What did your club get right and what did your club get wrong in Round 8?
We had nine matches across the weekend with a number of massive results.
See our assessments below:
What they got right
Won a third straight Showdown… as underdogs
Before we get into specifics, let’s just tip our hat to the fact that the Crows have strung together three straight Showdown wins… all as underdogs.
After winning both fixtures last year against a side that finished in the top four, the Crows backed that up with a 30-point victory last Thursday night in the first standalone prime time Showdown slot.
Matthew Nicks’ side was reeling at 1-5 just a few weeks ago but have breathed new life into their campaign with back-to-back victories, one which includes bragging rights over their cross-town rivals.
Winning a trio of consecutive clashes with a Port side widely considered as being better is no small feat and must be applauded.
Continuing to put faith in Soligo
Jake Soligo has been a revelation since Matthew Nicks put him into the midfield full-time.
He was superb in winning the Showdown Medal made possible by 28 disposals, 10 tackles, six clearances and four inside 50s.
Across the last six games, the 21-year-old has averaged 26 disposals, 5.5 clearances, five tackles and four inside 50s, and has taken the mantle as Adelaide’s most influential midfielder.
The 2021 draftee attended just 19 per cent of centre bounces last year, often used in a periphery role, but he is now central to what the Crows are trying to achieve.
Soligo is the player that Adelaide can now “build around” through the middle of the ground.
Defence held up
The Power had enough ball forward and certainly had their chances, but the Adelaide defence held up remarkably well.
Without Nick Murray and following the departure of Tom Doedee, a lot was said and written about Adelaide’s apparent lack of defensive depth.
However, there are some young guns coming through like Max Michalanney, Josh Worrell, the inexperienced Mark Keane, Luke Nankervis, and even debutant Daniel Curtin to support Jordon Butts in Murray’s absence.
Nicks described the defensive group as “ruthless”.
But it wasn’t just the backline, it was a “well rounded performance” and the result “couldn’t be more perfect”, as Nicks said.
What they got wrong
Conceded territory and shots on goal
The Crows, despite winning the game, conceded territory to the Power all night.
They gave up 57 inside 50s and 23 scoring shots which did put their defence under pressure. Thankfully, they dealt with those challenges expertly.
If the Power had have kicked straighter, it might have been a different story, but the Crows thoroughly deserved the victory.
There wasn’t much else they got wrong though.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
“Amazing” and “courageous” win
The Lions had no right to win the Q-Clash on Sunday night.
They were smashed by injuries in the lead-up and early on in the piece yet held their nerve and kept Gold Coast at bay.
Chris Fagan described it as “the most amazing and courageous win I’ve seen by any group of players I’ve had anything to do with”.
The playing group was absolutely cooked late but managed to show heart, withhold the Suns and record a much-needed third win of the season.
Fagan added: “It will go down at our club as one of our greatest ever wins”.
Created chances… again
We’ve harped on about it for most of the season to date, but the Lions have been creating enough chances.
They had 64 inside 50s to Gold Coast’s 46 while conjuring 29 scoring shots to 15.
Again their efficiency let them down, however, they pumped the ball inside 50 and created scoring chances which they’ve been able to do all year.
Part of that was due to the fact they led centre clearances 12-5 which allowed them to get the ball into attack quite quickly.
If they can clean up their conversion they’ll give themselves more chances of winning games.
Remarkable Morris and Reville debuts
The story of Logan Morris is incredible.
He played in the VFL earlier in the day and ran 13kms, before being called in as the sub to replace Brandon Starcevich.
The 18-year-old was thrown in for his AFL debut when Lincoln McCarthy came off injured and managed to finish the night with a nice goal and three behinds, running a further 9kms.
After playing in the reserves he had refuelled on some McDonald’s, even had a bit of soup and wore Will Ashcroft’s boots which were a couple of sizes too small.
Bruce Reville also made his bow for Brisbane and looked adept at the level with 13 kicks and five inside 50s.
