Winter is here. The Demons have finally been knocked off, the bottom few sides are abnormally bad, Buddy has kicked over a thousand goals, and Kane Cornes has found 100,000 things to object to. Starting with the top eight, here’s how your team is tracking midway through the 2022 season.
Melbourne
At half-time on Saturday, they were cruising to their 18th win on the trot.
Unlike some of the great teams of the last 20 years, the 2022 Dees don’t pulverise the opposition, or look to put on a show. They just dial it up as required. Gawn, Petracca and Oliver raffle the three votes each week.
But then they changed their name, Langdon hurt his ribs, Petracca fell ill, May got concussed, and Fremantle went whoosh. The Dockers’ 10-goal burst will be on high rotation across the competition. Did they work Melbourne’s locks? Did they turn the premiership race on its head? The reality is, the Dees had an off day. They had excuses. Their opponents played out of their skins. Melbourne hasn’t really got warm yet, but they’re still the clear No 1 seed.
Best and fairest: Clayton Oliver
Brisbane
This is probably the closest Brisbane’s been to a flag since 2004. They were a bit listless in Geelong and Launceston but they’re capable of scintillating football, particularly at the Gabba, where they’re pretty much unbeatable in home-and-away games. They’ve had a good run with injuries in recent years, but they’re starting to bite in 2022, particularly up forward. They’re starting to leak goals too. Their next four opponents are Fremantle (away), St Kilda, Melbourne (away) and the Western Bulldogs. We’ll have a much clearer picture then.
Best and fairest: Lachie Neale
Fremantle
They were coming off two losses in the wet when they forfeited about 25 percentage points and incurred the wrath of their normally imperturbable coach. But it’s hard to remember a Fremantle side that’s played better than the one that unleashed late on Saturday afternoon – perhaps the opening quarter of the 2012 elimination final, or the following year’s qualifying and preliminary finals. They’re defensively sound, well coached, have an even spread of contributors, and will soon welcome back a two-time Brownlow medallist. You wouldn’t back them with your worst enemy’s money on a heavy track however.
Best and fairest: Andrew Brayshaw
St Kilda
The Saints didn’t have a great summer. Coffield tore an ACL, and Clark, Billings, Geary and Ryder were all injured. There was a sameness to them in round one. They looked one-paced and bland. The only real source of excitement came from a former concreter in the ruck. But they’ve exceeded all expectations since. They’re a great second half team, rolling all over the top of Fremantle, Richmond, Geelong and GWS after the main break. Kicking 4-18 in the tropics may prove costly however. And their run home is tough, with eight games against top eight sides.
Best and fairest: Jack Sinclair and Jack Steele
Carlton
The Herald Sun recently had the temerity to suggest that Carlton are the ideal second team to support. For any Victorian over the age of 35, it was a comical suggestion. But they’re a guilty pleasure. They’re the best story, they’re the best team to watch, and when they’re really humming, perhaps the hardest to counter. The old timers can’t get enough of them – hard at the contest, an uncomplicated game plan, and tall options up forward. It’s old school football.
But Jacob Weitering’s cracked AC is an enormous blow. He calms them down, straightens them up and often saves the day. He’s almost never out-marked. They looked bereft without him on Sunday. With Jones refusing the jab, and McKay, McDonald, McGovern and everyone else with Scottish ancestry currently unavailable, they may be at their tipping point.
Best and fairest: Patrick Cripps
Geelong
Modern footy changes every few months. But Geelong is the great constant. You could set your watch to them. Still, it takes a lot for the Cats to impress us. It takes a lot to impress their fans. As always, they won’t go away. They’re the competition’s audit. They put sides to sleep. They put plenty of their supporters to sleep. And they’re actually not going too badly. They’ve dropped three games by less than two goals. They’ve unearthed a star in De Koning. But Dangerfield just can’t get his body right. There’s a shelf life to playing like that. It makes the career of Joel Selwood all the more remarkable. He’s been playing like a crazed lunatic for 15 years now, and is still an outstanding footballer.
Best and fairest: Tom Stewart
Sydney
This is a very different Swans side to previous years. There’s less crash and bang, and more run and spread. They’ve struggled for consistency within games however, and threw in a shocker against Gold Coast. But they’re always a formidable proposition in Friday night games at the SCG. Franklin in particular always seems to find another leg in those fixtures. If he hadn’t whacked Cotchin and earned a week’s rest, they would have really fancied their chances against Melbourne on Saturday night.
Best and fairest: Callum Mills
Western Bulldogs
“In these times where we’re processing the inherent effects of Covid, its uncertain legacy and the future, the uncertainty about the environment, the carbon footprint worldwide and now the atrocity of the Russian advancement on Ukraine, there are questions we ask of ourselves. What kind of person am I? And what would I do if I could influence some of these significant events that will threaten our futures?”
Joe Biden? No, Luke Beveridge. He’s a perennial puzzle, the Bulldogs coach. He had a very odd start to the year. He likes to experiment and chop and change his side, particularly in the early rounds. It can send Dogs supporters spare. But after spluttering along for several months, they’ve finally found their groove. Naughton is flying, Libba is back in the middle where he belongs, and they finally have a bit of ruck stability. They encountered witches hats last week. This Friday’s opponent represents a far stiffer challenge.
Best and fairest: Bailey Smith
Part two – from ninth place downwards – will be analysed on Friday
