VelvetSledge
Moderator
- May 24, 2007
- 17,850
- 36,691
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- Essendon
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- Liverpool FC, Melbourne Storm
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- #1
FORECAST:
90% chance of rain, maximum 19 degrees. 2-8mm rain predicted. Cloudly. Winds north to northwesterly 15 to 25kmh, before easing in early afternoon.
ESSENDON BOMBERS: $2.10
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES: $1.76
THE SUPERCOACH TOP 3 FROM LAST WEEK:
ESSENDON: Brendon Goddard (133), Matthew Leuenberger (98), Zach Merrett (98)
COLLINGWOOD: Jeremy Howe (130), Taylor Adams (113), Brodie Grundy (113)
ESSENDON BOMBERS
Well then.
Can't really take all that much from that. We played the flag favourites over in Adelaide.
And we got thumped comprehensively. Really not much to go on past that.
Andrew McGrath once again proved that he is a god, with 28 disposals in an outstanding effort, picking up the Round 4 Rising Star nod.
Michael Hurley looked devoid of confidence, but has worked on this during the week.
Further questions were raised about Cale Hooker's ability up forward, which we need to really see more of.
Joey Daniher's field kicking was great.
Jobe looked very, very tired. The 10 day break will do him good.
Langford had his best game for the year (which doesn't say all that much), but has found himself dropped.
Conor McKenna popped back into the side and made a lot of mistakes before finding his footy brain again. When he did, he got suspended. Piss.
Tippa is a spark. Very rarely does anything wrong. Just like Trav Colyer. 7 goals between the two.
Zaka looked to have turned a corner, and actually put his head over the ball and hit the contests, finishing with 30 touches.
Goddard and Zach just keep going from strength to strength. Great starts to the year.
Scarily, we let through 24 goals. That's not good enough.
ESSENDON 13.10 88 def. by ADELAIDE 24.9 153
Crowd: 47,492 at Adelaide Oval
BEST: Colyer, Merrett, Goddard, Kelly, Zaharakis, Daniher
GOALS: McDonald-Tipungwuti 4, Colyer 3, Langford, Daniher 2, Fantasia, Zaharakis
INJURIES: Nil
REPORTS: McKenna (Head high contact)
--------
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES
Were outlasted by a strong St Kilda outfit at Etihad Stadium.
Dropped their heads in the third quarter and allowed the Saints to kick 4 goals to 1.
Lol Chris Mayne.
Collingwood just never got into it, and dropped their pressure from the week before to the point where they just couldn't get any traction.
They just struggled to score, which would have been fixed if they had spent two millions dollars on... Oh shit hang on, lol Chris Mayne.
Darcy Moore struggled and appeared to be completely overwhelmed.
Jeremy Howe does what Jeremy Howe does. Jumps on everyone's head and actually performs bloody well.
Jarryd Blair was super disappointing and found himself dropped again.
Taylor Adams is a jet.
Chris Mayne isn't.
Lol Chris Mayne.
COLLINGWOOD 7.13 55 def. by ST KILDA 9.15 69
Crowd: 36,650 at Etihad Stadium
BEST: Howe, Grundy, Sidebottom, Adams, Reid, Treloar
GOALS: Hoskin-Elliott 2, Fasolo, Crisp, White, Blair, Schade
INJURIES: Will Hoskin-Elliott (Wrist)
REPORTS: Nil
ESSENDON COACH: John Worsfold
COLLINGWOOD COACH: FIGJAM Buckley
lolwtf why is Cox so big
ESSENDON EMERGENCIES:
Heath Hocking, Craig Bird, James Stewart
COLLINGWOOD EMERGENCIES:
Matthew Scharenberg, Josh Daicos, Josh Smith
ESSENDON INS: Aaron Francis, Ben McNiece
ESSENDON OUTS: Conor McKenna (Suspended), Kyle Langford (Omit)
COLLINGWOOD INS: Mason Cox, Tom Phillips, Daniel Wells
COLLINGWOOD OUTS: Jarryd Blair, Josh Smith, Jesse White (All omit)
ESSENDON DEBUT:
Ben McNiece #41, Elevated Rookie, Northcote Park/Essendon VFL
COLLINGWOOD DEBUT:
Daniel Wells #3, Traded from North Melbourne
Two changes for the Bombers this week, with Irishman Conor McKenna getting rubbed out for a week with a reckless high contact charge. Kyle Langford has tested the patience of plenty of Essendon fans through the first month of the season, with his laconic style of play leading plenty to believe that he just doesn't care enough. While that could very easily be misconstrued, he just appears to be a little "devil-may-care" right now. Those who watched the VFL two days ago would have seen that this attitude carried over into the twos, but didn't affect his game as much as he would at the top level. We can all say with no conviction whatsoever that it's all in his head; he's a great player with beautiful disposal, but he thinks he's under pressure when he isn't. It's almost as if he doesn't feel like he can affect the contest. As such, he's been dropped this week. However, I digress. It's time for the ins, and boy haven't we waited for this.