It was a great and memorable night for the young Lions who will likely get more chances due to the injuries the club copped.
Veterans lead the way
Dayne Zorko was superb in winning the Marcus Ashcroft Medal.
The 35-year-old had 40 disposals, a massive 35 kicks, 16 marks, eight score involvements, five rebound 50s, four inside 50s and three clearances in a commanding display.
Five-time best and fairest Zorko truly turned back the clock and was joined by two-time Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale (34 disposals) in putting in dominant displays against the Suns.
What they got wrong
Cruelled by injury
It’s not what they got wrong, as they somehow managed to win on a catastrophic night, but the Lions were horrible cruelled by injury.
It looks likely that Lincoln McCarthy and Darcy Gardiner have suffered ACL injuries, while Brandon Starcevich popped his calf pre-game and Noah Answerth was concussed.
They’ll now count the cost of the crucial Q-Clash victory as they strive to kickstart their stuttering season.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Inside 50 efficiency
Carlton did incredibly well to score 79 points on a night where they had just 38 inside 50s.
Looking at Collingwood, they had 64 entries and were only able to win by six points.
It certainly helped that much of Carlton’s offence after the first quarter was on the counterattack, but they’d be thrilled with that kind of return for how many times they went forward.
In theory, having better field position and giving their forwards more chances to score would have easily seen the Blues cruise past even 100 points if their efficiency remained.
It’s one area of the ground that worked well. It was just the delivery and supply that let them down on Friday night.
What they got wrong
Coaching moves
Carlton looked the better of the two sides in the first quarter and even skipped out to a 19-point lead midway through the second term.
That’s where things flipped, with Collingwood putting more time into Patrick Cripps and saturating stoppages, allowing the Pies to control that area of the ground which gave their forwards plenty of opportunities.
Scott Pendlebury went with him at stoppages, while Harvey Harrison was called upon to cause a double team.
It was a clear change from Craig McRae that helped turn the game in Collingwood’s favour. Unfortunately for Carlton, they appeared to do nothing to counteract it over the next two and a half quarters as the Pies went on to win.
The Pies took Carlton's short kicking game away, forcing them to kick to outnumbered situations down the line, something they couldn't solve mid-game.
It was a 1-0 win for McRae over Voss in the coaching box. Let’s see if they learn any valuable lessons from it going forward.
And playing Zac Williams on Jamie Elliott resulted in two goals from free kicks in the first quarter. That was a clear mistake.
Inability to stand up to the pressure
Collingwood brought the heat on Friday, easily out-tackling the Blues as they brought intense pressure to the MCG.
While the Magpies are renowned for that effort and intensity, it appeared to catch Carlton by surprise as the side went sideways and backwards by hand quite often.
Voss even expressed his displeasure with that lack of desire to go forward on the bench and while much of it was thanks to Collingwood’s pressure, it was disappointing to not see the Blues take the game on.
Corey Durdin, Orazio Fantasia and Matt Owies combined for four tackles, which is just not enough.
They’ll be met with that kind of pressure in big games and finals in 2024. They’d want to find a way through it more often than they did on Friday.
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
Daicos brilliance and midfield masterclass
Nick Daicos was clearly the main talking point after Friday night’s six-point victory over Carlton and it’s easy to understand why.
The Pies went into the game without Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell, making playing against the likes of Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, George Hewett and Adam Cerra even more frightening than it usually is.
While Daicos was always going to play a key role, coach Craig McRae used Scott Pendlebury and Jack Crisp brilliantly at stoppages to negate the influence of Carlton’s big guns as Daicos went to work.
Thanks to the team effort, Daicos was able to help himself to 32 disposals, two goals and seven clearances including the match-winner.
Collingwood also won the clearance count 40-44 which was a huge result given how much of a mismatch the midfield looked pre-game.
It could give them a brilliant structure and template to go with for the rest of the season.
Finding an avenue to goal
Collingwood shared the load up forward in Friday’s win.
