Kangaroos Sent To Possible Death

The Kangaroos rejected a great offer preferring to remain in Melbourne and regain their North Melbourne name. So what does this all really mean?

1. If Kangaroos fans don't put their money where their mouth is and become members and show up to more games then the harsh reality will come back to bite them on the arse. There is the strong possibility that they could now die a slow and agonising fall from grace. I'm sure the AFL is not going to be as generous if the Kangaroos board comes looking for a hand out. Think of how dirty the Fitzroy fans are that the teams history ceases. At least old South Melbourne fans have their team in existence and the history continues to grow.
2. The AFL will get their team in the competition one way or the other. Talk of a 17th team is interesting and may help to push the Kangaroos to the outer.
   

Draft & Trade

I don't know what to make of the Swans draft and trade performance this year. On the one hand we got rid of two premiership players which can act as a destabling influence as premiership players tend to form a bond that is hard to break. On the other hand we made space in the salary cap and created some opportunities for young players now that some fringe players have left.

A Geelong fan friend does not rate Henry Playfair. I've never seen him play but being unable to crack into that fantastic Geelong team is not necessarily a reflection on your performance. I was at the game where Martin Mattner ripped Sydney apart at the SCG so I'm hoping he can now do the same to other clubs. He's another left footer and you can never have enough of them.

As for the draft, well time will tell. I was glad to see Nelson Bay (NSW) local, Craig Bird, drafted via the NSW Scholarship system.

We have another Irishman in the squad who has already been compared to Chris Judd. More by his athleticism I suggest as he is only on the rookie list for now and is very new to the game. But it is exciting, if he's anything like Tadgh then we have superstar on our hands.

This Annoying Lull

Footy season officially finishes end of September. If your team won the grand final then you can extend the fun for maybe another week. After that all we have to look forward to is trade week then another month to the draft. In between it seems to be stories of off field incidents thank to Ben Cousins and friends.

To add to my pain at this time is the intense national interest in the horse racing, specifically The Melbourne Cup. I have been interested in this race in the past but now I really couldn't be bothered and try (in vain) to avoid mention of it.

Cricket is starting very soon which at least gives some relief from the horses but nothing beats the footy for me. I get excited around February when we hear about pre season matches as I enjoy watching our youngsters get a run. Then the real thing come March/April.

mmmm perhaps I should pace myself otherwise I'm in for a long summer.

Australian Convicts Vs USA Revolution

The ground was hard and dusty and most of our team was under the weather after a week of partying. Probably a good thing that we were only playing 20 minute halves. Some of us were very concerned that the would get flogged and perhaps if the game was regulation time we may have as they appeared to be a young fit team. What let them down was their disposal and decision making. Our boys were more experienced in where to place themselves in contests and where to place the ball in disposals.

As for me, I was too concerned with my man as I was playing defense. I almost finished with the duck egg in disposals but I managed to get a quality handpass in the second half. Ah well, when you're dominating it's hard to get a touch in defense.


Note sure what the final score was but we won by about 4 goals.

Austrailian Convicts Vs Canadian Northwind

After a rough start to the trip we were flung into our playing strip and unsurprisingly were slow out of the blocks. Due to flight cock ups we had no chance to train prior as a team, plus all of us hadn't played for a couple of months. You could start to see us click during the second quarter.

Parts of the Canadian play was quite impressive. It was good to stand back as a spectator and see what the Canadians can do.

We were worn out by the third quarter and it appeared like the youth and freshness of the Canadian line up would run over the top of us as they came as close as one goal after the margin got out to 8 goals.

Experience won out in the end as late goals saved the day and pushed the margin out to a comfortable distance.

As far as individual statistics, not much to talk about: couple of kicks and a couple of handpasses, not much niggle either.

Parra Divers

I find it funny that Parramatta Eels players are being labeled as divers after last weeks Preliminary Final clash against the Melbourne Storm.

The Jared Hayne incident got most of the attention. Apparently he deliberately went to ground to try and milk a penalty. But hello he was hit in the head with a forearm. Last time a checked the forearm is a relatively hard part of the body and would do more than sting once impacting upon the skull.

The other incident was with Nathan Cayless you pulled a pectoral muscle after having his arm hyper extended by a tackler. Yes, Rugby league is a contact sport but No, grabbing someone by the arm and wrenching it away when the player is already on the ground is surely, at the very least, poor tackling technique, and at the most, mere thuggery.

And the Strom players have the hide to claim they are being victimised by other clubs.

