Crawford Should Have Gone Out On Top

Shane Crawford has decided to go another year after coming down from the high of a premiership win.

I feel he has made a mistake as next year holds no guarantees for his fitness for starters, as well as Hawthorn's ability to maintain the momentum gained from this season.

Every player would love to go out a winner on Grand Final Day. Crawford had the chance to do that and he has potentially thrown away a great opportunity. Next year he could realistically succumb to a season ending injury half way through the season. 34 is not an old man by life expectancy standards, but it is old by professional sporting standards. An old body at this level, the way the game is played these days, is more susceptible to injury.

I wish him well for next season as he has been a great player for Hawthorn.

The NRL Grand Final

Manly 40 defeated Melbourne 0

Pre Game Entertainment
I really enjoyed the entertainment. For a grand final you really need bands that can rock it out, and you can't get much better than The Living End and Jon Stevens fro Noiseworks. It was very colourful with groups of dancers representing all 16 teams. The fireworks for The Living End was absolutely amazing.

Amazing to see a navy helicopter land on the middle of the field. Such a great display of precision control in the cockpit.

First Half
very tight, could have gone either way at any time. Israel Folau was proving damaging on the right side. He was just so hard to tackle. Manly got the only 2 tries in the first half. Both were very fortuitous.

Second Half
No one saw that coming. Expecting to see Melbourne fight back hard. Instead Manly had their measure and put on consecutive tries in quick time. I was flabagasted yet happy for Manly and all their fans that surrounded us.

Presentation
I thought Matt Orford would have won the Churchill Medal, but I have no qualms about the eventual winner.

Kevin Rudd was there but he always looks out of his depth when he is attending sporting events. He managed to get the obligatory boo's for political leaders.

Beaver Fever
Probably the main reason for supporting Manly. I loved watching him play, especially at State of Origin level. He was always very reliable and versatile. A player that definately deserved to go out on a high.

More Factors To Consider

Poor crowd at Sydney's ANZ Stadium for the Elimination Final - almost 20,000, the worst since the 1920's.

Some like Tony Jones and Billy Brownless on Ch 9's Wide World of Sport would suggest that the AFL should be very worried about by this when they are trying to plant a new team in Sydney's west. This sounds like a very Victorian thing to say as they still want to keep the game to themselves. Any additional team from outside Victoria takes the game further and further away from Victorian domination.

I acknowledge that 20,000 is an ordinary attendance figure, but don't simply blame the fans.

How about these other factors:

• We had two of the worst days for ages in regards to rain
• Sydney limped into the finals with other results helping us in a big way
• Economic situation can't be discounted - whether it be real or perceived
• North Melbourne is not a big drawcard - even in Melbourne

Last but not least......

• The non existent promotion from the AFL - let's face it, there are too many things to do in Sydney to go to something that no one knows is on.

Spreading The Word

Some pessimists say why waste money spreading the word when teams can play to packed crowds in Australia. This was especially the case when Adelaide and Collingwood played a pre season game in the United Arab Emirates. What a waste they would say, 50,000 would have shown up to watch the match at the MCG or AAMI Stadium.

I think it is great that other countries are grasping onto our game as it is truly the best game in the world. But by not having an international presence we also run the risk of being swallowed by the only truly international football code - Soccer.

Not many would know that we actually have an International Cup in Australian Rules Football. In fact 16 countries will be competing.


The best part being that these teams are made up completely of players from the country they represent. These are home grown footy players. Not Aussie expats as is the case in alot of overseas competitions.

Keep an eye on World Footy News for updates on matches throughout the tournament.

Rugby League In Crisis

You know that something must be going on when the NRL Footy Show talks seriously about their sport for one and a half hours with few ad breaks.

It was stated that the SBW exodus will be a catalyst for change. A change that has been long overdue. What those changes will be is hard to say. At the moment everyone seems to be willing to pass the responsibility for change into the hands of NRL CEO David Gallop. A job that no one wants as the drastic measures that may need to be taken would include a reduction in teams and the relocation of others.

The ramifications could be huge. I'm not the best fan of league as I got into AFL in a big way after the Super League war of the mid 90's. But i know for sure that if the Parramatta Eels were to disappear from the competition that my interest in League will become non existent. I'm sure there's more die hard Eels supporters that would do the same. Take away their team and the game just doesn't do it for them anymore.

Couldn't Do A Thing Right

Picture this:

You're playing a team that you should beat, but instead of enjoying a fine display of skill and ability you end up wincing at every turnover, grimacing at every mark inside fifty dropped, and possibly the hardest to watch, the shots at goal that hit the post - oh the pain.

