Roar Rookie
Joined July 2013
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"What a team. That culture the bloods, thats what it's all about." (Bruce McAvaney)
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That’s what so many Victorians do not understand. They think it a disadvantage for a player to move to Sydney, Brisbane or the Gold Coast, away from the proverbial football fishbowls in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Why would Kurty want to leave the glittering lights of Radelaide? What’s in Sydney for Buddy they ask.
For most players it allows them the opportunity of playing football without the intense scrutiny and pressure that the fishbowl provides. In Lachie Whitfield’s case, if he was not homesick then why on earth would he want to leave?
No.1 pick Whitfield happy Sydney is home
She will be remembered as a one slam wonder that is all. That slam she won was courtesy of perhaps the easiest draw in Grand Slam history. In winning the 2013 Wimbledon title Bartoli beat Elina Svitolina, Christina McHale, Camila Giorgi, Karin Knapp, Sloane Stephens before making the final four. In the Semis she played and beat the one and only Kirsten Flipkens. And in the final she faced another big name in German Sabine Lisicki. Sure it’s true you can only beat who you are drawn to play, and Bartoli was very fortunate with her draw.
If I understand correctly, the reason Bartoli has retired is because she feels tired and she has been dealing with some niggling injuries. Is she not a professional sportsperson? I think in 5 years she will seriously regret the decision she has just made. History remembers those with longevity. Those who work hard over many years to achieve success. It does not remember one slam wonders who give up with little more than a yelp.
How will Marion Bartoli be remembered?
Letting Huddlestone, Dempsey, Livermore and potentially Bale go will put a major strain on the midfield depth. But at the end of the day the chances of Spurs competing for top 4 this season will be decided when the transfer window closes. If they have Bale they will be successfull. If they do not have him, they will not be. It’s quite simple really.
2013/14 EPL season preview: Tottenham Hotspur
The first thing to note is that the percentage between the Swans and Freo will only come into play if the Swans win their remaining 3 matches. As this would appear extremely unlikely, Freo will almost certainly finish above the Swans.
Secondly, the Swans are now likely to finish in 5th position given the draws of those sides vying for the all important top 4 berth. If we discount Essendon, given their current predicament and awful form over the last few rounds, there are 3 sides trying to finish 4th. Sydney will secure this spot if they win 2 of their last 3 rounds. But as 2 of the these games are against Geelong and Hawthorn it is more likely they will win only one. Therefore, if either Pies or Tigers can win their remaining 3 games they would leapfrog the Swans into 4th. As Collingwood play Hawthorn this weekend, this task becomes difficult for them. Richmond, however could realistically win all remaining games and finish with the double chance.
Whatever the scenario, the final 3 rounds promise to be fascinating viewing. As we all know, it is almost impossible to win a flag from outside the top 4.
What the Swans' loss and Dockers' victory will mean for the rest of the season
As Matt correctly outlines, the 9.8% Cost of Living Allowance is applied to the entire list of players at the Swans. That means that Kurt Tippett will receive the same percentage as Tony Armstrong when the COLA is applied to their contracts. It is not the case that the Swans can stockpile this allowance and go try and hook big fish in in the trading sea, as has been suggested by some ill-informed souls including Eddie McGuire.
Therefore, for those who feel the need to make comment on issues that they have a lack of knowledge and or understanding on, PLEASE stop it.
Swans' premiership defence starts now
It’s true there are many similarities between the 2012 and 2013 swans. One thing that is in stark contrast however, is the number of injuries they have had leading into a finals campaign. In the past few seasons, they have been extremely fortunate with their injury list. This year however, they have Goodes, Jetta, Reid, LRT and Johnson all injured and unlikely to return before the finals if at all this year. Granted, the young players have performed very well and taken their opportunities, however finals football will expose their lack of experience and will ultimately prove the difference between the 2012 and 2013 Swans.
Some happy deja vu for Swans fans
Put Cameron in the West Coast Forward line and he would have already clinched the Coleman.
The stats you have quoted are overall stats. If you have more opportunities then obviously your statistics will reflect this. There is no question that Cameron’s statistics, given the limited opportunities afforded to him playing for a side that doesnt kick many goals, are far more impressive than those of Kennedy.
Young guns should be in AFL All-Australian contention
Whilst i agree that both Cameron and Wingard should be selected, i believe all those picked should be selected in the position they have played for the majority of the year.
If you do not believe that Cameron, for example, can beat Kennedy for the Full Forward position then he does not deserve to be picked in the side. The All Australian side should consist of the best player in each position on the ground. If you are the second best Full Forward, then you should not be selected anywhere in the side (Other than perhaps the interchange).
