Fast ball movement through the zone and that counterattacking style of play has been the way to beat the Saints lately. The Bulldogs just fell short and were trying to maintain possession around the 50m arc and not rolling the dice. You can actually expose some of the Saints’ defenders if you are able to do that. As successful as it has been, teams are working around St Kilda’s style. They are still going to be competitive but I think it is a bit like what happened with Hawthorn last year. Everyone thought no one could break through Clarko’s zone but you see a couple of things go wrong with it and opposition teams find a way around it. That’s starting to show a little bit.
The Crows
Early last year Adelaide made a statement that it had self-analysed and looked at its gameplan. The Crows promised to break the shackles and encourage their players to take risks and play on, focussing more on scoring. We all thought that would be tough ask but they changed it pretty quickly. Neil Craig has to risk being belted and maybe give up some defensive parts of the game by being more attacking. They scored the last seven goals on the weekend and when they did score they took the game on. It’s quite a tiring gameplan the way Adelaide play and it can be energy-sapping. It’s not so energy sapping to play on and score heavily. That is something they should look at. They also need a lift from mid-tier players like Bernie Vince and Brent Reilly who need to stand up.
The main men
The past few weeks have shown us how important two captains are to their respective teams. Carlton has won four of its past five games since Chris Judd has returned from suspension. We all know his unique talent but the way his influence filters down to the rest of the side is hard to estimate, but it is significant. Judd’s importance to Carlton is similar to Nick Riewoldt’s at St Kilda. Before Riewoldt went down the Saints had won their first three games. Now they’ve lost three of their last five. His absence seems to have completely decimated them. That get out kick and marks inside 50 are gone and it is almost impossible to replace.
Scarlett’s web of destruction
He missed a couple of games through injury but Matty Scarlett has taken no time settling back in. He absolutely smashed Daniel Bradshaw first up and cleaned up Fevola on the weekend. If you are a key forward and you’re going alright you will lose confidence after matching up on Scarlett. He can actually send confidence into a downward spiral by the way he plays. After a few weeks out, he reminded everyone why he has been the best defender in the competition for the past 10 years.
Brad Scott’s influence
The Kangaroos as a side are playing like a mirror image of their coach. They are hard, tough and uncompromising but they also have a bit of flair. If you wanted to get a handle on what Brad Scott’s coaching style was going to be that was what the answer was going to be. I reckon he is the perfect coach for North Melbourne. They’ve got the best fit they could have hoped for. From an outsider looking in he has been able to develop his players. Daniel Wells is in career best form and he has a priority on his defensive set-up. He has put up a lot of trust in Lachy Hansen, Nathan Grima and Scott Thompson. He has moved Brady Rawlings back there which is a brilliant choice.
Collingwood and Geelong
The biggest improvement to Collingwood’s side is their mid-tier list of players. Luke Ball, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis, Alan Didak, Josh Fraser, Ben Johnson, Darren Jolly, Nick Maxwell, Paul Medhurst, Harry O’Brien, Scott Pendlebury, Heath Shaw, Dane Swan and Dale Thomas all fit into the 80-200 game bracket for the Pies. Geelong has Gary Ablett, Mark Blake, Jimmy Bartel, Shannon Byrnes, Paul Chapman, Corey Enright, Josh Hunt, Steve Johnson, James Kelly, Andrew Mackie, Cameron Mooney, Max Rooke and David Wojcinski. It’s interesting to note that both sides have exactly 13 players that have played 80-200 games and they are pretty well even when it comes to experience. In the past that core group of players hasn’t ever really been a strength for Collingwood. It is now and adding Ball and Jolly has strengthened it up a bit compared to the side that they’ve had in the past.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
