By Pippinu -
September 20th 2009 @ 2:07am
Get a Roar profile
2
Loading ...View The Roar's top AFL writers.
AFL Tipping now live on The Roar. Join now.
Love new art, fashion, music? Check out Aussie site which unearths all things cool and creative.
Related coverage
The Saints go marchin’ in
The Saints followed the form guide last Friday night by overcoming a brave Bulldogs team to make their first Grand Final since 1997.
In the last article I wrote on the AFL finals, where I looked at the likely source of goals for each finals team, I placed the Saints and Bullies at the opposite ends [...]
This article is over 2000 days old and has been trimmed.
Get Australia's best AFL opinion emailed daily.
Like this content? Buzz it up!
Free Email updates:
Our daily emails are only sent if there is content for the sport or that author. You can subscribe to multiple daily emails; or get the daily Roar email with all our content in it. We value privacy. More...
(17)
onside said | September 20th 2009 @ 6:59am | Report comment
At 8.47 pm, the delayed telecast in QLD started when the ball was bounced
At 8.50 pm , just three minutes later,it was HALFTIME at the game in Melbourne.
Fox Sports showed the scores ;Western Bulldogs 31 were leading ST Kilda 24.
I have no idea what time the delayed telecast finished ,but suspect that like me,
many potential viewers were already asleep..
Pippinu said | September 20th 2009 @ 7:54am | Report comment
This five minute clip shows all the goals of the second half:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BOoa4oouDI
All four of Riewoldt’s goals came during the 2nd half, including two from strong contested marks. Goals also flowed from where he has brought the ball to the deck, either from himself or a smaller forward.
The Bullie’s last two goals of the 3rd quarter, to wrest back the lead momentarily, were both from deep in the pockets, both very good goals, but it’s indicative of the game that the Bullies were constantly forced out wide going forward.
prowling panther said | September 20th 2009 @ 9:27pm | Report comment
lol I thought this was rleague where the saints are definetly not marching in
Norm said | September 20th 2009 @ 9:34pm | Report comment
good greif prowler pippy boy will have apoplexy with you thinking his was a rugby league story. But you’re right the RL saints are not marching anywhere and I’m delighted about that.
Pippinu said | September 20th 2009 @ 10:16pm | Report comment
No worries – all welcome – I’m quite catholic that way.
LK said | September 21st 2009 @ 7:58am | Report comment
I think the good news for the Bullies is one BBBHall for third round draft pick. Lock it in!
Michael C said | September 21st 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
The doggies needed to do more in the first half, but, alas, in the 2nd qtr, Geelong got goals as a consequence of ‘turn overs’ or plays initiated via soft free kicks.
The Saints certainly benefitted on that front,
and poor old Ben Hudson in the boundary ruck contests got NOTHING!! (even with about 2 mins to go – - – he had Kings?? arm around his neck over the shoulder and got nothing……a free there to the doggies and we might at least have been looking at extra time.
All that said – - we have the Grand Final we wanted for the first 14 weeks of this year at very least.
Collingwood were forced to go 2 qtrs more than they had in the tank, the Crows and Doggies each had at least half a game left in them, Geelong and St Kilda probably have more left in the tank than anyone else anyway – - – and that no doubt comes back to their list management from about round 15 on. Top end ‘tanking’……why aren’t the betting agencies jumping up and down about that?? (why….because, ‘tanking’ IS list management.).
Pippinu said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:35am | Report comment
The rub of the green definitely went St Kilda’s way.
For mine, St KIlda does not have the spread of talent and strength that Geelong has.
If Geelong’s on target (which they weren’t last year), they will win.
Michael C said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:46am | Report comment
St Kilda were able to ’stifle’ the Doggies forward structures, and effectively absorb the ball control of the doggies in the first half. Going in at half time as close as they were – StKilda couldn’t have been happier given the trend of play.
StKilda will have to be a heck of a lot more ‘pro-active’ against Geelong.
The weather of course will be the major x-factor now.
15° and a chance of hail and thunder storm/showers – - – it could be a ‘very’ hotly contested wet weather day of footy. The Saints of course, under the roof at their home ground – - don’t have to deal with that too often. The Cats down at Geelong, have much more dodgey weather experience. Although, they tend still to ‘over use’ the ball and under GF pressure from the Sainters – - -it may all balance out.
