{"id":796395,"date":"2026-07-12T23:25:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/796395\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T23:25:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:25:24","slug":"afl-2026-round-18-talking-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/796395\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL 2026, Round 18 Talking Points"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Geelong\u2019s season is on the slide &#8211; but could be over before another ball is bounced, according to a triple premiership great.<\/p>\n<p>Plus the VFL sight making a mockery of claims Essendon has hit rock bottom, Gold Coast\u2019s predicament and more as the big issues from Round 18 are analysed in Foxfooty.com.au\u2019s Talking Points!<\/p>\n<p>Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? <a href=\"https:\/\/kayosports.com.au\/en-AU\/welcome\/afl?extcamp=fsaeditoriallinkafl-edt-fsp-lnk-awr-grc-afl-kyo&amp;channel=fsa&amp;campaign=fsacontra\" title=\"kayosports.com.au\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>WHAT&#8217;S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n<p>See the AFL Talking Points after Round 18.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n<p>\u2018DONE\u2019: CATS\u2019 SEASON OVER WITHOUT JEZ MIRACLE&#8230; DESPITE CHRIS\u2019 CONFIDENCE<\/p>\n<p>In isolation, none of Geelong\u2019s losses have been terrible.<\/p>\n<p>Losing to both Carlton and Adelaide by less than a kick was flukey. Losing to Fremantle by nine points was fine, though the margin flattered then.<\/p>\n<p>Losing to Brisbane was mostly OK, though the start was horrific. And losing to GWS&#8230; well, they always lose to GWS. Plus they had all those injuries.<\/p>\n<p>You can explain them all away, and Chris Scott has done just that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes you are in a situation where you think that we need to change a whole lot of things, because we are really not going well. I just don\u2019t think it is the case now,\u201d Scott said after his side\u2019s fall-from-ahead loss to the Giants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd today was a good example, where we played well enough to win the game, and that has been a common thing over the last month or so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo there is still room for optimism, it is obviously frustrating in the short term. But I would be honest with you if I thought we had serious problems, but I am just not at that stage yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There were similar thoughts after last week\u2019s 22-point loss to Brisbane, after which Scott explained: \u201cWe still think we are going well enough to beat anyone, anywhere and we have had the chance to do that over the past five weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And there were similar thoughts after the nine-point loss to Fremantle a fortnight earlier, when Scott said: \u201cBesides not getting the four points, we come away at least with our confidence in our game intact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scott gives Cameron update after loss | 07:12<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the coach\u2019s job to be level-headed. Nothing he said was incorrect. And with quite a few easy games left on the fixture, the Cats will surely still make it to September; Scott knows that\u2019s all that matters.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is more stark. Geelong is 9th on the ladder &#8211; which would sound even worse, had the AFL not expanded the finals to 10 teams.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve lost five of their past six games, and while they\u2019ve all come against quality sides and all been relatively close, the Cats\u2019 defence continues to look woeful for far too long within games.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest problem, though, comes at the other end of the ground where Jeremy Cameron has already been out of sorts &#8211; and is now simply out.<\/p>\n<p>A savage hit from Clayton Oliver broke the AC joint in the superstar forward\u2019s left shoulder, with Cameron taken from the stadium in a wheelchair while using the pain-relieving green whistle, then spending the night in hospital.<\/p>\n<p>It could require a 10-week stint on the sidelines, which would rule Cameron out until a theoretical deep finals run from the Cats. And he was already looking at post-season surgery on his right forearm, with the plate inserted after his break suffered in the Grand Final failing to fully heal it.<\/p>\n<p>GWS stun Cats to continue hot streak | 01:45<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a very realistic scenario where Cameron\u2019s season is already over. And that means the Cats\u2019 season is over, too, according to Richmond great Jack Riewoldt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he doesn\u2019t get up and going \u2026 they simply cannot win the premiership this year,\u201d Riewoldt said on Fox Footy\u2019s Saturday night coverage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he gets back, they\u2019re a chance, but if he doesn\u2019t get back or he doesn\u2019t get back to the Jeremy Cameron ahead of the ball that we all know and love &#8211; Geelong\u2019s hopes of kicking a score are done, for mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Top analyst David King, meanwhile, still holds some faith in the Cats\u2019 system allowing them to rebound.<\/p>\n<p>Last year\u2019s Grand Finalists don\u2019t leave Victoria again this home and away season, with crucial games against St Kilda, Melbourne and Collingwood coming before a more winnable final three weeks against Essendon, North Melbourne and Richmond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m still not prepared to put a line through Geelong. I don\u2019t know why, maybe it\u2019s just they\u2019ve been such a well-run footy club for so long,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re not gonna finish top four, which is gonna make it incredibly difficult to win it anyway. But if he say, misses a month of footy, their last three or four games are very winnable games. They play the bottom of the table in that period.