What did your club get right and what did your club get wrong in Round 5?
We had eight matches on the weekend, with Collingwood and Sydney having the bye.
See our assessments below:
What they got right
Changing the midfield mix
It’s hard to understand how this took four full games to achieve, but throwing the centre bounce keys to Izak Rankine and Jake Soligo completely changed the Crows’ midfield mix.
While Rory Laird, Jordan Dawson and Matt Crouch still rotated through, they were complimented by players without outside run and carry, capable of taking the game on and making things happen.
Both Soligo and Rankine attended season-high centre bounces and it was exactly what this group has been screaming out for all season.
Attacking ball movement
Once again, strange that this took Adelaide four weeks to work out, given they were excellent at it in 2023.
They took the game on through the corridor, moved the ball quickly and rarely looked to go sideways.
This gave Taylor Walker many great looks, while Ben Keays also capitalised on the ball movement, finding himself in space over the back on multiple occasions.
What they got wrong
Unanswered questions inside 50
Taylor Walker looked back to his best on the weekend, but it’s worth remembering that he is a 33-year-old.
Outside of him, the key forward stocks remain worrying. Lachie Gollant and Darcy Fogarty were both well beaten, Chris Burgess was just omitted and Riley Thilthorpe remains on the long-term injury list.
Ben Keays isn’t always going to bob up with three goals and if Rankine is spending more time in the middle, they need others to stand up.
Josh Rachele played his best game of the season, but needs to start performing consistently given his tough opening month.
Nic Negrepontis
What they got right
Played “special” football for milestone man
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan was over the moon with how his side played against Melbourne at the MCG.
He described it as a “special effort” against a quality opponent which has well and truly resurrected their campaign.
They also did it in two-time Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale’s 250th milestone match.
The Lions completely restricted Melbourne’s dangerous duo Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver while basically making the Dees’ key forwards invisible for three quarters.
Tackled well and were colossal in the contest
One of the key factors for the victory was the Lions’ tackling and pressure.
Their tackling, as Fagan said, was “awesome”, finishing with 82 to Melbourne’s 53.
Brisbane’s dominance in the contest, against a top-tier Melbourne midfield, was also critical.
They were colossal in that area of their game, winning 134 contested possessions to Melbourne’s 121 and claiming clearances 44-35.
Those elements of their performance stood out and helped set up the win by three-quarter time before they dropped off slightly.
Rayner the midfielder
Cam Rayner was immense in spending more time up around the ball.
He racked up 12 disposals with seven contested possessions, six clearances and two goal assists in the first term.
Rayner, who attended nine centre bounces, finished wth 25 touches, 14 contested possessions, game highs in clearances (nine) and inside 50s (10) and seven score involvements.
It was one of the most well-rounded performances of his career.
Handled double travel
Usually the Lions rack up most of their wins at the Gabba, but their two in 2024 have come away from home.
They beat the Kangaroos at Norwood Oval last weekend before backing that up with a vital win at the ‘G over the Demons.
Fagan was delighted with how they handled the double lot of travel from Brisbane to Adelaide, back to Brisbane, then down to Melbourne.
It might just further galvanise this group.
What they got wrong
Foot off the gas
There’s not much to be critical of regarding the Lions this week.
They did fall away in the last quarter as the Demons kicked five goals (five behinds) to flatter themselves on the scoreboard.
From a playing viewpoint, Brisbane’s last-quarter fadeout was basically the only thing they got wrong, but the game was already put to bed.
Answerth’s mocking of Petty
Defender Noah Answerth was seen taunting Harrison Petty with mockingly crying in the direction of the Demons forward in the final quarter.
It wasn’t a great look regarding an incident from 2022 that all involved had seemingly moved past.
For Answerth to stir it up again was a bad look, and while certainly not a hangable offence, something the game simply didn’t need.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Taking their time with Sam Walsh
Carlton will cop some criticism from their fan base this week as their injury list balloons as high as 15 players (we’ll get to that), but they deserve some credit for taking their time with Sam Walsh.
Walsh missed the first month of the season as the Blues took an ultra-conservative approach when dealing with the superstar’s back.
Given he had surgery on it last year and reported some soreness, Carlton gave the midfielder six weeks of reduced load before bringing him back in.
Walsh didn’t miss a beat, picking up 34 disposals as he worked from contest to contest and covered the ground superbly.
