When Do You Turn Off the Porch Light?

At what stage of the footy season do you, as a supporter, start to panic? When do you get that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach that your team isn’t up to it? That despite all of the bravado and positive words coming out of the press conferences of your team, you know that for you the long cold winter of disappointment has begun? If like me you are a Collingwood supporter, that tends to happen pretty early on, but in 2018 there are already a number of teams in a lot worse position, and their plans for the season ahead are looking mightily worrisome given we have only just clicked over into April. Perhaps there is still some daylight out there for them, but some supporters are almost at the stage of turning off the porch light and closing the front door on their respective footy seasons. 

Given the even competition that the AFL has again thrust upon us, there is no room for bad losses, even if it is against the better teams. Eighteen months ago the Western Bulldogs were on top of the world, Premiers of the game and with a bright few years ahead of the club. After two games of this season’s competition, their supporters must be wondering what has happened. They capitulated to GWS in round one in Canberra, and last weekend did so again at home against West Coast. They weren’t just losses, they were floggings. This week they come up against an Essendon side that will be hell bent on finding retribution for their own collapse against Fremantle. Recovering from this start will take every ounce of mongrel the Dogs have in them. 

Carlton fought hard against Richmond in round one, but their defeat to Gold Coast in round two leaves them again on the precipice. No one except Magpies and Blues supporters now cares too much about their match this Friday, but with both teams 0-2, the loser will be under enormous scrutiny in the eyes of the media and their fans. 

St Kilda has been mentioned in top eight discussions, but they were abysmal against North on ‘Bad Friday’ and will need to regroup quickly if they are to reignite their season. 

For all these teams, a successful season is quickly sinking into the mire, and only an immediate turnaround can stop that. Sydney may have made the finals last season after a 0-6 start, but none of these sides have the talent that the Sydney team had. 

The two teams that most had pencilled in for finals in the NRL in 2018 were the Eels and the Raiders. The Eels were being spoken of in some circles as premiership material. After four rounds, one wonders now how either team can find a way to win a game. Injuries haven’t helped either club, but poor defence and on field decisions have hurt them more. 

After 20 minutes of their first round match against the Panthers, the Eels led 14-0. They have since conceded 122 points while scoring only 24 in losing all four games. Meanwhile, the Raiders lost their first three matches after leading into the final five minutes in each of them, only to fall at the final hurdle as their opponents came over the top of them. Again it is early in the season, but turning around the defensive woes of both of these clubs to become finals contenders again would be a massive achievement. 

The Bulldogs haven’t been much better. The player and coach reshuffle is no doubt a work in progress, but one wonders if the coach wants the players his club bought. The Broncos and Storm appear vulnerable now that both have lost their halfbacks to other clubs, whereas those clubs seem to be travelling along nicely as a result. 

In some instances it is too early to tell whether or not the dream of a finals place or even a premiership is already in ruins. For those clubs mentioned above however, that nauseous feeling will be evident for their supporters as they head to their games this weekend, knowing that another loss will add further nails to their coffin in 2018.

AFL Prediction 2018

Fearful AFL Predictions 2018.
1. Adelaide
2. Sydney
3. Geelong
4. GWS
5. Port Adelaide
6. Hawthorn
7. Richmond
8. St Kilda
9. Essendon
10. Collingwood
11. West Coast
12. Western Bulldogs
13. Melbourne
14. Fremantle
15. Brisbane
16. Gold Coast
17. North Melbourne
18. Carlton#AFL

