Motormouth Mitch: The mature Eagle who West Coast need to demand more of to help younger teammates
Eagles' Lack of Baz Ball
West Coast need to ask more of Bailey Williams.
It was disappointing that he wasn't able to stand up on Saturday afternoon and be more of a presence to ease the pressure on his younger teammates.
Williams has been admirable over the past few seasons as the Eagles' No.1 ruck since the retirement of Nic Naitanui.
But he had to be better than he was in a forward line which was being spearheaded by two teenagers against Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
Jobe Shanahan and Archer Reid were left to shoulder too much for the Eagles.
Williams was the forward-ruck on the night and while he shouldn't be expected to kick a bag, he had to have more of an impact.
The 25-year-old has now played 85 AFL games. That is more than enough to have an expectation put on you to lead when called upon.
Williams didn't take one mark against the Dockers, which is damning enough for the 201cm powerhouse.
But what was more disappointing was his lack of physicality in the contest. He laid only two tackles and there weren't any signs of him trying to impose his body on the contest.
Williams should've been crashing packs and making his size felt even if it cost them a few free kicks.
Instead, he was barely sighted throughout the contest.
Williams is finally in his preferred role with the forward-ruck split and should be thriving as a big man about to enter the prime of his career.
Shanahan and Reid are going to be good players for the Eagles, hopefully for the next decade.
If they are going to get there though, they need more from the likes of Williams around them as they develop.
West Coast need to demand Williams shoulders this responsibility. It's his time.
Cyclone Warning
There is a big watch on the form of Josh Treacy in the back half of this season as the Dockers drive towards finals.
For the sixth time in the past 12 games Treacy went goalless and while it isn't affecting Fremantle yet, they will be hoping it clicks for the big Cohuna sooner rather than later.
Treacy was one of the top forwards in the AFL earlier this year when he kicked 20 goals from his seven games to have tongues wagging.
Since then, he has kicked only 12 in as many games, and it has seen him drop well out of the race for the Coleman Medal.
I argued when Jye Amiss was battling that if Fremantle were getting six to eight goals a game out of the combination including Pat Voss it didn't matter too much.
But there is a strong sense that if the Dockers are going to be more than just playing in the finals, they're going to need Treacy at his damaging best.
His presence on a field can be game changing and there are few in the purple chevrons who can grasp the moment better than the intimidating 193cm beast.
If Treacy can get off the leash against Carlton or Port Adelaide in the next two weeks, it could kick-start him back into the form of earlier this year.
And this could be the difference between them going deep into finals or being bundled out.
It's not panic stations right now, but coach Justin Longmuir would love for Cyclone Tracey to get to a category five sooner rather than later to help blow their premiership window wide open.
AFL's Equalisation Woes
Forget in-season tournaments. Forget 20th teams. Forget Tasmanian stadiums.
The AFL has an urgent problem they need to fix and it's equalisation.
For weeks now only nine teams have been able to realistically make finals and while that isn't ideal, it's just sometimes an anomaly.
But what is clearly poor for the game is the one-sided affairs that are becoming all-too commonplace each week.
West Coast have won only one game this season. North Melbourne couldn't even outscore Jeremy Cameron in a 101-point defeat to Geelong.
And a wounded Essendon looked like a VFL side at times against a talent-filled Western Bulldogs outfit, while the Showdown was one of the most one-sided in history, with Adelaide claiming a 98-point win.
It's not going to get any better next week. Gold Coast will likely smash Richmond.
Essendon aren't going to get an easy game from Sydney at the SCG.
And if Fremantle head the words from Longmuir about being ruthless, Carlton could be headed for disaster in their trip to WA.
The AFL has made player movement easier than ever but right now it is only making the strong teams stronger and the gap between the good and the bad is growing.
Bailey Smith choosing to go to Geelong when he left the Western Bulldogs rather than a cashed-up club like a North Melbourne or an Essendon is not surprising but tells you all you need to know about where the AFL's issues lie.
Bad teams can't attract good players no matter how much they're willing to pay.
And this year's draft is going to be so compromised with academy and father-son selections that there isn't going to be much help for those at the bottom of the ladder.
It's going to get worse when Tasmania come in and get heavy draft concessions to build their inaugural list.
Whether West Coast deserve a priority pick or not is one thing, but there should be no argument when it comes to whether they should ask for one.
The AFL must find a way to bridge the ever-growing distance that is coming between the two halves of the ladder or risk having too many unwatchable games.
Fixture Chaos
The WAFL were the biggest losers by the AFL's fixtures this weekend when the western derby was played at 2.15pm on Saturday.
It overlapped with three of the four state league games this weekend and will undoubtedly have hurt their crowds.
There is nothing the WAFL could do about it. They don't have a fixture like the AFL where they lock in the dates and times for the first half and then roll the second half out within the season.
They can't do that because of ground availability among several other factors.
West Coast and Fremantle should ask not to play on a Saturday afternoon, especially against each other.
The state leagues are vital for the game. They develop players for the AFL. And financial hits when crowds are sitting at home watching the western derby rather than attending WAFL games is too much to cover.
