THEFOOTY.COM

AFL Preview Round 8

2013-05-17T06:19:00.004+10:00

The AFL bump has come under attack with varied responses from players, coaches and experts. 2 incidents on the weekend resulted in suspensions and reference was made to the Thomas bump a few weeks ago and how lucky he escaped suspension. Personally I thought they were a bit different. The game is a lot cleaner than 20 years ago, that’s for sure but we need to be careful that we don’t make it a game of touch footy! Some interesting games to tip this week and my 5 last week, after a 9 the week before, is an indication of both inconsistency in form and stupid tipping! J

Round 8

Friday

West Coast Eagles V North Melbourne at Paterson Stadium

If you tried to pick a winner using all the stats available to you the final result might be a draw and doesn’t North love draws? The Eagles have been very beatable at home this year and a slow start by both teams makes this a difficult match to tip a winner. West Coast seems to be getting personnel back from injury and North might have to chance a couple of injured players. NicNat and Majak. Home team.

West Coast by 19

Saturday

Essendon V Brisbane Lions at Etihad

It’s going to be too hard to make a case for a Lions’ win here so best not try. For Michael Voss wins are extremely important or it’s the AFL coach scrap heap for him it seems. Unfortunately the win his team is chasing won’t be happening in this game. The Bombers were very inaccurate against the Cats last week although even with straighter kicking they would not have won that game. Better chance this week.

Essendon by 28

Hawthorn V GWS Giants

A Giants’ win is paying $14. That’s generous but not in the ballpark. $100 might be more like it. Not a lot can be said for the winning chances of GWS in this game which last year they lost by 167 points. History sometimes repeats and the margin will again be in that range.

Hawthorn by 125

Gold Coast Suns V Western Bulldogs

The Suns have a wonderful chance here of winning two games in a row for the first time in their history. In doing that they will also have won more games this season than last year when they won 3. This is just round 8 and with 16 more rounds to go that is one record they should beat. The Bullies have been competitive but only for 2 or 3 quarters. Expect this game to be very close and hopefully the Suns don’t take the game too lightly. Their best effort will win them the game.

Gold Coast Suns by 7

Collingwood V Geelong

Buckley reckons Collingwood are a long way from the top teams this season. I couldn’t agree more and seeing they will be playing THE top team, undefeated Geelong, the Pies would need to play their A+ game to even come close. Not clearing from the centre, not getting back into defence quick enough, all these aspects of their game need fixing – by Saturday night. The smart money will be on the Cats to continue undefeated.

Geelong by 22

Sydney V Fremantle at the SCG

Another AFL knee injury has cost a player a full season the victim this time being Fremantle ruckman Griffin. The Dockers already have Sandilands still out with a sore foot. That will make it just a bit tougher to win at the SCG for Fremantle who are going along quite well. The Swans will be dirty on their efforts against the Hawks last week and it will be Freo that cops a retaliatory physical onslaught. Past games have been close but Sydney at home looks good enough to tip.

Sydney by 15

Sunday

Carlton V Port Adelaide

The Blues will welcome the return of Waite from suspension and Gibbs from injury. Conversely they lose Betts for 3 games, he was suspended for a high hit on a St Kilda player, breaking his jaw. It looked innocuous until you saw the slow motion replay. The big season start by the Power has been switched off with 2 consecutive losses and it could be 3 after this game. Both teams started poorly last week so that makes them even statistically at the start of the game. Hard to see the more experienced Blues drop this game at home.

Carlton by 31

Richmond V Melbourne

This game is just what the Tigers needed to help consolidate a top 8 position. Melbourne has huge problems and playing football is one of them. It’s a wonder they beat the Giants. There can be upsets in games, we have them nearly every week, but this would have to be a monumental upset to tip the Dees to win this game. Any game really.

Richmond by 55

Adelaide V St Kilda

The word is that the Crows are back with a vengeance after their huge win last week, but hey, the opposition was GWS who are getting hammered most weeks. The Saints victory was far more meritorious beating Carlton and they will have a lot of confidence going into this match. Will that confidence be enough to get them over the line? Probably not.

Adelaide by 27

AFL Review Round 7

2013-05-14T05:45:00.002+10:00

Author - www.footy.com.au

Geelong 17.11.113 defeated Essendon 11.19.85

This was quite a good game up to half time just before which the Cats had quickly replied with a few goals to take a small lead into the 3^rd quarter. Either Essendon had tired or they just weren’t good enough but a mixture of inaccurate kicking and either of the other two reasons was enough to result in a reasonably comfortable Geelong win. That keeps the Cats undefeated and primed to play Collingwood next week while the Bombers play the Brisbane Lions and have a chance to fix some damage from this loss.

Port Adelaide 10.13.73 lost to Richmond 18.6.114

An awfully slow start by Port Adelaide, the same as they had against North Melbourne the week before, put them in an almost impossible position to win the game. Even with a couple of Richmond injuries the Tigers just kept the pressure on the Power and won by almost 7 goals. That win halted the Richmond ladder slide after 3 consecutive losses and also handed Port Adelaide their 2^nd loss in a row. The Tiger’s have a great chance to consolidate with a game against the hapless Demons next week and the Power faces Carlton in another danger game for them.

Brisbane 12.10.82 lost to West Coast 17.6.108

The games between these 2 teams when played at the Gabba always seem close and this was no exception where the result was really anybody’s game until half way through the final quarter. West Coast kicked the last 4 goals of the game and when you look at the margin before that it was a mere 2 points. The Eagles need to keep grinding out wins and the Lions just need to keep blaming the coach. Coaching is a numbers game they say and many are saying that Voss’s number is up. West Coast are at home to North in what will be a tough one for them.

Western Bulldogs 15.7.97 lost to North Melbourne 22.19.151

After just a 3 goal lead at the start of the last quarter the Kangaroos piled on 9 goals in that final stanza to win easily. There were 13 goals kicked in that 4^th quarter so the coaches might be looking at just what the backlines were doing as it rained 6 pointers. One also wonders why a team can fall away to such an extent after being so competitive for most of the game as were the Bullies. Will they be able to win their second game against the Gold Coast next week? Possibly. North take the road trip west to play the Eagles.

Hawthorn 18.11.119 defeated Sydney 12.10.82

The Hawks are definitely sending a message to the other teams after their resounding victory over the reigning premiers. Hawthorn really had this game wrapped up by half time when they led 11 goals to 4 and played very well to keep the Swans out of the contest. Hodge was Best on Ground and 3 Hawthorn players contributed 11 of their goals. The Swans won the last quarter but the game was over by then. They have a chance to redeem the loss when they play Fremantle but they will have to fight hard to beat a confident looking Dockers team. Hawthorn should kick the sweep next week when they play the Giants.

Fremantle 15.10.100 defeated Collingwood 10.13.73

A Freo blitzkrieg in the first half had the Magpies reeling and made it impossible to win even though they actually made up the huge deficit and led by a point after kicking the first goal of the final quarter. It probably took a lot out of the Collingwood players to come back as Fremantle steadied and then kicked the last 5 goals of the game and win what was, according to the odds, a bit of an upset. Well I was upset that’s for sure. A suspension to Shaw won’t help their cause against Geelong next week and Fremmantle, who lost another ruckman to a knee injury, will have to do it all again against the Sydney Swans.

GWS Giants 7.10.52 lost to Adelaide 29.13.187

Early in the 2^nd quarter the Giants got to within 12 points of the Crows but from that point in the game it was all one way traffic. A disappointing effort by the Giants and Adelaide player Lynch kicked 10 goals, more than the whole Giants team actually. A bad loss for GWS and a huge percentage booster for the Crows. If the Giants thought that game was a bad beat they have to play a raging Hawthorn next week while Adelaide is at home to St Kilda.

Melbourne 7.12.54 lost to Gold Coast Suns 16.18.114

Just when the Demons thought they had been to hell and back it got darker when they went down by 10 goals to newcomers Gold Coast who also won their first game at the MCG. Hard to work out just what the problem is at Melbourne but maybe it’s time that the AFL cut them from the competition. Just kidding, you can’t kill a team called Melbourne, home of football can you? Neeld’s coaching position is in serious jeopardy but is that where the problem lies? On top of all the woes one of their best players Silvia has copped a 3 week suspension for a high hit. Let’s not take anything away from the Suns in what was a pretty good win anyway. The AFL is faced with the problem of propping up Melbourne continually or somehow the Demons have to work out a way to change their course but they have been given every chance to date.

Monday

St Kilda 11.11.77 defeated Carlton 9.14.68

Carlton did not deserve to win the game but they almost stole it after being almost 6 goals behind at the start of the last quarter. A great effort by St Kilda who gang tackled and kept pushing the ball forward. The Blues found it difficult to kick goals and the young Saints side fumbled and made a lot of errors when under pressure. The loss kept Carlton out of the top 8 and the win should give the Saints a bit more confidence. And they will need that confidence travelling to Adelaide to play the Crows who have just come off a training run against the GWS Giants. Carlton plays Port Adelaide.

AFL Preview Round 7

2013-05-10T06:23:00.003+10:00

Author www.footy.com.au: One week I am lamenting my poor tipping skills and the following week every tip is correct. Mind you it wasn’t a hard round of games from which to pick winners so it can be assumed that many tipsters scored well. In contrast to Round 6 we find this week’s fixture has 8 of the top 9 teams playing each other. Not only does that make picking winners a little harder but it means that winning teams outside the 8 get a chance to gain a game on the leaders. However, it also means that the teams outside the 8 play each other and with some being on a sort of level footing standard-wise then picking winners from those matches will also be tough. If you get an 8 or 9 this week you can beat your chest and stand proud!

Friday

Geelong V Essendon at Etihad

The opening match for this round will see the two undefeated sides play each other and we can expect a top quality game. Certainly the Cats and the Bombers are two of the form teams of the competition and maintaining that unbeaten record is something for which to aim. Essendon may have had a scare last week against the Giants but Geelong has been winning games coming from behind as well. I think the Cats can apply the greater pressure. The Essendon club is still under siege with this drug issue but it seems to have had no bearing on the mental attitude of the players.

