The Real Game

Round 21

2006-09-08T18:20:00.000+10:00

The Old Blue Stager Report

Collingwood 156 d. Carlton 112

This match eventually unfolded as expected, but with some interesting diversions along the way. Carlton opened brightly and controlled general play while achieving a modest score-board advantage during one and a half quarters. The turning point was Didak's hit on Scotland, which removed Carlton's best player from the action, and turned the Blueboys feral.

The umpires also made their own mark during these key minutes. Immediately after the incident, Carlton broke away to achieve the greatest lead of the game 23 points. However, the Blues' players determination to "fly the flag" or whatever cliche is apposite, saw Collingwood achieve two goals without the ball being returned to the centre. This followed a behind by Didak, which led to some argy-bargy between him and Whitnall. Result, a gifted goal to Collingwood, when the free-kick was given in the goal-square, as the ball had not been returned to play. Another border skirmish ended with a dive by Holland which would have made an Italian soccer striker proud, and another goal. These were the first two of a six-goal run by the Magpies, which effectively ended the contest, although Carlton managed to remain within two or three goals until late in the third quarter.

Collingwood kicked the last five goals of the game (Carlton were goalless throughout the final quarter) to run out comfortable and deserved winners. There were some promising signs for the Blues early, with the organisation of the centre square markedly better than usual. Neither side flooded, and this allowed some marking contests as well as fleet-footed movement out of defence. Carlton's ball use was rather better than usual, although as fatigue set in, Collingwood were able to exploit this deficiency in the Blues armoury. Collingwood is fortunate in the precision of its key players' kicking.

Simpson was again superb for the Blues as a running defender, who often linked up in the midfield. Scotland, apart from his enforced absence for most of the second quarter, was again very effective. Lappin, Carrazzo, Houlihan and Waite contributed for most of the afternoon.

Round 19

2006-08-13T21:14:00.000+10:00

The Old Blue Stager
Hawthorn 113 d. Carlton 90

A weird curate's egg of a performance by Carlton. The first half was as poor as anything served up this season - and there's certainly some hot competition in that category.

Then the Blues with a spirited second half hauled back much of an eight goal deficit; with about six minutes left they were within three goals, and offering unjustified hope that they might achieve a victory, which would surely have been a robbery to make a bushranger blush. In the event sanity and fairness were served, as Hawthorn steadied and kicked two of the three goals scored during the dying minutes of the match to secure a victory which their afternoon's work thoroughly merited.

If the previous week's victory over Melbourne represented a significant step forward for Carlton (in the past five seasons there have been very few Carlton wins against opposition in contention for the flag), last Sunday's first half was a shocking reversion to the mean. The eight goal margin at the long break barely did justice to the Hawks' complete dominance of the match. Hawthorn completely controlled the midfield, and there were numerous Carlton players AWOL. The match was played almost exclusively in Hawthorn's attacking half.

After half-time the Blueboys' stiffened resolve was evident, although it took a long while for this to yield significant scoreboard impact. Hawthorn had extended the lead to 55 points with the first two scores of the second half, and were still more than eight goals ahead 23 minutes into the third quarter. Carlton scored four goals (and several behinds) on either side of the three-quarter time break, while Hawthorn managed only three behinds. From that point on, it became a struggle with the question of whether the tiring Hawks could hang on. In fact each side scored three goals (without another minor at either end), to end the contest with the margin exactly as it had been at the 12 minute mark of the final quarter.

Mitchell and Crawford each had a picnic, and Franklin was an effective go-to player in the front half for the Hawks. Lappin played a lone hand for Carlton in the first half, and on a day when Murphy's law seeemed to afflict the Blues, it was no surprise to see the little veteran assisted from the field a few minutes before half-time. he returned and was still a serviceable player in the second half. Fevola was the outstanding player in the revival. He was very fortunate to have three goals to half-time, thanks to some unusually generous umpiring decisions, but he added another five in the second half to almost ensure one (minor) accomplishment for the club in 2006. He now has a stranglehold on the John Coleman medal. Whitnall, Scotland and Bannister contributed in the first half and were significant influences in the improved showing after half-time.

The Bomber

Preview of Round 19

Collingwood this week. Having watched the Adelaide v. Collingwood game on TV it is hard to judge what will happen because it was a pretty boring game apart from the closeness of the scores. The last time I saw ring-a-ring-a-rosy played was at primary school—that just about sums up the game. The Collingwood runners will worry Essendon, but if Hird can play at his best, and Lucas maintains his form Essendon is in with a chance. It is essential that Essendon get off to a good start.

Review of Round 18

Back to the real world this week. Sydney were simply too good, although Essendon started very well and if those two early “posters” had been goals it may have put a different complexion on things. However, given that Sydney is now clearly mounting a serious defence of their premiership, Essendon’s performance may not have been as bad as it looks.

Old Blue Stager checks in

2006-08-13T21:03:00.000+10:00

Late arrivals from our Carlton reporter, better late than never!

Round 18: Carlton 80 d. Melbourne 73

This match produced an improbable Carlton victory, not just for the fact , but also for the manner in which it came about. Against a serious finals contender, Carlton seemed hopelessly mismatched. Even allowing for Melbourne missing several key players - Pickett, Davey and Johnstone a late withdrawal - they seemed to have far too much firepower for the hapless Blues.

Carlton established an early lead, which Melbourne progressively reduced, and the prized victory always seemed within their reach. They drew to within three points on two occasions, late in the third quarter and early in the last, and it seemed that they were headed for a comfortable, if not particularly impressive win. However, each time Carlton displayed uncharacteristic resolve and poise to progress to their second victory over the Dees for the season.

This was a missed opportunity for Melbourne, where they could have put some distance between themselves and a pack of putative top four contenders. In the circumstances they seemed surprisingly flat. They are obviously much better than they displayed lin this game, and perhaps this was just a reaction to a sustained run of good form.

For Carlton Walker and Thornton (who eclipsed Neitz) were outstanding. Encouragingly, this was a real team effort, in which Houlihan, Stevens, Lappin and Carrazzo were particularly effective contributors.

Round 17: Carlton 89 lost to Fremantle 107

Carlton were frankly very poor in this match, and flattered by the scoreboard. This reflected a spirited last quarter, when the Dockers rested secure in the knowledge that their week-end's work was complete. During the final quarter, Carlton scored 6 goals to 1, but this merely negated the third quarter which Freo won by a near equivalent. The half-time margin 58-36 (18 scoring shots against 11) in favour of the visitors accurately reflected the talent gap between the teams.

I think Fremantle is under-rated especially in Melbourne. Their critics emphasise the team's (regularly-displayed) fragility, but disregard their accomplished list. The Dockers' skills were much in evidence on Sunday. Although Pavlich was well-held by Thornton, Black had a picnic, ripping holes in Carlton's threadbare defence with well-timed runs, and accurate distribution to his forwards. Sandilands dominated the ruck and gave the Freo runners first use for most of the afternoon. McPharlin controlled Fevola for much of the day, and the full-forward's five goals return was an inaccurate reflection of the balance of this individual contest.

Among the Dockers' lesser lights, Murphy, Webster and Dodd were solid contributors. For Carlton Simpson and Walker were effective four quarter players, while Thornton and Scotland gave value. Koutoufides in a second half cameo gave brief glimpses of genius of his earlier career (pre-knee injury). I speculate that he was inspired by James Hird's splendid performance the previous evening, or perhaps just a recognition that his time might be drawing to a close.

Overall another punishing afternoon for Blues' supporters.

Round 16: Essendon 105 drew with Carlton 105

This was a dreadful match characterised by hopeless ineptitude by both sides, and redeemed only by the closeness of the scores throughout the afternoon. Ball use by players from both sides was abysmal and led to a multitude of turnovers. Some observers have argued that the high skill level achieved by the top sides coupled with risk averse football has reduced the spectacle of Australian football. I still think it's better to watch players from Adelaide, West Coast or Sydney execute their skills than watch Essendon, Carlton and their fellow-strugglers battle their footballing limitations.

Essendon's decline has been remarkable. Undoubtedly, they have been affected by injuries to some key players, but the loss of confidence of previously reliable players such as Johnson J. & M. and Solomon, and to a lesser extent McPhee is amazing. Hille and McVeigh are just about the only ones of their "mid-rankers" who have at least maintained their standards this year. The Bombers also appear to have a reasonable mix of young players - Stanton, Watson, Monfries for example - but their development is being hampered by the team's collective deficiencies. I suspect that they might rebound to competitive standard quite quickly.

Essendon led for much of the day, but could never quite establish the sort of break which would have put Carlton away. It did seem likely that they would win, if only by virtue of the fact that the siren had to sound at some time, and they spent most of the day in the lead. However, it has been a feature of their season that they have been unable to finish off games from winning positions, so I always felt that if the Blues "hung in", that they might snatch a barely deserved win. The margin reached eighteen points twice - midway through the third qaurter and early in the last. Another goal at either of these moments might have secured the result, but each time Carlton was able to reel them in. In the end flair player Betts contrived two goals, one from a free kick, the other from a brave mark, to achieve scoreboard equality.

Lucas, mysteriously something of a "boo boy" for Essendon supporters, was outstanding. His running, marking and kicking with a single blatant exception contrasted with almost every one else on the field. He had six goals to half-time, and although he didn't add to that tally, he continued to look threatening. The Blues were well-served by Simpson (a notable improver this season), Scotland, Houlihan and Fevola (five goals).

Round 15: Carlton 80 lost to Western Bulldogs 110

The Bulldogs are a great side to watch. Their hard-running game makes a wonderful spectacle, and they don't muck around with tempo football in the manner of Adelaide and Sydney. However, I'm sure that this comes at a cost, as the injury toll mounts, and the limits of their paper-thin squad have produced a few sub-standard performance in recent weeks.

