What are the key takeaways and observations relating to your club in Round 3?
We have dissected each of the matches and offered a number of talking points for all 18 clubs.
The following will not apply to each club every week but form the basis of our views.
The Key Takeaway
The Undroppables
The Overreaction
The Positive
The Negative
What no one is talking about
What they need to tweak for next week
The Key Takeway: Crows fire up on the goalkicking front
Adelaide hasn’t kicked 117 points or more since Round 17, 2019 when putting 23 goals on the Gold Coast Suns. But Matthew Nicks’ men had plenty of avenues to the big sticks in Showdown 53 and ended with nine goal scorers.
Izak Rankine had shown more than enough over the opening fortnight to suggest he’d be a deadest superstar and went on to kick three goals. But Riley Thilthorpe surprised with five majors, as did Luke Pedlar with three.
The Crows also got four goals out of their midfielders. Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker were expected to be Adelaide’s main avenues to goal this year, but the former was out injured and the latter didn’t kick a goal.
Seven of those goals also came in the final quarter when the game was on the line, a big tick to Adelaide.
The Undroppable: Max Michalanney
The father-son draftee has played every game to start the season but he stood up in a big way late on Saturday night.
Michalanney finished with 12 touches, five intercept possessions and four score involvements. The 19-year-old was genuinely important when the moment demanded it, showcasing clean skills and a blistering turn of speed to be a dependable way out of Adelaide’s defensive 50. He also went at 100 per cent disposal efficiency and enjoyed an equal team-high four rebound 50s.
It’s one thing to be showing plenty at this time of your career, it’s another to be genuinely contributing. Michalanney certainly falls into the second category.
What no one is talking about: Jordan Dawson deserved his Showdown Medal
Perhaps the voting tally doesn’t reflect the full story, but Dawson was a deserving winner of the great Showdown honour.
He polled from four of five voters to finish with nine votes, three clear of Reilly O’Brien in second. Critics have come for judges over a lack of votes for Izak Rankine (3 votes) and Riley Thilthorpe (1).
While Dawson’s performance wasn’t a clear best on ground, there’s no doubting he was crucial when the whips were cracking.
12 contested possessions, an equal game-high seven inside 50s, seven score involvements, and silky foot skills tell the story of a player that had a big impact on the contest. Dawson also finished with a goal.
He wasn’t the only player in the conversation, but the uproar over Dawson’s second Showdown Medal is unjustified.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: A forward line with Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher won’t cut it
If there’s one thing to take away from Thursday night’s loss to the Bulldogs for Chris Fagan, it’s that those two aren’t your answer going forward.
Daniher, on his day, is one of the best forwards in the game, we saw it last week against Melbourne when kicking four.
But the gap between his best and worst is so big it’s not funny.
Is it time for Fagan to bite the bullet and play Hipwood down back?
Classed as one of the premium talls in his draft class of 2015, Hipwood was used as a utility for Queensland’s under-18 side, gaining All-Australian selection at the National Championships as a back pocket.
Either he plays down back or he doesn’t play at all, because Brisbane fans have seen enough of Daniher and Hipwood down forward.
The Positive: Will Ashcroft is a jet
There was a lot of hype surrounding this kid in the off-season and it looks justified.
Having the No. 2 draft pick title is not easy, we’ve seen plenty fail to live up to it and although it’s only Round 3, you can tell Ashcroft is going to be around for the next decade.
He’s had 31 and 23 disposals the last two weeks and he looks the perfect second fiddle for Lachie Neale and Josh Dunkley.
Love him.
What they need to tweak next week: Get Charlie Cameron into the game more
Charlie Cameron is one of the best small forwards in the game but too often he finds himself floating out of games.
Whether it’s isolating him deep down forward or giving him a burst in the middle, Fagan needs to find a way to get this star in the game.
Brisbane won’t do anything this year if they can’t get Cameron firing.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
The Key Takeaway: Winning ugly is still worth four points
Carlton had one job on Saturday. Fly to Sydney, gather four points in tough conditions, and return to Melbourne.
They did it.
Now they must do the same on Good Friday against North Melbourne, before tough clashes against Adelaide in Gather Round and St Kilda await.
