Prelim. Recap: Dream Ends with a Whimper

Like a dream from Inception, but without the good looks of Leonardo Di Caprio, the best bounceback season in AFL/VFL history came crushing down under the weight of reality.

Geelong dominated from the start. They were too experienced, too strong and too healthy. I'm not disappointed by the result or effort so much as the performance. We were down from the first bounce. Our remarkeable press all but disappeared for all but 10-15 minutes in the second term. Perhaps it was the result of a long and hard season on young bodies. Maybe it was that key players were nursing knocks and strains. Whatever the reason, it was probably the weakest showing of the season. We needed our best to just have a chance; we weren't even close.

I thought Waters was very good. He turned the ball over a bit (like everyone else) but he's such a force down back. I also thought Gaff was decent. Kerr showed some class at times, whilst Shuey was okay. Naitanui had a solid outing whereas Cox seemed like a man out of form and lacking fitness. Lecras didn't seem completely fit either.

On an ancillary issue, the umpiring was awful. I don't blame it for the loss at all, but the umps were very inconsistent.

I don't really have anything else to write. It was a terrific season. Our results and performances greatly exceeded my expectations. It's just a shame it all ended so dismally. But the future is bright.

I'll probably write a post or two about the season; highs and lows, best players and improvements we need to make. It does seem like a taxing prospect though, so it might take a while.

Thanks for reading.

Preliminary Final Preview: Cats v Eagles

I'm having a difficult time comprehending that we are actually in the preliminary final. The final four. I thought this would be another year of digression. Yet, we have flown from the ashes of embarrassment and into the MCG in late September, a place reserved for football's elite.

The Eagles have, quite surprisingly, managed to maintain the same line-up that edged the Blues last week. The only negative from that news is that Rosa isn't playing. Not that I rate him highly, but Masten's performance on Saturday night suggested his good form has come to screeching halt. Yes, the Masten we all love to hate has returned. But perhaps the Prelim will help him focus his energy on doing the basics right. If he can't do that then perhaps it should be the last time he plays with an eagle on his guernsey. Perhaps I'm harsh, but his development has been seriously lacking.

Geelong have made one change as Corey replaces Menzel. That knee injury could be quite the blow to the Cats. Menzel is a highly impressive youngster, whereas Corey seems to be fading as his old legs begin to crumble underneath his aged torso, antiquated neck and prehistoric cranium.

We beat the Cats earlier in the season at Subi by a small margin after leading big at the half. I don't think that's of much significance to this matchup. It's a final, at the MCG and Geelong is off a bye. Not that I'm certain the bye means much. If they crush us, sure I'll blame the bye. Also, I'm sure if we beat them some portions of the football world will point to the bye as hurting the momentum of the Cats. From a practical standpoint they will be fresh and we will be bruised and beaten. But it's the prelim, and if a trip to the Grand Final can't make you forget about the fact that when you walk it feels like someone is stabbing you in the back...well actually that's probably normal. The point is: leave it all on the field.

Do I think we can win this? Yes we can. I don't expect us to win, but expectations are influenced by annoying things such as logic. Logic said the Eagles would finish in the bottom 4 this season. Logic said we would get thrashed by Collingwood in the Qualifying final.  So screw you logic, you aint the boss of me.

Perhaps their age will show against an energetic, young and bold Eagles team. Ottens is decent, but we have the best ruck pairing in the comp. Yes, their backline looks impressive, but Scarlett, Wojcinski and to a lesser extent Hunt can have accountability issues. Moreover, I hate Scarlett; the weird haired jerk-face. But it's their forward line which is most vulnerable. The J-Pod and girly-face, small shorts Hawkins don't frighten me at all. Especially given the form of our solid and experienced backline.

So matchup wise it's very achievable. If we play to our ability anything is possible. Plus, we have never lost to Geelong in a finals game...which is totally irrelevant.

Still, biggest game since the 06 grandfinal.

Let's Eagle Rock the G!!!

Worsfold Speaks; Schofield's GF had Orc hair

To the important part first.
...
Will Schofield and his GF gave a small interview to Eagle Vision in which Schofield was 'tested' on his knowledge about his girlfriend. Now, normally such a thing wouldn't interest me...and for the large part this didn't. But, besides Will's appalling efforts, he did mention that when he met her she had "orc hair". It was bloody hilarious, flawlessly delivered by the soon to be single Schofield.