The big ginge. Big franga. One of the most skilled players to have graced the True Value Solar Centre, as per admission by John Worsfold. The big, angry, fire-haired utility is back after solid performances all through the VFL, and he's ready to kick some arse. The 194cm, 94kg Aaron Francis was an early favourite to win the Rising Star this year, and it's not hard to see why. He has a body ready made for AFL, with huge strength and aggression tailor made for a match like this. The biggest of stages for what Essendon people all over Australia are hoping will be the biggest name. Francis is terrifyingly good all over the pitch, with pace to burn, more talent than 90% of the league, and the workfare of a Clydesdale. The club has taken his time in getting him right after his fitness struggled a little over summer, but it's round 5, and we're ready to get a chronic case of gingivitis. The forecast is for cloud cover which means that UV won't be much of a problem, but we should all remember to bring some SPF50+ for Franga and his ginger brethren. Like Josh Green.
And me.
Joining Franga on the pitch is our small defender Rookie elevation, Ben McNiece. A strange way for him to enter the big leagues, but it'll do; Benny was drafted as our first Next Generation Academy player, eligible as a Category B rookie because his mother was born in India. He was named Essendon VFL's best first year player in 2015 and finished third in the best and fairest last season. He was upgraded to the Senior List due to Jayden Laverde being placed on the Long Term Injury List, and will slot nicely down back while it appears as though Andrew McGrath will be pushed into the midfield. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Benny has been consistently great in the VFL, and having him ready and able to come into the seniors at this time of the year is a testament to how far he's come since he first stepped through the Windy Hill gate.
For the Magpies, there are three changes, with Figjam dropping three players who have been seriously underperforming. Jarryd Blair, Josh Smith, and ex-Swan Jesse White have all been dropped to the VFL alongside Chris Mayne (lol Chris Mayne), and they are welcoming, for the first time, ex lolnorf forward/mid Daniel Wells. Wells made a nasty impression on Collingwood staff and fans and all three of their teeth when he came back from the off-season resembling Bryan Strauchan on a donut detox, but he's pulled his finger out of his arse (and the whole hog out of his gob) and is ready to play some footy. Tom Phillips is back in for the back day, and the big yankee, Mason Cox, is back in to the seniors again. Probably because Figjam knows that the last time he played us, he schooled us and the football media were gargling Buckley's Figjam foam for a whole week. Mason is six metres tall and weighs thirteen tons, and he's so American he shits freedom and assault rifles.
Yeeee-haw.
ESSENDON BOMBERS - #10 - AARON FRANCIS
The big man himself. It's been a very very long time, and we've waited months on end for this moment right now. The big ranga. The giant ginger. I might be putting more emphasis on the whole red head thing than I should be, but let's be honest, we have three gingers now, and we need to make sure we can identify them.
BJ is the one yelling, Josh Green is the one with a pie, and Francis is the one with 35 disposals and seventeen goals. Motherf**kers.
Aaron has been one of the mainstays of our great white (not a play on words) hopes. Francis was picked up with pick number six, just after Darcy Parish, and he harbours the expectations of this entire board. And the thousands of people who put money on him for the Rising Star. He's a genuine gun, and one of the strongest young players in the league. His tackling intensity, constant pressure, and agility for a man his size is absolutely mental. It's scary to see a 6'3", 94kg man charging at full pelt towards a hapless defender, but imagine that if he was glowing white and ON FIRE. F**K. The coaching staff at Essendon have not held back from the truths on Aaron; he is, according to a vast majority of those who have seen him, the most skilled player at the club. That includes Zach Merrett, Dyson Heppell, and Jobe Watson. Don't believe me? Watch this.
You're kidding.
