Bluey
6 Apr 2001, 22:25
AFLTips.Com Preview News
Round 2 - 6 April 2001
w: http://www.afltips.com/
e: adrian@afltips.com
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INDEX
1) Prize Draw
2) Quiz Questions from The Half Back Flanker
3) "Out of Bounds" from Phil Doyle
4) "Weekly Round-Up" - previews of all matches from our Regular
Contributors
5) "The Quick Snap" commentary article from The Half Back Flanker
6) Quiz Answers
7) Various info about AFLTips.Com
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1) Prize Draw
Last weeks prize draw was ommitted in the rush, so I'll pull
two names out of the hat this week and contact the winners over
the weekend. Names announced in the Round 2 Reviews issue.
Prize draw details can be found here:
http://www.afltips.com/winaprize.html
Until next time,
Adrian Appleyard
adrian@afltips.com
PS: Support your club - become a member TODAY!
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2) Footy Quiz No. 002 - Questions
by The Half Back Flanker http://www.afltips.com/people/halfbackflanker.html
1. Which player had the most disposals for the Fremantle Dockers
during the 2000 season?
2. Name the last North Melbourne player to win the Brownlow
Medal?
3. How many premierships did South Melbourne win, prior to their
relocation to Sydney?
4. Who holds the record for the most number of goals kicked for
Richmond?
5. Essendon had two captains between 1989 and 1995. Both became
AFL coaches. Who are they?
To suggest questions for use in AFLTips.Com Trivia, please send
an e-mail with your suggestion to:
afl.info@excite.com
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3) Out of Bounds
by Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
#7 - Go Tigers.
Channel Seven is to the AFL what Salt is to Vinegar. The recent
griping between these parties is no more than the typical
workings of any relationship. Especially a relationship that's
going nowhere.
I think this should assure those who believe Network Television
is the saviour of the game. Football can expect the same loyalty
from Kerry Packer, especially with his long and abiding interest
in football, that we have seen from Channel Seven. I don't think
he'd renege or water down his commitment even in the face of
falling ratings or advertising revenues. He's there because, like
all footy supporters, he loves the game.
Football is one big happy family, much like Anne Hamilton-Byrne's
Family or Charles Manson's Family.
In other news from the family that is football the AFL has been
accused of having a conflict of interest in it's administration
of the VFL. Specifically that the AFL's concentration on the
revenue generating area of the game is placing local football at
risk.
This is hogwash. The drop off in players has been caused by the
recent rain and people have been off mowing the lawn. Conflicts
of interest have made the AFL what it is today. Ian Collins'
company got the contract to cater the Source Of All Our Misery, a
major conflict of interest, and look at what a success that has
been! The AFL has shown that it will not let conflicts of
interest cloud its decision making by rejecting Channel Seven's
decades of loyalty in favour of Goanna Packer's silverware.
There are those that foolishly believe that the VFL should uphold
the over a hundred years of tradition embodied in the VFA, when
it is obvious that it's better off being used by the AFL to cart
things to and from the tip. Hopefully Wayne Jackson will be
allowed to abolish it altogether, bringing him one step closer to
his dream of destroying football completely.
Just how much the VFL is carving out a unique niche for itself in
the family of football is measured this Sunday when the Tigers
take on the Tigers. Yup, Werribee Tigers play Coburg Tigers at
City Oval in one of the highlights of the Melbourne Comedy
Festival.
I think the Tigers will bring a lot of strength to this game, but
the Tigers won't take it lying down. The Tigers are a force to be
reckoned with in the VFL. If the Tigers can get an early break on
the Tigers and continue their pre-season form it could make it
difficult for the Tigers. Tigers to win this one for mine.
Out Of Bounds spoke to Ken Gannon, CEO of the VFL, about this
situation earlier in the year and he said, 'I just see that as
one of those things. I mean, are you going to die over it? Are
you going to change the world? It happens all the time. If the
worse thing we've got to do is put up with Tigers v Tigers, and
that enhances Coburg, well, you've got a make a choice don't you.
Life's about choices.'
Well, it's just as well people didn't choose to make decades of
sacrifice for the Coburg footy club, or else they may have been
upset.
Ken himself had some surly, ungracious comments to make about the
AFL last week, suggesting that they may not be acting in the best
interests of the broader football family. Which is strange,
because he suggested last year that the alignment of VFL Clubs to
AFL Clubs created a stronger identity and enhanced the image of
VFL Clubs.
'The images are more competitive, and the images are the VFL
clubs images. They're not AFL images that are AFL with a little
bit of VFL in them.' Which no doubt is why Coburg and
Williamstown will be wearing Richmond and Collingwood strips when
they play AFL curtain raisers this year.
So this week the destruction of local football begins apace with
a big test for the Party Pies when they come up against the blind
giant, Essendon. The Bombers were pretty unconvincing against the
Kerang Kangaroos last week but they'll have enough to get four
points.
On the Saturday the Blues won't get two opportunities to go to
sleep like they did against Freo last week, but their physical
game on the tight Pretty Park ground will see them over the line
against a Hawthorn side that's being coached by the coach you
have when you're not having a coach. Any advantage Parkin may
have had in being the Carlton coach last year is nullified by the
fact that he didn't know what was going on when he was at the
helm at Carlton anyway.
Footscray will beat Richmond, a cabbie told me so.
Poor old Fremantle, did everything last week but win. Still, they
only have themselves to blame. Hopefully there'll be a mix-up
with their flight plans and they'll get to spend the weekend at
Great Keppel Island. If not they'll be thumped by the Pies.
Adelaide play Melbourne in what has been billed as the game where
Adelaide play Melbourne. An underdone Demons get a few extra legs
back this week, and they should be professional enough to ensure
that the nightmare continues for the Crows.
On the Sabbath the Saints play Geelong in what could prove to be
a turning point for both sides. The Pivotonians were awesome last
week against some lacklustre opposition while the Sainters
weren't exactly full of the sort of beans you'd expect given
their personnel. Geelong in a canter.
The Fitzroy Bears take on North Melbourne at Brunswick Street
North, which will be a case of pick the margin, while the Weagles
will succumb to the gathering storm that is South Melbourne.
In supporting the fact that the AFL is ultimately in charge of
every facet of human existence this column would like to throw
its weight behind a very noble and visionary project. This is a
petition from certain citizens of the City of Yarra to have the
name of the suburb Fitzroy changed to Brisbane. This is to keep
it in step with developments in the AFL.
I believe that if this project is successful then we can really
see what a key part of the social fabric the AFL administration
is. Hopefully Wayne Jackson will support this campaign, certainly
Ian Collins should, it was his idea to begin with.
- Phil Doyle - going for the soft option of the boundary under
pressure.
If you would like to receive the very irregular and factually
unreliable Out Of Bounds directly via email then send a message
to
phildoyle33@hotmail.com.
All of this is copyright Phil Doyle 2001, for whatever that's
worth. Any resemblance to persons living or dead I consider a
compliment.
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4) Weekly Round-Up
from our Regular Contributors http://www.afltips.com/people/
(E-mail adrian@afltips.com if you'd like to become a
contributor.)
**********
Essendon v. Port Adelaide
Friday April 6, 2001 - Colonial (N)
For The Record
OVERALL: Essendon 4 Port Adelaide 2 Drawn 0
COLONIAL: Essendon 1 Port Adelaide 0 Drawn 0
AT NIGHT: Essendon 2 Port Adelaide 1 Drawn 0
Past 6 Clashes
WHERE - WHEN - CROWD - FINAL SCORE - Margin
97-R2-FP - Su-Apr 6 - 32,747 - Ess 14.9-93 d PA 9.12-60 -
33pts
97-R17-MCG - Fr(N)July 25 - 33,076 - PA 18.14-122 d Ess
10.12-72 - 50pts
98-R15-MCG - Sa-July 4 - 37,685 - Ess 16.12-108 v 12.9-81
- 27pts
99-R15-FP - Su-July 11 - 34,671 - PA 14.15-99 d Ess 9.8-62
- 37pts
00-R1-Dok - Th(N) Mar 9 - 43,012 - Ess 24.2-156 d PA 8.14-
62 - 94pts
00-R16-FP - Sa(N)June 24 - 35,129 - Ess 12.17-89 d PA 7.16-
58 - 31pts
DONS TO CELEBRATE UNVEILING OF FLAG BUT NOT WITHOUT A
FIGHT!
