Autopsy AFL 2018 R20: Liked, Learnt & Hated

[_Mike_]

Another adrenaline packed round comes to an end with more controversy than you could poke a stick at. Whether it was the well argued inconclusive goal review at Adelaide or Andrew Gaff's brain fade - the stakes have been raised with 3 rounds remaining until the finals season starts.

Take it away with your Liked, Learn't & Hated for the round

 

[_Cayz_]

Hated: Andrew Gaff's pathetic king hit.

 

[Football Tragic]

Liked -

How many close games there were and how interesting it has made the rest of the season and battle for finals places
The return of Alex Johnson from the swans after such a long battle. Amazing story of resilience and perseverance
Chris Scott's salty dummy spit at his media conference - very funny

Learnt -

Gaff won't play again in 2018 and is a coward
The AFL need to focus more on fixing the goal review system and umpire's decisions at crucial times rather than changing the rules
The Women's comp is not been given enough respect by the league leaders

Hated -

Bloody injuries to good players!
Gaff's actions
Gold Coast and Carlton's competitiveness - I hope they can turn things around quickly in 2019

 

[King Kunta]

Liked:
Close games.
A big win for the Dees.
Jack Bowes. Pretty bleak day for GC but his intercept marking was excellent.

Learnt:
There are going to be some very unlucky teams this year.

Hated:
The Gaff hit.
GC and Carlton. Very long 3 weeks ahead.

 

[gavaniacono]

Alex Johnson: *in great.

Very close comp: at least 4 clubs up to their eyeballs in it and a couple of smokies could cause some mayhem.

Daisy P is a ripper, Gil a twit completely divorced from the prols, sitting on his horse swinging his mallett.

 

[Vyrone Trickery]

Liked:
Hawks beating Dons, a good side.
Friday/Saturday games.

Learned:
Tim Kelly will win a Brownlow in a few years - if he stays at Cats.

Hated:
Eagles fans cheering Andrew Gaff.
Constant injuries to Coll and GWS.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Liked: results fell our way and we 're back in the top 4. It's a close race but our destiny is in our hands now.

Learned: Footy is a strange game, I never expected to see an AFL side pulling players off without a replacement. Listen to Leon it was all about the players, and the fact we had a huge lead no doubt eased the pressure.

Hated: a couple of teams in the Cats and the Pies played really good footy for no result this week. It should average out though.

 

[manicmagpie]

Liked:

Amazing finishes in nearly every Friday/Saturday game.
Alex Johnson, Freeman, Vandenburg et al overcoming their injuries.

Learnt:

You can't get away with playing your 7th/8th choice key defenders on Buddy Franklin. Who would have guessed?

Hated:

Gaff.
Sunday's games letting the round down.

 

[The King!]

Liked

We won a game

Super Saturday - it was entertaining footy , and general good vibes from the footy public basically agreeing the afl should F off



Learnt

Sydney need Sunday games back at the scg. Sick of the dew


Hated
Nothing really, Sunday was a fizzer

 

[JackFlash]

Liked : Tim Kelly

Learned: Only Geelong or Melbourne can upset the Tigers in September. The Cats may not even make it to September? Geelong have returned to their old ways and are once again the enigma of the competition which is somewhat sad IMO. Port and Swans can still lose all three remaining games, allowing Geelong into the 8. It's not impossible to win the flag from 5th-8th this year!

Hated: Gaff hit. Hawks, North and Swans all winning.

 

[want2spoodge_pettifer]

Liked: Cats banking the GF win from 9th.

Learned: Cats can win the flag from 9th.

 

[Quinz]

There's was more packed into this weekend than the whole of the month of July. What a ridiculous three days.

 

[Craze]

Liked - close games, ripper game Saturday, Fagan getting real improvement up at Lions

Learnt - Collingwood Chear Squad can spell

Hated - showing by Blues, Saints and Suns

 

[PAFC_1870]

Whether it was the well argued inconclusive goal review at Football Park

I think you mean AAMI Stadium

 

[ThaiTiger]

Loved Friday, liked Saturday, hated Sunday (bloody Sunday).

Learnt how to say 'How about them Tigers?!' in Swahili just for the hell of it.

