What are the key takeaways and observations relating to your club in Round 19?
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 Takeaway: Finals are now unlikely
For all that happened in the enthralling clash, the momentum swings, the individuals and the result, it eventuated to the same thing.
Adelaide has beaten Port Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions while coming within a point of Collingwood. Despite boasting a percentage of 113.5, the fifth best in the league, the Crows are six points out of the top eight and have several tricky fixtures to come.
For the four Crows’ games decided by less than a kick in 2023, Matthew Nicks’ side has lost three of them and that’s the ultimate issue.
The Negative: No Rankine for the Showdown
Adelaide’s most exciting player will sit out his side’s biggest game of the year next week courtesy of a bad hamstring injury.
He's expected to miss 3-4 weeks, a disappointing result for the Crows’ best player on Sunday afternoon.
Could Adelaide have won the Showdown with Rankine? Absolutely.
Will they without him? It’s far less likely.
What no one is talking about: The Fog’s gone missing in recent weeks
Darcy Fogarty is battling through a minor form slump in the last three weeks, all games the Crows weren’t far off in.
Adelaide has lost its last three games – against difficult opposition admittedly – by 18, 14 and four points. In that stretch, Fogarty has kicked two goals and averaged just over eight touches a game.
From the way he started the season, Fogarty looked set to take the competition apart.
But the last few weeks have proven Taylor Walker remains the top dog at Adelaide.
Seb Mottram
The Negative: Will Ashcroft’s knee
Our thoughts are with the Brisbane young gun after the club confirmed he’s ruptured his ACL.
This kid is going to be an absolute star of the competition for the next decade, we know that, but Brisbane’s premiership chances have taken a massive hit with this news.
He’ll be back bigger and better in 12 months time but the game and the fans deserve to have players like Ashcroft running around.
The Key Takeaway: Harris Andrews will be an All-Australian this year
Harris Andrew is back.
The star defender is one of the main reasons the Lions find themselves in the top four and a genuine premiership contender.
His ability to mark the ball is what makes him such a great defender. He’s currently rated the best intercept mark in the competition, ranked second in the league for total marks, averaging just over eight a game which is similar to his 2019-2020 seasons that saw him feature in the All-Australian.
I’ve got him as an All-Aus lock.
The Positive: Joe Daniher is looming large this September
Daniher has had a terrific year for the Lions and it’s not getting spoken about enough.
So here you go, Joe.
Daniher has kicked 43 goals for the year and he’s playing with this swagger that we haven’t seen in some time.
His high marking and ability to be dangerous on the ground is what makes him such a dynamic forward and a headache for opposition defenders.
With the Lions all but locking down a top four spot, Daniher will have a massive role to play in September.
It’s great seeing Joe’s big smile on our TV every weekend.
Happy for him.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
What they need to tweak for next week: Blues could swing 4 or 5 changes
Carlton knew they were beating West Coast on Saturday afternoon, hence resting Patrick Cripps, Adam Cerra and Jack Martin, unfortunately, injuries to Jack Silvagni, Sam Walsh and Jesse Motlop have muddied the waters ahead of the Collingwood game.
Let’s assume Cripps, Cerra and Martin come back in, with Silvagni, Walsh and Motlop going out.
Losing Silvagni on top of losing Harry McKay leaves the Blues quite short inside 50, something you’d imagine Collingwood’s elite intercept markers would be able to exploit.
Does Marc Pittonet, who played in the VFL, come straight back in off the knee injury meaning Tom De Koning plays forward alongside Charlie Curnow?
Matt Owies likely also returns for Josh Honey, meaning at least four changes for the blockbuster clash.
The Overreaction: Collingwood clash isn’t the be-all, end-all
As we’ve laid out previously, Carlton had to beat one Port Adelaide, Collingwood or Melbourne in the run home to be in a position to make the eight – and they beat the Power.
This means they can afford to drop two games in the run home and get to 12.5 wins.
While everyone will build this clash with the Magpies up, it ultimately may be the game that matters least, particularly given the injuries suffered against West Coast and those already missing.
It’s controversial, but maybe the Blues’ top brass should be focusing on getting the team cherry ripe for St Kilda the following week.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: They found a way and took their chances
Collingwood simply found a way against Port Adelaide.
After starting the fourth quarter 17 points behind, the Magpies were clinical in front of goal in the final 30 minutes to grab the lead and win.
While they kicked 6.3 in that quarter, five of those goals were genuinely difficult and were slotted by players of genuine class.