What they need to tweak: Multiple forced changes likely
Carlton will be without Matt Owies (hamstring) and Blake Acres (suspension), unless they can overturn the latter’s ban at the Tribunal. Having said that, Acres looked like he was struggling with a shoulder issue all game and having a week off, considering the Blues play off a six-day break, may not be a bad thing.
Matt Kennedy (calf) comes straight back into the side, potentially for Acres, though they’d need to utilise an Ed Curnow, Adam Cerra or Sam Docherty on the wing and move things around structurally. Lochie O’Brien or first-year midfielder Jaxon Binns would be like-for-like swaps on the wing.
Josh Honey would be the logical swap for Owies if the Blues wish to maintain three small forwards. Or O’Brien and Kennedy both come in, with Ed Curnow swinging back to half forward.
What no one is talking about: Jesse Motlop
Jesse Motlop had arguably his best game at AFL level on the weekend as he continues what looks like a breakout season.
The small forward kicked two goals (yes, one controversial one), but picked up 17 disposals and made things happen in tough conditions.
He had nine score involvements and a goal assist as well as five inside 50s in the win over GWS.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: Mitchell changes clearance dynamic
Collingwood somewhat struggled as a clearance team in 2022.
The Magpies addressed that by recruiting Tom Mitchell and he has made an immeasurable difference in three games.
Their ability around the contest is night and day compared to last year, which gives the side a better chance of attacking out of the middle in particular.
Mitchell sits fourth in the league for total clearances (23) and equal fourth for centre clearances (10) and has been a major factor as to why the Pies are up and going in those areas this season.
The Positive: Frampton the best of the recruits
Off-season recruit Billy Frampton has slipped almost seamlessly into Collingwood’s defence.
The former Adelaide and Port Adelaide tall played well after a slow start against the Power in Round 2 before delivering the best game of his fledgling Magpies career on Friday night.
Granted it was an average night for key forwards given the slippery conditions, but Frampton did a great job in quelling Tom Lynch’s influence.
While Jeremy Howe remains sidelined, it will fall on Frampton to continue performing in Craig McRae’s backline.
The Negative: The injury to Cameron
Darcy Cameron’s MCL injury is a major blow for the Maggies.
McRae is already without Mason Cox (ribs) and Aiden Begg (back), leaving 19-year-old Oscar Steene as the club’s only fit ruckman.
The 201cm Steene may not quite be ready for the rigours of the AFL.
Do they find a way to get through without an actual ruckman? Will it be Dan McStay or Frampton? Or do they have something else up their sleeve?
Whatever the solution is, it will be interesting to see how the Pies go about this problem.
Brodie Grundy would be handy right about now.
What they need to tweak for next week
Collingwood were made to work overly hard for their Friday night win.
In the end it was 14 points but it probably should have been a bit more of a margin had they put the Tigers away earlier.
The Pies should have been well clear at half-time when they had kicked 3.10 to Richmond’s 1.3. That left the door ajar for the Tigers who got within three points in the third term.
Luckily, the Magpies’ inability to convert earlier in the game did not end up biting them. It’s something that could be straightened up next week.
Andrew Slevison
The Key Takeaway: Slow starts are costly
It’s a long way back when you concede the first 34 points of a game.
Essendon would’ve been prepared for a fired-up St Kilda outfit on their big night celebrating 150 years of the club.
But after the Saints stormed out of the blocks with the first five goals of the game, the contest was effectively over.
The Bombers did extremely well to grind their way back into the game to level the scores in the final term, but faded again to lose comfortably in the end.
Fixing their slow starts will be on the agenda ahead of next Sunday’s match against GWS.
The Overreaction: This was a bad loss for the Bombers
St Kilda is flying at the moment and Essendon is still very much in development mode, despite winning their first two games of the season.
This loss – which disappointing – shouldn’t change anything. Brad Scott pointed out post-game that he was happy with the manner in which his since responded after giving up a 34-point head start.
Let’s see what happens with a tough draw to come in the coming weeks.
What they need to tweak for next week:Quick start against the Giants
The Bombers are tracking decently enough considering the expectations on the coming into the year.