What they got wrong
Bringing in a ruckman for a midfielder
Carlton lost Adam Cerra at some stage between naming team on Thursday and game day on Saturday to a hamstring injury (we’ll get to that, I promise), but instead of bringing in another midfielder like Jaxon Binns or another runner out of defence and shifting the magnets, they picked Marc Pittonet.
It’s the first time this year the Blues have picked both rucks and it wasn’t particularly effective. They won the clearances on paper, Pittonet himself won six, but they lost some speed around the ground against an opponent taking the game on at any cost.
They then lost Adam Saad to a hamstring injury (promise, we’ll get to that) almost immediately and were forced to carry the extra tall across the game.
Outside of his snapped goal from a stoppage, Pittonet only had one other disposal outside of the centre circle.
The Blues were carrying too much size, particularly up against a Crows team going much smaller.
Injuries on the cusp of derailing the season
Carlton had 10 players on their injury list coming into the weekend. Now they have 15.
Add a trio of hamstring injuries with Cerra, Saad and Mitch McGovern going down and a pair of VFL injuries to youngsters Billy Wilson and Dom Akuei.
The Blues have been battered across the board and it couldn’t have come at a worse time, with GWS, Geelong, Collingwood, Melbourne and Sydney over the next five weeks.
Had they held on against the Crows, 5-0 would have given them a perfect platform to absorb a few hits, but now flashbacks to this exact point in 2023 will be running through their minds.
Nic Negrepontis
What they got right
The Dons have got that dog in them
Just as they did against the Saints a fortnight ago, Essendon was beaten, hung in and then delivered a killer blow.
Brad Scott’s side looked outclassed for much of the first half and Marvel Stadium was holding its breath, waiting for the Dogs to deliver a knockout.
But it never came and instead, Scott again found a way to turn the Bombers' fortunes in game and deliver a seven-goal to three second half.
Going forward, don’t write off the Dons mid-game.
A midfield masterclass
Tim English, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore and Adam Treloar versus Todd Goldstein/Sam Draper, Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish and Sam Durham. On paper, it’s not hard to pick who would win.
But the game isn’t player on paper and Durham proved that when he smashed Brownlow Medal favourite Bontempelli in the second half. ‘The Bont’ barely had an impact after the main break while Durham was arguably the defining force with 21 touches (12 contested), six clearances and a goal.
Considering it came the weekend after Essendon’s on-ball unit was humiliated by Port Adelaide made it even better.
Harrison Jones, we got it wrong
Plenty, perhaps even some at Essendon, thought Harrison Jones had shown his hand as an AFL footballer.
Originally left out when Peter Wright was suspended before being a late in, Jones has kicked five goals in the last three weeks and will almost certainly hold his spot when Wright comes back.
Against the Bulldogs on Friday night, the 23-year-old contributed another two goals and showed his ability to create with an equal team-high seven intercept possessions.
There’s some potential there and Jones is beginning to live up to it.
What they got wrong
The Menzie selection
Brad Scott has surely seen enough to know Jye Menzie needs a spell in the reserves after Round 5.
In fact, he probably should have seen the writing on the wall a couple of weeks ago
Menzie has laid two tackles in the last three weeks, kicked no goals and taken only five marks. Cyril Rioli would struggle to survive the axe on those numbers.
Menzie, 21, is a better player than those figures suggest and would benefit for some time in the VFL.
Seb Mottram
What they got right
Clearance work, again
Fremantle have been one of the competition’s best clearance teams in 2024 and they again won the stoppage battle on Saturday.
The Dockers claimed the overall clearance count 31-40 and centre clearance count 6-12.
This win was particularly impressive given how strong Port Adelaide is in that area of the ground with the likes of Connor Rozee, Zak Butters, Willem Drew, Jason Horne-Francis and Ollie Wines at the source.
Winning that midfield battle gave Freo an opportunity to win the game given the Power controlled the outside with marking and ball use throughout.
Key defence under significant pressure
While the Dockers lost 66-63, they can’t blame that defeat on their key defence.
Alex Pearce easily won his matchup with Charlie Dixon despite the Power forward having his moments, while Todd Marshall was also kept to just one goal.
Port Adelaide also had nine more inside 50s than Fremantle, proving how well the defence held up to almost hand their side a win.
