If the weekend of footy is our guide… anything is possible.
The chances of that sequence – the straight six from Friday night through to the end of Saturday when the Crows saluted was 1148 to 1.
I’d imagine our ladder predictors are in the corner rocking to and fro.
Adam, our consulting mathematician, has us with 4032 possibilities with four to play.
Shall we play a bit of Apex Mountain from Bill Simmons’ Rewatchables podcast? The peak of performances in the 2023 campaign.
There’s no question this round of footy was the season’s apex mountain.
We’ve spoken about the sheer volatile nature of the ladder for weeks. The top 3 got rolled by a combined 105 points.
Positions 5 through 13 all shuffled. We have teams on the rise from 15th now nestled in the eight. The squeeze is on like rarely before.
Friday night was the peak for Carlton. The growing pains through the middle of the year have delivered a far better equipped and more dependable team for a sustainable run at success. The changes are profound.
The Blues are no longer hostage to availability – waiting for 22 stars to take the field.
They are far more assured in defence – not nearly as vulnerable to wicked swings in momentum.
Their game is back in balance – the ball movement restored.
Their forward pressure is suffocating, achieving that level of teamwork that was missing. And their best players are starring – but not at the expense of the overall system.
Carlton found stability where in the past upheaval had taken hold.
The boycotters and the sack the coachers did not get their way.
And those in charge have proven their worth from the top office to the coaching box.
Apex mountain: Yes for the Giants. That was a stunning turn of events in Ballarat.
Collingwood is being rightly lauded for its ability to play from behind. The Giants have done it even better. That’s six now:
R1: Adel from 31 down
R5: Haw from 14 down in last
R7: Syd from 24 down in last
R16: Melb from 3 down in last
R18: Adel from 17 down at ¾ time
R20: WB from 35 down in 3Q
The way Toby Greene turned that game was a privilege to witness. And the orange tsunami has now swept through seven in a row.
Apex mountain for the Suns this season? Definitely.
The Gold Coast midfield thrashed its highly credentials Lions opponents. And Ben King passed the most savage test of character.
Apex Mountain for the Crows this season? Absolutely.
They’ve convincingly won both Showdowns. This time they never gave Port a look in. At times Adelaide has played their best footy in defeat. Not so on Saturday night.
Apex Mountain for Melbourne? You could make a strong case.
The 18-month question of what a threatening forward set up might look like on Preliminary Final night has come into sharp focus. This hasn’t happened by accident. Simon Goodwin saw the problem… the best coaches solve the problem.
No stone unturned. That attitude has seen the Demons win three on the trot.
We noted at the time – what might that barnstorming win over the Lions from a position lost open up. A chance to run the table and grab a position in the top two.
Apex Mountain for St Kilda? A nine-goal opening term was exactly what they needed.
For the swelling negativity this is a team that has lived the season in the eight and will take some displacing.
Apex Mountain for Western Australia football? Without question.
The Dockers’ two best performances of the season have come against Geelong.
There was no reason to see that coming on Saturday. It might be as frustrating as it is reassuring.
And the Eagles won – there are no points for style in a cellar dweller clash. There’s only winning and losing.