• Fantasy round review: Ryan Crowley’s latest victim
• Around the state leagues: Tom Boyd’s learning curve
LOOKING from the outside, the prevailing narrative is that interim Hawthorn coach Brendon Bolton left the MCG on Sunday night as the man who nearly steered the reigning premiers to a loss at the hands of last year's wooden-spooners.
But the Hawks saw it differently. After a terribly disruptive week - with their coach Alastair Clarkson falling ill with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and two more premiership players succumbing to injury on the eve of the game - there was instead the feeling of a job well done by the players and the club.
"There was a lot of stuff going on so it was a special win," general manager of football Chris Fagan told AFL.com.au, summing up the mood of the room.
Fagan has seen a lot in football. His most trying time was when he was with Melbourne at the time when Troy Broadbridge was killed by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and as he noted on Sunday evening, nothing will surpass the stress and the trauma of that period.
But the events of the last five days at Hawthorn run a clear second.
"It's a reasonably large shock to lose your coach on the Tuesday," Fagan continued. "So I think under the circumstances our system held up reasonably well."
The pre-game withdrawals of Jordan Lewis and Ben Stratton and the third-quarter quadriceps injury to David Hale left the Hawks with just 12 of their premiership team from last year on the ground. When you factor in retirements and the trade and free agency comings and goings, they were short eight players from their best 22.
Stand-in coach Brendon Bolton steered Hawthorn to a seven-point win on Sunday. Picture: AFL Media
For those of you keeping score, Sam Mitchell, Brian Lake, Josh Gibson, Cyril Rioli and Ben McEvoy were the others, in addition to Lewis, Stratton and Hale who were missing from the side when the Giants were surging late in the game.
With key absences across every line, the Hawks are probably at breaking point should they lose any more top-liners, which added to the belief in the rooms that even with a margin of just seven points, this was a better win than they will probably be given credit for.
"It showed the strength of our club," said veteran midfielder Brad Sewell. "The head coach goes down indefinitely but fortunately, through good management there was a seamless transition and we had someone who could step into those shoes."
"And they're the same size shoes as well," he added with a laugh, referring to the diminutive Bolton who, like Clarkson, could probably ride track work at Caulfield for a living if he wasn't a footy coach.
Walker the wildcard
All is well in Adelaide once more. Big Tex is back.
It took three weeks for the power forward – and the most popular man in Adelaide - to find his feet again but he was dominant on Sunday at Adelaide Oval with 22 possessions, 10 marks and five goals in the 32-point win over Gold Coast.
Josh Jenkins (two goals) and James Podsiadly (one) were also good for the Crows, who with that trio starting to combine well and the dazzling Eddie Betts (two goals) perhaps now have the weapons at their disposal to make some sort of assault on the eight.
They'll need their skipper at the best for those games. It was almost impossible for Gary Ablett to play at such a level for pretty much half the season and his last fortnight has been that bit more quiet for the great man. He had 25 possessions on Sunday, good for most midfielders, but a touch unders for him.
He goes up against the midfield maestros from the Swans next Sunday. It should be compulsive viewing.
QUESTION TIME
Are North the new road warriors?
North Melbourne stewed all summer on the corresponding game against West Coast last year when Nic Naitanui came seemingly from the top level of the three-tiered stand at Patersons Stadium to take a huge mark and kick the match-winning goal after the siren. Fast forward 12 months and the Kangaroos have turned Subiaco into their field of dreams, with wins over both Fremantle and West Coast. Add to that their win over the Sydney Swans at the SCG and this is a team for whom the road holds no fear. And, just quietly, the Kangaroos are the only team to beat Port Adelaide so far this year. With just two games left against teams currently in the top eight, the top four beckons if this rich vein of form continues.Is the final eight set?
Could be. The Kangas are now entrenched in the eight, a game clear of Adelaide and Essendon, with the Eagles and the Blues a win further back. Carlton defender Michael Jamison cut to the chase on Sunday after the loss to the Lions, telling Channel Nine: "To lose that one, honestly it probably just shows where we're at as a club. I don't think we've earned the right to think about things in the long term (like finals)."