ESSENDON BOMBERS - #18 - MICHAEL HURLEY
Alright, if we address the elephant in the room, Hurley has looked devoid of confidence and form over the past few weeks. He was destroyed early on by Taylor Walker last week, and while he eventually worked into the match and made more of an impact, the damage was done. He looked like a broken man, like he's come into this under a cloud of doubt that's been raining down on him for weeks. Big Hurls is, when he's in form, one of the best defenders in the competition. He's a gun, and he needs to know that we think that. I urge all Essendon fans reading this, and even neutrals heading into the biggest home and away match of the season, to support him. This man is one of the key players we have, and when he's full of confidence, no-one can touch him. Cheer him on, scream his name, and if you're picking up an ANZAC Guernsey, put that #18 on the back. You might think that he won't ever notice that small gesture, but he will. There is a lot to be said for a big man who feels so strongly about his job. After the Carlton game, Hurley was punching walls (Not Rob Walls unfortunately), seething, and didn't speak to anyone. He was ropeable with the deplorable lack of adherence to the game plan prevalent in that match. He was so angry that those in the rooms didn't dare go near him.
Any suggestions that Hurls may not be fully committed to the club now that he's on a large long term deal is ridiculous. He's the most passionate Essendon person at the club, and we need to do our part to ensure that the passion never ever wanes.
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES - #22 - STEELE SIDEBOTTOM
This f*cking shitweasel saves his best performance every season for this f*cking game. Every single f*cking year. And I'm bloody tired of it. How can we deal with someone with the name Sidebottom on the ANZAC Medal history boards? When he runs through the midfield and collects the footy streaming down towards the 50, or when he collects a loose ball in the pocket and kicks a fluke bullshit goal which he's pulled out of his arse? How often do we sit back on ANZAC Day, with our legs crossed and our arms folded, late in the fourth quarter where this flog kicks his 5th goal with his 37th disposal, to put the game out of our reach once again? It drives me f*cking mental, and this is the year where he's not allowed to do it anymore. We need to take care of him. (I've realised typing this that it seems as though I want us to kill him, which isn't true... mostly)
Shut him down, take him out of the contest, and make sure he doesn't get his stupid name in anything anymore.
Orazio Fantasia is a better name anyway.
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES - #16 - CHRIS MAYNE
He's not even playing, but...
Lol Chris Mayne.
When you spend $500,000 a year on a player who resembles a sentient bowl of Maggi Chicken and Corn two minute noodles, who then fails to live up to any hype (which was sparing in the first place), and languishes in the twos, failing against the lower league defenders miserably, you have to wonder what your recruiters were doing.
In this case, I'm going to assume they were smoking crack.
Holy f*ck, that bowl of noodles is playing football what the f-
Bigger Than Football - April 24th, 2017
Once again, the biggest home and away match of the year has arrived. The 25th of April, a day where, once again, the nation stops and tunes in to the footy. There's something special about ANZAC Day.
The build-up.
The army of black, red, and white.
The history of this match.
The flashbacks on TV before the match starts.
But perhaps the biggest part of this, which ridiculously gets lost in the drama and intensity of the sport we all love, is paying our respects to the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps that risked their lives in order to protect the country we all know and love. Every single year, ANZAC Day plays host to some of the most chilling and awe-inspiring moments that one can experience. I've been lucky enough now to attend what will be my 6th ANZAC Day in a row today, and I never tire of the feeling I get when the minutes silence begins. 90,000 people, in the greatest stadium in the world, in complete and utter silence. We stand there, with our hands clenched together, resting straight down. We keep our heads bowed, whilst still looking around to take in the spectacle around us. Relax, breathe out, and take in the sacrifices made for us to be able to enjoy this sport, this game, and this day.
The blood shed by our countrymen 102 years ago will always be remembered and revered throughout this country. On the 25th of April, 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany. When they landed, they met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders, and a strategy that was planned to be a huge hit on the enemy quickly became a stalemate, as the campaign dragged on for eight whole months. At the end of 1915, the ANZAC troops were evacuated from the peninsula, having suffered more than 8,000 casualties. Gallipoli quickly became the biggest Australian war effort in our country's short history, and the 25th of April became synonymous with the the acknowledgement of the sacrifices made by our brave troops. Although the campaign in a military perspective was a failure, the ANZAC tradition is now a brotherhood between Australia, New Zealand, and population of our two nations and the pride we share.
