What has interested me in recent weeks is how some of the more controversial members of the team have taken the decisions on their careers out of the hands of others and seen it as a decision they needed to make.
3 guys stand out and provide the key distinctions in their approach. Byron Schammer has gone from "question mark" to "essential" for next year. Brett Peake has moved from "gone" to "required player". At the same time, Ryan Murphy has gone from potentially "required player" to "possible delisting" if a trade can't be made.
All of these guys were in similar situations 5 weeks ago. It seems to me that Byron and Brett have taken it upon themselves to prove they belong and that their performances have mirrored their determinations. On the other hand, Ryan Murphy seems to have hoped he can do something and waited for the game to develop in his favour.
He started well enough against Port but his efforts when the game hotted up were those of a tentative, indecisive and out of his depth player. All 3 guys would have had low confidence levels. 2 have overcome it whilst 1 hasn't.
Murphy's biggest fans will say that this is due to external factors. Taz's arrival, injury, lack of opportunities, lack of faith, poor delivery from upfied.
I'd be quick to point out that Ryan has probably spent too long looking at those factors than he has at looking at what he could do to control his performances and that this is the biggest single reason his career has stalled. Peake and Schammer have had similar stories to Ryan but now sit in vastly different situations. My guess is that internal issues have lead to that more than any other single factor.
Off the soap box and on to the rankings.
1(1) Geelong - all but 1 week at #1and I see nothing changing for the remainder of the journey. If I was running footy, the GFC Dr would be getting a severe grilling from my people. It's not Ling's fault he is playing again, but the Dr's evidence was clearly bogus. Independence in these matters is an absolute requirement in the future.
2(2) Hawks - what a crock of kerr this Buddy kicking thing is. Sure he misses the odd shot, but so do Pav and Fev and no one worries about their kicking, nor should they. Buddy takes some shots that others wouldn't even get a chance to try. That, as much as anything else, drags down his average.
3(3) Bullies - they were as shaky as Jacko's command of the English language early on, but they put paid to Sydney pretty well after that. They've drifted out of serious contention for the flag in recent weeks, but they'll get their chance in September.
4(4) North - luck follows those who strive the hardest and for all the crap I've laid on these guys I have never and would never fault their effort. As such, lucky wins like that on the weekend will often fall their way.
5(7) Crows - no threat for the big prize but they'll be a tough game for whoever they play.
6(9) Bummers - I'm going to go all Robert Walls here. Since I blasted them for having no defensive tactics and no leadership they have gone on a winning streak. I was spot on obviously. Fairs fair though, they're not an easy game at present. I don't think they'll make the 8 but they're performing much better than many who will play in the finals.
7(5) Sydahnee - no Goodes is no good excuse. Another very poor loss in a game they could have won. Hard to say what's gone wrong here but it's not as simple as Hall etc.
8(6) Richmond - hit the ground as hard as the Wallabies when the reality check was delivered. In RFC's current position a flogging by the Cats is not a tragedy. The continuing bungling and bumbling of the off-field stuff is though.
9 (8) Carlton - they'd be disappointed in that, and so they should be. That was a game that could have been won. Nice tackle by the ump on Fev though, although I thought tripping was a reportable offence.
10(10) Saints - you beat Port in Melbourne. Well done boys.
11(13) Freo - 3 in a row is probably costing us Rich but I for 1 don't despair over that. Now that Lukey has cemented his forward role, we need a big backman. We shouldn't trade for one, but Grover will struggle more and more on the bigger guys as he gets on. We should develop one quickly.
12 (11) Brisbane - the silky skilled Travis J, 20m out, right in front, on the run, no pressure. Give that set of circumstances to a punter and see how many will take the miss.
13(12) Colonwood - How the Malty has fallen. 3 in a row and counting. Nice to watch. Even his trademark distractions are being called out now and he looks a bigger and bigger goose every time he tries it.
14(14) Port - Didn't see any of this game and will restrain from making any comments about how hopeless they've become.
15(15) Piles of Poo - Super coaching by Woossie in the 2nd half. He has so much faith in his kids and his leaders that he floods the place from the get go to stop a proper flogging. The shame is that it worked and killed the game as a spectacle. Another super move was using their number one hairdresser to tag our number one tagger. What can you gain from that?
16(16) Dees - pushed the in-form Bombers and showed much better stuff than last week. Jamar is not a terrible player either.