The Essendon Football Club will unveil their premiership flag on
Friday night for the first time in front of a packed house at
Colonial Stadium however the Dons should not party too much as
Port will be ready to pounce.
Port Adelaide is not expecting to win, in fact Port come into
this match with nothing to lose and everything to gain. The form
of Essendon over the past two seasons has been that great that
everyone just expects them to win therefore Essendon has
everything to lose, there is almost no shame in losing to
Essendon these days.
This game will see the introduction for the first time this year
of two star footballers. Essendon's Michael Long will come
straight back into the team after serving his suspension from the
Grand final and Port Adelaide's Warren Tredrea comes back after
dislocating his knee against Sydney in the Ansett Cup.
A key to this clash will be in the ruck, Matthew Primus should be
able to account for John Barnes but the question must be asked
how long can Primus stand up in the ruck before getting tired?
The Brisbane game last week looked as if it took a lot out of him
and with Cain Ackland his only backup a big effort is going to be
needed to stop the likes of Barnes, Alessio and Fletcher in the
ruck and around the ground.
The dual between Joe Misiti and Josh Carr should also be an
interesting one. Carr is mainly used by Port as a tagger and has
been very successful in the past against players like Misiti,
accounting for Michael Voss last week before Voss was injured.
Essendon's midfield will be in for a much tougher battle than the
one they encountered last week with the Kangaroos. Port will be
able to unleash the best of their midfield, which will include
the likes of include Francou, Burgoyne, Kingsley, Wilson, Dew and
Francis compared to a very undermanned Kangaroos outfit.
Essendon's James Hird should be better for his first game for the
year as should Port Adelaide's Bowen Lockwood. The forward line
for both teams should be interesting, Port for the first time
this year will be able to have Cornes, Lockwood and Tredrea all
in the one side which has only happened on 10 occassions in Ports
history. Essendon boast the best forward line in the league and
should give Port Adelaide's Paxman, Mead and Wakelin a good work
out.
Essendon will not be given this game too easy by a very confident
Port Adelaide side but in the end Essendon's class will prevail.
Note: Port Adelaide has not lost a game since July 22 last year
- currently the longest winning streak in the AFL.
TIP: Essendon 40 points
- Scott http://www.afltips.com/people/scott.html
Scott's Tips for Round 2 - Currently 7/8
Essendon
Carlton
Richmond
Collingwood
Melbourne
Brisbane
Saint Kilda
Sydney
**********
Carlton v. Hawthorn
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Optus Oval
If it was possible to pit two teams together in a match where
both outfits tried very hard to lose their previous encounters,
then this is that match. Last week Carlton rolled Fremantle for
their shoes, sneaking up from behind and clubbing them in the
back before running away with the goods. They weren't necessarily
proud of their efforts, similar to Hawthorn who dangled a victory
carrot in front of Collingwood all day only to be reminded that
most Magpies only eat humble pie.
I know of some ex-pat Aussies and friends who are planning to
make Optus Oval their number one stop after arriving back in the
country this weekend. As if jet lag wasn't enough, there is the
distinct possibility of witnessing two teams itching to out-lose
each other, plus the belief that a place called Princes Park
still exists. For those and all other new visitors to Optus Oval,
particularly Hawthorn followers out of touch with the splendour
of Bluesville, please adhere to the following notifications:
1. Traffic to and from the ground will be high volume, therefore
Optus regrets to announce that all lines in the area will be
busy.
2. Failure to supply your money at the gate by the specified time
could result in a late payment fee. If you cannot get through, or
have a hang up, please try again later.
For those unaware, having a hang up is also known as what The
Blues wish they had on a Monday morning, but isn't quite. On this
occasion the Prez must lead the way and show the young guns how
it's done. Playing at home, this time it's Caaarlton's party and
they'll get blind if they want to, get blind if they want to, get
blind if they want to.
Apart from land rights, the difference between these two teams
will become apparent with players such as Matthew Allan, ably
showing opposite ruckman Rehn the value of unbroken legs; Brett
Ratten with his amazing ball-on-a-string trick; Lance Whitnall's
ability to expose the Hawthorn defence (if they keep gathering
inside the forward 50m arc, try kicking it over the top and
through the big white stick-like objects) and of course "Kouta"Ô
who could accrue votes sucking oranges. Plus other famous legends
and gladiators ala Silvagni, Camporeale, McKay, Bradley and
perhaps Russell Crowe as Maximus.
There are just too many Blues super heroes and not enough Hawk
power to prevent the pillaging. Expect Hawthorn to lose more
successfully this time, allowing Carlton the game by a glamorous
25 points.
- matto http://www.afltips.com/people/matto.html
REMAINING TIPS :
Essendon by 50 points
Richmond by 25
Collingwood by 30
Melbourne by 12
Brisbane by 40
St Kilda by 18
Sydney by 15
(progress: 7)
**********
Richmond v. Western Bulldogs
Saturday April 7, 2001 - MCG
The Coburg-Fitzroy Tigers haven't been renowned for their
consistency over recent seasons. This week will be a big test for
them. On the other hand Footscray haven't exactly set the world
on fire either.
This will be a scrappy affair with both sides style of play
seeking to take advantage of the contest in what should be a very
physical game. The midfield will be where this game is won or
lost as much as it will revolve around Footscray's ability to
shut down the Richmond forwards, especially Richardson.
In this department Footscray's fitness, which was evident last
week with their barnstorming finish, may come to the fore and
they may well pull off an unlikely win. There are some
experienced, if ugly, heads in the centre for the Doggies, while
Richmond key men Knights and Campbell will determine how
effective the Tigers response is.
Don't forget the Footscray have a genuine champion in Grant down
forward, and Kingsley Hunter and Nathan Brown are in good form.
Footscray pumped a less than full strength Richmond (minus
Richardson) in a recent practice match at Western Oval and their
overall set up in defence looked a lot tighter and more capable
of matching it with Richmond's much vaunted tall men.
Frawley has been cautioning Richmond supporters about getting
over excited with promising preseason form, but they were pretty
convincing against the Dees last week. They certainly know how to
finish strongly once they're in front.
It's hard to see Footscray getting up but I'm going to pick them
anyway, they were very hungry last week and I think that they
will get the better of Richmond if they can shut Matty Richardson
down, if not then Richmond will run away with it.
Footscray by a kick or two.
- Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
Collingwood v. Fremantle
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Colonial Stadium (N)
Both of these sides were desperately unlucky not to register a
win against more fancied opposition last weekend, and on paper at
least the sides look reasonably even. Two players reported last
week, Chad Rintoul for the Magpies and Jason Norrish for Freo,
were both cleared by the ever enigmatic tribunal earlier this
week. The Paul Licuria incident remains unresolved though - at
least until the next time Collingwood take on the Mayblooms.
The two factors that could swing this game are experience and the
venue. Malthouse, despite being a tree hugging hippy, is a
shrewd campaigner with the added luxury of taking a largely
unchanged line-up into the game. His comments regarding
Collingwood's inability to win earlier this year were directed as
much at his players as at the general public. He knows how to
lift sides and the younger brigade at Victoria Park are really
starting to develop.
Drum, who has been using former Hockeyroos coach Ric Charlesworth
in a bid to explain to his boys what winning is, slammed the ever
predictable umpiring after last weeks loss - which I think was
letting his inexperienced side off lightly.
The Painters and Dockers will miss Toia in the middle, but 20-
year-old Justin Longmuir is a find. Their pace shouldn't be so
much of an advantage against a youngish Collingwood side that has
a bit of snap to it as well.
Fremantle won't have much support at the AFL's home away from
home, while Collingwood is arguably the most vociferously
supported club in the league. With Freo supporters few and far
between it should be a lonely experience for the more
inexperienced Dockers players. After the let down of last week it
will be easy for the Western Australian side to drop their heads,
and this will be as much a test of Ric Charlseworth as it is of
Damian Drum.
The Woods looked settled against the Hawkers last week and have
good targets up forward in Tarrant and ex-Record Boy Jarrod
Molloy - his off the ground goal against Hawthorn was a highlight
of Round 1. Buckley is playing very good footy as well as being a
steadying influence on the youngish side. They should have enough
in the bag to do well.
