Pie and Saint take the long way; former tradie behind Dees’ success: Key takeouts from round eight

1 week ago 9

Everyone knows a tradie who thinks they cognize everything astir footy.

There conscionable aren’t galore similar Jason Taylor, the erstwhile aerial conditioner technician turned maestro recruiter who is 1 of the main reasons for Melbourne’s occurrence nether Simon Goodwin, peculiarly the drought-busting 2021 flag.

Taylor joined the Demons from Collingwood aft the 2012 draught and helped alteration a once-underperforming nine with a premix of superb first-round selections – including Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver – and shrewd aboriginal choices specified arsenic Alex Neal-Bullen, Bayley Fritsch, Harry Petty, Trent Rivers and Kade Chandler.

Top 10 prime Caleb Windsor celebrates a goal.

He and database brag Tim Lamb person go arguably the league’s starring database absorption duo, with the assistance of a bid of underlings.

Lamb’s assertive trading benignant has delivered repeated wins for Melbourne, from Steven May to Jake Lever, positive the woody with North Melbourne that allowed them to take Kysaiah Pickett.

Taylor’s imprint was connected the Demons’ connection triumph implicit Geelong astatine the MCG connected Saturday night, with top-10 prime Caleb Windsor and rookie-drafted defender Judd McVee among the standouts. Another elder newcomer, Blake Howes (No.39 prime successful 2021), besides continues to marque an content down back.

Melbourne selected Windsor with the 2nd of their first-round picks crossed 2 years – untried gangly guardant Matt Jefferson was the different successful 2022 – from the Luke Jackson commercialized with Fremantle.

Jackson was different outstanding Taylor enactment astatine No.3 successful the 2019 draft, the aforesaid 1 successful which helium brought successful Pickett (12) and Rivers (32).

Windsor lined up connected Jeremy Cameron connected a helping to commencement the lucifer and work an ensuing stoppage quicker than the Cats superstar earlier mounting up Fritsch for the game-opening goal. It was 1 of his 9 people involvements for the night, to spell with a career-most 18 disposals, 8 intercept possessions and six tackles.

The sweet-kicking, fleet-footed Windsor and ex-Saints enlistee Jack Billings person truthful acold kept Lachie Hunter retired of the elder side, and the grounds is resounding that it won’t beryllium the No.7 prime making way.

McVee, an ultra-composed defender, mightiness beryllium the champion young subordinate nary 1 knows. Thirteen of his 21 disposals were kicks against Geelong, and helium went astatine 92 per cent efficiency. There’s a crushed they spot him with kick-ins.

Taylor’s consistently fantabulous hit-rate is what separates him from his peers, but determination is 1 large miss that blots his copybook. He called retired Sam Weideman’s sanction astatine No.9 successful 2015, 1 prime earlier Harry McKay and 3 up of Charlie Curnow.

Weideman is present astatine Essendon but stuck successful the VFL, whereas Carlton’s McKay and Curnow person 3 Coleman Medals betwixt them and volition inhabit overmuch of Goodwin’s readying up of Thursday night’s blockbuster.

Meanwhile, the Dees are inactive trialling their perfect cardinal guardant set-up, with Petty, Jacob van Rooyen and mid-season rookie Daniel Turner performing good arsenic the aerial targets connected Saturday night.

Taylor is backing van Rooyen – who has drawn David Schwarz comparisons – and Jefferson to beryllium Melbourne’s semipermanent aboriginal successful attack, hoping they debar chap first-rounder Weideman’s fate.

Draftees of 2023 shine

Do we person ourselves a ace draft?

Windsor’s eye-catching show against the Cats capped a beardown commencement to his vocation and could people him a Rising Star nomination, aft draught peers Harley Reid (No.1), Darcy Wilson (No.18) and Jake Rogers (No.14) received the past three.

Hard-running Wilson was terrific again successful St Kilda’s triumph implicit North Melbourne and looks a bargain.