— Bill Peters (@westkiama) March 15, 2018

AFL Finals Preview Week Two

GEELONG vs SYDNEY

Whoever loses tonight, its a disappointing season for 2017. Geelong hasn't always been the best looking team, but when you finish second after the preliminary rounds you don't expect to go out in straight sets. That's what faces them tonight. The final quarter collapse last week against Richmond for some reason has eliminated the fact that they were well within striking distance at three quarter time in a low scoring match. The coach will have them primed to start well this week. Sydney, last season's grand finalist, has recovered from 0-6 to get to this point and only lost to Hawthorn since that streak. Theirs has been a remarkable recovery, but if they were to lose this week they will feel it has been a lost season when they should have achieved more. The big danger for the Swans is that their streak has to end eventually and perhaps fate has decreed this is the time.
Much will revolve around Buddy Franklin and Pat Dangerfield. Franklin lit up the second quarter last week against Essendon, and Dangerfield's absence from the fourth quarter last week for Geelong revealed much. So who has the advantage? Sydney's amazing form, or Geelong's second placing. If this was at Kardinia Park Geelong would have the better advantage. Being at the MCG, perhaps it plays into the Swans hands. Honestly, toss a coin and go from there.
Geelong by 6.

GWS vs WEST COAST

Last week's matches revealed the current form of these two combatants. GWS was overwhelmed by Adelaide in their final, beaten by a better team full of confidence. The Giants have not had a good back half of the season, and have struggled to dominate teams they would feel they should have. On the other hand, West Coast overcame Adelaide in the final round, and against the odds, after the siren in extra time, found a way to get past Port Adelaide in a cracking match. Having to travel two weeks in a row may be draining, but the euphoria of those two victories, and the memory of having pushed GWS all the way in their match at Spotless only a few weeks ago will give the Eagles great belief they can push their season even further.
One wonders what influence the ins and outs for both teams will have. The veterans Sam Mitchell and Drew Petrie know how to win finals, while GWS have lost Shane Mumford and Jeremy Cameron for the season. The return of Steve Johnson for his last hurrah will be a benefit, but the Giants must get find a way to get their running game operating if they are to progress. The alarm bells are ringing for Giants supporters, and if the Eagles can get a lead of substance the pressure on the Giants may bring back bad memories of last September.
West Coast by 4

AFL Finals Preview Week One

For what it is worth, here are my thoughts on the AFL finals starting tonight.

ADELAIDE vs GWS

The Crows have shown some vulnerable holes in the closing weeks of the preliminary rounds, giving up a 50 point lead to Collingwood before drawing the game on the bell at the MCG, and losing at home to Sydney despite a massive free kick advantage, before losing in the final round to West Coast in Perth. The week off might be the best thing that happened to them. GWS aren’t the same team as last year when they entered the finals with momentum. The thrashing at the hands of Geelong was preceded by hard fought and unconvincing wins over West Coast and Fremantle at home. They also would have appreciated the week off. If GWS was to get up and defeat the minor premiers in front of 50,000 crazy fans at Adelaide Oval it would be one of the upsets of the season. 

Adelaide by 24.

GEELONG vs RICHMOND

Will they get 90,000 to this match at the MCG? It deserves that kind of crowd. Geelong have been anything but title contenders this season, and yet finished second by rights of their thrashing of the young gun GWS team. They’ve had gritty victories over Collingwood and the Tigers as well as being belted by Sydney. Richmond is riding a wave of emotion and their supporter base is baying for victory. They’ve won six of their last seven matches, only losing in the clash with their semi-final opponents. If the game is anything like their last encounter, it will be close if nothing else. Richmond will never have a better chance to progress to a preliminary final, while Geelong will be driven by Pat Dangerfield to the final siren. Perhaps the match result lays in his hands. 

Geelong by 16.

SYDNEY vs ESSENDON

If John Worsfold isn’t high on the list of candidates for Coach of the Year there is something wrong. What he has done with Essendon over the last two years is nothing short of a miracle. They lost by a point to Sydney in Round 14 at the SCG. Since then they have played only one team that finished in the top eight, a loss to Adelaide. Sydney’s run is well documented, losing their first six games, and losing only two others after that. They are twice the team at the SCG than they are anywhere else, and they have had a mixture of hard and soft games leading in. You can praise Essendon’s toughness to get here, and they won’t lie down in a final, but if they win this match it would be a bigger boilover than Gold Coast making the finals next season. 

