Grinners

St Kilda

Your author is seeking absolution. Superb. The mosquito fleet came to play and drew blood time and again. Not only was it a great win, but it was great to watch.

Tom Scully

Decision validated? With the Dees playing some of the worst football I’ve born witness to, and the Giants grabbing their first win against a Suns outfit that included one Gary Ablett, the question could come to the fore.

Western Bulldogs

Admittedly, the forward line is very much a makeshift affair still, but the Dogs are playing hard footy every time. They ran the Kangaroos into the ground and came away with the win on Mother’s Day. Superb.

Adelaide

The draw could see a Crows finals appearance. But Crows top four? While Geelong are not in good shape, the Crows are absolutely flying, and if they knock off a couple of the big guns it could make September very interesting.

The Premiership Race

Out of West Coast, Sydney, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Carlton, Geelong and even Adelaide now in the mix, can anyone tell me who is going to win? This could (and should) be a cracker of a September, and there’s the potential for even two bottom-eight sides to crack the prelims.

Moaners

Melbourne

Readers may know I’m a Melbourne supporter. The side that currently is squatting in red and blue jumpers is quite comfortably the worst I have ever seen play for the Melbourne Football Club in my life. That’s including three wooden spoons and a fourth season that would have been a spoon if not for Fitzroy. Seriously.

Although people question the coach (and I can’t believe there’s people out there suggesting to sack Mark Neeld after seven games) it’s a deeper thing, and one that is almost going to have to take list turnover to achieve. After Brent Moloney shopped his name around late last week, the older players will certainly be given a ‘thanks and goodbye’ come the end of 2012.

Carlton

Déjà vu all over again. Carlton’s forward line was without structure, their back line was shown up by better structure and Chris Judd couldn’t get them out of jail no matter how hard he tried.

North Melbourne

What does one make of the Kangaroos? The longer the season goes, the more like pretenders they seem. Their list is, in theory, very much similar to Carlton’s – great midfield, OK backs and not a great forward set up – but they have far less performance when the crunch comes.

Gold Coast

Ouch. Losing to the Giants really does hurt.

Geelong

They were the greatest team of all, but it seems that the team that was that great has finally passed. While Geelong can be brilliant in flashes, and no one dares write them off, it’s not as easy to come back this time around.

Tipsters

I think I only got 4.