While Daicos kicked two awesome stoppage goals, no other Magpie kicked multiple goals as 11 players all hit the scoreboard.
With Jacob Weitering marking Brody Mihocek, the Pies knew they’d have to look in unique directions to get the job done and that they did.
Conversely, Carlton only had five individual goalkickers as too much was left to too few.
It’s one of Collingwood’s great strengths and helps them be unpredictable each time they go forward.
What they got wrong
Not getting bang for buck
Collingwood did not get bang for buck for their dominance on Friday night.
While they eventually got the job done, they really should have won by more after somewhat dominating the last two and a half quarters.
Looking at the inside 50 counts, Collingwood went forward on 64 occasions to Carlton’s 38.
That kind of difference would usually result in at least a four or five-goal win.
They’d also like to straighten up with their attempts having kicked 12.13 (85) to 12.7 (79).
If they can sort that side of their game out, they’ll go to another level again.
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
Stacking up wins against the odds
The expected score ladder would have Essendon dropping down the ladder, and dropping down a fair bit.
Had the Bombers and their opponents kicked to expectation in all eight games this year, Brad Scott’s side would be 1-7.
But as was the case again on Saturday night, Essendon found a way in what is starting to become a theme in 2024.
Several players had moments they’d like back, but the composure of senior players saw the visitors home by six points in a thriller over the Eagles at Optus Stadium.
Is this the AFL’s best midfield?
A question from left-field for those who haven’t closely watched Essendon over the preceding weeks, but Zach Merrett’s on-ball unit is right in the conversation.
Merrett himself is the current favourite for the All-Australian captaincy and has changed his game to lead from the front on defence, while Essendon supporters will tell you Sam Durham is the next big thing.
Darcy Parish has had a slow start to the season but played his best game for the season against West Coast, gathering 36 possessions and six clearances.
The Bombers rank second in the competition for clearance differential and if that primary unit stays the same, the top spot looms.
Bordering on top four
Just quietly, Essendon sits on the edge of a double chance in finals, despite the feel that they’re not firing on all cylinders just yet.
The club’s percentage of 95.2 is the lowest in the top eight and emblematic that there is improvement to come. But on the flip side, there are games against North Melbourne, Richmond and West Coast still to come in 2024 and Essendon has already banked important wins.
Keep finding ways to triumph and they’ll soon lock themselves into finals.
What they got wrong
Lapse in defence
The Bombers dominated territory throughout Saturday night’s clash, but it came at the cost of allowing the Eagles to be very efficient inside 50.
Expected score would have Essendon losing this game despite 16 more forward 50 entries because they gave up very good looks going the other way.
West Coat’s efficiency inside 50 was 54.5 per cent, while the Bombers’ sat below 40.
We celebrate the win, but to lose this game would have been a minor disaster for Brad Scott.
Seb Mottram
What they got right
Midfield domination
Fremantle absolutely dominated Richmond on-ball on Sunday afternoon.
Looking at the clearance count alone, the Dockers won that stat 36 to 16 which then turned into a 38-59 inside 50 win.
Simply put, you don’t lose games with that kind of midfield performance.
The main contributors there were Caleb Serong (38 disposals), Hayden Young (two goals, 30 disposals) and Andrew Brayshaw (31 disposals).
While Richmond’s depleted in that area of the ground, the Dockers would still have been really pleased with how their midfield went to work and made sure that advantage was capitalised on.
Key forward return
Fremantle kicked most of their goals from traditional avenues on Sunday.
With Melbourne blessing the MCG with some beautiful autumn conditions, the Dockers went high inside 50 to find Josh Treacy (four goals), Jye Amiss (two goals) and Sean Darcy (two goals) who all kicked majors.
While Richmond is clearly struggling, their key defensive duo of Tylar Young and Ben Miller have actually been more than competent in 2024, further showing how impressive a performance it was from Freo’s talls.
Treacy and Amiss in particular looked threatening and if they continue playing like that, they’re every chance of helping the side beat Sydney on Friday night.