I also think that Rodney Eade's lack of whinging is admirable (as well as being sound psychological strategy). They were below par in this match, in which Carlton tried to play them at their own running game. Inevitably, the Blues lacked familiarity with the physical demands of the strategy, and succumbed in the final quarter. However, to be level with a side as good as the Bullies at three quarter time was a worthy effort. The Bulldogs guns especially West and Johnson ripped Carlton apart in the final quarter as they drew away for what looked like a comfortable win. Simpson, Scotland, McGrath, Houlihan and Carrazzo were the Blues' best.

Round 14: Carlton 77 lost to Geelong 142

This was a woeful performance by the Blues, close to a season worst. Geelong's justifiably maligned forward line managed an impeccable 23 goals 4 behinds, which corerctly implied that there was inadequate pressure on the ball carriers from midfield, as well as too little effective defence.

Carlton had the advantage in general play during the first fifteen minutes, but hopeless conversion yielded poor returns, and the Cats quickly made them pay. The game was effectively over as a contest midway through the second quarter, but Geelong were unusually relentless, and pressed on for a comprehensive win. Simpson, McGrath, Fevola, Scotland and DeLuca made some effort to stem the tide.

Round 13: Brisbane 71 d. Carlton 56

Superficially this wasn't a bad performance by the Blues. A fifteen point loss at the Gabbatoir to the mighty Brisbane Lions would seem a fair effort by the Blues, given their current limitations. However, Brisbane are barely recognisable as the all-conquering triple premiership side of just a few years ago (though with significant numbers of that team still around) . As well scoring shots were 31-21 in the home team's favour and that offers a more reliable indicator of the way the match unfolded.

That Carlton did stay in touch for most of the night, without ever looking likely to win, was something of an achievement. The fact that the game was only put out of the Blues' reach in the final ten minutes was also a straw of comfort for supporters to clutch.The critical event of the night was the injury to Marc Murphy, Carlton's shining light of 2006. That it subsequently became clear that this was season-ending was a bitter blow. One hopes that it does not impede what had seemed like Murphy's inexorable progress towards a Rising Star award.

Best for Carlton were Blackwell (another strikingly mature youngster), Thornton, Houlihan, Simpson and Scotland.

Round 18

2006-08-03T20:45:00.000+10:00

I go into this round one point from the lead in the tipping competition.

Melbourne are travelling well and the hitout against the Western Bulldogs showed that the Demons have got some legs and can play for four quarters.

The Bomber Preview

A difficult game this week against Sydney. The game is at night at the SCG, where Sydney are difficult to beat. There is only one way to play the SCG and that is straight down the middle—it is a very short ground but it has very wide wings where visiting teams sometimes become lost. It is imperative that the players in the centre square get their share of the ball. If Hille plays as well as he did last week, and Lucas can keep kicking goals Essendon are in with a chance.

Round 17

2006-07-30T23:06:00.000+10:00

My selections

Collingwood to defeat Hawthorn
St Kilda to defeat Richmond
Adelaide to defeat West Coast
Essendon to deffeat Brisbane (hard to call)
Sydney to defeat Port Adelaide
Geelong to defeat North Melbourne (risky)
Fremantle to defeat Carlton
Melbourne to defeat Western Bulldogs (hard pick)

The Bomber checks in on round 16 and 17

Review of Round 17

About bloody time!!! An excellent win to Essendon over Brisbane, a team that has caused Essendon a lot of grief in recent years. One of the pleasing things is that Essendon won after being more or less level at three-quarter time—it is the first time this year that Essendon has won a game that was close at the start of the last quarter. The inclusion of James Hird clearly made an enormous difference—he is a handy lad to have around (there is no substitute for class), but equally clearly he only has one more year left in him at most. If it does nothing else the win will give the team back some confidence.

There is a weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in Adelaide this week after Adelaide’s dismal performance in Perth. West Coast certainly played very well, but the GF is played at the MCG. However, if West Coast play at their best, they will take some beating.

Report on Round 16

It is pretty clear that Essendon has forgotten how to win. They could have, and should have, won both against St Kilda and Carlton. However, “should haves” do not win games. However, the last two games have been a considerable improvement on some of the previous efforts.

Preview of Round 17

This week the opponent is Brisbane who have had their own well documented problems recently. Let us hope that this unsettles them. Essendon has two things going for it, they are at home and Jonathon Brown will not be playing. Brown has made an art form of returning from injury just in time to dominate against Essendon. If Essendon can continue their recent form they must have a chance of winning, but if they hit the front they need to learn how to stay there.

Round sixteen

2006-07-23T22:50:00.000+10:00

My selections.

Adelaide over the Kangaroos (70 point margin)
West Coast over Collingwood
Brisbane Lions over Hawthorn
St Kilda over Port
Essendon over Carlton
Sydney Swans over Richmond
Western Bulldogs over Geelong
Melbourne over Fremantle

The Bomber checks in

Round 15

Another disappointing result. Essendon certainly had their chances but just fell short. However, it was a marked improvement

Round 16

The wooden spoon clash against Carlton. These matches are always fiercely contested no matter where they are on the ladder. If Essendon kicks straight it will win.

Round Fifteen

2006-07-23T22:30:00.000+10:00

My selections for this round.

Melbourne to defeat Richmond (25 point margin)
St Kilda to defeat Essendon
Adelaide to defeat Hawthorn
Brisbane to defeat North Melbourne
Eagles to defeat the Swans
Geelong to defeat Port
Western Bulldogs to defeat Carlton
Freo to defeat Collingwood

Round Fourteen

2006-07-10T21:28:00.000+10:00

Selections

Fremantle over Essendon
Geelong over Carlton
Melbourne over Brisbane
Adelaide over Sydney
West Coast over Hawthorn
Richmond over Port
Collingwood over St Kilda
Western Bulldogs over Kangaroos

Arden Fast finds his tongue: Hat trick Roos collar the Dogs

After a self imposed exile from footy blog land, what with soccer... ohyeah and a slew of bad losses by the Rooboys I couldn't really bringmyself to write about my beloved blue and whites. Even mediocre winsover the Blue Boys and the Bummers hardly inspired.

But yesterday's snuffing of Rocket Eade's flying canines was something to write home about. With Brady Rawlings sticking like glue to Scotty West and Shannon "What's he like?" Watt stopping the tricolours matchwinner Brad Johnsonand wiping that bloody smile off his dial it was bound to be a good day.

Even my favourite big kid Hamish 'H' McIntosh got in the act with the first goal... Even the downside of Arch's maybe career ending shoulderinjury and Thommo's report couldn't dampen my joy. We owe the Dogs quitea few games over the past few years. The only compensation for not being in the title race is to be able to rain on others parades.

Look outBrisbane!

Round Thirteen

2006-07-10T21:23:00.000+10:00

My selections

Kangaroos over Essendon
Melbourne over Port
Brisbane over Carlton
Adelaide over Geelong
West Coast over Bulldogs
St Kilda over Hawthorn
Sydney over Fremantle
Collingwood over Richmond

The Bomber preview

After the trivia of the World Cup (the game against Italy summed up all that is wrong with soccer, i.e. dodgy refereeing, players who roll around in agony if anyone goes near them and too much hinging on a single goal) we are back to the real thing this week. This is a must win game for Essendon if they wish to avoid the wooden spoon—North Melbourne are not playing much better than Essendon, although their last ten minutes against Carlton was impressive. If Essendon can kick straight for a change then they are in with a chance. However, I have stopped predicting Essendon victories.

Round twelve

2006-07-09T22:43:00.000+10:00

My picks

Adelaide over St Kilda
Fremantle over Geelong
West Coast over Port
Richmond over Hawthorn
Kangaroos over Carlton
Brisbane over Western Bulldogs
Melbourne over Essendon

The Old Blue Stager Report

Kangaroos 121 d Carlton 102

This was another semi-respectable Carlton performance, although that judgement is tempered by the poor quality of the opposition. 22 of the 33 goals in the match were scored at the Coventry (southern) end - a surprising imbalance in the controlled environment at Telstra Dome. Statistically this explains Carlton's coming up short, since they managed only 3 of the 11 goals at the "non-scoring" end.

The Kangaroos dominated the 2nd and 4th quarters, Carlton were on top in the 1st and 3rd. However their first quarter dominance in general play was not reflected on the scoreboard, which again provided a simple (simplistic?) explanation for the match result. Encouragement for the Blues was provided by sound efforts from Betts and Blackwell who looked comfortable as a second-gamer in the midfield. De Luca - for whom the football adjective much-maligned was invented - had a splendid third quarter, marking strongly and kicking three goals. Stevens produced his best game for many weeks, and Murphy was characteristically good, strong at the contest and reliably sound with his disposal. Fevola had a particularly interesting evening, kicking 5 goals, offering a couple of bids for mark of the year, and damaging his knee in falling from one aerial contest. Fev is leading the goal-kicking, and has serious prospects of winning the Coleman Medal.

The Kangaroos who have also endured a forgettable season, gradually found confidence, as they were able to exploit Carlton's wayward disposal. A high proportion of their goals began with a turn-over in Carlton's forward 50. In summary, a winnable game, both in prospect, and as it ran its course, which the Blues let go. The Kangaroos proved steadier and had a few more of their experienced players deliver on the night.

Round eleven

2006-07-09T21:58:00.000+10:00

My selections

Geelong over Essendon
Kangaroos over Richmond
Sydney over St Kilda
Port over Hawthorn
West Coast over Carlton
Adelaide over Brisbane
Western Bulldogs over Freo
Melbourne over Collingwood

The Old Blue Stager Report

West Coast 111 d. Carlton 101(alternatively West Coast defeated Carlton by three minutes).

