Lions' Cubs Ready to Roar

The Brisbane Lions maybe winless after five rounds, but the signs suggest the future is not all doom and gloom.

The Lions much publicised recruiting spree of 2009 resulted in several players leaving the club futilely, those included: Daniel Bradshaw, Michael Rischitelli, Jarred Brennan, Lachie Henderson and Justin Sherman. In exchange the Lions received Brendan Fevola, Xavier Clarke, Matt Maguire, Brent Staker, Amon Buchanan and Andrew Raines. All these players failed to make an impression on the field due to injury, indiscretion and poor performance, the exception being Brent Staker who finished top five in the best and fairest. Many criticised coach Michael Voss and the Lions for their bold recruiting spree, risking the future of the club for immediate success which obviously did not eventuate.

Beneath the wreckage of the 2009 recruiting spree was the class of ’08 as they are known internally within the Lions. Daniel Rich, Jack Redden, Todd Banfield and Tom Rockliff were all drafted by the Lions in the 2008 draft. All four received rising star nominations over the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Rich winning the award in ‘09 and Rockliff placing third in ’10. Combined with tall first round picks Mitch Clark and Matthew Leunberger the nucleus of their next premiership assault was formed. The weekend’s loss to the Saints showcased the next generation of Lions’ potential.

The Lions midfield, led by Redden, Rockliff and Rich amassed 45 clearances and 163 contested possessions. As well as a staggering 87 tackles, outdoing the Saints in these three categories. Individually, the ’08 class plus Clark and Leunberger all made sizeable contributions. Redden, arguably best on ground with 27 touches, two goals, and a massive 12 tackles was exceptional and truly announced himself as a player of the future. Midfield partner Rockliff was not to be outdone by his best mate, collecting 29 touches, seven inside 50’s and a goal. Banfield and Rich had below par games for their standards but were both influential. Rich along with Redden and Rockliff was clinical around the stoppages with 19 touches and six clearances, second only too young ruckmen Broc Mcaule. Banfield only managed eight touches, but his forward pressure and nine tackles were sensational and resulted in numerous St. Kilda turnovers. The big men in Clark and Leunberger both played predominately forward with impressive results. Clark kicked four goals and was the Lions main target inside 50, whilst Leunberger had his chances and was very lively up forward with four behinds. Leunberger’s athleticism was impressive, equally dangerous on the ground as in the air, a skill very rarely possessed by big ruckmen.

With continued development to these players and all-round contributions from the rest of the squad the Lions future looks promising. The framework is in place for Voss’ Lions to mount a finals worthy assault in the years to come.

Giants go to War in Anzac Matchup

Anzac Day, the biggest day in Australian football outside the Grand Final. Two of the AFL’s oldest foes will lock horns in front of approximately 90,000 fans at the MCG on Monday. Collingwood, the reigning premiers and current favourites, a legacy looms if they can avoid injury and losing players to rival clubs. Their opponents, Essendon are the bolters of season 2011, reinvigorated under James Hird and looking top four material. A mouth-watering matchup awaits in front of a sell-out crowd.

Essendon, following their thrilling draw with Carlton, are hurt. Two season ending knee injuries in one quarter rocked them against the Blues, yet they managed to dig deep and provide one of their bravest performances in recent memory. For Courtney Dempsey and Jason Winderlich season 2011 is over, two fast running players who Essendon will sorely miss. A likely replacement for Winderlich up forward is speed-demon Alwyn Davey. Davey is lightening quick and will provide forward pressure. He is also very dangerous around goal, providing that x-factor sides crave in big games. At the other end of the ground Dempsey’s likely replacement is either Ricky Dyson or Henry Slattery. Both solid defenders who can lock down an opponent, but lack the dash of Dempsey. David Hille could also make the team and reunite his lethal ruck combination with Paddy Ryder, sharing the ruck duties and resting up forward, giving the Bombers another target inside forward 50, which they sorely need after breaking down across half-forward last week. The biggest story of Essendon’s Anzac day will not be on the field, but in the coaches’ box. James Hird will take the helm on Anzac day for the first time in his short coaching career. Hird was the king of Anzac Day, winning a record three best on ground performances and truly making the occasion his own. Whether he can continue this trend as coach remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Collingwood will be keen to crash the party.

