Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos, and with muffled drum,
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come....
Sorry to get all literary (WH Auden, see Four Weddings and a Funeral) this week, but the sacking of Denis Pagan from Carlton moved me in a way that surprised even myself. So you can imagine my reaction when two days later Kevin Sheedy got the boot from Essendon after 27 years! Like most Bombers fans I went through the full gamut of emotions- anger, disbelief, shock, rage, apoplexy, nostalgia, wrath, grim foreboding, mild gratification (when I opened a letter from the Department of Revenue telling me I had received a $7000 First Home Buyers Grant, not strictly relevant to the Kevin Sheedy issue really) and finally a dull acceptance. Luckily I was in a non-footballing state or territory, down in Melbourne the talkback lines were spontaneously combusting and mobs of enraged red and black partisans were marching on Windy Hill with flaming torches demanding the heads of the Essendon Football Club board on platters. Such sentiments are understandable when you consider that Sheedy had been at the Bombers' helm since 1981- in that time his former club Richmond has been coached by (deep breath)- Tony Jewell, Francis Bourke, Mike Patterson, Paul Sproule, Tony Jewell (again), Kevin Bartlett, Allan Jeans, John Northey, Robert Walls, Jeff Gieschen, Danny Frawley and now Terry Wallace. Many Bombers supporters (myself included) have not known Essendon under any other coach (Barry Davis was the last one, trivia buffs take note), to say nothing of the players who have spent their entire careers under him. Sheedy came to office in 1981, the same year that Ronald Reagan came into the White House, Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK, Prince Charles married Diana, Belize became independent, and Hosni Mubarak became President of Egypt. Only Mubarak has matched Sheedy for staying power (although my personal theory is that an animatronic version of Mubarak has been operating via remote control for some time now) and none of the above can claim to have been anywhere near as successful (Cold War, Shmold War!). Sheedy's amazing on-field record and accomplishments have been well documented- four day premierships from seven Grand Finals, six night flags, a positive win-loss percentage against every other club bar Port Adelaide- but it is his contribution to changing the face of the game from a small parochial suburban competition to a truly national game that will be his lasting memorial (not that he's dead or anything!) People who take the stance that Sheedy was "just a football coach" are missing the point- Denis Pagan was just a football coach (albiet a very, very good one). Sheedy was an icon not just of Essendon or the AFL but of the entire nation. His efforts to promote indigenous players have earned him a place of pride in Aboriginal Australia, while his moves to build up Anzac Day through the annual Essendon-Collingwood match have contributed to the resurgence of interest in the day from its previously moribund state. His departure from the Bombers really is the end of an era. I myself commemorated Sheedy Regicide Day with a sixpack of James Boags and a re-viewing of the last quarter of the 1984 Grand Final, one of my most cherished childhood moments. For an eight year old kid to see his team launch the mother of all comebacks to snatch glory from the side which had traumatised it (and him) 12 months earlier provided evidence that there was after all some justice in life, and sometimes the good guys won. And to think I only learnt this valuable life lesson because Sheedy moved Billy Duckworth and Paul Weston into the forward line! Vale Sheeds, you'll be sadly missed.
Hard now to remember what actually took place on the weekend just gone given the massive events that followed but I'll do my best. My recollections are made even more hazy by the fact that I had a Saturday night out in Sydney of the kind that can only be pieced together in the cold light of the following day by signed witness statements and closed circuit television footage... I was lucky enough to miss Australia's sporting Black Saturday, in which the Wallabies, Socceroos and netballers (do they have a nickname?) all went down like nine-pins. I was also blissfully unaware that over in Perth Brownlow medallist and allegedly reformed crystal methamphetamine addict Ben Cousins was making a stunning return to the game against the Eagles' mighty rivals the Swans. Cousins looked (I am assured) as if he'd never been away as he racked up 38 touches in the Eagles' 12 point win- 12 points being the total accumulated margin for the previous five matches between the two sides. I was aware that the Bombers had gone down earlier in the day to Collingwood but chose to pretend that I wasn't. All too depressing.
The Friday night game provided further evidence that Geelong is a very, very good team in 2007. They steamrolled the Bulldogs in the final quarter, shattering the Doggies' spirit after three quarters of hard slog and doing serious damage to their percentage into the bargain. It's all looking rosy down at Catland just now, although they must be a tad concerned that their coach "Bomber" Thompson is out of contract and there are now four cashed-up clubs looking for a new coach (well, three with cash and Melbourne).
