WITH 'big, bad, bustling' Barry Hall playing his last AFL game on Saturday, respected commentator Tim Lane's thoughts turned to another wayward forward, Brendan Fevola.
After leaving the Sydney Swans in less than ideal circumstances and receiving another chance with the Western Bulldogs, Lane wrote in the Sunday Age: "yesterday Hall was a hero".
"Fevola, meanwhile, is yesterday's hero in a figurative sense. Like big Barry, he has kicked hundreds of goals over the journey. His game average of just above three is better than Hall's and, among current AFL players, is matched only by that of Lance Franklin."
Lane makes several comparisons between these so-called 'bad boys' of football, but is mystified as to why Hall's anger has been largely forgiven whereas Fevola's "buffoonery" has made him an outcast.
"Fevola is persona non grata. Carlton and the Brisbane Lions both sacked him, and his repeated off-field sins - relatively minor as they were - haven't been forgiven. Punching heads, it seems, is more forgivable than being a nuisance to your club and a burden to the game's reputation for off-field reliability."
He concludes: "This is a tale of two spearheads who have known the best of times and the worst of times.
"There have been seasons of light, seasons of darkness; autumns of hope, winters of despair... It's a classic tale. Hopefully there is one last chapter."
Jeff speaks
Former Hawthorn captain Shane Crawford and Sunday Herald Sun football writer Glenn McFarlane conduct a Q&A interview with outgoing Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett.
Kennett is asked about his relationship with Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson, who recently signed a new deal with the club after speculation he was being chased by Melbourne and Adelaide.
McFarlane asks Kennett how he gets on with Clarkson.
Kennett replies: "I think privately much better than most people would think publicly. Clarko has some wonderful personal values.... But he can be a tough individual.
"That is all a part of his white-line approach. That is the quality of a person and how you bring strengths and weaknesses together, and from that combination of ingredients pops out a beautiful orchid."
Kennett is also asked about putting Clarkson's contract talks on hold until the end of the season and McFarlane suggests the club was being "pigheaded in not appointing Alastair sooner".
"Hang on, it is never Jeff Kennett, it is the board," Kennett says.
"That was good governance. We discussed it with Clarko because we had a contract in place. He knew what the process was and it has worked out well... We have gone through a process that, in our opinion, he is either the best or the second-best in the game, and we think he is the best."
Collingwood cracked... or taking it easy?
The Sunday journalists were wondering about the Magpies and their state of mind after that shock loss to Geelong on Friday night.
The Sunday Age's Jake Niall discusses resting players versus resting them "during a game", which is what he decided Collingwood did.
He believes: "Hawthorn's decision to pull out eight men for [its game against Gold Coast] is a sounder method for negotiating a pre-finals dead rubber than the way the Collingwood players treated Friday night's mockbuster against the Cats."
He believes "the Pies took a rest, dropping their intensity to sub-Port Adelaide levels" and "their bruise-free mindset didn't prevent bruising".
In the game Chris Tarrant, Ben Johnson and Travis Cloke were all injured.
Niall writes: "In junior footy, we were told that 'if you go in hard you won't get hurt'.
"The safest course of action if you wish to avoid injuries is to remove your better players from harm's way. Hawthorn's approach, thus, is entirely logical and sensible and will become more prevalent as clubs make increasingly rational decisions.
"Collingwood's lack of intensity might not have been intentional - it could be quasi-subconscious on the part of the players. I doubt the coaches encouraged it, even though Mick Malthouse's teams have a history of putting the cue in the rack for dead rubbers and then performing in finals."
McFarlane also joins the debate and concludes: "The Magpies clearly are still the team to beat for the flag, but as a disappointed Luke Ball conceded in the rooms after the game, the club needs to put the loss behind them as quickly as possible, and rediscover the press, forward pressure, and surity in defence - things in short supply on Friday night."
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
