#afl 2015

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Goodes booed again - out of order?

In what was a chilly night on the Gold Coast, the Swans managed to secure second spot on the AFL ladder after their 52-point victory over the brave Suns.

However, the main story of the night was the inappropriate booing of two-time Brownlow Medalist Adam Goodes. But in typical ‘Goodsey’ fashion, he silenced the jeers with an impressive 17 disposal game, notching up one goal and six marks as well. Has this silenced his critics or is there more booing on the horizon?

The Swans were on top from the get go, with their first goal coming from non other than ‘Buddy’ Franklin. This type of dominance forced the Swans to a 44-point lead at the half. However, to the credit of the Suns, they managed to fight their way back into the game, and lost the second half by a mere eight points. This poor second half by the Swans saw coach John Longmire openly disappointed with his boys’ performance. Suns coach Rodney Eade applauded the Suns’ performance in the second half, referring to it as ‘terrific’.

Swans gun Dan Hannebery again showed why he is amongst favourites for the Brownlow Medal, racking up 42-touches for the game. As for the Suns, Kade Kolodjashnij stood up with 27 touches and eight marks. The debutant Peter Wright showed some promise kicking 1.1 in his very first game of AFL football against a tough Sydney Swans outfit.

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The Suns’ injury list grew even further on Saturday night, with Steven May coming off in the third quarter with what appeared to be a groin injury. This sees the Suns’ injury list move into the double-digits including Charlie Dixon’s in-club suspension. The Suns still await the return of superstar Gary Ablett from a serious shoulder injury that has seen the gun miss several weeks of footy. As for the Swans, their injury list appears to be quite small, with the only player to take note of is Ben McGlynn.

The big Canadian Myke Pyke played well in his 100th game and has proven himself to be arguably one of the competitions best ruckman. Averaging 35 hit-outs per game, the Swans ‘experiment’ with the rugby star definitely paid off. Who would have thought that when Pyke first came to Sydney that he would play 100 games for the Swans, but he proved all critics wrong and had a great game on Saturday night.

The Swans have a difficult month of footy ahead of them taking on tough teams such as North Melbourne, Richmond and Port. All of these games the Swans can win, but they will need to continue this good momentum coming in and off the bye. As for Gold Coast, they take on Fremantle, Carlton and North Melbourne in the coming month. Although tough, Rodney Eade needs to begin preparing the boys for the Blues, which may be a winnable match for the struggling Suns outfit.

What are your thoughts on the booing? Is it in the spirit of the game? Let us know your views in the comments below or on twitter @sports_banter.

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Gutsy Saints Out-Muscled by Crows

On a sunny afternoon at Adelaide, the home crowd went home happy after a 46-point win over the Saints.

In what was an injury riddled game, both sides will walk away from this game with some selection headaches after loosing some key players. St Kilda lost skipper Nick Riewoldt late in the first after a heavy head collision K.O’d the big man. Along with Nick, gun Jack Lonie was also at the receiving end of a concussion late in the fist quarter. As for the Crows, not long afetr the Riewoldt head knock, Brodie Smith was also subbed off due to concussion. But the big story to come of of the day was Matthew Jaensch who was forced to be stretchered off the field with a serious looking knee injury.

However, spectacular footy from both sides resulted in a great afternoon at the footy. Early on in the match, it was St Kilda with all the answers, kicking the first three goals of the day. It was clear Adelaide were not going to back down, evening the scores at the end of the first term. From then on, it was a one sided match. Some great individual efforts from Eddie Betts (six goals) and Scott Thompson (35 touches) helped the Crows to victory. However, for the Saints it was emerging star Josh Bruce (five goals) and ball-magnet David Armitage (31 touches) who were among the best.

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The roar of the Adelaide crowd again proved that Adelaide Oval has become a fortress that not many people can break. The Saints did have there chance on many occasions, but according to coach Alan Richardson: the Saints didn’t seize their chances. This can be seen on the scoreboard, kicking ten goals, 13 behinds for the match. This inaccuracy is not helped by the loss of Riewoldt early on. The Crows were also controlling the midfield, finishing with 28 center clearances to 19. This was not aided by the late withdrawal of Leigh Montagna for the Saints.

Adelaide have further helped there push for finals contention this year, which would make it the first time since that heartbreaking 5-point preliminary final loss against the Hawks. Sitting in the top 4 come round 8 this AFL season, there is no reason they cannot make another genuine premiership push. As for the Saints, they still have a long way to go. Despite a spirited win against the Bulldogs last week, quite a few changes are required before they can even sniff another finals series.

