Round 22 of the 2023 AFL season has played out and Nathan Buckley has put together his five takeaways in The Buck Stops Here.
Carlton's balance, bigger isn't always better, Sydney's resurgence and Port Adelaide's midfield were on Buckley’s mind after Round 22 on SEN Breakfast.
Read his thoughts below:
The Blues have a beautiful balance
“The Blues have a beautiful balance.
“I've been super impressed by them, eight wins in a row and their coach Vossy was very happy with the way they're winning. They're winning in different ways.
“They dug deep and the chemistry amongst the team is evident, and I think it's partly due to how well-balanced the side is.
“They've got competitive bigs in (Tom) De Koning and (Marc) Pittonet and for all of my opinions on the importance or lack thereof of ruckmen, the competitiveness of a ruckman is fundamental and they happen to have two guys now that are going bang, bang.
“They've always got a really competitive fresh, big man who's in the middle.
“They've got manic smalls in (Lachie) Fogarty, (Matt) Owies, (Jesse) Motlop amongst others, I think (Jack) Martin's underrated with what he's doing.
They've got clearance beast in (Patrick) Cripps. (Blake) Acres who's a big-bodied wingman who gets up and back, but he's still in the stoppage spaces. Paddy Dow has come in and played a really important role and Hewett can play as a stopper for them.
“They've got aerial power behind the ball with (Jacob) Weitering and (Brodie) Kemp who stood up really well.
“They've got runners in (Matt) Cottrell, (David) Cuningham and (Zac) Fisher who's come in re-cast as a halfback and gone through the roof.
“They've been able to build something and put together something based on the resilience and the competitiveness that he (Voss) spoke about.
“Every player in that side would feel like they're playing an important role, they would feel like their contribution is valued by their teammates.
“That's enormous and that's a great reason where they're at and it should give them great confidence going into the next six months.”
Bigger isn’t always better as Carlton may soon find out
“Number two is that bigger is not always better.
“We saw two players come in with six best and fairest, four Bluey Truscotts and two Copelands in Clayton Oliver and Brodie Grundy.
“Carlton have big names out of their team, it's not about bigger and better, it's not about names.
“It is going to be about balance.
“I think Oliver coming in, that’s a fait accompli and he'll just get better as he gets back.
“You can't say that his contribution is not going to make you better, but it's not just about the performance of one person, it's about the balance across the team.
“Melbourne's balance that they’ve had last five or six weeks since coming home late in that last quarter burst against Brisbane at the ‘G was broken up by Harrison Petty's injury.
“They can't replace that player with a like for like they tried to do it with Grundy.
“This makes me come back to Vossy because he has a dilemma with how he fits these players back now.
“I think (Caleb) Marchbank for (Mitch) McGovern is probably a like for like there, so he can make the change.
“(Sam) Walsh will come in for a runner. Is it Hollands on the wing? I think their wings are looking really strong and I think you want to maintain that balance in what they're doing.
“(David) Cuningham and (Matt) Cottrell are the other two that have come in and been not just great with their run and their dash but also with their contest.
“So, there's a question, but Walsh would definitely come in.
“I think as good as Paddy Dow's going, he's, he's playing (Adam) Cerra’s minutes … Cerra just comes in.
“The one that stands out is Harry McKay because he is Carlton's Brodie Grundy. Does he make the side better when he comes back in?
“If he does come back in for who for one of those competitive ruckmen, it's a real question and in the end, what's better?
“Does an A-grade player guarantee that the team is going to be better?
“The answer is no. Vossy is going to have to work that out.”
Are the Bulldogs getting the best out of their crew?
“The questions need to be asked about Western Bulldogs and are they getting the best out of their crew?
“When you take away their inside game, what it does is it highlights what the rest of the side looks like, and the rest of the side is just far too flaky in and out of the contest.”
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Sydney are the sleepers
“Sydney are the sleepers, they just keep getting it done.
“They've had some really close wins, but they did this last year, they got their game in order, and it just seems like they're doing the same thing this year.
“They did it last year off the back of contested ball, work rate and pressure.
“That's all we're hearing out of Horse's (John Longmire) mouth at the moment.
“(Chad) Warner's come back into the side, he adds the mix with (Tom) Papley and any side that’s got Papley, (Will) Hayward and (Isaac) Heeney in the front part (will be dangerous).
“I think (Aaron) Francis down back has probably settled them down again with McCartin, so they've got a little bit of aerial power behind them.
“I think this weekend Sydney versus Adelaide is huge and Adelaide has been an almost team, they've had four narrow losses against top four sides.
“That's been the story of their season, but they're still up for grabs and they're going to be hard to beat.”
Port Adelaide’s youthful midfield is so impressive
“Port Adelaide, their midfield is just amazing.
“Jason Horne-Francis for the focus to be on his football rather than the stuff around it has been awesome to see.
“He had a career night last night, it's not just about him though, (Connor) Rozee and (Zak) Butters stood up.
“We sort of always seem to forget the evolution of things, but that decision was made (to go young in the midfield) last season and they had a zero and five start in 2022.
“Ken made the decision that we've got to rotate and get our young guys in, Rozee and Butters were in … they thought we’re going to put our class where it matters and we're going to see how it works out.
“They added Jason Horne-Francis to that, Willem Drew is a stopper and a ball-getter.
“You've got (Miles) Bergman on the wing who has didn't have much of it after quarter time, but 10 touches and three goals in the first quarter, you’ve got this youth that's coming through.
“(Ollie) Wines plays just a supporting role, Travis Boak went out late, but he can come in and play a supporting role to these boys.
“I thought they got the Giants at their most vulnerable, both (Brent) Daniels and (Toby) Bedford out of that side makes them a very different task GWS, so I expect them to bounce back next week.
“But I thought Port's performance after four losses in a row was very important for them to do that and they did it off the back of their youth.”