For Collingwood the juggernaut continues to roll on. Cruising in second gear yet still undefeated so far this season and looking ominous. Collingwood’s play is machine like, faultless and so efficient. They are outright favourites for a second consecutive flag and deservedly so. This is Collingwood’s last year under Michael Malthouse. No doubt they would like to send him out with a bang, nothing short of a premiership is expected and so far they look on course to deliver. The matchup with Essendon is a fascinating one; two inform teams battling it out on the second biggest stage of the year in front of roughly 90,000 fans. This game shapes as a classic. Selection wise for the Pies, ruckman Darren Jolly is expected to return at the expense of Cameron Wood. The return of Jolly evens the ruck battle for the Pies. Hille and Ryder are arguably the best ruck combination in the league and they will be tough to combat. The experience and class of Jolly plus the relief provided by Leigh Brown should be able to counter them. However, if Jolly is not passed fit for the game, advantage Essendon in the ruck department.

Who will win remains to be seen. Will the Collingwood machine march on or will Hird instil his own Anzac legacy into his players and inspire them to victory. One thing can be assured, this will be a ripper of a contest.

To Draw or Not to Draw?

The 2011 AFL season is barely a month old and we have already witnessed three draws, not since 1921 has this occurred. Is sharing the points a fair result or is it imperative a winner is determined? If so how is the winner determined? Overtime, a penalty shootout type kick-off or a goal count back? These extra-time scenarios all have their merits but if they are ideal for the AFL remains to be seen.

An overtime scenario similar to that of soccer is a possibility and is currently implemented for every final except the Grand Finale. Overtime would consist of two 5 minute halves with a change of ends in-between. After 120 minutes of hard brutality and physicality in a marathon length season stretching 25 games, this could be too demanding. The players are the stars of the show and therefore need to be protected accordingly. Lengthening an already epic season is not the answer. Perhaps a penalty shootout type scenario is the answer?

Similar to a soccer style penalty shootout, teams could be asked to select five players to take a set-shot until a winner is determined. This scenario is ideal in comparison to overtime as players would not be asked to expend their already depleted energy. A shootout is not a fair way to determine a game and the four points. AFL is not only about kicking goals, it includes many different aspects and skills: defence, tackling, marking, physical pressure, the ability to run and pass, winning contested possession, the list is endless. Implementing a penalty shootout would eliminate many aspects of the game that make AFL the outstanding spectacle it is. Accuracy does not make a team better than another, Richmond for example were extremely efficient last year when kicking for goal. They finished 14th and were and still are a long way off being a top eight team. Maybe a goal count back could decide the winner?

In the case of a draw in previous One Day International cricket matches, the winner is determined by wickets lost. If one team had more wickets remaining than the other they were announced the winners. This could be implemented in the AFL; the team who scores more goals is deemed the winner. Obviously this could only occur when the score lines are differing. For example the Grand Final last year, inaccuracy plagued Collingwood in the first Grand Final before they eventually went on to win the replay. Had a goal count back style scenario been implemented, St. Kilda would have been announced winners because they kicked accurately and as a result had more goals. Unlike the previous scenarios no energy would be expended with extra time or shootouts making it energy efficient for players. Again like the shootout scenario, teams are rewarded for accuracy when many other elements are crucial to winning an AFL game. Using this method to determine premiers is also ambitious.

All three scenarios have their merits but coincidently have their detractors, so why not keep the draw? A draw is a unique result in many sports so why not keep it exclusive to the AFL? At the end of the day sharing the points is a better result than losing. Although the protocol for a draw in a Grand Final needs to be reviewed, the answer is not as clear as some may think.

Sheedy Stuck on Struggle Street

5/4/2011

THE Gold Coast Sun’s finally announced themselves as the 17^th AFL franchise with a forgettable performance against Carlton on Saturday night. The Sun’s went down by a whopping 119 points at the Gabba but showed rays of hope amongst the rubble left behind by the Blues. Young guns Brendan Matera and Charlie Dixon were prominent up forward, but limited opportunities enabled them to stamp their authority on the game. Whilst Matera and Dixon shone brightest for the Suns, it was clear they have a flock of talented players who will one day dominate the competition. Whilst game one was a sight for sore eyes the future is very sunny for the Gold Coast.