The midfield selection is going to be particularly tough. But i hope it wont be the case that some of the quality midfielders that do not make the midfield group of the AA side and not shuffled to forward pocket just to fit them in somewhere.
Personally, i think Cameron deserves to be selected ahead of Kennedy in any case. His statistics are remarkable this season.
Young guns should be in AFL All-Australian contention
In professional sport, clubs, players and officials are always going to be seeking a competitive advantage. The AFL is certainly not unique in having to deal with these types of issues. Take cycling as a timely example. Athletes and officials are always looking to push the boundaries of cheating and this would continue even in the presence of “a set of legal an ethical standards.”
It is the job of the AFL, working closely with the likes of ASADA and WADA, to implement appropriate strategies and sanctions, that will act as both general and specific deterrents to those looking for this unfair advantage. This involves the establishment of integrity panels’, increasing investigators and audits and improving drug testing programs. It is up to the sporting organisation to continue to try and stay one step ahead of those who are pushing the envelope and when they are caught out, appropriate penalties must be enforced. The AFL have done a fair job in that respect.
The Melbourne Demons were fined $500,000 for their tanking but not officially tanking episode, a significant penalty for a club in poor financial shape. Similarly, the Adelaide crows penalty was severe, given the nature of the Salary cap breach was relatively minor. Still, the AFL needs to ensure its sanctions are penalising the right people. In the Kurt Tippett example, Tippett was suspended for 11 matches for his role in the breach. Yet this sanction did not penalise Kurt Tippett or the Adelaide Crows. Rather, it penalised the Sydney Swans who were an independent third party, who had no involvement whatsoever in the Salary Cap rorting. The Swans were still paying Tippett in accordance with his contract, which undoubtedly would have made the money hungry Kurt quite happy, yet the Swans did not have his services of playing football for half a season.
As for the Essendon debacle, one can only hope that appropriate penalties are handed out. As James Hird said last night, “it will never happen again.” Hopefully he is right.
AFL on the borderline of disaster
Was it Australia’s Fault that they no longer had any reviews remaining and could not review the Broad decision? Absolutely. But surely the DRS was implemented to overturn fundamentally incorrectly decisions. In this example, the operation of the system clearly fails. The technology is available, the umpire has made a clear howler and yet the decision stands.
What needs to be prevented is players referring 50/50 lbw decisions and the like. Is this ball just clipping the stumps? Did the batsman hit the ball a millisecond before it hit his pad? Is there the faintest dot on hotspot? I’m more than happy for those decisions to be made solely by the on-field umpires. You know that DRS is fundamentally flawed when these decisions are being referred and often overturned and instances like the Broad dismissal cannot be referred as insufficient challenges remain.
How technology is making on-field officials obsolete
Given that the Swans are a chance of securing a Top 4 spot is remarkable given their injured players. Imagine replacing Cunningham, White, Brandon Jack, Lamb, Everitt, Rampe with currently injured players, Goodes, Reid, Jetta, McGlynn, LRT, Mattner, Shaw, Rohan, Johnson. The Swans at full strength would surely not “fly under the radar”?
Sydney close in on top-two AFL spot
The most important aspect that must be considered is the unique nature of the Sydney sporting market. Central to this, is the fact that Sydney is spoilt for choice when it comes to sporting teams to support. What cannot be questioned is that, rightly or wrongly, the Sydney sporting fan loves a winner. If you are a team struggling to win you are also struggling to attract support in the most competitive sporting market in the country. That is why it took the Swans a couple of decades to establish a strong foothold within the market. However, since appearing in the 1996 Grand Final, the Swans have been far more competitive, and as a result the club has gradually increased its following. The Swans have in excess of 35,000 members and this figure is rising each and every season the Swans are performing strongly.
Patience is the key with the GWS Giants. They have an extremely strong, developing list the envy of most development and recruiting managers across the AFL. But success will not happen overnight. When it does happen, interest in the so called “Battle of the Bridge” will intensify. The instant success of the West Sydney Wanderers in the A- League makes for an interesting comparison. Unlike the Giants, the Wanderers have attracted record members and an extraordinary following in just their first season and this is directly linked to their on field performances. Had the Giants made the AFL Grand Final in their first couple of seasons would they have in excess of 11,000 members and attract more than 6000 people to a home game? Of course. When the on field success happens, and it will happen, the Sydney Derby will indeed improve and everyone that questioned the decision to expand AFL into Sydneys west will be eating their words. After all the Sydney sporting market is a strange beast.
What can be done to improve the Sydney derby?
Ben Reid- has been highly successful as a forward and defender this season.
Jarrad Mcveigh- perhaps the most important positional change of any player this season. Moved from an inside midfielder to a hard running half back.
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The longer that the Freo song does not make the list, the more credibility is lost on this set of articles. Freo next please!
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