It was also Port Adelaide’s worst score this year by a fair way, with their previous least coming in at 89, a whole 23 points less.
What they got wrong
Final stages, again
Again, Fremantle lost a game that they controlled throughout until the final stages.
While it was an even battle that could have gone either way, Freo would be seriously disappointed to have lost having led from the 19th minute of the third term all the way until the 28th minute of the fourth.
The Dockers could easily have been 5-0 without their lapses, but instead, they are 3-2 and middle of the pack.
They could also amp up their scoring to help them blow teams out as well, but that’s not the way that the side plays under Justin Longmuir.
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
A win in a clear weakness
It hasn’t taken an expert analyst to find the hole in Geelong’s lineup so far in 2024.
The Cats have been brilliant around the ground but struggled in the middle and heading into Round 5, had the worst clearance differential per game of any club.
Chris Scott’s on-ballers weren’t up against too much in the form of North Melbourne, but a 38-31 win in clearances will give them a bit of hope.
So too will the form of Jack Bowes, who backed up last week with 12 contested possessions and eight clearances on Sunday, both team highs.
He’s finding his feet playing as a pure midfielder.
Games into the depth
The Cats’ depth has been tested in the middle but at either end, Scott has been able to pick his best side most weeks.
So in that case, it’s the sign of a strong club that the Cats found a way to reward the debutant Connor O’Sullivan and key forward Shannon Neale, both of whom had impressed in the pre-season.
O’Sullivan has four intercepts and six contested possessions playing down back, while Neale booted three goals in the Tom Hawkins role.
What they got wrong
What’s up with Blitz?
Mark Blicavs has had 14, 15, and 15 touches in his last three games and against North Melbourne was largely shunted out of the midfield.
He attended only 12 per cent of centre bounces before being subbed out in the fourth term. At 33, Blicavs certainly isn't a young man, but given the way he finished off 2023, the former steeplechaser looked as if he had a couple good years left at least.
He’s one to watch over the coming weeks in terms of his form and how he’s used by Geelong.
Seb Mottram
What they got right
Controlling the footy in every aspect
Watching on Saturday night, it felt like Gold Coast had the ball in their possession for just about the entire game in their 109-56 win over Hawthorn.
That’s proven on the stat sheet too, winning the disposal count 366 to 270.
That was built on the back of a whopping 231-138 discrepancy in the uncontested ball stat as the Suns enjoyed controlling the footy on the outside all game.
That was done through kick-marking and linking in chains as they took a huge 104 uncontested grabs to just 57.
In dewy conditions on the Gold Coast, that is a ridiculously impressive statistic.
If they can continue doing that, Gold Coast won’t lose many games at all in 2024.
Thashing Hawthorn in the midfield
While Hawthorn is lacking in defence and are injury-riddled up forward, their midfield has still been battling well in 2024.
That was until Saturday night on the Gold Coast as the Suns gave them an on-ball lesson.
Gold Coast won the clearance count 38-28, but it was their work immediately after those stoppages that really made Hawthorn look horrific.
All of Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell, Took Miller and Brayden Fiorini had over 20 disposals and a big say on the game.
For Hawthorn, none of James Worpel, Jai Newcombe, Connor Nash or Josh Ward even got above 14 touches individually.
It was a straight set, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 victory for the Suns in the midfield department on Saturday night.
What they got wrong
Not winning by more on the scoreboard
This is incredibly harsh considering Gold Coast didn’t do much wrong on Saturday night.
But looking at the key stats, Gold Coast had more disposals, kicks, handballs, free kicks, contested possessions, uncontested possessions, marks, contested marks, uncontested marks, marks inside 50, hitouts, clearances, tackles, tackles inside 50, shots at goal, inside 50s, goals and behinds.
In fact, the only stat that they had less in was clangers, which was another win.
In such an around-the-ground demolition, the Suns really could have won by more than 109-56 … but we think that the Gold Coast hierarchy will probably be happy with the performance and result they got…
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
Controlled large portions
Despite the eventual one-point win, the Giants were seemingly in control throughout.
They led at every break, starting with a 19-point advantage at quarter-time which remained so until half-time. They then extended that to 29 by the final change before the Saints rallied.
It was close in the end but the Giants did plenty right to find themselves almost five goals in front at one stage.