Jamie Elliott kicked the clutch matchwinner and a snap from the boundary, Steele Sidebottom put through an opposite foot goal from 40 metres off one step, while Nick and Josh Daicos both nailed set shots from just inside the arc.
Good teams make the most of their opportunities, and Collingwood certainly did that on Saturday night.
If Port Adelaide had the same class inside 50, they probably walk away with the win.
It’s the little things that are so crucial in a game as tight as this.
What no one is talking about: Collingwood were nowhere near their best … and still won
While Collingwood were able to get over the top through some inside 50 brilliance late, they were nowhere near their best on Saturday night.
While the Power would have been thrilled with their efforts to nullify Collingwood’s stars, they’ll be a bit concerned that they were able to do it so effectively, but it wasn’t enough to win … all while at home.
Firstly, Nick Daicos was well tagged by Willem Drew, and even though the youngster had 25 disposals, nine clearances and a goal, he was below his best.
Secondly, Jordan De Goey entered the game unwell and that showed in his performance as he had 19 disposals (at 42 per cent efficiency) and just two score involvements.
That would have been like Collingwood taking both Connor Rozee and Zak Butters out of a hypothetical game between the sides at the MCG … and still losing.
On top of their ability to stop Collingwood’s midfield jets, the Power nullified the Magpies’ intercepting game and only allowed two tackles inside 50 compared to their own 15.
It’s actually quite incredible that they couldn’t win after dominating in all of those facets.
If they face off again in finals, particularly at the MCG, there is simply no way all of those matchups will come off in their favour again.
It makes you wonder whether they simply don’t have what it takes to beat Collingwood in 2023.
What they need to tweak for next week: Get their intercepting game rolling again
While Collingwood defended well, Port Adelaide did very well to stop one of their biggest assets – intercept marks.
Darcy Moore, Nathan Murphy, Jeremy Howe and Isaac Quaynor have been brilliant in the air this season, but the entire team was restricted to just 11 intercept grabs on Saturday.
While the conditions played a part, the Magpies typically take far more intercept grabs as they plucked 20 against Adelaide in Round 15, 18 against Gold Coast in Round 16, 24 against the Bulldogs in Round 17 and 16 against the Dockers in Round 18.
If the Magpies want to get back to their best, they’ll want to get that aspect of their game up and rolling again on the lead-in to finals.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: The Bombers look a class below the teams in their bracket
While the Bombers looked like they were humming just a fortnight ago, it appears they’ve hit a wall.
Up against fellow top eight contenders Geelong and the Western Bulldogs, Essendon have failed miserably and now sit 11th on the ladder.
Given that the Cats and Dogs look like two teams that’ll likely finish fifth and sixth, the Dons will likely have to face one of those sides if they make it to September.
There is every chance they do qualify for finals given their draw, but they certainly look a level below those sides around them.
At this rate you can see them being somewhat of an easy kill in finals week one.
What they need to tweak for next week: Midfield mauling
Essendon were beaten up around the ball by the Bulldogs on Friday night.
Looking at the stats, the Bulldogs claimed a huge 47-26 clearance win and outhunted the Bombers to win the contested possession stat 144-114.
Marcus Bontempelli (two goals, 29 disposals), Tony Liberatore (36 disposals, 12 clearances), Bailey Smith (25 disposals) and Adam Treloar (25 disposals) all had their way with the Bombers and gave their opposition no chance of launching a meaningful push.
If Essendon are to recapture any of their best footy, they’ll need to be far more robust on ball.
They’ll get a good opportunity to test themselves against a unit that’s found some form recently in Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The Negative: Ridley’s absence will hurt
While the result was painful for Essendon, perhaps even more so will be the loss of Jordan Ridley to a quad injury.
It’s expected that the star defender will miss 4-6 weeks after doing the injury late in the loss to the Bulldogs.
Given the Bombers are already somewhat of a makeshift tall line-up in defence, Ridley’s absence will seriously hurt their ability to stop opposition tall forwards.
Considering he may not return until finals at the earliest, the Bombers will need to throw some magnets around to compete in defence.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: The nail in the 2023 season coffin
The 15th-placed Dockers fought hard against the in-form Swans, but it wasn’t meant to be as they fell to their fourth straight loss by 29 points.
It was a similar story for Justin Longmuir’s side as another slow start ultimately made it too hard for them to cut the deficit.
Fremantle won the inside 50 count (+5), however, what hurt them massively was their efficiency going inside 50 (34 per cent).
