The home-and-away season and finished and its finals time!
They really need to go to the wildcard set up in AFLW which actually makes sense in a competition with just 12 games and not playing everyone once but that's a discussion for another day.
Cats - ended up scoring the most points ever in an AFLW home-and-away season with 871, just topping the best ever from North last year with 868 and set up a potential "best AFLW game ever" v the Dees this weekend
Bulldogs - have copped injuries at the worst time of the year, have lost home ground advantage in the finals and face the Swans at Henson Park in from of what could be 10,000 Sydney fans but win or lose, they should still be more than satisfied with 2026
Saints - desperately need a competitive ruck but the consensus first pick is a key forward in which they already have a surplus of in Wardlaw, McLay, Butterworth and Hobson so they draft for talent, or need, of which both are needed in spades?
Power - Wanted: An Expansive Offensive Coach. Enquire Within.
Tigers - really need a top-tier intercept mark defender who can kickstart rebound offense as well as take the big forwards from the opposition and they could also use an experienced kicker down there as well so I'm putting this out there - with McKenzie taking strides this year in the guts, could they move Conti to half back like Kearney did at North? Moreso do the Tigers have the courage to try it??
Kangaroos - started great, had a relative lull, and now seem locked into to 3-peat and could make an example out of the Blues this weekend
Lions - have altered the game style a decent amount in the back end of this season but it still needs work as they still lost to 2 teams that finished below them, and only beat 1 team above them which isn't super when you finished 12th
Blues - don't quite seem to be as strong as last season but on their day can probably beat anyone but being 17th for clearances come finals time gives little room for error when the uncontested game gets taken away from you
A bit of different tact today looking exclusively at the center bounce battle in the St Kilda/Port Adelaide game.
Over the season the Matlida Scholz leads the league in total hit outs with 321 and is only behind by .1 in hit outs per game.
Port as a team is 4th in total clearances and 6th for average clearances per game.
Couple this with being 18th for uncontested possession, 18th for handballs and 13th for marks even with a very heavy kick bias, and it's clear the Power generate most of their scores from stoppage and clearance situations which lends itself to having such a dominance in hit outs.
The Saints on the other hand don't register until player 26 in hit outs, are 18th as a team and 16th for clearances so the Poser had a clear statistical advantage in this area going into the game.
If you've seen my videos throughout this AFLW season I have put a little focus on the Power at center bounce and have found the following trends:
Most, if not all, center bounce taps are going to Abbey Dowrick whose 3rd in total clearances and 4th for center bounce clearances
They have 2 go-to plays at center bounce being the big tap forward of the center circle or the back tap to a wrap around exit on the fat side of the center circle
Here's what those 2 center bounce plays look like:
Let's see what went down in this game off the back of what we now know.
The very first center bounce is usually a feeling out process so you for soemth9ing pretty safe and the set up dictates that as well.
Here the Power have a player set up as defensive sweeper and as the Saints have done the same thing, then both are very much on their own and Scholz with her major advantage opts to not tap to Dowrick, a rarity, and instead goes to Moloney but the Saints will live with that as it's a) Not to Dowrick and b) Not out the front of the stoppage
After a goal from center bounce clearance the Power are off and running and as the previous tap went to Moloney, who's now in a different position, the Saints are forced to pay her more attention than normal as she might be the go-to player again.
This keeps the St Kilda sweeper between her and Dowrick, but there's just enough space for a forward tap and clearance, albeit not a clean one initially.
Another goal from center bounce for the Power and they go right back to the forward tap, with the Power player positioning right back off the contest to open up more space right in that forward tap zone area.
The Saints still seem to be scouting the back wrap move from Dowrick and is still giving her goal-side which is a gimme now with that Port player so far back off the contest and it's a simple push off and run.
At quarter time the Power led center bounce clearance 4-0 and had already generated 3 of their 4 scores from that source so the Saints need to do something and it's not miraculously winning hit outs which they lost 17-43 on the day, so it'll have to come from positioning.
A couple of moves from the Saints here:
Put your best mid (Smith) in the most dangerous spot (the forward tap spot)
Take goal side away from Dowrick
The Saints do both here and get a clean center clearance of their own.
The Power aren't using the back wrap that they use a lor of here making the tap zone predictable for the Saints (forward) and now the Saints can start taking advantage of it so straight out of half time Smith pushes Dowrick in and under the forward tap then uses her speed to get back to the ball.