One of those clubs is Fremantle, who gave another ex-Bomber the chance to make his coaching debut away to Adelaide. And he was able to get a most unexpected win first up as the Dockers accounted for tipsters' nightmare side the Crows. All money in the bank in terms of getting a senior job somewhere next year. Demons' interim coach Mark Riley suffered a loss in his match against the Carrararoos who are unbelievably up to second place after being written off by all and sundry pre-season. The only highlight for the Dees was a possible mark of the year to young star Matthew Newton (not to be confused with Bert's woman-bashing son). And up at the Gabba the woefully unsuccessful five year stewardship of Denis Pagan came to an appropriate end with a 117 point belting by the Lions, after which the plug was pulled to the general relief of all. Carlton under Pagan have not improved in the slightest over the five years, unless you count the two Let's Throw the Victorian Clubs a Bone Cups and their infuriating habit of beating Essendon every year. Pagan can take solice in the fact that in future years he will probably be remembered more for his two premierships at North than for his five forgettable years at Princes' Park. After all, not too many people remember the "Messiah Years" at Melbourne when Ron Barassi's coaching career is recalled. Jonathon Brown broke the Brisbane goalkicking record for a single match with a lazy ten.
Two other games rounded out Round 16- Port easily accounted for the hapless Richmond in Tiger legend Matthew Richardson's 250th, the Power moving into the top four. And rapidly rising St Kilda took the points over rapidly declining Hawthorn in the rematch of the Worst Game Ever between the two sides played earlier in the season. Thankfully this match was a far less dire affair, although that's not setting the bar particularly high as the first match was a stinker par excellence.
So a historic week in the annals of AFL history. An era has ended at Essendon, although Sheedy will be staying on until the end of the season (watch us win the premiership now after a late charge!) It has been a rare season for coaching carnage- a quarter of those who started the season are now out of a job. Will there be more to come? Can Ben Cousins stay on the wagon? Will Richmond win again this year? Can anyone beat Geelong? All these questions and more to be answered in weeks to come, here at your one-stop footywrap shop.
19 July 2007
Round Fifteen: A brilliant move by the comrades
In recent years there has been much doom and gloom in the Garden State of Victoria over the inept performances of its various footballing outfits. No Vic team has won the premiership since the Bombers' glorious all-conquering performance of 2000; no Vic team has even made the Grand Final since Collingwood's hilariously woeful turn in 2003- the closest thing you'll ever see to a forfeit in a match in which both teams have actually turned up and are out there on the ground at the same time. Last year the Victorians couldn't even get as far as preliminary final weekend- you know you're in trouble when the Fremantle Dockers' season remains alive when your team is off causing merry booze-fuelled mayhem on a post-season jaunt in some underprepared South-East Asian resort. Such haplessness led at the start of the season to suggestions of a football inquest to find the reason why the interstaters were carrying away all the silverware every season (with the dishonourable exception of the preseason "Let's Throw the Victorian Clubs a Bone Cup"). But fifteen rounds in all plans of that nature have been shelved- it's the Vic clubs way out in front and at this stage looking odds-on to break the premiership/ Grand Final appearance duck (although Richmond, Melbourne and Carlton are carrying on the proud tradition of Big V incompetence).
The side leading the charge are of course the Geelong Cats, flagless since 1963 (although they were perennial bridesmaids in the early 1990s). After the disappointment of last season, when they were raging favourites after winning the LTTVCAB cup but didn't make it to September, the Pivotonians have swept all before them this season and are sitting on top by several games and a truckload of percentage courtesy primarily of their usual whipping boys the Richmond Tigers. Excitement down at Sleepy Hollow has reached fever pitch, and we're still in July. The Cats featured in the match of Round 15, a rare Saturday afternoon fixture at the MCG against the similarly resurgent Magpies. This encounter represented the biggest home and away match in Victoria since the Close Enough to Invincible Dons of 2000 took on arch-rivals Carlton. So you can imagine the righteous rage that flew into the hearts of the good denizens of Catland when they turned up at the railway station eager to travel to the capital for the big game only to discover that the transport union had decided to call a train strike for that day! And people say that the unions are out of touch with ordinary people. Brilliant move, comrades, an entire city converted instantly into rabid Thatcherites. If the Howard Government sneaks back into office this year courtesy of a single seat located in the Corio Bay area we'll know who to blame!
