In case you weren’t a Collingwood believer, you should be by now — however the state of affairs at Carlton is much much less rosy.
Welcome to the AFL Spherical-Up, the place we digest the week that was.
The Collingwood state of affairs
It isn’t a drill anymore.
Collingwood’s feel-good renaissance — their scorching streak of heart-stoppers — is now not an exciting sideshow to the 2022 season. It might be the principle occasion.
Melbourne have been the most recent — and doubtless the very best group —to have run into the Magpie buzzsaw and are available out on the unsuitable facet all through a run that has now resulted in 11 straight wins.
Collingwood are in second place with two video games to play. Beat Sydney subsequent week and a top-four end at minimal is secured. Irrespective of how they’ve achieved it, Craig McRae’s group have put themselves able from which premierships could be gained.
And, in a season the place consistency has eluded all however Geelong, Collingwood’s distinctive mix of velocity, physicality and Disneyesque self-belief would possibly simply take advantage of sense.
There is not any level wanting on the stats and pondering the collective unlikeliness of this Collingwood run, we’re nicely previous that. All that is left now could be to admire the people which might be making it occur.
Prime of that checklist is Brayden Maynard, whose basic absence from predicted All Australian groups is bemusing.
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Maynard has been Collingwood personified all season. Fearlessly dedicated, he’s ready to take dangers, by no means believing he’s crushed.
However he is simply one in every of many. From Jack Crisp and to Jamie Elliott to Beau McCreery and Ash Johnson, that very same degree is being reached throughout the 22 to varied ranges of fanfare.
We stated right here weeks in the past that this Collingwood season can be one which followers will speak about for generations, however there’s greater than that at play now.
One of many nice premierships within the historical past of the nationwide competitors is what’s being performed for now, and it is changing into a far much less loopy proposition with each passing week.
Blues on the brink
Forged your thoughts again a couple of months and Carlton have been the in-vogue group, enjoying the same model of robust and thrilling footy and discovering methods to win video games.
That appears a very long time in the past now. The battle for the Blues is now not a top-four spot and proving they’re worthy of premiership conversations, however to easily make the finals and never throw the season away fully.
Carlton have Melbourne and Collingwood to come back. Successful a kind of would certainly be sufficient. There’s even a world through which they may lose each and nonetheless sneak in, however the door can be opened at that time for St Kilda — and even the Western Bulldogs.
Ought to the worst come to move and Carlton fail to complete within the prime eight, this season would possibly rank among the many most disappointing for Blues’ followers in latest reminiscence. And that is a tricky subject.
Not as a result of they don’t seem to be clearly nonetheless enhancing, or as a result of they have not performed good soccer and claimed huge wins. However ought to the chance for a return to finals be squandered — a chance they fully earned themselves with their glorious begin to the marketing campaign — it might be mighty robust to swallow.
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The excellent news is that it is nonetheless in Carlton’s arms. The final quarter towards Brisbane confirmed the struggle remains to be there, and maybe the problem of getting to win their approach in will encourage a return to type.
It is an unfinished story proper now, however the stakes are excessive.
JK’s excellent goodbye
A fast phrase for Josh Kennedy, who known as time on his large profession with yet one more efficiency for the ages.
To be held in the identical firm because the likes of Lance Franklin, Jack Riewoldt and Tom Hawkins as era-defining key forwards just isn’t one thing to be dismissed. Kennedy has been a fearsome prospect for greater than a decade, has ridden the highs and lows at West Coast by means of that point and has ended together with his bearded head held excessive.
That the Eagles have been unable to rise to the event and discover a method to win for Kennedy is a matter for an additional day (and a protracted and painful low season to come back).
It is uncommon {that a} champion is ready to exit in a way befitting his profession. Kennedy managed that — after which some.
Across the grounds
We are able to now say with confidence that Richmond will play finals in 2022. From there, something is feasible. They are going to be unmissable in September.
Fremantle appeared like their outdated selves once more towards the Bulldogs, and with the Eagles and Giants to come back will fancy their probabilities of a return to the highest 4. Maybe they’re timing their run to perfection.
Strictly talking, Geelong most likely did not must win that recreation towards St Kilda. Their maintain on prime spot would have been fairly safe both approach. However they did, and that successful behavior seems set to roll on deep into September.
Mark McVeigh took a little bit of a raffle in calling out his Giants gamers final week. It could have put the interim coach in an ungainly spot in the event that they did not muster a direct response. However they did, and his shares have now by no means been greater.
Hawthorn have now bettered their wins complete from final yr. Gold Coast are one away from equalling their greatest wins complete ever. A transparent season of progress for each.
We’re pumped for Sydney’s recreation towards Collingwood subsequent week already. The winner will discover themselves deeper than ever in premiership reckoning. Sunday arvo cannot come rapidly sufficient.
Within the clubhouse
Right here we take inventory of who’s main the race for the season’s particular person awards.
We have already known as the Rising Star race over in Nick Daicos’s favour, however wish to mood among the All Australian chat that has been lingering round social media. For this yr, anyway. Subsequent yr? All bets are off.
It was a very good week for objectives, and in a tricky subject we’re giving this spherical’s nod to Freo’s Nathan O’Driscoll.
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Josh Daicos stays the chief within the GOTY race.
And for mark of the week, we’re going with Connor Rozee.
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His teammate Mitch Georgiades is within the field seat to say MOTY together with his screamer towards Fremantle from a couple of weeks again.