Collingwood by 40 points.
- Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
Adelaide v. Melbourne
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Football Park (N)
Adelaide take on Melbourne at Footy park this weekend in a clash
of potentially epic proportions. Whose fans will stage the first
mass exodus at three-quarter time? Whose fans will stuff their
scarves in their bags before making their way to bar for one last
chardonnay before the drive home? Those are the questions we will
be asking leading into the weekend's game, because there should
be little of interest about the game itself.
Let's face it. Adelaide are on a hiding to nothing here.
Melbourne's height up forward troubles most sides, and will prove
to much for the undersized Adelaide defence. Schwarz, Neitz,
Green, Robertson and Bruce will created some major headaches for
Gary Ayres, which might actually be a good thing as it may remind
Gazza that there's a brain up there waiting to be used.
Adelaide's only clear area of superiority was in the ruck last
week, where Clarke and Marsh comfortably dealt with Ball and
Doyle. Things won't be the same this week against Jeff White,
arguably the league's best ruckman last year. Melbourne may also
consider blooding youngster Darren Jolly for the game to hold
down the ruck, and let White provide even more hassles for
Adelaide up forward.
Many games are won in the midfield, and Adelaide's midfielders
will have to perform exceptionally well to win the game from
here. Obviously Ricciuto and McLeod are the keys. Not only will
they have to get their regulation 30 touches each - these guys
will have to kick some goals, because the Crows won't get too
many from elsewhere.
The forward line for Adelaide must be a real worry. Hewitt,
Perrie, Welsh, and likely inclusion Biglands all have their
moments but Melbourne's backline will hardly be shaking in their
boots facing that quartet. With Vardy, Jarman and Burton still
out Adelaide will be overly reliant on the marking power of the
big men, and may well be in a bit of trouble if the ball hits the
deck.
Adelaide have the home ground advantage and the support of a
vocal crowd, but the venue will hold no fears for the Demons
whose recent record in Adelaide is quite good.
FINAL VERDICT : Melbourne by 14 points.
- Dark Avenger http://www.afltips.com/people/darkavenger.html
**********
Brisbane v. Kangaroos
Sunday April 8, 2001 - The Gabba
Really, it's just like old times. For the first time since 1993,
I've gone into an AFL season with no expectation that by the end
of it, the Premiership trophy will be adorned with royal blue and
white ribbons. When there is an expectation of a premiership,
you expect every match to finish with your team having the higher
score, and in games that are lost, there is the thought about
whether the team really is good enough or not. At Arden Street,
we are seeing the beginnings of the changing of the guard,
although we hope that the enthusiasm of the rookies coupled with
the experience of the old hands could help us steal a premiership
a la the Blues of 1995. But still, there is the simple pleasure
of seeing the beginnings of what we hope will be long and
successful careers of players like Daniel Harris, Dylan Smith,
and Drew Petrie. In contrast, Brisbane have a reasonable
expectation that by 5.30pm on the last Saturday in September,
Michael Voss and 21 of his mates will be doing a lap of honour at
the MCG.
But September is far away, so in the meantime, we have a match on
Sunday between these two clubs with differing expecations. The
Lions seem to hate the Roos with a passion. In fact, they rank
second only to the Swans in anti-Roo bitterness, and while we
take that as a sort of backhanded compliment, we don't hate them
anywhere near as much as they hate us. Still, I acknowledge that
they do have plenty of reasons to detest us, reasons like the
altercations between Mick Martyn and Simon Black, David King and
Jason Akermanis, Wayne Carey and the Briswhine Sooky-Sooky-Wah-
Wahs (sorry, I meant cheer squad), and of course, the thing that
burns deepest in their hearts, the 1996 and 1999 Preliminary
Finals. It's 5-0 to the Roos and you can understand the reasons
for the depth of their bitterness.
Mark Roberts once said in 1995 about the Arden Street boys, "If
this team doesn't win a premiership, it will be one of the
greatest wastes of collective talent in football". In 1996, the
collective talent under Pagan fulfilled its potential by winning
the premiership and Roberts collected a medal for his troubles.
Roberts also happens to be a former Brisbane player as well and
his words then easily apply to the Lions now. If there is a team
to challenge Essendon, it's Brisbane, but while Essendon are
driven by a belief in them selves, there's always that
reservation that the Lions don't quite have the same confidence
in their own abilities. It's a shame because I do believe that
on skill the best Lions 22 can match the best Essendon 22.
The Lions need to build their own self-belief. They should win
on Sunday simply because the North team is in transition, and
player for player, the Lions will have the better team on the
field. The Lions will prove nothing to no-one by winning, but
what will happen is that they'll get four points and it'll be the
first step in building up a belief in themselves that they can
win the premiership. As for North, it's an issue of the kids,
and like the way they saw on the field how the best club in the
land operates, they'll get another chance to pit themselves
against some very talented players. Harris and Smith, both
midfielders and both potential future captains, could do a lot
worse than to watch at close quarters how Voss plays and leads
his team. But I must add, that does not mean they should watch
from a respectful distance, get in and under the pack and help
Stevo out.
But I have to keep the faith, the kids will do well, Stevo will
tell Voss about his two premiership medals, and King (not THE
KING) will annoy the Brisbane crowd, and so, it'll be North by
one goal.
Essendon to beat Port Adelaide by 30
Hawthorn to beat Carlton by 10
Richmond to beat Western Bulldogs by 30
Collingwood to beat Fremantle by 50
Melbourne to beat Adelaide by 6
Kangaroos to beat Briswhine by 6
St. Kilda to beat Geelong by 10
Sydney to beat West Coast by 20 points.
- Shinboners http://www.afltips.com/people/shinboners.html
**********
St Kilda v. Geelong
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Colonial Stadium
After a successful opening round for both clubs this game looks
like it will be a beauty. St. Kilda's form looks to be very solid
with a rousing close win over the Bulldogs, Geelong also looks to
be in form, however it is harder to judge for them as the Eagles
was such weak opposition. The usual culprits were standouts for
the Saints, Everitt, Burke and Harvey, plus new chum Callaghan,
whereas the Cats seemed to have a more even spread with Riccardi,
Bizzell and King shining.
Looking at the strengths of both clubs you are drawn to both
midfields, the Cats will surely miss Murphy under suspension,
expect Hocking to try to take up the slack this week, but can he
run all day like Harvey and Burke do for the Saints, I think the
answer is no, not any more. This leaves some of the harder
running, and competitive work to be done by the younger Cat
midfielders.
Saints ruckmen, Everitt, Loewe and Capuano will be tag teaming
all day on big Steven King, who was the leagues leading ruckman
last season. Unfortunately King's support from last week, Cameron
Mooney, who did some of the forward line ruck work will be
missing this match also due to suspension. This should be an area
where the Saints can capitalise on an advantage as the day draws
on. Especially look for the Saints to try and force King to work
hard deep in defence and attack, in an attempt to wear him down.
The Saints attacking options look to be too varied for the Cats
to hold down all day, especially with Everitt playing as a
forward ruckman. Only King has the size and height to go with
Everitt, but he is needed in the ruck so coach Thompson may have
to rely on captain Ben Graham to play even taller than he is and
try to curb the big Saints influence.
Geelong in attack seem to be one of the shorter attacks in the
league, especially with Cameron Mooney on the sidelines, so they
will be looking for recruit Mitchell White to have a big day at
Centre Half Forward. This type of attack though is what the
Saints defence is best suited to control, for they are not overly
tall themselves. Big bad Barry Hall seems to have found his niche
at full back, he will lack nothing in the strength department,
but the quicker smart forward will provide his sternest test.
Look for Clint Bizzell to push himself into the play as much as
possible to provide the Cats with their best scoring option.
Overall I see the Saints as having the wood over the Cats in what
should be a close entertaining game, one filled with many tough
physical clashes as both teams want to exert their influence
early.