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he can get back, get some touch, get some form, they\u2019re a chance. I\u2019m probably with you if he\u2019s not in the line-up at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Essendon gifted BIZARRE goal | 00:28<\/p>\n<p>\u2018IMAGINE HIS HEADSPACE\u2019: FEARS FOR BOMBER\u2019S FUTURE IN PUZZLING VFL OUTING<\/p>\n<p>What are Essendon doing with their $5 million man Ben McKay?<\/p>\n<p>The backman was sent back to the VFL in a bid to find form, after playing as a forward in recent weeks for the struggling Bombers.<\/p>\n<p>But the shift to VFL to play against Brisbane didn\u2019t help, finishing with just two handballs, two tackles and five hit-outs.<\/p>\n<p>McKay spent much of the first half playing against Liam Jones &#8211; who was delisted by the Bulldogs after last season, and now plays state league games while also working as a Lions development coach and VFL assistant.<\/p>\n<p>And against an opponent who is officially retired \u2014 although Jones still looks like he could play AFL tomorrow \u2014 McKay had just one handball to halftime.<\/p>\n<p>That led 2018 Crows leading goal kicker Josh Jenkins to question what the club was trying to achieve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do feel a lot for Ben McKay. Imagine his headspace at the moment,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe salary is talked about a lot, his place in the team, what does his future look like \u2013 he\u2019s thinking about all these sorts of things; when am I ever going to get back into good form?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to see him thrown in the ruck just to let him get after the footy and get five or six touches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe saw him go into the ruck at the very, very end of that second quarter. I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing him start in the ruck in the third term \u2013 I\u2019ve played a similar role where you just not getting opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow he\u2019s down there (in attack) because he\u2019s competing against (Darragh) Joyce and (Tom) Doedee and of course Jones. But sometimes you\u2019ve got to help a player help the team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you just leave him there (forward), you\u2019re probably going to get three or four disposals out of him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Solomon sees lessons in defeat | 05:55<\/p>\n<p>Despite battling to get his hands on the ball, McKay was still used as a forward in the second half and finished with just two handballs to his name.<\/p>\n<p>And that left Jenkins puzzled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to know the rationale behind McKay as a forward,\u201d Jenkins said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout harping on, I just don\u2019t understand it. I can\u2019t see it. He doesn\u2019t move at all like a forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPaid him big dollars to come across and hopefully be an intercepting defender \u2013 so just stick with that plan and process and hope that it works out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Agreeing the forward shift \u201csmacks almost a move of desperation\u201d, Jenkins wanted to see McKay go back to his more familiar defensive role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou watch him off ball, you watch him when he\u2019s in a contest and it\u2019s not that his heart\u2019s not in it. It just doesn\u2019t come naturally to him!\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s been on the back foot throughout the game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s only touched the ball twice. They\u2019ve given him a couple of little tiny spurts in the ruck but at the moment it\u2019s just not happening for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d just be pulling the plug on the forward experiment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just not going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McKay has played 118 AFL games for a total of seven goals. His tally sits at 7.8 &#8211; and 6.7 of that has come this year.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d kicked one goal previously during his 71 games for North Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;How does he kick this!?&#8221; | 00:17<\/p>\n<p>\u2018HOW MUCH DO WE CARE?\u2019: BRUTAL SUNS REALITY AS COACH\u2019S DAMNING TAKE QUESTIONED<\/p>\n<p>The Gold Coast Suns were riding high after three games this year &#8211; sitting top of the table as one of only two unbeaten teams and with a percentage of 191.<\/p>\n<p>But almost four months later, coach Damien Hardwick is conceding their season is \u201ceffectively gone\u201d after their horror loss to Adelaide on Saturday night that leaves them 14th &#8211; one win and hefty percentage outside of the wildcard finals spot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt becomes pretty much mathematically impossible doesn\u2019t it, at this stage? Or close, there abouts,\u201d Hardwick said about his side\u2019s finals chances.<\/p>\n<p>When told they sit one game outside the top 10, he replied: \u201cYeah maybe\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe way we\u2019re playing, we don\u2019t deserve to make it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTonight is a hit \u2026 We couldn\u2019t play any worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t see it coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AFL greats were quick to question what\u2019s happening behind the scenes on the Gold Coast given the side\u2019s dramatic fall from grace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis campaign is just sinking into a deeper and deeper mire by the minute,\u201d dual premiership winner David King said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere do you go from here?