Opinion AFL 2024 Round 12 - Weekend Wrap & Liked, Learnt, Hated

[Zevon]

Port v Blues, Thursday night: Darn good away win for the Blues; the Power couldn't get near them in the last term. Not quite sure what to make of Port though. I would have thought there would be more pressure on their coach to be honest... maybe somebody needs to start a BigFooty thread about that?

Magpies v Dogs, Friday night: It basically came down to which side had fewer players in the rehab room. The Dogs were marginally better off than the Pies on that metric, and lo and behold they were marginally better than the Pies in the game itself, too.

Hawks v Crows, Saturday arvo: Talk about a purple patch. That's 4 wins from the Hawks' last 5 matches now, and we all know how close they got in that Port game. Finals anyone?

Eagles v Saints, Saturday arvo: IS THAT THE FIRESTARTER FOR THE SAINTS? No, it isn't. Sack the coach and then maybe we can talk. All this game will be remembered for is being the one that threw the Rising Star market into chaos.



Cats v Tigers, Saturday night: Pretty good battling stuff from the Tigers. No idea what's going on with the Cats at the moment though; at one point they were staring firmly down the barrel of their 5th loss in a row which would have been a real wheels falling off moment. They're still wobbling, and they have a date with the best team in the history of the league next week. Watch this space.

Demons v Freo, Sunday arvo: The Alice Springs Demons put in a shocker in front of their adoring home crowd. When they're good they're good, but when they're bad they look absolutely abysmal. Take nothing away from the Dockers though. Outstanding team performance to absolutely bury the opposition like that.

Suns v Bombers, Sunday twilight: A win at home for Gold Coast, what a surprise. Do that away and I might just be impressed. Not sure the high-flying Bombers lost too many admirers in this one. They're going fine.

 

[Randomizor]

The top 8 is looking pretty good but could do with a few less Vic teams in it

 

[JackFlash]

Liked: Winning at last, even though it was a tough battle at the former fortress.

Learnt: The Swans are the best team in it and they didn't even play this weekend

Hated: White shorts at a home game again, it's ridiculous, bizarre holding the ball scenario, wing tackles and strange 50 metre penalties.

 

[The 747]

Interesting round.

Liked seeing Freo put the Demons to the sword.

Learned that when you change the rules mid season it results in baffling inconsistency.

Hated the impact the umpires had on the final game, that should have been a five goal win to Suns.

Also hated Dwayne Russell. And Jordan Lewis

Jordan Lewis

Age

40

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.5

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

11.5

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.7

4star

MG

310.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

15.0

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

2.8

5star

. And David King. And Carlton supporters trying to make every thread about them. And winter. And discovering nettles in my new backyard.

 

[Zevon]

I think Wosh's liked for the weekend was definitely the rise and rise of FLAGMANTLE

Am I right??

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Liked: Curtain raiser football before the senior game.

Learnt: The Swans are the best in the competition by a long way. 2-10 are all just average teams.
But it is only June, another contender could emerge by September.

Hated: Another ACL injury. The comp has been riddled with them, and the Tigers have been plagued in both senior and reserves programs. Just sucks to see them.

 

[dropbear101]

I think Wosh's liked for the weekend was definitely the rise and rise of FLAGMANTLE

Am I right??

tbh id love to see a freo doker write up about this.

nick suban about to win his 7th brownlow medal.

 

[Wosh]

I think Wosh's liked for the weekend was definitely the rise and rise of FLAGMANTLE

Am I right??

They are playing very good footy. Who knows.

 

[BigBoSS_Riot]

Liked: The new holding the ball interpretation is more good than bad in my view. Richmond put in a solid effort against the Cats. Fremantle properly putting a team to the sword.

Learnt: Hawthorn's rebuild has definitively surpassed Adelaide's - better midfield, better system, vastly superior coaching. Whoever writes the 'Around the state leagues' articles has absolutely no idea.

Hated: Another Adelaide embarrassment.

 

[Zevon]

They are playing very good footy. Who knows.

It’s not too late to delete this. I won’t even quote you I swea…

Oh too late

 

[Zevon]

tbh id love to see a freo doker write up about this.

nick suban about to win his 7th brownlow medal.

Ryan Crowley a sneaky chance for the Coleman?

 

[dropbear101]

Ryan Crowley a sneaky chance for the Coleman?

oh course. hes kicked a 100 every season since 2002.

everyone loves him. really likable guy. fan favourite.

 

[BringFevBack2021]

Liked:
Carlton knocked off another team around them

Learnt:
Melbourne have a lot of work to do to be a genuine top four chance this year

Hated:
Lefau’s ACL injury.. This kid provides a genuine contest whenever he goes near it and is frighteningly strong. He was giving me a reason to watch the Tigers. Feel for the guy.

 

[Hawksboy72]

Liked: solid 4 qtr performance by the Hawks.