It was so bad that there was an exciting game of Rugby on another channel. It gave me some relief and a much needed boost to the spirits as the Wallabies got up.

The Swans just couldn't do a thing right. Adelaide are one of the most injury depleted teams yet we couldn't:

• Get in front position in marking contests
• Be first to the ball when it was on the ground
• String cleans possessions together consistently
• Give defensive pressure in our forward line
• Create run in our backline
• Kick straight at goal (I've never seen so many posters in one game by one team, must have been at least 6)

It's hard to determine where we will go from here on in. If we play like that there's no doubt we will slide. Although that is where we deserve to be, on that performance we shouldn't even be forth. It was inept, and just after I give Collingwood a bake as well

Some Things Never Change

Why on earth does Collingwood even bother convincing people that they are contenders for a Premiership?

They have one good win when they dominated Sydney at ANZ Stadium and then they think they are all that. But of course, subsequent losses to North Melbourne and Essendon mean they will remain as filler for the top 8.

How anyone can lose to Essendon with the state they are in is beyond me. But, yet Collingwood find a way. Not only was it a loss, it was a comprehensive loss.

A message to Collingwood - Stop pretending to be taken seriously

NRL Caught Napping

Blacktown City Council is building a stadium in the Olympic Park Precinct. Local rugby league clubs are now disgusted by move, taking their disappointment out on the Council. Rooty Hill Dragons club secretary, Don Milides, was quoted in the Daily Telegraph,

“They are building up another code while letting down a code that has supported them for years.

Anger that is misguided if you are to take the word of Blacktown Mayor, Leo Kelly.

"They (NRL) have been sitting on their hands," Kelly said. "A lot of the supporters like the old traditional teams like Balmain and Western Suburbs have switched codes and are now following AFL, strangely enough. We've had negotiations with them (NRL). They've retreated to their north shore bunker and we are waiting for them to come back."

So while the bleeding hearts of “Rugby League Heartland” bleat and moan about an AFL infiltration, their ruling body continues to be caught “sitting on its hands.”

Bloody Queenslanders!!!!

Somehow they always manage to steal a try from nothing, a little dummy and a simple pass and Billy Slater is in with 10 minutes to go. We just never looked likely of crossing their line. Some comment.

• If Nate Myles' spear tackle on Ben Cross is not worthy of a send off then we shall never see another send off ever in the game of Rugby League. Tony Archer left his manhood in the change rooms at half time because that was time for him to make a big call. The stage was set, the worst tackle I have seen in a long time, a blue, only for things to cool down and Archer weakly crosses his arms to say it is on report. I think that if Cross had stayed down with serious neck damage then the result may have been different.
• I thought Mick Crocker had a hard head, it takes a lot to rattle him. But he got rattled tonight by the oblique spheriod in projectile motion. As in not an opposition player but the ball as it left Mitchell Pearce's boot. Surely to be the only thing amusing from a NSW point of view.
• Too many NSW players did not perform. I am referring to Jarryd Hayne, Joel Monaghan, Braith Anasta. Wake up fella if you want to be there next year.
• Tries from kicks, a huge beef of mine. What is declared highly skillful in Rugby League is regulation in my main game of Aussie Rules. Anyone can jump over a stationary opposition player. What is skillful in League is being able to move the ball through the hands and bamboozle defensive lines. Pearce and Anasta just didn't have it and resorted to kicking the ball to the wings where well protected Queenslanders such as Slater, Inglis and Folau caught with ease and advanced in metres.
• Only after Queensland scored with 10 minutes to go did NSW finally decide to throw the ball around a bit in an effort to score. But it was all too little too late.

Doing It Too Comfortably

Round 12
Sydney 14.18.102 def St Kilda 9.13.67

Round 13
Sydney 17.12.114 def Melbourne 11.8.74

For the last two games I have been impressed with my team's performances. Although I have a slight fear that it has been just a bit too easily. Even though both teams challenged at some stage during each game the Swans were comfortable throughout.

I am slightly worried because playing comfortably won't be enough against the likes of Colingwood, Hawthorn, Adelaide and Geelong. All teams that we have to play in the second half of the season on the run to the finals.

Collingwood and Adelaide are considered "bogey sides" for us as well, so it will take an extra special effort to overcome the opposition in those games.

Although all my worrying could end up to be ill founded and the Swans could rise to the challenge and come into the finals full of momentum.