Carlton produced their best performance for a season and a half, succumbing right at the death. While in part the way the game unfolded was attributable to a notably lacklustre performance for much of the afternoon by the Eagles, it was particularly heartening for the long-suffering Blues' fans.

Make no mistake, West Coast are a very good side. Even in the absence of the glittering talent of Chris Judd, they have multiple stars - Cousins, Embley, Hunter, Cox, Kerr, Wirrpanda, Chick et. al. - they are very well-coached, and they are virtually unbeatable at Subiaco.However, Carlton matched them for three and a half quarters - and outplayed them for much of that time.

The striking feature of the Carlton performance was that players who are regarded as woeful kicks found targets, marks were held, opponents were run down. This improvement in skills emphasised the importance of confidence. Particularly pleasing was the fact that players who've been given up as hopeless were solid contributors. Wiggins, Russell, McGrath, Betts all gave reason to hope that they might make the grade. While these players were significant contributors, Murphy, Whitnall, Scotland, Thornton, Fevola and Walker were the dominant influence on the match.

Unfortunately, fatigue told in the finish, and a five goal lead half-way through the final quarter was insufficient to withstand West Coast's superb finish.There was plenty of lamentation among the half-empty glass section of the Blues' faithful - How could they lose from 44 points up?, What were "they" doing up in the coaches' box?

Your correspondent prefers to accentuate the positive. There was evidence on display that beating Carlton might once again mean something, some time in the future.

Halfway Report and Thoughts from Arden Fast

2006-06-09T20:25:00.000+10:00

The Old Blue Stager's Half-time Review

With 11 rounds completed, it is an opportune time to look at season 2006 from the unique (15th on the ladder) perspective of a Carlton supporter. As the crude old joke has it : "We're a cure for constipation, everyone ***** on us. For Carlton the season has been mostly dismal. The shock victory over Melbourne in round 1, when the Demons were clearly caught off guard, seemed to promise a better season.

Since then only the satisfying defeat of an injury-hit second-string Essendon has interrupted the sequence of defeats. They've come in a variety of forms. St. Kilda took Carlton to the cleaners. The 92 point margin flattered the Blues rather than the Saints, so comprehensive was their dominance. Collingwood made a similar mess of the Blues (72 points), but they only took a half to do the job - Carlton led at half-time. Port Adelaide and Adelaide toyed with Carlton. There was a dismal effort against Hawthorn, who were travelling well at the time before their form slump. Narrow but decisive losses were suffered against Sydney, Richmond, Fremantle and West Coast. So neither Carlton's past, present nor immediate future warrants much comment.

Looking to the competition as a whole, Adelaide and West Coast appear to be the stand-out teams. Both appear to be capable of playing through poor spells - whether within a single match or over a sequence of games. They also seem to have sufficient depth to cope with all but catastrophic injuries*. The next line of possible contenders are Sydney, St. Kilda, Melbourne and Collingwood. The ability of each of these teams to mount a serious challenge to Adelaide and West Coast depends on their ability to keep their best side playing and on whether they can maintain consistent good form.

The final two spots in the eight involve up to six teams - Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, Richmond, Brisbane and Geelong. It's difficult to see any of these teams being able to finish higher than 7th. In the Bulldogs' case, it's due to the impact of injuries on their limited list; for the others inconsistency as much as the shortcomings of their playing lists are the issue.It's possible one of these teams will find a vein of form, and one of my putative top 6 will drop off, but at present there seems to be significant quality gap between "the 6" and the rest.

The bottom four seems settled, it's difficult to see how things might improve in the short-term for Hawthorn, the Kangaroos, Carlton and Essendon. When they play each other, one side has to win, and doubtless any of them may fluke a game when they catch one of the next level off guard, but otherwise these four teams will be looking to draft day rather than September.

For the record, I think it will be Adelaide's year, with West Coast probably their GF opponent. If St. Kilda sneak into the top four (I frankly doubt that they will), I would suggest that they would reach the Grand Final.Of my "mediocre 6", I think Western Bulldogs and Brisbane will be the two to make up the numbers in the finals.

* By catastrophic injuries, I mean losing a top player for the season (e.g. a Chris Judd) or multiple players for an extended period (St. Kilda's experience with Hamill, Hayes, Kositchzke or the Bulldogs with Darcy, Murphy, Grant are examples).

Some Comments from Arden Fast

"In two aspects North Melbourne stands second to none. One is the loyalty of its supporters. The other is the determination to carry on despite disadvantages. In the face of adversity, which might well have broken the spirit of other men,we find that from the earliest days there were always enthusiasts to fight for North Melbourne."

The Australasian 15 June 1940

An interesting site of amusing football trivia.

An extract from a piece on North Melbourne

North supporters had seen the light and were now glowing in its energy and life, as a host of superstars dominated the competition as true Warriors of the Shinboner Spirit. Dench, Cable, Barassi, Schimmelbusch, Greig, Crosswell, Keenan, Kekovich et al. were not only supremely talented, but their contributions were deified by the Spirit that had chosen them to reveal to the world Her glory and Her power. All were courageous. All were brilliant. But, at the same time, all were humble - it had been the Spirit who had been the source of their capacity to captivate the football world. Even Malcolm Blight, the greatest South Australian (and, by definition, Australian) ever, would readily concede that only the majesty and righteousness of the Shinboner Spirit could match anything the greatest state in the world had to offer. By the way, Glenn Archer will always be the Shinboner of the Millennium, but even the Spirit recognises that Malcolm Blight is bigger than even the greatest accolade ever awarded for a league footballer, for He is immortal. And the Spirit also created Mick Nolan to remind all of us that gasometers are indeed beautiful too.

Round 11

2006-06-09T20:11:00.000+10:00

My Selections

8 0ut of 8 last week.

This week

Geelong over Essendon
Richmond over the Kangaroos
Adelaide over the Lions
Sydney Swans over St Kilda (an eight point game for the top four)
Port over Hawthorn (risky, Port are due for a bad game)
Bulldogs over Fremantle
West Coast over Carlton
Melbourne over Collingwood (optimistic again)

The Bomber Preview

This week Essendon are playing Geelong, who hopefully will be demoralized after losing against West Coast after seeming to have the game sown up. Essendon will have to improve a lot. One of the worrying things against Adelaide was Essendon’s lack of ability to win in the centre square and at bounce downs around the ground—this is critical in modern football. Another thing that Essendon must improve on is their kicking for goal from set shots—they have missed a lot of very gettable shots in the last two weeks.

Round Ten

2006-06-02T17:24:00.000+10:00

Some risky tips this week, only three results seem assured although the Collingwood crowd would say four.

My selections

Adelaide over Essendon
West Coast Eagles over Geelong
Western Bulldogs over Hawthorn (Hawks due for a good game)
Collingwood over Brisbane Lions (Lions sending out warning signals lately)
Fremantle over Richmond (risky).
Swans over North Melbourne
Port over Carlton (if Port can play four quarters)
Melbourne over St Kilda (optimisitic)

A clean sweep!!

Port vs Carlton from the Old Blue Stager

Carlton 84 lost to Port Adelaide 118

After a brief yelp early, Carlton succumbed so completely, that the game was over by quarter time. A few weeks earlier Port Adelaide had looked like genuine members of the once mighty now hopeless sector of the AFL (Essendon and Carlton are the full members); then they had run into form against the easy beats. Here they validated the adage "form is temporary, class is permanent", as players like C. Cornes, Dew (how come he is often dropped?) and Pearce revealed the gulf in skill level which has left Carlton floundering so often in recent years.

It's the more galling for this characteristic having been the trade mark of Carlton sides for most of the previous forty years.In any case, a meaningless last quarter rally reduced the margin from 10 goals to an absurdly flattering 34 points.

In his dominant years at North Melbourne, Denis Pagan often referred to such scoring as junk time goals. Sadly for the Blues, these days junk time often begins at the half-time interval, and on particularly dire days like this one at quarter-time.The usual suspects were the chief contributors - Murphy, our shining light in this bleak era, Whitnall, Scotland, Fevola and Thornton.

The Bomber Report

The less said about the match against Adelaide the better. It was a debacle— they never gave up, but were simply outclassed. I have been following Essendon since 1951 and have never seen a worse performance. The only thing that comes close to it was a match we saw against Melbourne at the MCG in 1956 when Essendon was held goal less in the first half. However, that was simply one of those days and in any case the Melbourne teams of that era were truly great sides. Essendon went on to play in the 1957 and 1959 grand finals against Melbourne, both of which they lost. You could get long odds about Essendon playing in a grand final in the next three seasons.

The Richmond Report

Richmond have been ugly but magnificent over the past few matches following their caning at the hands of the incumbent premiers.Widely criticized for their tactics of playing "keepings off", otherise know as "tempo football", the Tigers have made more than expected out of a list of players low in skill, experience, and big game hardening.They have shown great character and discipline, and have been quickly blooding new young players who appear to have potential.

The performance against Fremantle was creditable. Without Richardson, Delidio and Brown we still were competitive, and just ran out of legs and skill under pressure at the end. Again our midfield was good. Coghlan had his best game of the year, and Tuck was his usual reliable self. The umpiring certainly favoured the home side. All up, however, the best team strode over the line first.I look forward to watching the upcoming Richmond games now. We will, it seems, give as good as we can each week.'Eat em alive"

The Bomber Preview

This week Essendon play Adelaide on Friday night in Adelaide. The signs are not good. The best chance of beating Adelaide in Adelaide is to jump them. Adelaide supporters are a weak bunch and make very little noise if Adelaide is behind—on the other hand if they hit the front they go beserk. The main injury risk around Football Park in Adelaide is tripping over all the hand bags around the place

Round nine

Last week, six out of eight after the first two selections went down.

