'I'd like to see that!' - Round 7, 2011 Wrap

When I first heard news that Melbourne's Jack Trengove had been cited and suspended for 3 matches, I thought he must've whacked someone behind play or something of that nature, but having watched the Melbourne vs Adelaide match in its entirety I didn't recall him being involved in any malicious acts, nor did I remember him being reported or hear any of the commentators mentioning any particular incident during the game. What could he have done I thought?

Well, when I saw a replay of the incident in question I had no words... at first. I was too shocked to see what he had been reported for, and more specifically in utter disbelief at what our game, the game I follow almost religiously, the game I know and love dearly, had decended to. The profanity laden reponse that followed was a combination of frustration, anger, and disbelief. A small part of my passion for the game had wilted at that very moment.

Here we have a second year rookie; with no tribunal history; not renowned for being violent or malicious on the field; who was not reported during play; had laid a hard, fair tackle in play; didn't catch Dangerfield high; didn't irresponsibly sling him, or let him fall to the ground after the tackle; didn't intend on hurting him; and was even defended by Adelaide themselves who gave evidence to support his case. Heck, even Dangerfield was fit enough to play in Round 8! And yet, the end result is he gets 3 weeks.

To put this in greater perspective as to how ridiculous this is, compare this to the Campbell Brown case who deliberately elbowed Callan Ward IN THE FACE. His actions were high; it was behind play; had the deliberate intent of hurting his opponent; and biggest of all - has a long history of malicious reports. But somehow for this incident alone (he was also reported for another incident), he recieved 2 weeks. How I hear you ask, well the all conquering MRP ruled that the contact he made was reckless (not intentional), and medium impact (not high). WTF?!

Errr... care to elaborate here AFL? I would seriously love to hear justifications behind both rulings.

Let me end my rant by giving you a look at an old AFL advertisement that ran during the 90s, promoting our wonderful game for what it was - hard, tough, passionate, skillfull, entertaining, among other things. Does anyone else find it rather ironic that a large majority of the particular aspects of the game which feature in the video, are now either absent from the game or being fazed out thanks largely to the rules committee and the tribunal.

"Rules? What rules?" Dean Richards asks - Haha, well good sir that'd be the very thing that is slowly ruining the game, and what has made it almost a different sport entirely compared to that put on display in that advertisement. In essence its stolen away the games indentity.

It's the very reason that passionate supporters like myself could very well lose interest over time and be turned away. Because if the AFL don't overall their MRP process, ruling system, interpretations and the like, i'm sad to say this is a very real realization. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

"I'd like to see that" I hear them say. In response I say so would I...

So would I...



Port Adelaide vs Hawthorn

Possible Votes: Sewell, Mitchell, Chaplin, Pearce

Sewell was the hardest working midfielder, and his in and under work is sublime. Mitchell had a TON of the ball, but was scrappy at times. Chaplin was a rock in defence, and Pearce solid.

Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Possible Votes: Goodes, Boyd, O'Keefe, Griffen

Goodesy played a very solid game, and Boyd likewise. O'Keefe was a standout and was a linkman across the ground, whilst Griffen's clean disposal stood out like a beacon.

Geelong vs North Melbourne

Possible Votes: Podsiadly, Kelly, Selwood, Corey

Pods was marking all and sundry, and kicking goals to boot (ha!). Kelly was seemingly everywhere, and was great in tight as usual, whilst Selwood also excelled in the middle. Corey also stood out and had a very workmanlike game.

Richmond vs Fremantle

Possible Votes: Nahas, Cotchin, Sandilands

Nahas has been in ripping form over the past few weeks, and backed it up with another great game. Cotchin broke lines, and kicked goals in an impressive overall game, and Sandilands dominated in the ruck as per usual.

Gold Coast vs Brisbane
Possible Votes: Brennan, Rischitelli, Krakouer, McGrath, Black, Rich

Brennan was clear BOG and recieved the match day medal. Rischitelli played a great game, and Krakouer helped lock in the win for the Suns with 5 goals. McGrath went one better, kicking 6 goals in a dominant display. Black was consistent, and Rich's raking kick was a feature.

Essendon vs West Coast

Possible Votes: Kerr, Watson, Hocking, Jetta

Kerr was simply awesome in the first half, but faded. Watson contributed well with 2 goals, and had a stack of possessions. Hocking was solid throughout, and Jetta was damaging with his run through the middle late in the game.

Melbourne vs Adelaide

Possible Votes: Sylvia, Moloney, Trengove, Davey

Sylvia stood out with his 4 goals, and Moloney was a beast at the stoppages as he has been in recent weeks. Trengove was silky smooth as usual, and Davey's evasiveness and run and carry was impeccable on the day.