Now on to more pressing issues.  The coach gave his weekly presser today and...well I managed to watch half of it before getting bored. I mean the quality of the questions and Woosha's mono-syllabic responses were damnright soporific. However, I did manage to glean that, according to Worsfold, every player under an injury cloud should play. Apparently E-Mac's moon boot isn't a big problem, JJK's eye is fine and Lecras is moving like he's never moved before. Oh and Rosa is tracking very well. Which, I predict, means all will miss.

One of the questions was extremely lame. One "reporter' asked whether the Eagles will have to adjust to Geelong's game style as compared to Collingwood. Wow, who pays those clowns?

If I had press accreditation I would ask proper questions.... like "how do you respond to claims that Will Schofield's girlfriend has orc hair"?

Glass, Cox Rightfully Return to All-Australian Team

I briefly considered whether I should place Cox before Glass in the title, but sexual innuendo always trumps alphabetical considerations.  

Regardless, these two players are true greats of their positions. Not only for the club, but in the history of the competition. I don't think there can be much argument that Cox was the pioneer for the modern ruckman; mobile, good skills, strong mark and stamina. Oh and obviously he's a great tap ruckman. He has had a superb season, though he's looked rather tired at times, and it's great to see him recognised as the best in the game.

I'm perhaps even more pleased to see Mr Glass gain proper appreciation from those blind men of the east. 

But unlike the man that Samuel L Jackson portrayed in Unbreakable, Darren Glass SPOILER ALERT isn't fragile nor a terrorist. Although I guess the second factor wouldn't be such a bad thing for a fullback. 

Anyway, I love Glass. He's amazingly consistent, a strong leader and great in contests. He's also great at wrapping his arm around the back of a player and not being penalised (wink to Carlton fans). 
Interestingly, when he first played for us I thought he wasn't long for the AFL world. I thought he was a little crabby, slow and weak. But I was wrong. He was by far the best fullback this season. Well done Glassy.

I was kind of hoping Kennedy would be selected, but you can't expect too much from the fools. Wow, I just noticed that Ben Reid made the team and Milne...


B: Matthew Scarlett (Geelong), Darren Glass (West Coast), Corey Enright (Geelong)
HB: Robert Murphy (Western Bulldogs), Ben Reid (Collingwood), Leon Davis (Collingwood)
C: Dale Thomas (Collingwood), Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn), Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
HF: Marc Murphy (Carlton), Travis Cloke (Collingwood), Dane Swan (Collingwood)
F: Stephen Milne (St Kilda), Lance Franklin (Hawthorn), Adam Goodes (Sydney Swans)
Ruck: Dean Cox (West Coast), Chris Judd (vc) (Carlton), Gary Ablett (c) (Gold Coast)
I/C: Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda), James Kelly (Geelong), Drew Petrie (North Melbourne) 

Semi Final Recap: Eagles Win!!!

What an amazing game.

Early on we looked like a team on the backfoot. We couldn't win the ball, when we did we were static and we gave the Blues a 4 goal start. At about the ten minute mark of the first I honestly thought it was over. It was probably just my misanthropic side affecting my outlook, but we were in real trouble.

I really thought Kennedy would be subbed off. To be honest, he probably should have been ruled out. From a fan's perspective I was glad he returned, but it looked like he suffered a concussion. But I'm only as much a doctor as 'Dr Dreamteam' is...which is to say not at all.

Then we seemed to settle down and we responded like good teams do. Throughout this season we have shown real maturity when we've been under pressure. We kicked 8 goals in a row in the second to grab the ascendency. And we never gave up the lead (just).

Kerr was superb in the second. He ended the game with 27 disposals, but it was his clearance work which put us back into the game.

In the second half we were the better team but couldn't put it on the scoreboard. Thankfully though we did enough. The siren was a huge relief.

In terms of individuals, Kerr and Cox were the fulcrum of a very solid outing. JJK's 3.3 were pivotal. Scott Selwood restricted the Juddas again. Our backline was fairly good, though they were challenged by the speedy Garlett and Betts at times.

Overall, a thrilling win. We could've been blown out early, but we weren't. We earnt the home final during the season and that, I think, was the difference in this game. Congrats to the players and coaching staff. To the vanquished I have no kind words. Suckers.

So onto the Cats, those smarmy bastards. We seem to have injury concerns abound. E-Mac sore foot, Lecca- knee and ankle, JJK- facial area. But it's the prelim, so I'm guessing they all play. It's a difficult task, but this team, at their best, can beat anyone.

Bring it on.