Geelong by 19

Saturday

Port Adelaide V Richmond at AAMI Stadium

The Power lowered their colours for the first time last week against North but didn’t lose by a lot after giving the Kangaroos a jump start. The Tigers wilted badly against Geelong in the second half and the Richmond players need to stop allowing silly turnovers which are hurting them on the scoreboard. A revitalized Port Adelaide looks hard to beat at home. The Tigers have actually beaten Port at home 3 times in the last couple of seasons but the Power has been a basket case for a couple of years.

Port Adelaide by 20

Brisbane V West Coast at the Gabba

The Lions have not been playing well but then again, neither have the Eagles although getting some quality players back has certainly done their chances no harm. Can they travel all the way to QLD and stay on the winning track after a big win against the Bulldogs? The class they showed last season can’t have just disappeared so the tip is that they can win two in a row at the expense of Brisbane. Discussion about coaches will follow the result of this game. Voss looks to be in trouble and the jury is out on Whoosha.

West Coast Eagles by 21

Western Bulldogs V North Melbourne at Etihad

The Kangaroos certainly look the better team so far this season and the Bulldogs just have to keep rebuilding. Problems with the Cooney contract is a distraction but there are other issues there that will make it difficult for them to beat North, such as not enough good players. To equal last year’s effort North has to win these games against supposedly weaker opposition. The odds certainly favour them for a win and they welcome back Brent Harvey after a lengthy suspension from last year.

North Melbourne by 33

Hawthorn V Sydney at the MCG

This is the second big game of the round and a replay of last year’s Grand Final. There really was little separating the two teams then and they are again on pretty equal footing so far this season. Playing at the MCG holds no fears for the Swans and they might even start as slight underdogs in the betting. The Hawks have played a couple of real tough games in a row and maybe that’s the difference when it gets tight in the packs. Does Sydney have the wood on the Hawks? The only time they have beaten Hawthorn of late is in the Grand Final.

Sydney by 11

Fremantle V Collingwood at Paterson Stadium

Sixth placed Freo take on the Pies at home and there is a distinct possibility that the loser might drop out of the top 8 if the Tigers can beat Port. Collingwood has regained a few players from injury while the Dockers have lost a few. Maybe that’s enough to make the difference and give the Magpies the edge. Fremantle played well last week as did Collingwood but they played teams that will not make the finals this year. It’s a big test for Fremantle and maybe a bit too hard with that injury and suspension list.

Collingwood by 22

Sunday

GWS Giants V Adelaide at Skoda

Sheeds stated that a nil win balance at the end of the season sits well with him. Well Adelaide will supply his team’s 7^th successive loss and help to keep his happy feelings going! Such a lot of talent in that Giants team and Kev might be right, when the time comes they will be unbeatable. But at this stage and for this tip I am confident that the Crows will prevail even without Tex Walker for the rest of the season. With odds of $12 to win seems like punters agree with the tip. If Skoda is the home ground of the Giants why is this just their first home game?

Adelaide by 35

Melbourne V Gold Coast Suns at the MCG

A lot of tipsters will think this might be a gimme for the Suns but Melbourne played well enough against the other new team to finish well on top and were even able to kick 12 goals in a quarter to achieve the result. I think the Suns will be really disappointed with their effort against Fremantle last week and this match gives them a good opportunity to register another important win for the club. They sit 13^th on the ladder and 4 more points will give them a buffer against the real cellar dwellers.

Gold Coast Suns by 18

Monday – Mother’s Day

St Kilda V Carlton at Etihad

The shaky start by the Blues is just a memory as they notched up 3 wins in a row and more than likely a 4^th they should have against the Saints. St Kilda try hard and they still have a few very good players but they are just not up to beating sides above them yet. Carlton welcomed back Waite last week and this week he gets suspended. It must be difficult for coaches to change game plans when key players get injured or suspended. The same problem existed with Milne for St Kilda. It’s not a public holiday and it was Mother’s Day on the Sunday. This must just be Monday football experimentation by the AFL.

Carlton by 39

AFL Review Round 6

2013-05-06T06:00:00.003+10:00

Collingwood 15.13.103 defeated St Kilda 11.11.77

It took the Magpies half a game to shake off a determined Saints side and there’s nothing like a generous interpretation of rules to give a side a couple of easy goals which helped Collingwood maintain a reasonable lead. The loss of Lenny Hayes before the game didn’t help St Kilda’s chances either. The Collingwood back line did much better as did their centres and running players. The Saints will win a few more games this season but it’s going to be a tough year for them. They might have a better chance against Carlton next week and the Magpies fly to Perth to play Fremantle.

Essendon 17.18.120 defeated GWS Giants 12.9.81

The Bombers were jumped in the first half and we were looking at the upset of the season at one stage. Whether the Giants ran out of legs or whether the Essendon players woke up is hard to determine but they sure poured on the pace and the score kicking almost 100 points in that half. GWS will be disappointed with the margin because it doesn’t show just how much they dominated that first half. They play Adelaide so they better not expect any mercy there either. The Bombers will need to sharpen up because it’s the top of the table clash with Geelong next week.

North Melbourne 14.9.93 defeated Port Adelaide 12.11.83

The Kangaroos finally won a game in which they held a substantial lead but there would have been some nervous supporters and coaching staff sensing some déjà vu as the Power got to within the final margin of 10 points with a couple of minutes left to play. That’s the first loss for Port Adelaide which is not real bad for the season so far considering their form last year. North can get a bit back on track and see how they can consolidate over the next few weeks. Another win is very much on the cards as they play the Western Bulldogs. Port is at home to Richmond – an interesting game.

Hawthorn 13.11.89 defeated Adelaide 11.12.78

The game was pretty tight for 4 quarters but a short burst by the Hawks in the last quarter which netted them 4 goals and gave them a break of 25 points was too much a gap for the Crows to overcome before they ran out of time. Adelaide looked a lot better than their ladder position indicates but it seems they need to be challenged before they produce a better brand of football. Hawthorn just keeps winning after the first round loss and their form looks pretty good. We’ll see how good when they come up against Sydney in the GF replay. A game like that should be great to watch. Adelaide might consider next week’s game a gimme against the Giants.

Geelong 20.11.131 defeated Richmond 13. 9.87

The Tigers would have been very happy going into the half time break just a handful of points down in what was a spirited first half. The end result and margin would have been disappointing for Richmond supporters but reality sucks and the difference between the two sides looks to be about 40 points. Tiger turnovers and Cats’ sure handling was a significant difference. Geelong remains undefeated while Richmond suffered their 3^rd consecutive loss. Either Essendon or Geelong will remain undefeated after they meet next week and Richmond is looking down the barrel at AAMI against Port next week.

Fremantle 15.9.99 defeated the Gold Coast Suns 7.12.54

In what was thought to be a chance for a possible upset the Dockers really cruised to a comfortable win against the Gold Coast. They led from start to finish and rarely did the Suns look like they could pinch the game. Fremantle should take some confidence from that win which was away from home and without 4 of their best players. Ablett was sort of held but still finished with 28 possessions and a goal. The Suns have a chance to redeem themselves next week when they play the Demons and Freo might find that the players they are missing will mean a lot more next week when they host the Pies at home.

Sydney 17.13.115 defeated Brisbane 8.7.55

The form of the Brisbane Lions up to this game was a precursor to the fact that they were going to get beaten and so it came to be. Sydney played as well as they had to and won reasonably easily as they set up a 6 goal break in the first quarter, maintained it and increased it a little before the game was over. The Lions will have fond memories of the season which finished for them after winning the NAB cup. Sydney will be there again at the end of the year and they have a nice challenge next week to see if they can beat Hawthorn again. The Lions meet a resurgent Eagles at the Gabba.

Carlton 18.13.121 defeated Melbourne 8.12.60

The Blues kicked 5 goals to zip in the 1^st quarter and that was basically game over. The return of Waite for Carlton was a big plus and gave them a focal point at centre half forward. The Garlett and Betts show continued with the two live wire forwards kicking 8 goals, same as Melbourne! Grimes for the Demons suffered a bad injury and with a few of their better players out the task of winning games for Melbourne is becoming highly improbable. Carlton has consolidated with their 3^rd consecutive win with a good chance of a 4^th when they play St Kilda next week. Melbourne looks in danger playing the Gold Coast in round 7.

West Coast 21.11.137 defeated Western Bulldogs 10.7.67

Nothing better describes this than an old fashioned thrashing. The 70 point winning margin was the biggest of the round and the highest score kicked as well, all this from a team that has really been playing poor football. And where did the sudden goal front accuracy come from? It’s a funny game football. So true. Back to the drawing board for the Doggies and maybe West Coast, with the return of Natanui and Wellingam, might be able to go on from here. They have another win chance at the Gabba next match against the Lions there. The Western Bulldogs play North Melbourne.

AFL Preview Round 6

2013-05-03T06:04:00.002+10:00

Sometimes no news is good news. The Essendon drug supplement story peters out then the newspapers make up some dodgy, juicy headlines and it’s game on again. Other than that…well I have found tipping to be hard this season because I am reading things into games that don’t really seem to be there. Wanting to pick the upsets is not smart tipping when the result is going to be obvious. There will be upsets but I was expecting a few more at the start of the season. Last week the score was 7, best effort so far. We will improve. In the meantime stay away from my picks unless they are obvious. Good luck.

Friday

Collingwood V St Kilda at the MCG

Collingwood supporters have had a bit of a reality check after a promising start the team made but the two losses have weakened its prospects on making the big one at year’s end. St Kilda has fared even worse with just one win over the lowly Giants, a feat most teams will accomplish. The Saints are rebuilding but the Pies have rebuilt. Expect the game to be a lot closer than the odds suggest. Collingwood welcome back Jolly and Krakouer into the team alongside 2 new boys. Nice to see Milne back for this one as well and giving the Magpie supporters someone to hate.

Collingwood by 22

Saturday

Essendon V GWS Giants at Etihad

The top team, with 5 wins and no losses, plays the bottom team with no wins and 5 losses. You don’t have to be Einstein to figure out the best tip for this game. Punters just need to work out the margin. The Bombers beat the Giants last season by 11 goals and you can expect a similar result in this match. The Giants have included an Irishman so maybe they will have the luck of the Oirish.

