Who would have thought that the game of the first week was the Sydney and Carlton game on Sunday…
"Oh My Goodness!" goes Rhyce Shaw as the Swans outlast the Blues in an epic final of the week.
St Kilda defeated Geelong by 4 points
You cannot win a game kicking one goal 7 gehinds in the last quarter and St Kilda were amazing, I know I did not rate them against the Cats but to get 33 points up it takes determination, skill and certain players important stepping up.
- Was Gwilts free kick a free kick? Technically it was but you hate seeing soft free kicks deciding the final result.
- Scarlett was again beaten for the second week in a row this time by Kosi especially early who lead like a man in form.
- St Kilda had something like 3 or 4 inside 50ms in the last quarter but unlike Geelong took their chances with a last quarter goal by Schneider.
- St Kilda had 73 tackles to 56 by Geelong
- St Kilda tanked last week and like Fremantle this week, tanking does have a place in todays game and it actually works… The AFL is a poorer game with any sort of tanking.
- Bartell and Kelly were Geelongs best with several others really struggling including Gary Ablett who had his poorest game for several years.
- Why does no one play on Goddard?
Fremantle defeated Hawthorn by 30 points
Most tipped the Hawks and while they had injuries, I do not think you can say that is the reason why they lost. The Hawks were dominated before, during and after the injury to Rioli…
- I am sick of Clarkson and his whinging and I think his latest comment about how clubs are glad his team is out as they pose a real threat to the top sides is pure pig headness. Maybe he should shut up and sort out his own backyard and sort out how come his side has under performed for the last two years.
- Hodge and Franklin were smashed by the McAttacks – McPhee and McPharlin
- What has happened to Bateman? In 2008, he provided great gut running but since then, he has struggled to even play as a tagger.
- Even with Sandilands injured and not rucking in the second half, due to their poor ruck combination they where unable to generate any dominance. In saying that, I think Skipper was almost their best player.
- Mundy’s disposals were all class
Collingwood defeated Western Bulldogs by 62 points
Bulldogs tried several things but I get the feeling that they really carried their injured players in Higgins, Johnson and Lake who all struggled and in final matches you cannot afford half fit men.
- If Collingwood could kick straight it would have been over in the first 10 minutes but two late goals helped establish their strangle hold on the Dogs.
- Why would the Dogs try and change their game plan?
- Again why would the Dogs leave Maxwell unattended in the backline? Has Rodney Eade lost his coaching ability by being out coached in the last few months.
- In the second quarter Collingwood kicked four goals and a whopping 9 behinds.
- Collingwood only had 16 hit outs for the whole game. Does this mean Fraser could get back into the side?
- Griffen stood up even with a dodgy knee but the Dogs had many quiet players who continue to struggle in the finals. Are the Bullies just flat track bully’s?
- Leon Davis had another quiet final.
Sydney defeated Carlton by 5 points
Sydney had a handy four goal lead at half time and then Carlton kicked 5 to 0 goals in the third quarter inspired by Chris Judd who had five HUGE clearances, six inside 50ms and dragged his side almost out of a loss. The last quarter was one to watch…
- Jordon Russell took several timely defensive marks that managed to sniff out goal scoring opportunities for the Swans.
- Mumford was amazing, it was obvious he is still impeded by the knee but his ruck and pack work was a real difference. It as great watching him and the Canadian battle it out with Jacobs who had a big 3rd quarter.
- Kirk and Bolton were hit and miss (mostly miss) but the surprise packet has been Josh Kennedy who is actually leading the clearances for Sydney this year.
- Trent Dennis-Lane is a star in the making and had two last quarter goals including a great tackle to kick the match winning goal – another tick for great recruiting by the Swans.
- Walker a late inclusion kicked three goals with Betts being goalless.
- Sydney had an amazing 92 tackles
Second Round of the 2010 Finals
Geelong v Fremantle: Friday 10th September MCG 7:45pm
Western Bulldogs v Sydney: Saturday 11th September MCG 7:20pm
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September 6th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
I don’t suppose it’s worth mentioning that tanking is generally considered to be purposely playing below your best with the intention of losing in order to gain access to a definite, specific advantage, such as a higher draft pick?
