Twist in Blues contract saga, Saints need a King: Key takeouts from round seven

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Port Adelaide d St Kilda

Ross Lyon quipped after the game he had not seen enough of Max King to accurately judge how good the big forward really was. For the first time this season, his absence was keenly felt. The Saints would dearly have loved to have the giant spearhead deep inside their 50 late as they unloaded speculative long bombs in search for the winning goal. Without King to either haul in the pack mark or create a spillage, Port’s extra man behind the ball, Jeremy Finlayson, and intercept maestro Aliir Aliir were able to mop up. They should be able to cope without him against North Melbourne next week, but he can be the difference against the contenders.

Jason Horne-Francis starred amid more boos.Credit: Getty Images

Forget about 2022 for Jason Horne-Francis. The kid can seriously play. At an age when most players show only glimpses of their best, Horne-Francis has already become a game-breaker. His capacity to gather the ball and break away from the stoppage is a quality only the very best have. His 11 clearances were more than a third of his team’s total. Though he struggled to cope with the challenges of living away from home as a teenager and the expectations that come with being a No.1 pick, he showed he will not be put off by a hostile crowd. Whether it pays off or not, Port should be applauded for having the ambition to invest so heavily in him.
– Andrew Wu

Brisbane Lions d Fremantle

With their fifth win for the year, the Lions have found their rhythm and look increasingly imposing after a shaky start. There’s a different look about them this year: Will Ashcroft and Josh Dunkley have taken the pressure off Lachie Neale, Conor McKenna has added elite foot skills, and Darcy Wilmot (who played three games last year) has quickly moved from half-back to a wing, playing with flair and aggression.

For Fremantle, it’s a long way back from two wins and five losses if they’re to make finals, and a steep fall from last year’s semi-final appearance. And as badly as he wanted to go home, the acquisition of Luke Jackson from Melbourne for a hefty price tag smacks of a club that thought it was closer to a premiership than it really is.
– Andrew Stafford

GWS d Sydney

What’s more demoralising? Getting thumped by 93 points, or squandering a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose to your crosstown rivals by a point? That’s one for Sydney coach John Longmire to ponder this week as Swans try to get themselves up after two morale-sapping defeats. Lance Franklin is back in form after an injury lay-off, but Sydney still find themselves outside the top eight and struggling for rhythm. Things don’t get easier with a clash against Collingwood on Sunday at the MCG. If Sydney can have a better strike rate with their inside 50s, they’ll be on their way. The Giants, also on 12 competition points, found a way to win at the SCG. There’s enough evidence to suggest GWS will finish higher than last season (16th). One major work-on for the Giants will be their centre clearances, an area where they were outclassed by the Swans. Toby Greene and Stephen Coniglio continue to shine, but they’ll need others around them pulling their weight if GWS want to make a dent in the competition and replicate their success of 2019. – Tom Decent

Western Bulldogs d Hawthorn

Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli was saluted by his team – and a strong home crowd – for his 200th game, despite an under-resourced Hawthorn getting the jump on them early. Luke Beveridge credited the Hawks for having the electricity in the first half and beating them at their own game: in contested possessions. But the Dogs started to get a bit more proactive in the second half and their forward line kicked into gear. Aaron Naughton had four majors, which really took the game away from Hawthorn’s reach, and Arthur Jones got his first goal at AFL level. To Hawk Conor Nash’s credit, Bontempelli was held to below his disposal average in his milestone match, and Blake Hardwick kept Cody Weightman to just three touches. Mitch Lewis was a welcome returner for the Hawks and covered the ground well despite being a bit rusty in front of goal, booting 1.4. Hawthorn are firmly sitting on the lower rungs of the ladder, still with just one win, while the Western Bulldogs have climbed to 10th and are flirting with the top eight. – Marnie Vinall

Melbourne d North Melbourne

The game was over inside 12 minutes as the Demons piled on five unanswered goals, before young Roo Charlie Comben suffered a catastrophic lower leg injury. At quarter-time, the Demons led by 44, on the back of another clinical on-ball performance by Clayton Oliver. But by the end of the match, it was his offsider Christian Petracca who had the most impact, kicking three goals in a dominant performance. Kysaiah Pickett and Bailey Fritsch were also influential inside 50, but tall forwards Jacob van Rooyen and Josh Schache were quiet, giving coach Simon Goodwin more cause to consider who should lead the forward line going ahead, given premiership players Ben Brown and Tom McDonald are on the outer. – Damien Ractliffe

Carlton d West Coast

The Eagles are at their lowest ebb in their 37-year history. After finishing seventeenth last year, another bottom-two finish looms for the former league heavyweights, who are decimated by injury. This is arguably worse than 2008-10 when, in the fallout of the drugs scandal and Chris Judd’s return home to Victoria, they finished second-last, 11th and last. That lean spell delivered the nucleus of their next successful era – Chris Masten, Josh Kennedy, Nic Naitanui, Luke Shuey, Brad Sheppard, Andrew Gaff, Jack Darling and Scott Lycett – and a return to finals in 2011. On available evidence, this rebuild will take a lot longer.