Essendon by 55

North Melbourne V Port Adelaide at Blundstone Tassie

Everyone agrees that the Power is a changed side from last season and whatever drug supplement these Port players are on they need to share with the Demons at a later stage. North will be looking at posting their second win after losing another close one last week to the Hawks and inflicting the first defeat on Port Adelaide. I think it can happen but I hope it’s not a close one as the Kangaroos like to lose them. If you’re looking for a sign to tip the winner then here it is: Port coach Hinkley has been hospitalized with a virus…even he doesn’t want to watch his team lose their first game.

North Melbourne by 16

Adelaide v Hawthorn at AAMI

Even with the match being played at AAMI where Adelaide likes to win it’s hard to see them beating an in form Hawthorn. Added to the Crows woes is the fact that Tex Walker has a knee injury so without their spearhead the chances of winning are lessened. This Adelaide team is not quite the same that almost made the Grand Final last year but Hawthorn is as good if not better than last season. Even when Buddy doesn’t kick a goal they can win games because of those alternative avenues for scoring. Rioli will be sadly missed.

Hawthorn by 18

Richmond V Geelong at the MCG

That great Tiger start to the season has taken a bit of a beating as has the team over the past 2 games and now Richmond get to face one of the 3 unbeaten teams in the competition. It will have to be a day on which everything goes right for the Tigers to take this one out but Geelong seems to have the answers against all comers so far this season. Nothing worthwhile in life is achieved without passion – ask jack and Stevie. 2 passionate guys playing football.

Geelong by 11

Gold Coast Suns V Fremantle at Metricon

Gold Coast will be full of confidence after their 2^nd win of the season last week and with this epic journey across the continent for Fremantle the Suns are a chance for an upset. The Dockers have lost Fyffe for the next two games which is a bigger blow than they are likely to admit, are still without Pavlich and Sandilands but you would think they should still be good enough to account for the young Suns. Expect a real tight game here.

Fremantle by 3

Sunday

Sydney Swans V Brisbane Lions at the SCG

The Lions kicked a big score downing the Demons last week but that has been one of just a few high points in a season that began with promise but is becoming a struggle. The Swans look as strong as they were last year and the game is on their home paddock. Hard to go against them in this one. Voss I talking the talk but can the Lions walk the walk. Black is still out injured and they sure miss Rich in the centre as well. Teams just cannot afford to be without good players when they play the best teams.

Sydney by 42

Carlton V Melbourne at the MCG

A poor start to the season by the Blues with 3 losses but followed by 2 good wins against quality opposition sees them go into this game as favourites. It’s Melbourne they’re playing so don’t expect any hellish miracles from the Demons and don’t expect them to win. In addition to the fact that they are not a real gun team they also lose their bets player Watts to an injury. Not a happy story at Melbourne.

Carlton by 57

West Coast Eagles V Western Bulldogs at Patersons

The Eagles are starting to look like the team of 2010 in which they won the wooden spoon. That won’t quite happen this season but for a team that was a reasonable bet to play in the grand final in 2013 that dream is slipping away. West Coast should beat the Bullies but this is no lay down misere for them and they will have to lift themselves out of the deep hole they are digging with a win. The Bulldogs showed some terrier against the Cats last week so they won’t be going down without a fight. On the good news front for the Eagles is the return of Natanui and if a couple of other injured players come back the team might be able to back up Whoosha’s good news stance and get some momentum.

West Coast Eagles by 28

AFL Review Round 5

2013-04-28T20:50:00.003+10:00

2013 SEASON

Author - www.footy.com.au

With May Day holidays and a weekend off it was a great opportunity to watch every game on AFL streaming. Usually the opportunity to do this is restricted to a half or 3 quarters of a few games and all of a game that is played in the late afternoon. 3 close games provided some much needed entertainment. The Essendon win and the Port Adelaide tip were the contentious games to pick from this round. But those that picked those two would have finished with 9 from 9.

Essendon 18.13.121 defeated Collingwood 10.15.75

A record crowd of 93,000 plus watched a high quality game that saw the Bombers remain undefeated and Collingwood get beaten easily in the last 15 minutes. With just over 8 minutes to play the Pies were closing and had got to within 2 goals. 3 free kicks to Essendon in front of goal, which I thought were very poor decisions, helped seal the game as the Magpie impetus was halted. The umpiring didn’t cost Collingwood the game but certainly the margin might have been less. Essendon look like the real deal this year. With their next game against the Giants they will be 6 wins from 6 games and the Pies need to get their act together to beat St Kilda next week. The attitude of some players in the last 6 minutes would have had Mick throwing a hissy fit in the box if he was still coaching.

Sydney 11.13.79 defeated St Kilda 9.9.63

Well if it’s not windy in Wellington then it’s raining and the weather turned this into a hard slog for both teams. A crowd of about 24,000 is a fine result for the AFL and will probably see them pursue the introduction of AFL to Kiwis. From a game point of view it seemed Sydney had the measure of the Saints most of the night although St Kilda did get to within 10 points in that last quarter but just fell short. The Swans consolidated with 4 wins and the Saints’ season is looking a little bleak with 4 losses and it doesn’t get easier when they play the Magpies next week. Sydney is at home to the Brisbane Lions.

Fremantle 12.9.81 defeated Richmond 12.8.80

What a game this was and it will also result in the downgrading of the goal umpire who allowed the ball to hit his legs when it was going to be a certain goal. Not sure if that’s in the rule that if the ball hits an umpire’s legs then it’s still in play. Then again, why wasn’t there a review? So the Tigers were a bit stiff and conversely Fremantle won a close one unlike last week when they let one slip against Essendon. Both teams look about the same level so it will be interesting to see which side finishes the better this year. Fremantle have the big trip to the Gold Coast - surf, sand and Suns. Richmond might be looking at 2 losses in a row unless they get Geelong on an off day.

Gold Coast Suns 21.22.148 defeated the GWS Giants 16.8.104

This was an entertaining game with some wonderful skills on display. As some of the power teams fade a little over the next two seasons you would be wise to keep your eye on these two sides as the players gain some experience and footy toughness. An all time high score by the Suns who were challenged by the Giants on a couple of occasions getting as close as 7 points in the 3^rd quarter. Did anybody see that Ablett handpass to set up the Suns’ last goal? Worth 1 Brownlow vote on its own! Gold Coast probably give themselves a chance against Fremantle at home and the Giants face a rampant Essendon and need to hold their composure so they don’t lose by over 100 points.

Carlton 17.13.115 defeated Adelaide 12.11.83

The Blues probably had this one sewn up at quarter time when they led 39 to 11. That was just about the winning margin. A couple of issues I had with some aspects of the game. When Adelaide was on a roll and kicked 6 of the last 8 goals to be 19 points down in the final quarter the missed free or mark to Scott Thompson of the Crows was crucial. Then in the stoppage the umpire picked out a holding the ball free against Adelaide which was utterly wrong and then there was a 50 metre penalty for dissent? Yarran magic resulted in a Carlton goal. Betts and Yarran in the last quarter for Carlton were just unbelievable. The Yarran mark as he fell over and then kicked the last goal of the day was something else! The Blues should string together 3 wins when they meet Melbourne while Adelaide has another tough match against the Hawks.

Geelong 15.17.107 defeated Western Bulldogs 13.8.86

A bigger winning margin was expected here so in that respect the Bulldogs did pretty well. Seems it was another game where an early lead is established and the team chasing that score doesn’t quite get there. Western Bulldogs held Geelong goal less in the last quarter but the Cats still won and remain undefeated so far. They will have to play a little better than that to beat the Tigers next week and the Western Bulldogs cross the Nullarbor to play West Coast.

Port Adelaide 12.12.84 defeated West Coast 10.19.79

West Coast rubbish! How did they lose that game with a 40 point lead against a team that has certainly improved but…….? Then I see Whoosha’s comments: “We can still win the premiership from outside the top 4.” But John, can you win it from outside the 8? Actually the Eagles should have had this game wrapped up by half time but some of those set shots on goal were nothing but poor football. If they were 13.7 instead of 7.13 to 2.5 it was game over. What about Port? Undefeated after 5 rounds, they have beaten two finalists from last year and seem to have the fire in their heart. They keep this up they will make the finals! Next stop for them is North Melbourne – not easy. The Eagles have a chance to get a win against the Bulldogs next week at home but they need to improve.

Brisbane 17.20.122 defeated Melbourne 14.10.94

It would have been a brave tip if you picked Melbourne to win this game and so it proved. The Lions seemed to have the match in their keeping all day and the Demons tried valiantly and at least weren’t blown away as has been the case in other games. It was a game of footy, that’s about all and the real excitement was in the last 15 seconds when there was a minor scuffle in the goal square resulting in a gimme goal for Melbourne. Hard to see the Lions win next week against the reigning premiers and Melbourne will provide Carlton with their 3^rd win when they meet at the MCG.

Hawthorn 14.15.99 defeated North Melbourne 13.18.96

Another great game of football and another close loss for North. There was nothing in this game with neither team able to push an advantage and take a reasonable lead. The last frenetic 5 minutes was all about desperation and just getting that ball moving forward. Rioli was magnificent for the Hawks until a hamstring strain and Thomas kicked 5.1 with 6 possessions. Buddy’s behind play stuff is pure nonsense and costly at times. Why do brilliant players like this have a stupid streak? Must make the coach tear his hair out. The Hawks travel to AAMI next week and the game against the Crows will be as tough as the one they played today. North plays the other team from South Australia and will be hopeful they can inflict the first loss on the Power.

AFL Preview Round 5

2013-04-24T06:08:00.001+10:00

author - www.footy.com.au
Not a lot to report in the way of AFL news. Thommo for the Crows was suspended so he won’t figure in the Brownlow is what they are saying. A bit cheeky really – it’s just the 5^th game of the season. Having to get the previews and tips out so early due to Anzac day could be a good thing because the less information the better. Tips have not been really good so far and that may be due to info overload. Good luck is needed each week to snag the close ones and common sense will get you the rest. Rumour has it anyway…………..