Picked

Western Bulldogs to beat Collingwood (WB lost a key player in the first half)
Geeloing to beat Richmond (call for a swab!)
Adelaide to beat Carlton
Port to beat Essendon (just too many leading players not on deck)
Sydney Swans to beat the Hawks
Brisbane to beat Freo
St Kilda to beat the Kangaroos
Western Eagles to beat Melbourne (not by much!)

The Bomber Report

Watching the game against Port Adelaide was not a pleasant experience for Essendon supporters. Up until half time they were quite competitive and if they had kicked straight Essendon would have been at least level with Port Adelaide. Some strange umpiring decisions did not help either. After half time it was a bit of a debacle. Once again there was some odd coaching particularly in the first quarter when Hille was left stranded in the forward line at the same time the very youing Essendon rucks were being flogged in the centre.

The Old Blue Stager Report

Adelaide 124 d. Carlton 60

Ho hum! another week, another comprehensive regulation loss by the Blues. Even the pattern of the match was familiar. Carlton make a strenuous effort for a while - this week a spirited second quarter. However, the class gap eventually takes its toll, the superior opponents exploit the Blues' abysmal ball usage, and with Andrew McLeod showing some of his Norm Smith medal form, together with the wizardry of Goodwin and Burton, the second half took its inevitable course.

Matthew Lappin who has had a nightmare season showed glimpses of his best, Lance Whitnall worked effectively at both ends and Heath Scotland was a fine player. However, Carlton had too many passengers, even if there was no lack of application.

The Club is in dreadful straits, a spiral of poor results, disaffected support, straitened financial circumstances which are progressively deteriorating, and no turning point in sight. Supporters of other Victorian Clubs (at least) are enjoying the schadenfreude of Carlton's torment. Meantime the Blues who lack even a memory of such a sustained bleak period seem also to lack the resources to turn things around.

This week brings Port Adelaide to Telstra Dome to face the Blues. Arch-rivals Essendon have conveniently played the Power back into form, so that this game which had seeemed eminently winnable now is probably a bridge too far.

Round Eight

2006-05-21T20:50:00.000+10:00

My selections for this round.

Melbourne over Hawthorn by 10 points.
Adelaide over Richmond.
Collingwood over Geelong
Freo over Norths
Lions over Port
Western Bulldogs over Sydney (not a confident pick)
Saints over Carlton
West Coast over Essendon (Essendon to be competitive)

6 out of 8. Who could have picked Richmond? But backing the Bulldogs was a bit of a punt.

Some of the margins blew out, showing the power of momentum against a team that has momentarily lost its touch.

The Melbourne/Hawthorn contest was truly memorable from the Demon's point of view with captain Neitz running down the great Norm Smith for the goal kicking record and closing on the record number of games. It also meant four on the trot, placing the Demons rather nicely in (sort of) fourth place behind Wests, Collingwood and Adelaide.

The game itself had some interesting moments, especially when the Hawks blew a great start and let the Demons back with some really silly play. For a while the action off the ball was the main attraction until the end of the quarter saw the Hawks regain some momentum and almost draw level with a late goal that was very much against the run of play.

The second session was all Melbourne but they only managed to register 4/6 to 1/2 . As the commentators remarked, the Hawks were doing remarkably well to be only five goals down in view of Melboourne's dominance.

The third quarter was an arm wrestle with both sides adding 3/3. As they changed ends for the last time, optimistic Hawks supporters were looking for a quick goal or two to make a match of it. In fact it was all one way traffic with the Demons getting value from every player. Hawthorn had some players who flashed into the play in midfield but they fell down in the last line at each end of the ground. The Hawks failed to score while the Demons added 7/4. Davey broke away after he was well held early, Neitz kept taking front position and kicking goals and the only nasty moment was a shoulder in the head that sidelined Russell Robertson.

The Bomber Report

Review of Round 8

Yet another frustrating narrow loss, although I suspect most Essendon supporters would have expected a bigger loss than 21 points against West Coast. It was good to see younger players such as Watson and Laycock continue to develop. Even the Bendigo Bombers in the VFL improved and had their first win for the season. The Richmond v. Adelaide game was certainly a weird effort, but one would have thought that Adelaide should have manned up a lot earlier—it is not rocket science!

Round 9

This week it is Port Adelaide, a game that is certainly winnable for Essendon, although it looks like a couple of the Essendon players will be suspended. On the other hand Port Adelaide has suffered a couple of significant injuries, so that will even things up. The game is in Melbourne, so that is an advantage for Essendon. It is not good to rely on injuries to other teams, because the incoming players are flat out to prove that they are worth a place, but given that Peter Burgoyne, Adam Kingsley and Chad Cornes all look like missing, Essendon should win by a couple of goals.

The Old Blue Stager

St. Kilda 126 d. Carlton 34

St. Kilda blew Carlton out of the water at the MCG on Sunday. While the result was fairly predictable, the scale of the Saints' domination was perhaps unexpected. This was more a consequence of their previous erratic form. When they play to their potential - as they did in spades on Sunday - they are probably the Victorian side best placed to challenge West Coast, Adelaide and maybe Sydney who seem to be positioning themselves as premiership favourites.

The game was over 24 minutes into the first quarter, with the score 42-8. This actually flattered Carlton, as some wayward kicking at goal had prevented the Saints from taking full advantage of their dominance across the ground. Nick Riewoldt was a particular early offender with his goal-kicking yips, but he had already established the parameters of his benefit match. He provided a master class in marking, including the near-extinct contested mark, and as the afternoon wore on his kicking straightened up as his confidence grew. He finished with nine goals three behinds, after kicking 3.3 in the first forty minutes of the game.

Riewoldt and his fellow forwards had a picnic with silver service provided by an absolutely dominant midfield, in which Hayes was outstanding, but Dal Santo, Baker and Montagna all featured prominently. This was a dire day from a Carlton perspective, the final siren the only relief.

Fevola was the only player who might have broken even with his oppponent, with no-one else coming close. A handful of triers, Scotland, Lappin, Whitnall and Wiggins were outpointed. Murphy and first-gamer Blackwell showed some glimpses of ability and spirit, but the rest might as well not have turned up; not so much passengers a stowaways.

This match lent support for my hypothesis that there is an absoltue gulf between top and bottom, although Richmond's outsmarting Adelaide and Essendon's serious challenge to West Coast provided contrary evidence. Carlton would seem to be without a prayer this week in Adelaide, although there is some reason for confidence about the following round's match against Port Adelaide in Melbourne.

A bit of trivia

2006-05-16T00:19:00.000+10:00

Something that turned up from a google on Irishtown Football Club.

Round Seven

2006-05-15T22:36:00.000+10:00

My predictions

Saints by six points over Geelong.
Melbourne over Freo (not a confident pick)
Swans over Richmond (could be close)
Adelaide over North
Hawthorn over Lions (not a confident selection)
Western Bulldogs over Port (unless Port play four quarters)
Essendon over Carlton ( a dangerous pick, supporting the Bomber)
Eagles over Collingwood (but Collingwood to be competetive)

Five out of eight, not likely to improve my standing in the tipping competition.

Yet another failure to check the injuries, Saints and Bombers short-staffed, silly picks. Fevola the difference for the Blues, arguably the most dangerous full forward in the competition on his day, not that he had many days last season.

The Bomber Report

Not a lot to be said really—very disappointing to lose to Carlton at any time. This week was particularly depressing because Essendon probably should have won the previous two matches. However, “should haves” are of little value. Given the fact that Fletcher, Rioli and McVeigh did not play and Hird only lasted ten minutes, Essendon were always going to struggle. Why Joel Reynolds was left at full back almost all day is a mystery; he is a competent wingman, but he is simply not big enough to deal with Fevola. Is it time to consider the unthinkable, i.e. a change of coach?

Round 8

This week Essendon play West Coast. About the only thing going for Essendon is that the game is in Melbourne. Having watched some of the West Coast v. Collingwood game all I can say is that it will take a miracle for the Bombers to beat the Eagles. No prediction will be made this week, but if Essendon lose they will remain on the bottom—not sure when Essendon was last on the bottom after Round 8

The Carlton Report from Old Blue Stager

Carlton won the battle of the once mighty now brought low at the MCG. Both teams have worked at re-defining ineptitude this season, but Essendon were further drained of resources when Fletcher, McVeigh and Rioli had to withdraw from an already-weakened selected side, and Hird (hamstring) limped off early in the first quarter. As well, many of their previously effective players - Solomon, Welsh, Peverill, Lucas and Johnsons, M. & J. - are struggling for form and confidence.

This situation is all too familiar to Blues' fans, as good players struggling to get a kick themselves are unable to smooth the path for the lesser lights and/or inexperienced teammates.Carlton these days have to take what they can get, so even this scratchy performance was gratifying. The fierce rivalry between the two clubs through much of the last quarter century means that the result carries significance greater than a bottom of the ladder scrap normally would.

The Blues played with an intensity and team ethic which was sufficient to paper over the many skill deficiencies of contemporary Carlton. Resolute tackling, chasing and backing up eventually had an impact on a weakened opponent.Whitnall and Thornton were superb defenders, while Scotland played an effective linking role coming off half-back and through the middle. Murphy demonstrates a rare maturity in a newcomer in a very poor side. His skills are matched by a fine work ethic. Fevola, capitalising on the absence of Fletcher and (mis-)matched by Reynolds, had a rare day out. He exploited his advantages and capitalised with accurate kicking.

Carlton were quickly out of the blocks, but an early two goal break was given up before quarter time.

