After six games of the 2010 AFL season, any sort of coherent patterns by specific are yet to emerge. While the Sydney Swans have had an unbeaten run, it seems too early to tag them a Grand Final contender.
However, while the Swans are at least somewhat easy to pick, the rest of the ladder is a hodge podge of inconsistent performers and surprises. This may seem like a complaint but to be honest, I think it’s actually a great thing – it shows that teams, no matter how brilliant or bad their performances have been in past years, are all having a decent crack this year, instead of focusing soley on building for specific years (with exception being Richmond). An example of this can be seen on the performances from the Dockers, Demons and, to a certain extent, Port Adelaide and Brisbane.
After watching Essendon and Hawthorn try to out-skill each other last night, I feel heartened by the genuine effort the clubs are putting in, rather seeing seasons as ‘We’re not strong enough to have a go, so well sit this one out’. This attitude seemed to be most prevalent in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.
(Note: Was a great feeling seeing the Bombers do so well after a disastrous ANZAC Day match – it’s never good when you receive a flogging from Collinwood).
Sure there have been some pretty scrappy performances this season – the Collingwood v Hawthorn game in round four comes to mind – but there are also higher quality matches. The Bulldogs fought hard against the Saints on Friday night, and though they failed, they both played hard, skill-based footy and showed genuine effort.
It seems to me the impending arrival of the Gold Coast team and the eventual emergence of another team in NSW has put the pressure on the existing clubs to show they deserve to keep their status as top flight teams and not rely only on their heritage to keep them safe.
As Fitzroy’s demise taught us, nothing is certain when dollar signs are flashed.
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