According to Adelaide coach Phil Walsh, the upcoming month will help determine if Adelaide are genuine finals contenders. The in-form Giants will prove a challenge for the Crows at Spotless Stadium, and ‘top of the ladder’ Fremantle the week after. Although tough, there is no reason the Crows cannot walk away with two wins in the next two weeks. The Saints also have a difficult month ahead of them, with teams such as the Eagles and Hawks ready to pounce on the vulnerable St Kilda side. All that is for certain at the moment is: anything can happen!!

ADELAIDE     3.3    9.3    15.6    18.13 (119) ST KILDA      3.3    5.8    7.12    10.13 (73)

GOALS

Adelaide: Betts 6, Lynch 3, Cameron 3, Walker 3, Grigg 2, Dangerfield 2 St Kilda: Bruce 5, Newnes, Hickey, Steven, Shenton, Savage

BEST

Adelaide: Betts, Lynch, Thompson, Cameron, Walker, Laird St Kilda: Bruce, Armitage, Steven, Newnes, Dempster, Billings

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The Lone Ruckman - Take a Moment to Honour an AFL Colossus

This week we celebrate the career of an AFL great, a man who at multiple clubs brought joy to supporters and yet has polarised members of the media and footy fans alike. A figure whose name is known by the great masses, yet when the roar of the crowd subsides and the lights of the arenas are dimmed what do we really know about this flawed genius? Rather than focus on his faults, let us as disciples of the great game of Aussie Rules stand as one and thank the footy gods that we were able to enjoy Colin Sylvia for as long as we did. And what a better time than this weekend where the Dockers and the Dees, the two sides who were lucky enough to have the “Coltrain” represent them, let’s hope each year they can play for the Sylvia medal.

Some unsavoury incidents involving the general public and an AFL coach and Brownlow medallist. What has society come to when you can’t drink your own weight in alcohol, harass, abuse and enter a perfect stranger’s personal space while a mate records it on his phone without copping an abrupt shove? Can’t your average everyday moron take illicit substances and challenge an AFL player to a fight when they are provocatively attempting to eat lunch?

Also this week Mick Malthouse celebrates his own piece of history by becoming number one on the list of games coached at VFL/AFL level. One of coaching’s elite, Malthouse steered the Bulldogs to the finals, won premierships at the Eagles and Magpies and is currently waiting for Bruce Mathieson to tell Carlton when when he will be sacked.

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My fondest memories of Malthouse are as a 24 year old when I sent around a video of my dominating performances to the then 16 AFL coaches in a hope of being drafted as a mature recruit. As the weeks went by I became more and more despondent and disillusioned that I had received no feedback at all, seemingly crushing my dream of playing in the big time. Then I received a lovely hand written letter from Mick himself letting me know I was unsuccessful this time around, because of his old school cursive style and superior vocabulary I was unable to fully understand most of the letter, although the words recalcitrant, maladroit and dullard were mentioned more than once. He signed off his letter to me with “never give up” although the word never was missing, I laminated it and it is proudly blue tacked on the back of my toilet door, where I come to expel the refuse of both the mind and body.

Carlton got their first win of the season over the Saints at one of Aussie Rules traditional strongholds in New Zealand, as an early Australian ad made famous the saying “football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars”, in the land of the long white cloud they had their own jingle. “Football, fush and chups, permissive sheep and Massey Ferguson tractors”. The atmosphere at the ground was electric for the dozen or so people who were coerced in to entering the ground, when they realised that Dave Dobbyn would not be performing they were initially angry but as the game went on they were only mildly annoyed, one attendee was even overheard saying it was slightly better than being sodomised with a rusty pipe.

Melbourne had a great win last week, moving the ball quickly and being able to overcome adversity. Kent was subbed off early with a hamstring injury, Jetta left the ground for an extended period with a concussion test and Jack Watts.

The Tigers meanwhile have turned back the clock and have started to debate if Damian Hardwick is the right man to lead the Tigers, Richmond faithful believe that they need to look within and appoint a Richmond person, the jungle drums are beating and I’m hearing the name Adam Fiora.

