Sport
AFL Half Season Wrap
AFL Half Season Wrap
At the halfway point of the AFL season there are plenty of talking points, highs, lows and surprises. Port Adelaide has turned the Adelaide Oval into a fortress and sits two games clear on top of the ladder. At the other end of the ladder, the GWS Giants have struggled to turn their Round 1 victory over the Swans into winning form. Will the next 11 rounds be full of surprises or is the top 8 a lock? That is the beauty of AFL footy… nobody knows. You’ll have to watch to find out.
Adelaide
Win/Loss: 5/6
Ladder: 10th
High: The Crows bounced back from a shock loss in Round 8 against Melbourne to beat the highly-fancied Magpies at Adelaide Oval. The 21-point win was played out in front of 50,000 fans and they were very excited about it!
Low: It doesn’t get much worse than being thumped by cross-town rival, Port Adelaide, in the traditional Showdown. The 54-point loss in Round 2 is not something the Crows will want to repeat in the next Showdown against the Power in Round 15.
Talking Point: The return of cult hero Taylor ‘Tex’ Walker in Round 9 after missing 12 months after a serious knee injury. The crowd loves him and finally in Round 12 he hit his straps, booting five goals.
Brisbane Lions
Win/Loss: 3/8
Ladder: 16th
High: The Lions have struggled for highlights in 2014 but the side’s thrilling 7-point victory over Carlton in Round 11 was their best of the season.
Low: 100-plus point losses are always hard to swallow – the Lions had to do just that in Round 4 against Port Adelaide.
Talking Point: Are the Brisbane Lions in the middle of a mid-season resurgence? Following the bye, the Lions broke through for wins two and three against Carlton and the Western Bulldogs.
Carlton
Win/Loss: 4/7
Ladder: 12th
High: The Blues snapped a four-match losing streak in Round 5 against the Western Bulldogs but the real highlight came one week later when they snatched a three-point victory against the West Coast Eagles.
Low: There’s a few to choose from here. The Blues started the season with four losses, including against Melbourne, which at the time appeared to be a horrible loss. But surely the real lowlight was the 34-point loss to their biggest rival, Collingwood, in Round 7. Most would agree the final margin flattered Carlton as they managed just two goals in the first three quarters.
Talking Point: Bryce Gibbs: Will he stay or will he go? There’s talk that Gibbs may want to return home to Adelaide as a free agent in 2015 and beyond, but Carlton appears confident they will re-sign him.
Collingwood
Win/Loss: 8/3
Ladder: 4th
High: The traditional Anzac Day match is the biggest game of the home and away season. Collingwood was jumped by Essendon in front of 90,000-plus supporters and trailed by 37 points before piling on six second quarter goals to draw level at halftime. In the end the Pies ran out 23-point victors and Dane Swan was named the Anzac Medallist.
Low: Round 1 was disastrous for Collingwood, losing to Grand Finalist Fremantle by 70 points at Etihad Stadium. The Pies were competitive in the first quarter but were completely outclassed after that.
Talking Point: The form of forward Travis Cloke. The club insists he is fit, but many claim he has a knee injury that is hindering his ability. The Pies have managed to win without him kicking big bags of goals but you would think he’ll need to be a solid contributor for Collingwood to go deep into September.
Essendon
Win/Loss: 6/5
Ladder: 9th
High: Essendon and Richmond have worked hard to make the annual Dreamtime match a great event and the Bombers would have been very pleased with their 50-point victory.
Low: The Bombers let a 37-point lead slip against Collingwood on Anzac Day to go down by 23 points in front on 90,000-plus people.
Talking Point: Can the Bombers make the finals without captain Jobe Watson? The skipper has suffered what is likely to be a season-ending injury, so can the Bombers win enough games without him to sneak into the top 8?
Fremantle
Win/Loss: 7/4
Ladder: 6th
High: The Dockers were off to a great start thumping Collingwood by 70 points in Round 1 at Etihad Stadium.
Low: At the start of the season most would have pencilled the Dockers to win every game at home. Their Round 6 loss to North Melbourne at Subiaco is the lowlight of 2014 so far.
