Round 6 Recap: Eagles Have Feast; Demons the Main Course

I was going to go with the 'Eagles exorcise Demons' or some other facile pun, but it wouldn't portray the emphatic way we figuratively 'feasted on the Demons` flesh'. It was by far our easiest win of the season, with a 5 goal to none first quarter setting up our 3rd win of the season. 1 more win and we match the statistical height reached last year.
I expected the win though I thought the Demons would provide a far sterner test. To be frank, the Dees were atrocious. Their inexperience showed as they were blown away by our superior strength and utmost pressure. Their skills were poor.
However, much of their performance can be attributed to our sustained dominance. I awaited with trepidation throughout the game for us to let the foot of the gas for a minute or two. It didn't happen. An excellent 4 quarter performance and a promising win.
In terms of individual performances, there were several stand outs. I love Darling; strong, quick and focused. He kicked 3, but it is his pressure and effort which is most impressive. He also has surprising pace for a player his size. It's early days, but as long as he keeps his nose clean (and shiny) he could be a future star. Kennedy and Lynch were again excellent up forward.
Cox was back to his best, amassing possessions at will and reading the play supremely. Another bonus was the re-emergence of Kerr. He appeared slow his first few games back, but tonight he managed to find some space. Great signs. Embly continues to exhibit vintage form. Finally, another solid game for Nicoski who has revived his fledgling career on the half forward line.
On a semi-sour note, Lecras had a frustrating night. On several occasions he had awful shots at goal instead of passing to teammates. I think we can attribute this to over-eagerness after his injury rather than any selfishness.
Overall, it was a great win. But let's not get too excited. We face a huge test next week at the Dome against the rejuvenated Bombers.
I don't really buy into the hype surrounding the Dons, but they are improved. The ten day break should be beneficial, but Eseendon play GC so they won't exactly have to exert themselves.
Anyway, I'm already looking forward to that one. Win it and we're 4-2.
Finals beckon? Too soon to tell, but I'm surprisingly optimistic.

Until next time
Misanthropic Eagle

Round 6 Preview: Eagles vs Demons; Lecras Returns

Last time we played Melbourne was Round 8 last season at the MCG, where we defeated the Dees by 29 points. I would be lying if I told you I remember that game, but that's probably because my brain has sought to protect me from remembering the embarrassment of the 2010 season. I do, however, recall Lecras kicking 13(?) against the Bombers at the Dome. That was a pleasant night in an otherwise painful year of disappointment. Blogging of Lecras, he's back. I suppose it's appropriate that during the Easter period a messiah...of sorts has underwent a resurrection...of sorts. It's a rather improbable return for Lecras, given it initially appeared he would miss 6-10 weeks. Regardless, his presence is a huge plus. Just in time to kick another bag against the dons in a couple of weeks.

Moving on. The start to this season has promised much and yet delivered only a 2-2 record. Suffice to say, this game against perennial stragglers Melbourne, at home, is a 'must win' match.
Admittedly, they do have much talent. They also have eclectic players like Jurrah, who could cause our rather rigid backline some problems. Yet, they lack experience and they lack experience winning, especially on the road. Drawing with Sydney at home in round 1 is all well and good. Beating GC by 90 points away is fine and dandy. But I doubt they have the mental resolve to come across to our house, in prime time on a Thursday (really?) night and beat us.
Morover, we should have too much for them, if we play like we did before the premature break. I think our greatest enemy is complacency. But given our record, we can't afford it nor do I believe we fans will see it.
I'm looking to see how Cox bounces back from a sub-par game against the Hawks. It will also be interesting to see how Kerr fares in his 4th game back. 
Due to our big forwards, delivery is critical. Their backs seem undersized and vulnerable. If the ball hits the deck, however, we are the team disadvantaged. We really do miss a quality crumbing forward. Where's Brandon Matera when you need him? Oh, that's right...on the Gold Coast.