Luckily however most of the Feline army made it to the MCG courtesy of a fleet of buses and were thus able to witness their team extend their winning streak to ten games with a narrow but convincing win over the Magpies. They're clearly the team to beat. Hawthorn moved into second place with a straightforward win over the lowly Tigers, while 2007 surprise packet the Carrararoos shot into third with a gritty 2 point away victory over the stuttering Dockers. The defeat proved the deathknell for Freo coach Chris Connolly (as predicted here last week) who called it quits after the loss. Connolly was probably destined to depart the Purple Haze sooner or later given how disappointing the Dockers have been this year, but can blame the dodgy kicking style of defender Scott Thornton for the ultimate Roos defeat- Thornton missed a sitter from 30 metres out with a minute to go which would have put Freo in front. Freo's shocking week culminated with serial fool Jeff Farmer's latest indiscretion- smashing someone's parked car in front of security guards- which could see him drummed out of the club. No wonder Mike the Dockers' fan is off sick today, there's only so much a man can bear!
The weekend commenced well for the Victorian teams, with St Kilda also stealing a 2 point win over interstate opposition in the form of Adelaide. I was lucky enough to catch the end of the match down at the pub, where I had gone with some friends to see Australia's appalling capitulation to Iraq in the soccer. Absolutely abysmal performance, for mine the most embarrassing performance by any sporting outfit representing Australia since our boat sank beneath the waves while racing the Kiwis in the America's Cup. The aftermath of that race series, incidentally, was quite ludicrous- the dejected Australian skipper offered full support and assistance to the slightly incredulous New Zealanders who must have been thinking along the lines of "yeah, thanks a lot mate, I think we'll probably be OK with our unsubmerged boat..." I think from memory the same skipper went on to hail NZ's eventual victory over the Americans as "A great victory for the Pacific Rim!" Talk about clutching at straws! The Saints were very good in their win, a late charge for the finals could well see them sneak into the eight yet. Another Victorian team tipped to do well this year and seemingly coming good at the right time is the Western Bulldogs, who had a straightforward victory over a depleted Essendon. The Bombers have a shocking draw in the final stages and will need to really lift to make the eight. The Dons are due to make a big decision this week as to whether Kevin Sheedy will remain at the helm for his 28th straight season.
It wasn't all bad news for the interstaters, Sydney took the points at home against struggling Carlton who haven't had a win up north since about 1993. Brisbane won "away" at the Gabba against Melbourne- that move to sell home games interstate has really worked out well for the Demons! And Port Adelaide ensured it was a miserable weekend for footy fans in WA of both persuasions by giving West Coast an absolute hiding- 91 points being the Eagles' biggest defeat for many a year. Eagles' star captain Chris Judd (not the one who was briefly married to J-Lo) limped off the field at the end and may need surgery before the finals. Luckily the West Coast have in reserve reformed "ice" addict Ben Cousins who you would expect to see out on the field sooner rather than later.
So now that everyone has played everyone else it is clear that at this stage only a transport strike can stop Geelong; Richmond, Melbourne and Carlton are all useless; and everyone else is still in with a chance of playing finals ("mathematically" in the case of Fremantle and probably Brisbane). Two coaches are gone, more could follow shortly. It's the best of times for some Vic clubs, the worst of times for others. And there's still a third of the season to go. See you back here for Round 16.
The side leading the charge are of course the Geelong Cats, flagless since 1963 (although they were perennial bridesmaids in the early 1990s). After the disappointment of last season, when they were raging favourites after winning the LTTVCAB cup but didn't make it to September, the Pivotonians have swept all before them this season and are sitting on top by several games and a truckload of percentage courtesy primarily of their usual whipping boys the Richmond Tigers. Excitement down at Sleepy Hollow has reached fever pitch, and we're still in July. The Cats featured in the match of Round 15, a rare Saturday afternoon fixture at the MCG against the similarly resurgent Magpies. This encounter represented the biggest home and away match in Victoria since the Close Enough to Invincible Dons of 2000 took on arch-rivals Carlton. So you can imagine the righteous rage that flew into the hearts of the good denizens of Catland when they turned up at the railway station eager to travel to the capital for the big game only to discover that the transport union had decided to call a train strike for that day! And people say that the unions are out of touch with ordinary people. Brilliant move, comrades, an entire city converted instantly into rabid Thatcherites. If the Howard Government sneaks back into office this year courtesy of a single seat located in the Corio Bay area we'll know who to blame!