The Saints are making a run after the fast start by the Power and Port add Hampson to the center bounce mix and give het the back wrap play - a first I've seen this yr for her - but the Saints have this scouted as well and Lmabert pushes her in and under the tap but Port still manage to win the clearance.
The lone advantage the Saints had at center clearance, and probably in most games, is when both back-up rucks go in there as Wardlaw has played a fair bit of ruck over her 8yr career which is usually resigned to a forward punch but the Saints could easily make this a temporary strength of theirs as she does win most of these taps convincingly.
Now we have Smith on the most dangerous Power mid (Dowrick) and in the most dangerous space (forward tap zone) and she plays it almost perfectly as she pushes Dowrick in and under the ball again, uses her speed to get back to the ball again, but can't quite break free.
The Saints really need another in and under mid so they could take Dowrick's body and then Smith could use her speed to be more offensive.
In the end the Saints couldn't hold on to this one but did make great in-game alterations that stopped the game getting out of control like it was earlier - something we saw zero of when Del Santo was still in charge - and after the 4-0 center clearance start in the 1st quarter, it went 6-5 Port's way after that which is far more manageable.
Kangaroos - a +10 for inside 50's gave the Roos field position dominance in this one that was just enough to overcome being down at half and 3 quarter time
Crows - gave it to the Roos at contest but beaten by 38 in uncontested possession is the fine line in wet conditions
Hawks - went scoreless in the 4th and were very lucky with some umpiring decision in the Essendon forward 50 but served to win this game
Bombers - put up a whopping 124 tackles in this game more than twice their season average (61.5) but ball movement and finishing (-13 for inside 50's) just stopped themselves short of a major upset
Blues - were outplayed in this one in my opinion but were far more efficient when they went forward and still managed to play a dry game style in very non-dry conditions
Giants - went +8 for clearances and +2 for inside 50's but then would let the blues go to end to end and score
Suns - for the 5th best defense they sure are leaky as a team unit which comes from the mids possible getting too offensive all at the same time and they're winning games almost purely on offense but it's a great difference compared to teams trying to keep scores low deliberately to stay competitive
Tigers - were very plucky in this one and had great periods of forward half dominance but just couldn't finish with a score when they did and not a great time for Wolmarans to go goalless
Bulldogs - as great as the Dogs have looked this season they are still in the 2nd tier of teams and missed Fitzgerald A LOT as they just could not move the ball or maintain possession resulting inn just 21 inside 50's which doesn't give you enough chances to score, nor win, and will need to find a rebounding kicker if they're any chance against the Cats
Demons - the complete opposite for the Dees who went +42 for disposals, +54 uncontested possession, +18 for inside 50's, +6% time in possession and +21 in marks in a resounding win
Swans - a mature win to run away with this one with Eagles' season on the line and keeping them scoreless in the last quarter and once again dominated the tackle count going +30
Eagles - were never really in the running this season and have actually lost to the Giants, Crows and Power which is not really top 8 team material and need an injection of fluid offense for 2027
A round of rainy games for the most part in AFLW this week which can end up with some differing scorelines to the norm.
Everyone won who should have, but in far closer games then most would have predicted.
Power - didn't dominate in the usual area's they do but were willing to maintain possession a lot more than normal with 299 possessions v 271 previous season high v season average of 235, 169 kicks v 154 season average, 133 handballs v 113 previous season high v season average of 82 and equal season high for time in possession at 45% v a season average of just under 40%
Magpies - as alluded into the video, they put their time and resources into stoppage which worked well for them (+3 hit outs, +9 in clearance, -5 in contested possession and +2 in tackles) but as soon as the bubble was broken by the Power it was all over but had a crack against all odds, that being their actual club.
Saints - was always going to struggle to score with Warlaw out of the team and looked OK early but scored q1 goal after quarter time ending up with just 8 scoring shots and 3 goals from 34 inside 50's v 20 scoring shots and 11 goals from 40 for the Lions
Lions - apart from the scoring difference just noted, they didn't really dominate in any other stat over the course of the game but the difference in game style was clearly evident watching
Cats - aren't scoring at quite the clip they were but defending well which they'll need to as scoring potentially dries up even more come finals time and after a run of games facing 7 teams out of the top 8 from 9 matches, face a real test against the Dogs Friday night
Dockers - are 7th for toral disposals, 6th for uncontested possession, 5th for clearances, 2nd for marks but then 12th for inside 50's, 12th for shots on goals and 10th for total points so they're in very good shape except for that connection piece from forward of center to goals
Back in round 2 of the 2026 season I came across a new-ish tactic being used by the Swans more so than anyone else but it is also an extension of what the Lions have been doing for a year or 2 now.
