Mid-season review part 3

I've had these kicking around for a while but haven't posted them. Some are now quite amusingly out of date.

Greater Western Sydney: It seems I dutifully swallowed the positive spin those down at AFL House proffered about the Giants in my preview. Their tactic of bringing in a number of veteran players worked well in the first half of the season, but now with those older players slowing down and the first year players struggling toward the end of the season the Giants are copping some real beatings with their defence as secure as, well I'll leave Jamie MacDonald tastefully depict it. Player-wise captain Callan Ward has stood out (as I predicted) and, Chad Cornes aside, has been far and away the best of the experienced players. Israel Folau has done no better or worse than any first year key forward, and when pinching hitting in the ruck could become effective in the Leigh Brown role. His form isn't that much different to another key forward looking for a big contract.

Great Aussie Meltdowns

Australia awoke this morning to the news that Adam Scott had failed in his attempt to win the British Open, despite holding a four shot lead going into the last round. "The worst meltdown in history" or words to that effect were plastered across many news websites in reaction to Scott's four bogey's over the last four holes to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But while it was undoubtedly an impressive example of the "choke", the Australian sporting landscape is littered with moments of madness that those involved would rather forget. Here are some other great Aussie meltdowns:
AFL
Collingwood 1970 Grand Final: Depending on which side you are on, one of the greatest Grand Finals of all time or one of the darkest days of the 20th century. Collingwood gunning for its first since 1958, were up by 42 points at half time and seemingly unstoppable. But what happened next scarred many Magpie fans for life, and was used to strike the fear of God into young Pie supporters for years to come. Carlton kicked 13 goals to four to win by 10 points, with Alex Jesaulenko taking that mark. It also gave birth to the "Colliwobbles" which haunted Collingwood until 1990.
Port Adelaide 2001 - 2003: The AFL's youngest team made a huge splash when it played off in a Qualifying Final against the Brisbane Lions in just its fifth season. Their loss in that game, and the follow up loss the the Hawks a week later (despite leading by 17 points into the last quarter) was no disgrace. Just a young team finding their way they said. But subsequent losses in '02 and '03 where they failed t:o make the Grand Final despite finishing on top of the ladder warranted the public labelling them the Port Adelaide Chokers.  This branding led their coach to make this gesture after winning the flag, ironically just a year after they were named chokers.
Richmond 2012: It just wouldn't be a list of meltdowns without the Tigers, who have been the providers of equal amounts of mirth and despair since they last tasted premiership success in 1980. But their effort against the winless Gold Coast was one right out of the box. Less than thirty seconds to play, 10 points up only Richmond could find a way to lose that.
Special Mention - Michael Rischitelli: As commentator Anthony Hudson once said, "I see it but I don't believe it."

Mid season review part 2

Essendon: Yet another team I underestimated, although they are starting to slow up as the season goes on. Took full advantage of the draw to get off to a flying start, with many players formerly known as "role players" stepping up to become stars of the team. Defeat of ladder leaders West Coast the highlight, along with the victory over Carlton that announced the 'Dons this year. Another unmitigated disaster for my pre-season players to watch, with Dustin Fletcher finally seeming to slow down with age and Kyle Reimers sole contribution so fat the season has been this.

Fremantle: Ah Freo, you've got to love them, halfway through the season and still no one has any idea what they are about. Their ladder position, 12th despite a 7-7 record, just about sums them up: not a bad team but for some reason can't quite become a good one. To be fair though, they've been hobbled by injuries to the best player (Nat Fyfe), fastest player (Stephen Hill) and tallest player (Aaron Sandilands). Still, with Super Pav at the helm they can still make the finals and improve my accurate prediction strike rate. The less said about my players to watch the better.

Geelong: It seems I should be auditioning for the Kiss of Death position as the Cats, who I had high hopes for, have not fired a shot this season. Ditto for my preseason players to watch, Stevie J and Orren Stephenson. Having said that though, Geelong are only two games off top spot. Like fellow 2011 grand finalist Collingwood, they have the ability to grind out wins despite playing far from their best football, something which will hold them in great stead if they can get some more output from their younger players. Cats fan should bear in mind that it is an even numbered year, which doesn't bode well for the 2007, 2009 and 2011 premiers.

Gold Coast: The dreaded second year blues have hit the winless Suns badly. Injuries to their few experienced players and the slower than expected rate of development from their young players on top of that hasn't helped either. In their defence, they have been much more competitive this year and with a bit of luck could have pinched a few wins instead of some tight losses. Their loss to GWS though,  despite being not a large defeat, was by far their most disappointing performance as it was the first time there was some measure of expectation on the team. It's not all doom and gloom though as the much improved performance of Karmichael Hunt, and the addition of Liam Patrick to the team has made my preseason prediction for the Suns look quite good.

Mid-season review part 1

I know what you're thinking, another dull review of the 18 AFL teams performance so far this season with no accountability for preseason predictions. But fear not! THIS review is based on my own predictions and evaluating them, as well as the performance of the teams. Self-indulgent? Perhaps. But it's my blog and I'll self-indulge if I feel like it.




Adelaide: I'll admit to somewhat underestimating the Crows who have been one of the most impressive teams this year, thumping the reigning premiers early in the season and carrying on from there. They have been boosted by improvement from midfielders Rory Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield (as I predicted) and their forward line in now dangerous thanks to my "players to watch" Porplyzia and "Tex" Walker, although it looks like he's got himself suspended again, the clown. I'm standing by my claim that their back-line is still their weakness, evidenced by their performance against North and in the first quarter against Richmond.  Still, top four should be achievable, and my predictions were mostly correct, so everyone's winning.
Brisbane: If I'd written this review a few weeks ago my predictions would have been seen in a much better light.  A far cry from the side I predicted would hope not to lose to the expansion teams, the Lions have won three straight and are sitting just a game outside the top eight. My players to watch thing took a bit of a hit though, with Banfield and Leuenberger playing ten games between them due to poor form and injury. But I was correct in my prediction that if they kept Brown on the field they would be harder to beat. Although that's hardly Paul the Octopus stuff its all I can say that I got right about Brisbane who are definitely better than I thought. And if yesterday's pummelling of the Demons is any guide, not bad to watch either.
Carlton: I wasn't as bullish about the Blues as some, so it's with a certain degree of smugness that I write this review. They have been hampered by a number of injuries, although no more than some of their rivals have, and it has been shown that they still rely on too few to do too much. Unfortunately for Carlton, it seems their season reached its zenith in just the third round with their demolition of Collingwood, but from then on they've won just three games with captain Chris Judd appearing a shadow of his former self, and Waite and Murphy not playing at all. Carlton slide is no doubt upsetting for Blues fans, but is good for my preseason predictions.
Collingwood: It's always nice to be proved right about a club, and it's even better when it's your own. Despite a large injury list and having to use more players than any club other than expansion teams, the Magpies sit a game clear on top of the ladder, which is better than what I and many others predicted. Even better, my players to watch got back on track, with Marty Clarke barely missing a beat on his return from Ireland and the self-dubbed "Prince" being the second leading goal kicker at the club. I was also happily proved wrong on two counts: Collingwood does have some depth to cover injuries, and they can play a more attractive brand of football. So life's pretty good if you're a season-previewing Collingwood supporter.