Luckily however most of the Feline army made it to the MCG courtesy of a fleet of buses and were thus able to witness their team extend their winning streak to ten games with a narrow but convincing win over the Magpies. They're clearly the team to beat. Hawthorn moved into second place with a straightforward win over the lowly Tigers, while 2007 surprise packet the Carrararoos shot into third with a gritty 2 point away victory over the stuttering Dockers. The defeat proved the deathknell for Freo coach Chris Connolly (as predicted here last week) who called it quits after the loss. Connolly was probably destined to depart the Purple Haze sooner or later given how disappointing the Dockers have been this year, but can blame the dodgy kicking style of defender Scott Thornton for the ultimate Roos defeat- Thornton missed a sitter from 30 metres out with a minute to go which would have put Freo in front. Freo's shocking week culminated with serial fool Jeff Farmer's latest indiscretion- smashing someone's parked car in front of security guards- which could see him drummed out of the club. No wonder Mike the Dockers' fan is off sick today, there's only so much a man can bear!
The weekend commenced well for the Victorian teams, with St Kilda also stealing a 2 point win over interstate opposition in the form of Adelaide. I was lucky enough to catch the end of the match down at the pub, where I had gone with some friends to see Australia's appalling capitulation to Iraq in the soccer. Absolutely abysmal performance, for mine the most embarrassing performance by any sporting outfit representing Australia since our boat sank beneath the waves while racing the Kiwis in the America's Cup. The aftermath of that race series, incidentally, was quite ludicrous- the dejected Australian skipper offered full support and assistance to the slightly incredulous New Zealanders who must have been thinking along the lines of "yeah, thanks a lot mate, I think we'll probably be OK with our unsubmerged boat..." I think from memory the same skipper went on to hail NZ's eventual victory over the Americans as "A great victory for the Pacific Rim!" Talk about clutching at straws! The Saints were very good in their win, a late charge for the finals could well see them sneak into the eight yet. Another Victorian team tipped to do well this year and seemingly coming good at the right time is the Western Bulldogs, who had a straightforward victory over a depleted Essendon. The Bombers have a shocking draw in the final stages and will need to really lift to make the eight. The Dons are due to make a big decision this week as to whether Kevin Sheedy will remain at the helm for his 28th straight season.
It wasn't all bad news for the interstaters, Sydney took the points at home against struggling Carlton who haven't had a win up north since about 1993. Brisbane won "away" at the Gabba against Melbourne- that move to sell home games interstate has really worked out well for the Demons! And Port Adelaide ensured it was a miserable weekend for footy fans in WA of both persuasions by giving West Coast an absolute hiding- 91 points being the Eagles' biggest defeat for many a year. Eagles' star captain Chris Judd (not the one who was briefly married to J-Lo) limped off the field at the end and may need surgery before the finals. Luckily the West Coast have in reserve reformed "ice" addict Ben Cousins who you would expect to see out on the field sooner rather than later.
So now that everyone has played everyone else it is clear that at this stage only a transport strike can stop Geelong; Richmond, Melbourne and Carlton are all useless; and everyone else is still in with a chance of playing finals ("mathematically" in the case of Fremantle and probably Brisbane). Two coaches are gone, more could follow shortly. It's the best of times for some Vic clubs, the worst of times for others. And there's still a third of the season to go. See you back here for Round 16.
11 July 2007
Round Fourteen: Living in the Seventies
In recent weeks (and months...) this column has bagged the AFL on many an occasion, albeit for generally good reasons. But it is important to be positive too when the opportunity strikes. And so, let me say without qualification, that whoever's idea it was to have the annual heritage round deserves a pat on the back and a bar card at the Spearmint Rhino nightclub- it's a cracker of an idea. As I recall the original heritage round was a one-off during the 1996 centenary season featuring the original eight teams wearing old timey colours and faux-lace up jumpers, and the other johnny-come-lately teams just wearing their regular jumpers I believe. The concept then appears to have laid dormant until 2003, when it came bursting back with a vengeance. The AFL made a probably sensible decision to introduce a theme for the heritage round recently, given that having for example Carlton in a 19th century replica playing Brisbane in the original eyewatering Bears jumper was a bit of a trippy experience. So while last year we had the '80s round, this year we were all living in the '70s, as the song goes.