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA 15-goaler for Damien Hardwick\u2019s troops on the road. Wow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Herald Sun chief football writer Jay Clark described it as a \u201can extraordinarily poor year\u201d for the Suns at a time they are fighting to hang to players like Ben King, Jed Walter and Bailey Humphrey.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on Fox Footy\u2019s First Crack, Clark labelled the Suns \u201cfooty\u2019s biggest bust\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter one finals win in 16 years, this was meant to the year,\u201d Clark told First Crack. \u201cThis is a football club that has lacked absolutely nothing over the journey: Concessions, draft picks, the funding, fixtures, they went and got the triple premiership coach \u2026 and then they got Christian Petracca to top up this list.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut have we seen the bottom fall out of a team like this before? It is a super side on paper \u2013 I know the game is not played \u2018on paper\u2019 \u2026 but this is a team that has been set up to succeed and set up to win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are more questions marks over this football club that anyone else \u2026 But how much do we really care? How much scrutiny have the Suns faced over the journey? It has been quite extraordinary how far backwards this football club and team has gone in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clark pointed out the Suns had dropped from fourth for clearance differential last year to 18th this year &#8211; \u201can inexplicable decline\u201d, according to Clark.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Get out of the basement mate!&#8221; | 05:28<\/p>\n<p>As it stands, Gold Coast\u2019s worrying ladder position could further boost Hawthorn\u2019s chances of luring King away from the club.<\/p>\n<p>If the Suns finish low enough on the ladder, the top-level free agency compensation for Ben King\u2019s exit could be as high as Pick 4 or 5.<\/p>\n<p>That could be a better deal than whatever Hawthorn can offer &#8211; a late 2026 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick corrupted by all the early Tasmanian draft picks.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore if the Suns end up in the bottom four, they are more likely to let King walk via free agency, instead of forcing a trade.<\/p>\n<p>Fox Footy\u2019s experts agreed the \u201cbalance was off\u201d in the Suns midfield after the arrival of Demons star Christian Petracca \u2013 but refused to lay blame solely on one player for their 2026 woes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey add Christian Petracca and you go how good is this midfield going to be?\u201d triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got a Brownlow Medallist there, Matt Rowell, who has fallen off the face of the earth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously the captain in (Noah) Anderson , you add Petracca in there, the balance just hasn\u2019t worked for them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something awry up there &#8211; I\u2019m not sure what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t lose by that margin because of balance,\u201d King added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an emotional disconnect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something not right. To me, it doesn\u2019t look like a happy place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe buy-in is not there. The emotional connection with the group or whatever it is hasn\u2019t been there this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are not the same footy team that we saw in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it just can\u2019t be adding one player or losing two or three role players.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has to be deeper than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Butters injured as Saints down Port | 03:09<\/p>\n<p>Riewoldt went further stating the club \u201cdoesn\u2019t look like a place where players want to turn up and play\u201d \u2013 but the idea players weren\u2019t up for the fight irked Hardwick when speaking post-match.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went away from a pretty good blueprint at the start\u2026 and then just got belted up around the ball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContest wise, we got absolutely blown off the park. That\u2019s the most disappointing thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(But) up for the fight? Every player is up for the fight \u2013 end of the day you can have bad days, but you don\u2019t question AFL players whether they are up for the fight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTonight we were just terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For now, Hardwick says the responsibility to turn his side\u2019s form around sits with him \u2013 but Riewoldt warns that \u201csugar hit\u201d is wearing off.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it\u2019s rubbed off pretty fast \u2026 He got them playing his system last year, or playing a system but that just hasn\u2019t evolved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s my job to sit there and find out why and I\u2019ve failed at that at the moment, so we\u2019ve got to figure it out,\u201d Hardwick said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the end of the day, we\u2019ve got six weeks &#8211; this year\u2019s effectively gone. What we\u2019ve got to do is forge our way forward about what we want ourselves to look like for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Suns still have matches to come against the Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Melbourne, GWS, Brisbane and St Kilda \u2013 all clubs who sit above them on the ladder.<\/p>\n<p>King: &#8220;Thats really disappointing&#8221; | 00:49<\/p>\n<p>COSTLY CLARKO CALL \u2018COULD GO PEAR-SHAPED\u2019&#8230; BUT NORTH HAS TO DO IT<\/p>\n<p>Painfully, one of the Kangaroos\u2019 best performances of the season also came on the night their finals dream probably ended.