I have another reason to cheer for Manly

The Theory That I Never Stick To

I have stated on public record that I am always nervous for my team the week after they flog an opposing team. I have found two things happen the week after a flogging:

1. The 'Flogger' appears a bit flat and is slow off the blocks. Depending on the opposition they might still win.
2. The 'Flogee' players inspired footy after the embarrassment of the previous week and either have a hard fought win or an 'honourable loss'

Recent Evidence

• Kangaroos: First week of finals against Geelong get flogged by 106pts only wear out a fired up Hawthorn the week after by 33pts
• Hawthorn: Flogged by Sydney in Rnd 22 by 72pts. They looked out of their depth in big matches yet came beck from a 30 pnt deficit to down Adelaide in the first week of finals by 3pts
• Sydney: As stated they flogged Hawthorn in Rnd 22 and looked the red hot favourite with momentum on their side. Not to be however as they let Collingwood in the first week of the finals skip out to a 31pt head start, ultimately winning by 38pts

This has happened countless time but do you think I follow my own theory. No, and as result I get 1 correct tip out of 4 in the first week and 1 out of 2 in the second.

Beware the embarrassed team, unless it is Carlton.

Unfair Finals System

I find it very ironic that Rugby League commentators are displaying concern over the unfair nature of their finals system (The McIntyre Final 8). A specific example this year was how can the 6th place Bulldogs lose in week one and have a second chance against 4th place Parramatta in week two. Luckily results went the way they should and the Bulldogs were consequently eliminated by Parra. In years gone by teams haven't been so lucky. St George were once eliminated after week one despite finishing the season in 5th place.

The irony lies in the fact that the AFL abandoned the McIntyre Final 8 many years ago for exactly the same reasons. One or two years later the ARL (now NRL) take it up. Did they ignore the AFL's concerns with the system?

Mark Geyer on the NRL Footy Show apparently knows better than everyone else as he proclaims "find a better system...there isn't one." Mind you, he strikes me as the type who would shrug off anything the AFL does (or any other sport for that matter) as not as good as Rugby League.

The AFL has a much fairer Final 8 system where the top 4 play each other and the bottom 4 play each other. That way the bottom 4 have to win to stay alive. At least we had some sense from, of all people, Paul Vautin. He actually stated that the NRL needs to adopt the same system that the AFL has in place as he thinks it is much fairer.

Thanks for your common sense Vautin. Pull your head in Geyer.

The Australian Convicts

Ever fancied playing for your country but never had the talent or drive to make it?

Or ever wanted to travel and explore other countries?

Well with The Convicts you can do both.

In about 2 weeks I ( along with other from all over Australia) will depart on the USA/Canada tour. None of us have met, let alone trained together and we have a game against the Canadian National Team 2 days after we touch down (ie not much time to recover from the flight).

Later on we play the USA National Team and watch their national championships.

Cities to visit include: Toronto, Washington DC, Louisville, New York, Las Vegas.

Moving On

It's the only thing I can do now as one of the two teams eliminated from the first week of the finals. It has been a hard year to watch the Swans play. As the preamble on Channel 10 illustrated, it has been a roller coaster and just when you think they have some momentum and some decent form, players go missing. Same thing happened last night against Collingwood.

Against Hawthorn the previous week we were unstoppable and playing very clean footy. Against Collingwood Nick Davis was probably the most notable disappearance (to digress, can you believe Magpie fans are still booing him?), along with Barry Hall while Peter Everitt needed to do a lot more for the team to win.

Collingwood just out tackled us and that pressure showed for most of the game as it became implied pressure as we couldn't get clean hands on any hard ball possessions.

Ah well, already looking forward to 2008, it's the first year our players will get a decent rest in the off season and a proper pre season.

While we don't need a player clean out there needs to be some difficult decisions made about some players if we're not to bottom out as some clubs have done (eg Richmond, Carlton). Players like Ben Matthews and Stephen Doyle have been good servants of the club but may be on their last legs and the speed of the game may cut short their careers.

We have blooded some young players, most recently Ed Barlow, but we never get a real good look at them and what they are capable of on a consistent basis. Heath Grundy has been given a few games here and there, Tim Schmidt, Jared Moore and Simon Phillips have also made brief appearances this season. I hope to see more of them as the years go on. Let's face it, Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin aren't getting any younger.

AFL Finals

We are in for a classic finals series. All games could realistically go either way and none can be tipped with any great confidence.

Friday Night - Port Adelaide Vs West Coast (AAMI Stadium)
Port Adelaide have exceeded everyone's expectations this year. That's not to say they don't have a quality side. They are firing at the right end of the season. But so are the Eagles. They are injury depleted but Judd is back and should be able to contribute more than he has in previous weeks. The game is played in Adelaide but will that be enough to counter the class from the west.

Saturday Afternoon - Hawthorn Vs Adelaide (Telstra Dome)
Hawthorn will be excited about being in thier first finals series for many years. They will also want to avenge their deplorable performance against Sydney last week. That's usually not the way you like to go into a finals campaign. Although I have always suggested that the flogged team usually bites back while the flogging team can be a bit flat the next week.