In the first quarter at Adelaide Oval Hawthorn were made to look as impotent as Barney the dinosaur who was castrated in a boating accident. Port made the footy seem like an unattainable woman for the Hawks, however much they tried, they couldn’t get their hands on it. If this trend had of continued throughout the game it would have become embarrassing, in a similar vein to the one way man crush by pommy MKR contestants Will and Steve. It can become uncomfortable viewing watching Will looking adoringly at Steve, berating himself for “letting Steve down” and making a casual hug weirdly intense.

Crowd numbers at Geelong home games are down compared to their glory years just past, it seems fans are less likely to endure freezing cold winds and sleeting rain when they are not pummelling sides each week by 10 goals or more. Geelong officials have suggested reducing the time of quarters and divide the league into conferences where they will be grouped with whoever is in the bottom 4.

Crows coach Phil Walsh decided to punish his team for a lacklustre display with an early morning dip in the ocean, Walsh himself donned the budgie smugglers which should be a deterrent in itself. There’s something unsettling about a fit middle aged bloke a little too pleased with his physique, they fill coffee shops around the country, their cleats clipping along in unison with the shooshing of their body hugging Lycra. Somehow looking like sporty spice in a transvestite tribute band and voluntarily using a form of transport favoured by children becomes popular once getting up before dawn and talking loudly is enjoyable.

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AFL Round 3 Preview - Sydney v GWS

Sydney v GWS

SCG, Saturday April 18, 4.35pm AEST

In what is the most anticipated “Battle of the bridge” in it’s short history, both teams will be looking to make it three in a row.

After both teams were disappointing despite winning in round one, they can be pleased in the way they responded.

The Swans were far too good for Port Adelaide winning by 48 points while the Giants overcame a slow start to win by 47 points over the Demons.

Lance Franklin looms as the big danger for the Giants. Franklin has been good without being spectacular in the opening rounds, but a player like Buddy is never quiet for long. The man likely for the task is Giants Co-Captain Phil Davis, but will need support from fellow defenders Joel Patfull and youngster Aidan Corr.

Patfull will also have his hands full with Swans big man Kurt Tippett, who finally looks like delivering on his hefty price tag.

The Giants will like their chances of matching the Swans for depth in the midfield. Dylan Shiel could easily have six Brownlow Medal votes this season and is a hard match up for any team.

Ryan Griffen has so far failed to live up to his high standards, and the Swans would be wary of this. Players like Griffen are rarely held in check for this long, so expect a big game from him.

The luxury for the Giants is the ability to spread the load through the midfield. Callan Ward, Adam Treloar, Lachie Whitfield, Josh Kelly and Steven Coniglio are all more than capable of dominating in the middle.

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If one team is able to match the Giants for depth around the stoppages, it is the Swans. Having recovered from a serious head knock in round one, Luke Parker had another 30+ possession game against the Power. Assisting Parker in the centre is Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery, Captain Kieran Jack and the first year surprise packet Isaac Heeney.

The most intriguing contest for the match will be Shane Mumford and Mike Pyke in the ruck. Mumford will be coming up against his old side and will be eager to show them what they let go. Forced out of the Swans due to a tight salary cap after signing both Tippett and Franklin, Mumford has been instrumental in the Giants rise. Pyke will have his hands full with the superior strength of Mumford, and will be hoping for the help from Tippett.

Coming off his 200th match last week, Ted Richards will have no easy task when he takes on Giants star forward, Jeremy Cameron. Well held last week by Tom McDonald, Cameron will be looking to hit the scoreboard early against the Swans. Richards will be able to count on support from fellow hackman Heath Grundy, an excellent spare defender.

In a shock move, the Swans will be without champion player, Adam Goodes. The 353 game veteran requested to be sent back to the reserves in order to get a full game of match practice.

Watch out for: Sam Reid. With young Giants key position player Adam Tomlinson being ruled out for 12 weeks with a broken toe, the Giants will be stretched for height this week. Reid has been forgettable for some time now, but if it was ever going to happen for him, this is the week.

Don’t hold your breath: Don’t expect the Swans to allow Dylan Shiel to run around un-opposed. Shiel has been dominant for the first two weeks of the season, and the Swans will make sure that he is no the one to beat them.

Prediction: Swans by 30 points.

#BANTER

Can the Giants start 3-0 for the first time in their history?

Will the Giants be able to contain Buddy?

Can the Swans match Shane Mumford in the ruck?

