Well, it was a perfect round of six winners, including our smoky, Fremantle! Sydney won by more than we predicted in the wet, and GWS played a plucky Bombers side, and won by less than we predicted, but they both got the four points. Hope you put a multi-on and cashed in!
Oh Yes!
Friday night’s game was as tough as a WWE Smackdown! A depleted North Melbourne came out hot and they had Hawthorn on the ropes for most of the game. So many jumpers were ripped by half time, I was convinced body paint may have to be used to paint stripes and numbers on the player’s backs for the second half! There’ll be fines galore for the countless pushes and shoves, but it was great to see two teams wanting the win so much, that they were willing to throw themselves at it, full throttle, for four quarters. Sore bodies, for sure, but it’s an easier recovery when you get the win, and Hawthorn did, holding out by 9 points. Young forward, James Sicily, was the match winner, and best on ground, with 5 goals to his name. He’s got the Rising Star nod for Round 13 in the bag.
Fremantle win three games in a row!
The Cats were all over the Dogs from the first bounce. A 57-point win resulted and Geelong is on top of the ladder, albeit on percentage. Patrick Dangerfield (37 disposals, 2 goals) gets best on ground – again! His speed and skill is phenomenal. So, there’s another three Brownlow votes for Danger!
It was a hefty 55-point win to Sydney in sloppy, wet conditions. Melbourne managed just 31-points for the game. Buddy kicked four, and clocked up his 750th career goal!
Essendon’s, Joe Daniher has finally had his hair cut! A nice short, back and sides. Now, for that moustache, Joey!
The Bombers reacted to media scrutiny that they’d all but given up. So much so, they came close to stealing the game from a very sloppy and lethargic-looking Giants team at Etihad. Essendon led at both the quarter time and half time breaks. The final 27-point margin doesn’t truly reflect how well the Bombers played. Without Stevie J and “Mummy,” the Giants looked lost and far less composed than usual.
Oh No!
North Melbourne’s Lindsay Thomas is the AFL’s version of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Even if he gets tackled high, it appears the umpires are turning a blind eye and not awarding him the free kick, or at least not as easily as it’s been in time’s past. Whether it’s “ducking” or “dropping” to milk the high tackle, they’re both dangerous moves that could lead to a serious head/neck injury. The players, all players, must be protected from themselves. Sure, not paying these incidents will eventually stamp them out, but if a genuine free kick is there, it must be looked at and paid accordingly; no matter who it is. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not fair umpiring, just as much as ducking isn’t fair play!
North Melbourne went into massive damage control on Saturday afternoon, issuing a “full and unreserved” apology and retraction about unfair umpiring, as brought up in the post-match press conference by emotionally charged coach, Brad Scott. The umpires and the AFL aren’t happy! No doubt, there’ll be some hefty sanctions hitting the club this week. A press conference is likely too. You know, the ones where formal apologies are made and everyone shakes hands, smiles awkwardly, and makes friends again, just to appease the public. I really hope Brad Scott has both hands on the table, in full view, when he says sorry. He looks like a finger crosser to me.
It was a 49-point win to the West Coast Eagles at The Gabba in Brisbane. Although it looks like a convincing win on paper, it was a weird game to watch. It almost looked like it was played out in slow motion at times. There’s a number of Eagles players who want the easy ball. They’re playing lazy footy and they’re just not going in to contest the footy with the gusto needed to beat the top sides. If they’re intent on playing finals footy, that’s something that has to change. Right now, I’m not sure that it will.
As predicted, the hard game between Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs last week took its toll. Both teams lost, and Port Adelaide’s chances of making the finals are now over!
Are the Eagles and the Giants genuine finals contenders? I’m not so sure after this round. Despite winning their respective matches, both teams won ugly, and against teams they should have smashed by a margin of at least 60 points – by half time.