Sydney by 30.

PORT ADELAIDE vs WEST COAST

There may not be a harder fought game this weekend than this clash. Port won their last three games after being obliterated in the Derby Game, and also won the clash against West Coast at Domain in Round 16 by a handy margin. They’ve had a couple of great escapes this season, and if Boak, Gray and Ryder are on song they can be dominant. West Coast had to do it the hard way to get here, but while they just can’t seem to get the job done in Melbourne have proven they can win in Adelaide. How effective their elder statesmen can be may well be the deciding factor. 

Port Adelaide by 6.

Hird

On a day when the AFL announced the richest TV deal in the history of Australian sport - $2.5 billion if you don't mind - the Essendon football club finally took the decision that should have been made over two years ago, when it announced that James Hird was no longer the senior coach of the club. It should have gone further, but these things never go as far as they should when they should.
At the press conference, the two quotes that amused me the most were the following:

James Hird: "Club Chairman Paul Little and I agreed the club would never be free of the ASADA saga as long as I was head coach".

Paul Little: "The outcome will provide the players and the club the benefit of a fresh start and a clean slate".

Well, tally-ho boys, jolly good show and pip-pip for good thinking. No one would ever have thought of that.

Said no one ever.

There was some rubbish that came out of that press conference yesterday, and no doubt we were all meant to believe every single word.

Seriously. James Hird's statement was certainly true, but it was true two years ago as well, when Hird refused to step down as coach and Little and his board instead gave him a year's paid holiday away from the club in the hope everything could be resolved and/or swept under the carpet. The fact that nothing has changed in any respect to do with the WADA investigation really means that the removal of Hird from the coaching position cannot be related to that - if in fact Hird resigned and was not sacked as they would have us believe. From everything that has happened over this time period, it appears unlikely that Hird finally conceded and resigned, having gone so long refusing to do so. Surely he was sacked, but took the offer of 'resigning' to keep the face of the club clean.

And then Paul Little's statement. Well, a fresh start and a clean slate could have occurred two years ago if they had sacked Hird as coach and installed Mark Thompson (or anyone else) at that time. Then Hird would have been out of the loop of the media, and the same 'fresh start and clean slate' would have happened at that time, rather than two years later. It may not have improved the performances of the team this year, but at least their proactivity at that time would have been noted.

The players may well feel for Hird, and may well have wanted him to stay on as coach. They may have felt that he was the one man who was standing up for them and fighting for their position and future over the ASADA and then WADA investigations. All of those things may be true, but they miss the point of the initial breaking of this story so long ago. The point is that Hird had a Duty Of Car to the players, and that simply didn't happen under his watch, and he therefore had to be held accountable. It has taken two and a half years to have that acted upon.

Little should also have resigned yesterday, and completed the rout. The board's handling of this almost from day one has been abysmal, and not without some justification given the enormous circumstances and difficulty in dealing with individuals involved and how to approach a guilty or not guilty verdict in the long term. But tougher decisions needed to be made well before this point in time, and that has been observed all the way through, not just with hindsight. This day was always going to arrive, and the longer it has taken, the longer this has dragged on.

It won't be over yet, until WADA brings down its verdict, but the Essendon club could not afford to go into 2016 with the same people in charge of its team and risk losing yet another season to the mire of the drugs scandal, of which rightly or wrongly James Hird has been the face of. Both Hird and Little were correct in their statements, but it was the three lost seasons caused by their delay that has brought this to a head to day in order to save the future seasons.

Sport's Appeal Lacking Lustre

Sport hasn't been doing it for me lately, I can guarantee you that. If it's not bad enough that our cricketers have been completely blown away by a team the so-called experts believed were in tatters, the winter side of things isn't helping much either.