What they got wrong
Giving Richmond a sniff
Fremantle didn’t do much wrong in their 54-point win, but they wouldn’t have been thrilled with their third-quarter effort.
The Dockers had the game on toast at half-time as they held the Tigers to just one goal before the main break, but the Tigers kicked three goals in a row from the 4 to the 13-minute mark of the third term to give themselves a sniff.
At that stage, the margin was just 18 points and perhaps a better side would have carried that momentum for even longer to really challenge the Dockers.
It’s certainly nitpicking, but it was the only obvious part of the game that didn’t go their way in an otherwise clinical performance.
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
Not at their best… but were in with a winning chance
Chris Scott admitted his Cats “were off” against Melbourne on Saturday night.
However, he was proud of the way his players were able to put themselves in a winning position against a very good opponent despite not being at their best.
A lot of Geelong’s key players were down on their usual output but they hung around and made life difficult for the Dees.
It’s the sign of a good team if you can still compete against a genuine contender despite not being on.
What they got wrong
Wasted late chances
The Cats had enough chances to win in the final quarter, but they did butcher a few of them.
Jeremy Cameron in particular was one of the main culprits, missing two fourth-quarter set shots which he would normally bury (for 0.3 on the night).
It was a game of inches throughout and the Cats were off just enough to force their first failure of 2024 which was bound to come at some point.
Handball happy
It was a very dewy night at the ‘G but still Geelong opted to handball too frequently.
The Cats had more of the ball than the Demons by nine disposals yet had 22 less kicks and 31 more handballs.
In a high-pressure affair it hurt them as they weren’t quite as direct and efficient as their opposition was.
Goalless Hawk
Tom Hawkins has not kicked a goal in four matches.
It is a very rare slump for the Cats champion who has been a model of consistency over his remarkable 354-game career. He has never gone four games without a goal.
Hawkins had one set shot which he kicked poorly and he just seems well below his best right now.
He is, however, one of Geelong’s greatest ever players and no doubt he’ll bounce back soon.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Another valuable lesson
Damien Hardwick’s Gold Coast side is learning some valuable lessons from some very good opponents.
Their 34-point Q-Clash loss to Brisbane on Sunday night was their third loss to a 2023 finals team in the last five weeks which has included defeats to GWS and Sydney.
Hardwick is confident his Suns will beat the teams around them while learning these lessons from the competition’s best sides, or the “big dogs”.
Despite it being a loss, it was another step along the journey and one that will teach them plenty.
What they got wrong
Were blown away
The Suns were blown out of the water in the first quarter, conceding 5.5 to the Lions while kicking just 2.1 themselves.
The margin was 22 points at quarter-time and finished at 34. They just couldn’t catch up.
They were the unable to kick a goal in the second quarter as the Lions helped themselves to three.
From there the Suns just couldn’t bridge the gap as their ‘older brothers’ held them at arm’s length.
Hardwick highlighted the fact his side allowed the Lions to move the ball so swiftly from their defensive 50 which created a lot of headaches.
Didn’t get the game on their terms
The game was certainly not played on Gold Coast’s terms.
They love playing the game in their front half and applying pressure from there, but it’s harder to do when you have to move the ball from the backline.
Hardwick’s side simply couldn’t get their style of game up and running whatsoever and there were “holes everywhere”, said the premiership coach.
Another away defeat
The Suns have been great at home so far in 2024, winning all four matches at People First Stadium.
It’s their away form which is a worry, going down on the road by 48 points (Western Bulldogs), 28 points (GWS), 53 points (Sydney) and 34 points (Brisbane).
They’ll need to bridge that gap between their best at home and their worst on the road if they want to play finals footy for the first time.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Up for the contest early
The Giants were up for the fight and the contest early in the Sydney Derby.
Adam Kingsley loved the way they hunted the ball in the opening quarter and felt they were reasonably well placed given they were 15 points up at the first break.