They had created 20 scoring shots to St Kilda’s 11 by three-quarter time which proves they were at times dominant.
Not at absolute best but winning
Adam Kingsley admits his side was not at their absolute best, and haven’t been of late, but they’re still managing to pick off victories.
They were beaten by the Saints in contested possessions (132-121), clearances (43-31) and centre clearances (16-8), however, they were solid in transition and were able to score form turnover.
The Giants are already 5-0 with a healthy percentage of 144, but the fact Kingsley feels there are still some elements to improve on is a very good sign.
Peatling steps up
As the sub, James Peatling stood tall when required.
He replaced Sam Taylor in unfortunate circumstances before going about his business with minimal fuss.
Peatling finished with 14 disposals, four inside 50s and a match-saving mark in defence late in the piece.
It shows that every Giant who gets his chance is willing to play his role for the good of the team.
What they got wrong
Went into protection mode too early
Kingsley bemoaned the fact that his side wanted to protect the lead too early in the final quarter.
The Giants went away from their normal game and invited the Saints to get at them.
Without Sam Taylor they didn’t defend St Kilda’s fast balls inside 50 as well as they would have liked and it came close to costing them the game.
Some key outs
It was a bad day on the injury front with the Giants losing Stephen Coniglio and Sam Taylor.
It’s not something the Giants did wrong, per se, but it is a negative for next week.
Coniglio’s knee, while not overly serious, could see him out for a few weeks and star defender Taylor will definitely miss the Carlton clash.
They were able to cover for them on the run against the Saints, but can they successfully replace them against a Blues side who will be steaming after their loss to Adelaide?
It will be interesting to see who they go to in defence up against Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
One positive
The only thing the Hawks could be impressed with on Sunday was Sam Mitchell’s post-match presser.
Coach of a developing side ravaged by injury, Mitchell could have looked to dodge the bullet and offer meek excuses in the wake of a 53-point loss to Gold Coast.
But instead, Mitchell, and rightly so, was searing in his criticism.
“You're just not going to be able to compete against anyone, the way we played tonight. And that's a completely unacceptable way to play, and we should be past games like that,” he told media.
“That's as bad as we've played in a long time.
“We had a chat with the players around the standard that we hold ourselves to ... I don't know how many players would say they are in good form for us at the moment.”
That buys Hawthorn a little credibility. But another similar performance and similar outburst from Mitchell won’t wash again.
What they got wrong
Where to start?
The headline is simple. 2024 is Hawthorn’s worst start to a season in 54 years after going through its first five games without a win.
Not since 1970 has that happened to the brown and gold. The Hawks are missing several players, but the questions surrounding whether Hawthorn cut too deep under Mitchell are now all too real.
If this slump doesn’t reverse itself, those questions will become more statements of fact.
Never seen a midfield perform worse
Hawthorn’s starting midfield on the weekend featured ruckman Lloyd Meek and then Jai Newcombe, Conor Nash and James Worpel.
Staggeringly, two of those players combined for 13 of the total 15 clearances among the quartet. And those two players, Meek and Worpel, it can be argued, were also well down on their usual output.
The four combined for 45 disposals. They’re numbers unlikely to ever be seen again at AFL level. Henry Hustwaite came into the on-ball mix in the third term as the starting substitute and collected 12 touches and two clearances in that time.
It’s a wonder how Hawthorn only lost the clearances 28-38. Mitchell was right to be scathing in his criticism.
Captain Sicily’s dramatic drop-off
James Sicily's numbers have taken a turn for the worse to start the new season. Disposals are down from average 26.4 to 19. Disposal efficiency down 3.6 per cent. Effective kicks down 3.2 per game. Less intercepts. Less contested footy. Less marks.
At this pace, Sicily will miss the All-Australian squad and miss it by a fair way.
He was thrown forward late on Saturday night. Whether that’s because Hawthorn needed a goal or because he wasn’t cutting it down back is up for debate.
But what is clear is that if Hawthorn is going to turn it around, much of it needs to come from the skipper.
Seb Mottram
What they got right
Percentage-saving last quarter effort
While the Demons went down by a pretty substantial 22-point margin on Thursday against Brisbane, that score line absolutely flattered Simon Goodwin’s side.
The Demons only kicked a disappointing three goals until three-quarter-time and trailed by as much as 49 points in the fourth term until they finally got out of first gear.