What Fremantle gained wasn’t anything definite. They rested some key players, knowing that they couldn’t lose a ladder position that week for the advantage of having their key players freshened up for the critical game against Carlton in the final round.
Did they head out onto the field in Launceston with the intention of losing? Of course not. Did they expect to win? Probably not. Would they have laid down had they found themselves in a winning position against Hawthorn? Of course not. Was it a canny selection decision? Certainly (with the benefit of hindsight). Tanking? Nuh!
aussierulesblog´s last [type]: It’s official! MRP is a joke
September 7th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
@aussierulesblog, read what you wrote:
You said GENERALLY, yes generally previously in the past, teams have tanked to get draft picks but it has grown were we now have teams tanking in the finals. To me tanking is “purposely not performing to your best (by team selections, position changes)”. Using this definition, Freo and St Kilda tanked..
Yes if Freo was in a winning position they would have continued for the win but they on purpose did not select their best team.
September 8th, 2010 at 11:20 am
@Jermayn,
I wrote exactly what I meant, Jermayn, and bolded the key part of it. You can define the word to mean anything you want, and that’s fine. For everyone else, it means playing with the intention of losing.
aussierulesblog´s last [type]: Only a technicality
September 9th, 2010 at 11:29 am
@aussierulesblog, does it? All respect ARB but even if tanking is just having an intention on loosing it is exactly what Freo and St Kilda in round 22 did. St Kilda’s coach in his post match interview basically said his team did not try in the last quarter in an attempt to get his side in the best physical condition for the first week of the finals…
Jermayn´s last [type]: 2010 AFL Teams Review pt1
September 9th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
@Jermayn,
Had either team found themselves in a winning position, would they have laid down? No! Were they tanking? No.
Tanking has a negative connotation — like losing games intentionally with the objective of securing an extra priority draft pick. There’s a world of difference between resting key players, even if only for a quarter, and intentionally losing.
aussierulesblog´s last [type]: Only a technicality
September 10th, 2010 at 7:49 am
You could argue that St Kilda were still within a small chance of winning the game if they wanted to…
September 7th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
“Was Gwilts free kick a free kick? Technically it was but you hate seeing soft free kicks deciding the final result.”
Of course it was a free kick…you see dozens of these paid every week. Had to laugh at Big Bad Cam telling the umpire that he cost Geelong the game, I wonder if he said the same thing to the goal umpire that clearly gave a goal to geelong that wasn’t.
“Scarlett was again beaten for the second week in a row this time by Kosi especially early who lead like a man in form.”
Is this the same Kosi that had 5 possessions for the entire game (3 of which were clangers) and kicked 1 goal for a measly total of 25 Supercoach points?…and the same Scarlett who had 16 touches, 10 marks and earned in excess of 100 SC points??? What game were you watching???
“St Kilda tanked last week and like Fremantle this week, tanking does have a place in todays game and it actually works… The AFL is a poorer game with any sort of tanking.”
ARB summed it up perfectly.
“Why does no one play on Goddard?”
Goddard had 20 touches in the first half. Ling was then sent to him and he only had 6 for the rest of the night AND almost let Lingy kick the match winner…no doubt he is a gun but he needs to be able to beat a tag too. More teams will do it now as they realise his importance to the Saints.
“Griffen stood up even with a dodgy knee but the Dogs had many quiet players who continue to struggle in the finals. Are the Bullies just flat track bully’s?”
With respect Germ, i think you would admit that the Dogs have hardly been poor in their last 5 finals. What Saturday night showed was that there are some players who are simply not up to it anymore…
September 7th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
@Deano, What are your thoughts about the Dogs? Can they beat the Swans?
I do stand by my comment that several Dog players have continuously under performed in finals & to be honest it cost you a grand final berth especially last year.
possessions means nothing Deano when its about Full Forward and Full Back imo. Yes Kosi butchered a few opportunities to punish Scarlett but in marking contests, Kosi dominated Scarlett and if he kicked those two/ three opportunities in the first quarter it would have not mattered if the umps payed the free kick or not.