Adelaide is wanting to extend the playing career of arguably their best player ever in Mark Ricciuto. He deserves to go out with a bang but will they progress much further? My gut says they will at least for one more week.
Saturday Night - Collingwood Vs Sydney (MCG)
Remember what I said about the flogging team being a bit flat? Well Sydney flogged Hawthorn by about 70 points and were never really challenged except for a small period in the third quarter where Hawthorn decreased the margin to 40 instead of 70. The margin went straight back up in the 4th quarter anyway. However. I would rather go into finals with a good win like the one against Hawthorn.

Collingwood played Sydney a couple of weeks ago in an emotionally charged match with Nathan Buckley making his big return. They won fairly convincingly then, but this time I think they won't be as cocky after the Swans performance against the Hawks. It was infinitely better so they will be facing a different side this time.

It will be close, and my tip is that I will have a coronary prior to the finish.

Sunday Afternoon - Geelong Vs Kangaroos (MCG)

Geelong should win, that's the plain and simple truth. But the Kangaroos will go into the match with a 'nothing to lose' attitude. They have already over achieved this year anyway so a loss to the top side will be no disgrace, unless they lose by 100 points.

Geelong has lost key defender Matthew Egan. Filling this void will be crucial to their momentum through the finals and potential premiership glory.

Are The Swans Any Chance?

My team, the Swans, are playing a young and firing Hawthorn this week. No doubts that the Swans playing at their best will beat Hawthorn at theirs. Problem is that they haven't been playing anywhere near their best. The last few weeks have been embarrassing although coming across an emotionally charged Collingwood for Buckley's big comeback match was supreme poor timing.

Sydney now have cemented a place in the top 8. However I've read that we won't finish any higher than 7th and no lower than 8th which makes life difficult as no team has ever won the premiership from that low before. Hawthorn are on a role and currently sitting in 4th spot and I think it is fair to assume that they will be keen to stay in the top 4 (or better still to move even highter).

The only aspect going in the Swans favour is that the game will be played at the SCG and is already a sell out. It will be a sea of red. But is that enough to get the Bloods over the line? I have tip them to win but that's only because I rarely tip against my team (only when times are really bad). If I went with the head bet then I would tip Hawthorn. They are the form team of the competition and have shown tremendous flair all season barring the odd occassion of inconsistency. Plus don't forget that the swans are talking of resting Barry Hall amongst some others.

Time will tell. I hope I'm wrong.

Sydney V Collingwood

Some thoughts:

• First we play West Coast when Ben Cousins makes his big comeback and now we play Collingwood when Nathan Buckley makes his big comeback. Obviously there was a lot of hype surrounding the game and motivation for the players to do well.
• With that loss I am doubtful that we can make any significant inroads into the finals. Our place in the finals is now in jeopardy. We have almost lost control of our destiny and need to rely on these around us to lose. Still hope with a good win over Hawthorn next week.
• Thanks to Fordy for pointing my attention to my previous blog about Collingwood being unimpressive. I shall stand by these coments and try to stand on the notion that they were that inspired to 'do it for Buckley' that they played above themselves. Unimpressiveness to return within two weeks.

Collingwood Unimpressive

Watched the second half of the Melbourne v Collingwood match on Friday. I was impressed with the fight in the Demon players despite having only one interchange player for most of the second half. The magpies squandered a 40 point advantage to limp across the line in the end to win by about 10.

Collingwood will be lucky to make the top 8. I'm glad they are coming up against my team, Sydney, this week as i think they will be a bit flat against quality opposition after having to really work hard against second rate opposition. On top of that, if Ben Johnson doesn't get at least 3 weeks suspension then I will be very surprised.

Sydney Vs St Kilda

Sydney 12.10(82) def St Kilda 9.11 (65)

This was first game I have attended in Sydney this year so it was exciting to finally get to game. Here are some thoughts:

• Not a good spectacle
• I took a non footy fan friend along to this game and I was feeling for him as it was a difficult for me to watch, some one who was actually interested in the result. You hear some fans get frustrated at the way Sydney plays, and I feel their frustration but I think a lot of it comes from a lack of knowledge about how the game works. St Kilda was doing so hard core flooding and neither team could get much drive from their half back line. So what do you expect a player to do when he sees no space in front of him in which his forwards could lead yet luckily there is someone available short due to the flood or someone free for a switch. Gone are the days of just booting it long to a pack and hoping for someone to pull down a mark or at worst force a stoppage
  
• Goals from dodgey frees
• I feel I am able to take my parochial glasses off and talk about umpires from a relatively neutral position. St Kilda kicked 9 goals and I can say that at least four of them were a direct result of dodgey free kicks. They didn't work hard for them at all. You cannot touch Nick Riewoldt because he must be considered a protected species. He's the new Matthew Lloyd where the slightest graze of his jumper results in a whistle and a free kick.
  