Essendon started the first three quarters of last week’s win against Gold Coast slowly and were blown away early in the first quarter.
Against a tricky Giants opponents next Sunday, they’ll be searching for a quicker start to the game.
Laurence Rosen
The Key Takeaway: Unconvincing, but a much-needed 4 points
Fremantle kicked away from a West Coast team with fewer than 18 healthy players by the end of the game. As they should.
The Dockers were always going in favourites to win their fourth straight Derby and get their season started.
They’ve blown games against St Kilda and North Melbourne and have a lot of work left to do to get back into top eight calculations this season.
The positive: Sean Darcy finds form
Fremantle is still building chemistry between Darcy and Luke Jackson, but the club certainly still has a star ruckman in the former.
Darcy won 52 hit-outs playing predominantly in the ruck, dominating Bailey Williams and giving his midfielders an advantage.
Jackson also had an impact inside 50, kicking two goals and laying seven tackles, which will be great for his confidence.
What no one is talking about: Small forward impact
Does Fremantle have one of the best small forward mixes in the AFL? They’re certainly up there.
Michael Walters is back in form, kicking four goals from his eight disposals, while Michael Frederick, Sam Switkowski and Lachie Schultz all hit the scoreboard.
Switkowski in particular impressed with his speed through the corridor, impacting the game and helping Freo to their first 100+ point game of the season.
Nic Negrepontis
The Overreaction: Geelong has got a massive amount of work to do just to play finals
It’s certainly not to say Geelong won’t make finals, but there’s no doubt a team that won a premiership four games ago is now miles off the top eight teams in the competition.
The manner of the Cats’ loss was simply disastrous. In a game that was there to be won given the poor skills from both sides, Geelong was belted in clearances and contested possession.
Somehow they found a way to record more inside 50s, but Chris Scott’s men never deserved the win.
Tom Hawkins is one of a number of Cats well out of form, while the Geelong leaders aren’t standing up in time of need.
Easter Monday is massive to get some brand of footy going.
What no one is talking about: Only four Cats kicked goals
In the premiership triumph, 14 Cats registered some sort of score. Not even a quarter of that could kick a goal on Sunday, and Geelong would have been well and truly buggered if Jeremy Cameron hadn’t booted three majors.
Last year, the Cats publicly explained the tweaks to their brand that they hoped would lead to an improvement in scoring. It did, but suddenly the Cats’ system has fallen apart forward of the ball.
Plenty of that rests with Hawkins, who is clearly struggling with a lack of game fitness. But the delivery inside 50 was deplorable and the forward line matched it.
Geelong’s strength has become a clear weakness.
What they need to tweak for next week: More heat around the ball
It’s well and truly time for Chris Scott to get to his team and tell them to fire up. Against Hawthorn, Geelong has to bring the contest in the midfield.
Losing contested football by 24 is just not good enough for a top eight contender, and Joel Selwood is the perfect player who could have fixed that issue.
But without the former captain, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Atkins, Cameron Guthrie need to lift as do the likes of Tanner Bruhn, Jack Bowes, Mark Blicavs and Max Holmes.
A secret to Geelong’s success last year was the number of players capable of cycling through their on-ball unit, but as it stands, that depth looks sparse.
Seb Mottram
The Positive: Jack Lukosius
Where has this sort of performance been from Jack Lukosius! The talented 22-year-old has been thrown around in his short career, but Stuart Dew suggested post-game he wants Lukosius to settle forward, and after a career-high five goals, why wouldn’t he.
On a day that many struggled to mark the ball, Lukosius took three contested marks among nine overall and was the biggest presence at either end of the ground.
It’s a salivating prospect for any footy fan thinking about Lukosius and Ben King in the same forward line for years to come. Hopefully for Gold Coast fans, it happens.
The Key Takeaway: Gold Coast will contend for the top eight
We thought it at the start of the season, and now we know that the Suns will be one of the more than a dozen teams that can lay genuine hopes to a finals spot this year.
It’d be unfathomable to think the Suns can beat the reigning premiers and then crumble in the back half of the season.
