Semi-Final Recap: Game Over.

What an infuriating loss.

I really only have a number of semi-digested thoughts (rants)...

I don't want to be too reactionary, but bloody hell does the team know the rule concerning conceding behinds. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO TAKE THE BALL OVER THE LINE IF YOU ARE UNDER PRESSURE. On several occasions, our guys preferred to keep the ball in play instead of conceding. It was ridiculous and cost us a goal at least once.

Andrew Embly, what can I say? We were up 60-58 when he decided to dribble the ball forward with a tiny toe poke. Devastating.

Great performance by Jolly. I didn't realise playing for Collingwood allowed you to tackle opposing ruckmen on every throw in. Congrats! Great game for the umps. And well done to Darcy and the other boobs for saying what a legend Jolly is. Pathetic.

Also, about 100 times our players lacked intensity tonight. Too slow; Gaff in particular had no idea what was going on. Naitanui had a lacklustre game. The forward line also in general wasn't good enough.

At this point it's hard to see that we made progress this year. I think we are further away from a premiership, our key players are older, other teams are better.

But maybe upon further reflection I will see some positives, but not now.

Heartbreaking loss.

Semi-Final Preview: 1 Down, 3 to Go

To glory that is.

Of course it won't be easy, but we go into Saturday night's game full of confidence. Our form is great: we have won 4 of our past 5 games. We absolutely obliterated a Jolly-less Magpies team in Round 22. The Pies, on the other hand, have lost 3 of their last 4 with their only win coming against a lame duck Bombers outfit in Round 23 and they barely won.

Of course, it's at the MCG, where we have traditionally struggled (we lost both games there this year) and the Pies have the additions of Jolly and Krakouer since our last meeting.You would imagine we wouldn't be able to dominate the ruck contest/clearance situation like we did in Round 22.

However, we should take confidence from the fact that the game we lost to Collingwood earlier in the year at the G was really anybody's game. We held our own at a time when Collingwood had won 8 in a row. To my surprise, the midfield really played well against the (fat) stars of the Pies. A bounce here or there and that foolish freak Joffa would've burned his ridiculous gold jacket in disgust.

Collingwood
B: Chris Tarrant, Heritier O'Brien, Nathan Brown
HB: Ben Johnson, Ben Reid, Tyson Goldsack
C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Alan Toovey
HF: Scott Pendlebury, Chris Dawes, Heath Shaw
F: Dale Thomas, Travis Cloke, Jamie Elliott
Foll: Darren Jolly, Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams
I/C: Alan Didak, Jarryd Blair, Andrew Krakouer, Alex Fasolo
Emg: Martin Clarke, Ben Sinclair, Paul Seedsman
In: Tyson Goldsack, Jamie Elliott
Out: Nick Maxwell (Suspension), Ben Sinclair

West Coast Eagles
B: Jacob Brennan, Darren Glass, Adam Selwood
HB: Shannon Hurn, Eric Mackenzie, Will Schofield
C: Daniel Kerr, Matthew Priddis, Matthew Rosa
HF: Quinten Lynch, Jack Darling, Chris Masten
F: Andrew Embley, Josh Kennedy, Nic Naitanui
Foll: Dean Cox, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey
I/C: Sam Butler, Patrick McGinnity, Andrew Gaff, Josh Hill
Emg: Mitch Brown, Lewis Stevenson, Andrew Strijk
In: Matthew Rosa
Out: Beau Waters (Foot)

The Waters loss is huge but the Rosa addition is handy. I really think this game is winnable and I think we will prevail. The Pies have clearly lost something this year. Call it Malthouse, Swan's ability to stay off the grog for 10 minutes (and Big Macs of course), or Cloke's sense of 'team',  but they don't have the same swagger this year. 

To win a final against Collingwood at the MCG would be epic. I still haven't forgotten the terrible pain caused by their victory in overtime against us in the 07 Semi. 

We went out of the finals in straight sets. Time to repay the favour.

GO EAGLES GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 

P.S Plus, imagine McGuire's face when they lose. Priceless.

Elimination Final Recap: A Sunday Stroll

The numbers speak for themselves:

Margin of victory: 96
Number of goals kicked by the Eagles in the first term: 7
Number of goals kicked by the Roos in the first half: 2
Number of goals kicked by the Eagles in the final term: 9
Number of All-Australian defenders lost for the season: 1
Number of goals kicked by Darling: 4
Number of  hitouts by Dean Cox: 39
Number of victories over the Roos this year: 3
Number of times I felt bad for the Roos: 5
Number of times I stopped feeling bad for the Roos when I remembered who coached them: 5
Number of times Scott looked like he was going to cry: 176
Number of Scotts left in the finals: 0

A comprehensive victory indeed. And I wasn't all that surprised. Besides everything being in our favour, we are the far superior team.

 I don't really have much else to write. We dominated every facet of the game from the start. The Roos were far out of their depth and we really look like we could have a bit of a finals run over the next couple for weeks.

The loss of Waters is disappointing, but we can't do much about it. Lynch's suspension isn't really something that will hurt our chances next week.