Small forward Lachie Schultz had a game-high four goals while veteran Michael Walters finished with two majors including a superb dribble goal that had the purple haze out of their seats.
To rub the salt in the wound for Fremantle, their first-round selection for the draft is in the hands of the Demons and their current ladder position means the Demons hold pick four.
The Positive: Caleb Serong
Star midfielder Caleb Serong was back into the side, following his week off due to suspension, he was the Dockers' best player on Saturday night.
He finished the game with a game-high 32 disposals, 10 clearances and 4 tackles.
A fantastic season from Serong in an underperforming season from his side, showing why he is an integral part of the Fremantle midfield for the future.
As a team, the Dockers haven’t had enough contributors consistently each week and as a result, they sit 15th on the ladder.
At season’s end, we might see Serong win his first Doig Medal which would be a fantastic reward for the year he’s had.
The Negative: Slow start once again
Fremantle have yet to figure out its massive issue of recent slow starts which saw the Swans kick six of the first seven goals of the game.
As a result of the slow start, despite getting back into the contest, the deficit remained at a consistent 4-5 goals which proved too hard for the Dockers to overcome.
Justin Longmuir's face the Cats next weekend at GMHBA Stadium and if they have a slow start again, things could get incredibly ugly.
Pressure will continue to be placed on head coach Longmuir if there is another disappointing performance and it all starts at the first bounce next week.
Ethan Daffey
The Key Takeaway: Glass half full or glass half empty?
There are two ways to look at Saturday afternoon’s clash from a Geelong perspective. They got belted off the park around the footy by the competition’s benchmark to prove there’s still a big gap between the Cats and the upper echelon of the league.
Or, for the more positive, Geelong copped a hiding in an area it’s usually very solid in and still managed to concede just 64 points to the competition’s best forward line.
Chris Scott was with the latter sentiment during his post-match press conference, but plenty who had already written off the Cats in 2023 will be quick to jump to the former.
Either way, it’s an on-ball performance that can’t be replicated again in 2023.
What they need to tweak for next week: Astounding midfield numbers
A midfield consisting of Rhys Stanley, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Atkins, Mark Blicavs, Mark O’Connor and even Tom Stewart. All premiership players who constantly gave the Cats the best look at the coalface in 2022 and all played on Saturday afternoon.
The Cats – who average 134 contested possessions this season – recorded just 104 to Brisbane’s 140. Geelong won the hit out count but lost clearances 50-21, including stoppage clearances 40-16.
None of Chris Scott’s midfielders had more than four clearances, while three Lions had more than that including Lachie Neale with 10.
It really was an out-of-the-box performance.
Seb Mottram
What no one is talking about: The Gold Coast Suns
Again, there’s been remarkably little fallout from the Suns’ 40-point loss to GWS.
After what we saw the previous week against St Kilda, there were hopes – not overly optimistic ones – that the Suns could knock off GWS.
But Sunday’s result is evidence that yet another team that should have been behind the Suns have overtaken them this year.
Gold Coast remains the least trustworthy side in 2023 and won’t dispel that tag until they can prove competitive week in and week out and win consecutive games.
The Positive: Flanders stars again
Taken just 10 picks behind Matt Rowell in the 2019 draft, Flanders has flown under the radar in his time up north.
That is until the last few weeks.
Again he proved the Suns’ best player on Sunday, continuing a brilliant stretch that has seen him gather 27, 27, 24, 33 and 31 possessions.
Flanders has finally earnt his spot in the midfield and is being rewarded with more centre bounce attendances, an opportunity he’s not squandering.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: Six in a row
It’s remarkable to think that a team who started the season 3-7 after the opening 10 rounds has won six matches on the trot and are currently sitting in seventh with no sign of slowing down.
The Giants’ biggest test comes now with a trip to Ballarat to play the Western Bulldogs. The Dogs have a good record at the windiest ground in the AFL. A win on Saturday and you can lock in the Giants to play finals.
The Positive: The return of Brent Daniels
The hero of the 2019 semi-final at the Gabba against the Brisbane Lions returned for the Giants.
After a five-week stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Daniels got through the match against Gold Coast unscathed and was among the best for GWS.
Daniels racked up 20 touches, four tackles, two clearances, seven score involvements and two goals from 79 per cent time on ground. An excellent return for a much loved clubman.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: Another good learning curve
Hawthorn will learn from another close loss.
The heartbreaking one-point defeat to the Tigers last weekend was their third loss by under a goal this season. In all three of those, they led with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
Inexperience and a lack of leadership has definitely hurt them this season in close matches and will be something they will look to address in the run home and beyond.