Gold Coast’s skills were far from flawless against Geelong, but the club’s midfield got to work against a seasoned outfit and when there was a ball to win, the Suns won it.
It’d be good for footy if Gold Coast can post more similar victories.
What no one is talking about: Nick Holman
There might be no more unheralded heart and soul player in the AFL than Nick Holman.
We knew this, but the 27-year-old Sun gave the footy community another reminder on the weekend when punishing the Cats with his physicality.
His stats don’t jump off the sheet: 19 disposals, six tackles, two marks and two behinds. But on a day when the Suns beat up on Geelong around the contest, Holman was one of the key drivers of his side’s efforts.
It’s way past time he gets his due credit.
Seb Mottram
The Positive: Opening quarter blitz
The Giants jumped out of the blocks with five goals in the opening term to establish a slim lead at the first break. As the heavens opened up throughout the game, the Giants first quarter scoring meant they were in with a chance right up until the final siren to sneak a win. Jesse Hogan started positively and kicked his only two goals of the game in the first quarter.
The Giants would be looking to replicate their first quarter effort throughout the game rather than in bursts.
The Negative: Not tagging Patrick Cripps
The deciding factor in the match was the impact the reigning Brownlow medallist had on the game.
Cripps had 25 disposals by half-time and ended the match with 42 touches, 13 clearances and 563 metres gained. Coaches are often reluctant to sacrifice a player to restrict an opponent's influence but Nic Newman’s performance on Toby Greene further proves the effectiveness of tagging players.
Adam Kingsley may have missed a trick.
What they need to tweak for next week: Efficiency when going forward
Conditions in Sydney across the weekend were awful and it’s understandable that skills were well down for both sides given the slippery conditions. However, the Giants had 54 inside 50s for only 19 scoring shots which equates to 37%. That is well below their average of 44% last season.
The Giants have a winnable game against Essendon and if they can maximise their points per forward 50 entry, they can secure their second win of the season.
Charles Goodsir
The Undroppable: Tyler Brockman
Having missed all of last season following a shoulder injury, Tyler Brockman made his long awaited return and didn’t disappoint, finishing with three goals and six marks.
Despite Chad Wingard being set to return for the Easter Monday clash with Geelong, Brockman simply needs to remain in the side.
He provides a point of difference inside attacking 50 and should be given some time to build continuity in Sam Mitchell’s lineup.
The Positive: Both Scrimshaw and Morrison return
The respective returns of Jack Scrimshaw and Harry Morrison were major bonuses for the Hawks.
Having missed the opening two rounds, Scrimshaw and Morrison both stepped back into the 22 and didn’t disappoint.
Scrimshaw finished with 25 touches, nine marks, four rebound 50s and a goal, while Morrison had 24 touches, seven inside 50s and seven marks playing on the wing opposite Karl Amon.
It was also Amon’s best game (24 touches, five clearances) in Hawks colours since his arrival.
The Negative: Ruck combo not working
The ruck combo of Ned Reeves and Lloyd Meek is not quite working.
Both Reeves and Meek have had poor starts to the season. Against Todd Goldstein on the weekend, the two combined for 17 disposals and just two marks.
They need to do a lot more around the ground if the Hawks are to be competitive this season.
What they need to tweak for next week
Not a lot (which we weren’t expecting).
Chad Wingard should return from a calf injury. Whoever is left out will be unlucky.
If the Hawks can play the way they did in the first half against North for four quarters next week, then they could cause an upset against the winless Cats.
Brad Klibansky
The Key Takeaway: Melbourne is in the top two teams in the competition
Alongside Collingwood, it seems a very reasonable call to have Melbourne clearly in the top tier of the competition.
The way Simon Goodwin’s men dismantled Sydney and then pulled away late on Sunday afternoon could hardly have been a bigger announcement to the competition that the Demons will be there abouts in 2023.
In the end, a 50-point win over last year’s Grand Finalist is a startling number. To do it without Max Gawn is all the more impressive, as is the fact they did it after getting walloped the week before.
Six of Melbourne’s next seven games come against teams that missed finals last year. You can almost pencil the Demons in to be at no.1 or 2 on the ladder after 10 rounds.