Adelaide and Essendon need to overcome their inconsistency in order to challenge for the finals, but West Coast is the major disappointment. The Eagles fell just short last week against Collingwood in a reasonable effort but were just woeful against the Kangaroos in a game they had to win to stay in touch with the eight. If not for Matt Priddis kicking a goal after the siren, the Eagles were headed to their lowest ever score on their home deck.
The money shot on Fox Footy was of a befuddled coach Adam Simpson with his head buried in his hands. Simpson would have hated losing to the club he played 307 games for and captained with distinction. And he has five days including a trip to Launceston to prepare to face his other former club, Hawthorn, where he was a key assistant for the past four years.
Is it fair to scapegoat Jarrad Waite?
Yep. Giving away that 50m penalty to Tom Rockliff in the last few minutes gifted the Lions a lead they might not have been good enough to secure on their own. There was great TV footage of Carlton coach Mick Malthouse asking in the box "Was that Waite?" as the 50m penalty was paid. Who else was capable of such a brain fade? Though Malthouse denied Waite should be singled out, I'm not sure he should be part of Carlton's thinking for much longer if that's what he delivers in crunch time. Veterans have to be better than that.
Ashley Browne: Gee, the Brissy fans are up and about after their second win for the year. I love Tom Rockliff. Love his pluck, his courage and his obvious passion for the jumper. He is the barometer for the Brisbane Lions and he clearly is an elite midfielder, but at the same time, I'd have Ablett, Jobe Watson, Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Dayne Beams, Josh Kennedy, Trent Cotchin, Patrick Dangerfield and Sam Mitchell ahead of him in my midfield rankings.
AB: Absolutely, for so many reasons. The images out of Alice Springs, with the MacDonnell Ranges in the background and the symbolism of playing this game on this particular weekend with hundreds of indigenous faces in the crowd. And then there is Melbourne's growing partnership with the Northern Territory, which colleague Peter Ryan says is reaping its reward judging from the number of red and blue jumpers spotted in the streets on the morning of the game. And finally, they saw a good game. They'll be back next year for sure. So for a number of reasons this was a most worthwhile experiment and long may it continue.
AB: Not sure I can remember a team so universally lauded in defeat as Melbourne on Saturday. The Demons were in it against Port until late in the game and a shout-out to Melbourne supporters after the game about the differences between this year and those past kept coming back to one person – coach Paul Roos. It is great to see Melbourne supporters upbeat about footy once more and for the first time in a long time, there will be a buzz about the Queen's Birthday Monday at the MCG. Melbourne likely won't beat Collingwood, but at last, there should be a contest worthy of the occasion.
AB: Absolutely no doubt about it. A one-year contract does wonders for the outlook for a coach and with Thompson there is none of the paranoia, mistruths and at times, thinly-veiled hostility that can be a feature of other post-match media conferences. With Thompson we in the media switch on our recorders, then sit back and enjoy the show.
AB: That's the $1 million question. I'm not sure the lowly Saints provided the best gauge of whether Cloke is back. If he is, given the depth and quality of the Magpie midfield, then the Pies are shaping as top-four material. Paul Roos will challenge him next Monday with Melbourne's new defensive set-up and two weeks after that, he shapes to match-up on Hawthorn's Brian Lake. Let's revisit the question then.
AB: Momentum for Thursday night footy is growing. The turnout in Sydney was outstanding and the figure of 37,355 was the largest at the SCG since that epic semi-final in 2005, also against the Cats. The peak combined TV audience on Channen Seven, 7mate and Fox Footy was a bit more than 1.3 million. People are ready for footy by Thursday night; it's a key part of the enduring success of The Footy Show. From a fixturing perspective, Thursdays throws up some challenges but around the bye weeks, Easter and the school holidays, there will be opportunities. When talks heat up ahead of the new TV rights agreement, Thursday night football will be squarely on the agenda.
For those of you keeping score, Sam Mitchell, Brian Lake, Josh Gibson, Cyril Rioli and Ben McEvoy were the others, in addition to Lewis, Stratton and Hale who were missing from the side when the Giants were surging late in the game.
With key absences across every line, the Hawks are probably at breaking point should they lose any more top-liners, which added to the belief in the rooms that even with a margin of just seven points, this was a better win than they will probably be given credit for.
