Round 2: KAPOW! SCHLOCK! TWAT!

Easter! The long weekend when we remember and commemorate the greatest comeback of them all by gorging ourselves silly on chocolate eggs that may or may not also contain M & Ms, Smarties or even chocolate-covered sultanas. It's also a welcome opportunity to get out of town, which is exactly what I did. I spent a very pleasant long weekend at the JW Marriott hotel ("the Dubya") in the amusingly-titled locale of El Rehab City ("Where did you go for the weekend?" "Oh, I was in Rehab for a couple of days, feel much better for it!"). I can only hope that Ben Cousins has as pleasant a Rehab experience in his undisclosed location, which may or may not contain a wave pool, golf course and sensational Italian restaurant like the Dubya. It also contained, much to the stunned pleasure of my friend and I, a genuine if pint-sized Batman- or at least a child running around the hotel in an absolutely authentic TV Batman outfit. This was nothing like the crappy smock and mask version I had as a child, this was the real deal. The mini-Batman dashed around the foyer looking for crime to fight and villains to overcome, shaking hands from time to time with hotel security and nonplussed guests. All attempts to photograph the Dark Knight proved unsuccessful. The best my friend could achieve was a horned silhouette, after which Batman disappeared as quickly as he had come leaving behind only awed whispers- "Who was that masked man?"
But boy could Carlton have used the services of the Caped Crusader on Saturday night as the rejuvenated Cats ran amok at the Dome. The Cats blooded a pair of highly vamped recruits but it was the Ablett brothers who stole the show, to the misty eyed pleasure of nostalgic Pivotonians. For the Blues it was a disappointing night out for skipper Lance Whitnall, possibly distracted by his own brother issues. Given the poisonous atmosphere in the Clan Whitnall it would have surprised nobody if brother Whitnall had been up in the stands stabbing at a voodoo Lance with a pair of sharpened barbecue tongs. If only Batman had been there to swing from the rafters to break the voodoo curse and dispatch him with a well-placed boot to the jaw- KAPOW! SHLOCK! TWAT! But t'was not to be, and the Blues' sterling start to 2007 came to a brutal end.
Their rivals in incompetence in 2006 Essendon meanwhile continued their stunning revival by notching up two wins in a row for the first time since 2004 with a hard fought win over the highly fancied but still winless Dockers. Ex-Bomber Dean Solomon got himself reported, to the misty eyed pleasure of nostalgic Dons. Essendon play Carlton this weekend- on paper an easy tip? Don't you believe it. For some reason Carlton, even at their voodoo-cursed worst, always lift for this fixture. Maybe this year will be the exception. God I hope so.
Elsewhere Mick Malthouse's return to his old haunt ended in disappointment as his protege The Pharmacist (capitalised to distinguish him from the many other pharmacists earning a living off the West Coast side) got the Eagles up to a second straight narrow win as the 2006 premiership flag was unfurled. Brisbane retained top spot with a second straight comfortable home win, this time over the Saints, while Adelaide bounced back to top the Doggies in Melbourne. Richmond and the Carrararoos remain winless after losses to Sydney and Port respectfully. Roos coach Dean Laidley was possibly still distracted following his verbal stoush with former teammate Wayne Carey, the probable informal holder of the club's greatest ever player title (although a slightly more distant contender for the Ladies' Auxilary Award for Best Clubman). Not even Batman could have matched Carey in his prime. The Dees too are yet to open their account, falling to Hawthorn in the Monday fixture. So the immediate pressure is now off Bomber Thompson for Coach Most Likely to Go, my new tip is Laidley to depart- I'll stick with Round 16.
So two rounds in and it's all shaping up in a most intriguing fashion. See you back here for Round 3- same bat-time, same bat-blogsite.