The same can’t be said for the soon-to-be 18^th AFL franchise, Greater Western Sydney who will come into the system next year. The GWS Giants, as they will be known, will struggle to recruit experienced players, something the Suns had success with. Early last year the Suns said they would target eight to ten players from other clubs. By the end of 2010, the Suns had successfully lured: Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett jnr., premiership star Campbell Brown, All-Australian defender Nathan Bock, Brisbane Lions Best and Fairest winner Michael Rischitelli, top three draft picks in Josh Fraser and Jarred Brennan, as well as rebounding defenders Nathan Krakouer and Jarrod Harbrow. These eight players along with Daniel Harris, Sam Iles and Danny Stanley, who all have AFL experience, were to form the nucleus of the inaugural Gold Coast Suns team. This time next year, GWS will have initiated their franchise but what if any experience will they hold?

GWS have identified the Collingwood pair of Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury as likely targets. However, Pendlebury has been identified within the club as the next Magpies captain, so it is expected he will stay loyal towards the pies, potentially leaving Dale Thomas as the face of the Giants, if he chooses to move. Thomas is a fantastic player as he showed in both grand finals last year with outstanding performances across both games, but he is no Gary Ablett.

The Suns were able to recruit over 843 games of experience before stepping foot on the Gabba. In Thomas GWS will have 111 games of experience plus two other likely recruits in Tom Scully and Rhys Palmer, both yet to play 50 games for their respective clubs.

Experience is just so vital in developing the talented youth at GWS and the Suns. These experienced players are the teachers for the talented youngsters. They will show them how to train and prepare for games properly and how to manage injuries, things you can’t be taught verbally but physically through experience and practice. Not only will the Giants struggle initially but for two or three years to come because they lack this experience. We can expect much the same of what we saw Saturday night for the Giants, but for much longer.

The Super Sub

27/3/11

One of the main talking points of the 2011 AFL season will be the contentious substitute rule. While it is still too early to make a fair assessment on the effectiveness of the rule and the impact it will have on the game, each club has used it differently across the first round. Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Port Adelaide and Richmond were all forced to use their sub earlier than planned due to injury. The rule benefitted all teams bar Brisbane, who unfortunately lost a further two players after substituting Claye Beams.

The substitute rule allowed Carlton to bring Kane Lucas on for the injured Jarrad Waite early in the second quarter. But Waite going down didn’t leave Carlton disadvantaged because they still had three active players on the bench, equal to Richmond. If the interchange rules were still under 2010 interpretation Richmond would have had an extra player on the bench and therefore been able to rotate heavily and use their fresher legs to out run Carlton. Fortunately for Carlton the rules have changed and they weren’t left disadvantaged, eventually running over Richmond.

Collingwood begrudgingly used their sub to introduce Brent Macaffer for the tiring Andrew Krakouer. After the game coach Michael Malthouse admitted he planned on not using Macaffer at all. But decided it was in Krakouer’s best interests after looking visibly fatigued, playing his first game of AFL in over four years.

The Swans used ruckman Mark Seaby as their sub to little effect. It meant that Shane Mumford had to ruck solo for the best part of three and-a-half quarters. When Seaby eventually did come on the Swans got little impact. It’s fair to say first game coach John Longmire made a hash of the substitute rule and will reconsider how he implements it.

Melbourne was somewhat of a rarity in terms of successful substitutes. They managed to introduce Ricky Pettard as their sub with great impact. Pettard came on at the start of the fourth quarter and immediately provided a much needed spark up forward and helped the Demons grab the ascendancy. Pettard helped the demons outscore the Swans in the last quarter three goals to one. But eventually the two teams shared the points.

The most effective use of the substitute over the weekend was by mastermind St. Kilda coach, Ross Lyon. The Saints activated speedy linkman Brett Peake just before three quarter time for Andrew McQualter. Peake, admittedly not the best player going around has pace to burn. His energy and fresh legs were noticeable amongst the tiring Cats and Saints. Peake managed 11 touches in just over a quarter of football, a very good impact from a player of Peake’s ability. This role could be something coach Lyon implements permanently. Who would have thought? A professional substitute.