Apparently the Eagles won some kind of big match (?), Essendon copped the mother of all floggings (again), Carlton took another step towards a spoon and Collingwood broke the world record for most hononourable losses in a season.
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Our crack (pot) panel returns to run the rule over round 20 of the 2015 AFL season.
The panel:
Joel Thomson (WAtoday guest contributor and Block 131 loudmouth), Brendan Foster (WAtoday's resident grumpy old man), Paul Entwistle (Rant merchant extraordinaire), Steve Allen (Radio 6PR producer, The Interchange podcast).
Joel T:
1. West Coast is in that zone where structure is more important than personnel. Good sides cover injuries and suspension by sticking to a formula, and the Eagles are doing it as well as anyone.
2. The first stanza is fast becoming the "premiership quarter" of the 21st century. Congestion and lockdown footy make comebacks harder than ever and early scoreboard pressure is gold.
3. Caretaker coaches are in "position A"' but it's nearly always a poisoned chalice. John Barker's chances of a senior gig faded with every one of Brisbane's 17 goals after quarter-time. He'll remain an assistant coach (somewhere) in 2016.
Fossie:
1. You don't often see too many tender moments on the footy field between opposition players. But watching Pies player Taylor Adams make sure Sydney Swans ball magnet Luke Parker was OK after he bent his leg backwards in a sickening tackle was, dare I say it, heartwarming.
2. All the conspiracy theories about the Dockers "tanking" so the Hawks would finish third and have to travel in the first week of the finals and play West Coast are plain rubbish. A very undermanned Eagles simply outplayed Freo. End of story.
3. The Bulldogs' game against West Coast next week, is shaping up as one of the games of the season. The Doggies are blowing teams away and I on current form, no team would won't to play them in week one of the finals.
Vent-wistle:
1. Forget any other reason for giving James Hird the sack as Essendon's coach (alleged or otherwise) - he should be flicked for being a poor coach. Not only was the score kicked by Adelaide against them embarrassing, the fact the Crows kicked more in the second half showed he had no answers to stem the attack.
2. The Eagles' win in the Derby showed Adam Simpson is a coach who will take West Coast to a premiership. But not this year. The Eagles will finish third, lose to Hawthorn at the MCG and then be bumped off (probably by Fremantle) in a preliminary final.
3. Message to Hawthorn: "Wrap Cyril Rioli up in cotton wool until the finals" With the softest run in to the finals of any of the top eight teams, you don't need to risk the most dangerous small forward in the AFL on the 12th, 17th and 18th placed sides.
Steve-o
1. The two best coaches this season are set to go head-to-head this weekend when Adam Simpson's Eagles take on Luke Beveridge's Bulldogs . Two teams who continue to prove the old mantra that it's who you've got on the park and not who you're missing.
2. Josh Hill has never been the most loved Eagle but now lays claim to a Ross Glendinning medal... Something Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr and Andrew Embley never did.
3. Brisbane is 11 goals better than Carlton. That's the gap between 17th and 18th position on the ladder. The Blues are now exactly where they want to be at draft time. Time to introduce the lottery system.