St Kilda vs Carlton

Possible Votes: Gibbs, Fisher, Nick Dal Santo, Yarran, Judd

Was the hardest game of the week to try and narrow down votes. Gibbs nullified Goddard for the entire match, and kicked a couple of very classy goals. Fisher was the rock for St. Kilda and ensured St Kilda had a steady ship. Dal Santo was quiet early, but worked into it, especially in the last Q. Yarran was a wizard down back, sweeping the ball up and disposing of the ball with both feet, with his usual charm. Judd was held quite well by Gilbert, but came into his own in the last 2 Q's to help secure a win for his side.


*DISCLAIMER: The deliberate random order of the players above is not indicative of the order I think they will poll in, and should be treated/used only as a guide.*

'Night is Darkest Just Before the Dawn' - Round 6, 2011 Wrap

A week after the Suns recorded their first win in emphatic style, the elation soon came to a crashing halt this round when Essendon absolutely pantsed them... and I don't mean just any regular shelacking, I mean record breaking.

Can you believe the score at quarter time was Essendon 94, Suns 1?! Wow! Of course that horror start set the tone for the rest of the match, and Essendon were ruthless up until the final siren. Among the records that were smashed included; the highest score kicked in a first quarter, and not surprisingly; the biggest deficit at quarter time. It's one thing to be beaten by 139 points, but to have Kyle Reimers kick 8 goals against you is definitely more embarrassing!

But chin up to any Suns supporters out there. With such a young team, you'll find that the Suns will be the Jekyl and Hyde throughout much of the year, similar to Port Adelaide (whom they only beat last week - ironic much?). No doubt there will be weeks when they put in a solid competitive effort or even come up with a win, and then there will be those instances where they are humiliated - akin to the poor bloke on his bucks night when he is bound and tied naked to a lamppost by his mates. Just the nature of the business I suppose... except in his case the poor sod goes on to get married and faces a life of misery, whereas the Suns' future looks much brighter in comparison.

Not so bleak afterall, eh? Huzzah for crazy, random analogies! Winning!

West Coast vs Melbourne

Possible Votes: Embley, Priddis, Cox, Kerr

Embley played well, particularly in the first half and kicked 3 goals in a dominant display by the Eagles. Priddis was the cog in the Eagles' midfield, and Cox monstered his opponent Jamar all night. Kerr put in a fantastic effort and showed flashes of his brilliance circa his premiership days playing alongside Juddy and Cousins.

Sydney vs Carlton

Possible Votes: Judd, McGlynn, Kennedy, Bett, Curnow

No jokes about it really, Judd was a clear BOG and played quite possibly his best game in the Navy Blue. McGlynn had a great game, kicking 4 goals, which is very solid when you factour in the rain. Kennedy impressed me a lot and worked tirelessly for Sydney in what were horrid conditions, and little Eddie played a very nice game to work his way back into form. Curnow thrived on the contested ball, and did well you clear the ball from congestion on numerous occasions.

North Melbourne vs Pt Adelaide

Possible Votes: Goldstein, Swallow, Harvey, Hartlett

Was a pretty ordinary game, let be honest.
Goldstein was very dominant in the ruck for the Kangas, and played a Sandi type game, even roving his own ruckwork and dishing out clearances. Swallow played a very solid game, and his skill and composure shone through in patches. Harvey was impressive, and stood out with his running goal. Hartlett was the best for Port, which was a fair effort when your team is on the receiving end of a thumping.

Richmond vs Brisbane

Possible Votes: Nahas, Martin, Foley, Black

Nahas was everywhere! Probably played his best game for Richmond over the journey. Martin was terrific and put in another outstanding performance on the back of last week, and Foley had a tonne of the ball. Black's silky disposal and nouse to know exactly where his teammates are in congestion and have to the ability to dish it out to advantage is superb.

Adelaide vs St Kilda

Possible Votes: Tippett, Thompson, Douglas, Knights, Dal Santo

Tippet and Thompson were both as equally damaging as each other, with the former marking everything that came his way and the latter carving the Saints midfield to shreds, seemingly always having first opportunity at the ball. Douglas played a decent bit-part alongside Thompson at stages, kicking 2 very nice goals, and Knights was the steadying hand up forward, kicking 2 crucial goals when the Saints came within 3 points. Dal Santo had a nice day out by his own accounts, gathering 29 touches and laying 6 tackles in what was another glum day for the Saints.

Essendon vs Gold Coast

Possible Votes: ANYONE!

Quite seriously, anyone could potentially poll in the votes given the whopping margin... well... anyone that wore an Essendon guernsey. Reimers is obviously one that should figure with his career high 8 goals.

