Round 11 has come and gone and with that comes our analysis of who performed well and who was below their best.
See below who stood out and who must improve from 16 of the 18 clubs after the Giants and Sydney had a bye.
Stood out: Rory Laird
This was by far Laird’s best performance of 2020. It was much more like his All-Australian form of 2017/18. He amassed a huge 37 possessions at 75% efficiency including a team-high and equal game-high 10 clearances. Laird broke the lines with his customary hard running, providing six inside 50s and three rebound 50s. He also laid nine tackles, had seven score involvements and four intercepts in a complete performance.
Must improve: Darcy Fogarty
The Crows need to quickly decide where they want Fogarty to play and just keep him there for a while as to give him continuity. He has shown glimpses of top quality in his short career to date but his performance against the Magpies left a little to be desired. He finished with nine touches, one mark and zero scoreboard impact. It’s evident that he and Taylor Walker are struggling to work together inside the same forward 50 and the youngster must be prioritised given the mess the Crows are in.
Andrew Slevison
Stood out: Eric Hipwood
Eric Hipwood made a mess of Ryan Gardner on Saturday night. While not known for his contested marking or his strength, he managed to put Gardner in tough positions on his way to five goals. More impressively, he did it with only one mark inside 50. From his 10 disposals, he kicked five goals and had eight score involvements which is really all you can ask for from a key forward. The key will be Hipwood finding greater consistency, given he had only kicked 11 goals total coming into the game.
Must improve: Lincoln McCarthy
It’s hard to pick holes in anything Brisbane has been doing in recent weeks, but if there’s room for upside it’s in their forward line consistency. With the exception of Charlie Cameron, they have players who either have a big impact or go missing and it was Lincoln McCarthy’s turn for a quiet one. McCarthy only had the five disposals, two tackles and no scoreboard involvement in the win over the Bulldogs.
Nic Negrepontis
Stood out: Zac Fisher
Zac Fisher’s absence from the Carlton line-up has been curious to say the least. Clearly in the side’s best 22, he has been stuck as an emergency since recovering from the ankle injury that held him out of the season restart. Fisher, who made a name for himself as a midfielder, was played almost exclusively as a small forward against West Coast and used his smarts to get into good positions and boot four goals. Carlton has struggled to get goals out of their small forwards in recent weeks and Fisher could provide the dangerous option the Blues need.
Must improve: Marc Pittonet
Marc Pittonet has received a lot of praise this year and was ranked within Champion Data’s top 10 ruckmen in the game, but he has struggled across the last month. He was comfortably beaten by Peter Ladhams in Round 7, Todd Goldstein in Round 8, Jon Ceglar in Round 9 and Nic Naitanui in Round 11. Pittonet spent a portion of the Eagles game on the bench and young ruckman Tom De Koning showed a greater ability to neutralise Naitanui during that time. Pittonet tends to get beaten at centre bounces, which leads to opposition sides gaining the midfield ascendancy.
Nic Negrepontis
Stood out: Darcy Cameron
Collingwood needs someone to stand up and prove to be a viable key forward option next to Brody Mihocek and Cameron showed signs against the Crows. He kicked the two goals, but had four set shots and could have left South Australia with a small bag. Of course, this comes against a winless team, but it’s exactly what the Magpies would have wanted nonetheless. Cameron also played an important role in wearing down Reilly O’Brien in the ruck, filling important minutes while Brodie Grundy rested on the bench.
Must improve: Jaidyn Stephenson
Stephenson has featured here a few times now, but he has completely lost his ability to find any of the football. Yes, quarters are shorter, but he is averaging six less disposals per game this year – five fewer kicks, and four fewer marks. You could chalk this up to shorter quarters, but whether he’s playing deep forward or on the wing, Stephenson simply hasn’t been able to impact games. He kicked two goals from four disposals against Adelaide, but both fell into his lap from turnovers. Collingwood needs more from him in the absence of Jordan de Goey inside 50.
Nic Negrepontis
Stood out: Jordan Ridley
We’ve written about the young Essendon star a few times here this season but he’s worth mentioning again after a career-best game on Wednesday night. 23 disposals at 91 per cent efficiency was impressive enough but the 21-year-old’s ability to intercept in the defensive half was on full display as he took a game-high 10 marks across the course of the night. Playing without veteran defensive duo Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker, Ridley stood up in their absence and announced himself as someone who should at least be in the All-Australian conversation this season.
Must improve: Tom Bellchambers
Essendon opted to rest Sam Draper for the clash against Gold Coast and recalled Tom Bellchambers, whose career is on the line and remains uncontracted for 2021. The 31-year-old had a tough night up against Jarrod Witts and was well beaten by the end of the contest. What Draper offers the Bombers is an added threat around the ground – highlighted by his 13 touches in just his second game last week – and unfortunately for veteran Bellchambers, he wasn’t much of a threat outside of the ruck even though he did kick a goal. Essendon now have a choice – back Bellchambers in or rush Draper straight back in?