- Asgardian http://www.afltips.com/peopleasgardian.html
Other game tips:
Essendon
Hawthorn
Richmond
Collingwood
Melbourne
Brisbane
St. Kilda
Sydney
**********
West Coast v. Sydney
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Subiaco
As with every other game in the AFL these days, there is plenty
riding on the outcome of this game. Sydney want to maintain the
momentum that last weeks win over the Crows have given them,
while West Coast are out to prove the experts wrong. It seems all
the footy pundits are predicting a long and barren season for the
Eagles, whilst Ken Judge, the Eagles coach, is one of the
favourites to be sacked early from this seasons coaching capers.
He, and the Eagles will be desperate to turn around last weeks
shocking performance against the Cats.
A turnover of such a large number of players is always fraught
with danger, especially if the majority of newcomers are expected
to slot straight into the first 22. They have to quickly
acclimatise themselves to maybe a new state, a new coach, new
surroundings, and most importantly, new teammates. This initial
stage will always be the hardest, can Ken Judge survive this
period, only the West Coast board knows, one thing is certain,
he, and his players have to do the opposite to John Hopoate and
extract the digit fast.
Sydney looked like a professional unit, well coached, and well
drilled, able to do the things necessary to win a game of footy,
and most importantly, they were able to do them when it would
count the most. They were able to create scoreboard pressure on
the Crows, and if they do the same to the Eagles when they are at
their most vulnerable, the outcome will look surprisingly similar
to last week for the Swans.
Michael Gardiner will provide much stiffer opposition to big
Stafford than anyone he faced last week, and Ben Cousins plus the
other Eagle on-ballers hopefully will be able to create more of a
ground level contest for the likes of Schwass, Williams,
Creswell, Maxfield and the other Swan runners. Overall the
midfield and rucking divisions look like being a magnificent
tussle.
Swans defenders like Dunkley, Schauble and Warfe were able to run
off their Crow opponents last week to create for the Swans
midfielders and forwards, f the Eagle forwards allow the same to
happen, then the same scoreboard result will occur. Unfortunately
for the Eagles their forwards are looking decidedly incapable of
exerting any more pressure than what their Crow counterparts were
able to do.
Look for Michael O'Loughlin to burn this week, he was
surprisingly quiet last week, he is far too good a player for
this to happen in consecutive weeks. Jason Ball will also be a
handful for the ageing Eagle defenders. McIntosh and Jakovich are
quality players, can they carry the Eagles side by themselves, I
doubt it.
Look for a solid win by Sydney over in Perth.
- Asgardian http://www.afltips.com/people/asgardian.html
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5) The Quick Snap
Oh when the Saints... ???
Comment from 'The Half Back Flanker' http://www.afltips.com/people/halfbackflanker.html
Last year's wooden spooner St Kilda have undergone an almost
complete metamorphosis over summer... in fact if you had been
living in a Himalayan cave for 7 months with no contact to the
outside world you may well believe they were a new club
altogether.
The Saints finished last season in 16th place (bottom), with 2
wins and a draw from their 22 minor round games. Their coach Tim
Watson resigned before the end of the season, the club appeared
to have a complete lack of direction or focus, and most would
have favoured St Kilda to finish bottom again in season 2001.
Let's face it, the Saints have won so many wooden spoons they
have turned it into an art form.
While the old cliché states that "a week is a long time in
football", just take a look at what 7 months has done to the
Saints. Besides their new coaching staff, ably headed by Malcolm
Blight, St Kilda also has a new president, chief executive and
match committee.
And, of course, there have been considerable changes to the
playing personnel.
In addition to big-name signings Aaron Hamill and Fraser Gehrig,
the Saints have recruited other established AFL players including
Craig Callahan, Matthew Capuano, Mark Gale, Steve Lawrence,
Robert Powell and Brett Voss.
Their aggressive recruiting has been well complemented by picking
up talented youngsters Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt in the
draft.
To make way for these players, St Kilda have traded or delisted
regular senior players such as Tony Brown, Jason Heatley, Joe
McLaren, Gavin Mitchell, Damian Monkhorst, David Sierakowski,
Steven Sziller, Darryl Wakelin and Shane Wakelin.
Along comes round 1 in season 2001, and the new look St Kilda
record an impressive victory in a tight game against the Western
Bulldogs.
Long-suffering Saints fans quietly think to themselves that this
just might be the dawn of a new era... the new coach,
administration and players... a new sense of purpose and
discipline... a good first up win against another finals
contender.
Then, just to bring them back to earth, full back Barry Hall has
a couple of drinks after the game to celebrate, goes to the aid
of a friend, and winds up in a police cell early Sunday morning.
The more cynical of us would say:
"The more things change, the more they stay the same".
Have things changed enough at St Kilda to enable them to
seriously challenge for the final eight? Discipline is just as
important as teamwork in the search for success - just look at
the Essendon side of the last year and a bit, and of the
Kangaroos teams of the late 1990s.
While most football followers expected some degree of improvement
from the Saints this year, many point to their lack of depth as
being the main reason why they don't expect them to make the
finals.
Add to this the apparent endemic lack of discipline at Moorabbin.
The Barry Hall incident over the weekend only reinforces the
perceived lack of player discipline at St Kilda.
One crucial factor in the whole equation will be coach Malcolm
Blight.
Aside from a short stint as caretaker coach of North Melbourne
back in 1981, Blight has a great coaching record at AFL level. In
his 6 years at the helm of Geelong and 3 years in charge of
Adelaide, Blight coached in 5 grand finals for 2 premierships,
not bad by anyone's measure!
Some will say that he has benefited from talented playing lists
to work with. This has been true to some extent, but one of his
most obvious skills is the way he has also managed to bring the
best out of players from the next tier down, developing them into
prominent players in their own right.
It is this ability to have players step up a level that will
enable St Kilda to cover injuries to their top line players, if
and when they occur.
Another point often raised about St Kilda over the last season or
so is the number of players that appear to play for themselves
rather than the team. This is where another part of the 'Blight
Factor' will come into play, his unique ability to mould
individual players into a cohesive team unit, combining both
individual flair and team discipline into the game plan.
And no one will ever say that Blight isn't prepared to try
something different or out of the ordinary, if he thinks it will
bring results. Perhaps his actions and decisions aren't always as
successful as hoped, but nevertheless he will always back his
judgment.
Blight is also renowned for being able to communicate well with
all his players, believing that you should approach each player
differently, according to their individual personalities and
character traits.
The theory is that if you know your individual players well
enough, then you should also know which buttons to push to bring
the best out of them, and every player is different. The handling
of the Barry Hall incident is very typical of Blight - sit down
and talk to the player rather than making a public example of
him.
The 'Blight Factor' will probably see St Kilda finish around the
lower end of the final eight, somewhere between 6th and 10th, in
itself a massive improvement over last season.
In other words, don't write the Saints off as finalists this
year, at least not just yet. Unless they are decimated by
injuries (a la Richmond last season), or lose a whole lot of
close games (a la Sydney last season), St Kilda should seriously
challenge for the final eight.
And you never know, given Blight's finals' record, come September
we may well hear their fans loudly singing: "Oh when the
Saints...".
- The Half Back Flanker
Feedback to this article can be sent to:
afl.info@excite.com
+----------+
6) AFLTips.Com Trivia No. 002 - Answers
1. Troy Cook had the most disposals (489) for the Fremantle
Dockers during the 2000 season.
2. The last North Melbourne player to win the Brownlow Medal was
Ross Glendinning in 1983.
3. South Melbourne won 3 premierships prior to relocating to
Sydney - 1909, 1918, 1933.
4. Jack Titus has kicked the most goals for Richmond, scoring 970
goals in 294 games from 1926-1943.
5. Tim Watson captained Essendon between 1989 and 1991, and later
coached St Kilda. Mark Thompson captained Essendon between 1992
and 1995, and now coaches Geelong.
Any feedback, queries and/or corrections regarding AFLTips.Com
Trivia, please send an e-mail to:
afl.info@excite.com
+----------+
7) Info about AFLTips.Com
Feel free to forward this newsletter on to your mates.
AFLTips.Com is not associated with the Australian Football League
in any way. We just talk about them. A lot.
The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those
of Adrian Appleyard. I recommend that you do your own independent
research before acting on ANY information found in this e-mail.
In fact I demand it - and let me know what you find out...
If you received this e-mail from a friend and wish to SUBSCRIBE,
go to http://www.afltips.com/ and fill out the form on the front
page.