Teams

SWANS

B: N.Smith, T.Richards, R.Shaw

HB: J.McVeigh, H.Grundy, D.Rampe

C: C.Bird, JP.Kennedy, D.Hannebery

HF: L.Jetta, L.Franklin, H.Cunningham

F: I.Heeney, K.Tippett, S.Reid

Foll: M.Pyke, L.Parker, K.Jack

Inter: J.Lloyd, D.Towers, J.Laidler, G.Rohan

Emer: G.Hewett, B.McGlynn, S.Naismith

In: H.Cunningham

Out: A.Goodes

GIANTS

B: N.Smith, T.Richards, R.Shaw

HB: J.McVeigh, H.Grundy, D.Rampe

C: C.Bird, JP.Kennedy, D.Hannebery

HF: L.Jetta, L.Franklin, H.Cunningham

F: I.Heeney, K.Tippett, S.Reid

Foll: M.Pyke, L.Parker, K.Jack

Inter: J.Lloyd, D.Towers, J.Laidler, G.Rohan

Emer: G.Hewett, B.McGlynn, S.Naismith

In: A.Phillips

Out: A.Tomlinson (toe)

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AFL Round 2 Preview – Collingwood v Adelaide

Collingwood v Adelaide

Etihad Stadium, Saturday 11 April, 4.35pm

After facile romps in round 1, both Collingwood and Adelaide should arrive at Etihad on Saturday afternoon full of confidence. The Pies reap the benefit of a 6 v 8 day break, albeit offset  somewhat via travelling to Brisbane; whereas the Crows barely broke sweat dispatching of a North Melbourne side that better resembled bananas in pyjamas.

Collingwood are a side we position as “professional”. What they lack in class, they make up for with a solid, if not spectacular game plan, ably supported by whatever off field advantage they can garner. In the season opener they effectively bashed the young Lions; dominating contested footy, and winning more so through guile than talent.

This time last year, CEO, Gary Pert commented that the Pies expected to win a flag by the end of 2016. Admittedly, they did draft well in the off-season, not to mention maintaining a smattering of reasonable kids, but a cursory glance through their 22 this week suggests Pert’s comments are those of a raving buffoon.

Club stalwarts Pendlebury and Swan remain in the guts, whilst Toovey and Brown marshal what appears a most inexperienced backline. Up front, we do like the nippy triumvirate of Fasolo, Blair and Elliot, but they’re hardly the types to put the fear of God into opponents.

In summary, try as they might down field, any side relying on a.) Jesse White to show up and b.) Travis Cloke to kick straight, are going to struggle to find the winning post.

As an aside, watching White inevitably fail should be an amusing sideshow for Crows fans, many of whom preferred to receive nothing, as opposed to White, as part of the Kurt Tippett draft farce.

With the anti-talismatic Frigg, Sanderson and Petrenko jettisoned, Adelaide commenced the Phil Walsh era by annihilating flag fancies, North Melbourne to the tune of 12 goals. Whilst the magnitude of the victory may have surprised some, those who have followed the Crows across the Sanderson era would have known that with a couple of small tweaks, it was eminently possible.

The Crows have never lacked skill; after all, this is a side that led Hawthorn deep into a Prelim back in 2012, the same season they beat Sydney at the SCG and Fremantle on no fewer than 3 occasions. Compare the fortunes of the 4 clubs since, and you’ll understand why for the past 2 years, Adelaide fans have been crying in their Nippy’s.

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Squad wise, the Crows host a third of the All Australian backline in Talia and Smith; up front, Walker and Betts provide as good a tall/small combo as any, whilst in the square, Jacobs, Dangerfield, Sloane and Douglas ooze class. Quite simply, they’ve underachieved for too long on the back of a coach and a game plan that was far too kind.

It remains early days, but Walsh looks to be well on the way in instilling into the Crows, the resolve seen across town at his former employer. Given they lost 5 matches by single figures in 2014, and still only just missed finals, it isn’t unfathomable that in an even competition, Adelaide, skill plus effort combined, could once again scale similar heights to 2012.

Watch out for: An Adelaide defence stocked full of more hard bodied types that a University “fresher” ball.

With the injection of Cheney and Ellis-Yolmen into the back half, Walsh has freed up one of the game’s best long kicks, Brodie Smith. Marauding down the wing, as he did in Rd 1 v the hapless Kangas, this move alone could see the Crows escalate deep into the top 8 in 2015.

Don’t hold your breath: For an exhilarating, free flowing, affair.