The AFL has come tumbling down again, leaving me with another finals series which means I won't have to worry about my blood pressure, but without a vested interest. Collingwood again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, leading by 9 points in the final term against Sydney at the S.C.G, but unable to convert the chances they had to hold onto the game. It was their seventh loss in eight games, but in all of those they have been competitive against better opposition. It is obvious that they a lot of good kids coming through, but they just aren't at the level of these higher teams at the moment. Letting that game go on Friday night was a disappointment though. The Magpies had to win to make the finals, and their chances are now gone. So too are the likely finals aspirations of the Giants, who stayed with Port Adelaide until midway through the fourth quarter before being finished off. GWS still have an outside chance of making the playoffs, but will have to win all three of their finals games against Sydney, Carlton and Melbourne to do it, and hope other results go their way. After next weekend it probably won't matter.

The NRL hasn't mattered for some time. The Dragons loss to Brisbane has them walking a finals tightrope and possibly allowing Manly a lifeline, while the Eels played another 40 minute game on Saturday, leading the Roosters 18-4 at half time only to lose 28-18. The Eels lurch from disaster to disaster off the field, with Will Hopoate now taking them to court over 3rd party payments. Unless this is all solved ridiculously quickly, any progress the Eels have made in the past season and a half will be for nothing. Somehow the club has to deal with the ridiculous deals the previous board negotiated over the past three seasons, and clear out any misconception about their recruiting and payments. It should be done league-wide, but the Eels need to rid their club of the descending fog this is creating.

Once again, entirely predictably, the Wallabies failed to lift the Bledisloe Cup after falling to defeat at Eden Park (once again). The All Blacks rejoice for retaining the trophy for the 13th consecutive year - but really, what chance do you have to try and take it off the holders? With only two games being played each season, you only have to win your game at home to be assured of retaining the Cup. In the good old days you had the chance of a three Test series - all in your own country - to win the Bledisloe Cup. Now it is so heavily in favour of the holders that it becomes a task too far. Of course, this rule will probably only be changed if Australia ever happen to win the Cup back.

AFL Finals Picture Almost Complete

With four rounds to go in this season's AFL, it appears that the finals teams are pretty much set in stone (though the three teams on the periphery would like to think otherwise), with only the final positions and home finals set to be confirmed over the final rounds.

Fremantle's superb season has seen them now shoot ten points clear at the top of the table, surely ensuring the minor premiership is theirs. Their dominance will not only give them two home finals, but also should rule out any travel away from their home base during the finals series until the Grand Final should they progress. While the Melbourne-based contenders will continue to believe they can take the Dockers once the pressure games begin, Fremantle by virtue of their previous grand final experience must now be considered the favourite for the flag.

2nd placed West Coast have a tough run home, and their two point buffer over Hawthorn is likely to be tested. Facing Fremantle at home, Western Bulldogs at home, Adelaide away and then St Kilda at home, they will likely need to win at least three of those games to finish in second place. Hawthorn face nemesis side Geelong, but then Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Carlton, and would be likely to win all four of those matches. A betting man would think that the Hawks will finish second and get the home final against the Eagles, setting up a probable Dockers vs Eagles preliminary final, which would bust the seams of Patterson Stadium. Hawthorn would then get a likely prelim against the fourth placed team.

That fourth place is being fought between four teams, with percentage a real chance of playing a role in the final spot. Season surprise packet the Western Bulldogs face Melbourne, West Coast, North Melbourne and Brisbane, and while they should win against the two lower ranked teams, it will be the matches against West Coast in Perth and North Melbourne that will ultimately decide their fate. Their major opponents for the fourth spot is Sydney, who should defeat all of their four opponents in Collingwood, GWS, St Kilda and Gold Coast. On this basis you would expect Sydney to finish in fourth, setting up a huge clash with Fremantle in the first week of the finals.

North Melbourne face St Kilda, Fremantle, and Western Bulldogs and Richmond face Gold Coast, Collingwood and Essendon before they both meet in the final round. North Melbourne are the most vulnerable team here. While they may be eyeing an unlikely fourth spot, they could also quite easily miss out on the finals altogether if they were to lose two or more of those last four games.