The teams line up as follows:

WEST COAST

Backs: As.Smith, D.Glass, S.Hurn
Half Backs: S.Butler, E.Mackenzie, S.Selwood
Centreline: A.Embley, M.Priddis, M.Rosa
Half Forwards: L.Shuey, JJ.Kennedy, M.Nicoski
Forwards: M.LeCras, Q.Lynch, J.Darling
Followers: D.Cox, D.Kerr, A.Selwood
Interchange, A.Gaff, Bra.Ebert, P.McGinnity, N.Naitanui
Emergencies: W.Schofield, T.Swift, G.Weedon
In: M.LeCras , As.Smith , P.McGinnity
Out: MJ.Brown (Hand) , B.Dalziell (Omitted) , W.Schofield (Omitted)

MELBOURNE

Backs: J.Frawley, J.Rivers, C.Bartram
Half Backs: J.Grimes, C.Garland, L.Tapscott
Centreline: B.Green, N.Jones, R.Bail
Half Forwards: J.Gysberts, C.Sylvia, A.Davey
Forwards: A.Wonaeamirri, L.Jurrah, J.Watts
Followers: M.Jamar, B.Moloney, J.Trengove
Interchange, J.Bennell, C.Morton, L.Dunn, S.Martin
Emergencies, M.Warnock, R.Petterd, A.Maric
Unchanged

I think we will win this game by 4-5 goals. We should win comfortably, but any win will do. If we maintain our forward pressure and don't turn the ball over (just don't let Ebert, E-Mac kick) we should be fine.

Big game. Big TV audience. Carn Eagles!

Until next time
Misanthropic Eagle

Bye Week Ruminations; Brown joins Injured List, AFL Live Review

Bye Week. Great time for injured players to recuperate, niggles to be un-niggled, chocolate eggs to be consumed.
Well, I'm sure the latter will occur. In terms of the health of our squad, however, I have less confidence. Our already depleted back line has suffered another major blow with the loss of Mitch Brown for 8-10 weeks. A fractured thumb is the culprit.
There is even more pressure on the likes of E-Mac and Schofield to step up now. Brett Jones, possible replacement, suffered a hairline fracture in his arm in the WAFL on the weekend.
Key players Lecras, Waters and Brown will now all be on the sideline for extended periods. Less key player Masten is also missing.
It's unfortunate, but a reality. Other teams do and will have injuries. It will be no excuse for any slide in form in the coming weeks.
It's  a huge couple of week as well. A must win game against Melbourne followed by an intresting test against Essendon at the Dome.
What to do until then though?
Mitch Brown might not be able to use his thumb, but that doesn't stop us from playing some AFL Live.

AFL Live Review

I've played a few hours now and my thoughts are mixed.  It's not a masterpiece nor an exercise in epic-failure. The graphics are fine, although not in any way impressive. Player similarity is adequate. As in, it's possible to tell the difference between Naitanui and Ashton Hams. Commentary, as in most sports sims, is tiresome after 5 minutes. Though to be fair, 'BT' is like that in real life too.
The game itself is frenetic. There's a little too much button-mashing, with the need to constantly tackle, or handball. Maybe realistic, definitely frustrating. Marking contests are difficult to master. In general, the mechanics of kicking are okay though seem a little jerky. One disappointment is the inability to deliver big bumps. I know it's not a big part of the AFL anymore, but it's a game right?
Incredibly, there is no instant replay function.
On the plus side, online play is so smooth you almost forget you're playing over the net.
Do I recommend it? For AFL fans desperate for any sort of sim: definitely. It's no FIFA or Madden, but it's probably the best AFL game to ever be released.

Verdict: 7/10


Until next time
Misanthropic Eagle

Round 4 Recap: Eagles Comeback stymied by Umpires + Stupidity

Yes, it may be unrealistic to claim the umpires cost us the game on Saturday. But why they didn't blow time on...twice, god only knows. The stupidity was on behalf of Ebert and Cox who felt inclined to spoil Embley's brilliant kick at goal from a difficult angle. It would have been a comeback that rivalled the fightback against Geelong in 2006. I bet Wallsy was crying after that game. I was crying, but they were tears of joy.

The result aside, our performance was fairly promising. Some good signs from Gaff and Shuey. Kennedy and Darling are really establishing themselves as a strong tandem up forward. Darling's tackling pressure is especially impressive. Our forward pressure in general was very good and consistent throughout the game. One thing that did frustrate me was Cox's game. I love cox as much as the next guy (no pun intended), but he kept slipping over. He actually seemed off all game, which will we forgive given his vintage start to the season.

Congrats to Darren Glass on a great 200 games. I remember when he debuted. I thought he was rubbish. Thankfully, he proved me wrong. Maybe Sheppard, Ebert and [insert various names here] will do the same.