• The Pink Ladies
• I arrived to see the pink silhouette on the field. It was a sight to behold. I'm usually a bit adverse to the colour pink but for this cause it is ok to wear pink. For my game we wore pink armbands while another team in my comp had pink jerseys made. It's a big deal as it is hard to find someone that hasn't been in some way affected by breast cancer.

Eddie Jones a Traitor??

Sunday Telegraph Sports Columnist, Cameron Bell, read my mind yesterday in his reaction to Eddie Jones being labeled a traitor by some players and fans.


Eddie Jones is a Rugby Coach. He wishes to make it his career to coach at the highest level. Unfortunately there are only so many opportunities available in this country. To coach at a decent level in Australia you are probably limited to five head coaching positions. That is the national job and the four provincial teams in the Super 14 competition. Eddie Jones has had a go at three of them to varying degrees of success.

Jones coached the ACT Brumbies to their first ever title in 2001. On the back of that success he obtained the national job and came close to winning the 2003 World Cup. He was sacked at the end of 2005 despite having two years to run on his contract. After spending time at Saracens in England he came back to coach the Queensland Reds in 2007 but was unable to finish the season and was 'relieved of his position' prior to the disastrous season's end, despite having two years to run on his contract, again.

I think Eddie Jones has given enough to Australian Rugby. He is unlikely to coach here again, more by personal choice it appears but also all positions are full. Yet now he is being lambasted by some idiots who must be so selfish that they take the success he brought to the Wallabies yet when he wants to move on with his career they won't let him hear the end of it (eg David Campese).

It's a different story if Jones is holding a grudge and that is his motivation to coach in South Africa. I don't believe he is one to hold a grudge. I take him at his word when he says he has moved on and just wants to continue his coaching career.

It's time then for the Campese's of Australian Rugby to move on also.

Beware The Haka

This comes from Blondie - Saturday's a Rugby Day via Katy Corey - Steel City Experiment. Be careful next time you put a batch in the oven.




Probably not as funny as the Handbag Haka, also from Blondie

The New Coach Phenomenon

How come all of a sudden teams start winning after the demise of their previous coach and is replace by a fresh faced caretaker??

The prime example in Brad Fittler with the Roosters in the NRL. Under Chris Anderson the Rooster could win to save their lives. Everything they touched turned to mud. Then Anderson succumbs to health issues and relinquishes the position. Since the Fittler has led the Roosters to three wins in a row and they are on a new lease of life.

So what is it that makes the players start performing to their potential? It might be a reflection on Chris Anderson's coaching but I'm not too sure about that, although I do think he was a bit past it and shouldn't have put his hand up for the job in the first place.

Rather it's as if the players take it as boot up the bum because they are usually somewhat responsible for they sacking or early resignation of a coach. A reality check that says he's lost his job, if I don't start performing then I could be next.

Watch the Bombers now that Kevin Sheedy won't be coached past this year. They will play above themselves as they want to send him off on a high.

Coaching Merry-Go-Round

It's been quite a few years since we had a bunch of coaches being sacked or resign in such quick succession. To re cap we have had:

• Neale Daniher resign from Melbourne, replaced by Mark Riley
  
• Chris Connelly resign from Fremantle, replaced by Mark Harvey
• Denis Pagan sacked by Carlton, replaced by Brett Ratten
• Kevin Sheedy not having contract renewed at Essendon, but will see out the rest of the season

I don't think Denis Pagan will coach again as his reputation has been somewhat tarnished. Kevin Sheedy may coach again but I see him moving on to bigger and better things. AFL CEO, Andrew Demetriou has already sounded him out as been the driving force of promoting the game internationally, a task I'm guessing Sheedy would jump at.

Daniher has been widely tipped for the vacant job at Essendon being a former player and favourite son, while Connelly is less heavily backed to go to his old club, Melbourne. There was talk at some stage that Daniher and Connelly might do a direct swap.

One this is for sure, there are openings for new senior coaching aspirants. Whether it is a current assistant such as Mark Harvey, Chris Bond, Peter Sumich, Guy McKenna amongst others, or if it is a straight out playing coaching newby such as Michael Voss and Nathan Buckley. Whatever the case may be it will be a talking point until all positions are filled which will be no earlier than October.

Get used to the endless banter and speculation.

Wings Clipped

About a month ago I was tentatively predicting a West Coast demise. Surely now even the strongest of supporters must be worried.

A near 100 point loss could have been so much more if Port Adelaide had kicked straighter.

I caught most of the last quarter and it looked like one of those day when nothing worked. As if they were in quicksand, they more they fought the deeper they got. Even Premiership player, Adam Selwood, was making uncharacteristic errors. One in the forth quarter led directly to a simple Port goal.

Yes, the Eagles are undermanned having only 26 players to choose from, this is a real test of their depth. Chris Judd played but was still hampered by a groin complaint and had little impact on the match.

