I am undecided if all the talk will be Essendon, Fremantle and St Kilda winning big matches helping their top 8 chances or the fact that the umpires sucked this weekend. It is just as well it was multi cultural round and not umpire appreciation round as they where shocking! They screwed up the advantage rule, gave free kicks and 50m penalty’s that decided matches. Hope there are plenty of reserves as I think a few need to be dropped.

Leon Davis has vastly improved in season 2011 - who ever came up with the idea of him playing defense deserves a pay rise!

Essendon defeated Adelaide by 11 points

At half time, I thought I was an idiot thinking that Essendon where a chance to win! I was looking down to my third Friday tip wrong and I know I was not the only one…

• Angus Monfries made the news admitting what everyone already knew but boy he made up for it. He has had an average year so far but with 35 possessions and 3 shots at goals he has set himself a standard on how to play for the rest of his career.
• Scott Thompson and Rory Sloane where Adelaide’s best. Bernie Vince was another who impressed, they cannot afford to loose him along with Taylor Walker.
• IMO Adelaide has been the biggest disappointment in 2011 – who is yours?

Collingwood defeated Carlton by 19 points

I must admit I was impressed how Carlton never allowed Collingwood to get away during the game, yes maybe it was due to Collingwoods woeful goal kicking (it will cost them one day) but still if such thing existed it was a respectful loss.

• Jarrod Waite IMO is Carltons most important player – they can cover for Judd, Gibbs or even Jamison (maybe) but not Waite.
• They struggled finding their forward target with Gartlett and Betts only kicking 2 between them.
• I wonder how good Steele Sidebottom could be in a side where he does not have to play mainly forward.
• Chris Judd was quiet early and had to deal with a succession of Magpies applying hard tags, but he soon settled into his stride with 35 touches – 22 of them contested – I must admit I liked the idea they had of playing both Swan and Pendlebury on him at the same time. It confused him as he did not know who to go to when they ran off him.
• Carlton took 11 contested possessions while Travis Cloke took 5 on his own.
• Robbie Warnock was the best ruckmen on the ground.

Gold Coast defeated Richmond by 15 points

Forget the money surely 4 premiership points is more important especially when your trying to sell hope to your fans. This year they have sold two games and lost both of them to the bottom two sides. If they had won both of those games, they would now be only one game outside the top 8.

• If Jack Riewoldt is struggling that much with niggles, maybe its time he learns to either grow up or rest!
• Yes there was a strong breeze that played in Gold Coasts favour in the last quarter but Richmond was wasteful in the third quarter with 2.7
• Danny Stanley is having a great second half to the year unlike many of his team mates who are starting to tire.
• Richmond had 50 more possessions but they fiddle with the ball way to much – they need to get out of this trend as it wont win games.
• Richmond are fast loosing respect with some of their insipid recent form

St Kilda defeated West Coast by 21 points

St Kilda started fast, they looked switched on where West Coast looked slow. St Kilda got out to a 43 points lead inside the first minute of the second quarter but then they hardly scored while West Coast piled on the goals. It was however St Kilda’s night & with some costly turnovers by the Eagles, they kicked the last four goals of the game…

• Kosi started well with two first quarter goals, he was so impressed with his night he went home & did not re appear on the ground! Well I did not see him..
• St Kilda I think exposed West Coasts press not with a short game that Hawthorn have failed at but rather run and dare through the middle of the game, plenty of times it opened up their press – this is the way to do it guys!
• Mark LeCras had a night to forget, his kicking efficiency was down around 40%.
• Andrew Gaff played his best game for the year like Leigh Montagna who had 25 disposals to half time and kicked the match winning goal.

Melbourne defeated Port Adelaide by 14 points

Good to see the AFL putting boring teams like these two in the back woods to play. They got 7000+ up in Darwin but you get the feeling the same amount of a crowd would have appeared in Melbourne or Adelaide.

• Liam Jurrah kicked 3 and would have been a hit for the crowd – seriously it is great to see the AFL bring the game around the world.
• While Port is a basket case it is good to see them never giving up and fighting back from a 6 goal deficit to only going down by 3 goals.
• Still unsure on Melbourne, unsure if they are a real threat or even if they have improved from last year. If Malthouse is free to coach surely they need to jump and pursue him.