Learnt: (Always known) Port will never win a flag with Dixon in their starting 22, bloke is an absolute liability for them.

Hated: Melbourne absolutely waving the white flag. Totally acknowledge the dockers performance but Melbourne..jesus that was insipid.

On SM-S918B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[OhhhhhCyril]

Liked: watching players like Cripps, Bont and Will Day running around.

Learnt: not too much, swans are good, so are the blues.
Deez rely on Gawn too much.

Hated: more bloddy injuries. That poor kid from Richmond.. just more rotten luck. These long term injuries are becoming a real problem.

 

[The Edukator]

I liked the new htb interpretation. It's more right than wrong compared to the previous interpretation.

Hated - rising star award has a fairest component.

Learnt - rising star award has a fairest component.

 

[Zevon]

Learnt - rising star award has a fairest component.

Embarrassed to admit I had no idea about this prior to the weekend either.

 

[Next Waiting]

I liked the new htb interpretation. It's more right than wrong compared to the previous interpretation.

Hated - rising star award has a fairest component.

Learnt - rising star award has a fairest component.

Liked: That I had any one of 2 sure things going into the round

Hated: That I didn't by the end of the round

Learnt: That the market is suspended

 

[ibd77]

Port v Blues, Thursday night: Not quite sure what to make of Port though. I would have thought there would be more pressure on their coach to be honest... maybe somebody needs to start a BigFooty thread about that?

It's pretty obvious to everyone now that we do not show up to games of significant importance.

Our record under Hinkley since 2013 shows this. We haven't won a sudden death final since 2014, against Freo in Perth. Our last finals win in Melbourne was in 2013 against the Pies. We have choked our last 3 preliminary finals (2 at home) appearances and went out in straight sets last year.

Then you look even deeper with our records in home and away matches against top 4 and top 8 teams. Its horrible reading for a Port fan.

 

[jannissary]

Liked:
Carlton knocked off another team around them

Learnt:
Melbourne have a lot of work to do to be a genuine top four chance this year

Hated:
Lefau’s ACL injury.. This kid provides a genuine contest whenever he goes near it and is frighteningly strong. He was giving me a reason to watch the Tigers. Feel for the guy.

absolutely agree with this, it's very disappointing to see. he's a great recruit and they'll miss him greatly

 

[Optimistic Dog]

Sam Darcy is just as important to the dogs as Nick Daicos is to the pies.

As good as Nick is The Bont is still the king.

 

[JT09]

I reckon Hawks will be a huge threat for the second half of the season and finals

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Liked: we didn’t even play this week and people are saying we’re the team to beat.

 

[Back One Out]

Loved: the return of “holding the ball” and the players’ instantly adjusting to the threat of being penalising by moving the ball on quickly. It felt like I was watching a normal game of AFL footy and not the garbage which was foisted upon us over the previous couple of months

THANK YOU, AFL

The fact that it took a meltdown from coaches, players, media and fans to get the AFL & umpires to wake up to themselves and make the required change does not sit comfortably with me.

What about the smaller, less obvious tweaks that might be needed in the future? Will the umpires and their faceless, phantom advisors & coaches be on top of things? Or will they let things degenerate into another dog’s breakfast?




Liked: the epic last quarter between Gold Coast v Essendon. Fantastic attacking end-to-end footy. Hugely entertaining. Great skills and some great goals.

Unfortunately, we were robbed of an heart-stopping final minute when the trigger-happy umpire rewarded Miller’s half-tackle on Caldwell. It wasn’t a completed tackle. Should’ve been play on. It was made even worse when Fiorini sucked Laverde into giving him the ball and not handing it back to Miller, resulting in a gimmie goal from a 50m penalty. Crucial mistake by Laverde.


It sounds like the Bombers are in whinge mode with Brad Scott emulating his twin brother’s well-worn trick of saying “I’m not blaming the umpires, but I am bewildered by a few decisions and we’ll be seeking clarification from the AFL”

Yeah, sure. Good luck with that. Just make sure you don’t mention the umpiring after a close loss and make excuses.

The Dons were complaining about Hind soccering the ball out of bounds. LMAO!!! That’s been an auto free kick for the past 10 years. It doesn’t matter if he was trying to soccer it ahead for himself to run onto. He kicked it out of bounds! Free kick, ya numpties.




Learned: I knew it already when they crushed the Hawks, but the Suns have some serious talent and they are going to be premiership contenders over the next few years with Hardwick coaching them. Some of the footy they played was electrifying. It reminded me of the Giants at their very best… Rock solid defence… a dominant midfield with Witts tapping it down to their aces: Rowell, Anderson and Miller… super-slick ball movement and fast outside runners pinpointing their forwards with long range passes (silky-skilled smaller forwards and 2 behemoths in King and Walter)

I thought Essendon did a super job just to hang in there and keep themselves in the game. Bombers fans would be disappointed to lose, but let's park the constant jibes about Gold Coast being a flaky basket-case club. The Suns are now a seriously tough opponent, particularly at home. Bombers fans should take heart from their good showing against a good quality opponent who were at their best.