Talking Point: Can Fremantle go one further than they did in 2014? After losing the Grand Final to Hawthorn in 2013, many believed Freo to be the premiership favourites. At the halfway point they are outside the top 4, so can they win it in 2014?
Geelong
Win/Loss: 8/3
Ladder: 5th
High: The Cats have an uncanny ability to beat the Hawks. They did so again in the now-traditional Easter Monday match in Round 5, beating the 2013 Premiers by 19 points. Five goals to Tom Hawkins made this Geelong’s 2014 highlight so far.
Low: Many were expecting a tight contest when the Cats flew to Sydney to take on the Swans, but the result was anything but. Sydney smashed the Cats by 110 points and held the visiting side to just five goals for the match.
Talking Point: Is it the end of an era? We have heard this many, many times over the past few years so we aren’t falling for it just yet.
Gold Coast SUNS
Win/Loss: 7/4
Ladder: 8th
High: The SUNS’ Round 7 win against North Melbourne was both dominant and exciting. Gary Ablett Jnr put on a clinic and finished with 28 disposals and four goals. The match was played at Etihad Stadium – the home ground of the Roos – which made the win even more significant.
Low: The SUNS suffered a 99-point loss at their home ground Metricon Stadium against Hawthorn in Round 4. The loss was a tough lesson for the young Gold Coast side and they managed just seven goals for the match.
Talking Point: Is Gary Ablett Jnr on his way to Brownlow Medal number three? He is in incredible form and he is most likely leading the Brownlow count at the halfway mark of 2014.
Greater Western Sydney
Win/Loss: 2/9
Ladder: 18th
High: The GWS Giants shocked the football world in Round 1, beating the highly favoured Sydney Swans in horrible, wet conditions by 32 points. Most saw it as the battle between big and little brother and on this occasion, in front of excited home fans, little brother took the points.
Low: In Round 10 the Giants ran into a wounded Richmond and Jack Riewoldt and the result was not pretty. Jack booted 11 goals and the Tigers ran out 113-point victors on a day the Giants would rather forget.
Talking Point: When will GWS become consistently competitive? Many believe the Giants are behind where other development team, Gold Coast, were at the same time. They have shown glimpses in 2014, but need to become more consistent to show their direction for the future.
Hawthorn
Win/Loss: 8/3
Ladder: 2nd
High: It is hard to go past a 145-point win as the highlight of the first half of 2014. Hawthorn demolished St Kilda in Round 7 and Ryan Schoenmakers kicked four in his return game from a knee injury.
Low: The Hawks have lost just three matches in the first half of the season – against Port Adelaide, Sydney and Geelong. Hard to pick a low given each loss was respectable – at least in terms of margin – but the loss against fierce rival Geelong on Easter Monday would be the one that stings.
Talking Point: How will the Hawks cover the loss of Buddy Franklin? This was the question posed at the beginning of 2014, but with the Hawks sitting pretty in second spot on the ladder we think the answer to the question is ‘easily’.
Melbourne
Win/Loss: 3/8
Ladder: 15th
High: Most footy fans were shocked when the Dees broke through for their first win of the season against Carlton but the real highlight came in Round 7 when they knocked off Adelaide by three points at the Adelaide Oval.
Low: The Demons were non-competitive against the West Coast Eagles in Round 3, but the loss that will hurt the most was against Collingwood on the Queen’s Birthday holiday. The Demons highlighted this as one they were keen to perform well in, but managed just three goals in a boring contest in front of almost 70,000 fans.
Talking Point: The football world is talking about the master coach that is Paul Roos. After many years languishing at the bottom of the ladder, Melbourne has taken big leaps in terms of on field performance in just Roos’ first season as coach. Their challenge now is to lock the Premiership coach in beyond his two-year contract.
North Melbourne
Win/Loss: 7/4
Ladder: 7th
High: In 2014 the Kangaroos are developing the reputation as the giant killers. They’ve knocked off the Swans in Sydney and Fremantle at Patersons Stadium but their best win would have to be against Port Adelaide – the Power’s only loss in 2014 so far – at Etihad Stadium.