A trend I have noticed though is that teams bounce back from big losses while the winners are usually a bit flat the next week. So guess who the Eagles are playing this week?

mmmm.... dammit it's my team, Sydney, and it's played at Subiaco. Maybe we'll be the setters of a new trend.

They've Done It Again

Perennial under performers. Oozing in potential yet producing little. That is how I would describe our national soccer team, The Socceroos.

It's hard to believe that they were favourites for the Asian Cup, as they face relegation after the group stage if they don't give Thailand a belting tomorrow.

People are already starting to point the finger. The Media is closely scrutinizing the Coach, Graham Arnold. While Arnold is doubting the players' commitment to playing in this tournament for their country.

The situation isn't helped by opposition teams having the dive and tumble down to a fine art. All you need to do is scrape their jersey and they are down and it isn't surprising anymore to see a stretcher to come out for these sissies. However, it is successful in frustrating the Aussies and it takes their mind off the game.

I only flicked on a get a score update for the Iraq game. Once when I switched on I saw 1 - 0 Iraq leading, and I thought he we go again. Later it was 1 - 1 and my mindset was a bit more positive, perhaps they have finally clicked. One more scorecheck found my positivity to be ill placed as it blew out to 3 - 1 Iraq's way.

It will be a long time before I could be bothered to watch a game again.

Anderson Quits

Chris Anderson has just quit as Sydney Roosters coach citing health reasons.

If health reasons are prohibiting him from finishing this season then he shouldn't have taken the job in the first place. If my memory serves me correctly he had issues with his heart while on tour with the Kangaroos, to the point of collapsing suddenly.

If you have problems with the ticker then it would be advisable not to start coaching a team that is struggling, as it will always be a difficult task and will put more strain on your health. It is hard enough with a healthy body to be a successful coach. Finally Anderson has come to the realisation that it is a job for a younger person. Luckily for him that Brad Fittler is waiting in the wings.

So I guess good on Anderson for finally seeing what is most important in life and giving the game away.

Rugby On A Rise

Rugby is starting to get more exciting as it leads in to their World Cup in France.

The Tri Nations series is a even as it ever has been with Australia only just nudging clear after a win against the second graders from South Africa.

We have had a few lean years in Australian Rugby since the end of the Eddie Jones era. For a while it felt like this new era would bring endless experimentation with little in the way of results. John Connelly was adamant about trying players out of position and about giving new players a go, even to extent of starting George Gregan on the bench. We're not used to seeing him trot out in jersey 20 or whatever it was.

But now it appears that things are starting to click at the perfect time. Our confidence is up after a win over New Zealand and the World Cup is around the corner. All we need now is stability in the starting lineup and injury free key players.

Soccer Beefs

I really tried to show some persistence in Australia's Asian Cup debut, but when the game is 90% dull, 8% interesting and 2 % exciting I'm going to want to flick channels occasionally. Then I flick back from CSI and someone has scored. In this case it was the Oman team which made the game more interesting as it would have been slightly embarrassing for the Socceroos to lose their opening game, considering they are the favourites to win the whole show.

The Socceroos seem to under perform when it is most needed. I'm talking mainly of previous World Cup playoffs against Iran and the first time we played Uruguay as I think we all know what happened the most time we played them. Having everything to play for but not matching the importance of the game with their intensity or desperation.

They were lucky to get away with a draw against Oman. Some might say it was some Tim Cahill brilliance. Rather it was a lucky deflection that planted the ball at Cahill's right foot ready to strike at a relatively open goal.

Next time I'll try and watch more and maybe, just maybe I'll catch a goal or two live.

Dropped The Hall

The Sydney Swans have resorted to dropping spearhead Barry Hall for the next game or two. He could probably have been dropped for form alone but it did seem obvious that he wasn't as fit as he should be. A mid season wake up call could mean he will come back and absolutely run rings around any opposing player. It may also act as a motivator to the rest of the team who may have been in the mindset that Barry will make it happen. Without him everyone else needs to lift otherwise they will be the next to be dropped. I am sure that the layers know this and are pumped for a big game against league leaders Geelong. It will be a tough ask traveling down there, a ground that Geelong has made into a fearful fortress. I think the job might be too huge but I am still hopeful. A good show here could still be a turning point in our season to make a run for the finals.

Also dropped for this week is Adam Schneider and Heath Grundy. They make way for Nick Davis, Jarred Moore and debutant Matt Laidlaw. Good luck to the young fella it will sure be a huge welcome to the big league. Good on Roos for backing the youngster in the crunch game.