In the second quarter an early Essendon flurry was soon overcome, as Carlton dominated possession, and surged to a three goal break at half-time.

Essendon rallied in the third quarter and again at the beginning of the last, but each time the Blues had enough steadying influences to enable them to draw away for a comfortable win.

It might have been different, as Lovett had the sort of opportunity which junior footballers dream about, receiving the ball 10 metres from goal and fifteen metres from an opponent, but he somehow managed to slip over before he could put boot to ball. A goal would have brought Essendon to within three points, with the momentum on their side. In the event the ball was scrambled away swept to the other end, where Carlton scored a decisive goal. Game over.

While this broke a run of five losses, it's unlikely to be a turning point. Carlton face St. Kilda this Sunday for a reality check. There is a chasm between the skills of the top sides (and indeed the middle bracket) and those scrabbling around at the bottom of the ladder. However, the win over even a depleted Essendon was a welcome circuit breaker after narrow losses against Sydney and Richmond, and dismal efforts against Hawthorn and Collingwood.

ROUND SIX

2006-05-05T19:29:00.000+10:00

This has been the hardest round to pick so far, with form reversals right and left.

Melbourne to beat Geelong by 6 (points). Perhaps.
Western Bulldogs to beat St Kilda (not a confident selection, may change in the morning).
West Coast to beat Fremantle.
Essendon to beat Richmond (looking for another form reversal).
Adelaide to beat Port.
Swans to beat the Lions. I hope.
Collingwood to beat Carlton.
Hawthon to beat Kangaroos. Subject to revision in case of another form reversal.

Commentators have been absent in droves lately for a variety of reasons including field trips, study leave and laziness.

The Bomber Report

Review of Week 5

Once again the Bombers were dead unlucky to lose. Nevertheless there were some very good signs given Hawthorn’s previous form. However, narrow losses are not a great help in climbing the ladder. Essendon was also heavily disadvantaged by the fact that Hawthorn had a much longer break between games. Once again there was no TV in Adelaide except the ridiculous Collingwood Port Adelaide game. At the time of writing the St Kilda v. Fremantle fiasco had yet to be resolved. It would be tough on Fremantle to lose but if the AFL apply the rules then it should be a draw. If they award the game to Fremantle, St Kilda may be entitled to take legal action.

Week 6
This week Essendon are playing Richmond, an inconsistent mob if ever there was. The outcome of the match may depend on which particular Richmond team turns up. However, having watched the error riddled game between Richmond and Carlton, Essendon should be able to win. Once again I think there will be no live TV coverage because in Adelaide we will be forced to watch the two South Australian teams beat each other up with their handbags. Predicted result: Essendon by 5 goals.

ROUND THREE

2006-04-18T18:02:00.000+10:00

My tips for the round:

Saints (by 10 points)
Geelong
Sydney (probably)
Adelaide
Eagles
Western Bulldogs (to be close)
Port
North Melbourne

5/8 courtesy of Hawthorn, Freo and Collingwood.

MELBOURNE REPORT

Well, as I said, Melbourne needs a big bag from the captain every week. My prediction for the Neitz score on a week by week basis was 5, 1, 1, 5, 1, 1, 5. which means he was due for five on Saturday and that would have kicked the Demons home but it was not to be. Arden Fast and I are contemplating long seasons.

Other Results

The Bombers can consider themselves hard done by. I expect four goals a week from Lloyd, something like 5, 3, 4, 5, 3, 4. so when I saw the three quarter time score and he only had one, I thought he was good for two or three more but I didn't realise he was off the ground. That is the Bomber nightmare as called by the Bomber reporter, all the big names need to keep healthy. The other big bookend gave away a silly goal, that was called by the Bomber when he noted the tendency for some of the big guns to commit indiscretions and front the trubunal. There is probably an element of frustration, they remember the glory days and they like to physically intimidate the opposition but it is getting harder every year

Dont write off the Brisbane Lions, they were completely outplayed by the Saints for most of the game and they still kept in touch (almost) courtesy of Akermanis who showed how to kick goals, while others were kicking a lot of points.

What have the Western Bulldogs fans done wrong to deserve the wretched run of injuries they have suffered, two years in a row?

Richmond are defying the odds and showing a heap of character after a worrying start to the season. That suggests that the woodwork of the club is sound although their list is too short to worry the top sides for four quarters.

Port and Freo remain a mystery, as do Sydney and Carlton. Not to mention Hawthorn and Geelong. It is too early to know what counts as a stunning upset and what is a portent of things to come. The Hawks played some great games last year but had no consistency. And last year it was Collingwood who ended the Eagles unbeaten run.

At this stage I would not back Port, Melbourne or Norths to make the finals so there are at least three places up for grabs. Sydney had better come back to life or there will be a spare place in the top four. Western Bulldogs were the obvious side to step up until their big players started falling over.

Look out for Collingwood!

THE BOMBER REPORT

A rather frustrating game against Footscray, particularly if you live in Adelaide. The TV coverage in Adelaide dealt with the admittedly excellent Adelaide-Melbourne game and the Port Adelaide-Fremantle debacle—when has a lower standard first quarter been played? As often the case in recent years Essendon started like trains but could not go on with it. The injury to Lloyd is bad news but at least Hird is back and firing on all cylinders. The game was also a disaster for Footscray in terms of injuries to their big men—I would suggest their premiership hopes have just disappeared—both incidents looked quite innocuous.

Round 4 preview

Ever since I was a kid in the fifties Essendon-Collingwood games have been one of the games that you liked to win. For many years both sides won almost all their home games—if you wanted a hot shower at Victoria Park it paid to lose! This week is a danger game for Essendon because Collingwood is a much better team than their position on the ladder last year, when they suffered numerous injuries to key players. Essendon will have to be at their best to win. Let us hope that Hird plays as well as he usually does on Anzac Day and Hille will be back after his brain spasm. Predicted result: Essendon by one point.

THE RICHMOND REPORT

From Eat 'em alive'

The Tigers played some of their best footy of the year in the first half against West Coast on Saturday. Again there was no faulting their endeavour. The set up of the team looked good. Key players like Tuck, Bowden, Richardson, Johnson were contributing. But alas, the lack of skill and class again surfaced and we were easily, in the end, over-run by an impressive Eagles outfit.

I will say it here, now - the Eagles will win this year's flag. They are a terrific team - disciplined, fit, skillful, strong, fast and tough. And they were hurt by last year's Grand Final loss.

As for the Tigers, young Hyde was most impressive, and has a future. He showed a lot of class in this game. Tuck again was great. And there were a number of other young fellows who showed they will only get better. We do however have much development ahead before we win games. Don't back us against Brisbane this week. There are many weeks ahead I fear, before we win our first game of the 2006 season.

NORTH MELBOURNE v COLLINGWOOD

From Arden Fast

I'd like to blame the controversy over the clash of (jumper) civilisations sparked by Eddie McGuire. By the way Eddie, North Melbourne date back to 1869 not 1892 so shove that in your pipe you Johnny Come Lately. And you too Joffa. In fact this is one issue on which I must support Essendon, who also were forthright in telling McGuire and his Magpies to get back in their box. Despite their delusions to the contrary, Collingwood don't own the history of Australian football.

Anyway, the game itself was a debacle. Simply put, if the Roos keep up this lacklustre effort (Sav Rocca is excused for his brilliant solo effort up front) it will be draft concessions and off to Carrara next year.

In fact the only excuse for the insipid efforts over the past fortnight that I can see is the continued speculation about the Gold Coast. With club legends Wayne Schimmelbusch and Ross Glendinning endorsing a move on a partial basis and Keith Greig, Sam Kekovich and David King seeing a complete relocation as inevitable this issue will not go away.

PS Anyone know where I can get a second hand safari suit and some white shoes in good condition?

Melbourne. Round Two Report

2006-04-10T18:00:00.000+10:00

The Demons continue in the losers circle, thanks to the fine running game of the Western Bulldogs. If they are allowed to play the game their way the Dogs will trouble the best sides, as they did last year.

When the Demons beat the Kangaroos pre-season, courtesy of a big bag of goals by Neitz, I formed the impression that they really need a pair of bookends, a full forward who delivers every week or at least most weeks, and a dominating backman like Dustin Fletcher or Scarlett. In the meantime Neitz will kick five goals one week and one the next two weeks while at the other end of the ground the defence will always struggle against the top sides as long as Rivers has to play above his weight in the key position.

Welcome to a new contributor, "eat 'em alive" will report on Richmond. The recruitment process proceeds.

And another thing. The Bomber reporter who hails from Circular Head in Tasmania, like myself, has advised that the competition in our home district is still going on and I have corrected the blurb on the site accordingly.

The tipping competition. The organizer is away for a couple of weeks so there is no report on the ladder. 5/8 is not a great result although most of the field would have been on the Swans. It was not smart to bet against Port, I saw the third quarter of the game against the Kangaroos and I thought that their poor showing in that quarter was a mix of bad luck and bad options that could be easily fixed. I kept backing them last year on the strength of their list even when they kept losing games, so I should have had more faith this week. And I didn't check the injury list at the Crows or I would have gone for the Eagles, even away from home.

The Bomber Report.

2006-04-10T17:59:00.000+10:00

Bombers: Round 2 Review

Judging by his performance on Saturday Jonathon Brown clearly enjoys playing against Essendon. He was clearly the difference between the two teams. However, Essendon was not far off the mark. One of the pleasing things was the form of the younger players Watson, Monfries and Stanton. Not so pleasing was David Hille’s rush of blood in the last quarter, particularly as Essendon had the ball and were about to kick to the goal square.