Essendon V Collingwood Anzac Day at the MCG

Bomber form at the moment is nothing short of red hot and in an emotion charged game like this you can expect the unexpected. Collingwood has beaten Essendon of late but the Anzac Day game is really special and you can expect this to be a tight finish…or not if the unexpected happens. Both teams have had just the 5 day break so there can be no excuses. Will we see another undefeated team take a loss?

Collingwood by 15

St Kilda V Sydney in Wellington New Zealand Anzac Day

It’s probably not that strange to have an AFL game in New Zealand on Anzac Day when you consider what the term ‘ANZAC’ stands for, right? I wonder whether NZ celebrates that day like we do in Australia. The distance the two teams have to travel should also not be a consideration because the trip to Perth is twice as long. It will be interesting to see how many people turn up to watch the game in a country that is rugby mad and what sort of playing field they have there to cater for Aussie Rules. The game? Hard to go past the premiers for this one.

Sydney by 29

Fremantle V Richmond at Paterson Friday night

The Tigers lost their 1^st game last week against Collingwood and there’s a reasonable chance to think they might lose two in a row with this match in Perth. The Dockers have won the last 3 against Richmond and with the game being in Perth there’s a good chance they will make it 4 in a row. There is a memorable Anzac day ceremony done for this fixture each year.

Fremantle by 21

GWS Giants V Gold Coast at Manuka Canberra

The Giants will be playing 3 of their matches in Canberra, this being the first. While neither team looks like beating any of the finalists from last year they are improving and certainly they are well matched here to provide a close game for the crowd. Just wondering who will get the most support considering the game is in the ACT and neither team would have a great deal of followers there? The odds favour the Suns to win their 2^nd game this season and I agree.

Gold Coast by 22

Carlton V Adelaide at the MCG Saturday.

If the Crows were anywhere near as good as last year they would be hard to go past in this game against the Blues but they are struggling a little with early season form although they spanked the Bulldogs last week. Carlton won in Perth last week and that might provide just the impetus they need to win their second.

Carlton by 24

Western Bulldogs V Geelong at Etihad Saturday

The Cats are showing premiership hunger early in the season and remain as one of the undefeated teams. There’s not a hope in hell of the Bulldogs winning this game. Bad news for Geelong with young Menzel suffering his 4^th knee injury. There would be genuine doubt that he can make a 4^th comeback.

Geelong by 59

Port Adelaide V West Coast Eagles at AAMI Saturday

The Eagles are really struggling and in this current form they are in great danger of losing this game to a so far undefeated Port Adelaide who is showing some amazing form reversal from last year. Expect this to be a tight game and while the tip is for West Coast don’t be surprised if the Power can overcome the odds to beat another finalist from last year.

West Coast by 20

Brisbane V Melbourne at the Gabba Sunday

The Demons managed 26 goals in the 1^st 3 rounds this season then last week kicked 22 goals in just one match! Funny game football. Even though they won last week they are still quoted at generous odds of $5 to beat the Lions who are not setting the world on fire either and both teams have won just 1 game apiece. Did they get enough of a confidence boost to give Brisbane a tickle because the Lions got thumped last week? If they fall back into early round form they will cop a hiding but the mental aspect of the game can really make tipping hard. Shame for Melbourne the game is at the Gabba.

Brisbane by 19

Hawthorn V North Melbourne at the MCG Sunday

The Kangaroos have been a little unlucky this year and apart from the game against Sydney they could easily have been 3 – 1 going into this match. But Hawthorn has been irresistible in every game so far losing just the first match to Geelong. But everybody has lost to Geelong! You would think that Hawthorn’s current form may be a just a bit too good for North although I suspect the game will be a lot closer than the odds suggest.

Hawthorn by 17

AFL Review Round 4

2013-04-22T06:05:00.000+10:00

Author www.footy.com.au

It’s hardly worth mentioning the pathetic tips for this week with a score of 5 and if this continues maybe the preview will not give you a winner in the future but just a hint of a possibility. Aaggghhh!!

Geelong 19.10.124 defeated Sydney 16.7.103

What a privilege it was to watch the 1^st quarter of this game in which 15 goals were kicked! The speed of handpasses, interceptions, the kicking accuracy and the commitment was something to see. The scoring certainly slowed down over the next 3 quarters, as you would expect, but that 1^st quarter was something you don’t see very often. High scoring was not due to poor defence it was simply that the ball was coming into the forward 50 so quickly the backs hardly had time to catch their breath. The game reminded me of the Carlton V Richmond Grand final (1972 I think) in which 50 goals were kicked and it really rained goals. I suspect both these teams might find it easier next week with Sydney playing St Kilda and Geelong meets the Western Bulldogs. I might add that the Sydney V St Kilda game will be played in Wellington, New Zealand!

Hawthorn 18.10.118 defeated Fremantle 11.10.76

The Dockers never recovered from that 5 goal deficit they allowed in the 1^st quarter but also conceded a couple of easy goals in the last to give the Hawks a 7 goal win. Missing players like Pavlich and McFarlane might have been too difficult to cover for Fremantle but to be brutally honest they were not in the same class as Hawthorn. Freo will have to play well to beat Richmond in Perth next week and Hawthorn might find it tough against North Melbourne.

Collingwood 16.17.113 defeated Richmond 11.13.79

It took the Magpies a half of football to shake off the determined Tigers but in the 3^rd quarter they seemed to get it all together and kicked 8 goals to 2, certainly enough to take the sting out of the game in the last quarter and allow Collingwood to maintain the margin. 50 metre penalties given by Richmond didn’t help their cause either. Only a 5 day rest for the Pies who meet Essendon in the traditional Anzac Day game at the MCG in what should be another cracker. There were 82,000 at the MCG for this game and you can expect an 80,000 plus crowd again for a Collingwood game. The Tigers travel to Perth to play the Dockers.

Essendon 19.14.128 defeated St Kilda 13.13.91

For some reason it was thought the Saints might have a chance in this match but a big 3^rd quarter by the Bombers, who already led by a reasonable margin at half time, made the game very one sided and gave Essendon an unbeatable lead at the last break. The trip west, the drug issue and the suspension of 2 players seemed to make no difference and the Bombers hold top position heading into Anzac Day. St Kilda will not make the finals. They have a long trip to New Zealand to play Sydney. Do teams who travel to a new place like this get to do some sightseeing as well?

Carlton 12.17.89 defeated West Coast 7.23.65

The Blues, or should that be the ‘whites’?, finally broke the ice and won a game of football by beating West Coast in Perth, which last season was almost impossible to do but this year has been done every time they’ve played there. You can’t win a game by kicking 7.23 either, unless the opposition kicks 5.27 I suppose. It was amazing watching Yarran race down the flanks on 3 occasions, leaving opposition in his wake and slotting through a goal each time. Carlton will wear their traditional Guernsey next week when they play Adelaide (why did they have to wear white against the Eagles?) and a surprisingly poor form West Coast take on the undefeated Port Adelaide at AAMI.

Port Adelaide 16.8.104 defeated Gold Coast 9.12.66

If ever a tipster would think that a competitive Suns team had a chance to win another game it was this match up against the Power. At the end of the first quarter you would be forgiven to still be thinking that. Then Port kicked 9 goals to 1 in the 2^nd quarter and it was an impossible task for the Gold Coast to come back from that. The Power is still undefeated after 4 rounds! Gold Coast plays the Giants next week in a game they would be expected to win and Port takes on the Eagles at home.

Melbourne 22.12.144 defeated GWS Giants 15.13.103

Last week we had top teams like Sydney and West Coast kicking 11 goals in a quarter of football and this week even lowly Melbourne was able to kick 12 goals in a quarter which, incidentally was a record for them! The Demons faced a 19 point deficit going into the last quarter and ended up winning by 7 goals but not before the spectre of an ignominious defeat stalked them for 3 quarters. Is that winning form good enough to beat the Lions at the Gabba next week or was that a flash in the pan for the Dees?

Adelaide 12.8.80 defeated Western Bulldogs 4.4.28

While the Demons were kicking record scores for a quarter the Bulldogs were setting their own not so glorious record of their lowest score ever or something close to it. The Bullies opening win may have been an aberration after all and they have a lot of work to do to get back into being a finals contention team. Adelaide sits at 2-2 and considering the weather during the first half it was a pretty convincing win nonetheless. No game will be an easy one for the Western Bulldogs who can take a crack at knocking off unbeaten Geelong next round while Adelaide meets Carlton in what should be an interesting match.

North Melbourne 18.17.125 defeated Brisbane 9.8.62

It was going to be a long, hard day in the office for the Lions when during the first quarter the Kangaroos had kicked 4.7 to zip and in a game that they dominated all day North registered their first win of the season by over 10 goals. The Lions have a few problems none of which seemed to be highlighted when they won the NAB Cup. North’s winning form might be short lived seeing they play Hawthorn next week and Brisbane hosts the Demons who eventually easily beat the Giants in their first win.

AFL Preview Round 4

2013-04-19T06:11:00.002+10:00

Author-www.footy.com.au

Meanwhile back at AFL: Is it just me or has anybody else noticed an inordinate amount of players with full beards? It’s like a Movember that has become a Decembeard! I think it looks kind of funny on players today but maybe it’s a fashion shift I haven’t picked up seeing I am living in China. Feel free to enlighten me on that. So last week 6 correct from 9 which was acceptable with a couple of picks that could have gone either way – Fremantle V Essendon and Brisbane V Gold Coast. It was surprising to see the Power knock off Adelaide. Tipping AFL is definitely a sickness because you find that you are supporting sides you really don’t want to win just because you have tipped them. Tipping the side you most want to win is a hazard particularly if you support Melbourne, with no reward other than a pure heart and peace of mind. Might be worth a try!

Sydney V Geelong at the SCG Friday Night

Two of the 5 undefeated teams face each other Friday night in what we can expect to be a great game of footy. The Swans are in good form shown by an 11 goal quarter against North Melbourne last week. The Cats keep coming from behind to win games but it wouldn’t be a good idea to give Sydney too big a start. Has Geelong what it takes for another crack at a premiership? Is Sydney good enough for back to back flags? It will be interesting to see which team has the dominant midfield in this match.