Whilst the Crows have always maintained a squad burgeoning with riches, the Walsh focus is on supplementing that with endeavour. In the same vein, the Pies were able to outwork a young, talented, Brisbane outfit in Round 1. Expect more of the same here, at least in the early stanzas, with plenty of hard won footy.

Prediction: The Crows comfortably won both instalments of this fixture in 2014 despite the insipidity of Sanderson; a trend we see continuing.

With Frontbottom and Beams missing from the Collingwood line up, Adelaide should be able to clamp down on the oft damaging Pendlebury and deny the Pies any ball movement of quality.

Adelaide showed a hitherto unseen fervour for the footy last week, something that’s been sorely lacking since the height of the Craig era. With guns all over the park, the South Australians should have too much for the professional yet limited Pies.

Adelaide by 30

#BANTER

Will Tex usurp Modra as S.A’s 2nd greatest sporting icon?

Why was Jared Petrenko ever handed the coveted #23 guernsey?

What are your own best memories of the Tunnel nightclub?

Teams

Collingwood

B: A.Toovey, N.Brown, B.Sinclair

HB: T.Langdon, J.Frost, J.Ramsay

C: T.Varcoe, D.Swan, J.Crisp

HF: J.Elliott, J.White, T.Broomhead

F: A.Fasolo, T.Cloke, J.Blair

Foll: B.Grundy, S.Pendlebury, T.Adams

Inter: T.Goldsack, M.Williams, P.Seedsman, A.Oxley

Adelaide

B: L.Brown, K.Hartigan, M.Jaensch

HB: B.Smith, D.Talia, K.Cheney

C: P.Dangerfield, R.Sloane, R.Henderson

HF: D.Mackay, T.Lynch, N.Van Berlo

F: J.Jenkins, T.Walker, E.Betts

Foll: S.Jacobs, M.Wright, R.Douglas

Inter: M.Grigg, C.Cameron, C.Ellis-Yolmen, R.Laird

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AFL Tips - Round 2

Some carnage in the opening week of AFL tipping, with no one picking all nine winners, or even eight of the nine. The best effort from the opening round came from Dan, who bagged seven right, only let down by the two Queensland sides.

This week sees some pretty clear cut picks across the board. All our tipsters have got North Melbourne to bounce (sorry) back from their thrashing to Adelaide with a win over Brisbane, while everyone thinks Gold Coast and their half-an-Ablett will grab four points against St. Kilda.

After their big win, most would have thought Adelaide would be a unanimous pick this week, and they almost were, with all bar one tipster picking them to knock off Collingwood. That tipster – Mads – is also the only one to pick Essendon to beat Hawthorn. Clearly she needs a point of difference to climb the ladder, after only scoring three correct tips in round one.

Round one winners Melbourne and Sydney aren’t getting too much love, with the majority tipping they’ll lose to GWS and Port Adelaide respectively. Harsh but fair?

Another one to keep an eye on is the Geelong Fremantle matchup. The Cats were thrashed on Easter Monday, but return home to face the Dockers with only seven tipsters thinking the Catters will nab their first win of 2015.

Round two tips

Dan – 7 West Coast Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Max – 7 West Coast Western Bulldogs GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Geelong Hawthorn North Melbourne

Zac S – 6 West Coast Richmond Melbourne Adelaide Gold Coast Sydney Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Alex D – 5 West Coast Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Dylan M – 5 Carlton Western Bulldogs Melbourne Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Ethan – 5 West Coast Richmond Melbourne Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Geelong Hawthorn North Melbourne

Jordan – 5 West Coast Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Sydney Geelong Hawthorn North Melbourne

Lockie – 5 West Coast Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Sydney Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Michael – 5 West Coast Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Robbo – 5 TBA

Zack D – 5 Carlton Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Alex M – 4 West Coast Richmond Melbourne Adelaide Gold Coast Sydney Geelong Hawthorn North Melbourne

Dylan P – 4 Carlton Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Sydney Geelong Hawthorn North Melbourne

Julian – 4 Carlton Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Lewis – 4 West Coast Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Fremantle Hawthorn North Melbourne

Sam – 4 West Coast Richmond GWS Adelaide Gold Coast Port Adelaide Geelong Hawthorn North Melbourne

Mads – 3 West Coast Richmond GWS Collingwood Gold Coast Port Adelaide Geelong Essendon North Melbourne

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AFL Round 2 Preview - GWS Giants v Melbourne

GWS Giants vs Melbourne

StarTrack Oval, Canberra, Saturday 11 April, 2:10pm AEST

The talk around these two sides couldn’t be any different heading into this round two match up.