Loved: Hawthorn’s continued good form and the overall evenness of the team performance. We are definitely headed on the right track with Mitchell as coach. I like what I’ve seen over the past month.

I just wish we had a few of the superstars which have been gifted to the Qld and NSW franchises under the farcical Academy rules. It’s just so unfair they’ve been able restock their lists with blue-chip A-grade talent using junk picks instead of using their 1st or 2nd round draft picks. What a rort !!

I hope the AFL and Channel 7 enjoy the TV ratings when we have the Swans, Giants, Suns and Lions contesting future Prelims and Grand Finals. No wonder the powers-that-be & the AFL media are so all-in on Carlton making the GF this year. It's going to be a disaster for Ch.7 if it's Swans v Giants GF, no matter how they try to hype it.



Hated: undisciplined hot-headed players who get too easily sucked in by opponents and cause a free kick reversal when their teammate is lining up an easy set shot for goal. The young Hawks seem to be making a habit of it. Wake up to yourselves! No need to act like a hero. Just walk away! FMD! Don’t screw over your teammates and cost your team 6 points.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Loved: the return of “holding the ball” and the players’ instantly adjusting to the threat of being penalising by moving the ball on quickly.

It felt like I was watching a normal game of AFL footy and not the garbage which was foisted upon us over the previous couple of months

THANK YOU, AFL

The fact that it took a meltdown from coaches, players, media and fans to get the AFL & umpires to wake up to themselves and make the required change does not sit comfortably with me.

What about the smaller, less obvious tweaks that might be needed in the future? Will the umpires and their faceless, phantom advisors & coaches be on top of things? Or will they let things degenerate into another dog’s breakfast?


Liked: the last quarter between Gold Coast v Essendon. Fantastic attacking end-to-end footy. Great skills and some great goals.

Unfortunately, we were robbed of an exciting final minute when the trigger-happy umpire rewarded Touk Miller’s half-tackle on Caldwell. It wasn’t a completed tackle. Should’ve been play on. It was made even worse when Fiorini sucked Laverde into giving him the ball and not handing back to Miller, resulting in a 50m penalty gimmie goal. Crucial error by Laverde.

Sounds like the Bombers are in whinge mode with Brad Scott emulating his twin brother’s trick of saying “I’m not blaming the umpires, but I am bewildered by a few decisions and we’ll be seeking clarification from the AFL”

Yeah, sure. Good luck with that. Just make sure you don’t mention the umpiring after a close loss and make excuses.

They’re complaining about Nick Hind soccering the ball out of bounds. LMAO!!! That’s been an auto free kick for the past 10 years. Doesn’t matter if he was trying to soccer it ahead for himself to run onto. He kicked it out of bounds! Free kick, ya numpties…


Learned: I knew already from when they crushed the Hawks, but the Suns have some serious talent and they are going to be premiership contenders over the next few years with Hardwick coaching them. Some of the footy they played was electrifying. It reminded me of the Giants at their very best… Rock solid defence… a dominant midfield with Witts tapping it down to Rowell, Anderson and Miller… super-slick ball movement and fast outside runners pinpointing their forwards with long range passes (silky-skilled smaller forwards and 2 behemoths in King and Walter)

I thought Essendon did a super job to hang in there and keep themselves in the game. Bombers fans would be disappointed to lose, but forget about the constant jibes about Gold Coast being a flaky basket case club. The Suns are now a seriously tough opponent, particularly at home. Bombers fans should take heart from their good showing against a quality opponent who were at their best.




Loved: Hawthorn’s continued good form and the overall evenness of the team performance. We are definitely headed on the right track with Mitchell as coach. I like what I’ve seen over the past month.

I just wish we had a few of the superstars which have been gifted to the Qld and NSW franchises under the farcical Academy rules.

It’s just so unfair they’ve been able restock their lists with blue-chip A-grade talent and use junk picks instead of their 1st or 2nd round draft picks

I hope the AFL and Channel 7 enjoy the tv ratings when we have the Swans, Giants, Suns and Lions contesting the Prelims. No wonder they are so all-in on Carlton.



Hated: undisciplined hit-headed players who get too easily sucked in by opponents and cause a free kick reversal when their teammate is lining up an easy set shot for goal. The young Hawks seem to be making a habit of it. Wake up to yourselves! No need to act like a hero. Just walk away! Don’t give away a certain goal!

yeah even as a Dons supporter Im surprised he was more concerned with the deliberate out of bounds calls than that last 50m pen. They were pretty tight calls but I've seen those calls a lot over last few years, especially if you are an away team playing interstate. Hind especially should have learnt from the previous call that they were hot on it yesterday, he could have used his other foot and kicked inbound instead.