Copyright (C) Adrian Appleyard, 2001
ENDS
Round 2 - 6 April 2001
w: http://www.afltips.com/
e: adrian@afltips.com
* Brought to you in conjunction with BigFooty.com - http://www.bigfooty.com/
* Play the BigFooty Fantasy Footy game here - http://footy.virtualsports.com.au/?partner_id=1
+----------+
INDEX
1) Prize Draw
2) Quiz Questions from The Half Back Flanker
3) "Out of Bounds" from Phil Doyle
4) "Weekly Round-Up" - previews of all matches from our Regular
Contributors
5) "The Quick Snap" commentary article from The Half Back Flanker
6) Quiz Answers
7) Various info about AFLTips.Com
+----------+
1) Prize Draw
Last weeks prize draw was ommitted in the rush, so I'll pull
two names out of the hat this week and contact the winners over
the weekend. Names announced in the Round 2 Reviews issue.
Prize draw details can be found here:
http://www.afltips.com/winaprize.html
Until next time,
Adrian Appleyard
adrian@afltips.com
PS: Support your club - become a member TODAY!
+----------+
2) Footy Quiz No. 002 - Questions
by The Half Back Flanker http://www.afltips.com/people/halfbackflanker.html
1. Which player had the most disposals for the Fremantle Dockers
during the 2000 season?
2. Name the last North Melbourne player to win the Brownlow
Medal?
3. How many premierships did South Melbourne win, prior to their
relocation to Sydney?
4. Who holds the record for the most number of goals kicked for
Richmond?
5. Essendon had two captains between 1989 and 1995. Both became
AFL coaches. Who are they?
To suggest questions for use in AFLTips.Com Trivia, please send
an e-mail with your suggestion to:
afl.info@excite.com
+----------+
3) Out of Bounds
by Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
#7 - Go Tigers.
Channel Seven is to the AFL what Salt is to Vinegar. The recent
griping between these parties is no more than the typical
workings of any relationship. Especially a relationship that's
going nowhere.
I think this should assure those who believe Network Television
is the saviour of the game. Football can expect the same loyalty
from Kerry Packer, especially with his long and abiding interest
in football, that we have seen from Channel Seven. I don't think
he'd renege or water down his commitment even in the face of
falling ratings or advertising revenues. He's there because, like
all footy supporters, he loves the game.
Football is one big happy family, much like Anne Hamilton-Byrne's
Family or Charles Manson's Family.
In other news from the family that is football the AFL has been
accused of having a conflict of interest in it's administration
of the VFL. Specifically that the AFL's concentration on the
revenue generating area of the game is placing local football at
risk.
This is hogwash. The drop off in players has been caused by the
recent rain and people have been off mowing the lawn. Conflicts
of interest have made the AFL what it is today. Ian Collins'
company got the contract to cater the Source Of All Our Misery, a
major conflict of interest, and look at what a success that has
been! The AFL has shown that it will not let conflicts of
interest cloud its decision making by rejecting Channel Seven's
decades of loyalty in favour of Goanna Packer's silverware.
There are those that foolishly believe that the VFL should uphold
the over a hundred years of tradition embodied in the VFA, when
it is obvious that it's better off being used by the AFL to cart
things to and from the tip. Hopefully Wayne Jackson will be
allowed to abolish it altogether, bringing him one step closer to
his dream of destroying football completely.
Just how much the VFL is carving out a unique niche for itself in
the family of football is measured this Sunday when the Tigers
take on the Tigers. Yup, Werribee Tigers play Coburg Tigers at
City Oval in one of the highlights of the Melbourne Comedy
Festival.
I think the Tigers will bring a lot of strength to this game, but
the Tigers won't take it lying down. The Tigers are a force to be
reckoned with in the VFL. If the Tigers can get an early break on
the Tigers and continue their pre-season form it could make it
difficult for the Tigers. Tigers to win this one for mine.
Out Of Bounds spoke to Ken Gannon, CEO of the VFL, about this
situation earlier in the year and he said, 'I just see that as
one of those things. I mean, are you going to die over it? Are
you going to change the world? It happens all the time. If the
worse thing we've got to do is put up with Tigers v Tigers, and
that enhances Coburg, well, you've got a make a choice don't you.
Life's about choices.'
Well, it's just as well people didn't choose to make decades of
sacrifice for the Coburg footy club, or else they may have been
upset.
Ken himself had some surly, ungracious comments to make about the
AFL last week, suggesting that they may not be acting in the best
interests of the broader football family. Which is strange,
because he suggested last year that the alignment of VFL Clubs to
AFL Clubs created a stronger identity and enhanced the image of
VFL Clubs.
'The images are more competitive, and the images are the VFL
clubs images. They're not AFL images that are AFL with a little
bit of VFL in them.' Which no doubt is why Coburg and
Williamstown will be wearing Richmond and Collingwood strips when
they play AFL curtain raisers this year.
So this week the destruction of local football begins apace with
a big test for the Party Pies when they come up against the blind
giant, Essendon. The Bombers were pretty unconvincing against the
Kerang Kangaroos last week but they'll have enough to get four
points.
On the Saturday the Blues won't get two opportunities to go to
sleep like they did against Freo last week, but their physical
game on the tight Pretty Park ground will see them over the line
against a Hawthorn side that's being coached by the coach you
have when you're not having a coach. Any advantage Parkin may
have had in being the Carlton coach last year is nullified by the
fact that he didn't know what was going on when he was at the
helm at Carlton anyway.
Footscray will beat Richmond, a cabbie told me so.
Poor old Fremantle, did everything last week but win. Still, they
only have themselves to blame. Hopefully there'll be a mix-up
with their flight plans and they'll get to spend the weekend at
Great Keppel Island. If not they'll be thumped by the Pies.
Adelaide play Melbourne in what has been billed as the game where
Adelaide play Melbourne. An underdone Demons get a few extra legs
back this week, and they should be professional enough to ensure
that the nightmare continues for the Crows.
On the Sabbath the Saints play Geelong in what could prove to be
a turning point for both sides. The Pivotonians were awesome last
week against some lacklustre opposition while the Sainters
weren't exactly full of the sort of beans you'd expect given
their personnel. Geelong in a canter.
The Fitzroy Bears take on North Melbourne at Brunswick Street
North, which will be a case of pick the margin, while the Weagles
will succumb to the gathering storm that is South Melbourne.
In supporting the fact that the AFL is ultimately in charge of
every facet of human existence this column would like to throw
its weight behind a very noble and visionary project. This is a
petition from certain citizens of the City of Yarra to have the
name of the suburb Fitzroy changed to Brisbane. This is to keep
it in step with developments in the AFL.
I believe that if this project is successful then we can really
see what a key part of the social fabric the AFL administration
is. Hopefully Wayne Jackson will support this campaign, certainly
Ian Collins should, it was his idea to begin with.
- Phil Doyle - going for the soft option of the boundary under
pressure.
If you would like to receive the very irregular and factually
unreliable Out Of Bounds directly via email then send a message
to
phildoyle33@hotmail.com.
All of this is copyright Phil Doyle 2001, for whatever that's
worth. Any resemblance to persons living or dead I consider a
compliment.
+----------+
4) Weekly Round-Up
from our Regular Contributors http://www.afltips.com/people/
(E-mail adrian@afltips.com if you'd like to become a
contributor.)
**********
Essendon v. Port Adelaide
Friday April 6, 2001 - Colonial (N)
For The Record
OVERALL: Essendon 4 Port Adelaide 2 Drawn 0
COLONIAL: Essendon 1 Port Adelaide 0 Drawn 0
AT NIGHT: Essendon 2 Port Adelaide 1 Drawn 0
Past 6 Clashes
WHERE - WHEN - CROWD - FINAL SCORE - Margin
97-R2-FP - Su-Apr 6 - 32,747 - Ess 14.9-93 d PA 9.12-60 -
33pts
97-R17-MCG - Fr(N)July 25 - 33,076 - PA 18.14-122 d Ess
10.12-72 - 50pts
98-R15-MCG - Sa-July 4 - 37,685 - Ess 16.12-108 v 12.9-81
- 27pts
99-R15-FP - Su-July 11 - 34,671 - PA 14.15-99 d Ess 9.8-62
- 37pts
00-R1-Dok - Th(N) Mar 9 - 43,012 - Ess 24.2-156 d PA 8.14-
62 - 94pts
00-R16-FP - Sa(N)June 24 - 35,129 - Ess 12.17-89 d PA 7.16-
58 - 31pts
DONS TO CELEBRATE UNVEILING OF FLAG BUT NOT WITHOUT A
FIGHT!
