The Mid-Season Review

We're just over halfway through the 2021 AFL premiership season, so it's a perfect point to take a step back and reflect on some of the amazing football we've seen so far.

Crowds made a short but welcome return to Victorian games for the first time since the 2019 AFL Grand Final, the Dees and Dogs are playing free-wheeling footy, while it's been a demoralising case of déjà vu for Carlton and St Kilda fans.

SURPRISE PACKETS

Honestly, who saw this coming? The pace-setters of the competition have been Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. It's safe to say even the most optimistic of Demons fans wouldn't have expected to be sitting in first position coming into their mid-season bye, let alone having only lost two games for the season. The Dogs' star-studded midfield has caused plenty of headaches, with the likes of Tom Liberatore and Jack Macrae in career-best form.

 

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Sydney set the AFL alight with some scintillating performances in the first month of the season, most notably knocking off reigning premiers Richmond at the MCG. The Swans' resurgence has been driven in part by the performance of its younger members, including Chad Warner, Logan McDonald, James Rowbottom, Errol Gulden and Braeden Campbell. It's not just the cygnets getting the job done either, with ruckman Tom Hickey causing some regret to his previous three clubs.

 

UPSET OF THE SEASON (SO FAR)

Few people gave Hawthorn a chance to knock off Sydney on its home deck recently, but Adelaide's win over Melbourne caught everyone off guard. The Demons had won all nine of its games up until that point, and while the Crows had started the season strongly, last year's wooden spooners had lost five straight matches. Taylor Walker's late-career renaissance continued, kicking the winning goal, while there was controversy around a deliberate non-call in the dying seconds of the game.

 

LIFE IN THE OLD TIGER YET

Jack Riewoldt certainly isn't the oldest player going around, but at 32, he showed he's still capable of turning a match on its head. High-flying youngster Shai Bolton threw down the challenge with a spectacular leap against Geelong in round eight, but Riewoldt sent a reminder through the AFL just three weeks later. With Adelaide pressing late, the veteran ran back with the flight, eyes on the Sherrin the entire time, before leaping on top of oncoming traffic and twisting his body to protect himself. It'll take some topping for Mark of the Year.

 

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

We've now had our first coaching change of the season, with Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley hanging up the whiteboard and magnets after 218 games in charge. Assistant Robert Harvey will take over after the club's mid-season bye, with Buckley, oddly enough, going out on the back of two consecutive wins, including an upset victory over ladder-leading Melbourne.

Let’s see what the second half of the season has in store for us!