Updated ,first published
In today’s AFL Brief, your highlights:
- Dean Solomon has again dismissed talk that he is in the mix for the Essendon coaching position.
- A case to contact an umpire could be very expensive for the Gold Coast.
‘We weren’t just there’: Acceptance of Solomon as Strikers falls back on old practices
Danny Russell
Coach Dean Solomon’s efforts suffered a major setback at the MCG on Saturday afternoon, although the Essendon premiership player insisted he had no intention of applying for the vacant position.
It was Essendon’s worst performance under Solomon since he took over as interim coach three weeks ago, falling to Melbourne by 45 points in a match honoring the late Neale Daniher’s contribution to both clubs.
But while a crowd of 41,438 stood and cheered Daniher six minutes into the game – in recognition of his No. 6 jumper – the Bombers stood up for the rest of the list in a listless first half.
“We just weren’t there,” a heartbroken Solomon said. “It wasn’t our brand, the way we wanted to play in and around the tournament. We ended up minus-35 in the tournament, which is not how we wanted to look.”
The Demons scored the first four goals of the match – the first came from captain Max Gawn – and took a 41-point lead into halftime behind the brilliance of Kysaiah Pickett.
Although Melbourne were strong, Solomon was unable to explain his team’s poor results after two promising weeks.
But he insisted his players were not distracted by the noise from outside suggesting he and club legend James Hird were neck and neck in the race for the Essendon coaching job.
“I’m not sure how much they read or absorb, and I’m pretty sure they’ve been advised not to read everything in the paper,” Solomon said.
“I’ve been around footy for a long time, and I understand the world around our footy club, and we don’t have a coach at the moment, and we need to replace a coach and choose a coach.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of noise around that, but I’m really where my feet are, I’m in the middle here, focusing on what I need to focus on.
“(When it comes to) the players, I haven’t heard or had any conversations about that, about who our next coach is, so I’m confident they’re not thinking about that, and that’s not the reason for having the half we had.”
Solomon also dismissed rumors that he is president and former team-mate Andrew Welsh is being tipped to coach the Bombers beyond this year.
“I can’t think about that, and I don’t think about that,” he said.
“I have to make sure that this club and these players, and this team, play in a more competitive way than today and I am responsible for that.
“The most important role I need to play right now is to make sure we have speed at the finish line because if we fall the other way, you can do a little bit of damage.”
Solomon said his attitude would not change if Essendon suddenly announced they were starting the interview process.
“That’s hypothetical, but I have my eyes down right now,” he said.
“Of course, I love coaching. That’s why I’m back in it. I love the challenge we’re in now, and I love the fact that we have games that give us feedback, and we have to improve, and if coaching wasn’t a challenge, it wouldn’t be worth it, right?”
The Raiders had few fourth-quarter contributors outside of Will Setterfield, who collected a career-best 34 tackles.
Solomon continued with Ben McKay (one goal) as a striker, but moved Zach Merrett (32) back to midfield from centre-back late in the second term to find a spark.
Like Brad Scott before him, he refused to blame Essendon’s injury list for their lack of fight, but there is no doubt a lack of experienced players is holding them back.
It was further compounded when they lost Archie Roberts to a dislocated shoulder during the second term.
Melbourne also lost a young man to injury when the club’s debutant and mid-season pick Lukas Cooke left the field after taking a hard knock to the cheek. He was taken to the hospital for examination.
It was an even better game for the Devils’ other mid-season midfielder, Joel Fitzgerald, who had 26 disposals in his debut.
Essendon kicked the first three goals in the third quarter, but Melbourne were quick to snuff out any hint of a comeback, which worried rested Devils coach Steven King.
He sensed a dangerous game, coming off the back of a five-day break from their hard-fought win over Collingwood and an emotional week following forward Brody Mihocek’s serious neck injury and the national funeral of former club coach Daniher.
“I was a little angry this morning, driving,” King admitted. “I was a bit underwhelming at home, too, maybe because it’s a winnable game on paper, and we dropped this one against Essendon last time (Collecting Round).
“We knew they were going to come out and fight for Neale as well, and they were really competitive last week, so yeah, you have to shake it up. Nobody gives you four points.
“They looked a little tired during the stages, but the way they fought the game was very impressive.”