"It showed the strength of our club," said veteran midfielder Brad Sewell. "The head coach goes down indefinitely but fortunately, through good management there was a seamless transition and we had someone who could step into those shoes."
"And they're the same size shoes as well," he added with a laugh, referring to the diminutive Bolton who, like Clarkson, could probably ride track work at Caulfield for a living if he wasn't a footy coach.
Walker the wildcard
All is well in Adelaide once more. Big Tex is back.
It took three weeks for the power forward – and the most popular man in Adelaide - to find his feet again but he was dominant on Sunday at Adelaide Oval with 22 possessions, 10 marks and five goals in the 32-point win over Gold Coast.
Josh Jenkins (two goals) and James Podsiadly (one) were also good for the Crows, who with that trio starting to combine well and the dazzling Eddie Betts (two goals) perhaps now have the weapons at their disposal to make some sort of assault on the eight.
WATCH: Tex terrorises the Suns
This was a blown opportunity for Gold Coast. A win over the Crows and the Suns would have been a game clear in second place. Now they're in a fight and have the Sydney Swans, West Coast, Geelong, Hawthorn and Collingwood to come.They'll need their skipper at the best for those games. It was almost impossible for Gary Ablett to play at such a level for pretty much half the season and his last fortnight has been that bit more quiet for the great man. He had 25 possessions on Sunday, good for most midfielders, but a touch unders for him.
He goes up against the midfield maestros from the Swans next Sunday. It should be compulsive viewing.
QUESTION TIME
Are North the new road warriors?
North Melbourne stewed all summer on the corresponding game against West Coast last year when Nic Naitanui came seemingly from the top level of the three-tiered stand at Patersons Stadium to take a huge mark and kick the match-winning goal after the siren. Fast forward 12 months and the Kangaroos have turned Subiaco into their field of dreams, with wins over both Fremantle and West Coast. Add to that their win over the Sydney Swans at the SCG and this is a team for whom the road holds no fear. And, just quietly, the Kangaroos are the only team to beat Port Adelaide so far this year. With just two games left against teams currently in the top eight, the top four beckons if this rich vein of form continues.Is the final eight set?
Could be. The Kangas are now entrenched in the eight, a game clear of Adelaide and Essendon, with the Eagles and the Blues a win further back. Carlton defender Michael Jamison cut to the chase on Sunday after the loss to the Lions, telling Channel Nine: "To lose that one, honestly it probably just shows where we're at as a club. I don't think we've earned the right to think about things in the long term (like finals)."
Adelaide and Essendon need to overcome their inconsistency in order to challenge for the finals, but West Coast is the major disappointment. The Eagles fell just short last week against Collingwood in a reasonable effort but were just woeful against the Kangaroos in a game they had to win to stay in touch with the eight. If not for Matt Priddis kicking a goal after the siren, the Eagles were headed to their lowest ever score on their home deck.
The money shot on Fox Footy was of a befuddled coach Adam Simpson with his head buried in his hands. Simpson would have hated losing to the club he played 307 games for and captained with distinction. And he has five days including a trip to Launceston to prepare to face his other former club, Hawthorn, where he was a key assistant for the past four years.
Is it fair to scapegoat Jarrad Waite?
Yep. Giving away that 50m penalty to Tom Rockliff in the last few minutes gifted the Lions a lead they might not have been good enough to secure on their own. There was great TV footage of Carlton coach Mick Malthouse asking in the box "Was that Waite?" as the 50m penalty was paid. Who else was capable of such a brain fade? Though Malthouse denied Waite should be singled out, I'm not sure he should be part of Carlton's thinking for much longer if that's what he delivers in crunch time. Veterans have to be better than that.
WATCH the last two minutes of Saturday’s Gabba thriller
@afl_hashbrowne is @rockwiz38 the best mid in the league? Yes...plays for southern team the press would be all over him #afterthesiren
— T.O (@terryowen4) May 31, 2014
Ashley Browne: Gee, the Brissy fans are up and about after their second win for the year. I love Tom Rockliff. Love his pluck, his courage and his obvious passion for the jumper. He is the barometer for the Brisbane Lions and he clearly is an elite midfielder, but at the same time, I'd have Ablett, Jobe Watson, Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Dayne Beams, Josh Kennedy, Trent Cotchin, Patrick Dangerfield and Sam Mitchell ahead of him in my midfield rankings.
