Penthouse and Outhouse: Round 23

Finals ... Carlton players celebrate after the final siren. Source: Morne de Klerk / Getty Images

FOX FOOTY expert Julian de Stoop casts his eye over another action-packed round of the AFL season.

In The Penthouse

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Carlton
After their shock loss to Essendon last week the Blues were relegated to the 'Outhouse' and they were headed for back to back appearances when they trailed by 39 points against Port Adelaide in the third quarter.
But led by their often maligned skipper Marc Murphy Carlton staged an amazing fightback with 8 final term goals to seal an unlikely finals berth.
Credit must also go to another of the Blues other whipping boys Bryce Gibbs who along with Murphy was the best player on the ground.
The Blues may have snuck in the backdoor but given their dominance over Richmond in recent times and the fact they beat them just two weeks ago, they will fancy their chances of progressing to week two.

Final Round drama
While it was heartbreaking for those who love the red and black, Essendon's expulsion from the finals set up a thrilling final round and you couldn't have written a script for what unfolded at Simonds Stadium and AAMI Stadium.
If it wasn't for Steve McBurney's lightning whistle (see the 'Outhouse') Brisbane would have been temporarily in the final eight before eventually being knocked out by the Blues following their remarkable win in Adelaide.
The downside of Carlton's victory was it ruined what would have been a thrilling match between North Melbourne and Collingwood. A Blues loss would have opened the door for a Roos finals spot by defeating the Pies.
For the Roos it summed up their season. If 10 losses by 16 points or less wasn't bad enough, Matthew Broadbent's last minute poster at AAMI Stadium was the final nail in their coffin.
The Roos finished in 10th spot when really they could have been knocking on the door of the top 4.

Jarryd Roughead
'The Big Rough' is one of the most popular players in the game and everyone is delighted to see him win his first Coleman Medal.
68 goals isn't a big tally but given Roughead spends plenty of time in the ruck his achievement is significant.
But the man that has so often lived in the shadow of Buddy Franklin still has some unfinished business after a poor finals series by his standards last season.

Sydney Swans
The Swans may have lost to Hawthorn after leading by four goals in the third term but there was plenty to like about the reigning premiers performance.
Remember the Swans lost three of their last four matches last year heading into the finals to exactly the same teams they have lost to this year – Hawthorn, Geelong and Collingwood.
For their return bout against the Hawks they will still be missing Adam Goodes but Kurt Tippett, Dan Hannebery, Nick Smith and Lewis Jetta are all set to return.
It will be tough from 4th but don't write the Swans off just yet.

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Jack Ziebell
He's been in the 'Penthouse' before but with every game he plays Jack Ziebell reminds footy fans more and more of Luke Hodge and Joel Selwood.
Ziebell was best man on the ground with 27 disposals and 4 goals as the Roos pipped the Pies.
If you want an early smoky for next year's Brownlow Medal you could do worse than put a few bob on North Melbourne's number 7.

In The Outhouse

Final at Simonds Stadium
This is a joke.
Simonds Stadium is a much improved venue but with a capacity of just 33,000 (and that's questionable) it is not big enough to host a final.
Finals isn't about denying fans entry and when you have a 52,000 seat stadium not being used just an hour away it defies logic.
Geelong and Fremantle have played two finals at the MCG in recent years with crowds of 44,000 and 45,000. The AFL argue the MCG members make up about 10,000 of those figures but would the majority of those not be Geelong fans that won't be able to get in this week?
And who can blame Fremantle for a being a little peeved. Where did this idea for a final at Simonds Stadium come from? It hasn't been on the agenda up until Friday.
Baffling decision all round.

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Steve McBurney
Steve McBurney has been a great umpire over the years but as former Bulldog and Tiger Nathan Brown said on The Sunday Footy Show he froze at the most important time in Geelong's thrilling win over Brisbane.
If McBurney didn't blow his whistle so quickly Paul Chapman would have been pinged for holding the ball and Daniel Rich would have won the game for Brisbane.
Thankfully Carlton beat Port Adelaide otherwise this decision would have been talked about for years.

Port Adelaide v Carlton jumper clash.
How many times is the AFL going to stuff this up?
Watching Port Adelaide play in their prison bar strip against Carlton in their away strip was a nightmare.
It really isn't rocket science.

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Buddy Franklin
It wasn't malicious but Buddy has to ban the bump.
It's cost him weeks before and it's set to cost him a spot in Hawthorn's team for their qualifying final against Sydney.
At 6 foot 6 Franklin simply can't bump players that are shorter than him because more often than not contact will be to the head and Buddy will be banned by the match review panel.

Critics of Ross Lyon
It nearly back fired because of Brisbane's performance in Geelong but you can't be critical of Ross Lyon for resting a host of big names against the Saints.
And for those who suggested it was akin to tanking are kidding themselves. Unlike some other clubs in the past, Fremantle wasn't attempting to manipulate a result for their own gain. It's called player management and despite suggestions to the contrary, there is nothing the AFL can do to stop it happening again late in the season in the future.

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