September 8th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
@Jermayn, On Scarlett Vs Kosi – Football matches are played over 4 quarters…If you don’t wish to go by possessions then let us say that it is the full backs job to stop the full forward from getting the ball right??? Well kosi did not touch the ball once after quarter time and only converted one opportunity in the first quarter. Pretty clear victory to Scarlett in my book.
On the Doggies, I am not going to speculate, History tells us that this current Bulldog group have a habit of performing well when there is something of substance on the line, i.e. elimination and prelim finals of ’08, winning the last 3 games of ’09 to secure top4, ’09 elimination and prelim finals and beating freo in ’10 to lock in the top4…obviously i have faith in the boys and HOPE that they can continue this trend but will not be too disappointed if they lose. Age, injuries and poor form have all hit at the wrong time of year so i won’t be expecting too much other then the 22 blokes who go out on Saturday night having a red hot crack for our champion skipper.
P.S. Could you please name these underperforming culprits…
September 9th, 2010 at 11:25 am
@Deano, I will give you the argument re Scarlett & Kosi…
However about the Dogs I do not. Murphy, Gia are two who have not lived up to their potential in the finals. Murphy probably had his best finals game last week along with Griffen who previously struggled. Cooney, Higgins, Hahn and Gilbee have also had indifferent finals form in the past.
Jermayn´s last [type]: 2010 AFL Teams Review pt1
September 9th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
@Jermayn,
You are dead right mate, there are some players who have not lived up to expectations but you have failed to name any barring Mitch Hahn.
Griffen was our best player in the Prelim last year by the length of the nullabor and close enough to in the game previous so that makes the last three finals he has been our best player.
Gia has suffered for what happened on the wing against Toovey on Saturday Night. One incident does not make define a career, in a team that had an efficiency rating of below 50% he gathered over 20 touches at 80%, laid 5 tackles and kicked 2 goals. Gia has his bashers but one thing he is, is consistent.
I am staggered by your naming Of Shaun Higgins…the guy set the Prelim final in 2008 alight in the first quarter, did the same in last years prelim against the Saints and averaged 25 possessions, 6 marks and kicked 5 goals across the three finals of last year.
Adam Cooney is another who had a tremendous finals campaign in ’09. You seem to have this idea that the Dogs have been woeful in the finals when it is simply not true. The Saints and Cats were widely scknowledged as the VERY best sides of 2009 by a long, long way. Both of these sides were pushed in the finals by the Dogs until the very dying minutes of the final quarter…if anything these guys were over performing.
If you had have put names like Minson, Johnson, Eagleton, Akermanis, Hargrave and Hahn forward then i would happily agree but you are picking on the wrong blokes…
September 10th, 2010 at 7:55 am
I was wrong in naming Higgins based on last years history – so thanks for the correction. However I think players like Gia and Murphy have been given a lot of latitude by the Dogs supporters. These guys should be in their prime but they have yet imo taken that next step up.
September 8th, 2010 at 11:22 am
@Deano,
Respect!
aussierulesblog´s last [type]: Only a technicality
September 8th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
@aussierulesblog,
look ARB, umpiring is such a sticking point with so many people and most of us are biased when our side is playing. I hate it when Umpires become to officious and try to police the game rather then pay free kicks when they are due, but one thing you cannot argue with is consistency. The free kick where a bloke tackles a player and drives them into the turf landing on their back has been paid a free kick all year long and rightly so…i seriously don’t know what the Cats are complaining about…it was a free kick every day of the week.
September 8th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
@Deano,
]
Sorry mate, massive misunderstanding (me trying to be ‘with-it’ and ‘hip’ — and obviously failing BIG-TIME!). I agree with every point you made! [especially the third one. . .
aussierulesblog´s last [type]: Only a technicality
September 8th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
@aussierulesblog,
i was with you my man, i knew you weren’t having a dig, there was no malice in my reply…i read your article and like most of what you write it was absolutely spot on.
I think the only thing i have ever disagreed with your view on is the anzac day scheduling…but we can always agree to disagree…keep up the good work mate!
September 8th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
@Deano,
See my post “Only a technicality”:
aussierulesblog´s last [type]: Only a technicality