sharps24
All Australian
- Oct 15, 2023
- 783
- 1,719
- AFL Club
- West Coast
If there's one thing I knew 3 weeks ago when I signed up to do this preview it was that we'd be playing for our third win in a row and likely knocking Carltank out of the 8. Who wouldn't want to delight is such misfortune? All of you apparently, but I was happy to oblige. How was I to know that it would also be Gaffy's 2nd goodbye or JAMIE ****ING CRIPPS 250TH! Going to be very hard for me to stay on brand here folks. I can be gracious though, who said I can't be gracious?
In seriousness, while I have not exactly revelled in his output for several years now I am more than happy to acknowledge that Andrew Gaff was one hell of an a grade wing in his day. The AFL had to change the rules in order to make his role redundant so that was unfortunate. Adam Simpson looked at the same Andrew Gaff we all knew and loved and said to himself "there's an inside bull inside this man, I know it!'' and that was even more unfortunate. Time comes for us all and it has come for Gaffy now.
I am on record as saying that a football club is not a charity and I don't care if he was stuck on 299 games, personal achievements are not more important than developing this list. But wins are important. And because of an Andrew Gaff moment of courage and brilliance we won our first match on the road in 12 months and first match is Tasmania in 10 years. He will play his last game for West Coast having earned it, and I am content with that and personally hope he neither starts nor finishes as a sub. Play a full one for the big 280 Gaffy. Congratulations on a great career and thanks for being a dedicated servant of our club.
Pictured: 2 x All Australian Andrew Gaff. A fine player and significantly, friend and confidant of #1 best forward Jake Waterman.
Ahhh, you know that wasn't even that difficult. Any friend of Jakes is a friend of mine and I will honestly look back on Andrew Gaffs career with respect for what he achieved. Unfortunately not everyone gets to taste Premiership success but he's not alone on that front.
Now. Um. Oh boy. Gulp.
Ok ok campaigner you don't have to look so smug about it. Congratulations on 250 games for the West Coast Eagles Jamie. Yes for decades now we've known you in the game day thread as Captain Fumbles, but you just keep kicking ****ing goals so how do we drop you. Kicked another 3 of them just last weekend. Injured yourself the last 2 games but the docs won't give you a rest either. I just can't catch a break. Anyway, a review of the first of his 3 goals sums up this career in a nutshell really:
Catch ball. Drop ball. Kick ball. Goal. How do they let you do this? Why do they let you do this? How much longer do you plan to keep doing this?
Sorry for calling you Captain Credits and for saying we should play the youth instead of you. 250 is a fair shout for anyone in the blue and gold, and there's another year to come. Given we are unlikely to ever lose a game again I can actually make my peace with this.
Righto, so yeah on top of these milestones there is also a game to be played, let's briefly summarise:
Carlton have just lost 6 players to injury, some of them rather critical to their chances. [Charlie Curnow, Harry McCay, Adam Saad, Jack Martin, Lachie Fogarty, Jordan Boyd]
Carlton have won just one game in the last 6 and have fallen from 2nd to 9th.
Carlton's last two wins came against North Melbourne and Richmond. Who we won our most recent games against.
Thats not good folks.
In contrast, this is a home game for us and we've won the last two and everyone knows good things happen in three's. Since taking over from Adam "Don Pyke and Sam Mitchell did all the heavy lifting and now its obvious" Simpson, Schofield the Magnificent has basically solved all of our problems and its a pretty clear run from here to next years grand final I'd say.
Eagles an absolute certainty. Probably to the tune of about 10 goals.
In seriousness, while I have not exactly revelled in his output for several years now I am more than happy to acknowledge that Andrew Gaff was one hell of an a grade wing in his day. The AFL had to change the rules in order to make his role redundant so that was unfortunate. Adam Simpson looked at the same Andrew Gaff we all knew and loved and said to himself "there's an inside bull inside this man, I know it!'' and that was even more unfortunate. Time comes for us all and it has come for Gaffy now.
I am on record as saying that a football club is not a charity and I don't care if he was stuck on 299 games, personal achievements are not more important than developing this list. But wins are important. And because of an Andrew Gaff moment of courage and brilliance we won our first match on the road in 12 months and first match is Tasmania in 10 years. He will play his last game for West Coast having earned it, and I am content with that and personally hope he neither starts nor finishes as a sub. Play a full one for the big 280 Gaffy. Congratulations on a great career and thanks for being a dedicated servant of our club.
Pictured: 2 x All Australian Andrew Gaff. A fine player and significantly, friend and confidant of #1 best forward Jake Waterman.
Ahhh, you know that wasn't even that difficult. Any friend of Jakes is a friend of mine and I will honestly look back on Andrew Gaffs career with respect for what he achieved. Unfortunately not everyone gets to taste Premiership success but he's not alone on that front.
Now. Um. Oh boy. Gulp.
Ok ok campaigner you don't have to look so smug about it. Congratulations on 250 games for the West Coast Eagles Jamie. Yes for decades now we've known you in the game day thread as Captain Fumbles, but you just keep kicking ****ing goals so how do we drop you. Kicked another 3 of them just last weekend. Injured yourself the last 2 games but the docs won't give you a rest either. I just can't catch a break. Anyway, a review of the first of his 3 goals sums up this career in a nutshell really:
Catch ball. Drop ball. Kick ball. Goal. How do they let you do this? Why do they let you do this? How much longer do you plan to keep doing this?
Sorry for calling you Captain Credits and for saying we should play the youth instead of you. 250 is a fair shout for anyone in the blue and gold, and there's another year to come. Given we are unlikely to ever lose a game again I can actually make my peace with this.
Righto, so yeah on top of these milestones there is also a game to be played, let's briefly summarise:
Carlton have just lost 6 players to injury, some of them rather critical to their chances. [Charlie Curnow, Harry McCay, Adam Saad, Jack Martin, Lachie Fogarty, Jordan Boyd]
Carlton have won just one game in the last 6 and have fallen from 2nd to 9th.
Carlton's last two wins came against North Melbourne and Richmond. Who we won our most recent games against.
Thats not good folks.
In contrast, this is a home game for us and we've won the last two and everyone knows good things happen in three's. Since taking over from Adam "Don Pyke and Sam Mitchell did all the heavy lifting and now its obvious" Simpson, Schofield the Magnificent has basically solved all of our problems and its a pretty clear run from here to next years grand final I'd say.
Eagles an absolute certainty. Probably to the tune of about 10 goals.
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