I didn't bother to recap the Cats victory. The game blogged for itself. An amazing performance in an amazing season.
The top 4 now beckons. Based on my predictions, we will easily finish 4th. Yet, we must not get complacent. Tonight's game is going to be difficult. The Saints are semi-improved on their early season form. How much improved? I guess we find that out tonight.
Kerr is out with the dreaded 'soreness', whilst Swift and McGinnity have been omitted. Kerr's a significant loss, but we gain Waters, Lynch and Gaff. I hope Gaff isn't the sub, I want to see what the kid has got over the length of a match. After all, he was pick 4 in the draft. Waters is a backline general.... but we already have 2 in Hurn and Glass...so I guess he can be a colonel or major or something. The point is he is a hard nut. Not pea not almond but macadamia. You need a vice to crack this bastard. Or just touch his elbow with a feather and he's out for 12 weeks (I kid). Lynch is also from the family Proteaceae. He is integral to our forward structure, irregardless of his jerkishness in front of goal.
The Saints are a dreadfully boring team (except off field). They have all the charm of Koschitzke and the beauty of Steven Milne. Yet, they can still restrict teams fairly well.
I don't think well enough though. The loss of Kerr does place some added pressure on Shuey and Priddis, but if we play our game we should win. As long as we don't fall asleep....
Let's rock the dome.
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Friday, 8 July 2011
Round 16 Preview: Eagles v Cats
If an eagle fought a cat in the 'real world' we know who would win...or do we? It would depend on various factors; the type of cat/eagle, their respective sizes, age, experience in battle etc. The same considerations apply in the 'football world'. One big factor is the players available to each team.
This is an indirect way of expressing my concern over a couple of key omissions. The much-maligned (by me) Sam Butler (herafter known as Jeeves) is out with injury (shock horror) whilst Mr Q himself has been suspended. Earlier this week I heard reports of the imminent return of Beau Waters, but these have been made false by today's team news. Alas, two experienced players out. In comes a big 'meh' and a slight 'damn' in Pat McGinnity. An okay player, but he doesn't replace either of Jeeves or Q. Koby Stevens also returns for his first game this year. I honestly don't remember the guy, at all. Well, I remember his name. Apparently he played 5 games last year. No surprise that I don't recall him, as I have stated before last year is a blur of horribleness.
The notable omission for the Cats is Mackie (blah). In comes Varcoe and Corey.
Those 'outs' for us hurt, but we are still going to win. Call me crazy, but I don't rate the Cats, not to the extent that their record might suggest I should. I don't even care about their loss last week. They may try to bounce back, but we are fresh off the bye, full of confidence and on our home turf.
Needless to say, I hate the Cats. They are smarmy bastards; the epitomy of blandness, the darlings of the AFL media. Seriously, when Walls talks about them someone is liable to get poked in the eye (if you get my drift). I look back to '07 and think we could have done them that year. Obviously injuries stymied any chance of that, but such is life.
Anyway, massive game in prime time. It's critical to our top 4 chances, with Hawthorn and Carlton nigh certainties to win this week.There's no reason to be apprehensive. It's a new era. We crushed the Dockers. We dismantled the Juddas. The Cats are next.
This is an indirect way of expressing my concern over a couple of key omissions. The much-maligned (by me) Sam Butler (herafter known as Jeeves) is out with injury (shock horror) whilst Mr Q himself has been suspended. Earlier this week I heard reports of the imminent return of Beau Waters, but these have been made false by today's team news. Alas, two experienced players out. In comes a big 'meh' and a slight 'damn' in Pat McGinnity. An okay player, but he doesn't replace either of Jeeves or Q. Koby Stevens also returns for his first game this year. I honestly don't remember the guy, at all. Well, I remember his name. Apparently he played 5 games last year. No surprise that I don't recall him, as I have stated before last year is a blur of horribleness.
The notable omission for the Cats is Mackie (blah). In comes Varcoe and Corey.
Those 'outs' for us hurt, but we are still going to win. Call me crazy, but I don't rate the Cats, not to the extent that their record might suggest I should. I don't even care about their loss last week. They may try to bounce back, but we are fresh off the bye, full of confidence and on our home turf.
Needless to say, I hate the Cats. They are smarmy bastards; the epitomy of blandness, the darlings of the AFL media. Seriously, when Walls talks about them someone is liable to get poked in the eye (if you get my drift). I look back to '07 and think we could have done them that year. Obviously injuries stymied any chance of that, but such is life.
Anyway, massive game in prime time. It's critical to our top 4 chances, with Hawthorn and Carlton nigh certainties to win this week.There's no reason to be apprehensive. It's a new era. We crushed the Dockers. We dismantled the Juddas. The Cats are next.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Round 14 Recap: Eagles Dominate Blues; Leave Blogger asking Chris who?