One of the real benefits of having a theme for the heritage round is that it allows for a focus on a specific time period, as well as allowing the players to run around in lairy strips. With the exception of Essendon, who were rubbish for the entire decade, the '70s was a bit of a halcyon era for football. Some of the alltime greats plied their trade during this period (Jezza, Blight, Matthews etc), some of the most historic matches took place (70, 77 and 79 Grand Finals), and some of the most iconic moments with accompanying classic commentary occurred ("Oh, Jesalenko (sic), you beauty!"; "Matthews has snapped the point post! Talk about a he-man!"; "Harmes snaps it back to Sheldon...it's a goal!". Media coverage during the week saw many of the old players, coaches and commentators reminiscing about the old days and the old grounds and characters, it was great to hear some of the stories about a bygone era when the money was less but the passion was every bit equal.
This was also the decade that saw colour television come into play, and with it garish shorts and jumper shades for a number of teams. Mercifully by the '80s most teams had quietly gone back to the slightly less aesthetically offensive lower garments, but for one round a year wheel them out I say! So we had Essendon and the Bulldogs in red shorts, Richmond in yellow shorts and Melbourne in a most fetching royal blue shade which had the bonus effect of removing the colour clash with Carlton. The Dees were able to give interim coach Mark Riley a winning start with a win over the Blues, pride being the only thing at stake for these two clubs now in 2007. The other team out of the running, Richmond, put up a brave show against North but the Roos proved too strong and kept their unexpectedly good run going for another week. Pre-season favourites Fremantle were desperate for a win up at Sydney to keep their fast sinking 2007 hopes alive but the Swans, inspired by Michael O'Laughlin's games record and Adam Goodes' 200th, took the points and significantly boosted their own chances of finals action. How many weeks left until Chris Connolly becomes the latest member of the sacked coaches club?
I wrote last week about the Big Occasion game- Essendon came into their clash against high-flying Geelong welcoming back two-time cancer survivor Adam Ramanauskas and celebrating 250 games for favourite son James Hird. But the Big Occasion turned into a stinker for the Dons with Hird and young gun Alwyn Davey going down injured and key players Dustin Fletcher and Mark McVeigh going into the umpire's book as the Cats continued on their merry way. The possible finals rivals for the Cats had mixed results- Collingwood deservedly prevailed in a dour struggle in the wet against St Kilda, if only because the Saints refused to join in the '70s theme and turned up in all-white- very helpful to avoid a colour clash against a team wearing black and white. The Western Bulldogs came through against Port Adelaide. Curiously there was much pre-game hype and excitement that this was the first time Port had worn the old "prison bars" outfit that they had worn in the old Uncle Toby's SANFL prior to joining the big boys league- it clearly wasn't, the invaluable footyjumpers.com website shows undisputable evidence that they wore that jumper in the heritage round in 2003. Short memories, people!
The Power's crosstown rivals the Crows delivered what should have been the big shock of the round by thumping previously resurgent Hawthorn at Football Park. But less than 24 hours later the biggest upset in years- at least since the Saints beat the Eagles some weeks ago- occurred in the West. Once more West Coast were the fall guys, perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that while they were running around in the 1977 WA State of Origin jumper, the opponents Brisbane were sporting the old Fitzroy colours. Halfway through the first quarter the odds on a Lions win were 21 to 1- not a bad bet as it turned out as Brisbane romped home to stun all and sundry. The win was the first at Subiaco Oval ever by a team wearing the Roys jumper (although they did once win at the WACA long ago) and the loss consigned the Eagles from third to... second, courtesy of Hawthorn's belting and subsequent percentage loss. Strange things happened in the Seventies!
Apologies for the delay in this week's wrap, I joined the ranks of the nation's homeowners over the weekend. Finally I have an opinion on interest rates! Round 15 to come quicker I hope.
One of the real benefits of having a theme for the heritage round is that it allows for a focus on a specific time period, as well as allowing the players to run around in lairy strips. With the exception of Essendon, who were rubbish for the entire decade, the '70s was a bit of a halcyon era for football. Some of the alltime greats plied their trade during this period (Jezza, Blight, Matthews etc), some of the most historic matches took place (70, 77 and 79 Grand Finals), and some of the most iconic moments with accompanying classic commentary occurred ("Oh, Jesalenko (sic), you beauty!"; "Matthews has snapped the point post! Talk about a he-man!"; "Harmes snaps it back to Sheldon...it's a goal!". Media coverage during the week saw many of the old players, coaches and commentators reminiscing about the old days and the old grounds and characters, it was great to hear some of the stories about a bygone era when the money was less but the passion was every bit equal.