Crow Daniel Curtin’s debut successful Thursday night’s Showdown means Bomber Nate Caddy is the sole top-10 draftee from past twelvemonth yet to play astatine AFL level.

Jed Walter successful enactment for Gold Coast.

Man-child Jed Walter is already patrolling Gold Coast’s guardant line; North Melbourne brace Colby McKercher and Zane Duursma are doing bully things astatine either extremity of the ground; Nick Watson returned from an ankle wounded for the Hawks’ triumph implicit the Dogs; Ryley Sanders boasts 3 20-plus-disposal games; and unicorn large antheral Ethan Read came backmost successful for the Q-Clash.

Outside that elite group, chap first-round selections Connor O’Sullivan, Koltyn Tholstrup, Rogers, Wilson, Riley Hardeman, Will Graham and Lance Collard person besides appeared astatine slightest once.

There were questions astir the extent of the 2023 draught class, but Harvey Thomas, Cooper Simpson, Angus Hastie, Calsher Dear, Logan Morris, Harvey Johnston, Kane McAuliffe and mature-ager Shaun Mannagh – each taken aft the archetypal circular – person besides debuted.

What to bash with Roo?

There are whispers that North Melbourne mightiness see recruiting a seasoned midfielder to supply enactment and stableness for their wide-eyed youth, but determination is an elephant successful the room.

They already person the experienced Jy Simpkin arsenic a dual nine champion and co-captain with Luke McDonald, but helium is struggling to set to being squeezed retired of the centre-bounce rotation.

The 26-year-old has not won 20 disposals successful immoderate of his 7 matches this play portion spending much clip forward, and each his cardinal numbers are down, including wrong 50s, contested possessions, clearances, people involvements and unit acts.

Simpkin is averaging 16 centre bounce attendances, albeit with 12 oregon less successful 5 of his games and lone 1 successful circular four, compared to an mean of 20-plus successful matches helium completed past year.

To proceed making the point: his 9 attendances connected Saturday were conscionable the fifth-most among North midfielders aft ranking apical 2 10 times past year.

North Melbourne skipper Jy Simpkin (centre) hasn’t been attending arsenic galore centre bounces arsenic past year.

Simpkin could not get going, signaling a season-worst 33.3 per cent kicking ratio and adjacent missing the shot wholly connected a kicking effort disconnected the crushed successful the past quarter, erstwhile helium coughed up 3 turnovers.

Alastair Clarkson has a large telephone to marque connected what to bash with him, fixed the Roos’ midfield logjam and tendency to exposure their blue-chip prospects.

Still sentiment successful footy

The AFL is simply a high-stakes, superior business, but we excessively often hide that playing astatine the highest level was a puerility imagination for the footballers making it each happen.

Collingwood debutant Lachie Sullivan and St Kilda large antheral Jack Hayes delivered a timely reminder this past circular of however overmuch the game, and this opportunity, means to them.

Lachie Sullivan celebrates his archetypal AFL goal.

Sullivan, 26, had been 1 of the premier VFL players for years, including winning back-to-back champion and fairests for Footscray, and whitethorn person thought his AFL model had closed. But a summertime invitation to bid with the Pies was the impetus for a life-changing fewer months.

Sullivan scored himself a database spot via the pre-season supplemental enactment period, past forced his mode into Collingwood’s elder broadside connected Friday nighttime earlier kicking a extremity with his archetypal interaction and being mobbed by teammates.

Hayes had a agelong hold for his AFL shot, excessively – besides arsenic a pre-season recruit, up of the 2022 play – but his chap Saints’ excitement astatine his play extremity went beyond that.

Not lone did the 27-year-old’s accidental travel late, but an ACL rupture successful his 5th crippled sent him to the sidelines earlier a metatarsal interruption successful his near ft past twelvemonth delivered much heartbreak. Hayes played successful circular 24 past twelvemonth but thing has travel casual for him, which his teammates wanted to recognise.

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