Gower Treason

So Craig Gower is planning to not only to switch codes, but also to switch countries. No big deal right? Well not necessarily. A lot of people would agree that this would be a good move for him after all the dramas he has had from the media this year. However, he went on radio proclaiming that he isn't going anywhere, instead he will see out his current contract with the Panthers. That was Sunday with 2gb's Continuous Call Team. By Tuesday Gower has changed his tune and he is now heading to France to play Rugby. His decision to seek a release is exacerbated by the release of emerging five-eighth, Peter Wallace, to the Broncos. Now the Panthers have no halves combination and have to start from scratch. That could take years to develop a tight unit in the play making division. They have unproven players there at the moment, some of whom must take this opportunity to step up and show how good they are. St George recruit, Richie Williams, would be a prime candidate. Unfortunately I see some tough years ahead for the Panthers and their supporters.

I Can't Take It

I must be the worst at watching my own team when the chips are down.

Saturday night Vs Collingwood was one of the worst games I have seen the Swans play. Coinciding with one of the biggest blown opportunities I have ever seen. A win would have pulled Sydney up to forth, while a loss has left them crowded back in the pack with all the other final eight aspirants.

I think what gets me the most is that after watching a game like that on TV I feel like I have just wasted a Saturday night where I could have been more productive. It's different being at the game because the crowd can make even a poor game somewhat enjoyable.

I need to turn off and get away from it just for my own sanity. I check in every now and then, if things have improved I might stick around, otherwise I continue with other pursuits.

I can be very philosophical after a loss. Pretty much all the losses we have had this season we have deserved to lose. We are no longer the team of 2005, we had a small window of opportunity and we took it and I am grateful for that opportunity to celebrate a premiership. At least I can say that my team won a grand final in my lifetime. Not all supporters can say that.

I don't think I could be called a sook by walking away from the TV. I don't go off and sulk (what a sook would do). Rather, I go and do other things that are a better use of that time. Why potentially sacrifice mental health just for the sake of it?

Of course if my team completes a magical comeback to win I would be disappointed to have missed it. Unfortunately though, this year has brought more horrible losses than miraculous comebacks (eg Semi Final 2005 Vs Geelong), so I have felt justified in my absence.

Now that the game is officially over I can now publish this post.

New Wallabies Jersey

Our nation Rugby teams has just unveiled the jersey they will be wearing in their quest to take their third world cup.

The Peter Parker inspired creation of suppliers Canterbury has brought mixed reaction, and it is only early days.

It features rubber web like inserts around the shoulders meant for grip in the scrum. They called it a "one percenter".

To me the best Wallabies jersey was from the Nick Farr Jones (left) led team that won in 1991. Plain gold with a green collar, green shorts and green and gold socks. Then Reebok came along and tried to mess with it (right). Is this just a case of another clothing manufacturer taking science two far? Or should we be more accepting of jersey innovations? After all, it's just laundry. If you can't play then the most scientifically enhanced jersey is not going to help. Sometime I would just like the jersey to be left alone as most of the time older versions look better than newer fancier creations.

Changing Mid Stream

I have never liked seeing players signing with other clubs before the season is out. The most recent examples of signings have been:

• Craig Wing from Sydney Roosters to Souths
• Joel Clinton from Penrith to Brisbane
• Peter Wallace from Penrith to Brisbane
• Mark O'Meley from Canterbury to Sydney Roosters

I can only speak from personal experience here. I played with Baulkham Hills juniors in the Sydney AFL for five years. Midway through my last season in U/18's I knew I wasn't going to be there the next year. My performance dropped as my heart wasn't at the club anymore, it was already looking forward to the next year with a new club.

I can't see how these footballers are able to put in their all when there is no future for them at that club. What if things aren't to well? How do team mates react to the one who is going elsewhere, jumping ship it may be called.

Penrith have dealt with this in a way by dropping Wallace to reserve grade and promoting their latest recruit Richie Williams from St George.

That's the other thing. I have never seen so many players change clubs mid season and play first grade straight away. Granted there have only been 2 or 3 but previously I have never seen any, so that a 200% + increase on previous years.

Aussie Footy in Scotland

Courtesy of The Winning Zone is a write up about the development of Aussie Rules in Scotland. Described by World Footy News as "one of the best write-ups of Australian footy you are likely to see in international media." You are also able to, "find out more on the excellent work of the SARFL in not only growing the game, but in achieving real progress for some of Scotland's youth."

Dollars On His Mind

The Daily Telegraph today reports that the Broncos Warhorse, Petero Civoniceva, has been "axed". Of course this just means that he has not renewed his contract past this season. The headline is mellowed even further when they add that he rejected the Broncos first offer. Instead he will upwards of $400,000 a season in the English Super League. Civoniceva is reportedly "shattered by the reality that this would be his last season at the club." He's shattered yet he rejected their offer. You can't do that and expect to get away with it. I'm sure he is already on good money and was offered something similar to extend his time with the Broncos. But he saw dollar sign and a healthy retirement.

You could say how sad it is that there seems to be no room for loyalty in sport any more. But on the flipside, if Civoniceva had a big enough sense of loyalty he would have taken whatever the Broncos were offering.

