Collingwood players celebrate on the final siren of the AFL 1st Semi Final between the Collingwood Magpies and the Adelaide Crows at the MCG. Slattery Images
Despite the fact that you have a winner with momentum facing a loser who is at risk of going out in straight-sets, the ladder has stayed true to form leaving the top four sides of the year to contest the AFL’s Preliminary Finals.
As good as the Lions were last week, they were ordinary this week; and vice versa for the Western Bulldogs.
The Crows were unlucky and will regret not putting Collingwood away when they had the chance. All in all there was some nice symmetry to the end given how the Round One match between the two ended.
Swallowing the Whistle
The free kick to John Anthony wasn’t unusual in the sense that it was a free kick, but that it was paid. Umpires don’t tend to pay free kicks like that in that stage of the game. People can quote clichés such as it’s a free kick all day every day but that isn’t how reality always works.
Ben Rutten was tired and exhausted and most likely this contributed to his poor decision making. The punch would have been a better option but given that the Pies only needed a point to draw, who knows what would have happened after that?
Judd Makes a Hash of It
Chris Judd should have noted what Matthew Lloyd did with his charge the week before. Lloyd took the early plea and thus killed the story then and there. Judd fought the charge and lost, thus earning an extra week in the process.
He then appealed the judgement and lost that as well. In turn, he gave the story many more days of fuel then it needed. The need to protest his innocence backfired and the longer the ordeal went, the sillier he looked.
Lloyd’s incident may have been far worse and he received a longer suspension than Judd, but he won the PR war.
Western Bulldogs vs St Kilda
Just the third final between these two Melbourne clubs. Bulldogs won in 1961 on the way to their one and only flag. The second encounter was in 1992. This should have been the 1997 Grand Final but the Bulldogs were over-run by the Crows.
Anyway it is impossible to see the Bulldogs winning here. It has already lost twice to St Kilda in 2009 and that combined with its historically poor record in big finals makes it hard to see the Saints being defeated.
As for the Saints, it’s not just all year they have been waiting for this but a number of years. They have lost three Preliminary Finals in the last five years.
They are ready to take the next step and will. Their third Grand Final in the last 50 years awaits.
Geelong vs Collingwood
The winner of this match will join the Lions as the only sides to play in three Grand Finals in the new decade/century/millennium.
Collingwood is the only team to have appeared in more than one Grand Final over that time and not to have won one. These two played an epic Preliminary Final in 2007 which Geelong just won.
The question is how much gas do the Pies have left in the tank after the fantastic win against the Crows?
Collingwood – St Kilda would make a fantastic Grand Final but Geelong – St Kilda is going to make an even better one. Sorry Magpies fans but you are left to be the bridesmaids once again.
Ben Somerford
Guest
Good luck with your Bullies this weekend, Pip. I think they'll need alot to go their way to get past the Saints, but you never know.
drewster
Roar Pro
Can't wait for the weekend! for these matches. What a pity the Bullies and Saints are playing each other. From a Non Supporters point of view this would have made a classic Grand Final as Both sides Have been waiting a Long Time for a Chance to win the Cup. Good to read I'm not the only one who thought Judd should have copped it sweet! They should have given him another week for making all of us revisit the incident twice.
Nam Turk
Guest
The Collingwood favoritism came at the end of the third quarter, not the end of the game.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Kurt correct on all counts - except in fairness to David, he was simply stating that it's common to see the ump put the whistle away in the last few hectic minutes when the game is as tight as that - which is true - both the final two free kicks were clear cut - but I guess the fact that Tippett had just had one made it easier to give the other one!!
Pippinu
Roar Guru
No doubt that the bullies are up against it against the Saints, but they have a couple of things that might swing it their way: 1. if Tom Wlliams returns from injury, despite lacking match fitness and big game experience, he might be put straight back into the team meaning two big bodies in the backline to look after Riewoldt and Kossie. 2. look over the past 15 years and you will see that at least one prelim goes right down to the wire nearly ever season - if the bullies can stick with the Saints till the last quarter, they'll give themselves a chance of finishing strongly. 3. a few blokes who returned to the team late in the season, like Daniel Cross, will now be fully match fit, and with the team having almost zero injury problems, the bullies will just about field their best team for the season. The History lessons in relation to both teams are interesting. They both have only one premiership each, so that tells you plenty. The Bullies have an atrocious overall finals record - having only 13 of some 50 finals games in 85 seasons. However, curiously, they have won 2 of 2 finals against St KIlda. Back in 1992, despite the bullies finishing higher, many had tipped the twin towers of Lowe/Lockett to be too strong for the then named Footscray. But on a sunny day in Waverley, with Lowe completely nullified, Footscray ran out convincing winners.
Kurt
Guest
Firstly let me say that as a sane and decent human being I hate Collingwood. Completely despise them. But suggesting that the umpire should have 'swallowed his whistle' for the Anthony free kick is absolutely ridiculous. Rutten virtually had him a wrestling hold and if it hadn't been paid then the umpire concerned should realistically have been sacked and sued for malpractice.