Sydney by 11

Hawthorn V Fremantle at Aurora Tassie Saturday

Although the Hawks lost that first game against the Cats their form has been awesome with 2 big wins against finalists from last year. They face another finalist in Fremantle but tipping against Hawthorn in this match is not really an option. The Dockers threw away a win last week against the Bombers and as mad as that might make them and determined to make amends it won’t be happening in this game. Fremantle can boast a stingy defence but Hawthorn seems to have so many options when they head for goal. Here’s hoping the Dockers can give a good account of themselves.

Hawthorn by 38

Richmond V Collingwood at the MCG Saturday

In past matches between these two it hasn’t been possible to pick the Tigers because they just have not been good enough to match the Pies. With a promising 3 wins from 3 games so far this season their chances seem a lot better. Collingwood will be trying to make up for its poor second half against the Hawks last week and might still have a bit more class than Richmond. Expect a big crowd and a good game. The Pies have a lot of injury concerns so early in the season and will miss big man Jolley again this week. Lynch was useful in the game against Carlton but he is not a permanent answer to the ruck position. If Richmond win this they will be well placed to make the finals this year.

Collingwood by 27

St Kilda V Essendon at Etihad Saturday

The Bombers have lost 2 players due to suspension and the Saints hope that is just enough to give them an edge in this game and inflict Essendon’s first loss for the season. The Bombers got out of jail last week with a come from behind win against Freo and again, you can expect a close game between the two teams. The Goddard move from St Kilda to Essendon will no doubt get a bit of press mileage. You can get generous odds for a Saints win – not justified.

St Kilda by 5

Gold Coast Suns V Port Adelaide at Metricon Saturday

Who would have thought the Power would be undefeated after the first 3 rounds? Mind you, they haven’t played the best teams although last week’s win against Adelaide, a prelim finalist from 2012, was a damn good effort. This will be a close game because the Suns are playing well enough for us to consider tipping them against Port. Gold Coast lost by 8 goals last time they played and you couldn’t say the Power was a good side so tipping the Suns is probably going out on a limb a bit.

Gold Coast by 14

West Coast Eagles V Carlton at Paterson Saturday

It’s hard to see any relief for a horror start to the season for the Blues and the only one probably enjoying this might be Brett Ratten. Even thought Hawthorn pounded the Eagles in Perth, it has been hard for teams to win there and Carlton is certainly no Hawthorn at the moment. West Coast played the lowly Demons so a win was expected but they were also expected to play a lot better than they did against Fremantle and the Hawks. Can Carlton open its win account in Perth? Can the Eagles consolidate from last week’s big win? Mick said there was a lot of work to be done when he took over as coach of the Blues. Looks like he was right. Carlton’s plight is not helped a lot by the loss of Kreuzer for 6 weeks either.

West Coast by 19

Melbourne V GWS Giants at the MCG Sunday

The 2 bottom teams playing off does not hold a lot of importance for non-supporters but is certainly the opposite for the teams involved. Can the Giants notch their first win of the season? Will Melbourne make some sort of effort and win one for their fans? This is a nightmare pick for the tipster and the result could go either way. Heads….it’s…..

Melbourne by 8

Adelaide V Western Bulldogs at AAMI Sunday

Well it was a nice opening to the season for the Bulldogs but it has been downhill from there and the slippery slope continues for them with this game against the Crows. Only percentage separates them on the ladder but eventually Adelaide needs to rediscover its winning form from last year, or, was that an inaugural flash in the pan for a new coaching team? The Bulldogs don’t seem to mind playing at AAMI having won at that venue more times than they have lost. Considering both teams sit at 1 from 3 the odds against a Bulldogs win look inviting.

Adelaide by 33

North Melbourne v Brisbane Lions at Etihad Sunday

The Lions scraped home last week against the Suns and the Kangaroos were thrashed by the Swans but the real downer for them was the 11 goals in a quarter kicked against them in that game. If you looked at their first two games against Collingwood and Geelong they played well enough to almost win so that effort in Tassie was a shocker. Harsh words from the coach should have them back in good enough form to dispatch Brisbane who has been anything but impressive so far.

North Melbourne by 24

AFL REVIEW - Round 3

2013-04-15T05:21:00.000+10:00

Author - www.footy.com.au

Maybe we have to stop tipping surprise results because most of the games finished up as expected. Essendon beating Freo? Well, that was a game that could have gone either way as could have the game between the Lions and the Suns. Collingwood’s form was in fact a little better than Hawthorn’s and the win by Port was probably tipped only by Power supporters. Teams are still finding their feet although watching the games you can see different levels of skill that should be helping you pick winners more consistently. It doesn’t get easier either as the season rolls on.

Essendon 10.12.72 defeated Fremantle 9.14.68

Does anyone know how the Dockers lost this game? Exactly 6 goals up at half time in what was obviously going to be a low scoring game Fremantle coughed up that lead to be just 3 points ahead at the last change. 2 very late shots on goal by Freo in the last minute of the game saw one ball bounce unexpectedly through for a point and then a gimme kick about 12 metres out hit the post! Unbelievable. Essendon coach Hird has had to endure a bit of pressure this week as well so to win in Perth and maintain that unbeaten start to the season is pretty good. The Bombers play the Saints next week and Fremantle play an in-form Hawthorn in Tassie.

Sydney 20.11.131 defeated North Melbourne 13.14.92

At half time the Kangaroos had a handy 3 goal break and it looked like it would be a tough day at the office for the Swans for the remainder of the game. In the 3^rd quarter Sydney pounced on North and kicked 11 goals to 1 to lead by 8 goals at the start of the final quarter. Game over really! It’s hard to believe the Kangaroos would allow something like that to happen and it would not have impressed their away from home crowd at Blundstone. They would have been better playing next week’s opponent, the Brisbane Lions, at that ground. Sydney faces one of the other unbeaten teams, Geelong, at the SCG on Friday night. That should be a cracker of a game!

West Coast 27.15.177 defeated Melbourne 13.5.83

Eagles’ fans would have been doing a bit of nail biting at half time when their team held a slender and hard fought 10 point lead. Like Sydney, who was playing across the Strait, West Coast kicked 11 goals in the 3^rd term to Melbourne’s 1 goal and any team leading by 12 goals at the start of the last quarter has a darn good chance of winning. The Eagles won their first and to maintain a winning streak they will have to beat Carlton at home next week. Melbourne may give the Giants their first win next week.

St Kilda 21.14.140 defeated GWS Giants 10.8.68

GWS was kept scoreless in the 1^st quarter and while the Saints didn’t kick 11 goals in a quarter like everybody else seemed to be doing (except Fremantle and Essendon who couldn’t do that in a whole game) they showed that the home side was no hope to win the game. The margin was not quite as big as last time they met but enough to put the Giants back into perspective. The Saints meet a pretty hot Bomber outfit next week and will have to end that team’s unbeaten record to notch their 2^nd win. The Giants need to lift to beat Melbourne next week. Not a lot though!

Brisbane Lions 13.16.94 defeated Gold Coast Suns 13.14.92

In the second close game of the round to date, the Lions hung on to win by 2 points against little brother the Suns in this cliff hanger. Brisbane opened its win account and Brown kicked 5 goals in a welcome return to some sort of form. Not a great standard of football but what it lacked in class it made up for in an exciting finish. The Lions travel to Melbourne next week to face a winless North Melbourne and Gold Coast will play the unbeaten Port Adelaide at Metricon. That will be an interesting game to tip.

Geelong 18.11.119 defeated Carlton 15.13.103

The game was played at a frenetic pace with pressured errors, turnovers, fierce tackling and some great goals until finally Geelong established almost a 6 goal break going into the final quarter . At one stage in the 2^nd quarter the Blues overtook Geelong and went to a 17 point lead before the Cats hit back and turned the game around to be 19 points up at the long break. Carlton tried hard in the last but fell short. Geelong is playing with a new lease of football life so far this season and if they can sustain this form they might be looking at meeting Hawthorn in a Grand Final. The game against Sydney next Friday night will be another good indicator as both teams have yet to lose. Carlton is in the middle of a change of style with a new coach so you can expect them to start winning games soon. Problem is that they travel to Perth to play West Coast next week – maybe a zip 4 start for them coming up.

Richmond 20.15.135 defeated Western Bulldogs 10.8.68

With 13 scoring shots to 3 in the 1^st quarter the writing was on the board for where the result of this game was going to end up. And so it proved with the Tigers dominating the game from the outset. That’s 3 wins in a row to open the season for Richmond whereas initial thoughts that the Bulldogs might be on a long term rebuild seem to be correct. The dreaded ‘F’ word will be on the lips of Tiger supporters who are back into the game going by the roar of the crowd today. They face a stiff test next week against Collingwood who will be looking to take out their bad loss to Hawthorn today on their next competitor – Richmond. Nothing will be easy for the Bulldogs this year and a trip to Adelaide to play Crows looks like, on current form , another loss looming.

Hawthorn 22.13.145 defeated Collingwood 13.12.90

The Pies started this game on fire and it looked like the Hawthorn monkey might be dislodged from their back. Even to half time when Hawthorn had got them self back into the game I doubt anybody foresaw what turned out to be a bit of a hiding for the Magpies. Is Hawthorn a 10 goal better side than Collingwood and the West Coast Eagles who both played in preliminary finals last season? Scary! They beat West Coast by 50 and Collingwood by 55 and will probably beat Fremantle by the same margin next week. Another big turn out to watch the Pies get humbled today with about 78,000 at the ‘G” and we can expect 80,000 at the MCG next week when they play the Tigers.

Port Adelaide 17.16.118 defeated Adelaide 16.13.109

The Power remained as one of the 4 teams undefeated this season so far, with a pretty handy win over the Crows. A goal that sailed through as the siren sounded made the margin a respectable and close 9 points but half way through that last quarter Port had the game sewn up. Has a total revamp of the Port Adelaide football club caused this form reversal or will the old Port stand up when they face some stiffer opposition? Maybe Melbourne should look at the Port set up if their poor season continues. The Power has every chance to remain unbeaten as they play the Gold Coast next week while the Crows look in better shape than the Bulldogs who they play at AAMI

AFL Preview Round 3

2013-04-13T11:01:00.003+10:00

Author - www.footy.com.au

Last week 6 from 9 for a total of 9 from 18. We’re tipping at 50%! Some teams are showing unusually good form while others seem to be finding their feet. More scandals at Essendon, resignations at Melbourne, returns from injury and players out with injury. Frustrating business tipping. Good luck! And yes this is the 2013 season not the 2012 season the heading showed last week.