<\/p>\n<p>Friday night\u2019s brave loss to Collingwood will likely mean North Melbourne misses the top 10, due to a very hard remaining draw, having sat an impressive 8-7 just two weeks ago.<\/p>\n<p>A likely losing skid to end the season will put a sour taste in the mouths of Kangaroos fans but this season was inarguably still a major step forwards &#8211; just perhaps not as far forwards as everyone hoped.<\/p>\n<p>Having finished in the bottom two in every season between 2020 and 2025, the Kangaroos have already tallied eight wins in 2026 &#8211; as many as they won between 2022-24 collectively &#8211; while raising their percentage to a competitive 91.4%. It will be their best season since at least 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The next question is what it all means for coach Alastair Clarkson.<\/p>\n<p>The rebuild under the four-time premiership mastermind hasn\u2019t gone as quickly as hoped, with Clarkson about to complete the fourth year of his five-season contract.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unusual for coaches to go into the final year of their contract without a deal, unless they\u2019re on the brink of being sacked, given the insecurity it creates around them.<\/p>\n<p>Clarko rues missed chances in close loss | 11:08<\/p>\n<p>Yet Kangaroos president Sonja Hood was clear they won\u2019t be rushing into extending Clarkson just yet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s got a contract,\u201d she told SEN.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just think it\u2019s a situation that gets talked up and turned into something that doesn\u2019t need to be there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe entered into a five-year arrangement when we started this. The first year was eaten up by a crisis (Hawthorn investigation) we didn\u2019t create, but we certainly had to navigate and wear the brunt of.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree and half a years in, I think he\u2019s doing a terrific job. But we will all sit down when the time is right and have that conversation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I\u2019m not going to get rushed to it and neither is he.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile Kangaroos head of footy Todd Viney, who has worked closely with Clarkson before and during their stint at Arden Street, told the Herald Sun\u2019s Jon Ralph he \u201cfully expects\u201d the coach to be extended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s coaching as well as he ever has, the energy is there. The strong relationship with the players is there, it will take care of itself,\u201d Viney told Ralph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you zoom in on the coaches box at moments of tension, the eye of the tiger is there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on Fox Footy\u2019s coverage on Friday night, Ralph explained he expects the Kangaroos to pull the trigger before 2027.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they will. I think they understand the dramas of that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt might cost them some money if things go pear shaped, like we\u2019ve seen with Brad Scott and Michael Voss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they want to shore up his position of power. The first two years were effectively a write-off given those issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve got a young, exciting side that shows signs. All of those young sides have frustrating moments. But you bring him in to win the flag.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd when you\u2019re on the path, finally, you don\u2019t cut him off at the knees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Collingwood hold on to beat North | 03:09<\/p>\n<p>Dumping Clarkson would be a very bold move given his resume, with Geelong great Tom Hawkins backing an extension, at least for the short term.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he is (their man). Certainly for the next 12 months he deserves the right to get that opportunity,\u201d Hawkins said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019ll keep continuing to see them develop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI liked the way they shifted the game from last week, they tried to win it late by playing a bit more attacking footy going deep to their forwards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can see their willing to change the game within the game, which is a really important growth mechanism for a group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brisbane champion Jonathan Brown added: \u201cJust get that balance right, that\u2019s the challenge with a younger group.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes they can be too coachable and they go one way too far and then you\u2019ve got try correct and they go too far back the other way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just finding that sweet spot in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Kangaroos will need to keep improving their list to rise from mid-table mediocrity into contention.<\/p>\n<p>And while the looming re-signings of Riley Hardeman and Zane Duursma, as reported by Ralph, aren\u2019t game-changers they\u2019re signs of a young group that\u2019s seeing progress and believing in the journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHardeman and Duursma will both sign two-year deals. Does it matter? Yeah, because it\u2019s retention. (Jy) Simpkin really wanted to get out last year,\u201d Ralph said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not the be all and end all, but they\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you gave them 8-8 leading into this game with a percentage of 91, there\u2019s real progress there for me. Even though there\u2019s some frustrating moments for North Melbourne.