We face the C-wood on Saturday night, contrary to my rant last week suggesting it would be Friday night, and I think we have a huge chance to progress. The Pies' will is fading fast, like the will of Swan to stay off the grog for a few hours, and we are in great form.

Then the Swans, then the Hawks...and then Immortality!!!

Elimination Final Preview: 4 Wins to Glory.

It really is as simple as that: Win 4 games in a row and we are, to use the ridiculous American-style proclamation 'WORLD CHAMPIONS'. Of course, it will be the 4 hardest games of the season, perhaps bar this one, and I don't really have much confidence that we can do it.

But, taking it one week at a time, I am extremely confident we will prevail in Sunday's contest against North Melbourne. At home we are nigh unbeatable: In the past 2 seasons we have only lost 2 'Home' games and both of those were against the Swans. The Roos have also looked a little shaky the past 2 weeks. They got thrashed by Freo and then only managed to edge GWS by 5 goals in Round 23. Not exactly the form you want going into finals. And of course they're coached by a man who is in the top 2 human beings in the world in terms of being a sore loser, pulling a sour face and generally being a sook. The other man is of course he's evil twin Brad...or Chris...I don't know which one is which and I'm not wasting valuable kbs of my Internet quota to find out. They're both really terrible, let's just leave it at that.

The Roos, however, are bolstered by the return of Daniel Wells and a couple of others I couldn't pick from a line-up. We also get back E-Mac, sorely missed for the most pivotal of 10 minutes last week and the Q replaces Strijk.

West Coast
Backs: Waters Glass A Selwood
Half-backs: Hurn Mackenzie Schofield
Centres: Kerr Priddis Gaff
Half-forwards: Hill Darling McGinnity
Forwards: Embley J Kennedy Naitanui
Followers: Cox S Selwood Shuey
I/C: Brennan Butler Masten Lynch
In: Lynch, Mackenzie
Out: Brown, Strijk

North Melbourne
B: McMahon Grima Firrito
HB: Atley Thompson MacMillan
C: Gibson Wells Anthony
HF: Cunnington Tarrant Thomas
F: Harvey Petrie Hansen
FOLL: Goldstein Swallow Rover: Ziebell
I/C:  Bastinac Wright Harper Campbell
IN: Wells Grima Wright
OUT: Delaney, Garlett, Mullett

We really should win this one comfortably. The Roos haven't been in finals for a while, they seem to be fading and it's going to be a very warm day. All those factors give us the edge and when you consider that we are a better team and we are at home, I think a 6 or 7 goal win is to be expected.

Plus it's Coxy's 250th game and he is definitely the best ruckman in the game today, perhaps ever. So let's hope it's a game to remember like the last time we faced them.

Congrats Coxy.

---

It's also been a busy week in terms of non-game news. Dick has been elevated (always the first step) to the Senior list meaning he could play during the finals. I don't think it will happen, but can you imagine if he played next week against the Pies at the G? It would be epic.

Meanwhile, both Hill and Hams have extended their contracts with the club. I've kind of cooled off on Hill in recent weeks but you can't deny he has done a sterling (that's right) job replacing the injured Nico and Le-snak. Hams also has had a decent year, definitely better than I thought him capable of. I can't, however, envisage him playing regularly next season with the return of the two above plus a possible role for Dick.

The Q may have a possible suitor when October comes with Carlton sniffing around like the pack of stray...poodles that they are. Honestly, I couldn't care less if Lynch left. Thanks for 06 but he really is surplus to requirements now given the emergence of Darling and (injuries notwithstanding) the presence of Kennedy. He's past his prime and maybe he will follow another guy who was past his prime when he left us back in 07 for the Blues.

Finally, the Eagles have 4 players in the 40 man All-Australian Team. Dean Cox, Darren Glass, Nic Naitanui and Beau Waters have been selected, with at least 3 of the above a shuey-in (sorry).

Round 23 Recap: The (5th) Best in the League!

It's fairly frustrating when your future success largely rests on the final game of the season, the players are aware of it, they're facing the top team and then they come out and....It was over within 10 minutes. Franklin kicked 4, they got a game winning lead and never, ever looked like relinquishing it. Sure there were flickers of life from our side, we showed some 'spirit' late, but where was that when it mattered? You can't discount the fact that the Hawks are very good, their kicking skills are quite impeccable but it doesn't make our start any less forgivable. We looked like we had no intensity and we were mistake prone.

Predictably C-wood won and we drop to 5th, miss out on the double chance and now are handed the worst draw by the AFL (who clearly don't care about any pretence of fairness). We play Sunday afternoon against the Roos. After we beat them and their sulky-faced coach and he whinges off back across the Nullarbor we will face (probably Collingwood) on the Friday night. Meaning the Hawks/Pies will have almost 2 extra days off then us and we have to travel. Ridiculous. Surely it makes sense to let us play on the Saturday? I know 'AFL' and 'sense' are mutually exclusive but still.

Regardless, the Roos are the best matchup we could hope for.  They've struggled in their last 2 and I honestly think we will easily deal with them at home. And furthermore, the draw does rather open up for us if, as expected, the Pies lose to the Hawks. I think we can at least challenge the Pies over there, and then we may face the Crows....Okay probably getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

The point is all is not lost, but still the premiership looks a long, long, long, way away.