Fremantle defeated Sydney by 9 points

Sydney gave Fremantle a 39 point lead at 3/4 time yet still almost won the game yet its hard to play when your out numbered with three umpires on your side. While the free kick margin was 22-20, the difference was where the free kicks were paid.

• Nat Fyfe continues to shin in his second year, he is fast becoming the best pick from last years draft over IMO Dustin Martin, Tom Scully and Jack Trengrove – bargain at pick 20.
• Adam Goodes had a quiet game – he needs to improve his output to be a consistent match winner for his side as they are lacking one.
• Sydney do not kick enough goals, they looked amazing when they took the game on in the last 10 minutes, why cannot they play like that all game? If they did maybe then they could be a serious challenger come finals time.
• Fremantle are on their way, last year they limped to the finals with players struggling with injuries. In 2011 they are getting them back before finals.
• Sydney is a basket case, yes they win games and maybe sneak in for 7th or 8th spot but who remembers the 7th and 8th side 10 years from now? No they remember the winners not the average sides.

Geelong defeated Brisbane by 27 points

Brisbane tried hard and lead at 3/4 time yet Geelong kicked 7 goals in the last quarter to run out with an easy last quarter blitz win.

• The umpires also decided to change the rule in this game, you know when the umpiring is bad when its all the commentators talk about.
• The jPod kicked 8 – his best personal tally. I wonder if it would be worth changing his first name to Ian or something, surely he could get a deal with Apple if he did.
• Tom Hawkins kicked three and could have kicked 6, it was his best personal tally in over a year & maybe seeing Nathan Vardy get his spot was the kick up the bum he needed.
• Allen Christensen should be favourite for this rounds NAB rising star with two goals and 20 odd possessions.
• Brisbane have probably been the best form side of the bottom four and really pushed Geelong for 3 quarters.

North Melbourne defeated Western Bulldogs by 31 points

Wow what a topsy turvy game just like the weekend! North started well, then the dogs got out to a 20 point lead at quarter time, then the Roos kicked 8 goals in the second and then the Dogs kicked 6 in the third to North’s two which set up a 5 point game.

• Jack Ziebell was getting lots of bad press about him at the start of the season but he has had a good later end of the season highlighted with his 41 possession game today.
• Matthew Campbell made a big return and kicked goals, something North needed.
• Barry Hall kicked 5, can he go again for another year? He is also the first person to kick 100 or more goals at three different clubs.

The fight for the Top 8 after Round 17

Round 17 Water Cooler Talk

This is the part that everyone loves some may call it the water cooler talk on a Monday but whatever we love the banter, me shouting my big mouth off & pretending I know what I am talking about. So the way this works, is I give you some things I found interesting and you tell me what you think.

1. What is worse? Players taking drugs or betting in the sport? Both are bad, terrible and a blight but I still think as a West coast supporter who has seen what it does to a club drugs is an issue they need to take as serious as betting in the game.
2. One last thing regarding betting, how can you take the AFL’s stance on it seriously when however you watch the game, you are encouraged to bet on it? Maybe its time they do a blanket ban like they did with cigarettes back in the 90′s.
3. IMO Adelaide has been the biggest disappointment in 2011 – who is yours?
4. Will Collingwood loose another game in 2011? I do not see them loosing another match and then all we will hear is that Collingwood are undefeated as the loss against Geelong did not count as the umpire got it wrong! Please someone save us from the gloating Magpie fans..
5. Did Mick Malthouse coming out in the various medias tell you that he will be at Collingwood for 2012?
6. Which win was better for Essendon? Their Geelong win or away against Adelaide?
7. Be on the look out for Fremantle, while West Coast are all the talk I still think Fremantle are a smoky come finals time – if they can get fit and players like Sandilands, Barlow on the field look out!
8. Who is the most courageous in todays AFL? My money is on Jonathon Brown who again got smashed in the face only 16 rounds after having his face re-arranged.
9. Am I on the money saying that Nat Fyfe is the best pick from last years draft?

Be Sociable, Share!

•