One Question for the Teams that have Played Two Games

One Question for the Teams that have Played Two Games

GuyWhoLikesSport

Last weekend felt like the first weekend of footy for the year.

Opening Round is already in Claire the waitress from the Seinfeld pilot territory.

Forgettable.

But it did happen, so here’s a question for the four teams that we’ve already seen twice.

Sydney –
Are they a tribute band?

When Mattson called Logan Roy’s kids a tribute band, he was saying that the kids are a pale facsimile of their legendary father. Nominally they have the same skills and the same name, but they are not the same.

Sydney has a similar feel to them.

They’re good at the same stuff that they were last year. They’re dominant in the front half off turnover, still move the ball well by foot, still a good pressure side.

They’re just not as good at any of it.

Their entries aren’t as precise. They fumble more. You can feel that Errol Gulden isn’t there.

They also have the same weaknesses. Lack of key position talent, inability to pivot, too reliant on too few.

They feel bigger this year because the strengths aren’t as strong.

It’s like watching a Rolling Clones show through two weeks. You know it’s not Mick Jagger.

The biggest place where you can see the Mick Bagger of it all is in the gameplay. Last year, if Sydney got the game on their terms, they were unbeatable.

The only way they could be beaten is if another team took control over a game. When the opposition took more than 101 marks, Sydney was 0-6 including finals.

They were otherwise 17-1.

Last weekend, Brisbane beat them taking 80.

Collingwood –
Which one is it?

The two Collingwood games couldn’t be more different.

Against GWS in week 1 they were bruise-free, slow, and not interested in working.

Against Port they kicked 15.9 off turnover and were ballistic.

I bet the hot weather and GWS thoroughbreds played a bigger role in round 1 and this high pressure, explosive game is what we’ll see from Collingwood this year.

My biggest reason for optimism is that the forwards seemed to work it out after a calamitous round 1. They took turns staying home and leading up to the ball on the wing and generally worked well together, and all were threats near the goals.

If they can get that brigade of second and third bananas going with the kind of service that Dan Houston provided, and the kind of pressure they applied high up the ground, the Pies lean toward being a problem.

GWS –
Did they exorcise their close-game demons?

While GWS are a bit of a wake me up in September for this outfit, they have shown the ability to move from style to substance from week-to-week and in game.

In Opening Round they were like Saul Goodman in his colourful suits pulling chicanery to win in style.

They chained together perfect handball after perfect handball to get perfect entries into their undermanned forward line.

Against Melbourne, their initial posture was to play their favourite way with handball and run.

However, the rain and Melbourne’s high pressure and dominant defence conspired against them, and they had to go back to meat and potatoes footy.

In the second half they kicked their way through Melbourne, dominated in clearance and played more a dirty territory game rather than a beautiful one, though their transition kicking game is spectacular at times.

Crucially, they also won a close one against a good team. After a season where they didn’t stiffen their game up until too late, and lost two heartbreaking finals, a win like that this early in the season should give them confidence that they’re in this up to their necks.

Hawthorn –
How deep is Sam Mitchell’s bag?

Of the teams that have played twice, only Hawthorn has kicked two goals from kick-ins both games.

GWS has been pretty good at it, but Hawthorn is the gold standard early.

Sam Mitchell is drawing them up like he’s Kyle Shanahan.

Their best one so far was the latest.

They set a screen for Jarman Impey that freed him. James Sicily then hit a sweet kick into space that they had opened up by essentially moving all their players over to the other side of the ground and they were off.

Sicily kicked it in at 18:39 and McDonald had marked it inside 50 at 18:25.

Hawthorn have got themselves essentially two free goals in each game from these kick-in set plays. They’re goals in a can. Those free goals are obviously invaluable now but will appreciate as defences stiffen later in the year.

Can they keep doing it?

 

 

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