While they were always going to be too far back to win, their mini fourth-term fightback where they kicked five goals helped reduce the margin and impact on their percentage.
The Dees still hold a percentage of 118.5. It could have been far worse if things continued the way they were going late against Brisbane.
What they got wrong
Tall forward return and effort
Melbourne’s forward line, particularly their tall forwards, were woeful on Thursday against Brisbane.
While some credit no doubt needs to go to Brisbane’s defence and their side up the ground to not allow many good looks, the Dees would be seriously disappointed with their effort inside 50.
Melbourne’s marking forwards - Bayley Fritsch, Ben Brown, Jacob Van Rooyen and Harrison Petty - kicked a combined four goals, but it was their general lack of impact otherwise that hurt.
As a combined quartet, they had just seven combined disposals until three-quarter time.
They won’t win any games, let alone against Brisbane if that happens again.
They’ll go to work in getting the ball to them a fair bit more than that this week on the track.
Midfield display despite Gawn domination
While Melbourne won the hitout count 58 to 27, they couldn’t convert that into any kind of midfield benefit against the Lions.
As well as losing the clearance count 35 to 44, not one Melbourne midfielder had more touches than any of Josh Dunkley (30 disposals), Cam Rayner (25 disposals), Lachie Neale (24 disposals), Zac Bailey (23 disposals) and Jarrod Berry (23 disposals).
For a team that’s so used to sharing the ball around and getting first use, the Demons simply couldn’t control the footy whatsoever on Thursday night.
It’s another area of their game that they’ll be desperate to fix.
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
Charlie Comben – key defender
Nick Larkey described Comben’s first two games of the season as a “shining light” for the team and he’s right. Comben has taken the opportunity to play in defence with both hands and made that position his own.
After a fantastic first outing last week, Comben backed it up in difficult circumstances against a rampant Geelong, finding 14 disposals to go with six intercept possessions and three contested marks.
The Roos have potentially found a long term key defender of the future, locking in one of the most important magnets in a rebuild.
Not shirking the tackles
When you get smashed by 70 points, you can be excused for not cracking in somewhat.
But credit to the Roos, who out-tackled Geelong and kept their intensity up across the match.
Tristan Xerri laid eight, Hugh Greenwood seven, Luke Davies-Uniacke six and Jy Simpkin five – something Alastair Clarkson will surely be pointing out this week.
What they got wrong
Unable to cope with Geelong’s forward supply
It’s hard to know what to write here … the Roos were always going to be in a lot of trouble heading down the highway to face an in-form Geelong.
The Cats were so confident they scratched Tom Hawkins at the last minute.
North simply couldn’t stop the supply to Geelong’s forward line, conceding 61 inside 50s, which led to 22 marks inside 50.
The Roos took 129 marks and had 36 more disposals, but could only turn that into 45 inside 50s themselves.
The quality of their ball use and their defensive transition was nowhere near Geelong’s level.
Nic Negrepontis
What they got right
Dominating field position despite clearance loss
Port Adelaide lost the clearance count for the first time in 2024, but it didn’t affect how they like to keep the ball in their forward half under Ken Hinkley.
The defensive structures and ability to move the ball with marks helped them do that as they restricted Freo to just nine majors as well attacking 93 marks to 66.
That stat allowed them to go inside 50 on 56 occasions to 46, and given that both sides had a shot around 40% of the time that they went inside the arc, it proved massive in the three-point win.
Port Adelaide will be pleased to know that they can still execute their game style without their biggest strength (on-ball and clearance) firing on all cylinders each game.
Finding a way
After trailing for all of the fourth quarter until the 28 minute, Port Adelaide was playing from behind to get the four points on Saturday night.
Eventually, they’d get there, and that was thanks to Charlie Dixon and Jason Horne-Francis making the most of huge moments inside 50 late in the game.
It wasn’t their best performance of the year, but some of their big players stood up when it mattered.
Finding a way when everything doesn’t go your way is a sign of a quality outfit. There’s no doubt Port Adelaide is that again in 2024.
What they got wrong
Forward line returns
Given that they did control the air for much of the game and had more inside 50s than their opposition, Port Adelaide would have liked a better return from their forwards.
None of their players kicked more than three goals as Fremantle’s defence held up particularly well all game.
