St Kilda’s Leigh Montagna and Simon Black of the Brisbane Lions contest the ball during the AFL Indigenous Round 09 match between the St Kilda Saints and the Brisbane Lions at the Docklands Stadium. Slattery Images
No many people gave either Brisbane or the Western Bulldogs hope of toppling St Kilda and Geelong. Both played great football and could have won their respective matches.
St Kilda and Geelong supporters will be breathing a side of relief but if it could happen in a Round 9 match – how much more so could an upset happen in the finals? Both teams only know this too well.
Up and Down Swans
Swans haven’t really done much of note in 2009 but with their 55 point win over Port they jumped all the way from 10th spot up into 5th. They are in the position where they can now consolidate a spot in the top four.
They aren’t the same side they were five years ago but if they click, they are capable of producing some quality football; football which is also pleasing to the eye.
Eagles Wings Clipped
The old sparring partner of the Swans doesn’t seem to be faring too well. At 3-6, the Eagles are not flying high.
A struggling Collingwood was able to come to Perth and take the points. Injuries have hurt the 2006 Premiers who will be looking to still try and salvage something from their season. It doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Melbourne this week to take on Carlton. Playing on Friday night, this would be an opportune time for the team to make a statement.
Hall of Fame
There appears to be something not right with the way the AFL does the Hall of Fame. Why not do it like they do with baseball in the States? Have an election. Announce the results of the election. This would allow excitement to build until the induction. Then have the induction ceremony.
To have the ceremony late on a Thursday nights mean the whole thing can come and go without people having any clue who was inducted. The process isn’t public enough which isn’t probably why the public hasn’t fully embraced it.
Another long week comes to an end
Terry Wallace is probably wondering how many of these weeks he has to endure.
If the fall-out from the Carlton or Melbourne games wasn’t enough, what he had to go through last week was sheer insanity. He has probably never before looked forward to going across the other side of the country as much as he is this week. A loss to the Dockers would leave the Tigers at 1-9.
Surreal to think that a season which promised so much, fell off the rails so quickly. Hindsight is a great thing but not sure that it would even help you with this mess.
David Wiseman
Roar Guru
Redb I - When the Swans are on, they are as good as anyone in the competition. The classic example is the final quarter of the 2005 Preliminary Final against St Kilda. They were just unstoppable. Stick breaks the heart of many a Swans fan to see the Schneiderman having added Black to the Red and White. Pippinu I - They definitely played well. Bulldogs are one of the best teams when its comes to playing a dominant side. That underdog streak has always been a strong part of its culture. Michael C I - The Swans seem to match up well at the Power at the SCG. Not so much the game when the Power kicked a goal after the siren or the one when Paul Kelly did his knee. Redb II - Wide open? Anyone other than Geelong and St Kilda? This could be the classic year when as long as you make it into the 8, anything is possible thereafter.... Pippinu II - There is a lot of congestion die to there being two clear cut top side and two clear cut bottom sides. The other 12 teams are left to fight it out. Michael C II - Will be interesting to see how the Swans fare against Collingwood. They are Collingwood's bunny in the same way that Collingwood are Carltons and Carlton are Sydneys. Go figure!!
Michael C
Guest
The old sparring partner of the Swans doesn’t seem to be faring too well. At 3-6, the Eagles are not flying high. it shows just how much of a classic 8 point game that was. Two weeks on and one team is a couple of wins from being almost a certainty for finals (the Swans) whilst the Eagles are under pressure needing to win 4 of next 6 to have any realistic chance to go in to end first 15 rounds a 7-8. Looking at both sides next 6 - Syd has WBG, Hawth, Coll (H), Adel, NM (H), and Ess (H). From 5-4, can the Swans pinch 3 of those and go in 8-7 after 15? WCE has Carl, Geel (H), Rich, Haw (H), Melb and StK (H). Can they scrounge 4 from that lot? Reality for the EAgles is their 3 easiest opponents are all on the road. If they can get up to beat Carlton (on the rebound but minus Waite), Melb and Rich - then, they need only 1 home win against the big 3 of Geel, Haw and StK. "only"!!! Swans - have 2 toughies coming up in Melb, the next 4 are winnable, although, the Crows - you never know what you'll get there! (apparently even they rediscovered some flair this week and Kurt Tippett looks to be slowly coming good).
Pippinu
Roar Guru
From memory, 3rd to 8th are on 5 wins, and 9th to 14th on 4 wins - I think it has been a long time since we've had a ladder that looked like that.
Redb
Roar Guru
Pip, We'll take the flag over a perfect record any day, just ask Geelong after 2008. Great game by the Bullies, showed if it bleeds you can kill it. This year is wide open in many respects. Redb
Michael C
Guest
Hall of Fame is interesting. It seems buried away and IS buried away. I think a lot of people kinda like it that way. For now. BUt, I'd think, it's firmly enough established now - that they can let it out of the closet. The Swans were astounding, and letting loose. Having fun of their own. All the talk beforehand was about D.Motlops party tricks and out come Grundy and Jolly taking to the air etc etc. As you say, Redb, very much like Essendon at present. i.e. Playing footy like they want to be there and enjoying it!!!! Woohoo, the return of the 'flair'. In the code wars - this is the biggest weapon I reckon that the codes have. The flair and excitement. i.e. the party tricks permitted in the field of play. On which point (I had to segway somehow), on Ch.9 yesterday they had a nice little profile piece on Israel Folau (Air israel or whatever they call him). Anyway - - it's ironic that they get excited NOW about someone doing this 'AFL' move that he had to go to Melbourne to learn how to do. It at least is recognition that secretly, those NRL guys DO admire the high flying in the AFL. (hmm, Issie, he's a natural and OTHERWISE this ability/talent would have been 'wasted' - any chance of GC17 signing him up as a convert??)
Pippinu
Roar Guru
How good was that last quarter between Geelong and the Bullies - I was so proud of my boys - Geelong are immeasurable better across the board, but we kept coming, tried to match it physically, and almost pulled off the win of the decade (well, the best win since the Bullies stopped Essendon's run in 2000). :)
Redb
Roar Guru
DW, Had to laugh re the Sydney media finally picking up what a lot of AFL fans of other clubs have known for awhile about Sydn'e scrappy boring playing style. Here's a quote from the SMH: "Before yesterday's clash with Port Adelaide, deep in the bowels of the SCG there must have been 22 footballers sitting there intently listening to Paul Roos. Moments later, they ran on to the ground, did exactly what he had told them with remarkable precision, and suddenly the question was being asked: Who was this team and what had they done with the Swans? At least for a quarter, it was like watching Geelong playing in red and white. Entertaining, free-flowing, precise football" You can now substitute Essendon for Geelong, except maybe the precise bit from time to time. Redb