Adelaide’s Lachlan Murphy and skipper Taylor Walker are excited by a big last quarter against GWS. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
There are statements, and then there are statements.
Adelaide made one with a gritty victory over a top-eight rival. The AFL released one with a theme that now feels like it will become the weekly standard after yet another score review howler.
And, yes, even Carlton produced one under caretaker coach David Teague, continuing a quirky trend of teams bouncing back from coach sackings with triumphs against the odds.
But of all the statements in round 12, Geelong delivered the biggest.
Goalless at quarter-time against Richmond on Friday night, the Cats laid down a marker that confirmed a significant power shift has occurred over the opening half of the season.
The Tigers had been No.1 in the unofficial AFL power rankings since their charge towards that famous drought-breaking premiership in 2017.
They held the mantle throughout 2018, and despite their shock preliminary final defeat to Collingwood last year, had a firm grip on flag favouritism heading into 2019.
Damien Hardwick’s men brushed aside Carlton in round one, but have stumbled at regular intervals since. Injuries to key players have proved not all soldiers can simply be replaced and covered, no matter how cohesive a team’s system may be.
Geelong, meanwhile, has been outstanding.
The Cats have class on every line and superstars playing at their best, elevating themselves to a level that so far has proved beyond all of their rivals this year.
On the eve of the season, Essendon great Matthew Lloyd tipped Collingwood’s deep-batting midfield could be one of the best of all time. Champion Data rated Melbourne’s on-ball division better than any other in the competition.
But Patrick Dangerfield, Tim Kelly, Mitch Duncan, Cam Guthrie, Joel Selwood and Brandon Parfitt have proved them wrong.
All of Geelong’s midfielders played their parts as it kicked 16 of the 19 goals after quarter-time against Richmond, which was held to its lowest score in almost three years.
The Cats, currently averaging a league-best 99.3 points per game, cracked a three-figure total for the sixth time in a dozen rounds as dangerous forwards Tom Hawkins (four), Gryan Miers (three), Esava Ratugolea and Gary Ablett (two each) all kicked multiple goals.
Geelong now sits two wins plus a big whack of percentage clear of every other side, with its stingy backline conceding just 65.7 points a game.
And as Chris Scott sits back to assess his side’s enviable position at the mid-season bye, he will see it with another distinct advantage over most of its rivals for the run towards September: player availability.
The Cats had 18 AFL players in their VFL side on Saturday – all but four of them senior-listed – and have some quality to call upon if required.
Scott Selwood, Zac Smith, Wylie Buzza, Charlie Constable and Zach Guthrie; just to name a few.
None are superstars in their own right, but all are capable of playing roles in a well-drilled team that is firing on all cylinders.
Injured duo Lachie Henderson and Quinton Narkle are not far away from returning, and Sam Menegola and Nakia Cockatoo will be back later in the season.
Ratugolea’s minor hamstring injury, suffered on Friday night, is unlikely to sideline him for any more than one match after this week’s bye. The Cats have certainly earned their rest.
And something else which might benefit from a mid-season spell? The (insert your expletive of choice here) AFL’s score review system.
At this stage there’s really no point blowing up about the latest blunder, which robbed Richmond’s Jack Higgins of a goal during the second quarter against Geelong. All we can do is implore the AFL to implement simple changes to fix the system.
For example, make sure the reviewers get all the relevant angles from the official broadcaster and assess them within a reasonable amount of time.
It really shouldn’t be that hard. But we digress.
Carlton hasn’t given its supporters much joy this season. Its diabolical campaign reached crisis point when coach Brendon Bolton was sacked last week.
And when the Blues trailed Brisbane by 37 points, it looked as if they would continue sinking to new lows.
Enter Patrick Cripps, who produced a display that should probably be worth four Brownlow votes when they’re tallied up in September.
The midfield bull had been tagged out of two of Bolton’s final three games in charge, but lifted his side to a memorable win in Teague’s first game at the helm with 38 disposals, eight clearances and four goals.
Post-match scenes in the rooms would have warmed the hearts of every long-suffering Bluebagger.
Sydney premiership player Alex Johnson invoked similar feelings among the wider football community when he got through his comeback from a sixth knee injury in his VFL debut with Northern Blues.
Johnson, who spent almost six years on the sidelines after undergoing five knee reconstructions during his AFL career, was delisted by the Swans at the end of last season and returned to action almost 10 months after his most recent setback.
North Melbourne, like Carlton, won its first match after parting ways with its coach (Brad Scott) and continued that winning form against Gold Coast on Saturday night.
The Kangaroos appear highly unlikely to play finals, however, there are signs of life that have emerged since Scott’s departure was made public before his final match in charge in round 10.
Adelaide shouldn’t be overlooked as a flag threat, especially after reigning premier West Coast’s horror stumble against Sydney.
The manner of the Eagles’ defeats this season – to Brisbane (44 points), Port Adelaide (42), Geelong (58) and the Swans (45) – would be cause for concern for Adam Simpson and his coaching staff as they regroup at the bye.
Don Pyke’s Crows faced a massive test in their clash with Greater Western Sydney at Adelaide Oval. And with the result hanging in the balance during the final quarter, their biggest stars stepped up.
Taylor Walker took a towering grab and converted to put them in front. Rory Sloane and Rory Laird played key roles, as did the Crouch brothers (both 30-plus disposals) and the recalled Josh Jenkins (three goals).
Eddie Betts added to his highlights reel with another special goal against the Giants, who have been on the receiving end of his magic more often than most.
And in the Queen’s Birthday showdown, Collingwood got its season back on track with a workmanlike win over Melbourne, whose season has headed south faster than Brendan Fevola (aka Steven Seagal) down the “Big Freeze” slide.
The result was no surprise, nor was the fun show and huge fundraising effort put on again by the inspirational Neale Daniher Fight MND organization.
But the biggest talking point from the on-field action was Jeremy Howe being denied a spectacular mark after putting his boot into an opponent’s back.
The call was “studs up” and will no doubt be ticked off by the AFL umpiring department. If social media is any sort of guide, however, plenty of fans are also ticked off.