Melbourne are coming off a season-launching win over the highly fancied Gold Coast, and in the process grabbing their first opening-round win since 2005. GWS, meanwhile, were less than convincing in their win against a depleted St Kilda, winning by just nine points.

It was Melbourne who captured the imagination of all football supporters last week, scoring more than 100 points in a match for the first time since round 14 of 2013.

After years of disfunction both on and off the field it seems that things are finally falling into place for the Demons. Failed recruiting efforts of such names as Shannon Byrnes, David Rodan, Tom Gillies and James Sellar seem to be a thing of the past. In last weeks side the Demons had five players recruited from other clubs, all of which had some impact on the result.

It wasn’t just the recycled players influencing the game. It is a well told joke about Melbourne’s recruiting disasters in the past, but debutants Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan and Aaron Vandenberg were also prominent in the win.

GWS would not have been happy with their performance from last week. Much had been made about their recruitment over the offseason, in particular Ryan Griffen and Joel Patfull. Those two players were seen to add much needed leadership to aid the young talent already on the Giants list.

Griffen was held to a disappointing 15 disposals, a far cry from his lofty standards.

It was a case of the usual suspects carrying the Giants midfield. Adam Treloar, who is already on the radar of all Victorian clubs, was great with 32 possessions and a goal. Former number one overall pick Lachie Whitfield was also a standout with 31 possessions and a goal. Dylan Shiel was voted best by the coaches and will be one for the Melbourne midfielders to shut down.

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What is most exciting about this match is the battle of the two key forwards, Jesse Hogan and Jeremey Cameron. The whole football world is aware of what Cameron is capable of, and he looks to be fit and ready to fire after an injury interrupted 2014. Demons fans have been waiting to get a look at Hogan for two years now, and he did not let them down. Scoring a perfect 10 from the coaches last week, Melbourne’s Tom McDonald will have the task of minding Cameron. While for the GWS, Patfull will most likely be matched up on Hogan.

Adding to the Demon’s depth are the inclusions of Bernie Vince and Chris Dawes. These two will provide bigger, more mature bodies around the contest for the Demons.

A match up between these two sides always has more meaning, dating back to the Giants first year in the competition. Their marquee recruit was former Demon and first overall pick Tom Scully. Not to be outdone, Melbourne was able to recruit Dom Tyson back to Melbourne from GWS. It is fair to say Melbourne have won that exchange.

Watch out for: Chris Dawes. With Hogan proving that he is capable of playing a key forward role, it will be up to Dawes to support. Dawes is known for his running, and will need to be able to drag defenders away from Hogan to create one on one contests for the younster.

Don’t hold your breath: Ryan Griffen to be held to 15 possessions again. There is no doubting Griffen’s talent, and players of his calibre are not held down two weeks in a row. Expect him to get hold of the Melbourne midfielders, although he might have former teammate Daniel Cross for company.

Prediction: GWS by 2 Points.

#BANTER

Will Melbourne be able to score 100 points two weeks in a row?

Will Melbourne be able to stop Treloar, Shiel, Ward, Griffen and Whitfield?

Will GWS have a match-up for the dangerous Jeff Garlett?

Teams

GWS Giants

B: Heath Shaw, Phil Davis, Joel Patfull

HB: Nick Haynes, Aidan Corr, Rhys Palmer

C: Tomas Bugg, Callan Ward, Tom Scully

HF: Lachie Whitfield, Jeremy Cameron, Cam McCarthy

F: Adam Treloar, Adam Tomlinson, Josh Kelly

Fol: Shane Mumford, Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel

I/C: Toby Greene, Nathan Wilson, Devon Smith, Ryan Griffen

Melbourne

B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe

HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Christian Salem

C: Daniel Cross, Heritier Lumumba, Ben Newton

HF: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Jack Viney

F: Jeff Garlett, Chris Dawes, Jack Watts

Fol: Mark Jamar, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones

I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince, Aaron vandenBerg

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The Max Review Panel - AFL Round Two

Have you returned from the edge of your seat yet? Aside from the Crows and Hawks demolition of their respective opponents, Round One delivered seven seesawing clashes for us all to indulge in on our Easter long weekends. If you ended up anywhere near picking a perfect nine from nine winners, I tip my hat to you. If you can do it again this weekend, I may have to personally give you said hat because it certainly doesn’t get easier to make any predictions for Round Two. Unfortunately an article titled “I have no idea about anything – Round Two edition” doesn’t quite cut it so let’s reach into the proverbial bag of uncertainty and see what predictions we can pull out for this weekend’s action.