However, it soon turned and all of the effort and intent dropped off.
We’ve been quick to praise the Giants this year, and deservedly so, but there wasn’t heaps to like aside from that opening quarter.
What they got wrong
Failed to handle the wet conditions
GWS struggled to get any strong footing in the game after the first term because the players failed to handle the wet conditions.
They lost contested possession 152-168, highlighting a lack of intent with the ball at ground level often.
The Giants used handball a bit too much and were nowhere as effective with their ball movement as they have been prior.
Not being as clever as their opponents in the wet cost them dearly.
Midfield “comprehensively” beaten
Kingsley was critical of his midfield unit which he felt was “comprehensively” beaten by the Swans.
That wasn’t helped by Tom Green’s game-ending ankle injury, but they did fail in quelling Sydney’s on-ball group as a whole.
The Giants lost contested possession as noted before, while also losing clearances 31-43.
The likes of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Errol Gulden and Jams Rowbottom were all prolific and combined for 24 Swans clearances.
Stephen Coniglio should return next week against Essendon which is a win for the Giants, but Green will likely miss.
The midfield is where it all starts and it is an area in which the Giants can certainly improve on.
Leaked scoring shots and inside 50s
The Giants went goalless in the second term and could only muster five goals after quarter-time.
They conceded a score of 14.14.(98) to the Swans which was the second largest score they’ve coughed up this season.
That was caused by the fact they gave up 67 inside 50s while managing just 42 themselves.
From an attacking sense, they scored a season-low 69 which was the first time they’ve been under 80 in 2024.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Finally took a scalp
Hawthorn had been crying out for a big win in 2024 and its first came on Sunday afternoon against the Western Bulldogs.
The only victory prior had come against North Melbourne but the Hawks had been in games against Essendon, Geelong and Collingwood earlier in the season.
There would be no honourable losses at Marvel Stadium. Hawthorn lost the lead midway through the final term but showed maturity beyond their years to fight back and prevail.
Mitchell’s system stands up again
There has been plenty of heat on the third-year coach to start 2024, but his system has stood up better than his players.
That was the case again in Round 8, although he finally saw some better performances from his charges.
The Hawks were belted in clearances and multiple Bulldogs stuffed the stats sheet with massive individual games. But Hawthorn won inside 50s, dominated contested footy and found ways to rebound and move the ball with ease.
Only a handful of Hawks had massive games of their own in a sign Hawthorn can contend when all the players play their roles.
Credit to the captain
Perhaps the most disappointing captain seven rounds into 2024, James Sicily showed his true colours against the Western Bulldogs.
Sicily dislocated his shoulder in the first term and looked set to sit the rest of the game out, but came on in obvious pain and then went on to suffer a foot injury.
Again, the 2023 All-Australian battled through and went back onto the field, this time in his own inside 50, and booted the final goal for his side.
As Mitchell said post-game: “It would have been really easy for him not to keep playing - shoulder's sore, foot's sore - we would've said 'I completely understand that'. But his level of commitment to work through that and to lead the way for our other boys was first class.”
What they got wrong
Inaccuracy
It’s hard to be critical after a win, but the Hawks very nearly kicked themselves out of this one.
Expected scores had Hawthorn kicking 115 points instead of 97 and going on to secure a comfortable victory by more than three goals.
Given the narrative around Hawthorn so far this year, it would have been terribly disappointing if they’d squandered that chance.
Seb Mottram
What they got right
Defence
A big question mark for the Dees going into this clash was how their defence would hold up against the most in form forward line in the competition. And after keeping them to five goals under their season average on Saturday night, it’s safe to say they did one hell of a great job.
The ever-reliable Steven May and Jake Lever were enormous in this area of the ground as they managed to combine for a whopping 49 disposals between each other. Whilst Tom McDonald had his best performance of the season in keeping Jeremy Cameron goalless.