The final spot in the eight is also open, though most likely to be fought out between Geelong and Adelaide. Geelong has Hawthorn, St Kilda and Collingwood, while Adelaide faces Essendon, Brisbane and West Coast, before these two as well play each other in the final round, in a match that on paper looks as though it will be the match to decide the final team in the finals.

For GWS, the dream to play finals football would likely take four victories in succession, and relying on both Geelong and Adelaide to lose at least one of their matches. It's a tough ask but not an impossible one, given they have Port Adelaide away, then the Swans at home, Carlton at home and Melbourne away. What appears more likely is that they will fall one win short of a maiden finals appearance, still a more than commendable achievement. Collingwood are a further game back, and would have to rely on two losses each by Geelong and Adelaide, and one loss for GWS, while winning all four of their matches against Sydney, Richmond, Geelong and Essendon. Not really even in the possible column that one.

The remaining teams are playing for pride after seasons that vary from average to ordinary to abysmal. No doubt the planning for 2016 has already begun in most of those teams, and players could well be fighting for their careers over the next four weeks. Certainly some coaches will be. 

The Goodes, The Bad and The Ugly Side of Barracking

The past week has seen a media blitz explosion over the continued booing by AFL crowds of Adam Goodes, the varied interpretations of what lies behind these actions, and debate over those interpretations from all corners of the general public up to the so-called leaders of the land. And the opinions have been many and varied, stretching from those that believe it is a racist action and must be dealt with accordingly, to those that believe it has nothing to do with racism at all but is more about the actions of the man himself, and that he has brought it all on himself. Yikes.

Opinions have been noted. None of this is good. It should never have escalated to this point. And this week has really polarised rather than brought together those opinions. There is a big fence there separating two sides of the debate, and neither appears willing to adjust their field of vision. At the risk of sounding wishy-washy and of sitting on that big fence, there must be a little give and take in the minds of both sides, whether or not it is seen rightly or wrongly.

Those out there who say it has EVERYTHING to do with racism are not doing the argument much justice. Crowds at sports events who bond together to take on a collective disgruntlement in booing one player are generally boofheads with the collective IQ of a plastic cup full of beer. Goodes has been outspoken on a number of issues, some of which would go right over the top of the head of the mug footy supporter, and he is also seen as a player who has taken the opportunity to play for free kicks in the game if it arises. This kind of behaviour will always rile up opposition crowds, especially when at their home venue. When this kind of thing catches on with the football fraternity, it can catch like wildfire, and the initial reason behind the protest is forgotten - all that is remembered is that other crowds booed him, so we will too, but louder and longer! This is not meant to be seen as an excuse, but somewhat of a possible explanation for the continued rising of this phenomenon.

Those out there who say it has NOTHING to do with racism are just as blind and out of touch. Goodes has made his stand in recent years on many issues dealing with the indigenous people of Australia. He has made a stand on racism on and off the football field, publicly and on the biggest stage. Amongst that booing mob at every game have been people yelling racism comments, throwing racist taunts. This has been acknowledged and proven. Some of those people were ejected and barred, not all were caught or punished. Does the argument "a few bad eggs doesn't make it racism" count here? How many bad eggs were there? 10? 20? 50? How MANY bad eggs DOES make it racism?
The argument that this concerted booing is solely for his actions on the football field is also not viable. So he may play for free kicks when he can. That's why he's booed, and not for his skin colour? Why don't crowds boo Joel Selwood in the same way then? He has bought more free kicks in the last eight years than anyone by ducking his head at an opportune moment. How about the argument that because the crowds only boo one black man, and not all of them that play AFL - that means it isn't racist? Where does this mentality come from?!?
What about the argument that he's an elite athlete and should be able to handle being booed, just like Stuart Broad was in Australia last summer, or other players from any assortment of sports codes have been in the past, or even us mugs who just play at our club level far beyond where courtesy should be shown? Well, how many of them were booed EVERY SINGLE TIME they touched ball during the game, not just for a week or two weeks, but every single week? Pretty sure the answer is none. Put yourself in Goodes' shoes. If you were booed constantly, every week, no matter how you played or what you did, how long before you cracked? How long before it really began to sink in to your psyche? Think about it honestly, because no one likes being hated, and imagine how that would affect you week in week out.