West Coast v Carlton (Domain Stadium)

Another week, another severe injury to a key position player for West Coast. Poor Mitch Brown joined the long list of wounded Eagles and all of a sudden the fate of their backline rests in the fists of Will Schofield; current holder of the AFL’s best beard award. The good news for Eagles’ fans this week is that Carlton’s best tall forward is Liam Jones and he doesn’t usually need defensive pressure to fumble marks anyway. The Blues will be without Daisy Thomas who as far as I’m aware hasn’t been sighted in an AFL game since he left Collingwood two years ago so it shouldn’t be too hard to cover him. Back the West Coast midfield to get on top of this game and run over the Blues, but history suggests it should be a close encounter.

Richmond v Western Bulldogs (MCG)

Richmond kicked off 2015 with a win as they begin their traditional quest for another honourable 8th/9th position finish. This week they face a resurgent Bulldogs team who were led to a Round One victory by household names some guys named Lin Jong, Jason Johannisen and Mitch Wallis. This match should be a real litmus test for both teams. The Tigers need to take charge of these ‘winnable’ fixtures if they are to figure as a top eight side while the Dogs are looking to prove that “the kids” are no longer pushovers against stronger opposition. Look out for young guns on both sides to do the damage (for better or worse) and please look after any friends you have who support the losing side. After Round One wins, they are all very bullish that this could be their year but a loss here will see that trademark disappointment wash over their faces and they will clambering to say the words; “I can’t wait for cricket season to start” before the players have even left the field.

GWS v Melbourne (Startrack Oval)

Believe it or not, I can officially bill this match as a “top eight clash.” That’s right, two of the league’s powerhouse teams, both currently firmly entrenched in the finals race will do battle in a possible Grand Final preview this weekend in the modern day coliseum that is Startrack oval. Too much? Regardless, it is still an intriguing match-up. The Demons came out last weekend and whacked the Suns by putting up a score of more than 100 points for the first time in nearly two years! It is good of Paul Roos and the brains trust to implement kicking goals into the Melbourne game plan this year; they might find it beneficial in weeks to come. As for the Giants, they were fairly convincing without dominating St Kilda on the weekend. They’re still an unknown quantity for me with so much talent but equal amounts of inconsistency. Coming into a game like this, you feel as though GWS could either win by 10 goals or lose by 20 goals and have some joker like Dean Kent accumulate 50 touches. Everything is fair game in this match.

Collingwood v Adelaide (Etihad Stadium)

I told you. From memory it took Bruce McAvaney about two seconds from the time Patrick Dangerfield first came within 100m of the football to the inevitable “There will be some Geelong fans that are very pleased with this performance.” Heck, it even got a run at halftime of the Port Adelaide and Fremantle game. PLEASE STOP. Let’s not dwell on that however because the Crows were amazing against North. The pressure, ball movement and dominance of Tex Walker led to every Adelaide fan clearing their schedules for Grand Final weekend after two quarters of the first match in the season. You could almost forgive them though, they did look menacing. This week they face the Pies who were equally impressive, overcoming a boisterous Gabba crowd and Brisbane midfield with a host of firepower. Unfortunately they lost Steele Sidebottom for a month with a broken thumb but with Clenbuterol Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury on their side, you can’t count them out. However, I am going to do just that and jump on the Adelaide bandwagon this week.

Gold Coast v St Kilda (Metricon Stadium)

Don’t push that big red panic button yet, but there are some worrying signs coming from the Suns’ camp and we’re only a week into the season. Gaz is already sore, Jaeger is gone for the year, the forward line looks out of sorts and they don’t even get to blame their opening round loss on having 450 first game players from their latest round of draft concessions. They come up against the Saints here and if they are going to make any major improvements this year, it is a must win game. I know I sound like Dwayne Russell with such a large statement after one single game, but I am sticking to it. Down at St Kilda, they played good footy in patches against the Giants without ever really being on top of the game. Lock in another tough year for the club but the continual development of boys like Luke Dunstan and my man Jack Billings (who is back in the side this week) will warm the cockles of fans’ hearts. Expect the Suns to bounce back and get the win but don’t count out a vintage Rodney Eade spray if St Kilda gives them a late run for their money.