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>AFL unveils overseas expansion plans | 02:03<\/p>\n<p>\u2018ONE DIMENSIONAL\u2019 SWANS EXPOSED\u2026 AS THEIR TRADEMARK GOES MISSING<\/p>\n<p>The second-placed Swans have problems.<\/p>\n<p>Sydney travelled to Perth for a top of the table clash with Fremantle on Thursday night \u2013 with a win to put the Swans on equal points.<\/p>\n<p>But despite starting the match with an elite pressure rating, the visitors dropped off to concede 100 points in a second half that now has alarm bells ringing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome big questions to be asked of some Swans,\u201d triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat second half, (Swans coach) Dean Cox would be looking at it going how did we give up 100 points?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir defence, unfortunately they couldn\u2019t stop the scores coming from stoppage and also turnover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David King added: \u201c100 points in a half of football is just a ridiculous number \u2013 and there\u2019s no way in your wildest dreams you would have thought Fremantle one, could do that and to a side like the Sydney Swans \u2013 a side who defensively are pretty solid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile Will Schofield suggested it \u201clooked like first v 18th in the second half\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Eagles premiership player questioned what the Swans were getting from their \u201cbottom five players\u201d \u2013 as their forward set up came into focus without the likes of injured duo Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey.<\/p>\n<p>Dockers flip the script against Swans | 02:45<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA number of players for Sydney, probably their bottom five players, just having no influence whatsoever on the game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a team performance by Sydney. Joel Hamling had donuts \u2013 he did not touch the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>King added: \u201cIsaac Heeney was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s as quiet as I\u2019ve seen him for 60 minutes of footy \u2013 just the three kicks in the second half.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(But) I think Isaac is the least of Dean\u2019s worries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSelection in the forward half \u2013 (Caiden) Cleary, does he do enough? (Tom) Hanily is still a young player. Hamling, what\u2019s his function in this team?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve got some worries. They\u2019ve got some concerns \u2013 but there\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AFL great Jason Dunstall warned that Sydney ended up being \u201cone dimensional\u201d with their reliance on five-goal hero Charlie Curnow to provide their score.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou get five goals from him, you get a couple from (Tom) Papley \u2013 no one else really looked dangerous,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeeney didn\u2019t have that role forward that he often has.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey didn\u2019t get the midfield goals that they are used to getting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a little bit one dimensional \u2013 I think that was the problem for Sydney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 37-point defeat may have only been Sydney\u2019s fourth loss for the year, but Leigh Montagna believes a worrying pattern is emerging.<\/p>\n<p>In the second half, the Swans scored nothing from their half back \u2013 while the Dockers managed 43 points of their own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis has been on their radar for a couple of weeks \u2013 we heard Dean Cox talk about this two weeks ago,\u201d Voss pointed out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a very pointed part of their review up to the bye of something they wanted to rectify \u2026 but the same problem\u2019s emerged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it\u2019s something they are going to have to address \u2013 and address really, really quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cox left frustrated after Freo loss | 10:10<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe numbers don\u2019t lie \u2013 it\u2019s been a concern for eight or nine weeks now,\u201d Montagna added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey did a pretty god job against the Western Bulldogs who probably aren\u2019t as damaging as they have been in the past offensively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut when they come up against teams that can score, they are getting sieved both with transition and their ability to defend off turnovers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDean Cox has got some work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a remarkable worry for the Swans, given their trademark style has been that run and gun from half back, sparked by the likes of Chad Warner and Nick Blakey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t eighth on the ladder trying to get into finals \u2013 this is second spot on the ladder right now and they weren\u2019t there as the game went on, as the pressure went on,\u201d Schofield lamented.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe big moments, they weren\u2019t able to stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Geelong\u2019s season is on the slide &#8211; but could be over before another ball is bounced, according to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":796396,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-796395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=796395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/796396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=796395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=796395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=796395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}