Champion ... Luke Hodge looks to drive Hawthorn into attack. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited
Fox Sports AFL expert Julian de Stoop reviews round three in the AFL and discusses his likes and dislikes.
It was another big weekend in the AFL with some gusty wins and unlucky injuries, we bring you the best and worst from the week that was.
Do you agree? Tell us what you liked to disliked from the weekend by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.
Likes
Luke Hodge
A knee injury restricted Luke Hodge to just 10 matches in 2012 and when word filtered out that Hawthorn had wrapped its skipper in cotton wool at times over summer some began to question whether we had seen the best of the 2008 Norm Smith Medallist. The answer appears to be an emphatic no! In his first game of the season last week Hodge was amongst the Hawks' best but against Collingwood he was the standout player on the ground. With his team down by 22 points in the second term it was Hodge and his fierce attack on the ball and the man that dragged his team back into the contest. The skipper finished with 31 disposals and two booming goals, both from good old fashioned torpedos.
Port Adelaide
When the Power suffered the indignity of losing to the Giants in Round 19 last season they hit rock bottom. Matthew Primus was sacked and given the club's financial problems their very existence in the competition was questioned. But under new leadership in president David Koch, coach Ken Hinkley and captain Travis Boak the Power are rejuvenated. Wins over Melbourne and the Giants were encouraging but the showdown was their first real test for the year. When they trailed the Crows by five goals all seemed lost but led brilliantly by best on ground Boak and a born again Justin Westhoff the Power ignited for one of the best wins in recent times. The form of young players Chad Wingard, Hamish Hartlett and rookie Ollie Wines would bring a huge smile to Hinkley's face.
Jake Carlisle
Naturally all the focus was on James Hird before, during and after the Bombers' amazing come-from-behind win over Fremantle but the real star at Patersons Stadium was Jake Carlisle. The young defender kept Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich scoreless and his composure under pressure late in the game led to Paddy Ryder's match-winning goal. Carlisle has played on and beat Taylor Walker, Mitch Clark and Pavlich in the opening three rounds and with just 31 games under his belt he looks to be a star of the future. His improvement gives Hird the luxury to leave Michael Hurley forward where his strength and presence is so important.
The Tigers big three
Richmond and star power haven't been commonplace in the past 30 years but in Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin the Tigers have three genuine stars through the middle. The trio combined for 98 disposals and five goals as Richmond continued their unbeaten start to the season with a thumping win over the Dogs. Memo to opposition coaches… don't bother tagging Cotchin, like Gary Ablett, he is basically untaggable. Instead focus on negating the finisher in Deledio. Martin will be frighteningly good when he is a fit enough to play four quarters but the trio will have to be at their best when the Tigers play Collingwood in a blockbuster at the MCG on Saturday.
Sydney's midfield
Not only are the Swans midfielders big and strong, they kick goals. With Sam Reid struggling for form and Kurt Tippett unavailable until the second half of the season, the reigning premiers have to find goals from other sources and so far so good. Jarrad McVeigh, Kieran Jack, Josh Kennedy and Daniel Hannebery all regularly hit the scoreboard as does Ben McGlynn who cruelly missed last year's grand final with a hamstring injury. As usual no one is talking about the Swans but it's business as usual for the reigning premiers
Dislikes
The Slide Rule
I must admit initially I thought the slide rule was a good one but on the evidence of the weekend it is going to frustrate coaches, players, fans and even umpires for the entire season. The incident in which Harry O'Brien was reported for rough conduct on Luke Hodge - when O'Brien really should of got a free kick because Hodge slid in - highlights how tough the rule is to interpret for the umpires. If a player slides in feet first or slides in and takes a players legs out from under them when they have the ball then pay a free kick but when the ball is in a disputed situation let it go. It's an overreaction to what was a terribly unfortunate injury to Swan Gary Rohan last year.
Injuries
In the opening two rounds the club medico's weren't kept too busy but that all changed in Round 3. The season ending knee injury to Giants youngster Jonathan Patton is sad for all football followers while two luckless players in Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer and Geelong's Travis Varcoe are set for significant spells on the sidelines due thumb and shoulder injuries respectively.
Sleepy Demons and North Melbourne
On the evidence of the opening three rounds Brad Scott and Mark Neeld need to work on their half-time pep talks. Both teams conceded 11 goals in what is commonly referred to as the premiership quarter after promising first halves. North Melbourne have led in all three of their matches at half-time only to be outscored 144 to 38 in third quarters. Hard to believe the Demons have actually been worse. They have kicked a paltry 2.2 compared to their opposition who have scored 24.14. And one more on Melbourne… why would Jack Watts not play in the VFL after being dumped from the seniors? The way he's been handled continues to bemuse.
Leaky Blues
Mick Malthouse has built a coaching career on defence but he's got some work to do at Visy Park. The winless Blues have conceded over 100 points in all three matches this year and if they don't tighten up their finals dreams will be over before they know it. Marc Murphy was criticised for his defensive work against Collingwood in round two and against the Cats his opponent Taylor Hunt kicked three goals in the opening half. I'm sure some stern words will be heading the skipper's way this week.
Matthew Pavlich
As we have learnt with Luke Hodge you never write off a champion but it's been a slow start to the year for Matthew Pavlich. The Dockers skipper didn't have a great pre-season due to Achilles surgery and a hand injury which required surgery after Round 1 hasn't helped his cause. If Ross Lyon's men are to jump into the top four they need more from the skipper. The good news is 'The Pav' started slowly last year before producing a stellar final three months to finish the season with 69 goals.
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