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Port Adelaide v Sydney (Adelaide Oval)

I live-tweeted the Port v Freo game for the Sports Banter Twitter account and towards the end of the match all I could type was “I am physically exhausted from watching this match, please send help/an ice bath to my couch.” That game was brutal. Sydney also copped a battering from Essendon in the rain before a seven-goal to nothing final term saw them charge home to take the points. Having never personally come close to winning a hard ball in my life I can’t speak first hand for the players, but I would suggest there were some sore boys at training on Monday morning. Fortunately I don’t imagine there is much that a Darren Burgess recovery session or Jesinta Campbell back rub couldn’t fix so both teams should be primed come Saturday night. Expect a packed house at Adelaide Oval, Robbie Gray’s hair to look like it was freshly cut three minutes before the first bounce and Buddy Franklin to slot one from at least 70m out. As you may have gathered from those predictions, I haven’t the slightest idea about who is going to win this game.

Geelong v Fremantle (Simonds Stadium)

The Cats were pummelled by Hawthorn on Easter Monday, and a quick look at the stats shows us why they lost so badly. They were smashed in the clearances, smashed in the inside 50s, smashed in the contested ball and in Stevie Motlop’s case; smashed in the pub the night before the game. Their opponents this week are coming off an epic victory over Port Adelaide in which yours truly correctly predicted that Aaron Sandilands would be the tallest player on the field. Impressive, I know. The key to this match for the Cats is shutting down Nat Fyfe who has officially become the player that every commentator would most like to sleep with. Seriously, Gerard Healy could probably do a 20 minute off the cuff analysis on why Fyfe will be an all-time great based on nothing but the height of his socks at any given point during a match. For the Dockers, they will be looking for Stephen Hill to get off the chain and run amok at Simonds Stadium in similar fashion to his 2013 Qualifying Final efforts at the ground. Expect the Cats to come out firing after their dismal showing last week, Nakia Cockatoo to have a ridiculous name and…maybe Aaron Sandilands to be the tallest player on the field?

Essendon v Hawthorn (MCG)

Ah the Dons. What a story it would have been. I can see it now; “it was as if a weight had been lifted off the players’ shoulders following the ASADA decision and they could finally play uninhibited by Caroline Wilson’s constant media scrutiny. They overcame every adversity en route to a memorable victory in hurricane-like conditions in Sydney against heavily-favoured opponents.” Pro-tip for Essendon this week: there are four quarters in a game of football, not three. Come on lads, you had the Swans on the ropes; they were standing there dazed like a Mortal Kombat character with no health left. All you need to do is push the X button to walk over and rip their hearts clean out of their chests before feeding it to them while the voiceover guy says “fatality!” But no, you put the controller down and walked off while the Swans recovered their health and subsequently sliced you into pieces. It doesn’t get easier this round. The Hawks are not only the best side in the league, they are possibly the best side of the last 10 years if not more. This week they only get better with Grant Birchall returning to an already stacked side. The Dons have a history of winning games that they aren’t supposed to but this won’t be one of those times.

North Melbourne v Brisbane (Etihad Stadium)

I suggested last week that the North v Adelaide game would be so close that a draw might be on the cards. What I failed to take into account was that North Melbourne had decided to use Round One to showcase their best team of five year old Auskickers in the senior side. They even had a four foot tall, 25 kilogram centre half back play on Taylor Walker and he held Tex to only a measly 15 marks and 11 scoring shots. What? That was Joel Tippett? And the whole team was real life professional AFL footballers!? I guess we can only blame the lack of a roof at Adelaide Oval for that performance. Moving forward from that debacle, the Roos will face the Lions this week in what should be a more closely contested affair. Brisbane was dealt a massive blow when Tom Rockliff’s lungs were relocated to his throat and will be without their skipper for at least a month. However they have the midfield depth to cover him and their strong finish against Collingwood last week will give them some confidence for this fixture. I think North will bounce back from last week’s horrors but I won’t be at all surprised if they burn me again and Brad Scott spontaneously combusts in the coach’s box after Mitch Robinson bags his 10th sausage for the evening.

Somewhere in amongst all that ranting and raving there were a bunch of predictions for Round Two of the AFL season. Tell me what you think in the comments section below, on Twitter @iammax17 or via my MySpace band page…nah not really the last one.