The Positive: Chad Wingard
Chad Wingard has been a much-maligned player amongst Hawthorn fans over the past few seasons.
Since returning to the senior line-up in recent weeks, he has improved each game. Against the Tigers, he had his best game for a few years with three goals from 17 touches.
He only touched the ball once after half-time, but his performance before that was vintage Wingard and helped put the team in a strong winning position before the disastrous ending.
The Negative: Substitute selection
Sam Mitchell’s team selection the past four to five weeks has not been great.
Hawthorn’s recent substitutes have included the likes of Ned Long, Denver Grainger-Barras, Finn Maginness and Harry Morrison.
It's time to start picking players as a sub that will actually have an impact on the game.
What they need to tweak for next week: Time for a change up forward
It’s time to give mid-season key forward recruit Brandon Ryan a run in the seniors.
Grainger-Barras is not the answer as the second key forward.
Ryan is on a six-month contract and if he doesn’t play a few games in the run home will be delisted at the end of the season. He’s 25 years old, so physically is ready to play at senior level.
He’s been playing consistently well for Box Hill the last month and deserves a crack.
Brad Klibansky
The Key Takeaway: Banked a critical win
It wasn’t a dominating performance, but Melbourne again banked a huge four points.
While they’ll know they just did enough to grab the victory, all that matters now is qualifying and the Demons look locked into a top four spot.
After edging both the Lions and now Crows in the last fortnight, the Demons sit two games plus percentage clear in the top four.
With their fixture now becoming far easier on the lead-in to September, perhaps Simon Goodwin’s side can start pushing up the ladder and earn themselves a more favourable seed.
They’ll go in favourites for all of their last five games and getting to 17 wins is well within their reach.
The Positive: Kozzie Pickett is back
After a quiet patch on either side of the bye, Kysaiah Pickett is back to his blistering best.
Following up his three-goal performance in the win against Brisbane, Pickett was electric against the Crows as he kicked 2.3, had 20 disposals and impacted both inside 50 and in the middle.
With Christian Petracca spending more time forward, Pickett is earning more opportunities at the stoppage and is flying.
You get the feeling that simply getting involved up the ground is making him a better player once the ball enters dangerous territory inside 50.
If he keeps this form rolling through September, watch out.
The Negative: They’ve gained on offence … but has it cost them their defence?
Melbourne have absolutely become more potent in front of goal since their shock Round 16 loss to GWS.
With Bayley Fritsch out and Simon Goodwin structuring his side with a more go-forward approach, the Demons have kicked 79, 105 and now 97 points in their last three weeks.
While they’ve clearly gone up a level in attack, it may have cost them a little bit the other way as they’ve given up 104 points to Brisbane last week and now 93 against Adelaide.
But before the last fortnight, they hadn’t given up more than 85 points to any team for 11 straight weeks.
Can the Demons remain potent while tightening up down back? It’s an interesting conundrum for Goodwin to try and solve.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: LDU is becoming a monster
Luke Davies-Uniacke was that far the most dangerous player on the ground on Sunday afternoon.
He finished with 33 disposals, 11 clearances, nine inside 50s and five score involvements and looked likely to turn the game in the last quarter on multiple occasions.
Roos fans will be hoping he gets a clean run at it next season so he can reach his full potential.
The Negative: Unable to finish the job again
Ultimately, North Melbourne once again missed an opportunity in a winnable game and faded out of it late.
The Roos led by 16 points in a low scoring game early in the last quarter and gave up five goals.
Davies-Uniacke, Harry Sheezel, Will Phillips and Tarryn Thomas all starred and carried a heavy load, while the club’s veteran core failed to lift when things got tight late.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: Almost
Port Adelaide did everything but secure the victory on Saturday night.
Their game plan did everything it was supposed to do, taking away plenty of Collingwood’s best attributes and forcing them to play well below their peak.
Yet when you’re competing against a team this good, you have to be perfect.
Unfortunately for the Power, they were a few degrees shy of that benchmark.
Their accuracy inside 50 stands out as the main aspect that let them down, with their 12 goals from 23 scores simply not good enough to get the job done.
It was a strong performance from Port, but it wasn’t a complete performance, and against a team this good, that’s enough to swing the game.
The Positive: Nullified the stars
The biggest question all season has been ‘How do you stop Nick Daicos?’
Well it looks like the Power found a way.