Every week the Demons emphasise how important their defence is to winning games. And once again on the weekend, it proved to be a massive pillar in ensuring Geelong’s unbeaten streak would end
What they got wrong
Goal Kicking
Luckily for Melbourne, Geelong seemed to suffer the same issue on the weekend of terrible kicking in front of goal. In three of their last four games, Melbourne have been scarily inaccurate in front of the big sticks as they have managed to kick 41 goals and 51 behinds during that time.
On the weekend, the Demons even spent a full quarter goalless as they struggled to convert some of their easiest chances for the whole game.
If it wasn’t for the form of their defence, the Demons could easily have lost all of their last four games and would be going into their round nine game with a record of 3-5.
This is an area that needs improving quickly before it has the potential of properly de-railing their 2024 campaign.
Zac Sharpe
What they got right
Taking the game on
While it wasn’t perfect, it was a very positive sign from the young Kangaroos.
St Kilda dominated the ball, yet when North Melbourne managed to find it they took the game on, charging down the ground at pace.
While they did turn the ball over quite often, it was a sign of intent and an identity that the Kanga kids can look to build upon over the season.
Sheezel up the ground
Harry Sheezel had a season-high 13 centre bounce attendences, ranking fourth amongst midfielders for North Melbourne.
He combined very well with the likes of George Wardlaw and Luke Davies-Uniacke, while also allowing Colby McKercher more freedom in the back half, resulting in his 30 disposals.
Hopefully it is a sign of what’s to come for Sheezel with many calling for him to be unleashed in a more advanced role.
What they got wrong
Inability to defend in transition
Moving the ball quickly paid off on occasions, but North's lack of defensive cover off turnover proved a major concern.
St Kilda moved the ball far too easily through the centre of the ground, ultimately winning them the game.
Capitalising off dominant ruckman
Tristan Xerri has continued his strong season, doubling St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall in the hit-out battle (40 to 20).
Despite this, North Melbourne still managed to fall in the clearances 40-32.
If the midfield can find synergy, they will be hard to contain at stoppages, however they will need to put some time into getting advantageous hit-outs and making the most of them.
Jaiden Sciberras
What they got right
Clearance effort
Port Adelaide is one of the competition’s best clearance sides and they kept that up on Thursday night.
While they were beaten well around the ground in the defeat, the Power won the clearance count 33-43.
That was particularly impressive given that Connor Rozee was a non-factor and was subbed out at three-quarter time given he was battling with a hamstring injury.
Jason Horne-Francis (eight clearances), Zak Butters (seven clearances) and Ollie Wines (five clearances) all picked up the slack created by the Rozee injury despite the captain pitching in with five clearances himself as well.
They’ll continue to lean on this as a bedrock for their game.
What they got wrong
Playing Connor Rozee
It’s a pretty obvious one, but Port Adelaide shouldn’t have picked Connor Rozee to play on Thursday night.
After hurting his hamstring the week prior against St Kilda, Rozee was clearly hampered against the Crows and was subbed off at three-quarter time.
Ken Hinkley admitted post-match that he shouldn’t have picked the captain and hopefully, it’s a lesson learned from here.
They’ll be thanking their lucky stars that Rozee didn’t do any extra damage to his injury in the defeat.
Goalkicking
Port Adelaide’s accuracy was disgraceful on Thursday night.
They actually finished with four more scoring shots than their opponents as the scoreline read 12.6 (78) to 5.18 (48).
From quarter time as well, they kicked just two goals and a whopping 14 behinds.
Their inaccuracy meant they never even gave themselves a real chance of getting into the game.
It’s becoming a recurring theme, too.
Lachlan Geleit
What they got right
Showed some heart in the third quarter
Richmond entered half-time 31 points in arrears and looked like they had no hope.
The Tigers did manage to show some heart and fight too low their way back into proceedings, kicking 3.4 in the third term to Freo’s 2.3.
In the third, Liam Baker was the fire-starter who was joined by Daniel Rioli, who was played in a more advanced role, while Nick Vlastuin held up in defence.
