Cornes: Why alarm bells should be ringing at Geelong

SEN Breakfast's Kane Cornes and David King have provided their first thoughts on each club who played in Round 3.

It is a snapshot reaction to what happened over the course of the weekend.

(The Essendon v Port Adelaide game was assessed by the boys last Friday).

Carlton

King: They are the 20/20 Blue Baggers. They play T20s, they don’t play the whole 120 minutes, they play to half-time. They are not involved in the one-dayers or Test matches, they like the 20/20 version - T10.

Western Bulldogs

Cornes: The Bulldogs showed plenty of resilience and fight when it mattered, and they've found a couple in Buku (Khamis) and (Sam) Davidson to go along with (Joel) Freijah. But with Aaron Naughton looking like he needs a spell in the twos and making Jack Silvagni look like prime Matthew Scarlett, as well as Tim English being anything but an All-Australian, I'm still not sure they are good enough to feature this September.

Melbourne

King: MySpace Melbourne. It’s time to turn the page. It’s an old model; it’s time to remodel and refurbish. Well done for winning a premiership, well done for the era that was, but it’s time to give the kids a chance.

Gold Coast

Cornes: Be afraid, they are good enough to win it all.

St Kilda

King: Slingshot beasts. I think Ross has mastered setting up from the back half. 10 score involvements and nine score involvements from their half-back flankers, that is an absolute delight. If it is to be all about ball movement this year, they will win their fair share of games.

Richmond

Cornes: When your season highlight comes in Round 1, it's going to be a long, long year. Back-to-back 10-goal losses to AFL lightweights Port Adelaide and St Kilda were bad enough. Imagine what happens when they face the real contenders.

Hawthorn

King: There is something about a group that, when the game has to be shifted, you have got different guys that can assume responsibility, and it was Will Day this week. He just went crazy for 10 minutes, put the team on his back and turned the whole thing around.

GWS Giants

Cornes: Rode the breeze early kicking the first five goals, but without the wind advantage, so did their fight. They managed just four goals for the rest of the game. The Giants are a good side, but Hawthorn bullied them at the contest and toyed with them up forward, exposing flaws that need addressing.

Brisbane

King: 23 points down late in the first quarter of week one, 31 points down late in the first quarter in week two, 32 points down late in the second quarter in week three, and it doesn’t matter. They are like Chautauqua, you know they are coming; you’re just not sure at what stage.

Geelong

Cornes: Whatever was said at half-time clearly didn't land, because Chris Scott's men came out looking half-asleep. The reigning premiers kept them scoreless in the third term while racking up 31 more disposals, 16 extra inside 50s, and 35 uncontested marks. Geelong's midfield is looking pedestrian, and their best players are having little impact - it's officially time for some alarm bells.

Adelaide

King: Three-tall maul. It’s working. You can have one good defender, you might have two, but no one has three.

North Melbourne

Cornes: It's hard to believe a four-time premiership coach could have such a nightmare in the box. Not scouting Taylor Walker's ruck work, (Ben) Keays versus (Charlie) Comben, giving (Izak) Rankine a free pass, (Aidan) Corr on (Riley) Thilthorpe, failing to get (Harry) Sheezel involved, and having no viable second ruck - it was a tactical disaster. North Melbourne is too good for this level of performance, and Clarko should be coaching for his career over the next six weeks.

West Coast

King: Who’s in charge? The co-captain (Oscar Allen) looked like he didn’t have any real interest or effort in the game. Their leadership needs to take control.

Fremantle

Cornes: Fremantle finally got on the board in emphatic fashion, dominating their crosstown rivals in a one-sided derby. Justin Longmuir has finally figured out what everyone else already knew — Luke Jackson is a ruckman. And as for Caleb Serong? An equal record four Glendinning-Allan Medals and counting - the Eagles are his bunny.