While scoring never comes easy against the Dockers, Port Adelaide aren’t the type of team that will win many games kicking just 66 points in a game.
So far this year their returns have been 120, 122, 89, 111 and now 66.
They’d like to return to that high-powered scoring that they showed earlier this campaign in the coming weeks.
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
Started very well
Richmond looked like they were set to inflict more pain on West Coast with the way the team started in Perth.
The Tigers kicked the first four goals inside 16 minutes before inexplicably trading places with the Eagles.
From a positivity point of view, that was about it, apart from the performance of a developing forward in just his fourth game.
Lefau shone
Mykelti Lefau was a shining light for the Tigers.
The New Zealander finished with three goals (two behinds) and could have easily booted five. He took eight marks and had six score involvements in an accomplished showing.
His pressure at ground level was also stellar, laying five tackles including three inside 50. Some of his ‘don’t argues’ were frightening.
Lefau did all of this against quality key defenders in Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass in a performance that is certain to fill him with confidence.
What they got wrong
Yet more lapses
On numerous occasions already this season, the Tigers have given up runs of goals to their opposition.
From the 25-minute mark of the first quarter to the five-minute mark of the second, they conceded five goals. Then from the 13-minute mark of the second to the 22nd-minute mark they conceded four on the trot.
It got worse. The Eagles helped themselves to six straight majors from late in the second and through the third.
These lapses are killing Adem Yze’s side, but it’s somewhat to be expected from a team that is missing nine of their best 22 and had an average games played of 86 (less than West Coast’s 92.8).
Midfield copped a shellacking
It’s going to happen when three of your best midfielders (Tim Taranto, Dion Prestia and Jacob Hopper) are absent, but the Tigers copped an almighty shellacking in the middle.
The Tigers lost clearances 48-25, which is comprehensive, were beaten 33-17 in stoppage clearances and 15-8 in centre clearances.
Contested possessions were even worse with the Eagles prevailing 144-106.
Thomson Dow was eviscerated by Elliot Yeo in close, while Jack Graham and Liam Baker battled hard but were no match for Tim Kelly and Harley Reid.
Shai Bolton can hold his head high with 21 touches, five clearances and three goals.
In his second AFL game, Kane McAuliffe had a few opportunities in at centre bounce which hopefully hold him in good stead.
Conceded a career day to Waterman
Taking nothing away from Jake Waterman, but the Richmond defence allowed him a career day.
Granted there was plenty of quality ball coming inside 50 but prior to Sunday, Waterman’s career-best goal haul had been four.
He helped himself to 6.2 while also pulling in a career-best marks haul of 13, including a remarkable eight contested.
Ben Miller and Tylar Young had eight contested defensive one on ones, and won just two between them. Nathan Broad lost two of three.
Allowed the Eagles to dictate
West Coast poured on their best first-half score since 2021 and kicked over 100 points for the first time since Round 2 last year.
They did that by avalanching the ball inside 50 on 61 occasions to Richmond’s 40.
The Tigers looked tired, as Yze alluded to, but they were pretty much pedestrian after quarter-time.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Outgunned the Giants (for a quarter)
St Kilda left a little too much to do, but at least their best footy on the day truly challenged the league’s most in-form team.
The Saints piled on six goals in less than 19 final-quarter minutes to give themselves a chance against GWS, but they came up agonisingly short.
If they can work out how to play that barnstorming footy more frequently within earlier quarters, they’ll give most sides in the competition a run for their money.
Beat a very good team in key areas
Ross Lyon felt his Saints “pulled them apart in some areas”, including in contest and clearance.
The Saints won contested possessions 132-121, were dominant at times in winning clearance 43-31 and gave their forwards opportunities by winning centre clearances 16-8.
There’s plenty going right, but as you’ll read below, just some of the fundamentals need a bit of tuning.
The spark of Garcia
When the Saints needed a spark, Lyon made some moves in the midfield.
He injected sub Hugo Garcia on his debut, got Jack Sinclair rolling through and even had Josh Battle shift from defence.
All of these players had an impact with the standout Garcia.
After replacing Dan Butler in the third quarter, the 18-year-old 2023 draftee racked up 11 disposals and laid seven tackles - which was the equal second most for the entire game.
What they got wrong
Inconsistent within game again
“Nothing to be happy about”, said Lyon after the game.