Here’s what I posted back in March this year on “the most important space in football today”:
“…AFL in 2026 has come with a bunch of rule changes but also with a shift in how teams are moving the ball on offense.
Yes, the stand rule allows for play tempo to be maintained but teams are already on the run anyway, they're now just more confident continuing to go fast and to not hold the ball up.
The biggest change for mine has been the use of handball through the center of the ground that some teams were doing previously (GWS/Hawks especially with their high half forwards), but it is wide-spread now and in a variety of ways.
Last week I highlighted how Sydney were using space through the center of the ground and I doubled-down on watching for it this round and it was pretty clear at times.
Like most tactics/strategies, once you see it you can’t stop seeing it!
The Swans tended to open this space up to run and handball through the middle of the ground, the Lions have more of a kicking focus and Gold Coast were doing it early in the season for kick or handball when they were up and going early in the season.
Other teams represented in the following clips are Geelong and Port Adelaide.
I’ll run through how different teams use this from different parts of the ground starting from kick out and finishing with from the mid 50.
You can purchase this chapter, and the other 18 of them, from the register page.
Giants - a top 3 win in their history or least the last 5 years and managed 20 scores from just 32 inside 50's, showing rare connection at that end of the ground by moving the quicker than Wales could get back and become an intercept marker from the ruck position
Hawks - I'm backing up the topsy-turvy season call from last week and actually puts them in a tough spot going into 2027 because you're good enough (beat North Melbourne) but the gap between your best and worse is way too wide for a finals team, let alone contender (lost to GWS) so what level of change do you make?
Bombers - came out with positive play with relatively aggressive offense and excellent defensive pressure but they just don't have the experience and quality to hold that from quarter-to-quarter. let alone against the best team ever and weren't blown away in any stat either except for uncontested possession (-40) where scoring dries up when you can't maintain possession
Kangaroos - actually had to work for this one which isn't a bad thing for them as they don't have the hardest run home (Adelaide/Richmond) and straighter kicking could emphasised this win more
Dockers - were challenged by the Saints but having, knowing and playing your brand v a team that doesn't have an ounce of one gets you over the line in these types of games
Saints - led for just the 2nd time at 3/4 time for 2026 (last week the 1st) so there is progress in how long they can compete for but couldn't hold it but they leave too much potential offense on the table with their lack of creative offense
Today we look at:
Gay Forward Press Defense
Essendon Defending in D50
North Melbourne Transitioning from Center Bounce Clearance
Lions - some definite game play alterations in this one (+24 handballs, +21 disposals, -7 contested possession, +29 uncontested possession, +7 marks all v season average), albeit too late to save the season
Power - 1st in hit outs and 4th in clearances but blast kick out of there repeatedly + last for uncontested possession + last for handballs and thus last for disposal efficiency = 3rd worst offense down from 4th best last year
Eagles - the real battle is at the Eagles doorstep and that is of long-term development where I'm not sure of any player who has markedly improved from last season to this season, and with a young list this off/pre-season is paramount
Cats - if they kicked 18.8 they would have kicked a record score and that was really the only blemish in this game where they went +115 in disposals, +82 in handballs, +18 inside 50's, +15% disposal efficiency, +6 clearance, +15 contested possession, +113 uncontested possession, +20% time in possession, +30 marks, +13 marks inside forward 50 and even won the tackle count by 10!
Magpies - don't have the depth to cover injuries but worse than that a severe lack of leadership from the top down in regards to the women's program doesn't even give them a chance and with Schleicher gone what keeps Centra there after next season?
Swans - forwards got right on top with 3 players kicking 3 goals and another kicking 2 from 13 marks inside forward 50 (+7 on season average) and +5 scoring shots on the season as well
A few surprising, possibly upset, results this week with the Crows over the Suns, the Dogs over the Blues by that margin and GWS over the Hawks who have the most topsy-turvy season possibly in AFLW history.
Team-by-team over 3 posts this week:
Demons - were playing at no more than 70% in this one and still won by 62pts but would still love some of those injuries back with the Dogs next round.