Bombers Round 3

This week’s opponents Footscray have been most impressive to date, but they have only played Richmond and Melbourne so they are yet to be tested. Their main attribute seems to be sheer pace which may cause Essendon a few problems. However, their big man power is suspect, and if Essendon can get the ball in quickly to Lucas and Lloyd this will cause Footscray some problems. At least these days they play at the Docklands rather than the cow paddock out at the Western Oval where on a wet day 5 goals could be a winning score. Prediction for this week: Essendon by two goals.

North Melbourne. Comments from Arden Fast

2006-04-10T16:02:00.000+10:00

It's funny isn't it how soon we put painful memories behind us. When your team wins, its watch the replay on Fox Footy, watch On The Couch, White Line Fever, read the match reports from the Age and the Herald Sun etc ... but when you lose. What game, don't want to talk about it. Beaten by a better side on the day. The only thing good that might come out of the Roos drubbing at the Cattery is if Scarlett gets rubbed out for a few weeks.

To make matters worse, my 5 year old tipster son had a go at me for faulty advice ... you didn't warn me that Geelong were the favourites he screamed. Well go and get advice from your mother in future I advised, or something to that effect.

Oh yes, and where are we playing next year, Carrara, Manuka, Princes Park etc etc, no wonder the team lost they've got no idea what ground to turn up at.

Arden Fast may return next week if the North Melbourne footy club can be located on the map.

The Richmond Report from "eat em alive!"

2006-04-10T16:01:00.000+10:00

Richmond's performance against Footscray last week signalled a very long, very cold winter ahead. I could not even write about it I was that hurt. We were abominable in every aspect of the game - disposal, ball handling, pace, desire for the footy, game plan, ... .

This week we showed that even though 14th looks the likely finishing position, we have some character, and a little ability (though well behind the other 13 teams).

We were outclassed by a St Kilda who remain under-done in fitness and preparation. At least we were competitive and attacked the footy and the opposition with gusto. Joel Bowden was magnificent in defense, and proves to be one of our few consistent quality performers. Even his brother, who I still find hard to accept in Richmond jumper was a contributor. Raines, Tuck, Hyde, Coghlan, and Pettifer were all battlers. Simmons was OK. Richmond came back admirably in the second half after being about 4 goals down in the second quarter, and hit the front for a short time. It was only a short time however, as St Kilda have much more class and depth.

The tragedy of the day was the loss of Thursfield for the season with a knee injury. He has shown promise as an improving young key defender. Following that we had no-one to curtail Riewoldt.

I unfortunately must continue to turn my mind back to 1967, 1969, 1974, and 1980 to find inspiring memories of Richmond as a force in competition. If only we could get Royce Hart, Kevin Bartlett, Francis Bourke, Kevin Sheedy, Ian Stewart, Geoff Raines, Mark Lee, Robert Wiley, David Cloke, and Jim Jess back on the ground ...

Eat 'em alive is the old Richmond catch cry.

Round One Progress Report

2006-04-06T18:28:00.000+10:00

The Demons and I have started the year the way we ended last season. The Demons choked and I scooped the pool in the NSW Parliament House tipping comp. 8/8 in the last round of home and away games, 7/8 this time, but good enough.

This is a turnaround for me, last year I ran about 90th out of 200 but the organizer got me back in by promising that this could be my year. I suppose he said that to everyone.

My tips for round two are:
St Kilda by 65 (there is a points margin in one game of the round to split people who pick the same number of games.
Western Bulldogs (sorry Demons).
Geelong (sorry Arden Fast).
Essendon (not a confident pick).
Freo.
Collingwood.
Swans. Not a confident tip.
Adelaide. Likely to be close.

Sunday morning update

Looking good for 7/8 again. Go Swans, Magpies and Crows!

The Bomber report

2006-04-06T18:21:00.000+10:00

Last week: As predicted Essendon were too good for South Melbourne who clearly had a serious premiership hangover, particularly in the first quarter. It was very pleasing to see Essendon get a big lead in the first quarter and actually go on and win the game. In recent years they have tended to get a lead early and then let it slip. What was not so good was that in Adelaide, we were forced to watch the Port Adelaide v. North Melbourne game—not much of a game unless you were a North supporter. The TV coverage did not even give progress scores from the Bombers/Swans game in Melbourne (I eventually got the score off ABC radio). In fact the commentary of the Port-North game could have been considerably improved all round. It always dangerous to make predictions after one round, but Port look like they are in for a tough year.

This week: This week Essendon travel to Brisbane who were of course flogged unmercifully by Geelong last week—could not happen to a nicer team — a lot of teams will do that to Brisbane in the next couple of years if they get the chance. It is hard to see Brisbane playing as badly this week—any team with Jonathon Brown at centre half forward has to be respected, particularly at home. Brisbane may well be where Essendon was in the couple of years after their premierships of 1984/85 when they took all before them—as they went downhill, partly because of injuries, they would be superb one week and pretty bad the next week. This week Brisbane will no doubt try and knock the Essendon players off their game—it will be a good test for the younger Essendon brigade and we will know more about them after this week. Prediction for this week: Essendon by two goals.

Top Four prediction: West Coast, Adelaide, St Kilda, Geelong

North Melbourne turn off the Power at AAMI Stadium

2006-04-06T13:30:00.000+10:00

By Arden Fast.

Dean Laidley's men put in a brilliant performance on Sat nite to put the Roos remarkable head to head record against Port Adelaide back on track after last years finals debacle. Laidley is known around the club as "The Bible" because he's so hard to read. But his post match sentiments were clear as he praised newcomers Josh Gibson, Cameron Thurley and Kasey Green and rookie big man Hamish McIntosh who put in a sterling performance in the ruck. After Port jumped us in the first term, the cliched Shinboner spirit came to the fore led as always by the likes of Glenn Archer and skipper Adam Simpson. A flash of brilliance by Daniel Wells silenced the crowd spurred on by some early uncharacteristic misktakes and we rolled on over the top of the Teal pretenders eventually blowing the margin out to 41 points.

There's nothing more beautiful than a quiet AAMI stadium ... except when the mob is baying for blood and the ump keeps giving 50 metre penalties to your side!!!

We're off to the Cattery this week and as usual no-one gives us a chance, but you write off the Rooboys at your peril.

Round 1 2006 early report.

2006-03-31T13:48:00.000+11:00

Well I am laughing after one game. One up and seven to go.

For what it is worth I have gone for Melbourne over Carlton, Bulldogs over Richmond, Geelong over the Lions, Adelaide over Collingwood, Essendon over the Swans, Kangaroos over Port, Hawthorn to beat Freo.

All care but no responsibility taken.

Phil of the NSW Parliament House tipsters lured me back with the promise that this could be my year. But can I handle the pressure of being in the top half of the table?

Bombers in 2006

2006-03-25T22:01:00.000+11:00

Since their first premiership in 1891 Essendon has won the most premierships (twenty) in the nation’s leading Australian Rules competition. Before Port Adelaide fans get too excited they should realize that their thirty-odd SANFL premierships are irrelevant.

Unfortunately, previous achievements are of little value when looking to the future. In 2005 Essendon had one of their worst years for a long time, although it was not as bad as it seemed because they lost several games by less than twenty points. One of their main problems was an inability to kick a winning score despite having the opportunity to do so. One of the main reasons for this was the early season arm injury to Lloyd who was only regaining confidence towards the end of the year. Another was that there was too much mucking around with the ball around the centre and half-forward lines instead of kicking it to the goal square.

What about 2006? As with most clubs the 2006 results will to some extent depend on the injury list—if players such as Hird, Lloyd, Fletcher, McPhee, Lucas, Hille and the Johnsons remain fit Essendon will finish in the eight. Another problem in recent years has been the tendency for players such as Fletcher, Lloyd and Rioli to get reported and suspended at inopportune times—this is not helpful. Given the fact that Essendon has never had early draft picks (one of the downsides of continually playing in finals) they have a pretty good younger brigade (more of them in later reports), but these players are still a year or two away from achieving their potential. A realistic prediction for Essendon in 2006 would be somewhere between eight and eleventh, although with luck they could finish fifth or sixth.

First Round. Against South Melbourne at Docklands. Both games last year were quite close. There is a fair chance of South having a premiership hangover, so Essendon has a good chance, particularly they should have almost a full list to pick from. I predict a three goal win for the Bombers. Barry Hall of course should still be serving a suspension from the preliminary final.

Decline and Fall of Various Empires

2006-03-17T21:19:00.000+11:00

Faced with the almost infinite array of possibilities for the new season, I will take a leaf from the book of Roy Masters and boldly punt on the ups and downs from the end of home and away rankings last year.
Swans - the quiet (and injury free)achievers, you have got the target painted on your backs this year and don't expect another dream run with injuries. Down four places.
Melbourne. Nothing much going on there and a waste of space in the finals last year and the year before. Same position this year. Hope White stays healthy.
Brisbane Lions. Still a force. Up three places.
Collingwood. Showed some class in patches and a lot of ticker despite a crippling injury list. Up seven places.
Geelong. Frustrated last year, should have done better. Down one place.
Adelaide. Everybody hates you. Down six places.
Western Bulldogs. Thrive on adversity and could have made a mark in the finals last year. Will be there this year, up two places.
Essendon. Could have done better last year with an ounce of luck, will improve five places.
West Coast. Too short in the forwards and can't travel. Down five places.
Hawthorn. Worried most teams last year but could not sustain pressure. Experience will make the difference, up six places.
St Kilda. On the cusp, did not perform to expectations and unlikely to do better this year. Down two places.
Carlton. Nowhere to go but up, strong recruiting will bring out the best in the old hands. A proud club with a lot to play for. Up eight places.
Richmond. Ready to show some tiger. If they can improve their conversion rate they will ruffle some feathers this year. Up four places.
Freemantle. Have trouble delivering under pressure. The extra year will make a difference for the young players. Up two places.
North Melbourne. Will be there again this year but some legs are wearing out. Down two places.
Port. Likely to be there again but unlikely to improve. No change.