Laurence Rosen
Stood out: Adam Cerra
The future is looking bright at Fremantle and that’s largely because of their emerging midfield group which includes the highly talented Adam Cerra, who had one of the best games of his career against Hawthorn on Monday night. The clear shift towards youth has been a hallmark under new coach Justin Longmuir so far and the 20-year-old appears to be benefitting. He found the ball 26 times and used it at 76 per cent disposal efficiency as well as laying four tackles. Cerra has always been highly touted after going at pick five in the 2017 National Draft but alongside fellow gun young on-ballers Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong, there’s plenty to get excited about at the Dockers right now.
Must improve: Stephen Hill
It’s hard to pick out a single Fremantle player who needs to improve after a game where they looked comfortable throughout but if we have to find someone, Stephen Hill will be looking for more impact as he works his way back from injury. Playing in his first match since Round 7, the 30-year-old picked up 13 touches on Monday night but crucially only had one rebound 50 and no inside 50s. Hill remains an important part of the Dockers side and even more so this year with so many younger players in the team.
Laurence Rosen
Stood out: Sam Menegola, Gary Rohan and Tom Hawkins
Sam Menegola’s career-best form continued against St Kilda. The Cats midfielder was the highest disposal winner on the ground with 26 to go with four score involvements and two goals. Menegola is averaging 24 touches and a goal a match from his last eight appearances and has emerged as an All-Australian smokie.
Gary Rohan and Tom Hawkins also starred in the 59-point win over the Saints booting four and five goals respectively. The pair outscored the entire St Kilda side while also combining for 16 score involvements. Rohan’s four-goal haul was a season-high while Hawkins joined West Coast’s Josh Kennedy at the top of the Coleman Medal leaderboard.
Must improve: Tom Atkins
Tom Atkins hasn’t been able to grab his opportunity since he was recalled by Geelong a fortnight ago. The gritty Cat finished with two kicks and nine disposals in Monday night’s thrashing of St Kilda after a quiet seven-possession outing in the Round 10 win against North Melbourne. Atkins also went goalless in both wins over the Saints and Roos.
Alex Zaia
Stood out: Lachie Weller
Eyebrows were raised when Gold Coast gave up pick two to land Lachie Weller at the end of 2017 but those doubts have well and truly been put to bed as the 24-year-old continued his stellar season on Thursday. 18 touches at 83 per cent efficiency was a good return but Weller is now becoming a genuine goalkicking option for the Suns and kicked another two this round. He’s now kicked 10 goals from 11 games this season and only needs three more to overtake his season-best effort of 12 goals back when he was playing for Fremantle in 2016. The good news for Gold Coast is he’s only going to get better from here as well.
Must improve: Consistent efforts
Gold Coast will be ruing dropping two points on Wednesday night against the Bombers, especially after holding a 22-point lead in the second quarter. The Suns’ efforts this year have been admirable and they’ve won plenty of praise for their style of footy but if they want to take the next step, they’ve got to close out games which would’ve seen them win the last two against Essendon and St Kilda, not pick up two points fro a possible six. This remains a young side and they are nowhere near the finished product but a more consistent effort in future games is likely to produce better results.
Laurence Rosen
BYE
Stood out: James Sicily
It wasn’t a great night for the Hawks in their loss to Fremantle on Monday but Sicily tried valiantly to get something going at both ends of the ground. He was moved forward when they needed a spark and provided just that with a lovely hanger and nice finish for goal. He also had two score involvements. In defence he attempted to steady the ship with six intercepts and five marks, two of which were crucial contested grabs. It was a game to forget for most Hawks but Sicily did what he could to keep them in the contest.
Must improve: Jon Ceglar
He played just over half a game all up but Hawks fans would want a bit more from Ceglar. He was solid early in the season but has dropped off a fair bit with his output in recent weeks. He did not provide enough working in tandem with Ben McEvoy against Freo’s inexperienced ruckman Sean Darcy, finishing the game with seven touches and 11 hit outs. Ceglar took just two marks and did not provide much of a presence around the contest with zero tackles and one clearance.
Andrew Slevison
Stood out: Angus Brayshaw
Brayshaw’s time on ground percentage has been spoken about in depth this season and on Sunday night, he played 80 per cent of game time in what was unquestionably his best game of the season so far. A season-high of 29 touches and a goal playing largely in midfield was pleasing for a player that when fully firing is crucial to Melbourne’s finals hopes this year. Alongside Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca, Brayshaw was a dominant presence during his side’s thumping win over North Melbourne.
Must improve: Slow starts
The pleasing aspect of the last two Dees games is their ability to finish games strongly against lower-placed sides such as North Melbourne and Adelaide but in both matches, they’ve started slowly and only really gained ascendancy in the final term. Tougher tests are ahead for a Dees side who are working their way back into the season so they would be intent on starting games better against higher-ranked opponents rather than relying on finishing strongly to notch up wins
Laurence Rosen
Stood out: Nick Larkey
Nick Larkey kicked four of North’s five goals in the 57-point loss to Melbourne and remains someone the Roos should be excited by long term. With Ben Brown on the sidelines, Larkey stepped up and delivered despite his team being dominated. North Melbourne fans will be hoping they can get Larkey and Brown on the field together, given the chemistry they built last year.
