At the conclusion of each round, we will dissect the five key issues that eventuated from the weekend’s games of footy.
Here is what we learned from Round 10...
The Hawks have found a star
While former Hawk Sam Mitchell has been smooth across halfback at West Coast, Alastair Clarkson has unleashed a younger version.
Ryan Burton was a shining light during Hawthorn’s poor start, and now that wins are starting to add up, the 20-year-old is receiving the attention he deserves. Terry Wallace said he is a “red-hot” rising star favourite, and with the quality of his performances, it’s hard to disagree.
In the thrilling victory over Sydney, Burton oozed class amidst the chaos of a close and physical contest. The South Australian native amassed 20 disposals, including 16 kicks, and used the ball at an 85 percent efficiency rating, representing his poise coming out of the back half. Nine marks also indicates Burton’s defensive instincts, as he helped shut down numerous Swan attacks.
While some young players struggle with the speed and tempo of senior footy, Burton hasn’t had any such issues, his control with and without the ball well beyond his years. The SANFL product’s averages of 20.7 disposals, 85 percent efficiency and 6.2 intercept possessions attest to that sentiment.
Hawk teammate Luke Breust spoke of Burton’s professionalism on the weekend. Even though we aren’t exposed to his off field traits around the club, with the way Burton conducts himself on the field, you get the sense of a polished character. Learning from the likes of Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Luke Hodge and Ben Stratton in defence no doubt accelerates Burton’s development.
Almost unobtrusively, Hawthorn has won three of their past four games and find themselves one game out of the top eight. The signs of a dramatic fall we saw at the start of the campaign have slowly disappeared.
Burton will be a major part of the Hawks’ future, but don’t discount how vital he has been to this mini turnaround.
St Kilda needs a plan B
Alan Richardson was dealt a dose of harsh truth on Saturday. The Western Bulldogs swiftly shut down his initial ball movement strategy and the Saints had no response, resulting in an uninspired effort, their second in a row after Sydney did the same thing to them last week.
Entering Round 9, St Kilda was second in the league for defensive 50 to inside 50 percentage, proving the cattle is there and the Saints can get the ball rolling when the game is on their terms. However, Richardson’s men are so dedicated to the cause, they have no alternative plan of attack when the opponent gets on top.
Despite losing by 40 points, St Kilda had more disposals and kicks, but less inside 50s, which highlights their inability to create linking chains from defence. The Saints were focused on hugging the boundary and playing a switch-dependent style, which the Dogs sniffed out and clamped down on with aplomb.
Not only was the transition stagnant, St Kilda was also careless with the ball. Between the 10-minute mark of the second quarter and 10-minute mark of the last quarter, the Bulldogs scored 52 points off turnovers, making the Saints pay for their lackadaisical effort. Furthermore, 66 percent of the game was played in the Dogs’ forward half in that time period, another indication of how much St Kilda struggled to escape the danger area.
The issue is, instead of attempting to adjust mid-game, Richardson’s squad kept on trying to force the issue and get the match on their terms. While there is a sense of positivity that the Saints continued to trust the game plan, there comes a point where you need to tweak the system.
St Kilda didn’t do this on the weekend, something Richardson needs to address in the bye week. You can’t have that much of the ball and not get amply rewarded.
It’s time for Cale to hook back
David Schwarz had an outlandish analogy for Cale Hooker’s forward experiment, declaring you can’t make chocolate out of soy sauce. While we won’t be affiliating with the analogy, the principle is spot on.
It’s understandable why coaches try to shuffle the magnets and use key position players at both ends of the ground. It creates versatility and keeps the opposition guessing. However, sometimes being too clever can be counterproductive, something we have seen slightly with Harry Taylor at Geelong, but more so with Hooker.
The former All-Australian defender ran around the MCG like a headless chook on Saturday, lacking to impose the contest in any kind of way. His forward craft, such as leading patterns and timing, were well off, which isn’t a surprise considering it isn’t his natural position.
The pinnacle of Hooker’s down fallings came in the final minutes, when he dropped an uncontested mark at centre half back, which resulted in Toby Nankervis booting the decisive goal. It encapsulated Hooker’s night and his forward play thus far.
John Worsfold has an issue to juggle. It is clear Hooker isn’t a proficient forward and his individual talents will be highlighted in defence. However, with Essendon’s offensive framework, Hooker provides cover for Joe Daniher, allowing him to roam around with less attention than he demands. It is the same thing Taylor is doing at Geelong for Tom Hawkins.
There comes a point, though, where you need to at least try putting Hooker back. The combination he could make with Michael Hurley has the potential to be devastating, and could actually yield the Bombers more attacking chains from the defensive half.
Jeff is confirming the data
Champion Data’s Glenn Luff recently declared Jeff Garlett an elite small forward, a statement that initially stunned some pundits.
It was hard to disagree with the numbers on Saturday, though, when Garlett tore Gold Coast apart and stamped his authority as a top flight small forward.
When making the case for Garlett, Luff pointed to his forward half pressure points, groundball gets in the attacking 50, forced turnovers and goal kicking as his strengths. Ignore Garlett’s relatively low possession counts; he is a player that relies on quality over quantity, as most who share his position do.
Against the Suns, the 27-year-old was instrumental in the Demons’ comeback win. Garlett booted five goals (which could have easily been more, as he also added four behinds), imposed 20 pressure acts, had 24 disposals and contributed in 13 scores.
The key aspect of the small forward spot is to always be dangerous and a threat when the ball is in the area. Whether it is sneaking goals, making something out of nothing or forcing the opponent into poor choices, the little guys have to make big impacts.
Garlett did so this weekend, something he has done all season. He belongs in the Eddie Betts discussion, with all the evidence backing him up.
Brisbane needs more senior contributors
The Lions were valiant in their endeavour against Collingwood, but the massive gulf between the best and the rest was once again on show.
Via the Official AFL Player Ratings, Dayne Beams and Dayne Zorko were Brisbane’s top two players. However, out of the top eight players, only those two were donning the Lions jumper.
The onus is on Brisbane’s senior leaders to start finding consistency and bridge the gap between their top and bottom performers. Stef Martin was solid, but didn’t have the same influence with Archie Smith sharing the ruck duties. More is needed from Daniel Rich, Lewis Taylor, Sam Mayes and others.
Youngsters are seen in spades on the Lions’ list, but their development will be haltered if they aren’t complemented with some reliable on-field leaders.