WE DON'T have a designated rivalry round in the AFL any more, and for many that is a shame.

We have rivalries of course. Some based on what is, in footballing terms, ancient history, such as Collingwood and Carlton. Then there is the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide, a rivalry that has come to life very quickly and all of a sudden, is very real.

It had its roots in last year's magnificent elimination final (although embittered Bulldogs types still bring up the 1997 preliminary final and Tony Liberatore's controversial point) and the aftermath involving the Talia brothers and sensitive team information that may, or may not have been shared.

We may never get to the bottom of that one.

In any event, the frantic end to Saturday night's Dogs-Crows clash at Etihad Stadium spoke volumes for the depth of feeling that appears to exist between the two clubs, with the Dogs' interchange players charging on to the ground to embrace their teammates. Coach Luke Beveridge could not stop clapping, all the way from the coach's box to the rooms.

The Crows by contrast, looked filthy at losing a game, while not nasty in any sense, was played with a distinct edge. And lest you think Don Pyke carries himself like a mild-mannered accountant all the time, we caught a glimpse of his fiery side. It might have been the manner of the defeat, but it might also have been the 28-11 free kick count.

 

It was an important win for the Dogs. We're heading into that stage of the season where the ladder is starting to take shape with some permanence and the evidence is mounting that the top eight as it stands might not change from now to the finals.

That makes the remaining 15 rounds something of a qualifying tournament for places in the finals and the Dogs will be well-pleased to have emerged from their seven weeks at Etihad Stadium with a 5-2 record, and having rediscovered that frenzied, free-flowing attacking footy that has been their hallmark, but which has not been as evident at times this year.

They played a brilliant and mature final couple of minutes on Saturday night after Josh Jenkins goal bridged the gap to just three points. The next centre bounce was straight out of the textbook as the Bulldogs won the clearance and got the ball to Marcus Bontempelli, who calmly slotted the sealer. If there were any demons lurking for the 'Bont' after the elimination final last year when he missed a couple of set shots in the final term, they've been put to bed.

The Dogs finally hit the road now, with Melbourne at the MCG next week. Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium the following week should be really good.

Bolton's Blues on the rise

That's three wins on the trot for Carlton, for the first time since 2013. It took Brendon Bolton just seven games to achieve something for the Blues that his predecessor could manage just once in his two and a bit seasons in charge.

Under Bolton, the Blues are organized, disciplined and have an appetite for the contest. That was evident against Collingwood on Saturday, where the Blues were challenged on a few occasions, but always kicked the clutch goal.

The Blues haven't kept the scoreboard operators all that busy this year, but they did kick 15.9, their highest score for the year. And we're pleased for Levi Casboult, who kicked three goals, including the sealer and if we are to believe Bolton, he has been borderline obsessive in his quest to be a more reliable set-shot for goal.

In consecutive weeks the Blues have rolled Essendon and Collingwood. If this writer's social media feeds are a guide then it doesn't get much better than that for Carlton supporters. Who would rule out a fourth-straight win next week at home to Port Adelaide?

As for Collingwood, the season is already beyond disappointing. It is shaping as a disaster.

Rotating Cats marching to another flag?

Geelong's 2016 campaign is starting to resemble that of 2011.

A feature of that season for the Cats, which ended in their third flag in five years, was the ability for Chris Scot to rotate his players, to keep them fresh for the pointy end of the season.

He was 'managing' his players, although the term wasn't as in vogue then as it is now.

The Cats recalled Tom Ruggles, Andrew Mackie and Rhys Stanley for the win over West Coast on Saturday, having plainly admitted to have rested them the week before and they appear likely to adopt this 'squad' mentality for the rest of the year. Squads, not best 22s win premierships and Geelong is on its way to establishing a group of 25 to 28 players who can be mixed and matched for any opponent at any venue.

The Cats still have five games remaining at Simonds Stadium – GWS, the Sydney Swans, Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne. None would be considered gimmes (Melbourne won there last year for instance), but given the premium placed on a top-two finish at the end of the home and away season, a Simonds Stadium sweep would set the Cats up beautifully for the end of the season.