Tigers - Dees had 14 goals, 7 from within 10m out and another 6 from within 20m out at a total goal distance of 176m at 12.6m/goal with goal sources from f50 loose ball get x 4, d50 turnovers x 4, off the ground kicks x 4 and set shot x 3 and with the high scoring Suns away on the horizon then any attention spent on defense of any sort will be a positive thing
Crows - great goal kicking got them over the line in a tight and surprisingly tense contest where they were -10 for inside 50's
Suns - as well as the inside 50 advantage they won the hit outs by 10 but lost clearance by 4 with too much left for Rowbottom (12) by everyone else (next best 3 by Price a ruck)
Blues - just did not seem ready for the pressure the Dogs brough this one from the outset and could not find an exit for the life of them rendering a mammoth intercept game from Cordner (18) useless
Bulldogs - I'd love to know the scores from forward half in this one, especially in the first half - a "real deal" performance form the Dogs here who could roll the Dees this weekend coming and finish top 4!
Part 3 are all clips from the North Melbourne/Fremantle game where the Roos didn't have it all their own way but their class always rises to the top.
The Dockers wanted to keep the ball in motion using a short kick/mark possession game but weren't assertive enough early while expanding energy doing so and then once they became comfortable with it, and had some success with it, then they were too far behind to catch up.
A team with better connection across the ground that uses more forward kicks should study this game as it did provide some pretty good looks deep inside 50 for the Dockers.
The Dockers matched the Roos in a lot of areas such as kicks (+5), clearances (+2), time in possession (+2%), marks (+16) and tackles (+8) but I'd look to look at meters gained numbers as Freo have a lot of possession on a weekly basis these days but their threat rating is very low and thus so is their efficiency.
Today we look at:
Freo on Transition Defense Fail x 2
Dockers Outnumber Advantage Fail x 2
North at Center Bounce Clearance + Dockers Outnumber Advantage Win
Suns - recording their highest possession total for the season (327) and highest marks total (75) yet were -8 in clearance but they just starved Melbourne of the ball (+75 disposals, +64 uncontested possession, +7% time in possession and +33 in marks)
Demons - +1 for inside 50's but was always going to struggle to score with Hore and Austin both missing and have scored just 34 v Roos, 42 v Pies and 39 v Suns after not scoring less than 58 in any game previous to that but have Richmond this week to get their scoring dress back on
Kangaroos - with Essendon, Adelaide and Richmond to come and top spot sewn up it's all about nailing the finer details and managing player health from here out
Dockers - gave North some food for thought and had a pretty good plan going in but just don't have the cattle to carry that out against someone that good but I'd like to see them try it again v the Saints and see what it looks like then
Hawks - the hawks have lost, won, won, lost, won, won, lost, lost, won in a topsy turvy season where they've beaten North but lost to Adeliade by 28pts and could win 2 finals win zero
Lions - have lost 5 in a row, this will be their lowest finish to a season and the refresh cannot come quick enough
Swans - just hanging on to a finals spot and have Collingwood, West Coast and Freo to come and need to win 2 of those to keep Port (Brisbane, Collingwood and St Kilda to come) in 9th but win just 1 and it's all about %
Blues - have just been going along recently but we'll find out what they're about (and the Dogs for that matter) after this weekend in a potential finish-top 4 clash
The Saints broke through for their 1st win of the season and a rare come from behind win at that, Geelong offense is still off the charts and the Suns beat an undermanned Dees.
Dogs - unpeeled another layer of development with a 2nd quarter defensive effort that fuelled a 4.2 to 0.1 2nd quarter that put the gap in the game
Bombers - had some early momentum but could not take their chances forward when they had them (2 goals from 26 entries + 10 behinds from 12 scoring shots) and they don't defend anywhere near well enough not to
Saints - were almost down and out at half time after being goalless for 6 quarters over 2 games but completely turned this on its head with a 4.5 to 1.0 3rd quarter with that 25 point quarter being equal or higher than total scores in 5 of their 9 games this season
Pies - looked to be progressing but then gave this one away and coupled with the news coming out about player contracts at the moment you can't see Centra wanting to reup her contract for season 2028
Power - played a team that plays exactly like them but not as good so just scrapped by with a 4pt win
Eagles - can't transition and score with any efficiency but went to work at center bounce going 6-0 in clearance there while losing hit outs 23 - 35 but when Port win time in possession by 9% and marks by 28 then your ball movement needs an overhaul
Cats - 46-0 start was almost expected are currently sit 98pts ahead of North at the top of the offense tree - take away their 27 in their only loss in round 1 and they're averaging 78pts/game so who cares about defense
Giants - was never going to be pretty and it wasn't...-102 for disposals, -59 for handballs, -18 for inside 50's, -14 in clearance, -81 in uncontested possession and -18% for time in possession but what's changing?