Daicos still finished with a healthy 25 touches and a goal, yet he was nowhere near as damaging as he has been throughout the season, with Willem Drew doing an impressive job keeping the young superstar from tearing the game open.
Jordan De Goey was also held quiet, collecting just 19 touches.
While the Magpies still managed to secure the win, Port should take solace in the fact that they were able to shut down two of the game’s most damaging players.
What they need to tweak for next week: Accuracy
If Port managed to convert just one more of their chances in front of goal, this game is theirs.
Instead, they become the latest victim to Collingwood’s close-game brilliance. With the Power now looking ahead to the Showdown this week, they will be wanting to clean up their efficiency inside 50 and in front of goal.
Their flag hopes may depend on it.
Jack Makeham
The Key Takeaway: Mini’s Tigers won’t die
Richmond found a way to win that the club has not experienced all that frequently in recent times.
The Tigers barnstormed home from 30 points down at the final break, kicking the last six goals of the game against Hawthorn including five in the last quarter and two in the final few minutes.
Just when it looked like the season might be over, Andrew 'Mini' McQualter’s men rallied to put the youthful Hawks to the sword.
It felt like the chances would come for the Tigers who had missed some simple shots throughout. They just needed to take the game on and that they did in the final term.
The Tigers won’t die and their season remains alive.
The Undroppable: Matt Coulthard
Debutant Matt Coulthard had a major impact as the sub after replacing Tylar Young in the third quarter.
Coulthard’s two-bounce run down the wing included a one-two with Dustin Martin and a neat pass to Trent Cotchin before Jack Riewoldt snapped a crucial goal.
The mid-season draftee finished with seven disposals (all in the fourth quarter) including a handy goal assist to ‘Dusty’.
Based on that effort, Coulthard must play senior footy against Melbourne this Sunday.
The Positive: Season remains alive
The Tigers needed to beat the Hawks and it didn’t matter how.
They can now bank that invaluable four points which keeps them in the hunt for the top eight.
It gets no easier with the Demons at the MCG as the crunch matches continue to come thick and fast.
The Negative: Played into Sicily’s hands
The Tigers spent a lot of the game kicking the ball to Hawthorn captain James Sicily.
The Hawks had 19 intercept marks for the game, 10 of which were taken by the defender.
At times Sicily lined up next to Liam Baker, who stands 14cm in arrears, but still the Tigers went towards him.
Thankfully, it didn’t hurt them in the end, but it very nearly did.
What no one is talking about: Ivan Soldo
Ivan Soldo has held his own in the ruck in the absence of co-captain Toby Nankervis.
In the two games since ‘Nank’ was suspended, Soldo has helped guide the Tigers to two wins with his workmanlike performances.
He was solid in the eventual win over West Coast in Round 18 before playing a vital role against the Hawks.
Soldo had 33 hit-outs, 12 disposals, six tackles, three inside 50s, three clearances and a goal. While he doesn’t have the impact in terms of metres gained or intercept marks that Nankervis does, his presence around the contest was telling.
This weekend against the Demons and Max Gawn presents as a major challenge for the 2019 premiership player before the suspended Nankervis returns against the Dogs in Round 21.
Andrew Slevison
The Key Takeaway: The Saints are playing like a bottom four side
The Saints might be sitting sixth on the ladder but they’re playing like a bottom four side.
Ross Lyon’s team got away with one on Sunday night against North Melbourne, trailing for majority of the night. St Kilda walked away the victors but it was far from impressive.
No idea what the fix is for the Saints as they’ve practically got a full list to pick from (minus Max King), but Lyon needs to go to work to enforce significant change at this football club as what they’re dishing up is putrid.
The Positive: Their leaders stepped up
When the Saints needed them, the leaders stood up.
Jack Steele had his best game for the year, gathering 33 disposals, seven score involvements, nine marks, and a goal. HIs major came in the last quarter alongside his 11 disposals in the final term.
He’s been criticised a lot this year, so it was great to see him back to his best.
Another leader who continues to dominate is Jack Sinclair. The All-Australian defender was a class above throughout the game and he continues his rise as one of the best players in the competition.
That might sound like a bit of carry on but it’s true.
Callum Wilkie continued to do what he’s done this year, the intercepting defender gathered 21 disposals, 10 of those being intercept possessions and six marks.
That trio were the reason the Saints won on Sunday.
What they need to tweak for next week: Their forward line
St Kilda’s forward line has been an issue all year and it was alarming on the weekend.