Fremantle v Essendon at Patersons Stadium Friday night

Both teams go into this match undefeated after the first 2 rounds. It will be interesting to see where Essendon really is compared to last year as they take on a very good Fremantle side, the tip made a little harder with the game in Perth. The Dockers have been able to account for the Bombers in previous matches here so they have every chance for a 3 zip start to the season. Then again Essendon did win in Perth the last time they met. That pre-season drug controversy has raised its ugly head at Essendon again with accusations that Hird took a banned substance. He doesn’t play any more so is that a problem although I doubt James would even consider something like that. Let’s stick to footy.

Fremantle by 22

North Melbourne V Sydney At Blundstone Arena Tasmania Saturday

The Kangaroos were so unlucky last week to lose a game based on an umpiring decision but they also threw away a 6 goal lead they had at half time so really the game should not have come down to the last kick. If they play the same against the Swans the result will also be the same – another loss. Some aspects of their game in the 2^nd half left a lot to be desired and Sydney knows how to maintain pressure.

The Swans have never played at this ground before and I wonder whether that makes a difference. North must somehow manufacture a win after 2 close losses but I can’t see that happening in this game.

Sydney by 16

Melbourne V West Coast Eagles at the MCG Saturday

No tipster in his or her right mind can tip Melbourne for a game until they see some sort of improvement. While West Coast seems to have their own problems, lack of effort isn’t one of them. With 2 losses from 2 games and high hopes of playing in a Grand Final this year the Eagles need to start here. During the week the Melbourne president Cameron Schwab fell on his sword but he would be the last in line one could blame. Perhaps he had a better offer to go somewhere else or like the rest of us, cannot see the Demons recovering to be any sort of a football team until the 2020’s. Can anyone remember when 15^th played 18^th and the odds against one of the teams was $11 for a win?

West Coast by 33

GWS Giants V St Kilda at Manuka Canberra Saturday

Unlike the Demons the Giants look like they are trying, they simply don’t have the experience of games in the playing group. St Kilda has lost 2 games, neither by a lot, and they should be good enough to account for GWS in this game. Remember they beat the Giants by 128 points last time they met and there hasn’t been that much changed in either team. St Kilda didn’t look all that bad against Richmond last week so they should open their account with a win in this match.

St Kilda by 69

Geelong V Carlton at Etihad Saturday night

Even though Geelong has won their first 2 games and Carlton has lost both theirs the two teams are playing well and the Blues are not so far from a win. Unfortunately for them the Cats look a little better across the ground and can match Carlton for pace. Mick says he isn’t panicking yet but 3 losses in a row might have him chewing a fingernail or two. The Cats have been able to come back from 6 goal deficits two games in a row so even a fast start by the Blues won’t mean ‘put down your glasses’ if they are 6 goals up at half time. I’m not sure they are playing a different game plan but one must assume that they are because the old one, under Ratten, yielded little in the way of success.

Geelong by 13

Gold Coast Suns V Brisbane Lions at Metricon Saturday night

Can the Suns pull off another win against the Lions who have not opened their account yet? Brisbane is not playing well and while their first loss was a surprisingly big margin they were expected to do a lot better against the Crows at home. I’ve tipped them twice already for two losses and I am heading for the 3 strikes rule in this game. The Suns have done pretty well in 2 rounds so far this season with a win and a reasonable effort against Sydney. Tipsters are all waiting for Brisbane to show us something, like a win, so the tip goes to the Lions.

Brisbane by 7

Richmond V Western Bulldogs at Etihad Sunday

I see these sides as pretty even with the Tigers just a whisker ahead due to a more structured forward line. While I am inclined to tip Richmond to continue their welcome winning form I would not be surprised to see a Bulldog victory. I saw a lot of errors by the Tigers in that game against St Kilda last week. The team with the least errors in this match will emerge victorious. The odds quoted for the Bulldogs is $4.20! That’s a bit generous and probably worth a lazy $10 as a speculative. But, the Tigers thrashed the Doggies last time they met so maybe they have their measure. It would be nice to see the roof on if there is a wet weather forecast.

Richmond by 17

Collingwood V Hawthorn at the MCG Sunday

We can expect another big crowd at the MCG to see these two teams play again. They always provide great football and great entertainment. Collingwood has the opportunity to notch 3 wins from 3 games but in the past the Hawks have nailed them in the last quarter. The Pies dislodged the Carlton monkey from their back last week can they do the same in this match against Hawthorn? If Collingwood wants to make a statement this year then this win is pretty important. The Magpies have beaten 2 of the 3 teams they couldn’t beat last year and Hawthorn is the 3^rd. Not a lot wrong with the Hawthorn game plan either and the inclusion of Hodge last week against West Coast makes them look even better.

Collingwood by 7

Port Adelaide V Adelaide at AAMI Sunday

Last season you would not have given the Power a sniff of a chance in this match up with big brother in the SA Derby but somehow the team has been turned around and is performing well, probably better than the Crows at the moment. Unfortunately the act of tipping them to win is haunted by ghosts of the past in the form of some big losses. I don’t foresee a regression but I still think Adelaide will win. Port has beaten GWS and Melbourne but most AFL teams will be able to add that stat to their win / loss record this year.

Adelaide by 25

AFL Review Round 2

2013-04-08T06:02:00.002+10:00

Brought to you by www.footy.com.au

2013 - AFL Review Round 2

Doubled the tipping score from last week but still some way to go. Watching the games hasn’t made me wiser but has certainly made me happier. There are a few teams I can’t quite figure out in that whether they will win one week or not. But, only round 2 and Collingwood did beat Carlton, that’s always a positive mood changer. What about the goal umpire that has to have a knee reconstruction after being injured during the game by a Bulldog player? Are umpires getting too close to the play? These guys are just part time too I think – I mean the goal umpires, like we had in grade and suburban footy. Mums and dads doing the job.

Richmond 14.15.99 defeated St Kilda 12.10.82

As expected the game was fairly close all night and every time the Saints closed the gap on the Tigers to be within 2 kicks Richmond would find a way to kick another couple of goals – usually through Jack Reiwoldt who finished with 7 goals which was 50% of the Tiger goals. Last week he didn’t kick a goal!! Cousin Nick did alright as well with 4 goals for the Saints. Good season start for the Tigers and I think the Saints had a similar start last season to what they are experiencing. Both teams played with quite a few errors in their game. Richmond faces the Bulldogs next week – another possible win and the Saints should open their account when they play the Giants.

Sydney 17.12.114 defeated Gold Coast 11.7.73

The Swans hoisted the 2012 Premiership flag, lost the first quarter in torrential rain then steadied and proved too good for the Suns who tried hard but were outclassed by Sydney for most of the match. McVeigh for Sydney had 28 possessions and kicked 4 goals – a match winner. The result was no surprise and sees Sydney with 2 from 2. Suns were okay and play big brother Lions next week. Could be a coin toss for trying to pick that one after watching Brisbane play. The Swans travel to Tassie to play North Melbourne.

Fremantle 16.10.106 defeated Western Bulldogs 11.12.78

The final margin shows 28 points but really, Fremantle had this game under control from the first bounce. The first and only Bulldogs goal came in time on in the 1^st quarter while Freo had kicked 6. That about covers it. The Bullies were never able to bridge that gap and Fremantle didn’t let them. Might be a good indication of how good Fremantle is when they face the Bombers in Perth. Forget the opening match for the Bulldogs they need to show it again against Richmond to be a chance.

Adelaide 14.12.96 defeated Brisbane 10.17.77

The Lions led at the last change but failed to kick a goal in the final quarter managing just 4 behinds to Adelaide’s 5 goals. There was very little in it for a close game but the Crows were much more constructive in the last 15 minutes than Brisbane who just kept bombing it into the forward line hoping that they could kick a goal. NAB premiership seems to equal bad karma. Is it just me but I don’t think the Crows are as good as last season and the Lions aren’t as good as I thought they showed in the NAB Cup. Adelaide plays Port in the SA derby next week. That’s going to be a tough pick too. Brisbane takes a bus ride to the Gold Coast to play the Suns.

Port Adelaide 19.20.134 defeated GWS Giants 11.12.78

The Power started slowly and even allowed the Giants a handy lead at the end of the first but from then on it was pretty much one way traffic. A 6 goal quarter and a 7 goal final quarter buried the Giants and gave Port Adelaide its 2^nd big win in a row ensuring they would stay around the top of the ladder. After their strong showing against Sydney last week it was a disappointing effort by GWS. Port stay put in SA to play the Crows but how come they are nominated as the home side again? Every game for the Gianst is a lesson and next week the teacher is St Kilda.

Essendon 28.16.184 humiliated Melbourne 5.6.36

Gee, what can you say about this? Essendon was magnificent and Melbourne was even more pitiful this week than last week. The team is a basket case for sure and I am not sure the coaching staff knows a way for them to turn this around. The Bombers might jump to top of the ladder after that effort and their start to the season is taking on a familiar pattern. Melbourne committee are all behind the coach and the players are doing some soul searching but the Demons have to face the Eagles next week and who, by the way, haven’t won a game so far either but I know where my bet will go. Essendon take a holiday to the west to face Freo.

Geelong 16.16.112 defeated North Melbourne 17.6.108

Certainly a game played in 2 distinct halves with North establishing a 6 goal lead by half time. The Cats seem to enjoy winning games from behind and really played a great second half. Decision making by North players at times was frustrating for spectators let alone the coach but not as frustrating as some umpiring decisions including the last one that handed the Cats the game like a saucer of milk. I didn’t look at the forecast for Melbourne but it was pouring during the latter part of that match and if I was a patron getting wet at the game I would be asking for my money back. “Where’s the roof? My pie and donut are soaking!” The Cats have another tough one next week against Carlton at the same venue and North can go and sulk in Tassie and wait for last year’s premiers to front up.

