Essendon has been the biggest disappointment of 2010. There seems to be no passion or spirit within the group. Jobe Watson is the only exception. They want to be playing some exciting football but it just doesn’t seem to happen for one reason or another. To have won just five games after 15 rounds puts a lot of pressure on. I look at their young list and their players who are supposed to be developing only seem to have gone backwards. They have managed to knock off St Kilda and the Bulldogs this year so they have shown they are capable of taking it up to the best. They’ve lost some champions of the game in Matthew Lloyd, James Hird and Scott Lucas in recent years and there are now some real questions about where the club is heading.
Geelong v Hawthorn
This match became one of the games of the season just in terms of the intensity of the contest. These two sides have developed a fantastic rivalry over the past five years with some close contests. I think Hawthorn is one of the few sides that Geelong genuinely fears. Hawthorn was zoning and using the boundary a lot against the Cats. You just know that every time these two sides meet it will be a great contest.
Damien Hardwick
The Tigers’ form over the past month is what you’d expect a Damien Hardwick-coached side to play like. They’ve got this real brutal, spirited approach to the game, which is exactly the way he played his footy. He approaches every part of his coaching duties with a lot of honesty. He seems really up front and is able to deliver his message clearly. It’s also good to see him celebrate and show some emotion when his side gets up. To win four games in a row, including knocking off a top four side is just fantastic for the competition and it is great for the Richmond supporters.
Mark Williams
A lot of the focus on Mark Williams has centred on the ending and not so much the work he did at the start and even through the three consecutive minor premierships. The Williams family’s history with Port Adelaide is incredible. They basically are Port Adelaide. The SANFL club is one of the most successful clubs going around and Fos Williams brought a lot of that to the table. Mark transferred that over to the AFL. From his point of view the right time to get out might have been six months ago. When he started to publically express doubts that he could keep his job, fingers start to be pointed. The Power were indecisive six months ago but you can’t argue that they were indecisive on Friday. Even though it was pretty brutal I think it was still the right call to make.
Crossing codes
Players crossing from other codes to football have been a big talking point this season. Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt have both switched over from rugby league and over the past 25 years we have had plenty of Gaelic footballers come over from Ireland to try their luck. There have also been a few volleyballers but I think the sport that best transitions over to footy is basketball. You need to be able to move laterally and the game is played at 360 degrees just like footy. Maybe we should try to convert some overseas basketballers. Kurt Tippett played very little footy as a junior and you can see him make the transition. Jack Watts was going to play American college basketball and only played a bit of footy. He ended up being the No.1 draft pick no doubt partially because of the skills he was able to transfer over from his basketball days.
Melbourne’s list
It’s no secret that Melbourne has one of the most exciting young lists in the competition. But not enough attention has been given to one of their senior players - Brad Green. He has had a great season and has provided real leadership for such an inexperienced group. When sides struggle, people go really hard on the senior players. Maybe we’re not quick enough to pay respect to them when the side is getting things right. He is someone who should be really proud of what he has been able to do. It’s amazing how much motivation you get when you can see a real chance of success in the near future. Green and the other senior players at the Demons would be desperate to hang on because they will have some success in the next few years.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.