The round of AFL played this weekend brought forth support from players, clubs and fans alike in many different ways. However, the only way this can be stopped is by the fans themselves. To collectively and individually refrain from targeting one player. That in itself would be a victory. There's no need to participate in cheering the player if you don't feel it warranted. By simply choosing not to follow the mob in booing one player will be enough to conclude this ugly business, and allow the game to return to the players as it should, and not the gossip columnists as it has been this past week.

Clear Essendon's Decks Before it's Too Late

So let me see if I have this straight.

1. On Monday, Mark Thompson indicates that he is unlikely to stay at Essendon in 2015 in any role.
2. In the same instance, he suggests that he would still like to coach, most likely as he has been reinvigorated after the season he has had.
3. There are continuing whispers around about Guy McKenna being sacked by the Gold Coast Suns during their slightly awkward end of season review.
4. Thompson suggests that if he were to coach again, that it would be at a team like the Gold Coast, who are "ready-made' for a premiership tilt.
5. Gold Coast do indeed sack McKenna (most likely on the proviso that Thompson is a ready made replacement), and media all but anoint Thompson as his successor.
6. Essendon meanwhile, have decided not to appeal their court case loss.
7. James Hird, on the other hand, decides he is going to appeal, come hell or high water, which will continue to stretch this saga out interminably.
8. Essendon suddenly realise their only stable coach alternative, should they finally cut Hird loose, is Thompson. However, Thompson appears all but gone to Gold Coast.
9. Hird is asked not to attend Essendon's Best & Fairest Awards, and in his absence, Thompson extols "I don't want to leave! I want to stay!"
10. Essendon and Hird meet on Thursday, with the coach all but sacked before it starts... however...
11. The meeting ends, Hird is still coach, but Chairman Little suggests the board will meet again next week to consider all options.

For Christ's sake, will this merry-go-round EVER END?!

Hird is too proud to accept any blame, and will fight in courts forever to clear his name when it just can't be done. He will never quit, and yet he needs to go, for the sake of the Club and the players.

Essendon have come too far tied to the same horse with Hird, when they should have taken correct action 18 months ago and cut that rope. Now they are either afraid to sack him in case he is able to win his court case, or afraid of further backlash from fans and media, or just don't have the cash to pay him out. Whatever it is, the Essendon board have once again bungled this whole scenario. They appear incapable of making any decisions to end this story and get back to playing football. Surely they must all go, and the sooner the better.

Bomber Thompson hasn't helped any party with his comments this week - he's screwed Essendon by saying he won't be there in 2015, he's screwed Gold Coast by saying he wouldn't mind coaching a team like theirs, and so they sack their current coach to try and employ him, and then he stabs Hird in the front when he isn't there to say anything at the Club awards by basically saying he wants to stay as coach of Essendon, which also screws Gold Coast and Hird all over again!

I feel for the players and the Essendon supporters, because the way this is going, it could seep into a third straight season before it is resolved. They deserve their day to either challenge ASADA's evidence, or accept that they were injected with banned substances (knowingly or unknowingly, it really doesn't matter anymore) and accept the penalty that is offered. Either way, get this over and done with. The Cronulla saga might have been just as poorly handled by all sides, and with just as unsatisfying results for all, but at least it has been concluded, and next season will not be affected by it.

Get rid of Paul Little and the board. Get rid of James Hird. Issue the infraction notices and let players either fight them or take their punishment. Then let the club plan for next season knowing who they have and how they can go about it. All before this great and long-serving Club implodes.

There's a Big Big Sound, From the West of the Town...