Of course, we have Patrick Dangerfield's first game against Adelaide to savour in the meantime. A record crowd at Adelaide Oval surely looms.

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Other observations

1. The final minute or so of the St Kilda-North Melbourne clash sent fans into a frenzy, but there are no problems here with how the conclusion played out. Tom Hickey was in trouble from the moment he took his eyes off the ball just before he and Todd Goldstein contested the ball-up. Goldstein didn't get a fair run at the ball, leaving Matt Stevic (arguably the AFL's leading whistleblower) to pay the free for the shepherd.

And if you're going to introduce the countdown clock for set shots at goal as a measure to further improve the spectacle of the game, then you can't howl at Mason Wood using it to his benefit to wait until the final siren. Before this year, he would have had the runner bellowing in his ear in any event. The Saints' improvement is undeniable and will feel aggrieved at the rub of the umpiring green going against them once again in a close game, but with a bit more composure in the middle stages of the game, the lacklustre Kangas were there for the taking. North should be 9-0 in a fortnight, ahead of a monster Friday night SCG clash with the Sydney Swans. 

2. Another 'first' for the Giants on the weekend, this time their maiden victory in Western Australia. And in a growing sign of their maturity, they couldn't rely just on their leg speed and rapid ball movement to get the four points. After half-time it was their strength around the contest and in the clinches that helped them grind out the win, because the second half was mainly played on Fremantle's terms. Next week the Giants host the Suns at Spotless Stadium, where the stark differences between the two AFL expansion teams will be laid bare for all to see.

3. Melbourne turned it on in the second half against Gold Coast, and while the Suns are as injury-depleted as they have ever been, it was an emphatic performance all the same. The Demons are 4-3 at this stage of the season for the first time since 2006, and their 112.7 percentage is their best after seven rounds since 2005. If Melbourne can get over the Western Bulldogs next week and Adelaide loses to Geelong, the Dees will be in the eight.

4. Friday night at the MCG marked the first time in Alastair Clarkson's 266 games as coach of Hawthorn that the names Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge and Jarryd Roughead were missing from the team sheet. That put the acid on the out-of-form Jordan Lewis, but the acting captain was good, back hunting the footy as he does when at his best and kicking a huge goal just when the side was floundering in the third quarter. The Hawks didn't beat much, truth be told, but the manner of the win resembled that of years past, elite kicking and outside run.

5. The puzzling move of the weekend was Richmond forward Tyrone Vickery spending 10 minutes on the bench in the second quarter on Friday night immediately after kicking back-to-back goals. It was a key stage of the game as the Tigers had wrested some momentum back and their height was starting to cause the Hawks some concern. Another case of the sports scientists holding sway? Perhaps only Damien Hardwick knows.

6. Dual North Melbourne premiership coach Denis Pagan was never a fan of his players wandering down what he called 'Media Street' and on his Facebook page on Saturday night, he had Eddie Betts in his sights after the Crows star had a poor outing against the Dogs.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing on channel 7…here was one of my favourite players Eddie Betts executing left foot checkside and dribble along the ground right foot punts at goal with Brian Taylor with footy boots on with his suit, they even went through Eddie's latest dance steps. They say this is the modern game… the Bulldogs were absolute certainties. Don't get me wrong I selected Adelaide to finish top four and Don Pyke to be coach of the year, but if anyone thinks that interview pre game is going to help Eddie play at his best they have got it wrong. By the way I love the way Eddie plays, Shane O'Sulivan (sic) and I recruited him to Carlton via the pre season draft some years ago. If I was the cocka of Adelaide the media/communications manager would have had his DCM before quarter time. It may cost Adelaide 4 points come finals time, unfortunately it cost Eddie last night he didn't kick a goal and only had 4 kicks."

Pagan is definitely from the old school and I'm not sure he's right on this one. His Kangaroos are probably the most media-friendly club in the competition. And seven weeks in, the only unbeaten one.

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