This was also the decade that saw colour television come into play, and with it garish shorts and jumper shades for a number of teams. Mercifully by the '80s most teams had quietly gone back to the slightly less aesthetically offensive lower garments, but for one round a year wheel them out I say! So we had Essendon and the Bulldogs in red shorts, Richmond in yellow shorts and Melbourne in a most fetching royal blue shade which had the bonus effect of removing the colour clash with Carlton. The Dees were able to give interim coach Mark Riley a winning start with a win over the Blues, pride being the only thing at stake for these two clubs now in 2007. The other team out of the running, Richmond, put up a brave show against North but the Roos proved too strong and kept their unexpectedly good run going for another week. Pre-season favourites Fremantle were desperate for a win up at Sydney to keep their fast sinking 2007 hopes alive but the Swans, inspired by Michael O'Laughlin's games record and Adam Goodes' 200th, took the points and significantly boosted their own chances of finals action. How many weeks left until Chris Connolly becomes the latest member of the sacked coaches club?
I wrote last week about the Big Occasion game- Essendon came into their clash against high-flying Geelong welcoming back two-time cancer survivor Adam Ramanauskas and celebrating 250 games for favourite son James Hird. But the Big Occasion turned into a stinker for the Dons with Hird and young gun Alwyn Davey going down injured and key players Dustin Fletcher and Mark McVeigh going into the umpire's book as the Cats continued on their merry way. The possible finals rivals for the Cats had mixed results- Collingwood deservedly prevailed in a dour struggle in the wet against St Kilda, if only because the Saints refused to join in the '70s theme and turned up in all-white- very helpful to avoid a colour clash against a team wearing black and white. The Western Bulldogs came through against Port Adelaide. Curiously there was much pre-game hype and excitement that this was the first time Port had worn the old "prison bars" outfit that they had worn in the old Uncle Toby's SANFL prior to joining the big boys league- it clearly wasn't, the invaluable footyjumpers.com website shows undisputable evidence that they wore that jumper in the heritage round in 2003. Short memories, people!
The Power's crosstown rivals the Crows delivered what should have been the big shock of the round by thumping previously resurgent Hawthorn at Football Park. But less than 24 hours later the biggest upset in years- at least since the Saints beat the Eagles some weeks ago- occurred in the West. Once more West Coast were the fall guys, perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that while they were running around in the 1977 WA State of Origin jumper, the opponents Brisbane were sporting the old Fitzroy colours. Halfway through the first quarter the odds on a Lions win were 21 to 1- not a bad bet as it turned out as Brisbane romped home to stun all and sundry. The win was the first at Subiaco Oval ever by a team wearing the Roys jumper (although they did once win at the WACA long ago) and the loss consigned the Eagles from third to... second, courtesy of Hawthorn's belting and subsequent percentage loss. Strange things happened in the Seventies!
Apologies for the delay in this week's wrap, I joined the ranks of the nation's homeowners over the weekend. Finally I have an opinion on interest rates! Round 15 to come quicker I hope.
05 July 2007
Round Thirteen: The Big Occasions
Although every home and away match is important, three or four times a year every club encounters the Big Occasion match. Often the occasion is a milestone match for a club favourite (case in point St Kilda's unlikely win over West Coast in Rob Harvey's 350th), sometimes it's a regular fixture like Anzac Day for Collingwood and Essendon or the Western Derby (which rhymes with Barbie or Herbie depending on your level of education)/ Showdown match for the Perth/Adelaide interlopers, and sometimes it's the result of something else entirely. One of the most memorable Big Occasion matches in recent years was Jason McCartney's return to AFL football after suffering horrendous injuries in the Bali Bombing, an unforgettably moving night for those who witnessed it. North rose to the occasion on that night, taking the four points over Richmond. The Roos were involved in a Big Occasion match of another kind around the same time when former captain and club champion Wayne Carey played his first game against them (for the Crows) after being drummed out of the club for cuckolding his vice-captain/best mate's wife. This time, despite no shortage of motivational material, the Roos were unable to get up and score a win (unlike Carey, who by all accounts had no problems either with getting it up or with scoring). So while teams generally do lift for the Big Occasion match, victory is by no means guaranteed.
