Beware the Bomber

They say a week's a long time in politics. In VFL football it's an eternity. Quite frankly, it's almost impossible to pick winners in season 2005. However, I'm not sure this is a good thing. Forget form, it's the vagaries of alignments and the availability and number of AFL players that plays havoc with the outcome of matches. Who'd have thought the North Ballarat Roosters would get slaughtered in the way they did last Saturday by the Bendigo Bombers? And what did this result tell us about the Geelong side, which the week before collapsed against the Roosters? Firstly the Cats didn't select their players in a manner that enabled them to win. Too many lumbering big blokes up forward. Simply as that. And why? Because winning matches plays second fiddle to team development at Geelong.

If we're going to have a 12 AFL/10 VFL rule for the Finals, what's the point of having matches, as was the case last week, where Bendigo has 16 AFL players? If it's true that it hampers an AFL club's progress, as some narrow-minded officials claim, why are the Kangaroos doing so well when Port Melbourne has a limit of 10 Kangaroos for its games? The great irony is that Bendigo's VFL players last week were match winners. Jordan Doering was brilliant in the back half, Aaron Connaughton kicked 4 great goals, Callan Beasey is in elegant form inside fifty and captain Nick Carter, at 29 years of age is playing as well as ever. Throw in Kain Robbins (2 goals), Justin Blumfield and Simon Rosa and the Bombers look like a real premiership possibility. The big question is how will they go when they have to omit four AFL players?

The vexed question of player limits aside, the Bendigo Bombers experiment appears to be working a treat. Although we hear rumours that some AFL players hate the trip to Bendigo, the club is drawing crowds and president, Warren Driscoll is ecstatic about plans to build new change rooms and facilities at the ground. A final between the Bombers and the Roosters in Bendigo would be the icing on the cake.

It's elementary, Mr Watson

I hate to have to admit it, but I just can't see a stand alone side winning a VFL premiership. As was proved in Bendigo on the weekend, part-time VFL players simply are not as fit as the elite athletes that play for AFL clubs. Roosters coach Gavin Crosisca makes no secret of the fact that his Melbourne players only train once a week at North Ballarat. It's impossible to reach the level of fitness of an AFL player with such a training regime. It's also very difficult to build a watertight game plan. It's said the Roosters are rolling in money. But will this training regime ensure that they'll always be the great underachiever? When we won the back to back premierships at Coburg in 1988/89 we trained 4 times a week and prided ourselves on our level of fitness. I can't see how the Roosters can stand alone and expect to be successful when their players only train once a week together. In any case Ballarat is only an hour from the city. Surely it's not asking too much for a Melbourne based player to make it to Ballarat twice a week.

If running players such as Djaran Whyman, Shane Hutchinson, Marc Greig, Jarrod Edwards, Julian Field and Ayden George are to propel the club to big wins in tense, fierce games they must improve their intensity. Whyman has talent, but doesn't tackle enough. Hutchinson is the same. Field becomes careless and instead of crashing through packs gives away free kicks. Nathan Saunders becomes pre occupied with his opponent's tactics and forgets to run. So while the Roosters have assembled probably their best side on paper since joining the VFA/VFL in 1996 they need to improve their attack on the ball and their tackling.

After being outclassed by the Bombers, the Roosters are back home this week with the opportunity to send the winless Tassie Devils into a spiral. While they grow another leg at home, the loss of Mark Porter will really hurt. Although Matthew Allen had Porter's measure last week before he was injured, the big bloke is irreplaceable at Ballarat. The Roosters are already lean in the back half and can ill afford to move Leigh Ryall from defence into the ruck, and it's elementary, Nick Bye and Hugh Foot are not in the same class as Porter. It could be a tough day at the office for Gavin Crosisca.

Vics in strife

What do Dean Talbot, Ben Schwarze, David Mitchell, Shannon Byrne, Brent Tuckey, Jeremy Clayton, Shaune Moloney, Trent Bartlett, Andrew Lovett and Nick Stone have in common? They all played for the VFL state side last year and won't be playing this year. In fact Mitchell, Tuckey and Clayton could all be playing for the SANFL. And should Mark Porter's injury be more serious than a jarred knee, the VFL could be in deep strife. It would be a shame, because the decision to play the game at Port on Saturday 21 May is a great one. I'd still play the grand final there.

Saturday

Scorpions v BENDIGO BOMBERS - ABC TV

North Ballarat v TASMANIA

COBURG v Frankston

SUNDAY

Geelong v WERRIBEE

SANDRINGHAM v Williamstown

Box Hill v NORTHERN BULLANTS

email phil@etu.asn.au