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