Semi-Final Preview: Eagles v Blues

I really hope this isn't the last game of the year. It would be distasteful in a few ways. Firstly, to have such a great season and not a win a final is a flat feeling. Secondly, because we felt that feeling back in 07. And finally, Judd. Enough said.

Preparing his ears for the long flight using 'dumbo' power, Brett Ratten has said all the pressure is on us. This coming from the guy that would've been sacked had his team lost last week...Anyway, I don't think that's true. Carlton have been there, done that. Well, mainly 'lost that' over the past couple of seasons. But it's a huge game for both sides. If we lose, it will be disappointing. But upon reflection (in 3 months time after the tears have ceased) we will view the season with great pride and optimism.

In team news Kerr is in and Cox...is still in. For now. Gibbs is out for the Death Eaters and Kreuzer's numb nut foot means he doesn't travel. If Cox and Kerr play it will be a massive bonus for us. With Kreuzer out we should dominate the ruck. Also, Kerr gives us that experience and polish that we seemed to lack a little last week.

We killed them earlier in the year which was very significant for one reason. If we had lost we would've exchanged positions with these bastards. That means this game would have been in Melbourne. That win felt great at the time and even better now.

But I don't think it means much in terms of any psychological edge. They have a very solid team. Their midfield, led by the Dark Lord himself, is superb. We actually did keep Juddas fairly quiet when we met, but one of his horcruxes was just destroyed he was battling a cold. Still, the Selwood's should annoy the hell out of him at least. I'm sure by the end of the night he would've attempted his eye gouge/sleeper hold move. That annoying crazy-eyed ginger freak will play this time. I don't like him, he's rabid and fairly overrated. Yet, like a wild animal he can be dangerous if you don't tranq. him.

Yet, outside of their dynamic midfield, I'm not that worried. Their backline is not strong at all. Our forward line should be looking to bounce back from last week's disappointing outing. Yarran's a decent player, but he has accountability issues. The rest are a hodge-podge of injury-prone scarecrows and uninspiring mature rookies. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but our forward line should do the job on them again.

Their forward line is also less than impressive. Sure Setanta's good at kicking guys in the bollocks, but that's mainly his teammates. He's erratic at best. Betts and Gartlett are dangerous but with Waters, Butler and Schofield we should be able to handle them.

Despite all these positives for us I'm still concerned. I have a bad feeling about this game. Mainly because I don't think I could bare to see the Juddas knock us out at our home ground (stupid name and all).

But we shouldn't let that happen. We have a far more even side. If Cox plays, I will be very confident of the Eagles reaching a prelim. If he doesn't, then it may be a nervous night.

Come one EAGLES!!!

Qualifying Final Recap: Eagles Show Great Spirit in Close Loss

I'm proud but disappointed. Proud because we pushed the best team in the comp until the final siren. Disappointed as we could have won. We had some bad luck and some subpar performances...and yet we were right there.

I'll start with the positives. Our backline was superb. Glass and E-Mac totally shutdown Cloke and Dawes who only had a goal each. I've criticised MacKenzie alot, but defensively he has been excellent this season. He's a strong mark and great in contests. I still have doubts over his disposal efficiency, though he seems to be less awful than he was. Glass is a champion, the best fullback in the comp. His dominance was no surprise.
Butler and Waters were also solid.

I thought Naitanui showed great persistence and real spirit. He had 31 hitouts, 15 possessions and 8 clearances. The commentators mentioned that Jolly worked into the game, but honestly it was only Cox's injury which changed things.

Priddis, Masten and Gaff were good contributors in the midfield and Lynch was strong up forward with 3 goals.

On the negative side, Cox's injury is massive. Back or ankle or both it didn't look good. Glass and JJK also obtained minor knocks. Needless to say without Cox, especially if against Essendon, the task will be extremely difficult. Though I'm heartened by Naitanui's performance today.

I don't want to criticise Shuey too much. Yes, he was overwhelmed by the occasion. I thought the commentators were a bit cruel in their focus on him. I only wish Kerr could've played. There would've been less pressure on him.

The forward line but was completely beaten. The Pies backline overpowered us in marking contests and killed us at ground level.

But overall, I was very impressed by our fight and determination. Halfway through the third we were down by around 5 goals. I honestly thought we would go down by 10. But our players persevered and fought til the death.

Worsfold was just interviewed by Channel 10 and he said although he was proud it was clear that our midfield doesn't have the polish or experience of Collingwood. Prior to today Collingwood had 250 finals games compared to our players' 90 appearances.