What a win! The first win against Judd. The first win in Melbourne this season. Most importantly, we beat a legitimate top 4 team for the first time this season.
What impressed me most was that we were strongly challenged and yet held our nerve. Rewind back to the Essendon game. Inaccuracy early stopped us from achieving a strong lead. Come the second half, the Bombers surged and we layed down. We were poor in front of goal again yesterday, but when the Blues stormed back in the 3rd (to get within 4 points) we slowed the game down, kept possession and responded with consecutive goals.
Another sign of maturity.
I could go on and on about the importance of beating Judd. Sure, it feels good. We got over a psychological barrier, but I think the club is now at a point where the we have moved on. Still, this was our greatest win in the post-Juddas era.
In terms of individual performances, there were superb efforts all over the ground. Down back, Glass and E-Mac were beacons of strength and solidity. I still have doubts over MacKenzie's kicking, but his overhead, contested marks were a feature of a dominant backline yesterday.
The midfield was amazing against an elite unit. Priddis had a million possessions. Scott Selwood did a great job containing the Juddas. Kerr also was good. It seemed he was going head-to-head with Judd for a fair chunk of yesterday. Shuey was also damaging. I like the fact that every time he gets the ball he always assesses what's on offer. He rarely makes mistakes and always seems to find targets. I thought Cox was good and Naitanui also had an excellent game. I was ecstatic over his 'Mark of the Year Elect', but just as happy that he converted the opportunity.
Our forward line was good but not great. Lecras was the only one that seemed confident in front of goal. Kennedy and Lynch both missed a few chances they should have taken avantage of. Still, they presented well.
So, 5th on the ladder. For the first time this season I think we can (and will) finish top 4. However unlikely, we could win all our remaining games. Even the Geelong game seems eminently winnable as I sit here typing, high on the fumes of victory. Complacency, injuries and fatigue all stand in the way of this outcome.
Yet, as the boring bye week approaches, we should all just appreciate how far we have come.
From wooden-spooners to top 4 candidate. Not too shabby.
What impressed me most was that we were strongly challenged and yet held our nerve. Rewind back to the Essendon game. Inaccuracy early stopped us from achieving a strong lead. Come the second half, the Bombers surged and we layed down. We were poor in front of goal again yesterday, but when the Blues stormed back in the 3rd (to get within 4 points) we slowed the game down, kept possession and responded with consecutive goals.
Another sign of maturity.
I could go on and on about the importance of beating Judd. Sure, it feels good. We got over a psychological barrier, but I think the club is now at a point where the we have moved on. Still, this was our greatest win in the post-Juddas era.
In terms of individual performances, there were superb efforts all over the ground. Down back, Glass and E-Mac were beacons of strength and solidity. I still have doubts over MacKenzie's kicking, but his overhead, contested marks were a feature of a dominant backline yesterday.
The midfield was amazing against an elite unit. Priddis had a million possessions. Scott Selwood did a great job containing the Juddas. Kerr also was good. It seemed he was going head-to-head with Judd for a fair chunk of yesterday. Shuey was also damaging. I like the fact that every time he gets the ball he always assesses what's on offer. He rarely makes mistakes and always seems to find targets. I thought Cox was good and Naitanui also had an excellent game. I was ecstatic over his 'Mark of the Year Elect', but just as happy that he converted the opportunity.
Our forward line was good but not great. Lecras was the only one that seemed confident in front of goal. Kennedy and Lynch both missed a few chances they should have taken avantage of. Still, they presented well.
So, 5th on the ladder. For the first time this season I think we can (and will) finish top 4. However unlikely, we could win all our remaining games. Even the Geelong game seems eminently winnable as I sit here typing, high on the fumes of victory. Complacency, injuries and fatigue all stand in the way of this outcome.
Yet, as the boring bye week approaches, we should all just appreciate how far we have come.
From wooden-spooners to top 4 candidate. Not too shabby.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Round 14 Preview: Blues v Eagles
I see this game as the biggest challenge of the season to date. The Collingwood game was more challenging, but I never saw us as a chance against the Pies. Against the Blues we have a shot.
Yesterday I took a cursory glance at the matchups and I have to say it looked promising. I know a 'team' is more than a sum of its players, but at a basic level we are fairly evenly matched. Both their forward and backlines are solid. I do have fears over their small forwards, not allayed by the inclusion of the most inflexible man in football 'E-Mac'. Carlton also lose Duigan to injury, one of their most consistent backmen. However, the midfield is where the interest lies, for more than one reason.
Firstly the Juddas factor. I call him Juddas from a combination of Judd and Judas for reasons clear enough. I don't hate the guy. I understand why he returned to Melbourne, climate not withstanding, and can respect his decisions. But I have little love left. We helped mold the guy into one of the best ever and now he's using his powers against us. I'm guessing either one or both of the Selwood's will take him tomorrow. That is, if he plays. If anyone knows the number for the Ministry of Magic I'd be grateful...