So good performance, disappointing result.

2 weeks in a row we were in a position to win the game in the final term, only to be overrun. Granted, these are both quality teams, aren't they? I don't know. They're decent. We could have been satisfied with 1 victory from the 2 games, but alas. Still, in general, we have shown good signs. It's early days though.

There's a rather bouyant article over at the official site, espousing the virtues of our glorious leader, the greatest man in the history of the world, Sir John Worsfold. Not exactly, but this guy is a little optimistic. It's like something written about Stalin in Soviet Russia. 

Gross over-exaggerations aside, we now have a bye. Great. Although really it's a semi-bye. We play Melbourne on Thursday week at Subi. Collingwood undoubtedly get a proper bye. Then again, I also heard that Collingwood pick their own fixtures. Must be nice.

Anyway, I'm supremely confident about the Demons game. Melbourne only beat the GC by 90 points. They must really suck, for anything under a 100 point win over the GC is a worrying sign.
Hopefully, we can accomplish a solid, non-cack myself inducing performance. Needless to say, it's a must win for the club.

That's it for now.

Keep Flying High
Misanthropic Eagle

Rapid Reaction: Hawks vs Eagles

These are my thoughts following each quarter...

Q1. 
 A very promising start to the game. The Eagles are holding their own in the midfield. Shuey and Gaff have been very clean with their disposals.As I thought, the Hawks defence is no match for our key bigs. Kennedy is dominant, with two goals. He should have kicked 3 or 4.  Naitanui took a couple of marks!
I think we can win this game...though I may change my mind at half time. The Hawks may have been exposed as pretenders.

Q2.
 Umpiring grants Franklin another goal. Cox keeps slipping. He really looks off today. I wish Rioli played for us. Darling has been everywhere.
 Our forward pressure has been superb...I wonder if I'll be thinking that come the final quarter. We've played more consistent football than Hawthorn, yet trail by a point. I guess that's the talent differential. Yet, we're still in a position to win this game. This is a huge test of our ability to put 4 quarters together. We need more efficiency in front of goal.

Q3.
Great pressure continues. Ebert continues to turn the ball over.  Darling continues to rack up the disposals. I really don't think we have made the most of our chances. Given the dominance of our forwards, the delivery has been quite disappointing. Still, we lead by 2 points. This is a huge quarter for our finals prospects. Win, go into the bye 3-1 and we have very good chance. A loss will be psychologically demoralising as well as a statistical blow. We've played better than a 2-2 start. Let's Go Eagles!

Q4.
 The Hawks killed us. We couldn't get the ball and when we do we couldn't maintain possession. OK. 6 minutes left it's game over. Franklin just kicked his 6th. For two weeks in a row, we were in it and then well...we lost.
I don't know how to feel about this loss. It was expected. But we had a real chance. I think if we had have been more efficient in front of goal early we may have been closer at the end. There were some fine individual performances; notably Darling. I don't know what happened to Cox today. I just hope he's not injured.
So 2-2 after 4. We seem better than last year, but all that matters is wins. Real progress can only be evidenced by victories. 
It should be an interesting year.
....
So I wrote that when there was 5 minutes left. I went a bit early. Great fightback at the end. Inspirational stuff. Two things. Why the hell didn't the umpire stop the clock when Glass got a 50 m penalty, and when Embley was lining up for goal? Ridiculous. Then, Ebert and Cox touched Embley's kick on the line! What were they thinking? It was going to be a goal!
Still, the first part of the last quarter cost us.
Most of the above observations still apply.


Until next time
Misanthropic Eagle

Round 4 Preview: Hawthorn v West Coast

After last week's final quarter fade-out, the Eagles are forced to fly (pun intended) all the way to Tasmania for another Battle of the Birds. I understand the commercial reasons underlying Hawthorn's games against interstate teams in Tassie, but it hardly seems fair that we have to go there every year. While we furiously crisscross the country; ears popping, leg veins constricting, flight attendant flirting, Collingwood sit on Eddie's lap in their royal kingdom, not leaving Victoria for another 7-10 years (rounds).
Plus, incest jokes aside, it's extremely cold down there. Eagles aren't meant to exist in that sort of climate.

Regardless, they're the cards we were dealt.