It was a small win on an otherwise average day for the undermanned Tigers.
They were ok for the first part of the fourth quarter before the Dockers kicked five of the last six goals to blow it out.
What they got wrong
Lack of intent early
The Tigers have been praised for showing effort and intent in almost all of their games so far.
However, that fell right away from the get-go in their eventual 54-point loss to Fremantle.
Yze’s outfit was outplayed for large portions of the first two quarters, kicking just 1.7 to the Dockers’ 6.8.
Their intensity and pressure during that stage of the game left a lot to be desired.
Crushed in the middle
It has been a theme for the Tigers in 2024, mainly due to the fact that their best midfielders are missing.
On Sunday at the MCG, their on-ball brigade was put to the sword yet again, beaten 16-36 in clearances, 5-14 in centre clearances and 98-111 in contested possessions.
Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Hayden Young were immense for Freo while Baker (four clearances) and Shai Bolton (three) were the only Tigers mids (ruckman Toby Nankervis aside) who had more than two clearances.
Undisciplined acts
The Tigers players were frustrated and you could sense it late.
Nathan Broad was uncharacteristically involved in a scuffle with Nat Fyfe after an off-the-ball back and forth.
Fellow defenders Dylan Grimes and Ben Miller were also involved in a little melee late as the Dockers forwards got right on top.
It was a poor display of discipline and just showed how frustrating things are Punt Road right now.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Dominant midfield
The Swans midfielders are in sparkling form in 2024 and that continued on the weekend.
They crushed the Giants around contest and stoppage, winning contested possessions 168-152 and had a clear ascendency at clearance which they won 43-31 (including 32-22 at stoppage clearance).
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Errol Gulden and James Rowbottom were all excellent, while ruckman Brodie Grundy and his former Collingwood colleague Taylor Adams were also contributing factors to the 29-point win.
It was a fierce battle in the middle which the Swans won comprehensively in the end, and it showed on the scoreboard.
Handled the conditions better
We noted that the Giants failed to handle the wet conditions. Well on the flip side, the Swans handled them perfectly.
John Longmire lauded his players for adjusting well when things dried up and keeping a strong basis and foundation with fundamentals when it was at its wettest.
Persistence paid off and allowed the Swans to break clear by kicking 4.2 to 0.2 in the second quarter which helped set the game up.
Defence held up again
Sydney kept the Giants to their lowest score of the season - 10.9.(69).
A lot of that was to do with how the midfield played, but a fair tip of the hat must be given to the defence.
The Swans were able to contain Jesse Hogan (two goals) for the most part, denied Aaron Cadman after a two-goal first term, and well and truly kept Toby Greene under wraps inside forward 50 (zero goals, zero goal assists).
They’ve conceded an average of 70 points per game this season, including just 246 points at 61.5 in their four-game winning streak.
What they got wrong
Sluggish start
The 5.3.(33) the Swans gave up in the first quarter was the highest opening-term score they’ve conceded in 2024.
They were beaten to the ball and put to the sword for large portions of that term.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic, as they did have eight scoring shots (2.6) themselves, but it must be described as a sluggish start which allowed the Giants an early lead.
From there, however, it was all fairly positive for Longmire’s Swans who are absolutely genuine contenders in 2024.
Andrew Slevison
What they got right
Ball dominance
St Kilda finished the contest +61 in the disposal count, +59 in marks and +25 in inside 50s.
They controlled the tempo with the ball, making it extremely difficult for North Melbourne to score.
They lost hit-outs by 25 but won clearances 40-32 and were clear in contested possessions 136-122, which contributed greatly to the win.
Scores from turnover
All of St Kilda’s first 32 points came directly from turnovers.
Their setup behind the ball was superb, picking up the scraps and finding targets inside 50.
That led to easy scores which resulted in their biggest score of the season so far - 15.13.(103).
Playing Wilson forward
Young gun Darcy Wilson spent extended time in the forward half, and boy did it pay off.
