<
        >

          The Six Points: Harley Reid isn't saving the Eagles; suspend Gary Rohan!

          • Jake Michaels, Senior WriterJun 27, 2023, 10:50 PM
            Close
              Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer. He has been with ESPN since 2013, covering everything from AFL to Formula One, basketball to boxing, and tennis, both in Australia and around the world.
            Follow on X

          Each week, ESPN.com.au's Jake Michaels looks at six talking points from the AFL world.

          This week's Six Points feature the debut of Jake's inarguable AFL tiers, why Gary Rohan should have been suspended for knocking out Jeremy Cameron, and the latest instalment of the miserable, horrendous West Coast Eagles.

          1. Don't trust the ladder. These tiers are the definitive team rankings

          After 15 rounds of football, and with every team now having played 14 times, you'd think the ladder would be offering a true representation of the contenders and pretenders. Somewhat. But fixtures, form and a myriad of other factors can lead to a rather misleading table. Thank goodness for my tiers.

          THE ELITE
          1 - Collingwood
          2 - Port Adelaide
          3 - Melbourne

          Two of these three will be hosting preliminary finals and I'd be shocked if one of them wasn't the premier when all is said and done. Right now, these teams are standing head and shoulders clear of the chasing pack.

          THE UNDISPUTED FOURTH-BEST
          4 - Brisbane

          Not quite at the level of the trio of teams above them, but definitely a step up on those below. I wrote earlier this week that the Lions will finish the home and away season in the top four and are a genuine flag chance.

          PREMIERSHIP CALIBRE AND SCARY
          5 - Geelong
          6 - Richmond
          7 - Western Bulldogs

          Would you be comfortable playing these teams in a final? I think not. All three have won a flag in the last seven years and all three, especially the Cats, can (and will) play their best footy in September. Call me crazy but I expect all of them to be there, which means a few need to drop out...

          IN THE EIGHT, BUT ... MEH
          8 - Adelaide
          9 - Essendon
          10 - St Kilda

          Let me ask the same question as above. Would you be comfortable playing these teams in a final? Yeah, I would, especially on your home deck. They don't scare me anywhere near as much as the teams above and I doubt any will go further than semifinal weekend.

          YOU JUST NEVER KNOW
          11 - Fremantle
          12 - Sydney
          13 - Gold Coast
          14 - Carlton

          All four of these sides have had moments which make you believe they're in with a chance but consistency has been a massive issue. No more than one will play finals, and even that feels like a stretch.

          LIKING WHAT WE'RE SEEING
          15 - GWS
          16 - Hawthorn

          Nobody expected these teams to be competitive this season but both have shown some impressive signs and are enjoying great production from their youth. One, or perhaps both, could surprise more than a few next year.

          BAD
          17 - North Melbourne

          Yes, the Kangaroos are bad. Sorry to break it to you.

          INEXPLICABLY BAD
          18 - West Coast

          Just abysmal. Let's get into that now, shall we?

          2. The Eagles are 'inexplicably bad' and Harley Reid's not saving them

          It's getting to the point where you just feel overwhelming guilt when engaging in any negative West Coast commentary. The problem is, there's only negative West Coast commentary.

          This proud football club has finally (surely?) hit rock bottom and, worryingly, there's no light at the end of the tunnel. I don't care how impressive he's been as a junior, Harley Reid isn't turning this around. Instead, the Eagles are staring down the barrel of multiple years of pain and hardship.

          In Round 13, West Coast was humiliated by the then seventh-placed Crows (122 points). They backed it up after the bye with a 171-point loss to the then 15th-placed Swans. That's a cumulative margin of 293 points across the two weeks (the second-worst ever over two games) and a horrific percentage of 23.7%. For some context, you have to go back to Round 15, 2020 (67 games) with the Demons, adding up every losing margin until you hit that 293-point mark. Let me reiterate the Eagles 'achieved' this in a fortnight!

          FUN FACT: West Coast now holds the record for the most consecutive 40-point losses (12 games). Four of those have been by 100+ points.

          This campaign has been nothing short of disastrous for Adam Simpson and his men. There are so many numbers and statistical measures which are just downright embarrassing, but I think the one which stands out most is that they are -276 for contested possession differential after 15 rounds. That's the second worst ever recorded to this point of the season.

          So much of West Coast's horror year has been blamed on injuries -- seriously, the strength and conditioning at the Eagles over the last few years has been diabolical -- but everyone seems to be glossing over the fact they've consistently been fielding teams which boast anywhere from four to six premiership players.

          Reid, the likely No. 1 draft selection, isn't going to be the immediate saviour. In fact, the Eagles would be well advised to shop the top pick around and look to bring in multiple top 10 players in a bid to help speed up what's going to be a painful rebuild.

          3. Of course Gary Rohan should have been suspended for his hit on Jeremy Cameron

          I would love someone to answer this question for me. Why do players (in any sport) become ineligible for suspension when there's an incident involving them and a teammate? I've asked 20 people in the last week and nobody has an answer. You know why? Because there isn't one.

          The AFL's rules state that a player cannot be reported, cited or suspended for rough conduct against a teammate. I have no idea why that's the case and there's absolutely no reason it should be.

          Gary Rohan deserved to be suspended for his hit on Jeremy Cameron, which resulted in the star Cat being subbed out of Thursday night's game against Melbourne with concussion.

          I understand it obviously wasn't intentional, but that shouldn't matter at all given the MRO makes the distinction between careless and intentional contact. This was careless. It was also high impact (some may even argue severe impact) and to the head, which is classed as high contact.