The Roy Masters column that I had in mind was written when there were five teams in the rugby league finals. The end result of all the ups and downs that he predicted had every team in fifth place. So I have picked everyone to come in at seven or eight. Not likely, but I suppose two will be correct at the end of the day.

Getting real for a moment, West Coast and Saints could consider themselves hard done by last year, wrecked by injuries at the wrong end of the season. The Eagles missed two stars and carried one through the grand final on one leg. Adelaide looked the goods but played one bad quarter against the Eagles and then kicked a string of points when they bounced back. Geelong would have to wonder about the game that got away. So the top five is likely to remain intact. Melbourne and Norths will hang in but their lists are likely to be too short at the end of the season unless they enjoy a Swanies type of dream run with injuries. They may be vulnerable and Port will surely fall out of the eight. So there is one place up for grabs and possibly two or three. There will be fierce competition for those places and any side but Carlton could be there.

North Melbourne Season Preview 2006

2006-03-17T21:14:00.000+11:00

By Arden Fast

With the three year deal with the ACT government coming to a close, The Age's Caroline Wilson has helpfully suggested that North should look at playing some home games on the Gold Coast. This sort of speculation has been helped along by Commissar Demetriou re-starting talk about mergers and relocations, and of course this sort of negative media spotlight inevitably comes to rest on the battling Shinboners.

Meanwhile the club is getting on with business taking no notice of the knockers/experts who predict failure every single year and the end of the club every other year. A deal with the City Council and the State Government to revamp Arden Street into a prefessional training base has been struck and with new CEO Graham Duff formerly boss of the VRC and new number one ticket holder Ricky Ponting on board the off-field future is looking good.

On field, it's underdog status as usual. New full back Jon Hay admitted in an interview with the Herald Sun that he was baffled by the lack of credit given to the Roos by the media and the public:

"I think there's heaps of talent here and I don't understand it," he said. "Last year they finished fifth and even this year I had a look they're paying $2.50 to make the eight, which is one of the bottom four sides. I'm thinking, 'What's going on there?' They won 13 games and finished fifth at the end of the regular season and no one still rates us.

"I think we've got a really strong side all over the ground. It's great, I reckon, always being the underdog."

The addition of Hay at full back and the emergence of Jesse Smith has solidified the back line, the midfield looks even more potent with the rise and rise of youngsters like Daniel Wells and Daniel Harris alongside the Commander Adam Simpson and Brady Rawlings and the maturation of the big men such as David Hale and Hamish McIntosh. Up
forward there's plenty of tall timber with Nathan Thompson, Drew Petrie and the evergreen Sav Rocca and of course the dangerous Shannon Grant is always lurking. I reckon we'll give the eight a shake again and if we have luck with injuries the top four is not out of the question.

The devastating loss to Port in last years finals is a burning fire in the belly of Dean Laidley and his men and the best way to start to avenge that is to give those Teal wearing wankers a hiding in round 1, but the rage will drive the club on to make another appearance in the finals. The Shinboner spirit can only be avenged through finals glory!

Roll on Season 06!

2006-03-12T22:45:00.000+11:00

After I ran out of puff midway through Season 05, there is an innovation this year, a team of contributors will come on board to provide their own unique perspectives. Recruitment is still under way, at this stage we are still short of a few places, so lets see how things pan out.

The idea is to have a supporter of each team contribute their view of how things went on the weekend. I will put the comments up in pairs for each game. Then of course others can buy in using the Comments facility. Those who are sufficiently enthusiastic can contribute extra stuff, like their favorite stories, their greatest team ever, how they learned to love the game, their most memorable achievement if they played, etc etc.

Contributors can use real names or a dummy, no probs either way. My tipping record was so poor last year I wish I had used a false name.

Lets start with a round of pre-season comments and predictions. The first cab off the rank here is our Kangaroos representative. Welcome aboard Arden Fast!

Round 15

2005-07-09T08:39:00.000+10:00

My tips for this weekend.

Three out of eight last week does not inspire confidence and dropped me several places in the tipping competition.

The Port selection looked pretty poor at the end of the game but with five minutes to go and trailing by 19 they missed two fairly simple shots at goal. Each point was promptly followed by a Collingwood goal. So instead of getting within 7 they fell back to trail by 29. Anyway, I will probably keep tipping Port more often than not because I can't seehow they can keep on losing with so much talent in the side.

West Coat Eagles to beat North Melbourne. But don't be surprised if the real quiet achiers of the competition sneak home.

Richmond to beat Essendon. Especially if they kick long more often andRicho has a good night.

Port to beat Melbourne. Can the Demons get back on track after twolosses in a row? Can they stay in the top four and remain a genuinecontender if they lose again? All will be revealed.

Lions to beat Collingwood. The pies could do everyone a favour by getting up this weekend but it would require a bold tipster to pick themto do it.

Geelong to beat the Swans. A battle of the "almost there but not quite" sides. A hard one to pick.

Adelaide to beat Hawthorn.

St Kilda to beat Carlton.

Footsgray to beat Freo. What a difficult pick: grit and consistency vs inconsistency and desperation. I will probably change this one on Sundaymorning.

Round 14

2005-07-01T17:56:00.000+10:00

Selections for this round. All care but no responsibility taken.

Port to beat Collingwood. The Pies are no longer candidates for the wooden spoon as they appeared to be after a dreadful start to the season. They have played some great football and so far they are the only team to topple the West Coast. They have also showed a lot of ticker to stay in sight of the finals with so many key players watching from the sideline. Still, Port have shown flashes of the form that took them to the flag last year and they look as though they could explode any time (except the day they played West Coast, when they imploded).

Sydney to beat Richmond. Sydney are emerging as the quiet achievers of the competition. Still, this is a risky pick because Richmond are capable of great things if they can only convert opportunities into goals.

West Coast to beat Carlton. Maybe there have been more surprising reversals of form (Collingwood over West Coast this year?) but I dont expect to see Carlton make it happen this weekend.

Melbourne to beat Brisbane. A risky selection. Melbourne will have every other team in the comp in their corner and the Lions have a wretched record at home. Still this is a danger game for the Demons because you can bet that the Lions will come out breathing fire and the Gabba will be no place for faint hearted players in red and blue. The Dees need this kind of test to see if they have got the fibre that they lacked when they choked against the Dons in the first semi last year.

Kangaroos to beat Essendon. Not a confident selection. Essendon are getting some players back and they have shown enough on and off this year to suggest they can still sneak into the finals.

Adelaide to beat Freo. Adelaide showed from the start that they are going to trouble everyone this year and they have the second best for and against in the comp. Freo have fallen in a heap and it will be a miracle if they get back on track this season.

The Saints to beat Western Bulldogs. Saints have some key men back and they have got a lot to prove after a dreadful season so far. On paper they should be right up there and it is too much to expect the Bulldogs, decimated by injury, to win yet again against the odds.

Geelong to beat Hawthorn. Geelong looked like the team to beat early on and they have fallen in a heap as well. Hawthorn have been up and down like a yoyo, mostly down lately, so it is a battle of the underachievers this week. Not a confident pick.

Back to work!

2005-06-27T22:50:00.000+10:00

With Melbourne and Parramatta both running second in their respective competitions it is interesting to recall that they both finished the season in second place in 1999 (I will have to check that!).
Interesting but not inspiring although their finals campaigns started well. In the major semi they each defeated the respective minor premiers (Adelaide Crows and the Brisbane Broncos). Then it all went pear-shaped the following week when North Melbourne defeated the Demons at the MCG and the Canterbury Bulldogs beat the Eels in Sydney. Ultimately both minor premiers lifted the silverware, so Melbourne and Parramatta enjoyed the dubious pleasure of being the last teams to beat the premiers in that season.

AFL Round 8

2005-05-14T21:27:00.000+10:00

My selections
Geelong over Carlton (45 point margin) Correct result but well short on the margin.
Melbourne to beat Hawthorn (hard to pick)
West Coast Eagles to beat St Kilda
North Melbourne to beat the Bulldogs (had to pick)
Adelaide to pick Brisbane (hard to pick)
Port to beat Sydney
Richmond to beat Collingwood
Freemantle to beat Essendon

AFL Round 7

2005-05-10T10:01:00.000+10:00

Computer problems and pressure of other events has put this blog behind the action.
My position has improved marginally in the tipping competition, almost out of the bottom half of the table with a score of six last weekend.
Melbourne over Adelaide with a last quarter surge, Richmond over Carlton (starting to slide after a promising start to the season), Geelong over St Kilda (a big last quarter), picked Brisbane to beat the Bulldogs but the result went the other way, credit to the Bulldogs for keeping it together at the end when they could have gone to water in hostile territory, Swans over Essendon, not my pick, could have gone either way but now Essendon are on the rack, Eagles over the Hawks who continue to impress, the result could have easily gone the other way, Port over Norths (worrying signs) and Fremantle over Collingwood, now unbackable favorites for the wooden spoon.

NFL Eels home again!

2005-04-23T22:59:00.000+10:00

Western Tigers self-destructed and the Eels showed a lot of grit and some enterprise to make it back to back wins on the eve of a confrontation with the win-starved Bulldogs.
Luke Burt had a bad night with the boot and that could have been costly but the usually well disciplined Tigers made a heap of unforced errors in the second half and never managed to exert sustained pressure.

