Winning wasn’t everything, but it sure meant plenty for members of The Rushed Behind’s Round 6 Team of the Week.
Richmond was the only victorious team not to have a player feature in the best 22, but there were still a few members of losing sides who gained selection.
IN A NUTSHELL…
The field was evenly spread this week, with 13 teams represented in the stacked line-up.
Geelong were the big winners, having five players feature in the side after a wonderful second-half demolition of the Lions. Collingwood and Essendon both received recognition for their gritty wins, with the proud clubs each having three members chosen.
The only other multiple player club was Carlton, who put forth goal kickers Eddie Betts and Harry McKay after their crushing Sunday night victory over the Bulldogs.
It was a harder effort to name the leadership group for this round, but the TRB Committee eventually landed on the enigmatic Patrick Dangerfield as skipper. He richly deserved the honour after rediscovering some of his best form on Thursday night with 26 disposals.
Partnering Dangerfield is Darcy Moore; his brick-wall approach against Hawthorn meant he would be perfectly suited as a leading general down back.
In great news for our South Australian faithful, Adelaide finally gained their first selection for the season after Brodie Smith gave his all off half-back against West Coast.
Brisbane, GWS, Richmond, St Kilda and the Bulldogs were the five unlucky clubs not to have a player selected.
THE UNLUCKY OMISSIONS…
There are always going to be players who consider themselves stiff to miss out, and Max Gawn was definitely one of them. Despite leading his Dees to a much-needed win, he couldn’t squeeze past Todd Goldstein’s one-man effort in North Melbourne’s loss.
Losing was a prime factor for many omissions this week; St Kilda pair Zak Jones and Tim Membrey, as well as Bulldog Bailey Smith and GWS blonde bombshells Lachie Whitfield and Nick Haynes all copped the brunt of not snatching the four points on the weekend.
Lachie Neale came tantalisingly close to snaring yet another selection, but narrowly missed out due to a weaker second half against the Cats.
Will Setterfield sits on the cusp of selection, while impressive defenders Brayden Maynard, Jeremy McGovern and Jayden Short can all consider themselves unlucky not to slide into a highly skilled backline.
THE BREAKDOWN…
Christian Petracca is the only member of the Round 5 side to retain his place after booting two goals to go with his 26 touches on the weekend. Lachie Neale, Jack Steele, Kane Lambert and Brayden Maynard were all very unlucky not to re-join the Demon.
Callum Mills and James Sicily (28 disposals, 14 marks) provided safety and stability on the last line of defence in their respective matches, while the likes of Adam Saad, Darcy Moore, Brodie Smith and Kane Farrell starred through their rebounding and precision kicking.
The centre line was bursting with goals, with David Zaharakis (3 goals) and Sam Menegola (2 goals and 26 touches) racking up plenty of touches on the wing before sneaking forward in the pursuit of majors.
Adam Treloar (35 disposals) played the role of inside midfielder well, while Dangerfield and ex-teammate Tim Kelly were sublime through the middle. Todd Goldstein (30 hit outs, 19 disposals and a goal) got first hands at ruck contests on Saturday night, meaning the consistent Brody Mihocek (4 goals) and Tom Hawkins (3) can get pristine service up forward.
If the ball comes to ground, Michael Walters and Eddie Betts (4 goals) can crumb to perfection, while Izak Rankine’s energy and promise gave Melbourne defenders headaches. Gary Ablett Jnr can play wherever he wants – if his older legs become weary after settling up countless, his younger teammate Sam Simpson proved on Thursday he is capable of filling the role.
Also sitting on the bench is Andrew McGrath, who brought pace on the ball against the Roos. Harry McKay (3 majors) is a versatile forward option coming off a great return to footy if Hawkins has to alleviate Goldstein in the ruck, while Christian Petracca should break the game open after a rampant effort on the weekend.
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