Collingwood 17.15.117 defeated Carlton 15.10.100

The Blues kicked the first 3 goals, scary, but the Pies came back and the game was close all day. Less than a goal separated the teams with less than a minute to go but Collingwood kicked 2 quick goals to win by 17 points. Great game of footy with clear streaming for the whole game! Seems like the Pies have found a couple of good new players including this kid Elliott who kicked 5 goals and kept Collingwood in the game at times when I thought they were letting it slip. 84,247 at the game! Atmosphere! The Magpies face Hawthorn in another big test next week and Carlton plays Geelong, also a big game.

Hawthorn 23.10.148 defeated West Coast 15.8.98

The Hawks were quick out of the blocks and established a 6 goal lead before the Eagles had got a sweat up in the hot weather. At times they challenged and got to within 3 goals later in the game but Hawthorn always had the answer and in fact kicked away in the last 10 minutes to win easily. Another bad loss for West Coast at home while Hawthorn opened their win account. I will have to reconsider West Coast as premiership contenders based on what I have seen so far. They need LeCras and NicNat back in that side. The Eagles have a better chance against Melbourne next week. Hawthorn will have to tough it out against Collingwood

AFL Preview Round 2

2013-04-05T06:06:00.003+10:00

Last week tipsters either scored 7’s and 8’s or 3’s and 4’s. That’s the sort of round it was with some unexpected results. Those that somehow scored an 8 or a 9 really have little understanding of the game! J Experience tells me to expect the unexpected again and tips this week might be more from the heart and gut feel rather than using any logic. Logic made up last week’s debacle. Let’s try something else to see if we can improve.

St Kilda V Richmond at the MCG Friday night

The Tigers might just be pumped enough after last week’s historic win against Carlton to go 2 from 2 and beat the Saints who created their own bit of history by going down to the Gold Coast Suns. Both teams have strong midfields so it will be forward entries and conversions on the night that will determine the outcome. Some early wins can see Richmond make the finals – incentive enough. The Tigers lost a few close ones last year and the fact that they held on to beat a fast finishing Carlton shows they might have gained some nerve. The Saints will be bringing back players that missed last week which will strengthen them midfield and up forward. The odds of $1.35 for Richmond and $3.20 for the Saints are dangerously generous.

Richmond by 16

Sydney Swans V Gold Coast Suns at the SCG Saturday

The Suns scored a great victory last week against St Kilda and must give themselves a chance against the Swans, even though it would be a stretch of the imagination to think they can win it. Sydney unfurls the premiership flag this week at the SCG so it will be a nice end to the day to also win their 2^nd game. Whether they are good enough to win back to back premierships is a difficult question to answer. It’s a weird stat but the Suns will be making their 1^st appearance at the SCG and that fact, as well as it being bad form to spoil somebody else’s premiership party, makes it hard to pick them to win.

Sydney by 29

Western Bulldogs V Fremantle at Etihad Saturday

Both teams had good wins last week but it’s hard to judge just how good the Bulldogs are, considering the opposition, Brisbane, left their A game behind. Fremantle won a much harder contest overcoming the Eagles who were prelim finalists last year. I kept underestimating Freo last year, I’m in a purple haze after last weekend and somebody has to win. Freo hasn’t beaten the Bulldogs away from Perth for some years although they belted them at Subiaco last year by more than 100 points. Fremantle has also been winning at Etihad, something it couldn’t do for donkey’s years. So many stats to consider but the gut feeling is the Dockers will prevail.

Fremantle by 18

Brisbane Lions V Adelaide Crows Saturday at the Gabba

The Crows succumbed to Essendon after they started so well and this is a tough travel game for them to the Gabba. The Lions will not be as easy to beat as last week and on their home ground with their supporters they should give Adelaide a better contest. Probably good enough to win. Midfield players from both sides need to lift from last week. Games between these two have always been close but the home ground advantage should have tipsters penciling in the Lions.

Brisbane by 9

Essendon V Melbourne at the MCG Saturday night

We all know the Demons will come out full of froth and bubble in this match just to show their supporters that last week was an embarrassing aberration. Can they improve by 100% which they will have to do to beat the Bombers? No, but let’s hope they play a lot better. Bookies are quoting the Dees at $7 which might tempt some Melbourne supporters seeing they beat Essendon last year by a goal. Tipsters should save their money.

Essendon by 33

Port Adelaide V GWS Giants at AAMI Saturday night

Watching the Giants last week I was impressed enough by them to give the team a chance against the Power. Then again, there wasn’t a lot wrong with Port’s game against Melbourne, a win that has them sitting on top of the ladder even though we know that will be short lived. Port at home? Hard for an up and coming team like GWS to win here even though they beat the Power last season which caused a coaching change as well for Port. The Giants are not quite there yet.

Port Adelaide by 26

Geelong V North Melbourne at Etihad Sunday

The Cats and the Kangaroos played some wonderful football last round, one winning and the other just losing. North – angry and upset after the loss. Geelong – tired and having to lift for another big effort. Expect a close game as both teams are coached by twin brothers who espouse hard footy. North beat Geelong last year in their only clash but the Cats look a little quicker on the ground than they did last season as well. They will need that pace against the Kangaroos who can win if they stop stupid turnovers at crucial times.

North Melbourne by 10

Collingwood V Carlton at the MCG Sunday

At time of writing not sure who is in for the Pies but regardless of whether they have a full team or not they have a lot of trouble beating Carlton during the season….well last season at least when they lost both games, one by 10 goals. Malthouse has revealed that when he left Collingwood it was not a ‘nice’ departure and the press have built this game up to be more about the coaches than the players I guess. I’m not sure where the Carlton goals will come from with Eddie Betts out this week and just who can counter Cloke up forward for the Pies. I think Collingwood have more avenues to goal and the AFL rule makers have retained the one that says the highest score still wins the game.

Collingwood by 25

West Coast V Hawthorn at Patersons Sunday

Eagles and Hawks – birds of prey - but will be teams of ‘pray’ this weekend possibly looking at higher powers to help open their win accounts for season 2013. Hawthorn on a downer after giving away the game against Geelong will need to play at their best to defeat the Eagles at home regardless of injuries to both sides. Weather forecast is for about 28C and maybe some rain. The Hawks have tried hard to beat West Coast at Subiaco and will struggle again. If the travel doesn’t get you the heat will. Past games have been all close and this one will also go to the wire and be close to a draw. Rumour is that Hodge is back for Hawthorn and that’s a big ‘in’ for them. Tipsters can stick with home ground advantage here.

West Coast Eagles by 11

Author-footy.com.au

Dugan : Painful to say the least

2013-03-31T17:49:00.000+10:00

Australia has heaps of people sitting on barstools who coulda......we have a world of talented alcoholics. It would appear that Josh Dugan is hell-bent on joining them. The world of creative and talented people who put more energy into their excuses than into fulfilling their talent.

The Brisbane Broncos have walked away from Dugan after his latest rant on Instagram where he berated and belittled fans who have reacted poorly to a Dugan shot on the social network. The fan rants appeared to be aimed at Dugan selfish approach and how he had let the Canberra fans down. Dugans rants appeared self-deluded and were personal attacks. Dugan claims he has been bullied. The simple answer is get off all social networks Josh. Don't put yourself in a position where fans can and will taunt you. It really is that simple.

Overall the best advice for Josh. Pull your head in. Put that talent of your alongside discipline, focus and a service approach to your team and your fans and you may just become an NRL great. If not, be prepared to be an image of the above, drunk, pissing himself after telling anyone who would listen how good you could have been .....the choice is yours NOW.

NRL Thoughts to Date

2013-03-30T17:32:00.001+10:00

The 2013 National Rugby League has been one of confusion at times. There are two clear cut teams in this early stage, Melbourne and Souths Sydney. They look a cut above the others at the moment. And while competitions aren't won in March, they are certainly setting the early pace and setting the standard for the others to follow.

Others who have shown glimpses have been (in no particular order) Wests Tigers, Newcastle, Parramatta, Titans and the Bulldogs. The Sharks are a team that has performed in the face advertsity and continue performing strongly in the face. It remains to be seen how they continue moving forward as the pressure mounts.

The disapointments have been the Cowboys, Warriors, Dragons and the Broncos.The Warriors already look like a team that don't want the coach. Sooner or later the players of the Warriors need to take responsibility for their performance, spit the dummies out and play with some pride and conviction.

The Cowboys seem to be a team weighed down with anticipation. They look inconsistent and playing again without passion. Unfortunately the Cowboys history is littered with periods like this. They better pull their finger out if they want to make the Top 4.

The Broncos are in a world of hurt in my eyes. They lack punch down the guts and I think as a club they are overextended in workaholic second rowers, who Anthony Griffin continues to use as centres. The club is criticised for lack of scoring prowess, and that is so true. They replace their only impact player Justin Hodges, (who is a week-by-week proposition) with Matt Gillette and/or David Stagg. Jack Reed's run appears to be over at NRL level and I expect on form for him to be back in Intrust Cup soon....

Their recruitment policy defies logic at the moment. David Stagg and Scott Prince are way beyond use-by dates and they have been touted as their big name signing. The fallout was quick, Corey Normal gone to Parramatta. Josh Hoffman is their best fullback, and he is stationed on the wing, while Norman fills fullback to allow Prince and Wallace to fill the halves. Their selection strategy is BAD BAD BAD. They need some extra momentum up front, they need Norman in the halves, Hoffman at the back and develop some impact players out wide. They are in trouble...they will miss the Top 8.

The Dragons will take the Wooden Spoon. They have lost the ability to attract players and will suffer a painful season for the die-heart Red Army. They will have occasional glimpses of what they can do, but if they want to do anything this year, they need Jamie Soward to eliminate the crap currently in his game, direct his team around the park and stay focussed and disciplined. Jack DeBelin must play, as he exhibits passion and personality, both things sorely missing this season.

You Have to be Kidding!