The Positive: Brodie Grundy’s still got it
The former Magpie hadn’t quite hit his straps to start the season with Melbourne, but in the absence of Max Gawn Grundy turned it up against the Swans.
Matched up against Peter Ladhams, Grundy was embedded in Melbourne’s best and finished with 21 touches, five marks and four clearances.
Gawn will only miss a few more weeks with a knee injury but until he returns, Dees fans can rest easy knowing Grundy’s got it.
The Undroppable: Jacob Van Rooyen
The big ‘Roo’ is going nowhere.
Clearly a fan favourite already, Van Rooyen was a massive presence in a forward line that put on 21 goals against a top-class defence.
The 19-year-old booted three goals and chopped out in the ruck and provided an x-factor for Simon Goodwin.
There will be riots in the streets if Van Rooyen doesn’t play this week against West Coast.
Seb Mottram
The Positive: It’s George Wardlaw time, surely
North Melbourne may have suffered their first loss of the season, but Kangaroos' fans will be excited by the performance of their no.4 draft pick George Wardlaw in the VFL.
Wardlaw was dominant in the middle as he played his first match on full minutes after having a pre-season plagued with hamstring setbacks.
The former Oakleigh Charger is pushing for an early season debut after he was arguably North Melbourne’s best afield as he collected 24 touches, six tackles and six clearances against Southport.
The Negative: Griffin Logue suspended at the worst time
Assuming Ben McKay doesn’t return for Good Friday, the suspension of Griffin Logue leaves North Melbourne a little short in defence … coming up against Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and Tom De Koning.
They will be hoping dearly they can overturn Logue’s ban at the Tribunal. Otherwise for a second straight year, Aidan Bonar may be thrown to the wolves.
Rookie Kallan Dawson is another who could get an opportunity if Logue and McKay are both unavailable.
The Undroppables: Will Phillips
He may not have started the season in North Melbourne’s starting 22, but Will Phillips now surely holds his spot going forward.
He picked up 16 disposals in the loss to Hawthorn and should now be given a consistent opportunity to find his feet at AFL level.
It would be a tough call to leave him out with Jy Simpkin and Luke Davies-Uniacke (hopefully) returning to the line-up.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: Port’s defence gets outworked… again
Port Adelaide have suffered back-to-back losses to follow up their initial win over the Lions, conceding big scores in both contests.
The Power allowed Collingwood to score 135 points in Round 2, before the Crows piled on 117 to claim victory in the Showdown.
The common theme between these two matches is the way Port was exposed, with their opponents blitzing through their defence with constant running and frenetic ball movement.
When Port Adelaide are rolling, this fast pace is something they make use of in their own attack, yet their defence does not hold up when faced with a taste of their own medicine.
Once the Crows’ pressure finally wore down the Power in the final term, Adelaide ran rampant, booting the last six goals.
If this isn’t an issue addressed quickly, the blueprint for beating Port may be out in the open.
The Overreaction: Is it time for Travis Boak?
Travis Boak is at the beginning of his 17th season of senior footy, and it looks like all those games may have finally caught up to him.
The Showdown was just the first full game of the season for the Power stalwart, yet he struggled to provide much energy with his seemingly fresh legs.
Boak managed just 11 touches against the Crows, a tremendously far cry from the immense 26.8 disposals he averaged last year.
While the end likely won’t come for the 34-year-old as quickly as this single-game overreaction suggests, expectations should be tempered for Boak this year.
The Positive: Connor Rozee
Since his debut, Connor Rozee has been referred to as one of the best young players in the competition.
It looks like it’s nearly time to drop the word young from that title.
Rozee was nothing short of brilliant in the Showdown, racking up 28 touches and booting a goal as he was clearly the best afield for the Power.
While Port ultimately couldn’t get the job done, the performance of their young star certainly serves as a silver lining.
What they need to tweak for next week: Defensive intensity
Port have been undone by high work rate attacks two weeks in a row.
They need to up their own intensity and pressure on the defensive end against a dangerous Sydney squad, otherwise a 1-3 start is very much on the cards.
Jack Makeham
The Key Takeaway: Dimma knew his side’s limitations
Damien Hardwick knew his Tigers side was down on personnel so went about making it a tough night for the Magpies.