Round Thirteen was significant in that there were no less than three Big Occasion matches, all for very different reasons. The Roos were yet again involved- their club legend, Norm Smith Medallist and Shinboner of the Century Glenn Archer was playing his 300th match against the Dogs, only the second Roo to achieve the 300 game milestone. Melbourne were farewelling their long-serving coach Neale Daniher after ten years and a Grand Final appearance against Essendon in 2000, ironically the team they were playing in Round 13 (and of course Daniher's former club). And all eyes were on the Collingwood-Hawthorn game, in particular on Magpie Alan Didak. Didak, as alluded to in last week's Wrap, had a fortnight earlier engaged in a big night out with the man who allegedly went on to become the CBD murderer, a night in which shots had been fired at police. How would Didak respond to the widespread public criticism of him for failing to report the eventful evening to the proper authorities, therefore potentially preventing the CBD triple shooting and the death of an innocent Melbourne solicitor?
The Round kicked off with the Dees-Dons game, and in the first quarter Melbourne failed dismally to raise to the moment as the Bombers ran rampant. However Daniher's last ever quarter time speech obviously inspired the Demons, as they fought back courageously to put themselves right back in the match. His last ever half-time and three quarter time speeches were obviously absolute belters as the Demons played all over Essendon and with only a minute or two to go were 17 points up and seemingly destined to send Daniher out on a high note. Unfortunately the Bombers hadn't read the script and put through a couple of late goals, including a Scott Lucas effort with 5 seconds on the clock, to take the match by just 2 points. Unbelievable. Essendon are doing their upmost to give their supporters heart attacks this season, their last four wins have been by 8 points (including a goal after the siren), 1 point, 1 point and now 2 points. Last year they would have lost all four. Go Dons!
Unlike Melbourne, the Carrararoos had no difficulty whatsoever in ensuring that Glenn Archer's 300th game was one to savour and never looked like going down to the Dogs. Roos forward Drew Petrie opened like a man possessed, kicking six first quarter goals before the shell-shocked Dogs were able to close him down. The only dampener on the match for North was that they were only able to get 39,000 to the match, another nail in the coffin of their chances of staying longterm in Melbourne. The poor crowd size made a mockery of the AFL's idiotic decision not to switch the game from the MCG to the Telstra Dome, where 50,000 odd Hawks and Magpies supporters squeezed in to see the match of the round (thousands more were unable to get in and watched it on TV- not Channel 7 of course). Didak, who was roundly booed every time he went near the ball, was unable to have any real effect for the Magpies and it was Hawthorn who took the points and were sitting pretty in the top two at the end of the round. Collingwood's hypocritical disciplinary policy has come in for a lot of stick over the past two seasons- important players like Tarrant (now departed), Johnson and Didak can seemingly commit regicide and remain in the team, whereas lesser lights cop suspensions for offences as pissweak as leaving the team hotel without permission for a walk around the block after an interstate win. Will be interesting to see whether this policy, which must surely be completely disastrous for team spirit and morale, is reviewed at the end of the season if the Pies fail in the finals again.
At the top of the table Geelong continued on its merry way with a straightforward home victory over Sydney, although a late Swans charge probably caused a heart flutter or two among the Swans faithful. The loss probably makes it impossible for Sydney to get a top four position, although only a fool would write them off just yet. Sydney are now level on points with pre-season premiership favourites Freo, who belted Carlton at Subiaco. Another player who has featured prominently in banner headlines for off-field incidents, publicans' scourge Brendan Fevola, may well have played his last match for the Blues after a petulant and ill-tempered display led to him receiving a one week ban from the club with the instruction to "go away and think about it". No doubt the club hopes that Fev is taking a good hard look at himself, will hopefully come back prepared to do the hard yards, straighten up and fly right and all the rest of that crap. But they'll probably just end up trading him to Fremantle.
Elsewhere the Eagles continued their recent dominance over the Crows by taking the points in Adelaide, ending a two game losing streak and keeping in touch with the top two in the process. Port ended Brisbane's chances of an unlikely finals appearance at the Gabba, although they had to withstand a mighty last quarter onslaught from the Lions to do so, and St Kilda kept their 2007 hopes alive by edging out the wooden spoon favourites Richmond.
The round approaching promises more in the way of Big Occasions- James Hird is due to play his 250th, Adam Ramanauskas is making a comeback from cancer that rivals McCartney's for pure courage and guts, while Ben Cousins will also return from his much publicised absence from the game in coming weeks if not this one. Can their teams lift to meet the expectations generated by the buzz? How will their opponents react? Find out back here next week when we discuss Round 14.
