Geelong should give them a flogging for their troubles.

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.

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!!

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.”

Perhaps for the AFL – he’s a better ‘ambassador’ for a ‘win-win’ relationship staying now full time in Ireland.

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!!

It’s very curious now whether he’ll return to Sydney or not.

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.

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.

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.).

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.

I have no idea what time the delayed telecast finished ,but suspect that like me,
many potential viewers were already asleep..