 

[Blueyboy74]

Liked:

- The first 5 games of the round. All were ‘live’ matches in terms of the ladder at the end of the season and a total of 15 points separated the 10 teams

- The Hawthorn v Essendon match was a great spectacle

- So was the last 15 minutes of the Sydney v Collingwood game

Learnt:

- Injuries are a valid excuse. That the Pies almost pinched it was a testament to how far they have come and Sydney have fallen

- Growing up you hate losing at anything to your brother, never mind losing to your twin. Perhaps that’s why the Scott boys are terrible losers. I imagine many a Monopoly board was tipped over in anger …

- Rich 85 Gee 82, Haw 107 Ess 103, Bris 104 Nth 107, Adel 96 Port 93, Syd 73 Coll 71. Maybe the game doesn’t need too much interference?

Hated:

- The Gaff punch wasn’t good to watch. Just hope there are no mental scars for Brayshaw. That stuff can destroy careers

- Speaking of careers ruined, the livelihood of staff can depend on the success of the club at which they are employed, irrespective of the influence they have on results. Would hate for Port to miss finals or top 4 etc on the back of crap vision/review process

 

[Eshay187]

Liked: Alex Johnson’s first game with Buddy

Learnt: West Coast fans are irredeemable. Their economy affecting the state psyche?

Hated: Swans fans cheering every behind by Collingwood (all teams supporters do this, and it’s cringe)

 

[SCRAY72]

Liked : Johnson and Freeman returns

Learnt : Mitchell is a certainty for the Brownlow

Hated : You know who.

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Liked : winning with 16 on the park, (having lost our last rotation at the 17 minute mark of a 31 minute third quarter)

Learnt: there’s a depth of grit in adversity at my club that some people may underestimate.


Hated: only having 16 on the park.


Also hate: our third six day break off the back of an interstate road trip in a row.
Tell me again how the fixturing doesn’t favour Victorian sides?

 

[roacheee]

liked: consistent umpiring
learnt: richmond are beatable
hated: geelongs win over richmond

 

[PerthBoy86]

Liked: all those close finishes, and in games with such high stakes. Never get sick of it. Shaping up for an exciting finish. We took home the 4 points despite the win being marred to almost secure 2nd spot.

Hated: obviously the Gaff hit for many reasons.

Learnt: Essendon are like the roadrunner: fast but kinda fragile lol. What Gaff did was indefensible and i don't support cheering it, but many Victorians hate West Coast as much as Freo, and always come up with reasons to hate us, more than they'd like to admit.

 

[KermitJagger]

Liked: results fell our way and we 're back in the top 4. It's a close race but our destiny is in our hands now.

Learned: Footy is a strange game, I never expected to see an AFL side pulling players off without a replacement. Listen to Leon it was all about the players, and the fact we had a huge lead no doubt eased the pressure.

Hated: a couple of teams in the Cats and the Pies played really good footy for no result this week. It should average out though.

Never watched that pre-season game where Richmond copped a few injuries and Hardwick started taking every half decent player off the ground? I believe he got fined for bringing the game into disrepute.

Liked: The closeness of the games, everything leading towards a big last few weeks before the finals series. Particularly with the Hawks having top 8 shaping games against Sydney and Geelong.

Learnt: Josh Kelly's combination of work rate, football smarts and genuine skill is something extremely unique in this game. Will be the best of a HUGE 2013 draft class.

Hated: Sunday, strike it and everything that happened from the record.

 

[Ancient Tiger]

Liked: Closeness of the games on Friday/Saturday. Richmond getting the 4 points despite Geelong having the moral victory. The salt mine called Chris Scott.

Learnt: Moral victories never get 4 premiership points.

Hated: The Gaff punch; GC and Carlton seemingly have put the cue in the rack.

 

[Scanlens Man]

Liked: Close games
Learned: AFL distracted by whimsy while some of the basics need attention
Hated: Injuries

 

[XXRL]

Hated:

1. Gaff's off the play king hit to an 18 year old sending him to hospital
2. West Coast fans' hero worship of Gaff after he king hit an 18 year old - a standing ovation! Seriously!!?
3. David King acting like Gaff is the victim who needs a cuddle while the actual victim is in the emergency department
4. Simpson's press conference making out a roundhouse haymaker is somehow 'unintentional'

Liked: The angry but still measured response from Fremantle players and coach