Collingwood vs Western Bulldogs

Possible Votes: Krakouer, Shaw, Sidebottom, Brown

Krakouer showed the footballing world his bag of tricks, when on a couple of occasions he dodged and weaved around numerous opponents to snap around his body and goal. Very flashy! Shaw played his usual ran and carry gamestyle, much to the advantage of the Pies. He also won the Rose/Sutton medal for best afield, as voted by a selection of Fox Sports panellists. Sidebottom was ruthless all day, and kicked 3 goals, whilst Brown slotted 4 crucial goals in the last to put some space between the reigning premiers and the Bulldogs, when it looked as though the latter were pressing.

"Rising Suns" - Round 5, 2011 Wrap

Only a few minutes out from 3/4 time in the Port Adelaide vs Gold Coast match, the visitors were trailing by a lengthy 40 points and were headed for another certain defeat. But what transpired over the next quarter can be described as both quite hilarious, and quite remarkable! It really can only be seen to be believed - Gold Coast, a new side, down and out, and much renowned as the whipping boys of the AFL, rose from the ashes against all the odds to come back and overcome the much fancied home side to record their first win in it's short history.

I don't think i've ever barracked for another team as hard as what I did for the Suns against Port - but how couldn't you, for the lulz alone it was worth it. Poor Port...

Oh, and on another note, I was very close to publicly declaring that the AFL were taking the piss when it looked as though Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs were headed for a draw late in the last quarter. On the back of my blog post last week, I was half expecting the football gods to dish up another LOL at my expense but thankfully it wasn't to be! But I somehow have the feeling that this won't be the last we'll see of the draws.

Brisbane v St Kilda

Possible Votes: A. Schneider, L. Montagna, J. Adcock, S. Black, J. Redden.

Montagna, I felt, was among the Saint's best with 10 clearances. Adcock was solid across the whole game and really commanded the game for Brisbane, whilst Schneider kicked 2 very important goals in the last to tip the game in the Saints' favour. Others of note; Black/Redden.

Pt Adelaide v Gold Coast

Possible Votes: M. Rischitelli, B. Matera, G. Ablett, D. Swallow, H. Hartlett.

Rischitelli was an absolute beast all day and recieved the match-day medal, ajudged the best man afield. Matera had the x-factor and the goals he kicked were pure class for such a young player, and really stepped it up a cog in the last Q. Ablett kicked a nice captains goal to kick start the Suns resurgence. Swallow was quiet early, but stood up in unison with the rest of his team to lift the side to victory in the last half. Hartlett was Port's best in what was a close loss in a side that dominated play all day until the final 30 minutes of the match

Carlton v Adelaide

Possible Votes: M. Murphy, P. Dangerfield, A. Walker, C. Judd.

Murphy was pure class all night and had a well rounded game. Danger was fantastic for the Crows and was by far their best in the engine room. His ability and strength to shrug tackles and break open into space astounds me. Walker came out firing in the first quarter, and even took a very nice grab, whilst kicking 4 very nice goals. Judd was looking to break the game apart in the first few minutes, but finished with what was a solid game.

North Melbourne v Richmond

Possible Votes: J. Riewoldt, D. Petrie, D. Martin, A. Swallow.

JRoo kicked another bag and was the shining light for the Tiges up forward leading his side to victory. Petrie marked everything that came his way and kicked 6 in a very dominant display. Martin played a huge game for a bloke who's only in his 2nd season, and has all the hallmarks of a future Richmond captain. Swallow played a solid game also.

Essendon v Collingwood

Possible Votes: S. Pendlebury, H. Shaw, D. Heppell, T. Cloke.

Pendles was simply awesome, not much else can be said about his performance. A clear BOG, winning the Anzac Day Medal. Shaw was everywhere, and in top form demonstrating his famous run and carry throughout the match. Heppell was awesome across half back, and at times running through the centre with great composure. Cloke kicked 2 crucial goals in the space of a few minutes to snuff out any hope of Essendon winning in the last.

Fremantle v Western Bulldogs

Possible Votes: D. Mundy, M. Boyd, A. Sandilands.

Mundy kicked 2 impressive goals and was unsighted early until he was thrown into the centre and started to dominate. Boyd played like a man possessed, and stood out, but with 40 odd touches how can you not? Sandilands owned the ruck, but the Bulldogs roved his taps for most the night.

Hawthorn v Geelong

Possible Votes: H. Taylor, P.Chapman, B. Sewell, J. Bartel, J. Selwood

Taylor took a ton of contested marks, dropping back into space, while Franklin didnt get near it. Chapman was a dominant force up forward for the Cats, and swining through the middle to apply fantastic pressure. Sewell, I felt, was one of the best performing Hawks midfielders. Bartel was a standout, and whilst Selwood wasn't at his best that's for sure, but with 32 possies/14 CP/6 CL, he's hard to ignore.

*DISCLAIMER: The deliberate random order of the players above is not indicative of the order I think they will poll in, and should be treated/used only as a guide.*