After today's performance I'm really hopeful of what this team can achieve in the long term.

Bring on next week.

Qualifying Final Preview: Pies v Eagles

Well, when I started this blog I didn't anticipate needing to post anything past August. I thought we would be horrible again and challenge for the spoon. But instead we are challenging for a more erstwhile kitchen-related instrument: a cup. The Premiership Cup to be exact.

I'm not going to lie and write that I think we will win it. Is it possible? Yes. We secured the double chance and we have played consistent high-pressure football throughout the season. Yet if I look at the 3 teams above us, I think there is quite a gap. We beat Geelong and pushed Hawthorn but they are more seasoned performers. They would be hard to beat in the East, in the heat of the finals.

However our focus here is the top dog. They scare me. This game scares me. I can't see a good result for us in this one. By good result I include a loss by up to 5 or 6 goals.They are simply better. Their players are better. They have finals experience. They killed us earlier in the year. Their gameplan is so good we stole it.

Now, they are missing Thomas and have some other issues, but they're still a formidable opponent.
I remember one of the major problems when we played them earlier was our immobile forward line. We had our fair share of inside 50s, but every time the ball hit the deck it popped out of forward half quicker than Swan could get another tattoo. It's not surprising though. We really need a bona fide rover in the offseason.

Still, in positive news both Kerr and Schofield return. Kerr is critical. He takes the pressure of the younger mids as well as providing finals experience. McG and Smith (string of the ham) are out.

If we are to pull off the nigh impossible we need huge performances from key players. Firstly, Cox and Naitanui BOTH need to dominate. Preferably with Naitanui also being a potent force up forward. We need our midfield to have their best game of the season. I know Shuey and Kerr will deliver. But I really think Masten could be an X factor. He was BOG against Brisbane and very good against Adelaide. If he is finally 'in form' he chose a hell of a time to hit it. Perhaps most importantly though, our forwards must have strong hands and take their opportunities. We can't waste chances or it will be a long and painful afternoon.

Despite my pessimism, apprehension and fear I'm quite looking forward to this one. I remember our 2 previous finals games in 2007. Both left me feeling ill. If after this one I'm only feeling queasy, it will be a good result.

Round 24: Eagles Humiliate Crows; Set Sights on More Potent Birds

I don't intend to write much about the Crows match. In fact I didn't plan on writing anything before a sense of obligation grasped my talons and directed me towards blogspot.

It was a good win. A huge win is always nice but I don't think it means anything. The Crows are abysmal; a  horrendously poor football team. A 95 point win over them is the equivalent of beating a Dockers supporter at a game of chess. Yes, it feels good, but in the end it's just the strong wailing on the weak. It's a temporary happiness soon displaced by the fearsome reality which is the future.

The future against Team McGuire. Team McGuire; those stripey, mangy, mouth breathing, homebody, zombie feces! In all honesty though, they are pretty evil. From McGuire's greasy hair and his magazine rolling ways, to Mick's struggle to speak English, Didak's struggle to not be involved in Saturday night specials,  Shaw's moronism and Maxwell's gimpy gloved hand, to Thomas's nickname and Cloke's thuggish face...etc.
All of that aside, they are a pretty formidable side. But I'll blog about that later this week.

But I've ran out of insults so I must fly.

Round 24 Preview: Eagles vs Injuries...FC

Yes, we are playing against an actual team on Saturday. The result, however, has absolutely no meaning. Sure, momentum is blah blah blah...Ask Hawthorn how much they care about momentum. Clearly not much. They rested a slew of their best including Franklin, Rioli and Hodge. Conversely, we bring back the ultra injury prone Butler and possibly burn out Darling. Cox and Glass remain in the team. Needless to say I'm concerned.

We will need all our best players if we are to compete against bogan brigade next week. Speaking of which, Dale Thomas is out for that game. Now if only Swan, Pendlebury, Didak, Sidebottom and a few others suffer an unfortunate accident we may have a chance. Maybe a few of the Pies will miss with lead poisoning from their tattoos? I hope Swan doesn't lose an arm. It has been confirmed that the QF is on Saturday afternoon at the G. Undoubtedly our biggest game in 4 years.

But back to one of the least biggest games of the last 4 years. Adelaide have been okay since dumping Craig. They have a far better side than their record would suggest. Consequently, I wouldn't be surprised if we lost. As long as we play decently, don't lose anyone to injury, then it will be a positive outing.