed his clear disappointment, labelling the performance as entirely unacceptable.
Not a single goal was kicked in the second half. No matter how long your injury list is, there are zero excuses to play that pathetically against a team who was until that point in the season, playing worse than you.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Adam Simpson needs to go!
Simpson clearly has no direction with the players and has done little to spin the magnets and make the best out of a bad situation. Yes, he is contracted for another 3 years and it would cost a bit of money to get rid of him, but really, at this point, it could be worth it.
Here is how I see it – continue embracing an ageing list that is no longer healthy or effective on the field and has the same coach march them into an unwinnable war. Or just bite the bullet and go for a full-on re-structure. From top to bottom, time to shake things up completely. Find a new man in charge, delist a chunk of the players who no longer do the job, and take that Number 1 draft pick they will be getting and trade it for 3 first-rounders, or potentially 1 and a big-name player from elsewhere. No point in bringing just 1 player into the fold, they need as many as possible. As many fit, firing and strong youth as they can possibly sign to stem the bleeding. That way, they could possibly turn what looks like a 6 year rebuild into a 3 year one.
They’re still chasing their tails after the Tim Kelly trade backfired and it is time to chase no more. Do something West Coast and the first thing you need to do is start chopping heads and begin with the top.