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Hawks’ list suddenly looking much more balanced and flexible. A great outcome.
AFL Trade Period power rankings: Forget the mega draft haul - the Tigers are in a very sticky situation indeed
I hope not! They’re already looking very strong. With players as good as Kiddie Coleman coming back in and their gun youngsters like Ashcroft likely to keep improving, they’ll deserve to start 2025 as flag favourites.
AFL News: Oliver a trade target again, 'delusional' Blues slammed over Houston offer, 'Robbo' departs iconic footy show
Exactly. They were switched on from early in the first quarter and played skilful attacking football. It was a superb performance from a team that was both talented and hungry.
Grand Final Fix: The Swans were even worse than in 2022 - here's everything that went wrong in latest big dance disaster
Let’s take a moment to remember the 2006 Eagles team, who pretty much all behaved like jerks and completely ignored the kids handing out the medals. Why it was almost as if they were on drugs or something…
'Real tragedy': Internet comes for 'flog' Cameron over Auskicker snub amid love-in for 'BOG' Lions staffer
Make that three of the last four. Same thing happened in 2014.
Grand Final Fix: The Swans were even worse than in 2022 - here's everything that went wrong in latest big dance disaster
Brisbane in a close one.
Zorko for the Norm Smith, playing a blinder off half back. Unlike the Brownlow, it isn’t just a midfielders’ medal.
The Roar's AFL Grand Final expert tips and predictions: Premier, Norm Smith Medal winner and more
Blight was a coaching genius. In my view the best coach of the modern era, with daylight second. When he became non-playing coach of Woodville in the mid-1980s they were an absolute joke and perennial wooden spooners. There was serious talk of them being expelled from the SANFL. Within a year of Blight taking over, they were going deep into the finals.
Then he took both Geelong and the Crows from perennial mediocrity straight into multiple grand finals. No other coach has had such massive impact so quickly, at multiple clubs.
And yes he had the Crows peaking for finals perfectly in both their flag years. It wasn’t an accident but a deliberate strategy of seriously heavy conditioning work through August. It meant they struggled towards the end of the H&A seasons, but then repeatedly ran teams down from behind during the finals, with superior fitness.
A lot of clubs do something similar now, but as far as I know, Blight was the first.
Genius.
Every grand final of the 2000s, ranked first to 25th: Which classic is 'the most underrated decider in footy history'?
As a neutral, it was a cracking game to watch. Underrated classic.
Every grand final of the 2000s, ranked first to 25th: Which classic is 'the most underrated decider in footy history'?
To be fair the Swans only ever deserved to be lukewarm favourites in the 2014 Grand Final. If they were the best team of that season, it was it was only by a whisker. They had a 1-1 record against the Hawks that season and had only beaten them to the minor premiership by 2 percentage points.
But that burst of scintillating football by the Hawks, from halfway through the first quarter until half time, was probably up there with Geelong 2007 and Melbourne 2021 (from halfway through the third quarter) as the nearest thing to football perfection seen in a grand final.
Every grand final of the 2000s, ranked first to 25th: Which classic is 'the most underrated decider in footy history'?
To be more precise, Cripps was by far the best midfielder in his team, by a greater margin than (say) Bont or Neale. The Blues have some excellent key forwards and key defenders, but as we know, they don’t get votes.
COMMENT: The Brownlow is broken beyond recognition. It's time for change
One of the nice guys of the coaching world. A flag would be just reward for what he’s done with Brisbane, taking them from wooden spooners to perennial contenders.
Finals Fix: Brain fades, bonkers moments and a winning goal for the ages - how a stone cold classic was won (and lost)
Yeah maybe you’re right; the consensus on here seemed to be that it was Port fans, but you’d have had to be at the ground to know for sure. But if it was Port fans, it wouldn’t be the first time.
Finals Fix: Port came with a plan to take down the Swans - and it backfired spectacularly
As much as I was appalled by Hinkley’s behaviour last week, I was genuinely shocked to hear Port’s travelling fans consistently booing him last night. And it started well before the game was lost. That’s a layer of additional pressure that few coaches have ever had to deal with.
Finals Fix: Port came with a plan to take down the Swans - and it backfired spectacularly
Now you’re just being mean, Birdman.
Finals Fix: Port came with a plan to take down the Swans - and it backfired spectacularly
It was actually very entertaining to watch as a neutral. The AFL version of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Finals Fix: Port came with a plan to take down the Swans - and it backfired spectacularly
The Port Adelaide of old used to have a monopoly on the exercise yard at Yatala prison, and no-one complained.
Sorry, couldn’t resist – just joking!