The Essendon Football Club will unveil their premiership flag on
Friday night for the first time in front of a packed house at
Colonial Stadium however the Dons should not party too much as
Port will be ready to pounce.
Port Adelaide is not expecting to win, in fact Port come into
this match with nothing to lose and everything to gain. The form
of Essendon over the past two seasons has been that great that
everyone just expects them to win therefore Essendon has
everything to lose, there is almost no shame in losing to
Essendon these days.
This game will see the introduction for the first time this year
of two star footballers. Essendon's Michael Long will come
straight back into the team after serving his suspension from the
Grand final and Port Adelaide's Warren Tredrea comes back after
dislocating his knee against Sydney in the Ansett Cup.
A key to this clash will be in the ruck, Matthew Primus should be
able to account for John Barnes but the question must be asked
how long can Primus stand up in the ruck before getting tired?
The Brisbane game last week looked as if it took a lot out of him
and with Cain Ackland his only backup a big effort is going to be
needed to stop the likes of Barnes, Alessio and Fletcher in the
ruck and around the ground.
The dual between Joe Misiti and Josh Carr should also be an
interesting one. Carr is mainly used by Port as a tagger and has
been very successful in the past against players like Misiti,
accounting for Michael Voss last week before Voss was injured.
Essendon's midfield will be in for a much tougher battle than the
one they encountered last week with the Kangaroos. Port will be
able to unleash the best of their midfield, which will include
the likes of include Francou, Burgoyne, Kingsley, Wilson, Dew and
Francis compared to a very undermanned Kangaroos outfit.
Essendon's James Hird should be better for his first game for the
year as should Port Adelaide's Bowen Lockwood. The forward line
for both teams should be interesting, Port for the first time
this year will be able to have Cornes, Lockwood and Tredrea all
in the one side which has only happened on 10 occassions in Ports
history. Essendon boast the best forward line in the league and
should give Port Adelaide's Paxman, Mead and Wakelin a good work
out.
Essendon will not be given this game too easy by a very confident
Port Adelaide side but in the end Essendon's class will prevail.
Note: Port Adelaide has not lost a game since July 22 last year
- currently the longest winning streak in the AFL.
TIP: Essendon 40 points
- Scott http://www.afltips.com/people/scott.html
Scott's Tips for Round 2 - Currently 7/8
Essendon
Carlton
Richmond
Collingwood
Melbourne
Brisbane
Saint Kilda
Sydney
**********
Carlton v. Hawthorn
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Optus Oval
If it was possible to pit two teams together in a match where
both outfits tried very hard to lose their previous encounters,
then this is that match. Last week Carlton rolled Fremantle for
their shoes, sneaking up from behind and clubbing them in the
back before running away with the goods. They weren't necessarily
proud of their efforts, similar to Hawthorn who dangled a victory
carrot in front of Collingwood all day only to be reminded that
most Magpies only eat humble pie.
I know of some ex-pat Aussies and friends who are planning to
make Optus Oval their number one stop after arriving back in the
country this weekend. As if jet lag wasn't enough, there is the
distinct possibility of witnessing two teams itching to out-lose
each other, plus the belief that a place called Princes Park
still exists. For those and all other new visitors to Optus Oval,
particularly Hawthorn followers out of touch with the splendour
of Bluesville, please adhere to the following notifications:
1. Traffic to and from the ground will be high volume, therefore
Optus regrets to announce that all lines in the area will be
busy.
2. Failure to supply your money at the gate by the specified time
could result in a late payment fee. If you cannot get through, or
have a hang up, please try again later.
For those unaware, having a hang up is also known as what The
Blues wish they had on a Monday morning, but isn't quite. On this
occasion the Prez must lead the way and show the young guns how
it's done. Playing at home, this time it's Caaarlton's party and
they'll get blind if they want to, get blind if they want to, get
blind if they want to.
Apart from land rights, the difference between these two teams
will become apparent with players such as Matthew Allan, ably
showing opposite ruckman Rehn the value of unbroken legs; Brett
Ratten with his amazing ball-on-a-string trick; Lance Whitnall's
ability to expose the Hawthorn defence (if they keep gathering
inside the forward 50m arc, try kicking it over the top and
through the big white stick-like objects) and of course "Kouta"Ô
who could accrue votes sucking oranges. Plus other famous legends
and gladiators ala Silvagni, Camporeale, McKay, Bradley and
perhaps Russell Crowe as Maximus.
There are just too many Blues super heroes and not enough Hawk
power to prevent the pillaging. Expect Hawthorn to lose more
successfully this time, allowing Carlton the game by a glamorous
25 points.
- matto http://www.afltips.com/people/matto.html
REMAINING TIPS :
Essendon by 50 points
Richmond by 25
Collingwood by 30
Melbourne by 12
Brisbane by 40
St Kilda by 18
Sydney by 15
(progress: 7)
**********
Richmond v. Western Bulldogs
Saturday April 7, 2001 - MCG
The Coburg-Fitzroy Tigers haven't been renowned for their
consistency over recent seasons. This week will be a big test for
them. On the other hand Footscray haven't exactly set the world
on fire either.
This will be a scrappy affair with both sides style of play
seeking to take advantage of the contest in what should be a very
physical game. The midfield will be where this game is won or
lost as much as it will revolve around Footscray's ability to
shut down the Richmond forwards, especially Richardson.
In this department Footscray's fitness, which was evident last
week with their barnstorming finish, may come to the fore and
they may well pull off an unlikely win. There are some
experienced, if ugly, heads in the centre for the Doggies, while
Richmond key men Knights and Campbell will determine how
effective the Tigers response is.
Don't forget the Footscray have a genuine champion in Grant down
forward, and Kingsley Hunter and Nathan Brown are in good form.
Footscray pumped a less than full strength Richmond (minus
Richardson) in a recent practice match at Western Oval and their
overall set up in defence looked a lot tighter and more capable
of matching it with Richmond's much vaunted tall men.
Frawley has been cautioning Richmond supporters about getting
over excited with promising preseason form, but they were pretty
convincing against the Dees last week. They certainly know how to
finish strongly once they're in front.
It's hard to see Footscray getting up but I'm going to pick them
anyway, they were very hungry last week and I think that they
will get the better of Richmond if they can shut Matty Richardson
down, if not then Richmond will run away with it.
Footscray by a kick or two.
- Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
Collingwood v. Fremantle
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Colonial Stadium (N)
Both of these sides were desperately unlucky not to register a
win against more fancied opposition last weekend, and on paper at
least the sides look reasonably even. Two players reported last
week, Chad Rintoul for the Magpies and Jason Norrish for Freo,
were both cleared by the ever enigmatic tribunal earlier this
week. The Paul Licuria incident remains unresolved though - at
least until the next time Collingwood take on the Mayblooms.
The two factors that could swing this game are experience and the
venue. Malthouse, despite being a tree hugging hippy, is a
shrewd campaigner with the added luxury of taking a largely
unchanged line-up into the game. His comments regarding
Collingwood's inability to win earlier this year were directed as
much at his players as at the general public. He knows how to
lift sides and the younger brigade at Victoria Park are really
starting to develop.
Drum, who has been using former Hockeyroos coach Ric Charlesworth
in a bid to explain to his boys what winning is, slammed the ever
predictable umpiring after last weeks loss - which I think was
letting his inexperienced side off lightly.
The Painters and Dockers will miss Toia in the middle, but 20-
year-old Justin Longmuir is a find. Their pace shouldn't be so
much of an advantage against a youngish Collingwood side that has
a bit of snap to it as well.
Fremantle won't have much support at the AFL's home away from
home, while Collingwood is arguably the most vociferously
supported club in the league. With Freo supporters few and far
between it should be a lonely experience for the more
inexperienced Dockers players. After the let down of last week it
will be easy for the Western Australian side to drop their heads,
and this will be as much a test of Ric Charlseworth as it is of
Damian Drum.