Essendon invited club boss Simon Madden to address their playing group before the game in honor of Daniher, while Aaron Davey spoke to the Devils.
“Then there was Checkers (Mihocek) too,” King said.
“That’s another layer of emotion, and for us, you know, I think it reminded all of us how lucky we are, and the players, especially, to play this game.
“So we had a little bit of Checkers with us today, knowing he’s home and won’t be with us for at least this year with his neck. So, yeah, we’re thinking of him like Neale today.”
Rioli’s referee contact could cost the Suns $50,000
Andrew Wu
Gold Coast is at risk of becoming the first club to face the wrath of the AFL in the league’s play-offs over contact with referees and players.
The Suns face a fine of up to $50,000 after defender Daniel Rioli was cited Saturday by a match review official for careless contact with a referee.
Rioli becomes the fifth Sun to be charged with the offense after colliding with veteran broadcaster Matt Stevic during the first quarter of the club’s loss to Geelong on Friday night.
Under a rule introduced this season by the league to protect referees, a club can be fined up to $50,000 if their players commit five or more infractions in one season. The Suns are the first club to reach this threshold.
Suns midfielders Alex Davies (round one), Touk Miller (round six), Matt Rowell (round 11) and Noah Anderson (round 13) have all been fined this season for contacting a referee.
Rioli had turned his back on referee Stevic as he tried to cover Geelong’s Shaun Mannagh on a high ball in the Cats’ forward 50. Contact was made when Stevic was backed up by the crowd. The contact was strong enough to shock Stevic, but it did not bring him down.
Referees usually warn players of the route they will take to leave the facility. Stevic didn’t, even though the referee had pointed his way out of the high ball seconds before.
The threat of heavy fines adds to the Suns’ frustration with the referees after that their 45-point loss to Geelong.
Coach Damien Hardwick lashed out at the referees, accusing them of awarding free kicks to a “Roman Colosseum”-like Cats crowd.
The three-time premiership coach exploded in the box after Cats forward Jeremy Cameron conceded a free-kick from Gold Coast’s Oscar Adams before half-time. It happened minutes after the outside referee awarded Cameron a free-kick for a high touch following a spilled mark.
Australian Football Hall of Fame legend Jason Dunstall said on Kayo Sports the referees “gave some lines tonight” after Cameron was awarded a free kick for a heavy touch. Suns captain Anderson approached the referees at halftime for clarification.
In his press conference after the match, Hardwick said the lasso rule it needed to be replaced so it was not covered if the ball accidentally came out of the boot.
As for his half-time tantrum, Hardwick said it appeared the referees were swayed by the crowd.
“It was like the Roman Colosseum. I think they (the referees) were waiting for the crowd to do this (thumbs down) and then, all of a sudden, a free kick,” Hardwick said.
“At the end of the day that’s what it is, home field advantage, we understand that, we know you’re against it from the start, but a couple of them, I thought, weren’t there.”
Anderson was surprised by some of the judges but held back his criticism.
“It was a frustrating night,” Anderson said on 3AW on Friday night. “It’s confusing at times, to be honest. But that’s not the problem we’re facing tonight, we can’t focus too much on it.”
West Coast Premier League coach Adam Simpson criticized the performance of the referees.
“When there are 35 referees, you’re not going to get the best four every game,” Simpson said on SEN.
“They have to choose who does what. You want a good Thursday and Friday when you’re on the show, and last night there were a few decisions, not rules, decisions, I think, that cost the team or prevented them from scoring.”
Cats fans were outraged when winger Ollie Dempsey was penalized for pushing back after creating a goal area, denying Geelong a goal.
Cats coach Chris Scott appeared frustrated after Bailey Smith was not awarded a tackle on Matt Rowell, which he said was a “mistake”.
“I think it’s worth putting on the table that if you’re going to be disappointed in something, make sure it’s not your own stupidity that you’re showing to everyone,” Scott said.
“Sometimes we will have a difference of opinion on how those things are interpreted, but it should never be because you think that the previous opportunity looks like that. They have been clear about what it looks like and it is not.
“I’m not confused by the law at all. When you see things that are so confusing, when you think you understand, chances are there was a mistake, and mistakes happen more than people realize.”
Stay tuned for the best AFL news in the country. Subscribe to the Real Footy newsletter.
