The mid-season byes have started, but there is still plenty to dissect from an intriguing round 12 of AFL action. Here are our key takeouts.
Why the Magpies are flag favourites
Friday night, MCG
Collingwood defeated Hawthorn by 51 points
On a roll: Magpies coach Craig McRae.Credit: AFL Photos
Where several teams continue to bumble along, and remain mid-tier, or worse, the Magpies have the magic touch. And that’s not just on a weekly basis, but through a well-crafted premiership blueprint. To the point they could not be better placed to capture a second flag in three seasons. Their man management is second to none, and willingness to stick with this no matter what the potential results. They were bold when they rested Scott Pendlebury, Brayden Maynard, Brody Mihocek and Jordan De Goey for the trip to face Fremantle, yet still prevailed before a hostile Perth crowd.
Much was made of their ageing list heading into the new season, with 10 players aged 30 or older, but, again, the Magpies have been shrewd not only when playing them, but in the minutes they are given, and the roles they play. Ned Long’s emergence as a big bodied midfielder, for instance, has helped to fill the void left by the injured De Goey and eased the reliance on Pendlebury.
List management also deserves credit. The Magpies had seven players on Friday night who were not a part of the 2023 premiership. That’s a nice balance of flag DNA, and hunger from those desperate, including Dan Houston, Tim Membrey, Long and Harry Perryman, for the ultimate success. Lachie Schultz is another on the hunt for a premiership, but he will miss Thursday night’s clash against the Western Bulldogs because of concussion.
The banking of early season wins means the Magpies will likely be able to micromanage their campaign even further heading into the finals. It’s going to take something special to stop this group.
Junkyard dog puts the bite on for Lions
Boom season: Noah Answerth.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Gabba, Thursday night
Brisbane defeated Essendon by 18 points
Noah Answerth has become one of those lockdown defenders no forward wants to face. Last week, Answerth held dynamic Hawk Nick Watson goalless and to just four disposals (and a friendly bump when the two men left the field in the first quarter) in a win at the MCG. Hawks coach Sam Mitchell later lamented the lack of impact his small forwards had when the ball hit the turf. Answerth had another win on Thursday night, when he held Isaac Kako goalless and to 11 touches. It’s the third-straight week Kako has been goalless. While Answerth has a shut-down mentality, he had 20 touches and 401 metres gained of his own.
Teammate and dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale described Answerth as follows: “He is dog hungry. He is a junkyard dog, is what we call him.
“The stuff he does around the contest down back and the effort he puts in to clamping down on a dangerous forward is first class.”
So are the Lions, despite their so-so form against mid-tier teams. They led by 32 points at quarter-time against the Bombers, only to find themselves trailing early in the final term. Emerging star Nate Caddy was a pleasure to watch up forward, and did all he could to will the Bombers across the line, but the Lions did what great teams do, and that’s take care of business.
Caddy had a breakout game.Credit: Getty Images
With a 9-2-1 record, they – like the Magpies – could barely be better placed to launch for back-to-back flags, ahead of facing an emerging Adelaide on Friday night.
Why this is Sam Mitchell’s toughest task
Friday night, MCG
Collingwood defeated Hawthorn by 51 points
Sam Mitchell has dealt with several challenges through a relatively short coaching career now in its fourth season. The unceremonious departure of four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson meant the focus on the untried Mitchell was fierce from day one. There was the 0-5 start last year, and the spotlight which came from that, before a stunning run to the finals. Now Mitchell faces his toughest challenge yet – going from good to great, as Brian Cook dubbed the now famous review of Geelong’s operations in 2006. The Hawks have seven wins and are still strong finals contenders, so they are good, but it’s taking that next step that will show where Mitchell and his team are at in their development.
Good to great: Sam Mitchell and his Hawks have been left scrambling for answers.Credit: Getty Images
Rivals have honed in on the Hawks, and are denying their outlet passes. Their ability to take the ball by hand from defensive 50 to attacking 50 has been stymied, with rival half-backs pushing up and making it tough for the Hawks to find space. Their poor tackling count recently has been well documented. Mitchell maintains skipper James Sicily is not hampered by a groin issue, but AFL great Leigh Matthews isn’t so sure, declaring on 3AW that Sicily “is having a really bad year”. Sicily had an AFL ranking of 44 last season; this year he is well into the 160s.
The Hawks’ lack of Hollywood run is impacting Dylan Moore up forward, while Matthews has also questioned whether recruit Tom Barrass is “making them better” in defence. And is father time catching up with Jack Gunston? That the Hawks are chasing Oscar Allen and Harley Reid is a sign they know they are not yet the finished product. But Mitchell can only work with what he has got.
The Dockers and Crows are building; it’s season over for the Swans
Saturday afternoon, People First Stadium
Fremantle defeated Gold Coast by 11 points
Saturday night, SCG
Adelaide defeated Sydney by 90 points
They have been a tipster’s nightmare, but the Dockers and Crows have found winning momentum. The Dockers have won their past three, none better than Saturday’s surprise win on the Gold Coast, and have North Melbourne immediately after their mid-season break. The Crows, meanwhile, have won four of their past five, their only loss in this period coming against Collingwood by 10 points at the MCG. Their 90-point win over Sydney on Saturday, with a whopping 88 of their points derived from turnover, was their best of the season.
There were also moments of brilliance, namely Josh Rachele’s angled tap of the boot soccer pass in the centre square to Ben Keays, who capped this off with a running goal, was special. Rachele, of course, was a star junior soccer play, and he and Keays are both Manchester United fans. Keys had a superb all-round game, having emerged this year as one of the league’s best defensive forwards. He booted three goals and subdued Nick Blakey (nine disposals).
The Crows have much to boast – seven times in 12 games they have scored more than 100 points, on four occasions scoring more than 120. Only twice have they conceded more than 100 points, and three times they have only allowed 50 points or fewer.
They sit in the top three, but if they want to prove they are the real deal, they will get the job done against Brisbane at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
And a word about the Swans. They are in a world of pain, with five losses by 10 goals or more. That’s not the Bloods culture we have come to respect and fear. Where Geelong and Collingwood briefly fell off the perch the season after a flag, the Swans – after the grand final horrors of 2022 and ’24 – are now in pain. Dean Cox needs to instil a greater defensive ethos – the hallmark of the 2005 premiership side that was on hand on Saturday celebrating their 20-year reunion.
Damien Hardwick, meanwhile, has seen many great moments from Shai Bolton during their premiership years at Richmond but, on Saturday, and now as Gold Coast coach, Bolton’s chase down tackle on Nick Holman with 35 seconds remaining was one he was left to rue.
Bolton’s moment of brilliance led to a match-sealing dribbled goal by Jye Amiss, highlighting the new-found fortitude the Dockers have.
More food for thought for Allen, Reid
Sunday night, Optus Stadium
Geelong defeated West Coast by 43 points
Yes, the Eagles were eventually overwhelmed in the final term by the seasoned Cats, led by Brownlow favourite Bailey Smith and Coleman medal leader Jeremy Cameron, but the manner in which they played quarters two and three showed in this prime-time clash why Eagles brass think this side can enjoy a strong rise over the next year. They ran in waves and locked the ball inside 50, with skipper Allen – back to his straight-line running best up forward – and the bustle of Reid key figures. While they still sit at the foot of the ladder, the Eagles – at least for bursts – are turning a corner under Andrew McQualter. Do Allen, in the final year of his contract, and Reid, contracted until the end of next year, really want to leave at this point?
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