Tigers - they can look good on offense the Tiges but seem to not even have a defensive coach this year as teams just walk through them through the middle of the ground
Crows - really should have won by more in this one given they were +118 for disposals, +55 in kicks, +64 in handballs, +20 inside 50's, +88 in uncontested possession, +12% time in possessions and only -10 in tackles
Quarter 1 showed some positive offensive play but poor conversion (9-4 inside 50 advantage for 1.4) and even poorer defense (2.1 against) kept the Dogs in it.
There Bombers spent about 70% of the quarter in their forward half (73.6% at the 15min mark) but their forward half disposal efficiency of just 38% hurt them just as much.
I mentioned last week that GWS do have a clear brand, Collingwood seem to have a brand but are 4 - 5 extra players away from being able to fully show it but Essendon and the Saints are yet to show theirs - if they even have one - and that's a huge part of the disappointment around those 2 teams.
Saturday morning I went silly with an 18-post thread on all things Essendon v Bulldogs, not to shitcan the Bombers at all, but moreso in response to Tom Morris' comments on the lack of critical analysis of AFLW coming from a man who I doubt hasn't watched 1 single game he wasn't working at and doesn't give AFLW first thought, let alone a 2nd one unless there's a headline or online click involved.
From a coaching standpoint there's plenty of food for thought so let me know any questions you have on it.
Keep clicking the comments on each post and you'll work your way through all 18 posts.
Lions - the dominance is officially over for Brisbane and Adeliade after being the best teams since the inception of AFLW but be happy it happened. The group needs reinvigorating, will bring in a new coach and then I wonder what alterations they can make to that list to bounce in 2028 as there's enough there to play finals
Suns - you can't help but look forward to what this team can be in 2029-30 but passed pretty much every test so far this year with 10 first year players in their 23. Melbourne at home is a mammoth opportunity.
Power - sometimes you win when you really shouldn't and that's football but taking your chances early is a huge factor in AFLW and the Power will definitely take this one after their recent form
Crows - +49 disposals, +12 inside 50's, +5 hit outs, + 48 uncontested possession, + 2% time in possession, + 23 marks and all for going goalless until 9mins into the last quarter. Look they probably weren't making finals but if you falling short by this game if you were?
Kangaroos - a very similar stat line to the Crows but ended up scoring at will in the last quarter and a bit and back to premiership winning form on both sides of the ball with 8th, 16th, 12th and 11th to come so god help us
Swans - battled but just didn't have the magnets to cover everything once Morphett went down. Smith/Quin in the ruck took their firepower away and any chance of stretching the Roos defense and also having to run through Molloy through the middle to get some territory also took away scoring chances. Only -7 in inside 50's but -55 for points and -15 for scoring shots
Magpies - scores in first halves for the season is 17.25.127 v opposition 27.33.195 so -68. Scores in 2nd halves is 15.32.122 v 38.28.256 for -134. Pies accuracy also goes from 40% shot on goal accuracy in 1st halves to 32% while opposition goes from 45% to a whopping 59%. 4 - 5 more quality players across the field would go a long way to handling this.
Demons - had the do what you had to do game here after getting up for the Carlton/North Melbourne double but will need to reenergise for the Suns away or risk dropping pout of the top 4 after being 1st just 2 weeks ago!
Eagles - have won 4 on the trot now and have 3 games that 50/50 opportunities but I can't get them in the 8 unfortunately unless they pull off a miracle v the Cats at home in 2 weeks time
Dockers - not the game to drop with North and Geelong to come in the last 4 games and unfortunately I cant get them into the finals.
No real earth-shattering results from the weekend and the top 8 teams look set pretty much where my ladder predictor has the Hawks in for Freo but both teams are highly inconsistent so that could go either way and the inequity's of the draw is probably the most deciding factor.