He finished with 21 touches, eight marks and three goals.
The 18-year-old has quickly established himself as one of the competition’s brightest youngsters.
What they got wrong
Second-half lapse
It was largely painless overall, but the Saints did allow the Roos to hang around in the second half.
They conceded 6.3 after the main break including a patch of three straight goals in the first part of the fourth quarter.
The Saints would end up winning by 38 games but it could have been more of a percentage booster had they avoided that slight lapse.
But they got the job done that was required of them and they’ll take the four points and run.
Jaiden Sciberras
What they got right
Resiliency
After the newly improved Eagles battled hard to stay close with the Bombers through a scrappy opening term, the second quarter looked like an unfortunate return to form.
Essendon was all over West Coast, stretching the margin to as much as 22 points and threatening to blow the game wide open.
Yet Adam Simpson was clearly able to stir something in his troops at the main break, with the Eagles immediately clawing their way back into the contest, bringing yet another spirited effort against a finals contender.
It’s a resiliency that would have been unfathomable at the start of the season, and a true testament to West Coast’s return to actually playing competitive football.
What they got wrong
Needless mistakes
As improved as the Eagles have looked recently, this performance showed just how far they still have to go.
It was an error-riddled day out for West Coast, with unforced turnovers being the tale of the tape, directly gifting Essendon goals on multiple occasions.
The worst of the lot however was Jamie Cripps’ brain fade late in the piece, pushing over Essendon’s Nic Martin as Jake Waterman lined up for a chance to bring the Eagles within four points, giving the Bombers possession and closing the door on any chance of an upset.
More injuries
Just when it looked like the Eagles had escaped their injury purgatory of the last two years, they’ve been dragged back in.
Elliot Yeo’s 200th game ended on a sour note after suffering yet another groin injury, while the promising Noah Long was subbed off after his leg was caught awkwardly in a tackle by Matt Guelfi.
While the severity of these injuries are still being assessed, the Eagles have already confirmed that Jake Waterman will miss next week’s clash against Collingwood after suffering a concussion late in the game.
With Waterman being in career-best form and Oscar Allen still several weeks away from a return, this will undoubtedly leave a huge hole in West Coast’s forward line.
Jack Makeham
What they got right
The clearance battle
After a couple of hiccups throughout the season, the Bulldogs’ clearance game was up and rolling against the Hawks.
The final stat sheet gave the Bulldogs a 44-28 advantage in clearances, an expected result considering Hawthorn is the second-worst clearance team in the competition.
The Dogs still sit right in the middle of the pack for clearances, a far cry from finishing top-two in the category in each of the last three seasons, however displays like these at stoppage show that at least one part of their game is on the rise.
What they got wrong
Forward line potency
Unfortunately, the rest of the Bulldogs’ game faltered completely in the Sunday evening affair, with the worst offender being their forward line.
While the stat sheet shows six players with multiple goals, just three of those players were primarily up forward, with Marcus Bontempelli, Tim English and Bailey Williams instead doing the heavy lifting, kicking six goals between them.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in particular had a tough time in his return, booting two majors but collecting just four disposals and having very little impact on the clash.
He also badly missed the set shot which would have tied the game, hitting the point post when the Dogs needed a goal.
Overall defence
Looking at the other end of the field, things weren’t much better.
The Bulldogs are far from a defensive stalwart, ranked 10th in the competition for points conceded, however they would have come into the clash expecting to have little trouble stopping the AFL’s third worst offence.
Instead, Hawthorn recorded their second-highest score for the season and had seven more scoring shots than the Bulldogs, as well as 45 per cent of possession compared to the Dogs’ 38 per cent.
There was simply no pressure being placed on the Hawks for the bulk of the contest, with Luke Beveridge’s men only coming alive when it was too late.
With a record of 3-5, finals isn’t quite out of the picture yet for the Bulldogs, however they will need a complete overhaul if they’re to turn their season around.
Jack Makeham