In the other match the Cowboys showed a lot of composure to soak up pressure from Penrith and score some spectacular tries including a game breaker just when Penrith was taking charge of the game in the second half. Eventually Penrith self-destructed as well with Craig Gower the main offender.

Aussi rules, my picks for round 5

2005-04-23T22:52:00.000+10:00

These picks were before kickoff!
Port to beat Geelong. Wrong. A high quality game and a gritty effort by Geelong because Port looked like running away with it for a short time. The Ottens buy has paid off (3 goals).
Kangaroos to beat Hawks. OK but not a convincing effort.
Fremantle to beat Carlton. Yes. A risky selection in view of Freo's patchy form.
Adelaide to beat the Western Bulldogs. Wrong. Well done Bulldogs!
Melbourne to beat the Swans. Yes, thanks to finding the right set of sticks. Scoring shots practically equal.
West Coast to beat Brisbane.
St Kilda to beat Richmond.
Essendon to beat Collingwood.

The Eels: Electric or Smoked? The agony of the long distance Parramatta supporter

2005-04-20T21:24:00.000+10:00

Turning to the rugby league, nowadays known as the NRL, the burning question, as usual, is how many ways will the Parramatta Eels find to frustrate their supporters this year.
What have we done to deserve this?
Go back to 1971, they had a fine set of forwards and they met St George in the semis. The Saints took the game into extra time with a late try and then Billy Smith kicked the Dragons home with a field goal. The Saints went on to the grand final and lost to Souths, courtesy of a George Piggins rake-back in the play the ball, with Saints pressing the Souths line. Play the balls were contestable then, as were the scrums where there was a percentage in having a genuine ball-winning hooker.
In 1975 they started to look dangerous, an ex-Staints coach brough the winning mentality into the club and they finished equal fourth with two other teams. This meant a mid-week knockout to decide fourth place. Two of the three teams played on Tuesday, the winner to play the other team on Thursday. The Eels drew a short straw and played on Tuesday. They won, so they got to play on Thursday. They won again so they qualified to play Manly in the knockout semi on the weekend. They started well and had the better of the play but all-time great Bobby Fulton in the Manly colours turned the game around with a try against the run of play.
1976, Ray Price joined the club, into the grand final against Manly, led most of the day but lost out from two penalties for scrum infringements.
1977, Mick Cronin, the Crow, came to town and the team led the comp all season, inspired by Johnny "bomber" Peard. Tied the grand final with Saints, no result in extra time, creamed in the replay with strongarm tactics applied by the very young and strong Saints pack.
1978. Referee Hartley's year. Manly win, beating Parra in a midweek playoff after a draw on the weekend, and beating Cronulla in a grand final replay after a draw first up. Dodgy tackle counts and open season for elbows to the head from Manly forwards. Parra ran out of fullbacks and Peter Sterling made his debut at fullback in the midweek replay.
1979. Saints beat Parra in the last minute of the major semi. Price sent off in the preliminary final against Canterbury. Parra lose the game, Price exonerated at the tribunal. Saints beat Canterbury.
1980. Arthur Beetson joined the club, broke jaw and sat out the end of the season. Did not make finals.
1981. Jack Gibson coach. Newton revival under Warren "Wok" Ryan. Parra lucky in semi against Newtown, Billy Wilson missed easy shot for Parra to sneak in, desperate for a week off to rest injured star players. Easts set the pace for the season but Newtown knock them out, followed by Manly (literally) to back up against the Eels. Newtwon hit the front after half time with a soft try to Tommy Raudonikos, then Kenny bagged his second try and others show class for Parra to steam home.
1982. Manly look the goods for most of the season but fall over in the grand final, two in a row for the Eels.
1983. More of the same.
1984. A close run 6-4 loss to Ryan's Canterbury maulers in the grand final. Winning try scored while Ray Price temporarily out of the play.
1985. Outmuscled by Canterbury in the preliminary. Canterbury beat Saints 7-6.
1986. Cronin almost blinded in one eye in preseason injury. Parra have muscle up front and outplay Canterbury for most of grand final, cross the line twice for disallowed tries, Crow misses first two shots at goal. Parra survive Canterbury domination of last 15 minutes to win 4-2.
1987. Price and Cronin retire. The first of the wilderness years. Sterling and Ella still shining but wearing out. Recruits do not perform to expectation. Ten years later a count turns up 22 Parra juniors playing first grade with other clubs. Attempt to buy a team from Canterbury does not quite work.
2001. Brilliant young team get comnination, and a dream run without injuries and state of origin commitments. Favoured to win Grand Final but Newcastle play inspired first half to win despite spirited Parra revival. Everyone says the young eels only have to turn up next year to make the grand final again.
2002. Injuries and representative commitments kill the dream.
2003. Suspensions, injuries, slow start, a flick of form but too late. Put out of misery by Panthers in last game.
2004. If it was a fish you would throw it back.

Post mortem on Round Four

2005-04-20T21:04:00.000+10:00

Trust the real Saints to turn up in the last quarter against the Demons.
Thanks to an unlikely performance by the Tigers (why did I pick them? am I psychic? No, not judging by my position in the tipping comp) I managed five out of eight this time.
Congratulations to the Hawks for showing some real form, and in enemy territory as well!
Essendon continue to bomb, but not for want of effort and there is still plenty of class in the side if they can just generate some momentum. The real Geelong stood up, and that is a worry for every other side in the competition.
The Eagles are going to cause some real problems this year, and the Bulldogs are going to battle for a few wins.
The Swans are going to cause problems for their fans as much as the opposition, like Melbourne they can lose the plot and snatch defeat from victory.
Adelaide remain an unknown quantity, they are not going to be in the top five or the bottom five but where they will fall in the middle six is hard to pick.
Much the same can be said of Carlton, a lot depends on the capacity of other teams to smother Fevola who is likely to be a marked man. Port are not playing like a premiership team at present, it remains to be seen if they have the mental attitude required for back to back flags.
The Kangaroos are demonstrating the power of attitude and Collingwood are looking down the barrel with another key player limping off and their trump card still watching from the stand.

Round Four

2005-04-16T11:09:00.000+10:00

My selections for round four. Desperate to do better than three last week, thanks to all the teams that fell over in the last quarter and blew good leads!

North Melbourne over Collingwood (a risky pick, how long can the Kangaroos keep winning, and Collingwood are showing some ticker). In the event, Norths in a game that could have gone either way.
Swans to beat the Crows at home (risky)
Lions to beat Hawks.
Geelong to beat Essendon.
Eagles to beat Western Bulldogs.
Port to beat Carlton.
Demons to beat St Kilda (??). Well you have to back your own team don't you, especially when they are in form. But when is the real St Kilda going to stand up?
Richmond to beat Fremantle (a real risk, still time to change that before kickoff).

Round Three

2005-04-09T15:43:00.000+10:00

My picks for this round. Melbourne over Geelong (heart over head), Carlton over Collingwood, Saints over Kangaroos (going against Eddie for the third time), Brisbane over Sydney (head over heart), West Coast over Fremantle (hard to call), Port over Adelaide (another tough local derby), Essendon over Hawks (could be a massacre), Western Bulldogs over the Tigers (still getting sorted).

These are the picks before kick-off. The Demon selection is looking good although I had to nominate a margin and 10 points is a long way short of the final result. Goal kicking looked like the difference, yet again (how many games now?), but the real story was told in the midfield.

As I write Carlton has 8 points on the Pies and the Saints have four points on the Kangaroos. If Eddie's Kangaroos get up I might have to take Monday off to avoid facing up to him at work after picking the opposition three times in a row.

Round Two

2005-04-02T08:21:00.000+10:00

My picks: Carlton, Melbourne, Swans, Brisbane, Hawthorn (with trepidation), Geelong, Saints, Collingwood.

Carlton did the right thing in the last quarter to snatch an unlikely victory and keep my hopes alive for a decent round. Bad kicking at goal cost them heavily in the first half, they had more scoring shots but were well out of the contest on the scoreboard.

Round One

2005-03-29T00:41:00.000+10:00

The season is off and running, and my start in the tipping competiton leaves a great deal to be desired.
My picks: St Kilda (expletives deleted), Carlton (well, Eddie warned me), Demons (sweet revenge), Eagles (good), Port (more expletives), Geelong (looks like along season for the Tigers), Swans (ditto for the Hawks), Collingwood (groan).
Oh well, it could have been worse.

How it all began: From the VFL in 1896 to the AFL in 1987

2005-03-21T18:30:00.000+11:00

The Start of the Game

Thomas Wills was one of the four men who formulated the distinctive rules of Australian football and started the game to keep Melbourne cricket players fit in the winter.

Thomas Wentworth Wills (1935-1880) was one of the great early characters in Australian sport. He was sent off to England for his education and he captained Rugby school in both cricket and football. Back in Australia his family set out for north Queensland to establish a farm but the party was ambushed and 19 people including his father were killed by Aborigines. Thomas Wills survived because he had stayed back to mend a broken dray. He returned to Melbourne where he was a leading cricketer and an outstanding performer against early English touring sides, though he retired before the first test match in 1877.

He formed and coached the Aboriginal cricket team which Charles Lawrence took to England in the 1860s, a remarkable act of reconciliation in view of his earlier experience.

The Victorian Football League was established in 1896 and the foundation clubs in the first year of competiton in 1897 were Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne. Richmond joined in 1908, Footsgray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne joned in 1925. In 1987, the competition expanded to become the AFL with the West Coast Eagles and the Brisbane Bears, followed by Adelaide (in 1991), Fremantle (in 1995), and Port Adelaide (in 1997). Fitzroy merged with the Brisbane Bears to form the Brisbane Lions after the 1996 season.

Getting started

2005-03-12T07:36:00.000+11:00

Welcome to the page!