Blues - were far cleaner and more direct with the ball and an early 19-0 is pretty much insurmountable in those horrendous conditions
Hawks - the Hawks defense just was not prepared adequately for the conditions and it clearly showed in their output but that's on the coaching staff
Tigers - were solid for half the game but fell away a lot going 0.0 v 3.9 in the 2nd half + 17 v 39 inside 50's so were very lucky this didn't get very ugly
Cats - due for a "down" week but were only +2 at clearance with a belting in hit outs 22 v 11 but Prespakis still managed 8 clearances her own
Giants - just a weird set up at the Giants - they have a clear method which most-lower placed teams don't yet cannot make even 1 step of on-field progress and this might be the worst of them all after dominating the 1st half then literally stopping in the 2nd for even Essendon to come over the top of them
Bombers - don't get used this Bomber fans but this was a huge effort and win so can we now see something resembling this week to week please?
Bulldogs - shocking conditions, shocking accuracy but a win is a win and that's easily enough in wintery conditions at Ballarat (stadium looks pretty good actually!)
Saints - what's left to say about the Saints? o wins, a % of just 37.2% and a lot of traction on social media (funny when no one pipes up when good things happen in AFLW isn't it?) yet have a real chance this week against the Pies so if there is a response to be had, and not even a win, then it has to be this Saturday
Back in December last year I released a 26 page PDF on Brisbane's ball movement for season 2025.
After another year of studying the Lions on their way to a 2nd 3-Peat, it's now grown to a 42 page PDF!
I've broken it down into 6 categories being:
1 - Quick Release Short Kick
2 – Inner and Outer Layers
3 – High Half Forwards
4 – Defensive 50 Possession
5 – Creating Ground Length
6 – Kick Out Strategies
Each category contains a mixture of game clips, whiteboard clips and images to show you exactly what is happening with the just-recently added "New 2026" section added to the bottom of each category that adds to the original PDF from last year.
Brisbane are multiple levels above the rest when it comes to ball movement but that could your team as soon as 2027 but you don't need elite level kickers to do so.
Using Wheelo's Ratings, there are 2 kicking stats that tell the take:
Kick Threat Rating which is the measure of how often a player’s kicks result in a shot at goal later in the chain compared to expectation where they finished 15th.
This means that they are able to retain possession via easy-short kicks yet gain territory on most of them which adds up over a game when you have 108 marks, and thus, opportunities per game to do this.
And it's all in their positioning as most of the kicks you'll see in this PDF are doable at local level and/or don't require perfection either.
This is a 1-time payment purchase and will be delivered to your email in a PDF format.
Click Brisbane Lions Ball Movement 2025/26 on the register page and kick your way to success in 2027.
Geelong are we on show right now with their clearance game + their transition handball game and are putting the league on notice with their offense.
In their 7 games this season they have scored 27 (in their only loss, albeit a bad one v North), 100, 64, 83, 57, 90 and 82 in a 6-game stretch where they're averaging 79pts/game at a total of 476pts, the highest 6-game scoring stretch in AFLW history (North are 2nd and 3rd with 475 and 474 points respectively from last season).
It shoes the rare offensive air they are occupying at the moment.
If you watched Geelong v Hawks last Thursday (seems a lifetime ago!), or even if just caught up on some of the rounds highlights then you definitely 1, if not both, pf these transition plays by the Cats, with both resulting in goals.
For both plays I'll show you the clip, provide a whiteboard set up of starting positions and running patterns - I also label each player in the actual clip.
To run this at training set them up in the starting positions from the 1st image with the only instruction being to handball chain as far as you can and when you can kick it then it has to be a shot on goal and see how far they can get.
I would suggest shortening the lengths of these plays compared to what I've laid out initially but then stretch them out as they get better at maintaining the extra number/s at the ball and keeping the handball chain alive.
Demons - looked to be the new number 1 but that only lasted 7 days
Kangaroos - back in top spot where they belong and are now a whopping 55% ahead of top of the ladder with no genuine contenders ahead
Magpies - took away all the time the Giants need to get their handball chains going cutting them from an average of 103 to just 76 in this game and totally stifled their ball movement
Giants - I picked them in this one thinking they could generate far more offense than the Pies but lost inside 50's by 18 and scoring shots by 4 so what do I know?