Albeit missing two of their best forwards in Max King and Tim Membrey, the Saints just can’t kick a score.
Do the Saints bring in Tom Campbell next week to allow Rowan Marshall to play more forward time as we saw in the second half on Sunday?
It’s far from ideal given how dominant he’s been this year as a ruckman, but it might be the short term fix for Ross Lyon.
Tom Morris is reporting that Tim Membrey, Jack Hayes and Zaine Cordy are all set to be given a chance to be fit against the Hawks on Sunday. If declared fit, two of those three must be picked.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
The Key takeaway: They’re still a sneaky chance
Whilst the Swans will be regretting their tight losses to Port Adelaide, GWS and their draw to Geelong, they only sit one win outside the top eight with a healthy percentage for a team sitting 12th.
The Swans have started to hit their best form and a Saturday night match against an Essendon side on the slide poses as a huge match up.
The Positive: Buddy’s still got it
It’s been a hot or cold year for Lance Franklin but on Saturday night at Optus Stadium, he was running hot and played a large part in Sydney’s strong win over Fremantle.
The 36-year-old soundly beat Alex Pearce with three contested marks, nine score involvements, two goal assists and three crucial goals. He hasn’t produced that type of performance every week but his efforts on Saturday prove that class is permanent.
What no one is talking about: Will Hayward’s best game of the year
It’s been a really tough 2023 campaign for Will Hayward who was a big factor in the Swans’ Grand Final run in 2022.
Hayward bounced back on Saturday in a big way with three goals, three inside-50’s, six score involvements, two intercept possessions and six contested possessions from his 11 touches.
If he can continue to play in this manner for the rest of the season, he can lift the Swans back into the finals.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: Let’s move on
Here is everything you need to know from West Coast’s clash against Carlton:
Charlie Curnow kicked a bag, Andrew Gaff was very good, Alex Witherden was also very good.
Now let’s move on.
The Overreaction: West Coast aren’t winning the wooden spoon
Could the Eagles finish the season with three wins?
Considering how historically poor they have been in 2023, it sounds outrageous.
However, their run home includes two of the most winnable games they’ll play all year.
They welcome the struggling Kangaroos to Optus Stadium on Sunday, a clash which will guarantee the ending of a 16-game losing streak for one of the two clubs.
The Eagles have been competitive on their home turf as of late, and look to be more than capable of securing their second win of the season against a team that is experiencing an equal amount of trouble.
Then look ahead to Round 22, which will see West Coast take on Fremantle in the Western Derby.
The Dockers have been significantly better than the Eagles this year, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been good.
Freo are out of the finals picture and currently sit 15th, having experienced an incredibly disappointing season.
Given how unpredictable these derbies can be, it’s more than possible that West Coast is able to pick off their cross-town rival.
Jack Makeham
The Key Takeaway: Avalanche
How’s that for a for a first quarter response!
The Dogs looked out of sorts in the first quarter, unable to move the ball effectively or hit their targets, playing right into the transition-heavy approach that Essendon loves to use.
It was a problem that the Bulldogs have had for weeks, leading to a string of shaky performances.
Clearly Luke Beveridge and his squad reflected on this at quarter time, and instead decided to just play significantly better football.
And then the avalanche happened.
The Dogs booted six goals to the Bombers’ two in the second term, tearing apart Essendon’s defence and playing some of their most potent and free-flowing football they’ve put together all season.
They slowed down in the third quarter, but they were clearly just conserving their energy to fire again.
The final term saw another avalanche, dismantling a Bombers outfit that had lost the game a quarter before.
It was exactly the performance the Dogs needed to restore some confidence within themselves.
The Positive: Bailey Smith back on track
Bailey Smith made his return after missing last match with illness, and it looked like the week off did him a world of good.
The young gun was unrecognisable in comparison to his last few performances, asserting himself on the contest and using his burst to deal damage in all parts of the ground.
Smith had been dealing with a patch of poor form and being forced to play out of position, but a return to his regular role saw his impact return too.
For Dogs to keep pushing to finals, Smith in full flight is a necessity.
What no one is talking about: There could be a new sheriff in town
Move over Aaron Naughton, it could be Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s time.
Ugle-Hagan has been playing some of the best football of his career in recent weeks, booting 10 goals through his last four games, the exact same amount as Naughton.
Jamarra has been playing as the second option all season, and in recent games has been just as effective despite having less opportunity.
Is it time for Naughton to take a step back and let Ugle-Hagan shine?
It may be just what the Bulldogs need.
Jack Makeham