Nick Dal Santo hasn’t been the only one given a bit of treatment down at Moorabbin this week in the wake of the club’s fadeout against the Doggies last week.
Teammate Robert Harvey, among others, has also copped plenty of heat but it’ll be interesting to watch how the St Kilda ballwinner goes about it against the Cats.
Will Ross Lyon throw him into the thick of the action against the competition’s best midfield and, if so, how will he respond? Especially if he finds one C. Ling running beside him for the afternoon.
This weekend should tell us … Just where Port Adelaide is at
Lose this one, and the Power’s premiership hopes take a severe beating.
Sure, it’s only round four but history tells us not many teams come from the bottom half of the eight to go all the way. If the Power goes 0-4 then they’ll struggle to make the eight, let alone the top four.
They’ve had a tough draw to start the season (and face West Coast and St Kilda in rounds five and six) but if they are the genuine article they’ll beat the Lions.
Due to fire … The smiling assassin
Not having a crack here, because the Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson’s form hasn’t been bad at all.
The fact he’s booted “only” eight goals in his team’s undefeated start to the season is a massive plus for Rodney Eade.
But you feel it’s only a matter of time before Johnno cuts loose. Perfect conditions under the roof at the Dome – coupled with the fact he’s booted five against the Dons the past two times the teams have met – might well provide the ideal setting for the Bulldogs’ leader to get back to his brilliant best.
Will he or won’t he?
Dean Cox has been named in the Eagles’ line-up and they’ll be desperate for the big man to come up. Scans earlier in the week cleared the ruckman of any major foot damage following a friendly fire incident with teammate David Wirrpanda, but he’ll still be a game-time decision. There aren’t too many players around the league who are more important to their team’s fortunes at the moment and with the Swans always presenting a tough challenge, you’d think Cox will just have to be there if West Coast are to have a chance.
The roughie with a show is … Brisbane
Despite a 1-2 start, the Brisbane Lions have shown signs they won’t be too far off the pace this year. Their record against the Power isn’t too bad and they also don’t mind AAMI Stadium. These two teams have only met once in each of the past two seasons. Last year, at the Gabba, the Power won in a close one but the year before the Lions stormed to a 69-point win in front of the Port Adelaide faithful. The Power boys threw everything at Adelaide (including the kitchen sink) and still came up short, so any Showdown hangover will play right into the hands of the visitors.
Milestones
Scott Burns heads the list of milestones this weekend, with the Magpies’ skipper set to play his 250th AFL match when he turns out for Collingwood against Carlton at the MCG on Sunday. The fan favourite becomes the 11th player in club history to reach the mark, joining Pie greats such as Tony Shaw, Gordon Coventry, Nathan Buckley and Lou Richards in achieving the feat.
In other milestone news, Fremantle’s Des Headland ticks over 150 games on Sunday, Hawk duo Chance Bateman and Campbell Brown crack the ton in Tasmania with Daniel Merrett (Brisbane), and Jason Winderlich (Essendon), Leigh Fisher (St Kilda), Jordan Bannister (Carlton) and Ted Richards (Sydney) are all set to play their 50th matches.
Umpire Scott McLaren will officiate in his 300th AFL match on Friday night at Telstra Dome which is also his birthday. Well done, Scotty!
It’s crunch time for … Melbourne
Anchored to the bottom of the ladder with a paltry 46.4 per cent, the Demons simply must defeat the Kangaroos at the MCG on Saturday. Not many commentators missed the Dees in their horrid first two weeks of the season, but the guns were quieted somewhat after winning back a little lost respect in their fighting loss to Geelong. With that little bit of confidence restored Dean Bailey’s beleaguered players must now show that the first two weeks were an aberration and that not all is lost.
The duel … Steven King v Mark Blake and the Cats
Ruck is the only position Cats’ fans have reason to feel any sort of angst over in their talent-laden side, with Brad Ottens’ absence leaving the Geelong tall timber looking a little inexperienced.
Chosen ahead of Mark Blake for the Grand Final, but discarded as the long-term answer, Steven King will have mixed feelings about lining up against his old side. Blake will definitely be keen to put his best foot forward and show what he could have done on the big day.
Blake is doing quite nicely and had 28 hit-outs against the Demons last week, while King has been a godsend for the ruck-challenged Saints, so these two facing off across the centre circle should be a prelude to an enthralling duel.
Possible banner of the week
Our spies at MC Labour Park saw the Carlton cheer squad getting to work on their banner ahead of Sunday’s clash with Collingwood. We couldn’t be sure but we thought we saw:
Murphy, Gibbs, Kreuzer and Juddy,
Inside they make us all warm and gooey,
But guys, don’t stop this streak just yet,
There’s a guy by the name of Naitanui.
Our Dream Team special of the week … Andrew McLeod
Since 2000, Andrew McLeod has averaged more than 25 disposals in home and away matches against Hawthorn. Last year, in round 14 at AAMI Stadium, McLeod carved up the Hawks as he gathered 39 possessions and accumulated 125 Dream Team points.
Expect him to get a lot more attention – as he did in last year’s elimination final – on Sunday in Tassie. But still, his record against the Hawks speaks for itself.
Also, it’s your last week to get on Rhys Palmer at a bargain basement price as the Fremantle young gun will play his third game on the weekend with his value set to sky rocket on Monday after a blistering start to his career.