So don't shattered Petero. You wanted dollars, now you will get them by the pound.

Just A Tad Premature

Two months ago I proclaimed I was on the bunny bandwagon. I still believe they on on the up and up but right now the are stagnating. They have found it difficult to score points, and we all know how important they are if you want to win a match of anything.

At their height there was uproar at Nathan Merritt's omission from the City Rep side. He drew the race card and was told that if he just keeps doing what he has been doing he will be noticed by selectors. Well guess what? He hasn't done jack all since, not an addition of one single try. That is why he wasn't selected, nothing to do with the fact he is aboriginal. His consistency and work rate is the issue.

Jason Taylor is a genius, but perhaps we all have to be a bit more patient with the bunnies, especially the players.

Origin Series Loss

While I am disappointed that New South Wales lost the series tonight, I am able to look at the loss philosophically and say that we probably didn't deserve to win.

There was a lot of ordinary in the play from both teams where only one or two players proved the difference. Cameron Smith was that difference along with playmaker Johnathon Thurstan. Their awareness around the rucks created the go forward and made plenty of easy metres up the guts.

No one really stood out as playing badly in the New South Wales team. There were just plenty who were very unspectacular. Braith Anasta disappeared, I don't think he took a kick for the whole game. Jamie Lyon proved that he didn't really deserve his place with a lacklustre performance. Brett Kimmorley while working very hard lacked flair in attack. As a result they never looked like breaking the Queensland line. Their only try was a soft dive from dummy half.

I don't think the selectors will make wholesale changes for game three, despite a few not really showing they deserve it. Not even Jarrod Mullen, even though he is the next big thing in rugby league. Let him start afresh next year with a brand new series.

Now for the dead rubber which arguably shouldn't be played now that the series is won. The players say they are playing for pride. It needs to be more than that for clubs to potentially lose their star players for the business end of the season.

West Coast Demise?

On Friday night I witnessed the last quarter and a half of the the Essendon v West Coast match. West Coast squandered a 30 point margin to somehow only lose by 1 point. Where's the fight that won them the grand final last year and almost win the year before? Is their steely resolve showing some chinks in the armour?

Chris Judd is their superstar but unfortunately he can't break a pack and then drill a 50m pass to himself. It's just not physically possible, although with Judd you never say never about anything. Daniel Kerr has gone missing too frequently in recent games and their forward line is still lacking firepower now that they have to work a lot harder to score their goals.

Essendon beating both grand finalists by 1 point in consecutive weeks. Surely that hasn't been done very often. One for the statisticians to check out. I'm not disappointed to see West Coast have a downer but after Essendon beat my team by a point I wasn't too keen on seeing their winners jubilation again. Although I think having the Eagles in a bit of a slump outweighs any Bomber resurgence.

Geelong should win today and knock them off their perch. Is it preemptive to suggest a slide out of the top eight?

Supporting Laundry

You could say that we’re not really supporting players just the clothing that they wear.

Tony Lockett

Famous for winning a match off his own boot for St Kilda. This is despite being down by about 50 pts at three quarter time. It was one of the greatest comebacks in St Kilda’s history. Big Plugger also didn’t hold back when dealing with the hard-core supporters at the Members End, giving them a verbal spray after putting St Kilda in front nearing the end of the game.

Infamous for one of the ugliest incidents ever seen on the SCG. Swans player, Peter Caven, was leading towards the ball about to take a mark. That was until Lockett’s elbow connected with Caven’s face and he was out for the count with multiple fractures to his face not a mention a massive bought of concussion. Lockett for his trouble received an 8-week suspension.

Tony Lockett came to Sydney in 1995 and led the revival of the AFL in Sydney by kicking tonnes (100 goals in a season) in multiple seasons. He was a star winning the Coleman Medal in 1996 and 1998. An All Australian in 1995 and 1996. He kicked the match winning point in the 1996 Preliminary Final against Essendon to gain entry into the Grand Final. He then went on to kick 6 goals in the losing Grand Final against North Melbourne.

Wayne Schwass

I remember him having a cheap shot at Swan Troy Luff in the 1996 Grand Final. I took and immediate dislike to him and of North Melbourne.

Schwass came to Sydney via a trade at the end of 1997. He went on to play some of his finest games. His damaging left foot penetrated into the forward line.

Peter “Spida” Everitt

I always found him gregarious, arrogant and a big show off with the way he did his hair and the significant ink work that he has had done. Also he managed to rip apart games due to his height and radar like accuracy in front of goal.

He ‘finally’ joined Sydney via a trade at the end of last year with Hawthorn. The move is starting to pay dividends as Spida’s dominance has led to two good victories in consecutive weeks against finals fanciers Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.