He set up to thwart Collingwood’s system which had kicked massive scores in Rounds 1 and 2.
The strategy worked for some of the night and gave the Tigers a sneaky chance when they got within a goal in the second half.
While it didn’t end in a win, and the Pies were inaccurate, it showed that the current (equal) flag favourites can be tamed within games.
The Undroppable: Noah Cumberland
Many Tigers fans have been asking why Noah Cumberland wasn’t in the senior side for the opening two rounds.
He had kicked 19 goals in nine outings in 2022 and was seen by many as a regular in Hardwick’s 22, but has had to settle for VFL footy early this season.
Last Friday night, Cumberland made an immediate impact after he replaced Samson Ryan at half-time. His X-factor and energetic game style helped the Tigers get back into the contest and he possesses a genuine point of difference within the Richmond attack.
Cumberland simply must start against the Western Bulldogs in Round 4.
The Positive: Baker brilliance
Liam Baker’s beginning to the season has been superb.
He was comfortably Richmond’s best player against the Pies, providing constant drive from the back half.
Baker finished with a team-high 32 disposals and a game-high 12 intercepts, plus 10 rebound 50s while impacting forward of centre with seven score involvements and three inside 50s.
He sets the tone with his attack on the ball and is frequently one of the Tigers’ most consistent performers.
What no one is talking about: Quiet Maurice
Is Maurice Rioli doing enough at the moment?
The small forward was goalless for the second straight week against the Pies and has laid just four tackles in his last two games.
Applying defensive pressure is Rioli’s go, but he has not laid a tackle inside forward 50 since Round 1.
He needs to get back to chasing and tackling in order to have a more substantial showing against the Dogs in Round 4.
Andrew Slevison
What they need to tweak for next week: The starting 22
In what has been the case all year, the Saints have suffered another injury blow with Jimmy Webster ruled out for the next 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury.
When will this ever-growing injury list become too much to handle for Ross Lyon’s side? They might get away with it this week as they host the Gold Coast Suns at home, but it’s becoming very grim.
Jack Bytel was best on ground for Sandringham on Sunday, he looks like the one that’ll come in for Webster. He could also replace Mason Wood, should he not get up with a shoulder injury.
It's time for Bytel to step up and prove to the Saints that he's capable at this level.
Max Heath also put in an impressive performance in the reserves and could come in to support Rowan Marshall.
The positive: The Saints didn’t let the night of celebration get to them
The Saints, in the past, have failed to live up to these nights of celebration and it was obvious that Ross Lyon didn’t want that to be the case on Saturday.
The Saints were on fire from the start, kicking the first five goals of the clash, making it nearly impossible for the Bombers to sustain a legitimate comeback.
Brad Crouch (31), Jack Sinclair (27), Seb Ross (24), Jade Gresham (23) and Callum Wilkie (19) led the way for the Saints capping off what was a terrific night for St Kilda fans as they celebrated 150 years in the competition.
The key takeaway: Brad Crouch is playing up to his price tag
On a deal worth around $700,000 for four years, Crouch has lived up to that price tag this year.
The former Crow is averaging just under 30 disposals this year, leading from the front in a midfield that lacks experience and star power.
Often criticised for his ball use, Crouch has been very clean this year and is one of the main reasons the Saints sit atop of the AFL ladder.
You get the feeling he and Ross Lyon would get along like a house on fire.
You know what you’re going to get from Crouch every week, you can’t say that about a lot of players in the competition.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Key Takeaway: Sydney have to make a tough call on their talls
In Round 1, it was Logan McDonald and Lance Franklin who dominated the Gold Coast Suns and last week, it was McDonald and Joel Amartey who tore Hawthorn to shreds.
Against Melbourne, the three talls in the same forward line simply didn’t work. Franklin threatened to burst the game open midway through the third quarter and ended with 2.2 whilst McDonald (1.2) and Amartey (0.3) struggled to have an impact on the scoreboard.
John Longmire must pick which two forwards are the best options moving forward.
