Our AFL experts tackle some of the burning questions ahead of Round 7, including whether the Kangas should be given a priority pick, whether it's time to scrap the bounce, how Freo beats Geelong, and more.
Would you give North Melbourne a priority pick and why?
Rohan Connolly: Absolutely not. And I wouldn't have given Brisbane one back in 2016, either (as the AFL did). The Lions are a good example of how a club and a list can be completely turned around with the right choices of talent and coaches independent of AFL assistance. Aside from potentially rewarding bad management (not saying that's the case with North, either), surely the last decade has shown that more than ever, teams are capable of climbing the ladder quickly. The whole football world really needs to stop overreacting to the odd shocking performance by a bottom team.
Jake Michaels: Not just yet. No doubt the Roos are struggling big time but you only have to look back to 2019 when they were 10-12. The season before they were 12-10 and narrowly missed finals. Two poor seasons in 2020 and 2021, one of which was shortened due to COVID-19, doesn't warrant a priority pick. Let the kids they have drafted develop over the next 18 months and if things are still grim, perhaps we can revisit.
Matt Walsh: It hasn't been a great start for North this year, after a similarly poor start to last season. Losses by 60, 68, and 108 points in three of their five losses isn't great, but last year we were talking about them as one of the 'better wooden spoon teams' given their competitiveness. The AFL has been notoriously tight with priority picks in recent years and I don't think it should change.
Jarryd Barca: Nope. How does lack of on-field talent and lacklustre results warrant draft concession in the form of a priority pick? Is that not just rewarding mediocrity, in an era not too distant from a tanking scandal? Not saying the Kangas are tanking by the way (they're clearly not) but if you get yourself in this sort of mess then as a club you can get yourself out of it. While North Melbourne's results may mirror those of clubs that have recently been granted an AFL care package, I'm still avidly against the concept as a whole, meaning those teams were very, very lucky...
Is it time to scrap the bounce after the Crows-Bulldogs saga?
RC: I reckon it was time to scrap it a decade ago, not that those lost two seconds on Saturday would have made a difference to the result. It's a ceremonial function which literally no one ever mentions until the idea of scrapping it comes up and there's a sudden outcry. Ridiculous! People carry on like it's an important feature of the game or something. But have you ever heard anyone comment on how good a centre bounce was, or wasn't a game great because of the centre bounces? I know I haven't, and I've been going to the footy now week in, week out for more than 50 years.
JM: YES! I get it's an AFL tradition but that doesn't mean we need to keep it. This year, we seem to be having more bounces recalled than we did in previous seasons, and I hate the fact it burns two to three seconds off the clock. Plus, the ones that aren't recalled often advantage one ruckman significantly. If the AFL and traditionalists are desperate to keep the bounce, then perhaps use it to start each quarter and then throw it up every other time.
MW: No, the centre bounce after the goal is one of the few remaining heritage aspects of our game and should be protected. What needs to happen is the time clock should reset after a failed centre bounce - not that it would have made a difference for the Dogs.
JB: Honestly, why does the bounce still exist, and why should the Dogs lose two seconds because of an umpiring shank? It didn't matter on this occasion, but there will come a time where it does affect the result of a game, so yes, scrap it before it becomes genuinely controversial.
How does Fremantle pass the 'Geelong at GMHBA' test?
RC: The obvious answer would be to say only with a win, but let's be honest, the Cattery is an extraordinarily difficult place at which to win for visitors, and the Dockers' record away from home (3-8 even last year) has been abysmal for a long time. In that context, I reckon a loss of under, say, three goals, would be a decent effort, and offer further evidence this version of Freo is a legitimate top team. Then again, that famous 2013 finals win in this same fixture is a good motivator for Justin Longmuir's team to shoot for the stars, so to speak.
JM: Sure, the Cats are the experienced team who many will be backing but why shouldn't this question read the other way around - How does Geelong pass the Dockers test? The numbers suggest 5-1 Fremantle have been the best side in the competition (outside Melbourne), with their stingy defence and potent forward line causing headaches for opposition. If Fremantle can contain Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron, who combined have 46% of the team's goals in 2022, they will put themselves in a great position to win five on the spin.
MW: Keep doing what they're doing. They force turnovers and rebound and run with aplomb, and their defensive structure should suit the narrower ground in Geelong. I do worry about the Hawkins and Cameron duo -- but that's an issue for every team -- and I think Fremantle's small forwards could trouble the Cats. Should be a cracking game!
JB: By stopping the twin towers in Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron. On the evidence of the first six rounds and Geelong being one of the best inside 50 differential teams in the league, their spearheads, who have kicked 39 goals between them, should get plenty of service, so Freo holding up defensively and halving as many contests as possible will go a long way to them winning this game. Like most teams, though, it's the venue's narrow shape that may prove to be the biggest obstacle for Justin Longmuir, so even a close loss with moments of being able to slice through Geelong's formidable defensive system should be seen as a modest success. Tell you what, it would be one hell of an occasion to make a statement and further cement yourself as a genuine premiership threat, that's for sure.
Are you putting a line through the Dogs if they lose to Essendon?
RC: No. And not just because they were my premiership tip. For starters, even at 2-5, a couple of game outside the eight just one-third of the way through a season is hardly irretrievable. They were 2-4 in 2019 and made finals, lost their last three games before the finals last year and played off in the big one and of course, won a famous premiership in 2016 from seventh. Been there, done that, the Doggies are very much a momentum team, and if they get on a roll at some stage, I'd be loath to rule them out.
JM: If the Doggies lose, the line I put through them will be as faint as on a positive RAT test on Day 7 of having COVID-19 - very hard to see, but it's there. I'm not so concerned about their record, as we know teams can come back from 2-5, but it's the way they're playing which concerns me. The midfield group just isn't getting enough value for the amount of possession, I hate the fact Marcus Bontempelli is playing almost exclusively as a forward and having a relatively low impact on games, while the defence looks to be low on confidence. Not quite ready to count them out if they lose, but they'd be one win away from the red texta.
MW: Not yet. Looking at the ladder, they're far and away the best team outside the eight right now, and with Hawthorn currently in that eighth spot I can see one swap happening and that's the Hawks for the Dogs. Play Bontempelli in the middle where he's damaging, and when Josh Bruce returns to help that forward structure, they could come home with a wet sail. I'll back them to make it still.
JB: I think this is a pretty good time of the year to be a couple of wins out of the eight, so I'm not sure this week's game is actually all that season-defining. They've got the eighth best percentage in the competition right now which isn't too shabby for a side with a (for now) 2-4 record, so we'd be foolish to put a line through them -- a team filled with quality that only seven games ago played in a Grand Final -- at least until their ratio reads this negatively with only a few games to go. Even if they lose, they've got a very winnable four matches to follow which looms as their best chance to get their season back on track.