Round Thirteen was significant in that there were no less than three Big Occasion matches, all for very different reasons. The Roos were yet again involved- their club legend, Norm Smith Medallist and Shinboner of the Century Glenn Archer was playing his 300th match against the Dogs, only the second Roo to achieve the 300 game milestone. Melbourne were farewelling their long-serving coach Neale Daniher after ten years and a Grand Final appearance against Essendon in 2000, ironically the team they were playing in Round 13 (and of course Daniher's former club). And all eyes were on the Collingwood-Hawthorn game, in particular on Magpie Alan Didak. Didak, as alluded to in last week's Wrap, had a fortnight earlier engaged in a big night out with the man who allegedly went on to become the CBD murderer, a night in which shots had been fired at police. How would Didak respond to the widespread public criticism of him for failing to report the eventful evening to the proper authorities, therefore potentially preventing the CBD triple shooting and the death of an innocent Melbourne solicitor?
The Round kicked off with the Dees-Dons game, and in the first quarter Melbourne failed dismally to raise to the moment as the Bombers ran rampant. However Daniher's last ever quarter time speech obviously inspired the Demons, as they fought back courageously to put themselves right back in the match. His last ever half-time and three quarter time speeches were obviously absolute belters as the Demons played all over Essendon and with only a minute or two to go were 17 points up and seemingly destined to send Daniher out on a high note. Unfortunately the Bombers hadn't read the script and put through a couple of late goals, including a Scott Lucas effort with 5 seconds on the clock, to take the match by just 2 points. Unbelievable. Essendon are doing their upmost to give their supporters heart attacks this season, their last four wins have been by 8 points (including a goal after the siren), 1 point, 1 point and now 2 points. Last year they would have lost all four. Go Dons!
Unlike Melbourne, the Carrararoos had no difficulty whatsoever in ensuring that Glenn Archer's 300th game was one to savour and never looked like going down to the Dogs. Roos forward Drew Petrie opened like a man possessed, kicking six first quarter goals before the shell-shocked Dogs were able to close him down. The only dampener on the match for North was that they were only able to get 39,000 to the match, another nail in the coffin of their chances of staying longterm in Melbourne. The poor crowd size made a mockery of the AFL's idiotic decision not to switch the game from the MCG to the Telstra Dome, where 50,000 odd Hawks and Magpies supporters squeezed in to see the match of the round (thousands more were unable to get in and watched it on TV- not Channel 7 of course). Didak, who was roundly booed every time he went near the ball, was unable to have any real effect for the Magpies and it was Hawthorn who took the points and were sitting pretty in the top two at the end of the round. Collingwood's hypocritical disciplinary policy has come in for a lot of stick over the past two seasons- important players like Tarrant (now departed), Johnson and Didak can seemingly commit regicide and remain in the team, whereas lesser lights cop suspensions for offences as pissweak as leaving the team hotel without permission for a walk around the block after an interstate win. Will be interesting to see whether this policy, which must surely be completely disastrous for team spirit and morale, is reviewed at the end of the season if the Pies fail in the finals again.
At the top of the table Geelong continued on its merry way with a straightforward home victory over Sydney, although a late Swans charge probably caused a heart flutter or two among the Swans faithful. The loss probably makes it impossible for Sydney to get a top four position, although only a fool would write them off just yet. Sydney are now level on points with pre-season premiership favourites Freo, who belted Carlton at Subiaco. Another player who has featured prominently in banner headlines for off-field incidents, publicans' scourge Brendan Fevola, may well have played his last match for the Blues after a petulant and ill-tempered display led to him receiving a one week ban from the club with the instruction to "go away and think about it". No doubt the club hopes that Fev is taking a good hard look at himself, will hopefully come back prepared to do the hard yards, straighten up and fly right and all the rest of that crap. But they'll probably just end up trading him to Fremantle.
Elsewhere the Eagles continued their recent dominance over the Crows by taking the points in Adelaide, ending a two game losing streak and keeping in touch with the top two in the process. Port ended Brisbane's chances of an unlikely finals appearance at the Gabba, although they had to withstand a mighty last quarter onslaught from the Lions to do so, and St Kilda kept their 2007 hopes alive by edging out the wooden spoon favourites Richmond.
The round approaching promises more in the way of Big Occasions- James Hird is due to play his 250th, Adam Ramanauskas is making a comeback from cancer that rivals McCartney's for pure courage and guts, while Ben Cousins will also return from his much publicised absence from the game in coming weeks if not this one. Can their teams lift to meet the expectations generated by the buzz? How will their opponents react? Find out back here next week when we discuss Round 14.
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