Magpies try one great escape too many; Hawks back in the box office

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And yet, improbably, the Pies are inactive good successful the hunt for back-to-back premierships. They’re 1 of 3 teams (including Geelong and Port Adelaide) conscionable fractional a crippled down Fremantle, who are 3rd connected the ladder.

Whereas past twelvemonth they were each astir managing moments amended than different teams, they’re not managing those moments arsenic good now.

A ledger of 8 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws with 8 rounds to spell is not the signifier enactment of a genuine contender.

They look much similar a squad that’s mislaid its aura, and is successful information of losing its grip.

Time Suns took a babe step

Before this season, the Gold Coast Suns unveiled their short- and semipermanent objectives. Turning their location crushed into a fortress was 1 objective. Winning games astatine home, obviously, would bring the added payment of much bums of seats and frankincense much gross for the struggling task franchise.

The Suns were, erstwhile again, a unit to reckoned with astatine home.

It’s good known that the Suns are yet to marque a finals bid aft 13 years successful the AFL, and besides that they’re unspeakable distant from home. But astatine slightest they’re fulfilling that pre-season pledge; unbeaten astatine People First Stadium successful 2024 aft 16 rounds. Eight wins keeps them successful the hunt for that elusive maiden finals berth, contempt a mediocre percentage.

It would beryllium remiss to fto this circular walk without acknowledging however bully they were against Collingwood.

Last year, they were humiliated successful a fractional of shot connected their location platform by the eventual premier. It was a effect that yet outgo erstwhile manager Stuart Dew his job. His replacement Damian Hardwick has this squad walking overmuch taller.

Of course, they won’t beryllium taken earnestly until they commencement winning games connected the road.

They tin instrumentality the footballing equivalent of a babe measurement this week by knocking implicit North Melbourne astatine Marvel Stadium connected Saturday afternoon.

North mightiness beryllium improving, but they stay connected the bottommost of the ladder. It’s clip for the Suns to grow their shot horizons.

Hawks are container bureau again

Like the Suns, Hawthorn beryllium extracurricular the apical eight, with 8 wins and a importantly poorer percentage. But they whitethorn conscionable beryllium a much morganatic finals accidental aft smashing the Eagles by 61 points astatine Optus Stadium.

They’re a blessed squad astatine Hawthorn.

That’s 5 wins connected the bounce now. Their past nonaccomplishment was by a azygous constituent to Port Adelaide, erstwhile they prematurely closed store and relinquished a 41-point lead.

No squad would relish facing the Hawks successful their existent form.

The club’s revival is headlined by the emergence of Will Day and Dylan Moore arsenic A-grade talents.

Hawthorn’s borderline irrelevance implicit the past fewer years has meant these players person crept up connected the competition, and the nationalist imagination. They’re present acceptable to seizure it.

While acold from a finished product, the Hawks person endowment connected each lines. The injection of Nick “The Wizard” Watson has accrued their box-office appeal. The information that Watson is conscionable opening his vocation lone adds to his magnetism.

Jack Ginnivan, inactive hardly 21, likewise, has existent charisma – but he’s nary amusement pony. He is simply a importantly improved footballer.

These are players you spell to the shot to ticker – commercialized commodities of the similar Hawthorn person not had successful abundance since their glory years nether Alastair Clarkson. But nether Clarkson’s erstwhile complaint Sam Mitchell, they’re processing different qualities: discipline, hardness, a broadening enactment class.

Dockers are present the existent deal

Speaking of subject and hardness – and teams sneaking up connected the contention – determination was nary amended illustration astatine the play than Fremantle.

Logan McDonald’s footwear aft the siren against Fremantle.

There’s nary much convincing mode for a squad to denote its credentials than to rotation a runaway person connected their location deck, and that’s what Fremantle did to Sydney.

Yes, they had a spot of luck. Logan McDonald needed conscionable a constituent to gully the crippled with a footwear aft the siren. Palpably stricken by nerves, the cardinal forward’s changeable fell short. But Fremantle afloat deserved the win.

Their triumph was marked by 2 features: the evenness of the team’s performance, and their midfield’s decisive triumph implicit the Swans’ ace centre-square unit.

No idiosyncratic Docker produced numbers to leap disconnected the stats page. Those obsessed with phantasy numbers would not person been wowed by the show of Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw oregon Luke Ryan, each susceptible of accumulating large numbers. But what mattered was that, collectively, the Dockers subdued Brodie Grundy, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Errol Gulden.

That’s thing nary different squad has managed to bash each year, and it’s thing different teams volition beryllium taking enactment of.

You could accidental the Swans were owed a dip – but, still, Fremantle’s triumph was a reminder that thing is acceptable successful chromatic erstwhile September arrives. And it besides served announcement that the Dockers are the existent deal.

Hugh’s immense 2nd half

Brisbane Lions manager Chris Fagan did thing helium said helium would usually ne'er bash connected Friday night.

The late, last and winning extremity from Brisbane Lions Hugh McCluggage.

At half-time, aft being torched successful the 2nd 4th by Melbourne, helium enactment his midfield’s numbers up connected a whiteboard, adjacent to their opponents. It was an old-fashioned rev, and his players responded – nary much truthful than Hugh McCluggage.

McCluggage has conscionable signed a seven-year declaration hold with the Lions, which volition astir apt marque him a one-club player.

On Friday, helium showed wherefore helium deserved that benignant of occupation information aft an up-and-down year.

Held to 9 possessions astatine half-time, his 2nd fractional was the cardinal to Brisbane beating the Demons.

Lions’ skipper Lachie Neale is usually the subordinate who receives astir attraction from the opposition. But it’s erstwhile McCluggage is truly humming that the Lions look similar a different, and overmuch little predictable, team.

McCluggage isn’t quick. But helium works angles, and finds options and abstraction that different players don’t.

He besides managed thing helium seldom has against Melbourne: slotting a set-shot goal, from a precise hard angle, to springiness the Lions the pb they managed to clasp until the last siren.

A beauteous tract kick, McCluggage has agelong struggled successful beforehand of the sticks. His delight and alleviation connected being the 1 to resistance his squad implicit the enactment was evident.

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