Last year's fixture saw us just fall short. I believe it was ANZAC day and rainy. We did defeat the Hawks in our home fixture against them, on the back of a breakout last quarter by Nic-Nat. The Hawks were very poor during that period though.
This game provides a much more difficult challenge. The Hawks look like they have regained their '08 swagger. Or have they? They lost to Adelaide, before defeating two mediocre teams in Melbourne and Richmond. The Eagles have a similar record in this regard.

However, talent wise, they are loaded. They have the ability to blow us apart with dynamic midfielers and enigmatic forwards. Their defence is always a little shaky. The conistent form of Darling, Kennedy and to a lesser extent Lynch could provide us an advantage. However, I don't see our midfield being able to provide them enough opportunities. Even if Cox and Naitanui dominate the hit-outs (as last week) it's questionable whether we have the players to win the clearances. Maybe Kerr can pull out a vintage performance? Highly unlikley, but one never knows.

Clearly, I can't see us winning this game. There is no shame in losing. It's our performance which is important. If we can battle it out over the four quarters and go down by 3 or 4 goals it would be a promising sign. If Hawthorn are off their game we may even be able to pull off an upset.

Here's hoping.

Misanthropic Eagle

Round 3 Recap: Eagles Make Ugly Ducklings Look like Beautiful Swans

The Eagles faced their demons Saturday night, who were actually Swans, and did not prevail. It was another extremely frustrating performance against our modern nemesis (the embodiment of evil).
It was a game reminiscent of past matches against Sydney (Post-Juddas) where the Eagles tease us into thinking they're going to win only to be overrun in the final few minutes.
I would even go so far too say there is no rivalry anymore. We can't beat them. They, in terms of wins and losses, dominate us.

Goodes was brilliant. Scott Selwood said:

Goodes probably came in and towelled us up a little bit towards the end there. That was a big disappointment.

 It reminded me of that Simpsons scene where Homer is running around the boys changing room trying to whip Uter with a towel. That was funny. Oh, that was funny.



Their midfield was better than our midfield. This isn't surprising, our midfield is fairly tame. 
We ran out of puff and they didn't. Young Selwood admitted as much after the game:

Our major strength so far this season has probably been our fourth quarters, and today that definitely wasn't the case," he said.

Enough said. Congrats to the bastards.

To the positives and again it was our rucks (68-38 in hitouts). Cox is back to vintage Cox. He is the best, most talented, most versatile, most accomplished ruckman in the competition. He is healthy again and he is slaughtering the opposition. He won the HMAS Sydney II Trophy....hmmm...I don't know what the hell that is and frankly enough with the trophies and cups.  
Anyway, as much as Naitanui doesn't do, we should praise what he does do. He provides Cox with much needed opportunities to rest, either upforward and in the forward line. Moreover, he can be highly influential both without and without the ball. His goal with 6 seconds left in the first quarter was simply extraodinary.  
I thought our forwards were solid, although they faded late.

Where does that leave us? 2-1 after 3 games is where a realist would've put us. A realist would put us 2-2 after next week's outing against the Hawks in Tasmania.
As a misanthropic Eagle I would have to agree with those realists. The Hawks look strong. They get Rioli back ( a boost for both them and my Supercoach team). But hey, we should be fired up following that breakdown.

Our midfield needs to win some clearances and use the ball better...I've heard that before.

Until next time

Mis. Eagle.

Rapid Reaction Round 3: Eagles lose to Swans

Another Swans game, another tight loss. I thought it would be this type of match, but watching the game I thought the outcome would be different. We seemed to have the ability to stay in the game, even where the Swans dominated for large periods of play. However, come the last 10 minutes it seemed as if our team stopped running. The new sub rule means this isn't a rarity, but the Swans seemed to have more energy. Late second half fade-outs plagued our performances last season. Are we regressing? Time will tell.

Moreover, we lacked the killer instinct. We didn't have it during the opening 2 rounds, but inferior opposition allowed us to escape with victories. No such luck this week. If you allow a team with a guy like Goodes to stay in touch you are asking for trouble.

In terms of positives, Naitanui had flashes of brilliance. Cox was solid. The big forwards had another good outing, with even Lynch kicking a few majors.
It's hard to appreciate these performances though.
It was a game there for the taking. We blew it. It's extremely disappointing.

This could be a huge psychological blow for the rest of the season. Will we bounce back? Worsfold's job may depend on it.