Low: Despite the giant-killing reputation, North Melbourne is also dropping games most would expect them to win – or at least be competitive in. In Round 5, Travis Cloke got hold of the Roos, kicking four goals that helped the Pies to a 35-point win in front of almost 60,000 people.
Talking Point: Which Kangaroos team will show up? The difference between their best and worst is vast, but if they can find some consistency they are a chance to go deep into September.
Port Adelaide
Win/Loss: 10/1
Ladder: 1st
High: Hard to go past the top-of-the-table clash in Round 10 against Hawthorn. The Power won by 14 points in front of more than 52,000 loud fans at their home ground. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Low: There is just one lowlight to choose from for the Power so far in 2014 – their one and only loss was against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in Round 3.
Talking Point: Can they keep it up and will their form follow them to Melbourne? Port Adelaide is playing a fast, frenetic brand of footy that has many asking if they can sustain it for a whole season and into the finals. They will also need to make sure they can win – and take big scalps – away from their home ground, which has been nicknamed the ‘Portress’.
Richmond
Win/Loss: 3/8
Ladder: 13th
High: The Tigers’ biggest and most-emphatic win came in Round 10 against the GWS Giants. Jack Riewoldt kicked 11 goals to help Richmond to a 145-point victory.
Low: The Dreamtime match against Essendon was a definite lowlight, but hard to go past the Tigers’ loss against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in Round 12. Richmond let a 35-point lead slip to go down by 28 points.
Talking Point: What has gone wrong? After a promising 2013 season that included a final, the Tigers were expected to be in a much better position in 2014 than they currently are. Can they take their opportunities in the second half of 2014 to make something of the season?
St Kilda
Win/Loss: 3/8
Ladder: 17th
High: The Saints shocked Essendon in Round 5 at Etihad Stadium, beating the Bombers by 16 points. Captain Nick Riewoldt booted five goals in the victory.
Low: The obvious lowlight was the 145-point loss against Hawthorn, but the Saints may yet rue their loss to the Brisbane Lions in New Zealand as the one that got away. St Kilda is trying to promote and develop AFL across the Tasman, but their three-point loss to the Lions didn’t help their cause.
Talking Point: How is it possible that Nick Riewoldt is still this good? ‘Roo’ seems to get better with age and at the halfway mark of 2014 it is highly likely he will make the All Australian squad, if not the final team.
Sydney
Win/Loss: 8/3
Ladder: 3rd
High: The Swans gave Geelong a mighty wakeup call in Round 11, beating the visiting Cats by 110 points. Their imposing big men Buddy Franklin, Kurt Tippett and Adam Goodes contributed 12 goals between them and showed just what all the fuss is about with their star-studded forward line.
Low: In Round 1 cross-town rivals, the GWS Giants, shocked the Swans with a 32-point win.
Talking Point: Will the big forwards get in the way of each other? We were all thinking it at the start of the year, but now we all see the Swans forward line functioning beautifully – save for Tippett’s recent injury.
West Coast
Win/Loss: 4/7
Ladder: 11th
High: The Eagles smashed Melbourne in Round 2, keeping the visiting Demons to just four goals. The 93-point win was emphatic with Josh Kennedy kicking four goals.
Low: The Eagles will remember their Round 6 clash against Carlton as the one that got away. They travelled to Etihad Stadium but left empty handed following a nail-biting three-point loss.
Talking Point: How do you cover your captain? Darren Glass announced his retirement at the midway point of the season, which will leave the Eagles without a captain for the rest of 2014. West Coast will employ a rotation policy for the remainder of the year.
Western Bulldogs
Win/Loss: 3/8
Ladder: 14th
High: The Dogs snatched a thrilling two-point win against Richmond at Etihad Stadium in Round 3. Most footy pundits backed the Tigers to beat the Doggies but they held on in a nail-biter.
Low: In Round 12 the Brisbane Lions flew to Etihad Stadium and took the four points from the Western Bulldogs. Most has this pencilled in as a Doggies win and left them with some soul searching to do.
Talking Point: What can they make of 2014? The Western Bulldogs have had a tough start to 2014. They ended 2013 on a high but have failed to capitalise during the first half of this year. Doggies fans will be hoping they can do the same in 2014.