I didn’t like all three players. That was before they whacked on the red and white. All of a sudden they look like better people. They were never really bad people in the first place, but their sins were definitely forgiven. Especially when they became match winners for the right team.

On The Bunny Bandwagon

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have changed their fortunes in a short space of time. They have a renewed enthusiasm, they are winning, and as a result they have captured the imagination of a lot of Rugby League supporters.

I am an AFL fan primarily, and in the League I am an Eels supporter. But I am firmly jumping on the Bunnies Bandwagon for 07 and perhaps beyond. They will be my second team, as I can’t conscionably desert my first team, the Eels. I may even buy the jersey of my new second favourite Rugby League team if they are cheap enough at Peter Wynn’s.

A few things led to their turn around:

• Rusty and Holmes a court taking over – amid lots of controversy, instigated mainly by the archaic previous administration who were still stuck on the dark ages
• Getting Jason Taylor as coach – should be at Parra but they made the stupid decision to sign their new coach before last season started. Since they signed Michael Hagan, the then current coach Brian Smith quit the club and Jason Taylor took over as caretaker coach. The Eels came from nowhere to almost make the finals. A lot of the credit for this revival went to Jason Taylor
• Signing some big names – Roy Asotasi, David Kidwell, David Peachey, Dean Widders, Jeremy Smith
• Keeping their young stars – John Sutton, Joe Williams, Nathan Merritt
• Getting them decked out in Armani suits – it has to feel good to be in a good quality suit
• Booting the Bunny cheerleaders – in its place comes a drumming ensemble that I haven’t yet experienced for myself.

However, the Bunny’s now have a tough few weeks ahead of them after they came back to earth with a thud courtesy of the awakening of the slow starting Bulldogs. It will definitely be a test of their mettle. This week they come up against a Knights team in moarning over the sudden end to the career of Andrew Johns. I suspect it will be hard to get on top of a team inspired to give their all for their former captain.

Swans Fanaticism

Yes, it’s true. I am a Sydney Swans Tragic. There, I have admitted it. It truly dawned on me last year when I gathered all my Swans merchandise together and realised that I have enough to clothe a small nation.

It all started back in 1993 when my mum wouldn’t let me play Rugby League (back then I was a Parramatta Eels tragic). I was small and not very tough. It was feared that I could get severely injured if I pursued playing this sport. Mum actually had some grounds for her concerns after a summer training clinic at Wenty Magpies as an 8 year old. She was also turned off by the mothers club on the sideline who were either smoking, yelling, or both.

The first game I watched was Sydney Vs Melbourne at the SCG in 1993. Unknown by me was the fact that Sydney were on a year long losing streak and Melbourne were one of the form teams of the competition. Dad bought me my first Swans jersey at that game (which I still have) and a 10 goal haul by Richard Osborne led to an emphatic Swans win and mass hysteria after breaking the losing streak. I guess I was hooked from then on.

The Super League dramas came at a time when I was just starting to get into the Swans, soon after my first game. It killed off any passion I may have had for League at the time. Plus Parramatta weren’t going too well at the time anyway.

It’s a struggle being the only fan of any AFL team in your whole school, and when your team loses, everyone wants a piece of you. Some people were so predictable. When the Swans lost this one person would always seek me out and ask the same question, “What happened to the Swans eh?” Of course he was expecting me to get worked up about the loss and get all emotional but instead I responded with, “They lost.” I never heard from him again, until their next lost.

Then came the year of the bandwagon, 1996. Suddenly it became cool and fashionable to support the Swans. (Some of you probably know what I think about things being fashionable). The season started ominously under new coach Rodney Eade (now coaching the Western Bulldogs), losing the first 3 games by healthy margins. Somehow it turned around and we had a lengthy winning streak. This was foreign to us and we had it in the back of our heads that we could go all the way. It was the fairytale story without the fairytale ending. The Swans made the Grand Final against North Melbourne whom we had beaten by 70+ points earlier in the year. Dad had somehow secured a package deal to get us to watch the grand final. He said it cost an arm and a leg. I never asked how much I actually cost, I don’t want to know. In the end we lost by about 40 points. Back at school, “What happened to the Swans eh??” “They lost” I replied for the last time.

So I have been a fan ever since. For about 6 years Dad and me were season ticket holders and would go to a least 10 games each season.

Sydney is a team that, in the space of a game, will give you hope and lose a game or make you lose hope and win a game. If dad were as big a fan as I am then he would have died of a heart attack already.

These days I’m more philosophical about a loss. I still feel depressed but it’s nowhere near as long as when I was a young teenager, and a loss doesn’t involve tears anymore. However I think that if we had lost the 2005 grand final on the siren then the tears would have made an appearance.

Most people don’t understand, saying that it’s “only a game.” To those people it is hard to explain. I say, come to the footy and see what all the excitement is about. Come and see what keeps thousands of people on the edge of their seats for over 2 hours. Come to the footy.