Despite a late surge, the Saints lost by a point which was not their goal when they travelled to the nation’s capital.
There was frustration that they couldn’t quite their game going and could only win one quarter - as was the case against Richmond last week.
Lyon feels the Saints did plenty right in-game, but not for long enough, before their final-quarter burst of six goals to one.
They need to find a way to become more consistent within a game so as to erase the lapses that have been costing them.
Wasting opportunities
Again, it seems to be a constant theme.
Again, Lyon used the term “butchering opportunities”.
The Saints had more inside 50s (52-48) but were unable to conjure enough scoring chances to truly put the Giants under pressure (until late).
Once they can clean things up when moving the ball forward, they should be ok provided they continue to do the work in the middle and from defence to get the ball inside attacking 50.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Winning.
It was the best chance West Coast had seen all season to secure a win and they didn’t disappoint.
The Eagles were electric on Sunday afternoon, taking advantage of a battered Richmond side to secure the first win of the season in front of their home fans, building off Round 4’s impressive display against the Swans.
The win saw West Coast leap out of wooden spoon territory and up to 16th, trailing Adelaide and Richmond on the ladder solely by percentage.
Holding firm after a rough start
Alarm bells were sounding all across the ground in the opening 15 minutes as the Tigers dominated the early goings, with another blowout loss looming for West Coast.
Yet in their most impressive display of the season, the Eagles managed to weather the storm, entering the first break trailing by just eight points after being down by 26 earlier in the term.
This led to West Coast’s best quarter in 2024, absolutely steamrolling Richmond in every part of the ground, booting eight goals to the Tigers’ three.
It ultimately turned into a milestone game for West Coast, recording their highest half-time score since 2021 and breaking the 100-point mark for the first time since Round 2 of last season.
Jake Waterman
Have yourself a day Jake Waterman!
The 25-year-old forward absolutely stuffed the stat sheet in a career-best performance, booting six goals and racking up 18 touches, 13 marks and 11 score involvements, giving the Tigers backline a headache from siren to siren.
On a day filled with stellar showings from the Eagles, Waterman’s monster display was the best of the lot.
What they got wrong
Coming out flat
It’s hard to be negative when the Eagles have put together that strong of a performance, but it wasn’t without a key flaw.
With the difficulties that West Coast have had throughout every facet of the game in the past three seasons, they simply cannot afford to start the game on the back foot.
The Tigers kicked the first four goals of the contest before the Eagles became competitive, and while they ultimately got the win, by no means did it need to be the early battle that it was.
Jack Makeham
What they got right
Jamarra is the spearhead
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has truly come into his own as the primary option in the Bulldogs’ forward line.
The young gun booted 3.3 in his 50th game and was looming whenever the ball entered the Dogs’ forward 50, putting together a strong display that couldn’t quite be measured on the stat sheet.
While Aaron Naughton was solid, this game made it even more apparent that Ugle-Hagan is the preferred target, with Luke Beveridge electing to play Naughton up the field in more of a Jeremy Cameron-esque role.
What they got wrong
Midfield massacred
Coming off a performance against Geelong in which the Bulldogs’ vaunted midfield was at their brilliant best, this display against the Bombers was jarring.
Essendon manhandled the Dogs through the middle of the ground, convincingly winning both the stoppage and contested possession battles.
Marcus Bontempelli put together his quietest showing of the season courtesy of some consistent attention from Sam Durham, while Tom Liberatore was also less impactful than usual (albeit still collecting 17 contested possessions) thanks to Jye Caldwell.
This midfield struggle extended to the ruck matchup, in which Tim English was convincingly handled by the combination of Todd Goldstein and Sam Draper.
With Port Adelaide having proven last week that the way to beat Essendon is in the midfield, and with the Dogs priding themselves on the strength of their engine room, it was the exact opposite of what they would have wanted.
Inaccuracy in front of goal
The Bulldogs have every right to be frustrated with this loss, as it was significantly more winnable than the 29-point margin suggests.
They finished the clash with a scoreline of 9.13, having actually recorded one more scoring shot than Essendon.
With all of Ugle-Hagan, Naughton and Sam Darcy recording multiple behinds, it’s clear that goal-kicking will be a focus at the Bulldogs’ next training session.
Jack Makeham