The Woods looked settled against the Hawkers last week and have
good targets up forward in Tarrant and ex-Record Boy Jarrod
Molloy - his off the ground goal against Hawthorn was a highlight
of Round 1. Buckley is playing very good footy as well as being a
steadying influence on the youngish side. They should have enough
in the bag to do well.
Collingwood by 40 points.
- Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
Adelaide v. Melbourne
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Football Park (N)
Adelaide take on Melbourne at Footy park this weekend in a clash
of potentially epic proportions. Whose fans will stage the first
mass exodus at three-quarter time? Whose fans will stuff their
scarves in their bags before making their way to bar for one last
chardonnay before the drive home? Those are the questions we will
be asking leading into the weekend's game, because there should
be little of interest about the game itself.
Let's face it. Adelaide are on a hiding to nothing here.
Melbourne's height up forward troubles most sides, and will prove
to much for the undersized Adelaide defence. Schwarz, Neitz,
Green, Robertson and Bruce will created some major headaches for
Gary Ayres, which might actually be a good thing as it may remind
Gazza that there's a brain up there waiting to be used.
Adelaide's only clear area of superiority was in the ruck last
week, where Clarke and Marsh comfortably dealt with Ball and
Doyle. Things won't be the same this week against Jeff White,
arguably the league's best ruckman last year. Melbourne may also
consider blooding youngster Darren Jolly for the game to hold
down the ruck, and let White provide even more hassles for
Adelaide up forward.
Many games are won in the midfield, and Adelaide's midfielders
will have to perform exceptionally well to win the game from
here. Obviously Ricciuto and McLeod are the keys. Not only will
they have to get their regulation 30 touches each - these guys
will have to kick some goals, because the Crows won't get too
many from elsewhere.
The forward line for Adelaide must be a real worry. Hewitt,
Perrie, Welsh, and likely inclusion Biglands all have their
moments but Melbourne's backline will hardly be shaking in their
boots facing that quartet. With Vardy, Jarman and Burton still
out Adelaide will be overly reliant on the marking power of the
big men, and may well be in a bit of trouble if the ball hits the
deck.
Adelaide have the home ground advantage and the support of a
vocal crowd, but the venue will hold no fears for the Demons
whose recent record in Adelaide is quite good.
FINAL VERDICT : Melbourne by 14 points.
- Dark Avenger http://www.afltips.com/people/darkavenger.html
**********
Brisbane v. Kangaroos
Sunday April 8, 2001 - The Gabba
Really, it's just like old times. For the first time since 1993,
I've gone into an AFL season with no expectation that by the end
of it, the Premiership trophy will be adorned with royal blue and
white ribbons. When there is an expectation of a premiership,
you expect every match to finish with your team having the higher
score, and in games that are lost, there is the thought about
whether the team really is good enough or not. At Arden Street,
we are seeing the beginnings of the changing of the guard,
although we hope that the enthusiasm of the rookies coupled with
the experience of the old hands could help us steal a premiership
a la the Blues of 1995. But still, there is the simple pleasure
of seeing the beginnings of what we hope will be long and
successful careers of players like Daniel Harris, Dylan Smith,
and Drew Petrie. In contrast, Brisbane have a reasonable
expectation that by 5.30pm on the last Saturday in September,
Michael Voss and 21 of his mates will be doing a lap of honour at
the MCG.
But September is far away, so in the meantime, we have a match on
Sunday between these two clubs with differing expecations. The
Lions seem to hate the Roos with a passion. In fact, they rank
second only to the Swans in anti-Roo bitterness, and while we
take that as a sort of backhanded compliment, we don't hate them
anywhere near as much as they hate us. Still, I acknowledge that
they do have plenty of reasons to detest us, reasons like the
altercations between Mick Martyn and Simon Black, David King and
Jason Akermanis, Wayne Carey and the Briswhine Sooky-Sooky-Wah-
Wahs (sorry, I meant cheer squad), and of course, the thing that
burns deepest in their hearts, the 1996 and 1999 Preliminary
Finals. It's 5-0 to the Roos and you can understand the reasons
for the depth of their bitterness.
Mark Roberts once said in 1995 about the Arden Street boys, "If
this team doesn't win a premiership, it will be one of the
greatest wastes of collective talent in football". In 1996, the
collective talent under Pagan fulfilled its potential by winning
the premiership and Roberts collected a medal for his troubles.
Roberts also happens to be a former Brisbane player as well and
his words then easily apply to the Lions now. If there is a team
to challenge Essendon, it's Brisbane, but while Essendon are
driven by a belief in them selves, there's always that
reservation that the Lions don't quite have the same confidence
in their own abilities. It's a shame because I do believe that
on skill the best Lions 22 can match the best Essendon 22.
The Lions need to build their own self-belief. They should win
on Sunday simply because the North team is in transition, and
player for player, the Lions will have the better team on the
field. The Lions will prove nothing to no-one by winning, but
what will happen is that they'll get four points and it'll be the
first step in building up a belief in themselves that they can
win the premiership. As for North, it's an issue of the kids,
and like the way they saw on the field how the best club in the
land operates, they'll get another chance to pit themselves
against some very talented players. Harris and Smith, both
midfielders and both potential future captains, could do a lot
worse than to watch at close quarters how Voss plays and leads
his team. But I must add, that does not mean they should watch
from a respectful distance, get in and under the pack and help
Stevo out.
But I have to keep the faith, the kids will do well, Stevo will
tell Voss about his two premiership medals, and King (not THE
KING) will annoy the Brisbane crowd, and so, it'll be North by
one goal.
Essendon to beat Port Adelaide by 30
Hawthorn to beat Carlton by 10
Richmond to beat Western Bulldogs by 30
Collingwood to beat Fremantle by 50
Melbourne to beat Adelaide by 6
Kangaroos to beat Briswhine by 6
St. Kilda to beat Geelong by 10
Sydney to beat West Coast by 20 points.
- Shinboners http://www.afltips.com/people/shinboners.html
**********
St Kilda v. Geelong
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Colonial Stadium
After a successful opening round for both clubs this game looks
like it will be a beauty. St. Kilda's form looks to be very solid
with a rousing close win over the Bulldogs, Geelong also looks to
be in form, however it is harder to judge for them as the Eagles
was such weak opposition. The usual culprits were standouts for
the Saints, Everitt, Burke and Harvey, plus new chum Callaghan,
whereas the Cats seemed to have a more even spread with Riccardi,
Bizzell and King shining.
Looking at the strengths of both clubs you are drawn to both
midfields, the Cats will surely miss Murphy under suspension,
expect Hocking to try to take up the slack this week, but can he
run all day like Harvey and Burke do for the Saints, I think the
answer is no, not any more. This leaves some of the harder
running, and competitive work to be done by the younger Cat
midfielders.
Saints ruckmen, Everitt, Loewe and Capuano will be tag teaming
all day on big Steven King, who was the leagues leading ruckman
last season. Unfortunately King's support from last week, Cameron
Mooney, who did some of the forward line ruck work will be
missing this match also due to suspension. This should be an area
where the Saints can capitalise on an advantage as the day draws
on. Especially look for the Saints to try and force King to work
hard deep in defence and attack, in an attempt to wear him down.
The Saints attacking options look to be too varied for the Cats
to hold down all day, especially with Everitt playing as a
forward ruckman. Only King has the size and height to go with
Everitt, but he is needed in the ruck so coach Thompson may have
to rely on captain Ben Graham to play even taller than he is and
try to curb the big Saints influence.
Geelong in attack seem to be one of the shorter attacks in the
league, especially with Cameron Mooney on the sidelines, so they
will be looking for recruit Mitchell White to have a big day at
Centre Half Forward. This type of attack though is what the
Saints defence is best suited to control, for they are not overly
tall themselves. Big bad Barry Hall seems to have found his niche
at full back, he will lack nothing in the strength department,
but the quicker smart forward will provide his sternest test.
Look for Clint Bizzell to push himself into the play as much as
possible to provide the Cats with their best scoring option.
Overall I see the Saints as having the wood over the Cats in what
should be a close entertaining game, one filled with many tough
physical clashes as both teams want to exert their influence
early.