@afl_hashbrowne Was Alice Springs a good experiment? #afterthesiren
— Z_H (@HevZac) May 31, 2014
AB: Absolutely, for so many reasons. The images out of Alice Springs, with the MacDonnell Ranges in the background and the symbolism of playing this game on this particular weekend with hundreds of indigenous faces in the crowd. And then there is Melbourne's growing partnership with the Northern Territory, which colleague Peter Ryan says is reaping its reward judging from the number of red and blue jumpers spotted in the streets on the morning of the game. And finally, they saw a good game. They'll be back next year for sure. So for a number of reasons this was a most worthwhile experiment and long may it continue.
@afl_hashbrowne Confidence, teamwork, better blend of youth and experience, self belief, clear game plan. In summary: Roos! #afterthesiren
— Adam Fahey (@DemonPatch) May 31, 2014
AB: Not sure I can remember a team so universally lauded in defeat as Melbourne on Saturday. The Demons were in it against Port until late in the game and a shout-out to Melbourne supporters after the game about the differences between this year and those past kept coming back to one person – coach Paul Roos. It is great to see Melbourne supporters upbeat about footy once more and for the first time in a long time, there will be a buzz about the Queen's Birthday Monday at the MCG. Melbourne likely won't beat Collingwood, but at last, there should be a contest worthy of the occasion.
@afl_hashbrowne Is Mark Thompson journalist's favourite coach to interview. Funniest press conferences hands down #afterthesiren
— Z_H (@HevZac) May 31, 2014
AB: Absolutely no doubt about it. A one-year contract does wonders for the outlook for a coach and with Thompson there is none of the paranoia, mistruths and at times, thinly-veiled hostility that can be a feature of other post-match media conferences. With Thompson we in the media switch on our recorders, then sit back and enjoy the show.
@afl_hashbrowne #afterthesiren after tonight's performance, has Travis Cloke worked his way back into form?
— Luke Sicari (@lukesicari) May 30, 2014
AB: That's the $1 million question. I'm not sure the lowly Saints provided the best gauge of whether Cloke is back. If he is, given the depth and quality of the Magpie midfield, then the Pies are shaping as top-four material. Paul Roos will challenge him next Monday with Melbourne's new defensive set-up and two weeks after that, he shapes to match-up on Hawthorn's Brian Lake. Let's revisit the question then.
WATCH: Friday night showreel - Travis Cloke
AB: Nick Riewoldt would have taken comfort that at Collingwood, the likes of Pendlebury, Beams, Swan and Sidebottom would be able to put the ball on his chest rather than a foot over his head or down below his ankles. Interesting to see a discussion on Fox Footy on Friday night whether the Saints should have gone even harder last October and traded out one of Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna in addition to Ben McEvoy and last year, Brendon Goddard. All things considered, I believe Riewoldt needs to finish his career with the Saints, but I did argue last year that Montagna should have been traded for what would have been a fourth first-round pick.@afl_hashbrowne Wonder if Riewoldt wonders what may have been if he took Eds phone call seriously? #afterthesiren
— Just another SMO (@breenos) May 30, 2014
@AFL @afl_hashbrowne loving Thursday night footy! AFL should make it regular for feature rounds like this week. #afterthesiren
— Emily S (@EmSnedz89) May 29, 2014
AB: Momentum for Thursday night footy is growing. The turnout in Sydney was outstanding and the figure of 37,355 was the largest at the SCG since that epic semi-final in 2005, also against the Cats. The peak combined TV audience on Channen Seven, 7mate and Fox Footy was a bit more than 1.3 million. People are ready for footy by Thursday night; it's a key part of the enduring success of The Footy Show. From a fixturing perspective, Thursdays throws up some challenges but around the bye weeks, Easter and the school holidays, there will be opportunities. When talks heat up ahead of the new TV rights agreement, Thursday night football will be squarely on the agenda.
WATCH: Buddy, Kurt, Goodes feast on Cats
Twitter: @afl_hashbrowne