Should be a cracker. I’d love the Saints to break their 43 year drought, then we can focus on getting B.Hall to the Kennel and break an even longer drought….after which North will win 2 from 3!!
Pippinu said | September 21st 2009 @ 9:52am | Report comment
A bit off topic – but I’ve just heard the news that Tadhg Kennelly has helped Kerry to beat Cork in Gaelic football’s All-Ireland final.
Tadhg scored twice (overs).
This makes him the first person to have ever won bith an AFL premiership and an All-Ireland final, which is a great achievement.
Michael C said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:39am | Report comment
It’s very nice for Kennelly.
It’s very curious now whether he’ll return to Sydney or not.
Pippinu said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:49am | Report comment
It opens up the door for Tadhg to return, but The Age yesterday was quoting him talking about just how tough it is on the body to get through an AFL season – he’s about to turn 29, which isn’t too old, but if he’s worrying about the impact on his body (which is fair enough), he might decide to see how out the rest of his career as an amateur.
Michael C said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:57am | Report comment
Yeah, exactly – - he’s achieved the ultimate at both – - and he’s back home with his family. It’d only be for the money that he’d want to come back and risk further shoulder trouble.
Perhaps for the AFL – he’s a better ‘ambassador’ for a ‘win-win’ relationship staying now full time in Ireland.
Art Sapphire said | September 21st 2009 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
Pip – The Bulldogs were the better team on the day yet they lost. They were robbed. Just say it. You don’t have any problem thinking up conspiracies in regards to Melbourne Victory. Yet what happened to the Bulldogs is scandalous.
As a Bulldogs fan you should be fulminating with RAGE. What happened?? Have you been given tranquilisers or anti-depressants. Why don’t you say it – The umps cost you the game!!
The Bulldogs were on the receiving end of many more incorrect decisions and non-decisions.
St Kilda, were just lucky. They play dour Catenaccio AFL style, where they soak up pressure and then are lucky to have Riewoldt at the other end.
I just heard ex-Bulldogs president Nick Columb on SEN during my lunch break and he called the umpiring decision that handed Riewoldt a goal, before the ball was bounced to start the 2nd half, an absolute disgrace. In a low scoring game where momentum is pivotal, this was a turing point. Riewoldt played for the free and he got it.
It looks like the AFL got the final they wanted.
To finish –
According to Mr Akermanis – In The Age today.
“Saint forward played for free after umpire warning: Akermanis”
JASON Akermanis has said St Kilda’s forwards took advantage of an umpire’s warning given to Western Bulldogs defenders about manhandling their St Kilda opponents off the ball during Friday night’s preliminary final.
The Bulldog veteran suggested that because St Kilda’s forwards overheard the edict they were able to capitalise by falling to the ground when they might otherwise have kept their feet.
Akermanis made the link between the mid-match warning and the contentious free kick that Nick Riewoldt received at the beginning of the third term.
Riewoldt was awarded a free kick in front of goal after Brian Lake was judged to have been over-zealous in some contact he made with the Saints’ skipper just as the third term began.
The Saints went on to win the hard-fought contest by seven points to book themselves a spot in the grand final. Riewoldt was best on ground with four second-half goals.
”Dale [Morris] told me that the umpire had come to them, and him, and said ‘if you bump him [Riewoldt] and he falls over I’m going to pay a free … and Morris was saying that they [the Saints forwards] heard that,” Akermanis told Channel Ten’s Before the Game on Saturday night.
”I can tell you, I was up the other end and the St Kilda guys, as soon as you went to run, they punched you in the face or in the chest, or hit you from behind. None of our guys dive and we never got any free kicks.”
Akermanis lamented that the Bulldogs’ forwards had not overheard the same message and therefore attempted to take advantage of it.
”I’m just spewing he [Morris] told me after the game,” he said.”
Pippinu said | September 21st 2009 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
Art
St Kilda got the rub of the green.
But at the end of the day – we could only manufacture 7 goals – Arch nearly scored that many off his own boot a few years back!!
Art Sapphire said | September 21st 2009 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
If you had Riewoldt – you would have won by 5 goals. Simple as that.
Another point – I have never seen so many tired players at the end of a game of AFL.
The players were absolutely flogged. There is no romance in the StKilda method.
Pippinu said | September 21st 2009 @ 5:08pm | Report comment
Agreed.
Geelong should give them a flogging for their troubles.