The Buck Stops Here.
Nathan Buckley has gone through his five biggest takeaways from the weekend of footy.
He has touched on St Kilda, Essendon, Daniel Rioli, Nick Daicos and Patrick Dangerfield.
Wins ease pressure on Saints, Bombers
“For any coaches or administrators that are feeling the pump, just win, just go and win.
“And that’s exacty what St Kilda and Essendon did on the weekend.
“I know the last three weeks we’ve been all over Brett Ratten and St Kilda are coming up against a form team in Carlton, but they got the job done. And then Rutten and Essendon against Sydney.
“Winning cures all ills.”
Garry Lyon added: “They actually coached more aggressively. They made moves and did some things that were different.”
Bombers youngsters step up
“The young spirit of Essendon was awesome.
“(Sam) Durham, (Harrison) Jones and (Ben) Hobbs went bang, bang, bang. The five minutes where they kicked four goals in the second quarter … that was off the back of young, enthusiasm, belief, not knowing what it’s like to do anything else than have a real crack at the contest. That just bled through.
“The other things that happened with Essendon was (Darcy) Parish, (Zach) Merrett and (Dylan) Shiel played slightly different roles. Less touches, more impact.
“That was excellent.”
Rioli excels across half-back
“Daniel Rioli, breakout game.
“He’s been in this role for a couple of months and once again shifts and little moves by (Damien) Hardwick to rebuild and rewire Richmond.
“Rioli’s been brilliant.
“Obviously the connection between both ‘Dimma’ and Daniel Rioli has been strong. Rioli’s paying off this faith in spades.”
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Daicos continues to shine in debut season
“He’s actually travelled under the radar for most of this year and his last three or four games have just popped him up.
Lyon added: “It is a great story, it really is.
“What an influence he’s had.”
Buckley: “I would suggest that he’s in the top five cleanest players at ground level in the competition.
“That is no mean feat coming into the comp in your first year.
“He’s played off half-back for most of the time. Nick will need to develop that (defensive work), but right now, even playing as a half-back in and around (Jeremy) Howe, (Darcy) Moore, (Brayden) Maynard, (Isaac) Quaynor, (John) Noble, (Nathan) Murphy and obviously the structure in front of him, the defensive aspects of Collingwood in their team defence and pressure on the ball … right now, he doesn’t have to defend as much and we’re seeing his ball use come to the fore.”
Cats readying Dangerfield for business end
“We’re getting to the pointy end of the year.
“The capacity of clubs to manage their players and to time their run – both physically, mentally and emotionally – is going to be a challenge.
“One interesting highlight I wanted to look at was the way Geelong have managed Patrick Dangerfield.
“Managing your best players is crucial for all of the sides coming into finals and we know Geelong for one are looking for different aspects to be able to push through.
“They get to the pointy end real often, but I think pump the brakes a little.
“Nat Fyfe, there was a lot of speculation about him, it’s taken him a while to get up. I don’t think we’re expecting Patrick Dangerfield to be his 28-year-old self.
“But having those sorts of match-winning players in the right shape at the right time is something that every club will be challenged with.”