The negative: The fourth quarter onslaught
The Swans got to within a kick of the Demons in the third term but some costly misses in front of goal would come back to bite them. The Demons ran in seven goals to three in the final quarter to inflate the final margin but it proves that the Swans simply didn’t have the legs to match Melbourne for four quarters.
This could pose a problem for Sydney against the best teams in the competition who force you to play right until the final siren.
What do they need to tweak for next week: Avoid a slow start
The Demons got the jump on the Swans in similar fashion to what Geelong did to Sydney in the Grand Final. Sydney found themselves 28 points down at the first change and whilst they fought to within a goal in the third quarter, the Swans were forced to play catch-up footy which isn’t ideal against a premiership contender in Melbourne.
The Swans cannot afford to give their opponent an early advantage when they host Port Adelaide at the SCG on Saturday night.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: West Coast will have a crack in 2023
With four players not finishing the game and a number of others playing on one leg, West Coast was never going to win the derby.
But Adam Simpson’s men showed plenty of fight at the end of the fourth term and had the margin within a kick a minute into the final term.
It wasn’t to be, but it’s clear to the competition that West Coast aren’t the easy beats they were last year.
The Negative: Too. Many. Injuries
It must feel like shades of 2022 at the Eagles, who already had more than half a dozen players on the injury list heading into Round 3.
Add to that list Alex Witherden, Jamie Cripps, Luke Shuey and Jeremy McGovern, while Campbell Chesser and Liam Ryan played the game out sore.
It gave West Coast no chance against Fremantle, while they’re now even bigger outsiders for games against Melbourne, Geelong, Port Adelaide, Carlton and Richmond in the next five weeks.
Adam Simpson is likely to be staring at a 1-8 record heading into Round 9, through little fault of his own.
The Undroppable: Reuben Ginbey
The 18-year-old was never getting dropped, but another standout performance is deserving of a significant mention.
Ginbey was near his side’s best player in the 41-point loss, gathering 22 possessions (13 contested), eight tackles and six clearances. He’s been trusted as a full-time midfielder by Adam Simpson, featuring in 68 per cent of centre bounces in Round 3.
It’s a stats sheet that would be a good reading, but for a draftee playing his third career game in front of a massive Perth crowd, it’s some sort of performance.
He’s rightfully among the favourites for the Rising Star.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: Tall forward line is (mostly) working
In the first two matches, the consistent issue plaguing the Bulldogs was the ineffectiveness of their jumbo size forward line.
The combination of Aaron Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Rory Lobb and Sam Darcy was all bark and no bite against Melbourne and St Kilda, with Darcy being dropped entirely after the Demons match.
However, taking on the Lions, the remaining trio came alive for their best performance all season, combining for eight goals between them.
Admittedly, the bulk of these majors came courtesy of Ugle-Hagan who booted five goals in what was a stellar performance for the young gun.
While it was the best the tall forward unit has looked so far, they weren’t perfect, showing that they still have some ground to cover.
The Overreaction: The Bulldogs are BACK!
Ignore the hedging in the previous category because the Bulldogs are BACK!
All of the big guns were firing for the Dogs against a side that should be a bona fide contender, with Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore and Jack Macrae all putting together some of their best work so far this year.
Combine that with some newfound forward line potency, and the Dogs have suddenly turned back into a side that could do some serious damage this year.
Overreaction aside, if this kind of showing becomes consistent going forward, facing the Bulldogs has once again become a scary proposition.
What no one is talking about: The defensive Dogs
With all of the attention on the resurgent attack, the performance of the Bulldogs’ backline has gone under the radar.
The Dogs held Brisbane to just 53 points on Thursday night, the lowest score of the Lions season so far.
Jack Gunston was the only member of Brisbane’s vaunted forward line to kick multiple goals, with the Lions booting just seven majors for the contest.
While Ed Richards stood out down back with his 25 touches, it was truly a team effort to shut down Brisbane in such convincing fashion.
What they need to tweak for next week:
While their cohesion between midfield and forward took a leap in the right direction, it still isn’t perfect.
Matched up against a banged-up Richmond backline in Round 4, the Dogs should build off this progress and take advantage of the Tigers’ weakness.
Jack Makeham