          Under the current grading system, this incident should be met with at least a two-week suspension and possibly a trip to the AFL Tribunal, where a minimum of three weeks would be handed down. But alas, he wasn't even cited.

          Had Rohan made the exact same contact with a Demon, he'd be on the sidelines for two to three weeks because of his reckless act. As he should be. That criteria breakdown doesn't (and shouldn't) change because he made contact with his own man.

          If the AFL is serious about protecting the player, particularly from concussion, then it needs to amend the rules and these (albeit rare) incidents should be met with a suspension. Each and every time.

          4. What if Gold Coast beat Collingwood on Saturday afternoon?

          Admittedly, this is extremely speculatory and a massive 'if', but stick with me.

          There's no team which deserves the 'average' tag as much as the Suns. After 12 games they were 6-6 with a percentage of 100, and after 14 games they are 7-7 with a percentage of 100.7. For every step forward Gold Coast takes, it really feels as though it takes an equal step back, and vice versa.

          But for a moment, let's forecast. What would a win over the Magpies in Round 16 mean for this club?

          For starters, it would put them at 7-6 and, depending on results, could potentially have them as high as sixth on the ladder by the conclusion of the round. A very foreign place for this side, particularly in the second half of a season.

          In fact, only once in the club's existence have they felt better than a 50-50 shot at making finals. Funnily enough, that was after Round 16, 2014, when they beat the Magpies at home and improved to 9-6. The problem was the win came at a major cost, with Gary Ablett suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. Gold Coast went 1-6 over the next seven weeks.

          Another win over Collingwood would have them as close to a maiden finals appearance as they've been since then. But this time, instead of losing their best player, they might welcome him back into the fold. Touk Miller, who finished third in last year's Brownlow Medal count, is expected to return from a meniscus injury the following week.

          Such a win would also be the biggest scalp in club history, with the Suns currently 0-13 in games against the top team. It's the type of win which would breed confidence and somehow make the remaining draw look a touch easier. No doubt the two games against Port Adelaide and Brisbane will be tough to win, and few will give them a chance against the Crows, but the Suns will feel like they can win the rest of them.

          Here's Gold Coast's run home following this week's game against Collingwood:

          ROUND 17: Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
          ROUND 18: St Kilda (Heritage Bank Stadium)
          ROUND 19: GWS (Manuka Oval)
          ROUND 20: Brisbane (Heritage Bank Stadium)
          ROUND 21: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
          ROUND 22: Sydney (SCG)
          ROUND 23: Carlton (Heritage Bank Stadium)
          ROUND 24: North Melbourne (Blundstone Arena)

          As I said earlier in this column, you just never know...

          5. Among current players, Taylor Walker has had the best career without ever being named All-Australian

          The Taylor Walker career resurrection has to be one of the most unexpected football stories of the last decade. In fact, now that I think about it, it's on par with his new skipper's meteoric rise to prominence.

          From the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2017, Walker booted 160 goals -- the fifth-most in the competition during that period -- and was held goalless just four times. He was unquestionably among the five or six best key forwards in the game.

          But things took a downward turn after that 2017 Grand Final loss. Walker managed just 26 goals in 2018, only kicking multiple goals on seven occasions before appearing to fall off the cliff in 2020, with 15 majors from his 14 games. It wasn't just his scoreboard production, either. Walker's numbers across the board had dropped to near career-lows.

          Fast forward a little under three years and Walker is leading the Coleman Medal, strengthening his case for what would be a maiden All-Australian selection (crazy, I know) with each passing week. It hasn't just been this year, either. Tex booted 95 goals in his 35 games across 2021 and 2022 - the equal-most on a per-game basis. Not only that but he's been a top-five score involvement player over the last three years.

          It really is an unprecedented career arc and I don't believe he gets enough credit for the drastic uptick in production he's managed in the latter stages of his career.

          6. The best positional changes of the last decade

          Remember when Matthew Richardson spent 2008 on a wing and almost won the Brownlow Medal? How about the likes of Alastair Lynch and Matthew Pavlich beginning their careers at the opposite end of the field they would eventually own?

          There's been some great positional changes in football history, but which ones have been the best over the last 10 years? Here's mine:

          5. JERMEY FINLAYSON (GWS/PA)
          He was an unheralded defender in his early days at the Giants but completely turned his career around after being swung forward in 2019. Since then, he's kicked 135 goals, 77 behinds and has become a critical part of the Power's setup.

          4. JORDAN DAWSON (SYD/ADE)
          Can anyone honestly say they saw this coming from Dawson? I can't. Since becoming a permanent member of the Crows midfield earlier this year, Dawson has rocketed himself into the 'best players in the AFL' conversation. Enough said, really.

          3. RORY LAIRD (ADE)
          Laird is a two-time All-Australian defender yet many still wonder why he wasn't playing in the midfield prior to 2021. Since making the switch, Laird has established himself as one of the game's best inside, contested players, tacklers, and ball accumulators.

          2. TOBY GREENE (GWS)
          It's easy to forget Greene was a prolific ball-winning midfielder in his early days at the Giants, averaging 26 disposals per game through his first four years. Now he's the best general small forward in the game and the first selection on the GWS Mount Rushmore.

          1. JAMES SICILY (HAW)
          In my mind, he's the best defender in the game. He's certainly the most valuable, as evidenced by Hawthorn's woes without him. Sicily began his career as a key forward, kicking 47 goals in his first 44 games, but his move into the backline has been a masterstroke and now it's impossible to imagine him playing anywhere else.