In 1995, Kevin Sheedy had the idea to celebrate the day with a match between the two biggest teams in the league, Essendon and Collingwood. He took it to the AFL, who promptly agreed, and from that point on, the game has been a tradition. Every year, on this day, the two giants of Australian football meet to do battle on this, the most Australian of days. While the teams have had a vast difference in their fortunes as of late, the respect between the two has not wavered. They meet, they run through the same banner, and they play this match just as the troops over in the middle east do. Donning Essendon and Collingwood jumpers, the current forces over in the base camps play a match to distract from the horrors they witness from day to day.
Think of the performances we've seen from this day over the years. James Hird, dominating this day year after year. Andrew Lovett ripping Collingwood a new one, with his blistering pace leaving the Pies looking decidedly average. And even this timeless piece of commentary...
"He goes short, to Zaharakis... ZAAAHAAAARAAAAAKKIIISS!! HAS KICKED A GOAL! THE BOMBERS ARE IN FRONT AT THE G!"
Yes, this is a day dedicated to remembering the sacrifice the men and women of World War 1 made for us and our country. This is a day where you should have made your way to your local RSL or war memorial to pay your respects at 5.30am. This is a day where you can sit back with your family and friends if you aren't at the G, and revel in the fact that we're in a free country, one with the greatest safety, the greatest people, and the best game on Earth. We're so lucky, and we should never forget that.
They shall not grow old,
As we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemned.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest We Forget.
ROUND 5, 2016
MCG
Crowd - 85,082
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 22.10 142
def.
ESSENDON BOMBERS 11.7 73
**** you sidebottom
---------
ESSENDON BEST: Kelly, Fantasia, Hartley, Zaharakis, Goddard
ESSENDON GOALS: Grimley, Fantasia 2, Langford, Brown, Daniher, Stokes, Kelly, Cooney, Merrett
ESSENDON INJURIES: Nil
COLLINGWOOD BEST: Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Treloar, Fasolo, Reid, Adams
COLLINGWOOD GOALS: Sidebottom, Fasolo 4, Blair 3, Howe, Moore, Greenwood 2, Cox, Oxley, Smith, De Goey, Adams
COLLINGWOOD INJURIES: Varcoe (Hamstring)
---------
CHANGES SINCE THEN:
ESSENDON OUTS: Grimley, Stokes, Cooney, Langford, Dempsey, Bird, Dea, Gleeson, Gwilt, Hartley, McKenna
ESSENDON INS: Ambrose, Hurley, Watson, McGrath, Hooker, Colyer, McNiece, Heppell, Green, Francis, Stanton
COLLINGWOOD OUTS: Blair, Smith, De Goey, Oxley, Aish, Brown, Frost, Toovey
COLLINGWOOD INS: Elliott, Hoskin-Elliott, Wells, Ramsay, Schade, Goldsack, Phillips, Broomhead
MELBOURNE:
TV: Channel 7 (LIVE at 3.00pm AEST), FOXFooty (LIVE at 3.00pm AEST), FOXTEL Play (LIVE at 3.00pm AEST)
RADIO: Triple M, 3AW, SEN, ABC, ABC Grandstand
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
SYDNEY:
TV: 7mate (LIVE at 3.00pm), FOXFooty (LIVE at 3.00pm AEST), FOXTEL Play (LIVE at 7.20pm AEST)
RADIO: ABC
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
ADELAIDE:
TV: Channel 7 (LIVE at 2.30pm ACST), FOXFooty (LIVE at 2.30pm ACST), FOXTEL Play (LIVE at 2.30pm ACST)
RADIO: 5AA, Triple M, ABC, ABC Grandstand
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
PERTH:
TV: Channel 7 (LIVE at 1.00pm), FOXFooty (LIVE at 1.00pm AWST), FOXTEL Play (LIVE at 1.00pm AWST)
RADIO: 6PR, ABC, ABC Grandstand
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
BRISBANE:
TV: 7mate (LIVE at 3.00pm AEST), FOXFooty (LIVE at 3.00pm AEST), FOXTEL Play (LIVE at 3.00pm)
RADIO: ABC
MOBILE: AFL Live Official App with LIVE Pass (Unmetred on Telstra Mobile Network)
No team has won four ANZAC Days in a row, and, for some reason today, I don't think that will change.
Go the mighty Bombers.
Essendon by 16.