Actually wouldn’t mind seeing the Pear get up tonight.
Sydney beating Port is seen as a fait accompli - but can they cope with the weight of expectation?
To be fair I don’t think either team was ‘unbackable’ favourites in either grand final. Hawks were warm favourites in 2012 and Swans were warm favourites in 2014. In both cases the favourites lost but neither result was a genuine shock to anyone. Unlike say, 2008.
Sydney beating Port is seen as a fait accompli - but can they cope with the weight of expectation?
I’m with you MJ. In every single game of Aussie Rules ever played, there’s at least one contentious decision or non-decision that affects the final score in some way. Usually several. That’s the nature of the sport. It’a a chaotic and fast-paced game and unlike say, cricket or tennis, the field umpires don’t get the chance to pause the game and watch a replay. So there will always be plenty of marginal decisions, some poor decisions and occasionally some that are just dead wrong.
But selectively highlighting one or two of those decisions to argue the ‘umpiring changed the result’ is facile and pointless. It deliberately ignores all the line-ball or poor decisions that went the other way (and they always go both ways, in every game). And more importantly, it ignores the hundreds of little mistakes, fumbles, missed targets, poor choices, missed tackles and inaccurate shots on goal by the losing side that, collectively, always have a far greater bearing on the outcome than anything the umpires do.
If my kid doesn’t study for an exam and gets 49 per cent, I don’t want to hear that he only failed because the teacher marked one of his answers a bit harshly. It’s the same with footy. If you want to win, play better.
/ rant over.
Sydney beating Port is seen as a fait accompli - but can they cope with the weight of expectation?
Exactly. Sydney is the best team in the league, except when they play Port Adelaide.
Reminds me of 2014, when Sydney was also probably the best team in the league, except when they played Hawthorn.
The Swans are fresher, better balanced, more talented and probably more deserving of the flag this year. But I’m still not sure that’ll be enough.
Sydney beating Port is seen as a fait accompli - but can they cope with the weight of expectation?
Great article. So much respect for the Cats. Fourteen prelims in 20 years is just insane. Superb leadership on and off the field.
It would be fitting if we saw another Cats vs Swans grand final this year. They’ve both been so consistently good over the past 20 years and both are probably unlucky not to have won another flag or two in that time.
For the love of god Brisbane, end this Cats nightmare
Agreed. I don’t have a problem with this. It’s not as if Dusty needed to game the system. He could’ve just walked to Gold Coast. It seems more likely he just needed some time to figure out what he wanted to do. I reckon he’s earned that.
I can see him playing a similar role to Stewie Dew at Hawthorn in 2008. Bringing in some big game experience for a team on the cusp of finals, with the ability to sit in the forward line and create a few goals out of nothing. But obviously without Stewie’s, er, excess baggage.
Dusty's taking Tigers for a ride: Martin's looming retirement backflip exposes major loophole that must be closed
I agree – under the current rules and interpretation, the tackle on Chol gets paid nine times out of ten. He gets slung into the ground and his head hits with enough force to bounce. It’s a textbook dangerous tackle and lucky it didn’t result in a concussion.
The second one probably wasn’t there, but that’s only obvious when you watch it a couple of times. Moore gets slammed into the ground; but his shoulder rather than his head makes contact. The ump who played it didn’t have a clear view of Moore’s head, which was only an inch or two from hitting the ground. So it was the wrong call, but easy to see how the umpire made the mistake.
Harris Andrews is Australia's luckiest man: Six takeaways from Finals Week 2
Dumb and dumberer.
'She is only about controversy': Kennett lashes Caroline Wilson over claim Ginnivan comment cost Hawks semi final
That’s true, but Port people are a different breed.
I played against some strong, tough Port teams as a junior – a long, long time ago – but if you could get a decent lead against them, they’d sometimes turn on each other. And the criticism and infighting could be quite brutal. They just had this expectation of winning built into their DNA, and when they didn’t win, they looked for someone to blame.
I can still see traces of that DNA in the way the board undermined Mark Williams and the way parts of the fan base have treated Ken.
AFL News: Saints prepare 'Godfather' offer for Merrett, Hinkley fine slammed in claim Hawks 'have been asking' for rebuke
Exactly. The whole point of DRS is to look for clear evidence that the batter hit the ball. In this case, there was clear visual evidence via the slo-mo video. The fact that snicko didn’t register a clear sound is irrelevant. There are many reasons why that might’ve been the case. The video evidence was clear and conclusive. End of story.
India fuming over controversial Jaiswal dismissal as Cummins gets sweet vindication in Australia’s epic MCG win