With Helen having scurried away to Berry for the weekend with all of her "playgroup mums" cronies, it was left to me to once again look after the kids for the weekend.
We all took Jess to hockey in the morning for her usual Saturday game to start with.
Then, with Josh having received four free tickets to go to the GWS Giants game, we along with Dad headed back to Sydney for the day. The Giants were playing Melbourne, who were having a tough old season, but had won two games during the year, including the first round match against the Giants after the Giants had led by 17 points at three-quarter time. The Giants had yet to win a game in 2013, though they had been all square with Geelong with a quarter to go, had very nearly beaten the Western Bulldogs in Canberra a couple of weeks earlier, and had scared the life out of Collingwood last weekend. Could this be their day?!

Josh of course had been before, but it was the girls' first AFL match, and they had a great time. I'm not sure if they expected that their father would get as... loud... as he did in his support during the day, but when you had some rowdy Melbourne supporters pushing their team on, someone had to stand up for the Giants and give a little bit back, and so that was me. In the end, the Giants prevailed, to the rousing cheers of the home crowd. Of course, all three kids have learned the words to the Giants victory song, and sang it long and loud with the rest of the crowd. It was great to see the gusto and passion that the players sang the song back in the change rooms as well. Great to see.

There is now a very big chance we will get family membership for next season, seeing as everyone enjoyed themselves so much.

Josh's First Day at the Footy

Skoda Stadium, Homebush

Today I took Dad and Josh to Skoda Stadium to watch the Greater Western Sydney Giants play against Geelong. It was Dad's first visit to the new stadium, while it was Josh's first time to a game of footy in any of the codes. He had been excited for a week.

We arrived in plenty of time, and I made sure I bought Josh a Giants scarf to wear so he felt a part of the game. I took this photo (below) and sent it to the phone number on the big screen, where they promsed to show all the photos later in the day, and that one would be chosen at random to win a prize.

We picked a great game to go to. In reality we went to watch the dominance of the Geelong side, who have lost only one game this year (to the mighty Magpies of course), but the Giants came out on fire, and kicked the first five goals of the game. A lead of 18 points at quarter time had been whittled to a 8 point deficit at half time, but they kept fighting. They were down by over four goals halfway through the third quarter before fighting back to level the scores 92-92 with two minutes left in the third quarter. Two late goals hurt, and then Geelong kicked eight goals in the final quarter to win by 57 points, a very undeserving margin given the tightness of the match. The Giants kids were awesome, and Skoda Stadium's size meant we had a great view from the 50 metre line at the southern pocket.
Dad thought it was great, and it was good to have him there with Josh as well, something he'll be able to remember forever.

The end of the game

I promised Josh that next time we come, we'll do some kick-to-kick on the field after the game.
And to top it all off, Josh's photo was chosen as the winner on the screen at three quarter time, and he won a signed Giants jersey. What a day!

Magpies Climb Back to the Top, Despite Ablett Heroics

Collingwood played according to the script this afternoon, laying it on to the hapless second year Gold Coast Suns, taking them down by 97 points in their match at the M.C.G. despite still missing a host of first team regulars, the Magpies played havoc with their opponents.
The match was probably closer than expected up untilthe first ten minutes of the second quarter, with the Suns within three kicks due to some sloppy play by the Collingwood defensive half. However, they clicked soon after, and piled on the points to soon lead by 50, and they never looked back.

Despite the pummeling, Gary Ablett was superb. His 53 possessions equalled the record set by Greg Williams back in 1989. He was brilliant, but Dale Thomas played on him for most of the match, and had 32 possessions of his own. Fantastic to watch.
It is amazing to watch Ablett, trying so hard in a team that is being beaten all over the paddock each week. While I will always hope Collingwood win at all times, I do hope that the Suns can get themselves together and become competitive in the next couple of years. Though he is being well piad, and has sacrificed success in the interim to be a part of the AFL expansion push, it must be a difficult thing for him to turn up every week and suffer through these tough moments.

Pies Run Rampant in Suns Blowout