Charlie Curnow kicked nine goals against the Eagles.Credit: AFL Photos

There’s another twist in Tom De Koning’s contract saga. Though he was concussed in the VFL on Saturday, the 23-year-old had appeared destined for at least another week out of the senior side anyway. Quiet in the VFL, he won’t be deposing No.1 ruck Marc Pittonet, who was strong against the Eagles. The experiment with defender Lewis Young as the second ruck can continue if Mitch McGovern stays sound and Brodie Kemp, belatedly promoted, measures up at senior level. Jack Silvagni can then spend more time forward as a foil for Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, a job he is better suited to than an undersized ruck. It means there is no ruck or forward role for De Koning, whose future becomes more intriguing with every week. – Andrew Wu

Geelong d Essendon

Patrick Dangerfield is back to his best, driving the Cats out of an early season slump and back in front of the ledger after seven rounds. His early brilliance out of the centre square was only overshadowed because Tom Hawkins was too big and too strong for the mismatched Brandon Zerk-Thatcher kicking four goals in the first quarter. Hawkins could have easily had six but missed a relatively easy set shot and then the siren denied him another mark when it rang just before he wrapped his hands around the T.W.Sherrin again. It surprised many to learn Hawkins best haul had been – until Sunday’s eight goal bag – seven goals. It is testament to the veteran’s unselfishness that he had not reached eight before but it was his day on Sunday. The Bombers are brave but their backline is undermanned and it hurt them against the Cats after they had given up seven goals in the final quarter the previous week. Jake Stringer was the shining light for the Bombers who seem in safe hands with the authoritative and strategic Brad Scott who is guiding the Bombers down the right path. The Cats are contenders. The Bombers are on the track to being just that in a couple of years. – Peter Ryan

Gold Coast d Richmond

There are big decisions on the horizon for the Tigers and coach Damien Hardwick. Their competitiveness in almost every match this season despite boasting just one win through seven rounds is, perhaps, making it hard for them to pivot more towards the future. They could make a run and get into the top-eight mix, but that seems highly improbable, and given they have no early draft picks this year, it will soon be time to embrace their youth more. Samson Ryan looks a likely type in attack, while Tyler Sonsie – even though he didn’t enjoy his best game on Sunday – and Judson Clarke have all shown good glimpses. Respective injuries mean we haven’t seen Josh Gibcus or Thomson Dow this year, but they will also be part of the Tigers’ plans for the future. Maurice Rioli is also sidelined at the moment.

Nick Vlastuin and the Tigers didn’t have much to celebrate on Sunday.Credit: AFL Photos

As for the Suns, the one-two midfield punch of Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell continues to flourish. The top two picks in the 2019 draft complement each other wonderfully, but Anderson – whose leadership skills coach Stuart Dew raved about post-match – might even end up the better player of the two. Gold Coast won’t be fussed either way, so long as they both keep up their strong form. Ben King’s impressive past fortnight also feels like a huge development for the Suns, who are still gunning for their first finals appearance, even if it seems a long shot. – Marc McGowan

Collingwood d Adelaide

Collingwood enhanced their ever-inflating reputation as the comeback kings of the AFL with yet another fourth-quarter miracle to move to outright top spot on the ladder. Five days after pulling off a majestic Anzac Day heist from 28 points down against Essendon, the Magpies came from the skies again, this time reeling in a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to reel in the Crows. Craig McRae’s team simply doesn’t know how to concede defeat, no matter the odds. And there were plenty stacked against them. Aside from the short turnaround and the large hole they were forced to dig themselves out of, Collingwood also lost forward Nathan Kreuger early and were on the receiving end of some questionable umpiring calls down the stretch. And to top it off, captain Darcy Moore produced a best-on-ground masterpiece in defence after climbing out of his sickbed just to get on the park. The Magpies have now won 10 of their past 13 games after trailing at three-quarter time. Nobody can label it a fluke anymore – it can only be called a trend. Adelaide would have bumped Collingwood out of the top four if they had managed to hold on. Instead they hang on grimly to eighth position on percentage. Their errant goalkicking in the first half followed by an inability to match the Magpies in the clinches late cost them dearly. “We had our chances and we got the harshest lesson,” coach Matthew Nicks said. “We let that one slip.” – Steve Barrett

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