Until next time
Mis. Eagle

Free Eagles Scarf

The best things in life are free...and also this scarf. All you have to do is sign up here and you receive a free WCE scarf. Very nice.

-Mis.Eagle

Round 3 Preview: West Coast v Sydney

It’s a huge game Saturday night as the Swans glide into Subi, a game which may determine our ladder position at the conclusion of the season. Sure, it’s only Round 3. But As I stated earlier in the week the Eagles only have around 13 games they have a realistic chance at winning. This is one of them.

Last time we met the Swans was in Sydney, where a surge by our young ‘guns’ just fell short. A lot has changed since then at Sydney. Coach Roos and Captain Kirk are no longer. Yet a lot hasn’t changed in that they are still bastards. They are the same bastards (in spirit) that stole the 2005 GF. They are the same bastards that continue to edge us by less than a goal.

Or are they?

I’m not so sure. Their round 1 performance showed they lacked the killer instinct. Round 2 on the other hand, showed a team that could pull themselves together when all seemed lost.

So who are they? They are still a dangerous team with game breakers like Goodes and O’Keefe.

I am feeling rather ambivalent about our chances in this game. I don’t have the same confidence I did going into Round 1 and 2. The team selection is part of the reason.

West Coast
FB: Mitchell Brown, Darren Glass, Shannon Hurn
HB: Sam Butler, Eric MacKenzie, Scott Selwood
C: Matt Rosa, Matt Priddis, Andrew Embley
HF: Brad Ebert, Josh J. Kennedy, Luke Shuey
FF: Mark Nicoski, Quinten Lynch, Jack Darling
Fol: Dean Cox, Adam Selwood, Daniel Kerr
Int: Will Schofield, Nic Naitanui, Patrick McGinnity, Andrew Gaff
In: Butler, MacKenzie
Out: Beau Waters, Brad Sheppard

Sydney
FB: Paul Bevan, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner
HB: Rhyce Shaw, Heath Grundy, Alex Johnson
C: Ben McGlynn, Kieren Jack, Nick Smith
HF: Jude Bolton, Samuel Reid, Adam Goodes
FF: Ryan O’Keefe, Jesse White, Daniel Hannebery
Fol: Shane Mumford, Josh P. Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh
Int: Craig Bird, Gary Rohan, Lewis Jetta, Andrejs Everitt
In: Johnson
Out: Brett Meredith

Eric MacKenzie is back. I can’t really articulate how I feel about E-Mac. He cost us at least 2 games last year, that I can remember (including the Swans game) with truly horrendous kicking. I mean, it is the most fundamental skill in the game and if you can’t do it you should not be playing at this level.

Yet, he’s selected. So every time he gets the ball I’ll be anticipating a disaster. He’s in to replace Brad Sheppard who has continued to look mediocre after an average rookie season. I still can’t fathom how we chose him as the overall number 2 selection in 2009.

Waters is out with the elbow. Sam Butler replaces him. I’m not a huge Butler fan. I know he played in the premiership side. I know he looks like Ben Cousins. But he doesn’t play like him. He’s workman-like and even more injury prone than the man he replaces.

This aside, the two teams are pretty even. I think we’ll need our ruck duo to dominate ‘Mummy’, as they did the Bogan last week. We have some bigs up forward in Darling and Kennedy which should cause problems for their undersized defence.

This all goes to say that we can win. But, we will have to be efficient with the ball (ie don’t let E-Mac kick). Unlike last week, we’ll have to kick well in front of goal.

A consistent 4 quarter effort will give us a shot.

See you on the other side.

Mis. Eagle.

Luke Shuey Named Rising Star of Round 2

Luke Shuey was today named the Rising Star for round 2. Shuey had a career-best performance against Port on the weekend, amassing 27 disposals and 3 goals. It's always nice to see an Eagle get recognition. We always seem to be on the periphery of the AFL media's attention. It's especially heartening to see a guy like Shuey get rewarded. He played only 6 games in his first 2 seasons at the club. Besides injury, he has had to deal with a real tragedy involving the death of his sister.
You can read more about that over at the official site.

Congrats to Luke and let's hope he can continue to improve.

Misanthropic Eagle.

