The unpaid 50m penalty that could have changed a game and Cripps catches fire: Key takeouts from round nine

The ball magnet, who had 37 disposals, found himself in another such situation on Sunday night, at a time Geelong were desperately trying to avoid a fifth loss in a row to GWS at the Cattery, which is typically a fortress for them.

With barely two minutes left and the Cats trailing by five points, Shaun Mannagh chased Green down to win a free kick as the Giant dashed out of his defensive 50.

Green – who knew he had conceded a free kick – chose to latch onto Mannagh’s left foot like a child who didn’t want to give up their toy, and his Geelong opponent did all he could to illustrate to the umpires what was going on as he fell to the ground.

A frustrated Mannagh protested by pushing Green, who shoved the Cat down even harder.

A 50-metre penalty was not forthcoming, and Mannagh instead played on and took a long potshot at goal that went out on the full. It was unnecessarily risky from Green, and begs the question on what will trigger such a penalty, given the AFL wavers so much on how long a player can delay someone in possession.

There will understandably be a hyper focus on Mark Blicavs and Tyson Stengle’s straightforward set-shot misses that cost Geelong victory, but Mannagh could have had a shot from right in front to be the hero.

Age is only a number

Thursday night, Optus Stadium: Collingwood d. Fremantle by 14 points
Saturday afternoon, MCG: Hawthorn d. Melbourne by 35 points
There is an eclectic mix of names at the top of this year’s Coleman Medal leaderboard, but arguably none are as unlikely as veteran sharpshooters Jamie Elliott and Jack Gunston.

Like many Magpies, Elliott, 32, experienced a disappointing campaign last year, and it was fair to assume his best days were behind him. Try telling Collingwood’s opponents that in 2025.

Elliott’s six-goal explosion out west – he last kicked that many in round 12, 2021 – was critical in the Pies overcoming a lopsided inside-50 differential to log their equal-league-leading seventh win, over Fremantle. He now has 22 goals from nine games after slotting only 21 from 15 outings last season.

Those types of against-the-odds interstate victories are massive, particularly because 2023 premiers Collingwood rested stars Scott Pendlebury, Jordan De Goey and Brayden Maynard, and were without Brody Mihocek (abdominal).

Jack Crisp – one of 10 players 30 or older on the Magpies’ list – was another who stepped up in a big way. Jeremy Howe returned after being managed a week earlier to also be influential, and Craig McRae and co. are doing an excellent job maximising their golden-oldies squad.

That brings us to Gunston, who made a surprise request to return to Hawthorn two years ago after defecting to the Brisbane Lions as a free agent only 12 months earlier.

Not everyone at the Hawks was convinced trading for the triple-premiership forward at this advanced stage of his career was the right call, given their younger list demographics, but Gunston, 33, has been a revelation.

It is worth noting that the future second-rounder they scored off the Lions as part of that deal, where they handed over Brandon Ryan – who has played just once for Brisbane – and some late picks, was flipped to Gold Coast for Mabior Chol, who has also been highly valuable.

Back surgery kept Gunston to one game in 2021, while an untimely knee injury cost him from playing in Brisbane’s finals campaign in 2023.

But he rebounded to kick 29 goals from 18 matches last year, and is already up to 23 across seven appearances this season after being overlooked in the opening fortnight.

Hawthorn were in a battle with Melbourne for three quarters on Saturday before blowing the Demons away with six final-term goals. Gunston kicked half of them after being goalless to three-quarter-time.

Cripps catches fire

Friday night, MCG
Carlton d. St Kilda by 15 points
Lost amid the Harry McKay fanfare and a much-needed Carlton win over St Kilda on Friday night was a major development for the Blues’ bigger-picture fortunes.

Captain Patrick Cripps is judged more harshly than most and the expectations on him are higher, but even his biggest fan would have a hard time arguing that he has played to his usual lofty standards, particularly his extraordinary 2024 campaign.

Cripps was good for most of the night against the Saints, but went to another level with the game, and potentially Carlton’s season, on the line in the final term.

First, the raw numbers in that half-hour of power: nine disposals, four contested possessions, three tackles and three clearances. That effort elevated the 30-year-old champion’s overall tally to 26 disposals and match-highs of 15 contested possessions, 10 tackles and eight clearances.

There were some impressive moments in there, too.

Cripps roved one Tom De Koning tap after timing his body work on Jack Steele perfectly, then had Jack Sinclair try to lay a tackle on him. But with brute strength, he spun him around and hammered a 20-metre-plus handball towards the Blues’ attacking 50.

His physicality in general and decisiveness were also impactful.

There is still room for Cripps to be even better – he had only four score involvements – but Carlton need his dual Brownlow Medal-winning best if they are to climb out of mediocrity to launch a finals assault, and this performance was a step towards that.

Before leaving the Blues, we have a deserved shoutout to two defenders not named Jacob Weitering.

St Kilda found Jack Silvagni and Nick Haynes largely impenetrable as they combined for 19 intercept possessions, 11 of them marks.

Silvagni, whose contract expires at season’s end, has become a very good player in his new role, while Haynes had an inauspicious club debut in round one, but has been everything Carlton wanted as a bargain-bin recruit.

There is no longer the same reliance on Weitering to do everything down back.

Swans do Cox no favours

Saturday twilight, Marvel Stadium
Essendon d. Sydney by eight points
Replacing John Longmire was always going to be a mighty task, no matter the state of Sydney’s list when Dean Cox – the man who was often on the receiving end of Longmire’s angst – became senior coach.

After another heavy grand final defeat last year, the Swans’ wasteful goalkicking on Saturday evening cost them a comeback win over Essendon and slumped them to their sixth loss in nine games this season.

That leaves Sydney in 14th place, and in danger of missing finals for only the third time since 2003, which would not be the way Cox wants his coaching career to begin.

It could be worse because it took nearly a last-gasp goal from Joel Amartey to earn Cox his first win, over Fremantle by three points in round two.

The external post-match critiques will hone in on the Swans’ 6.11 second-half score – some of them elementary misses – but Cox and his assistants should pour more time into an abysmal first two terms, where they trailed nine goals to two.

Underwhelming stretches such as that have characterised Sydney’s brief period under the former champion West Coast ruckman.

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