Must improve: Injury luck
North Melbourne had 10 players on their injury list coming into the Melbourne game and lost five more during the game. Jed Anderson (eye), Aiden Bonar (AC joint), Josh Walker (corked thigh), Robbie Tarrant (corked calf) and Majak Daw (corked calf) all sat out the game, added to the likes of Ben Cunnington, Ben Brown, Jack Ziebell, Tarryn Thomas and other key players. The Roos aren’t playing great football, but with such a significant portion of their best 22 hurt, the task gets significantly tougher.
Nic Negrepontis
Stood out: Ollie Wines
Ollie Wines rose to the occasion in Port Adelaide’s biggest game of the season playing a starring role in their impressive win over reigning premiers Richmond. The big-bodied midfielder amassed 28 touches at 89.3 per cent efficiency and 11 tackles but his 10 clearances allowed the Power to gain the ascendancy in the midfield battle where the game was ultimately won and lost.
Must improve: Trent McKenzie
Trent McKenzie has become a staple in Port Adelaide’s defence entering the final year of his contract. While the former Sun has been reborn in 2020 he can certainly improve on his output against the Tigers. Blessed with a booming left foot McKenzie had a game-low three disposals and 86 metres gained in 86 per cent game time.
Alex Zaia
Stood out: Kamdyn McIntosh and Jayden Short
There weren’t many Tigers at the top of their game in the loss to Port Adelaide, but one player who did everything in his power to get his side up was Kamdyn McIntosh. He was particularly instrumental in the first and third quarters when the heat was really on. Playing on a wing he finished with 18 disposals plus eight intercepts and six score involvements. He is not one of Richmond’s star names but he what he’ll always provide is effort and intent.
It certainly wasn’t Short’s best game of the season but he gave plenty of drive out of defence with 18 touches at 89% efficiency - a solid return in such a high pressure game - plus five rebound 50s and 495 metres gained. Those two, along with an impressive Mabior Chol cameo, were the shining lights for the Tigers in a game where they were beaten up around the contest.
Must improve: Jason Castagna
It was a performance of almost zero impact from Castagna. Usually quite bright and bubbly around the ball, he was nowhere to be seen on Saturday. He had just one possession until three-quarter time before he moved up the ground late to finish with five touches. Castagna looked a bit sore throughout so perhaps the condensed fixture has caught up with him and a little freshen up might be in order.
Andrew Slevison
Stood out: Jack Bytel
Jack Bytel’s promising debut was a positive on an otherwise dirty night for St Kilda. Coming up against a star-studded Geelong midfield, Bytel certainly didn’t look out of place collecting 18 touches – the third most of any Saint, five clearances and a team-high seven score involvements. The Saints look to have found themselves a gem in Bytel who should remain in the side for the foreseeable future.
Must improve: Brad Hill
St Kilda is yet to see the abasolute best of Brad Hill in 2020. The wingman had just seven disposals in the loss to Geelong leaving coach Brett Ratten baffled as to why he isn’t receiving the ball when in space. But it was a poor effort that allowed a Cats goal during the final quarter that frustrated Saints fans - unacceptable from a leader and a player of his experience. Sunday’s crunch match against Essendon serves as an opportunity for Hill to right the wrongs from Monday night.
Alex Zaia
BYE
Stood out: Dom Sheed
He appeared in this column last week (Round 9) for his endeavours in keeping West Coast competitive in the first half against Geelong. This time, Sheed is in for his match winning efforts against Carlton. His 26 disposals were crucial but not quite as important as his two clutch goals in the final term to give the Eagles some breathing space. The first was a piercing finish from an angle to make it 11 points before he hammered another home from 45 metres to get it out to 17 points. Sheed has had 24 more or touches in four of his last six games and is career best form.
Must improve: Liam Ryan
Saturday’s win over the Blues was Ryan’s quietest game for some time. He had just two kicks and one handball and was involved in only one score despite playing 75% of game time. Ryan’s pressure was ok with three tackles but overall he was well below his best. It was his lowest disposal return in his 47 games. The Eagles did not rely on their small forwards in the victory but there will be games when they need the likes of Ryan and Jarrod Cameron to step up and have an influence and give a bit more than they did in Round 11.
Andrew Slevison
Stood out: Jack Macrae
It’s truly astounding how much of the ball Jack Macrae is able to find in shortened quarters. He picked up 40 disposals in the loss to Brisbane, had seven score involvements, seven inside 50s, five rebound 50s and kicked a goal. While Macrae isn’t as damaging with ball in hand as Marcus Bontempelli or Josh Dunkley, he carries a huge weight in this Bulldogs midfield both on the inside at centre bounces and as a link between the arcs.
Must improve: Ed Richards
Ed Richards’ ball use is an issue that will have Bulldogs fans wondering whether he belongs in their best 22. He had 15 disposals and three inside 50s, but all three were high and long to the disadvantage of the forwards – something that has become a trend in recent weeks. The Dogs play at a frenetic pace and are a team filled with quality ball users, meaning Richards’ struggles have stood out. The Dogs might be better of giving his spot to someone like Cody Weightman who gets less of the ball, but is capable of having a greater impact with it.
Nic Negrepontis