Each week of the 2024 AFL season, ESPN.com.au's Jake Michaels looks at six talking points.
This week's Six Points feature the objectively abysmal Tigers, the best (young) one-two punches in the league, the unheralded Bulldog who must be in mid-year All-Australian consideration, and my latest issue with the modern day coach.
1. Terrible Tigers and why fans should be filthy at Damien Hardwick
Two things can be true. Richmond fans should be grateful for the way in which Damien Hardwick turned their club around and built a dynasty that would win three premierships in four years. But they should also be disappointed he jumped ship the moment the club's trajectory began trending in the wrong direction.
Granted, the Tigers have been plagued by injury in the first half of season 2024, but does anyone really think they'd be positioned much higher on the ladder if fully fit? I don't.
Richmond's year to date has been diabolical. They sit 17th with just one win -- though it was against the Swans, so perhaps it should count for two -- and if the Kangaroos are able to find their first victory anytime soon, it would likely relegate the Tigers into the wooden spoon slot.
In terms of Champion Data's premiership standards, as expected, they're miles off where they want to be. A reminder, there are 32 key statistical areas that the past 10 premiers have almost always ranked in the top third. After 10 rounds, the Tigers rank bottom two in 21 of those metrics. They rank 16th in another four areas, meaning 78% of those 32 key categories they currently rank bottom three. And that's bottom three teams, not bottom third of teams!
But things have only gotten worse over the last month. The Tigers are currently riding an historically abysmal four-week stretch in which they have failed to crack 50 points for four games in succession. Outside of 2020 where we had shortened games and lower scores, that's happened just one other time (Brisbane in 2015) in 55 years.
It's all culminated in the embarrassing percentage of 59.6, their worst mark after 10 games in club history.
Hardwick knew the bottom was about to fall out of the Tigers and he certainly wasn't hanging around and waiting for it to happen. Was it smart or selfish? Probably both, but I'll let you decide that one for yourself.
2. The five best 25-and-under, one-two punches in the AFL
Maybe it's recency bias, maybe it's just fact, but it really does feel as though we have more young talent in the league right now than just about ever before. But which side has the best duo? Here's my top five:
For me, it was a real debate between the Port Adelaide and Gold Coast pairs, but I've gone with Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson because of how well their contrasting game styles complement each other.
Rowell might be the best pure inside midfielder in the game today. This year he's averaging a touch under 25 disposals, as well as 15 contested possessions, eight clearances, and eight tackles per game. Anderson, meanwhile, is explosive on the outside and one of the best territory midfielders in the competition. This year he's averaging 29 disposals, 11 contested possessions, six clearances, six inside 50s, four tackles, and well over 500 metres gained per game.
Each week this duo combines for 34.96 Rating Points. That's more than any other pair listed above, as well as some of the competition's more experienced combinations. Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh are at 32.55. Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver at 29.08.
But it's not just current duos their production has eclipsed. Rowell and Anderson are already well clear of many of the AFL's modern day great pairings.
For the above numbers, we've used the best season by the pair before either one of them turned 26. Given Rowell and Anderson are just 22 and 23, respectively, we should still expect their numbers to grow substantially before they become ineligible for this list.
Keep a close eye on this Rowell-Anderson combination. I'm convinced it's one that can be the cornerstone of a Suns premiership down the track...
3. Only Gaz, Danger, and Fyfe have ever started a year better than Isaac Heeney
By now, you're probably sick of me talking about Isaac Heeney. But you really shouldn't be. The star Swan is dominating season 2024 and is well and truly on track for one of the greatest campaigns ever put together. That's not hyperbole.
Heeney torched the Blues last Friday night at the SCG, finishing with 26 disposals and three goals. My eye tells me he picked up another two Brownlow Medal votes, taking his season tally to a ridiculous 20.5 votes. If so, that would mean he's averaging 2.05 votes per game. And if he keeps that up, he will obliterate Dustin Martin and Ollie Wines' all-time record of 36 votes in a year.
READ: 2024 BROWNLOW MEDAL PREDICTOR
Through 10 games, Heeney is averaging 26.7 disposals, 12.6 contested possessions, 6.3 clearances, and 5.2 tackles per game. He's also kicked 16 goals. Patrick Dangerfield in 2017 is the only other player in league history to boast such numbers after the first 10 games of a season.
Here's how Heeney's year is stacking up compared to the greatest starts we've ever seen:
If Heeney does go on to win the Brownlow Medal this year, it would be one of the most extraordinary wins of all time.
It's totally unprecedented for a 10-year player, one that had never polled double digit votes in a season, to break out this late in their career and win the league's highest individual award. If you had given me 30 Brownlow picks at the beginning of the year, I still wouldn't have come close to picking Heeney!
4. Adam Treloar deserves -- at the very least -- consideration for the mid-year All-Australian team
If Marcus Bontempelli isn't receiving the plaudits at the Bulldogs, it's probably Tom Liberatore. If it's not Liberatore, it's Aaron Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, or maybe even Tim English. Oh, and don't forget about Ed Richards, who has made a splash since being shifted into the midfield.
But in a yo-yoing season for the Bulldogs, Adam Treloar has been the one constant. And if we're being fair, he deserves to be in the mix for a spot in the mid-year All-Australian team.
Here's a full list of players who have had a 40-disposal game, a 20-contested possession game, an eight-clearance game, and an eight-tackle game in 2024:
1. ADAM TRELOAR
Through 10 games, Treloar is averaging a league-high 32.7 disposals and six clearances per game. Nick Daicos and Caleb Serong are the only others at 30 and six, and few would be leaving either of them out of their mid-year All-Australian teams. Treloar also ranks top five in the competition for groundball gets, uncontested possessions, and total possessions.
But it's not just his elite ball winning. For a midfielder, Treloar's ball use is solid at 72% efficiency. He contributes five tackles, seven score involvements, and almost 400 metres gained per outing, ranking him 18th in the competition for total Ratings Points (15.43 per game).
I'm not saying he must be in it -- after all, picking a midfield is extremely tricky -- but you're doing him a total disservice if you aren't, at the very least, giving him some serious consideration.
5. The biggest thefts in AFL history
You have to feel for Sam Mitchell and the Hawks. They did everything -- well, as close to everything as you possibly can -- to win against the Power last Sunday afternoon, yet they left Adelaide Oval on the receiving end of one of football's greatest robberies.
Hawthorn led for 121 minutes and 40 seconds, while Darcy Byrne-Jones' last-gasp goal officially had Port Adelaide in front for just 58 seconds. It's worth highlighting this number isn't just the remaining game time on the count down clock, rather it reflects the time that elapsed from the goal being signaled by the goal umpire, and scored by match officials, until the game was marked as complete following the subsequent centre bounce.
It all got me wondering what the fewest seconds a team has led for and still managed to win a game was. As usual, Champion Data provided the answers:
Yeah, you really have to feel for those Hawks!
6. Coaches need to stop taking the mickey when submitting team sheets
It's been happening for a while now, but lately it seems to be getting more and more prevalent. Of course, I'm referring to coaches listing players out of position when teams are submitted to the AFL. Why do they do this? I have absolutely no idea.
This past weekend I saw Matt Rowell listed as Gary Rohan's match-up at centre half-back, Brad Hill and Nick Daicos named as centre half-forwards, and Blake Hardwick on a wing (he did head there eventually, but certainly not to start the game!) Anyway, that's just to name a few.
Is it the biggest issue facing the AFL in 2024? No. Is it something that bothers me? Absolutely. No other sport would let this nonsense fly. These coaches really need to stop the funny business.