Carlton also has other very good on-ballers; Murphy, Simpson. Robinson and Gibbs. Kerr and Priddis need to have big games to keep those guys busy. Shuey and Rosa also need to rise. Swift needs to...not make too many mistakes.
I feel good about the fact the game is at the Dome as it is easier to apply an effective press. We did so, fairly well, against the Bombers earlier in the year.
I really feel this is a statement game. We haven't won in Melbourne this season. We haven't beaten a top 4 team this season. We haven't beaten the Dark Lord...ever.
Wands at the ready guys, it's time to take down the Balded One!
Yesterday I took a cursory glance at the matchups and I have to say it looked promising. I know a 'team' is more than a sum of its players, but at a basic level we are fairly evenly matched. Both their forward and backlines are solid. I do have fears over their small forwards, not allayed by the inclusion of the most inflexible man in football 'E-Mac'. Carlton also lose Duigan to injury, one of their most consistent backmen. However, the midfield is where the interest lies, for more than one reason.
Firstly the Juddas factor. I call him Juddas from a combination of Judd and Judas for reasons clear enough. I don't hate the guy. I understand why he returned to Melbourne, climate not withstanding, and can respect his decisions. But I have little love left. We helped mold the guy into one of the best ever and now he's using his powers against us. I'm guessing either one or both of the Selwood's will take him tomorrow. That is, if he plays. If anyone knows the number for the Ministry of Magic I'd be grateful...
Carlton also has other very good on-ballers; Murphy, Simpson. Robinson and Gibbs. Kerr and Priddis need to have big games to keep those guys busy. Shuey and Rosa also need to rise. Swift needs to...not make too many mistakes.
I feel good about the fact the game is at the Dome as it is easier to apply an effective press. We did so, fairly well, against the Bombers earlier in the year.
I really feel this is a statement game. We haven't won in Melbourne this season. We haven't beaten a top 4 team this season. We haven't beaten the Dark Lord...ever.
Wands at the ready guys, it's time to take down the Balded One!
Monday, 20 June 2011
Round 13 Recap: Eagles make Port look like 'Western Power'
I don't want to dwell too much on my title, but it is superb. The Eagles, while not as superb, did what they needed to do to take the points.
It was a game in which we were never really threatened. Port put some goals together a couple of times, but we responded. Like the Crows encounter, this performance showed our level of maturity as a group. We have begun to respond to challenges and beat teams whom we should beat.
The Interceptor-saurus (aka Shannon Hurn) was superb again. Not only does he have the ability to pierce the defensive veil but he can also kick goals. He kicked 3 yesterday. If his right leg were a woman...
Lecras also continues to be awesome. I know he was great prior to the glove, but it's taken him to the next level. Plus it gives him an edge, fashion wise.
We are now 5th on the ladder. Let us appreciate that for a few moments...
...
...
That felt good.
We've come along way, but how far can we go? Based on my predictions, we will finish 5th or 6th. But hell, what do I know?... Quite a lot actually, but that's not the point.
The point is this: Beat the Death Eaters and Lord Juddermort on Sunday and we can make the top 4. It's a mammoth task. But it was a mammoth task for us to make the finals this year. That mission is essentially achieved.
We haven't beaten the Blues since the Juddas fled. I would be lying if I said I were confident. But this is our time. We can shock the world, well like 0.000000000000000000001% of the world.
I can't wait. 5 days and counting....
It was a game in which we were never really threatened. Port put some goals together a couple of times, but we responded. Like the Crows encounter, this performance showed our level of maturity as a group. We have begun to respond to challenges and beat teams whom we should beat.
The Interceptor-saurus (aka Shannon Hurn) was superb again. Not only does he have the ability to pierce the defensive veil but he can also kick goals. He kicked 3 yesterday. If his right leg were a woman...
Lecras also continues to be awesome. I know he was great prior to the glove, but it's taken him to the next level. Plus it gives him an edge, fashion wise.
We are now 5th on the ladder. Let us appreciate that for a few moments...
...
...
That felt good.
We've come along way, but how far can we go? Based on my predictions, we will finish 5th or 6th. But hell, what do I know?... Quite a lot actually, but that's not the point.
The point is this: Beat the Death Eaters and Lord Juddermort on Sunday and we can make the top 4. It's a mammoth task. But it was a mammoth task for us to make the finals this year. That mission is essentially achieved.
We haven't beaten the Blues since the Juddas fled. I would be lying if I said I were confident. But this is our time. We can shock the world, well like 0.000000000000000000001% of the world.
I can't wait. 5 days and counting....
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