Round 2 Review: Eagles Cut Power; Lose Waters

PORT   2.3    7.3       12.4      15.8      98

WCE     3.7    9.10     12.16    16.20  116

This should be a celebratory post. The Eagles defeated the Power at AAMI for the first time since Round 11, 1998. On that Saturday night, which I remember vividly, Ben Cousins kicked two late last quarter goals to give the Eagles a tight victory. I remember being excited by that result. For you see, I hated Port then. I hate Port now too. But this win 13 years later doesn’t feel so exciting.

The main reason for that is the news that hard-nut defender Beau Waters will miss the next 3 months with tendon damage in his right elbow. He will require surgery and rehab will be long. The incident in which he injured his elbow seemed quite innocuous. Yet such is football. Bizarrely, it wasn’t the elbow he injured in 2008.  It’s unbelievable.

Waters was an important addition to our side in 2010 and has shown consistent form across the opening 2 rounds of this season. His hardness at the ball, his tenacity and work effort are unparalleled across our backline. This was exemplified in Saturday’s game with his herculean consecutive efforts which resulted in a goal. It’s both a disappointment on a personal and team level. 

 Yet, we must move on. Though, I do wonder who will fill that void. Somewhere inferior, no doubt.

Looking at the game itself, Andrew Embley (32 possessions and four goals) and Luke Shuey (27 possessions and three goals) were dominant. 

Daniel Kerr had 25 disposals (10 contested) and four clearances. To be honest, when I was watching the game I thought he ended with around 10-12 disposals. He seemed a step behind the rest of the players, but this was expected after such a long lay-off. Importantly, he escaped without injury. More importantly, he escaped without punching a Cornes in the face, something beyond the ability of most humans. It was quite an achievement for a man known to have temper issues on the field.

The return of Nic-Nait and our ruck duo proved too much for Bogan Brogan, as Cox and Nic amassed 53 hitouts to 17. Interestingly, Naitanui still looks as though he’s afraid of the ball in marking contests. That is, except in cases where he wants to take mark of the year. He took one chest mark which looked as though he was attempting to avoid the ball. He’s a decent player, but he could be great.

The most impressive aspect of the game for me was the nigh constant pressure we kept on Port. This was especially prevalent in the first half. Moreover, we showed fortitude in that we were never behind the entire match. Eagles’ teams in the past few years would have been overrun. That being said, we never were able to blow Port away. Our kicking efficiency in front of goals was fairly atrocious.

All in all though, it was a momentous win for the team and for the club. It puts us at 2-0 and ensconced in the top 8.

Can we stay there?

I’m not yet convinced this is a finals team. I had a quick look at the fixtures last night and I believe we can win 13 games. That’s can, as in it is possible. Next week’s game against the Swans is one of those we can win. The evil Roos has gone and the Horse that has replaced him is no Mr Ed. It will be tough, no Waters nor Lecras, but I believe we can win.

There will be more on that later in the week. Barring any apocalypses and such I will be back for the preview on Thursday or Friday.

Until then

The Misanthropic Eagle

Rapid Reaction Round 2: Eagles end Hoodoo; Get Monkey off Back; Beat Port

This isn't a full assessment of today's game. Just a few random thoughts from a buoyant misanthropic eagle.

A great victory for the Eagles and possibly a portent of things to come for the rest of the season. We did something we haven't done since round 11, 1998. We vanquished  Port Adelaide. The score may show a 3 goal victory but in reality it was a dominating performance by the good guys. Cox and Naitanui were brilliant. Darling and Kennedy, for the most part, were central and strong focal points up forward. Embley seemed to have free reign to do what he wished as he amassed a swag of possessions along with 4 goals. Kerr looked like a man who hadn't played in a year. That's probably because he hadn't played a year. However, he still has immaculate skills and looked steadier as the game progressed. Gaff continued to impressed, again starting as the sub.
Conversely, there were a couple of troubling aspects about today's game. Primarily, we didn't put Port away when we had the chance. A couple of times in the second and theirtd quarters we were up by 3-4 goals but couldn't extend the margin. Our finishing was atrocious. However, we managed to hold the lead the entire game, something which was both surprising and impressive. Yet, we can't afford to be so inefficient against better sides.
The other concern was what appeared to be an elbow injury to Beau Waters late in the last quarter. We all know how muich trouble he has had with his elbow in the past. We can only hope it's a minor issue as he was his usual tough self down back.
That's about it. Great Win for the team.

I'll be back tomorrow or Monday for a further assessment of the game.

 Until then
A Victorious Misanthropic Eagle.