Almanac Footy: Mid-season footy reviews – Part 3

 

In Part 3, we will look at another four teams alphabetically – GWS, Hawthorn, Melbourne, and North.

 

 

GWS:

 

Mid-season:

So far, it has been an interesting season for GWS. Initially, the loss of Tom Green spelled disaster for them, but that hasn’t been the case, for a number of reasons.

 

Firstly, Oliver and Laverde have done well. The scenery change for both has been positive. Oliver has moved into the senior midfield role seemlessly. While Laverde has shown that he is talented after all. (He’s not the only Essendon player to benefit from change, e.g. Draper, too.)
Also, those juniors that GWS has been investing in – Gothard, Thomas, Fonti, Gruzewski, even Cadman – have arrived.

 

Yes, Greene has spent more time midfield, but I think they’ve finally got the message that they need to have a much broader set of options rotating through the midfield. And, there appears to be a whole lot more of them coming through – Ough, Rowston, Delana, and others.

 

 

Hawthorn:

 

Mid-season:
Yes, reiterating, they are a happy team at Hawthorn, (apart from Don Scott.) No significant injuries, Day is back, Lewis is back, and Chol has finally arrived as a consistent key forward. Even ‘old man river’ Jack Gunston, ‘just keeps rolling along’. Every one wants a place in the team. Hopefully it all holds together up to and into the finals. Not much else to write about Hawthorn, except ‘all speed ahead!’

 

 

Melbourne:

 

Mid-season:
Like GWS, Melbourne too has been stacking their list with juniors, whilst also adding some quality mature players. One might have thought that the losses of Oliver and Petracca, along with the loss of Viney would have ripped the guts out of them, but not so. Melbourne are 6th! Who would have thought! Mihocek and Steele have grabbed many of their media headlines, but underlying all of that is the continuing development of Sparrow, Chandler, Pickett, Bowey, Rivers, Turner, Van Rooyen, Windsor, Lindsay, Tholstrup, Langford and Jefferson.

 

My only query is on their tall defenders. May has gone, while Lever and McDonald can’t have much time left. Petty won’t get any better, while Adams and Onley look years off it. Onley’s ‘Magoo’ stats do look good though!

 

Hopefully, mid-season draft recruit, Lucas Cook can be the one. While Fitzgerald looks a beauty too. Here’s hoping!

 

 

North Melbourne:

 

Mid-season:
As expected, North have improved, only marginally, but they have improved. Soon, they might be even overtaking St Kilda and Collingwood. Yes, they do have stacked up on junior and developing midfielders, and that’s the basis of any long-term improvement.
We have all read about the development of Davies-Uniake, Sheezel, McKercher, O’Sullivan, Trembath, Curtis, etc.. However, the only problem is fitting all of Konstanty, Dovaston, Harvey, Hardeman, and the others just missing out.

 

Also, they still need an extra genuine tall down back. Their intercepting rates are too low. Whether they wait for Whitlock or trade for some other, they need another defensive tall who can take seven or eight intercepting marks per game.

 

BTW, I wonder how Horne-Francis feels now?

 

Further details, including you club’s best-performed mid-season team, can be found HERE:

 

Any questions, please ask.

 

Next: Part 4 – Port, Tiges, Sainters, and Sydney.

 

Cheers

 

Read Part 1 of Mickey’s mid-season footy reviews HERE

 

and Part 2 HERE

 

To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au home page click HERE.

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

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