There was no reason why the derby couldn't have been played at 6.10pm on Saturday.
The WAFL then could've brought the league games forward a bit and likely had at least marginally bigger crowds.
And a bonus is we wouldn't have had that horrible shadow over half of Optus Stadium that was an eyesore both live and on TV early in the derby.
It is just a little thing for the AFL, but for WAFL clubs they are big and should be factored in better.
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5 hours ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers made a decision to recruit more mature aged players and it totally changed their depth
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The Age
8 hours ago
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Yes, Nic White had a great game, and the standing ovation he received when he went off with twenty minutes to go was both for his Wallaby career now concluded, and how well he had played on the night. But McDermott is obviously the future, and it may as well start now. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii gets better with every match and – good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise – should be a mainstay of the Wallaby backline for years to come. Max Jorgensen on the wing was dangerous every time he touched the ball as was Dylan Pietsch. Tom Lynagh went off with concussion 33 minutes in, but there is now no more doubt about either his courage or his skill. This match proves it. The Wallabies are back. We just need to back them, keep them together and watch them continue to grow. For now, be proud. Tonight, they killed it. A word for the Lions, though? Yes. Congratulations. Led by your magnificent captain Maro Itoje, you were worthy winners and by and large played a great kind of rugby. Bravo. 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Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
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Pride restored: The Wallabies' magnificent win proves they're back
The fact that this proved to be, without doubt, the driest and calmest 40 minutes of the entire night, made the decision appear absurd. Yes, storms with lightning can be serious, but surely this showpiece match being beamed around the world would only be stopped for that long when lightning had already taken out the three adjoining suburbs and was heading our way? The NRL match between the Roosters and the Manly Sea-Eagles over Brookvale way didn't blink, despite being under the same weather pattern, so why was this match? And it wasn't just that stoppage that caused frustration. Time and again in the second half there were so many injury stoppages and referee consultations with assistant referees and the bunker that – again – it was nothing less than absurd. Sure, the officials have to make the right decision, we get that. But that need has to be balanced against the need to keep the match moving. We'll live with the odd mistake — see the final decision of the second Test (don't get the fans started) — but rugby at this level cannot continue to have so many stoppages. And another frustration, seeing as you ask – beyond the wonder of the superb tries by Dylan Pietch, Max Jorgensen and Tate McDermott – were the tries gone begging that were left out there. A cricket score to the goodies was possible, but just didn't happen. Just after the resumption of play, after superb lead-up work by Nic White and Tom Hooper – who had a great game – Will Skelton slipped a singularly slick pass to the hugely talented but slightly erratic prop Taniela Tupou who hit the accelerator in a manner entirely unbecoming for a man who would give you little change from 140 kgs. He was through the defence and going faster still! Oh how we roared in Row P on the southern end of the ground as Tupou roared towards us like 'Pavarotti on a skateboard', to borrow Denis Commeti's felicitous phrase. 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First and foremost it was concrete confirmation of what your ever less humble correspondent wrote last week: two years out from a home World Cup, this side has the makings of magnificence in it. Ways must be found to keep them together. The heart of the pack must be Will Skelton. He is way too important to Australian rugby to be plying his wares in club rugby for La Rochelle in the French Championnat. Instead of having him as a fly-in fly-out Wallaby lock for three or four Tests a year, get him back here for the full season. It is not just his heft in the pack and his ability to make metres with five men on his back. It is his presence, his terrifying insouciance no matter what the opposition are throwing at him – his ability to lift the team around him. We now understand what we didn't when Eddie Jones unexpectedly named him Wallabies captain for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. How different that campaign, too, might have been had Skelton not been injured early to miss all but the first and last matches. But Skelton is the man. We all saw it tonight. With him, Nick Frost was a revelation in the lineouts, constantly securing the ball for us, and pinching theirs. Taniela Tupou, as mentioned, is like no prop we've ever seen before and like Hooper and Skelton is about to head off to European club rugby. Kiss' challenge will be to bring these crucial bits of the jigsaw puzzle back to Oz and turn them into the World Cup winning team they really could be, while Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight – and maybe even James Slipper for another year? – keep the home fires burning. Meantime it must be time to move Tate McDermott from the reserves bench to make him starting half-back every time. Yes, Nic White had a great game, and the standing ovation he received when he went off with twenty minutes to go was both for his Wallaby career now concluded, and how well he had played on the night. But McDermott is obviously the future, and it may as well start now. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii gets better with every match and – good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise – should be a mainstay of the Wallaby backline for years to come. Max Jorgensen on the wing was dangerous every time he touched the ball as was Dylan Pietsch. Tom Lynagh went off with concussion 33 minutes in, but there is now no more doubt about either his courage or his skill. This match proves it. The Wallabies are back. We just need to back them, keep them together and watch them continue to grow. For now, be proud. Tonight, they killed it. A word for the Lions, though? Yes. Congratulations. Led by your magnificent captain Maro Itoje, you were worthy winners and by and large played a great kind of rugby. Bravo. Your supporters were great, and displayed the spirit that makes rugby such a wonderful international game.