Crows - you're not gonna see a more up and down season then what the Crows have dished up so far but it's also expected when you lose very experienced players in Hatchard and Randall and replace them with 18 - 19 year olds
Dockers - I'm sure no one saw a 35 - 2 start in this one but the Dockers put some speed on the ball and went forwards a lot more then they have been and it worked an absolute treat
Swans - a mature win in conditions that usually favor the opposition but defended extremely well (allowed 10 more inside 50's) but had +7 in tackles where they've only lost that stats once this year and ave 9 more than 2nd placed Dogs
Lions - it'll be on in the QClash with Brisbane desperately needing a win in general but the Suns with a huge sniff of their 1st win across their cross-state rivals and I'll be tipping the Suns
A bunch of 60/40 games but no real surprises from the results this week except maybe the number that North Melbourne on the Dees as well as what Geelong did Hawthorn.
Cats - have the highest offense in the league on 503 total points, 47 in front of 2nd placed Melbourne, are averaging 79pts /game if you take away their 27 in round v North and with Richmond and GWS in the next 2 that gap will widen considerably more (4th and 7th worst defense - fun fact Geelong are 6th!!)
Hawks - probably the worst follow up you'll see after beating the all-conquering Kangaroos last week to a 48 - 6 in the red scoreline at half time the very next week
Bombers - 2.7 to 0.1 and +27% time in possession in the 4th is a prime example of how this season has gone for the Bombers
Eagles - have quietly won 2 on the trot even if 2 of them have been the Saints and Essendon but early losses to GWS and Gold Coast (at home) killed their season before it could get rolling
Bulldogs - sitting nicely in 7th with St Kilda and Essendon to come then a tough finish with Carlton, Melbourne and Geelong to finish with. Not super at anything but solid in a lot of areas right now which could get them a finals win or 2 if they put it together for a string of games
Power - have gone from 7 wins and 2 finals wins to 6 wins to what looks like 4 wins this year for the Power and probably a worst drop off then the Saints for mine considering the list they have.
Blues - back to their best v the Tigers getting off to a 39-8 start but have an interesting run coming up with the Hawks, Swans and Dogs so we'll see if they've re-settled in as the 3rd best team or not
Tigers - were out of contention as soon as Conti went down but have found some players off the back of it and should be able to rebound well from this "negative" going forward. McLenzie being the number 1, Bacon/Greives getting a host of midfield of time and above all responsibility + Wolmarans forward and Graham back have all been extremely solid
Taking a different angle for this post where I'll focus exclusively on center bounce clearance tactics used by Geelong in their game v Hawthorn and then look at Port Adeliade v Western Bulldogs.
Looking at Geelong first they have Georgie Prespakis who is currently the best player in the competition who is their go-to hit target but aren't using McDonald, Morrison and Bowan with their ruck Dunlop also solid at following up after ruck contests for the odd clearance.
What we'll also see is that they have a full menu of tap zones and combinations and rarely go to the same tap zone and player twice in a row which keeps the opposition mids on edge for the entire game, unsure of what to give and what to take away at any given time.
Of the 8 clips I have here, we see Prespakis back wrap, Prespakis defensive side, McDonald back wrap, Prespakis Defensive Side Forward Run, McDonalds Back Wrap all in the first qt so you can clearly see the mix up of running routes and go-to players right there.
The other clips from later in the game show McDonald Back Wrap/Prespakis Defensive Side Forward Run, Prespakis Back Wrap and McDonald Back Wrap.
The back wrap is an interesting one as Dunlop is a great running single leg jumper but doesn't dominate the taps but the Cats uses the defensive side to their advantage and teams should definitely go to work on that.
Moving to Port Adeliade who have one of the top 3 tallest rucks (190cms) who also happens to be the most athletic one of the lot by a long stretch in Scholz going up against the Bulldogs without their first-string ruck Edmonds (189cms) and rolling with tall forwards as rucks in McKee (180cms) and Hardingham (179cms).
As predicted Scholt dominated taps (40 on her own v 11 in total for the Dogs) and with a 30cm+ reach as you'll see from the clips, a subsequent center bounce dominance but they severely lack the system and menu at center bounce that the Cats do, as you'll see.
Every tap goes to Dowrick and they only use 2 different tap zones that are easily scouted by the Dogs in the end but the lack of imagination from the Power was just a big a factor here in having 2 cleanish clearances from center bounce for the entire game and a convincing loss that already has them 2 games and a lot of % of out finals.
VIDEO 1 x GEELONG
VIDEO 2 x PORT ADELIADE
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