Round 4 Review

4 tips...heck its better than last week, just not by much.

West Coast d Essendon by 23 - The Eagles did what they really should have done; beat a mediocre side that had to travel. Essendon looked dreadful and the Eagles looked OK and frankly that is what you expect for young sides, inconsistency.

Sydney d North Melbourne by 40 - Swannies by 40! Thats right I picked it! And I've got nothing else to hang my hat on. Sydney were just too good in what was a pretyt substandard match by all accounts. North have a long way to go and the Swans are beating everyone they can. Lets see what happens after round 6, but I'll talk about that in another post.

Carlton d Adelaide by 48 - I'm grumpy. I was all over the Blues earlier in the week, and then they dropped Waite and Thornton so I went off them. I was wrong (not unusual) and Ratten was right (very unusual). I'm not sure if Carlton were that good but I do know Adelaide were that bad.

Collingwood d Hawthorn by 64 - Speaking of bad, that would be a compliment for the rubbish the Hawks dished up. They looked slow, tired and unskilled. The Pies heaped the pressure on and were tenacious. An excellent performance against a Hawthorn side that is just not good enough.

Brisbane d Western Bulldogs by 22 - The Lions were simply waiting to win this. The scoreboard flattered the Dogs early, but really it was only a matter of time before the Dogs were overrun. In hindsight a respectable loss against a team at home and who is proving that they are a force to be reckoned with in 2010.

Melbourne d Richmond by 55 - Richmond held their own on the scoreboard early but it was a rampage by the end. 7 goals to the Dees in the third and the game was blown open. Magnificent return by Siliva (Melbourne's best player) with 5 goals and generally a classier side than the Tigers.

Geelong d Port Adelaide by 95 - Geelong were angry. There 3rd quarter was nothing short of sensational and sadly that is all they needed, one quarter to win the match. Port were just well out of their weight division.

St. Kilda d Fremantle by 15 - Freo by 15 I said. Obviously I meant St. Kilda. OK so I missed the tip but not the intent. This was a great game (from all reports). For 3 quarters it was pretty much even with the Saints managing to kick away in the last. I'm guessing it would have been a pearler, read the papers!

So who really won out?

1. Collingwood - Magnificent. Pressure, tackling, desperation, they really were great. They need to improve their skill level and goal kicking (still) but they got a monkey off their backs with style.
2. Brisbane - How good are they? Well we don't know, but it was a good win against someone they class as a peer.
3. Carlton - Great win! Removing their two bookends before the game was a risky move, but credit to Ratten he obviously saw he had the right match ups.
4. St. Kilda - Tough hard game and a fantastic win without Rooey and Kosi (he aint much but he does provide structure especially without Reiwaldt).
5. Geelong - Simply awesome. Did what they had to and sunk the boots in just to show everyone that they are still the ones to knock off.
6. Fremantle - Didn't lose any respect with this loss. Are they they real deal. They are almost ticking all the boxes.
7. Melbourne - A game that they needed to win. And they did it emphatically. Excellent win, when all they need to do was get one. 55 points lifts them off the bottom rung of teams and into the next level.
8.West coast - They needed this win. 1-3 looks a lot better than 0-4 (ask Adelaide). It was a good performance, but lets face it, they were at home and they only beat a peer.
9.Sydney - They just keep rolling on don't they? Another good win. Not much more to be said.
10. Western Bulldogs - They were outgunned and out run. Two things that shouldn't happen. Eade seems to be losing it a little as well. He is much more free with his comments about players of late, and I'm not sure that is helpful. Watch this space (or better yet a reputable news service).
11. Richmond - Well they were bad. But I'm getting bored of saying it.
12. North Melbourne - The capitulation in the second half wasn't good, but they are young and its bound to happen.
13. Port Adelaide - Out of their weight division. They were just outclassed. Lets see what they are like against a fellow non-contender
14. Essendon - Disappointing loss. It was a game that really should have been a 40 or so point loss, they pegged a few back late, but it they didn't show much all game. Structures especially forward are shot.
15. Adelaide - They are dreadful. Terrible skill and frankly no excuses. This was a game they should have really won, but they are completely lost.
16. Hawthorn - They were horrid. Really, really horrid. Unforced errors, turnovers, no dashing and daring run that is their hallmark, weak forwardline pressure, minimal midfield pressure and a backline that struggled manfully. Soul searching required.