2013-03-07T12:48:00.000+10:00

I have just read up on the latest on the Sharks saga....all I can say is that the whole thing is a joke. But just in case you missed it. We have currently 14 players being asked to admit to takin performance enhancing drugs in 2011. Of course they have refused. This "evidence" has come from a whistleblower.

The other evidence is clear.

No tests showing drug use
The substances claimed to have been given, were NOT even on the banned substance list at the time of the alleged offence.

This is a total joke. Do players/coaches and clubs now have to safeguard future additions. Does all it take is one whistle blower to pass judgement....

What this is really showing, and along with the Lance Armstrong fiasco, is that official drug agencies really have no idea or methodology to stop uses of cheating with drugs. They are now relying on the schoolyard snitch to force guilty admissions. What a joke!

What is the Deal with the Sharks

2013-03-07T06:04:00.000+10:00

What is the deal with ASADA and the Sharks. This just happens to be the biggest stain on Australian sport at the moment, where a minor 6 weeks of work, 2 years ago with a club, can put 16 players on notice to be out of the game for 2 years.

No drug test convictions lets remember. The club didn't approve of his methods and sent him on his way. It was in 2011 and no advantage was gained in any way, shape or form.

Get real please. I do not want to see Drug cheats prosper, but I do not want to see sensationalist headlines every week about this.

Footy Starts Tonight

2013-03-07T05:59:00.000+10:00

The Footy Season kicks off tonight with the maximum promotion given to the return of Sonny Bill Williams, in the Roosters clash against the Rabbitohs. Personally, I am not overly fussed on SBW return and find it humorous that a player, who left the game so bitterly, can return to a standing ovation. So tonights game I can take it or leave it, but for the record, Inglis and the Rabbitohs will win.

Tomorrow Night sees the Brisbane Broncos take on Manly to kick of the Qld Season at Suncorp Stadium. 25years the Broncos are celebrating, and they should be up for it. Manly may just want to remove that stain on their history, being beaten by the Broncs in the Broncs very first game. This game should be special.

The other game of interest for me is the Dragons v Storm game. I am not expecting miracles this year from the Dragons, so the Storm should win, however quietly confident that the Dragons will show up ready.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful first week of NRL football, and even though after this round we will have 8 losers, just remember...its a long season.

The footy is back.

What will come out of the Black Day in Sports?

2013-02-07T17:22:00.000+10:00

I'm sitting here on the alleged "Black Day" of Australian Sports, listening to the responses and the allegations and just wondering what will become of this. We don't seem to have clear names or clubs linked with this report.It just seems to be a very general allegations broad based against all Australian Sports, I'm wondering, if this indeed does not live up to the hype that is being played out in the media, will all Australian Sports receive an apology?

One of the clear bits of evidence in the reports is the market of these drugs has increased being detected at the border amongst many other measures. Logically, this should be an indicator that the use is going undetected in sports. It also means we have a huge recreation problem with our gym junkies and body builders.

Peptides, Human growth Hormone.....One thing this really does place into question is the effectiveness of our drug testing processes. We keep getting told that our testing is world's best practice, but somehow WIDESPREAD use of performance enhancing drugs has now been found in our sports....How does this happen?

I do find it bewildering that many of the expert guests on FOXSPORTS keep talking about people to turn themselves in and not to wait for the tap on the shoulder. If the report can claim that the use is widespread, then surely they don't need people to come forward?

"The ACC has found, on the basis of a limited and focused examination of one component

of the PIEDs market, that the market has evolved significantly in recent years to include

peptides and hormones."

I'm not sure what to think. Has this been backloaded off the Lance Armstrong case? Do our sports really have a widespread problem. I would be stupid to think that every individual in every sport is clean. I would like to think we have some isolated incidents where individuals have tried to gain an upper hand by doing the wrong thing. I'll let you make your own judgement.

Download the report here.

NRL Grand Final Review

2012-10-01T07:02:00.000+10:00

The Melbourne Storm are the 2012 Premiers after defeating the Canturbury Bankstown Bulldogs 14-4 in a gripping, enthralling encounter in front of almost 83,000. The game was dominated by defence and was also marred by a biting allegation, but will be remembered as one of the great encounters.

The Storm dominated possession and when the Bulldogs did manage to get their hands on the ball, the Storm either swarmed their attacking line, or charged up wide and out of the line to cut it off. However, despite this Ben Barba found open space on occassions and always looked dangerous. The Storm's attitude in defence ensured that when Barba did find space, defenders cut off his runners and ultimately shut the movement down.

Englisman James Graham will be on the end of all post game news, with a biting allegation against him. TV cameras appeared to show farly conclusively this. The Englishman is seen to have had a brain explosion during the heat of a minor fracas, but it will cost him dearly.

The Storm may not have been the best team all year, but they were considerably the better team on Grand Final Day. Well Done to the Storm.

AFL Grand Final Preview

2012-09-28T06:14:00.000+10:00

Hawthorn V Sydney at the MCG

Well that one day in September is with us again and two top teams will meet to decide the premiership. This game will be dissected by a panel of experts down to every statistic available on contested possessions, effective kicks, clearances and whatever else they can use to help you determine who is going to win the game. But Grand Finals are a separate issue and how fit you are above the shoulders usually has a lot to do with how well you are going to play on the day. The teams are fairly even in positions across the ground and you have to admire Sydney getting this far when it was unexpected at the start of the season. With that in mind and watching the Adelaide Crows almost beat the Hawks you can expect a close game because the Swans don’t come across as a mentally weak side. Hawthorn has been a little bit better in games against top sides like Geelong and Collingwood but looking at the ladder there wasn’t a lot separating the top 4 teams in wins and losses anyway. Grand Finals are all about pressure and the better players play well under pressure, making less mistakes resulting in less turnovers. Can Sydney deny the Hawks something that most experts have said belongs to them? I believe that Hawthorn has far more goal kicking options than the Swans and if I remember correctly the highest score wins the game. I have picked a 5 goal margin because when a team knows they are going to lose a GF they seem to allow easy last minute goals to the opposition even though the game may have been tight and tough for 95% of the match.

Hawthorn by 29

FOOTBALL: Panthers can’t cash in on their chance against No. 6 Eagles - Odessa American: Football

2012-09-24T06:03:00.001+10:00

FOOTBALL: Panthers can’t cash in on their chance against No. 6 Eagles - Odessa American: Football

Permian Panthers fall in tough Road Trip to Abilene.

AFL Review: Prelim Finals

2012-09-24T05:59:00.002+10:00

Sydney 13.18.96 defeated Collingwood 10.10.70

Apart from Collingwood looking and playing pretty flat the Sydney Swans were magnificent, creating a bit of history finally winning after a long dry spell of games at ANZ Stadium. How much were the bookies paying for the Swans to win the premiership at the start of the season? No doubt a few Sydney supporters might be in for a nice payout should they get up next week because nobody else in their right mind would have placed any big bets on that result. While the Pies will not be using or mentioning the funeral of J-Mac as being an emotional drain it’s possible that a 6 day break and the service for a team mate could have left the players tired and a little dispirited. It’s understandable. Sydney didn’t leave any openings for Collingwood in this game and led from the early minutes and never looked like losing. They are a realistic chance next week against Hawthorn and probably one of 2 or 3 teams that can beat the Hawks in the Grand Final.

Hawthorn 13.19.97 defeated Adelaide 14.8.92

The Crows played this game as the tagged underdog and with nothing to lose and a Grand Final appearance to gain they almost pulled it off. They actually kicked more goals than Hawthorn but still lost the match! Remember that Adelaide finished 14^th last season with just 7 wins so the turnaround has been nothing short of amazing. Whether the Hawks believed their own press and went into the game slightly overconfident I don’t know but they will need to play at their best next week to beat Sydney who is in red- hot form. Maybe the team balance was thrown out with the omission of Hodge with some stomach virus. I wonder if the Swans and the Hawks can kick the same scores next week that they got this week? Wouldn’t that be a fascinatingly exciting game?!

You Can Drink Beer and Lose weight: Manly Gone!!

2012-09-21T22:00:00.001+10:00

You Can Drink Beer and Lose weight: Manly Gone!!: Manly have said goodbye to NRL 2012 being smashed 40-12 by the Melbourne Storm at AAMI park in front of a crowd over 25,000. Manly have be...

Cowboys Robbed!!

2012-09-15T09:11:00.002+10:00

We've been saying all year that the officiating of this great game has been ordinary. We have been worried poor calls would determine a game. Last night we saw the actuality behind this, with two poor video ref decisions costing the Cowboys any chance of winning the game. We can't change the past but we can move forward with some certainty and a better product. The game lost big time last night.

Facebook and Twitter were abuzz last night with most fair-minded supporters calling it as they saw it. The Cowboys were robbed. Manly supporters retorted with the call that led to the Cowboys try, when an Ash Graham hand dislodged the ball being carried by a Manly Player. Again, most fair-minded supporters would call that a bad call, BUT it happened in the run of play, the call made at game pace and in the ruck situation and the Manly player ultimately has responsibility to hold onto the football to play the ball. I can live with these calls, as do most other supporters.

The Video Ref decisions are viewed differently. Multiple viewings, slow-motion, frame by frame should in theory make the decision making process better and more accurate. In reality, it is vastly different. And this is where the anger comes from. How can they get it so wrong!

So my thoughts. We have made the act of scoring a try far too technical in my eyes. Simply put, we must have control of the football and ground the ball behind the tryline. Sounds simple. NO FAR FROM IT. We have separation???? We can somehow control the ball with our forearm??? We are the only football code in the world that does!. The question. Does he have control of the ball in his hands? YES OR NO. Simple. Our game is SIMPLE.....

My next point. Video replays played at game pace, and decisions made from this speed. And lets limit the views. The game is played at a pace, and the officials need to make decisions at that pace. I believe, supporters can live with that. They can't live with the current situation. They can't live with incompetence.

Take those two video ref decisions out of the game, we have a 12all ball game. Take the Ash Graham decision out, its 12-6 and anyones game. HOWEVER, these werent the only poor decisions made last night. Just the howlers that led to points. You can't take every poor decision out of the game, no matter what they change in the game...momentum is usually the big thing. Most supporters can live with poor decisions made in the running of the game....They cannot accept the Video Ref getting it wrong.