- Asgardian http://www.afltips.com/peopleasgardian.html
Other game tips:
Essendon
Hawthorn
Richmond
Collingwood
Melbourne
Brisbane
St. Kilda
Sydney
**********
West Coast v. Sydney
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Subiaco
As with every other game in the AFL these days, there is plenty
riding on the outcome of this game. Sydney want to maintain the
momentum that last weeks win over the Crows have given them,
while West Coast are out to prove the experts wrong. It seems all
the footy pundits are predicting a long and barren season for the
Eagles, whilst Ken Judge, the Eagles coach, is one of the
favourites to be sacked early from this seasons coaching capers.
He, and the Eagles will be desperate to turn around last weeks
shocking performance against the Cats.
A turnover of such a large number of players is always fraught
with danger, especially if the majority of newcomers are expected
to slot straight into the first 22. They have to quickly
acclimatise themselves to maybe a new state, a new coach, new
surroundings, and most importantly, new teammates. This initial
stage will always be the hardest, can Ken Judge survive this
period, only the West Coast board knows, one thing is certain,
he, and his players have to do the opposite to John Hopoate and
extract the digit fast.
Sydney looked like a professional unit, well coached, and well
drilled, able to do the things necessary to win a game of footy,
and most importantly, they were able to do them when it would
count the most. They were able to create scoreboard pressure on
the Crows, and if they do the same to the Eagles when they are at
their most vulnerable, the outcome will look surprisingly similar
to last week for the Swans.
Michael Gardiner will provide much stiffer opposition to big
Stafford than anyone he faced last week, and Ben Cousins plus the
other Eagle on-ballers hopefully will be able to create more of a
ground level contest for the likes of Schwass, Williams,
Creswell, Maxfield and the other Swan runners. Overall the
midfield and rucking divisions look like being a magnificent
tussle.
Swans defenders like Dunkley, Schauble and Warfe were able to run
off their Crow opponents last week to create for the Swans
midfielders and forwards, f the Eagle forwards allow the same to
happen, then the same scoreboard result will occur. Unfortunately
for the Eagles their forwards are looking decidedly incapable of
exerting any more pressure than what their Crow counterparts were
able to do.
Look for Michael O'Loughlin to burn this week, he was
surprisingly quiet last week, he is far too good a player for
this to happen in consecutive weeks. Jason Ball will also be a
handful for the ageing Eagle defenders. McIntosh and Jakovich are
quality players, can they carry the Eagles side by themselves, I
doubt it.
Look for a solid win by Sydney over in Perth.
- Asgardian http://www.afltips.com/people/asgardian.html
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5) The Quick Snap
Oh when the Saints... ???
Comment from 'The Half Back Flanker' http://www.afltips.com/people/halfbackflanker.html
Last year's wooden spooner St Kilda have undergone an almost
complete metamorphosis over summer... in fact if you had been
living in a Himalayan cave for 7 months with no contact to the
outside world you may well believe they were a new club
altogether.
The Saints finished last season in 16th place (bottom), with 2
wins and a draw from their 22 minor round games. Their coach Tim
Watson resigned before the end of the season, the club appeared
to have a complete lack of direction or focus, and most would
have favoured St Kilda to finish bottom again in season 2001.
Let's face it, the Saints have won so many wooden spoons they
have turned it into an art form.
While the old cliché states that "a week is a long time in
football", just take a look at what 7 months has done to the
Saints. Besides their new coaching staff, ably headed by Malcolm
Blight, St Kilda also has a new president, chief executive and
match committee.
And, of course, there have been considerable changes to the
playing personnel.
In addition to big-name signings Aaron Hamill and Fraser Gehrig,
the Saints have recruited other established AFL players including
Craig Callahan, Matthew Capuano, Mark Gale, Steve Lawrence,
Robert Powell and Brett Voss.
Their aggressive recruiting has been well complemented by picking
up talented youngsters Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt in the
draft.
To make way for these players, St Kilda have traded or delisted
regular senior players such as Tony Brown, Jason Heatley, Joe
McLaren, Gavin Mitchell, Damian Monkhorst, David Sierakowski,
Steven Sziller, Darryl Wakelin and Shane Wakelin.
Along comes round 1 in season 2001, and the new look St Kilda
record an impressive victory in a tight game against the Western
Bulldogs.
Long-suffering Saints fans quietly think to themselves that this
just might be the dawn of a new era... the new coach,
administration and players... a new sense of purpose and
discipline... a good first up win against another finals
contender.
Then, just to bring them back to earth, full back Barry Hall has
a couple of drinks after the game to celebrate, goes to the aid
of a friend, and winds up in a police cell early Sunday morning.
The more cynical of us would say:
"The more things change, the more they stay the same".
Have things changed enough at St Kilda to enable them to
seriously challenge for the final eight? Discipline is just as
important as teamwork in the search for success - just look at
the Essendon side of the last year and a bit, and of the
Kangaroos teams of the late 1990s.
While most football followers expected some degree of improvement
from the Saints this year, many point to their lack of depth as
being the main reason why they don't expect them to make the
finals.
Add to this the apparent endemic lack of discipline at Moorabbin.
The Barry Hall incident over the weekend only reinforces the
perceived lack of player discipline at St Kilda.
One crucial factor in the whole equation will be coach Malcolm
Blight.
Aside from a short stint as caretaker coach of North Melbourne
back in 1981, Blight has a great coaching record at AFL level. In
his 6 years at the helm of Geelong and 3 years in charge of
Adelaide, Blight coached in 5 grand finals for 2 premierships,
not bad by anyone's measure!
Some will say that he has benefited from talented playing lists
to work with. This has been true to some extent, but one of his
most obvious skills is the way he has also managed to bring the
best out of players from the next tier down, developing them into
prominent players in their own right.
It is this ability to have players step up a level that will
enable St Kilda to cover injuries to their top line players, if
and when they occur.
Another point often raised about St Kilda over the last season or
so is the number of players that appear to play for themselves
rather than the team. This is where another part of the 'Blight
Factor' will come into play, his unique ability to mould
individual players into a cohesive team unit, combining both
individual flair and team discipline into the game plan.
And no one will ever say that Blight isn't prepared to try
something different or out of the ordinary, if he thinks it will
bring results. Perhaps his actions and decisions aren't always as
successful as hoped, but nevertheless he will always back his
judgment.
Blight is also renowned for being able to communicate well with
all his players, believing that you should approach each player
differently, according to their individual personalities and
character traits.
The theory is that if you know your individual players well
enough, then you should also know which buttons to push to bring
the best out of them, and every player is different. The handling
of the Barry Hall incident is very typical of Blight - sit down
and talk to the player rather than making a public example of
him.
The 'Blight Factor' will probably see St Kilda finish around the
lower end of the final eight, somewhere between 6th and 10th, in
itself a massive improvement over last season.
In other words, don't write the Saints off as finalists this
year, at least not just yet. Unless they are decimated by
injuries (a la Richmond last season), or lose a whole lot of
close games (a la Sydney last season), St Kilda should seriously
challenge for the final eight.
And you never know, given Blight's finals' record, come September
we may well hear their fans loudly singing: "Oh when the
Saints...".
- The Half Back Flanker
Feedback to this article can be sent to:
afl.info@excite.com
+----------+
6) AFLTips.Com Trivia No. 002 - Answers
1. Troy Cook had the most disposals (489) for the Fremantle
Dockers during the 2000 season.
2. The last North Melbourne player to win the Brownlow Medal was
Ross Glendinning in 1983.
3. South Melbourne won 3 premierships prior to relocating to
Sydney - 1909, 1918, 1933.
4. Jack Titus has kicked the most goals for Richmond, scoring 970
goals in 294 games from 1926-1943.
5. Tim Watson captained Essendon between 1989 and 1991, and later
coached St Kilda. Mark Thompson captained Essendon between 1992
and 1995, and now coaches Geelong.
Any feedback, queries and/or corrections regarding AFLTips.Com
Trivia, please send an e-mail to:
afl.info@excite.com
+----------+
7) Info about AFLTips.Com
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The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those
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In fact I demand it - and let me know what you find out...
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Copyright (C) Adrian Appleyard, 2001
ENDS