Will we get a combined 50 AFL games from Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau, assuming Izzy switches codes? From a marketing, publicity and exposure point-of-view it's an extraordinary coup to chase down genuine NRL stars, but speaking to my rugby league playing friends, they say that despite Izzy's athleticism, his tank is so small he could barely run 400 metres without stopping. AFL is a completely different game, and the probablility of either being able to switch codes at their age and become even a solid AFL player is remote at best. Just look at Michael Jordan switching to baseball and how that didn't work.
Positive Pies
Tackling pressure is a major reason they're second on the ladder - they're the best in the league for average tackles against opposition sides. On the weekend they had a cracking win over the Blues, and despite trailing in a host of statistical categories (even in possessions, where they were 54 down), they emphatically led one really important one - tackles. Collingwood won the tackle count 88-59 and with it the game. There has been a lot of talk around their two big recruits in Luke Ball and Darren Jolly. Neither of them are stars, but they give good solid performances and Sunday was probably the best they've been since arriving.
Fremantle's fountain of youth
Nine of the Fremantle team on the weekend were either first- or second-year players, so for them to have a 5-1 record in a season where a lot people wouldn't have been surprised to see them at 1-5 is a huge credit to them. Richmond played five first- or second-year players, so Fremantle are playing twice as many new players and getting incredible results.
Hacker Hawks
Time to drag out the Richmond measuring stick again - like the Tigers, the Hawks have won just two of their last 12 matches, (and four of their last 17). After Saturday night's capitulation, Dermott Brereton came out after the game and gave it to his old team for hanging around on the field and making sure all hands got shaken, jokes told, etc. I agree with him that it was over-the-top. My rule after a loss - and we saw a few - was to head straight for the race from where you finished on the ground. You shake hands with everyone in your path, generally be respectful, but to hang around Brendan Fevola-style in the middle sends the wrong message to your members and supporters. You have good mates or a brother on the other team? Give them a call later.
Crook Crows
No wins from six games is a disaster. Neil Craig was talking up his forward line in the pre-season - they'd have been expecting to make top four, and now it's impossible for them to make the finals at all after just six rounds. Unfortunately, I've been in this position, and your list gets analysed differently when you're winless after a month-and-a-half. Everyone looks at the oldies - Tyson Edwards, Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin and Brett Burton - and starts thinking 'this is the end' rather than looking at how they're actually playing. There's absolutely no-one to bring in to replace them - they've got more injuries than you can poke a stick at - but the list is looked at differently. And as a player you start wondering if you should make way for a younger player to have a crack.
Geelong forwards
I talked about James Podsiadly the other week, and he's still really exciting. That's great for him, but what it's doing is putting the pressure on Tom Hawkins, despite coach Bomber Thompson's oft-proclaimed admiration for the big unit. Right now, if it came down to a straight choice between the two, you'd take Pods. Can they keep both of them forward with big Cam Mooney as well? I've said it before, and I still believe that Hawkins should be used as a second ruckman and backup forward. He can make a contest, take a mark and kick a goal. Definitely, worth a shot.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
