Bluey
10th April 2001, 01:48
AFLTips.Com Review News
Round 2 - 8 April 2001
w: http://www.afltips.com/
e: adrian@afltips.com
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INDEX
1) "The Quick Snap" from The Half Back Flanker
2) "Weekly Round-Up" - reviews of all matches from our Regular
Contributors
3) Various info about AFLTips.Com.
+----------+
1) The Quick Snap
By The Half Back Flanker http://www.afltips.com/people/halfbackflanker.html
Recently, several AFL footballers have got themselves into a
little strife while out enjoying a few drinks.
While this is nothing new, and certainly not unusual for
footballers of any age or ability, the media are quick to
highlight any misdemeanours by prominent athletes, accenting the
need for these players to be role models on and off the football
field.
However, anything these players have reportedly got up to, at
least so far, pales into insignificance alongside what the rugby
league guys seem to get caught doing.
As if Julian O'Neill didn't cause enough bad publicity with his
motel wall redecoration episode, John Hopoate has well and truly
brought the world's attention on to how these guys behave.
Sure, he was suspended for 12 weeks, but part of the punishment
for this type of episode is always the bad taste jokes that do
the rounds.
Not being one to be backward in coming forward, here are several
that have reached my inbox over the last week or so ...
Have you heard John Hopoate is changing codes?
He has just signed with Arsenal.
Have you heard John Hopoate has been given a job in the Tigers
Leagues Club while he is on suspension?
He has to go around and make sure all the stools are pushed in.
A recent rumour says that Arnott's are soon to introduce a new
biscuit called the 'Hopoate' ... it's going to be a choc-coated
Scotch Finger.
Have you heard John Hopoate is appealing his sentence on the
grounds that he was misunderstood?
He didn't know that you had to win a Grand Final before you can
have an NRL Premiers' ring on your finger.
Apparently John Hopoate has found something to occupy his time
while on suspension.
He's taking up quoits.
Craig Field and Kevin McGuiness are appealing their suspensions
on the grounds that they got 6 months for cocaine and ecstacy,
and that Hoppa only got 12 weeks for crack.
John Hopoate deserves all he got ... let's face it he turned a
Rugby League match into a three ring circus.
Have you heard John Hopoate has been signed for a new movie
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Finger, and is considering a role in the
sequel to Goldfinger?
What is John Hopoate's favourite dessert?
Sticky Date Pudding.
What is John Hopoate's favourite morning tea?
Finger Buns.
What is John Hopoate's favourite Ice cream?
Choc Wedge.
What is the difference between a concert pianist and John
Hopoate?
A concert pianist cracks his fingers.
Heard any other good ones? Send them to afl.info@excite.com and
we will
endeavour to publish the best of them in a later edition.
'The Half Back Flanker' is not the author of any of the above
jokes, and no copyright is claimed or known for any of them.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead was no doubt intended
by the original author, but is not acknowledged, or any
responsibility accepted, by 'The Half Back Flanker'.
+----------+
2) 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)
Essendon again showed why they are the measuring stick of the
competition following a comprehensive 38 point defeat of Port
Power at Colonial stadium on Friday night.
The night began with the unfurling of the premiership flag in
front of just under 35,000 people, which would have pleased the
Bomber faithful.
On paper this appeared a reasonable contest after Port had won
the Ansett Cup and showed some reasonable form in a solid win
over Brisbane last week.
The match began with Port in control for the opening 10 minutes
of the game with Matthew Primus leading the way and at one stage
Port held an early couple of goal lead. But inevitably the
Bombers clicked into top gear and showed why they are the best
team going around by such a large margin that its not funny. If
you want to see a real football team play then i suggest you take
a look at Essendon play. They used sure ball handling combined
with aggressiveness at the ball and great teamwork to leave their
opponents just standing there watching.
By quarter time the Bombers were in total control of this contest
leading by 27 points after kicking 7 goals for the quarter.
After that it was just a matter of how far, as the Bombers just
seemed to cruise along their merry way. It's going to take quite
an effort to topple them again this season.
One thing apparent is the difference in skill level between the
two sides, as time and again the Bombers were able to take full
advantage of Ports ball handling errors and make them pay where
it counts, on the scoreboard. One thing you know about the
Bombers is they don't make those kinds of errors.
The Bombers completely dominated the opening 3 quarters of this
match and if not for some late goals in the final quarter by
port, with some of the better Essendon players rested, the final
margin would have been greater. Still it was a fairly
entertaining match to watch with some of Essendon's play
absolutely awesome, leaving us supporters of other teams shaking
our heads in dismay.
For the Bombers, the best players on the ground were Hird (BOG),
McVeigh, Misiti and Wellman. Its really quite hard to pick out
the best for Essendon because they really do play as a team and
share the ball around so well. On the night they managed some 14
goal kickers. Matthew Lloyd, although well held, still managed
4 goals - with 3 coming in a third quarter blitz.
For Port, they would have been well pleased with the efforts of
Matthew Primus in the ruck who worked tirelessly all night and
Stuart Dew who kicked 6 goals.
All in all, Port will at least come away in the knowledge that
they forced Essendon to play some of their best football to beat
them and they were not disgraced on the night. And as we know
very few teams can say that in the last year.
Still one thing this game does prove is at their best there is
still a gulf between the Bombers and the rest of the competition.
- Andrew Teres http://www.afltips.com/people/andrewteres.html
**********
Carlton v. Hawthorn
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Optus Oval
HAWTHORN 5.2 8.5 15. 7 16.11 (107)
CARLTON 4.5 4.9 6.12 11.15 ( 81)
Goals:
Hawthorn: J Barker 3 J Hay 2 D Chick 2 T Croad 2 S Crawford L
Picioane A Lord G Bowyer T Clarke A Lekkas S Rehn.
Carlton: A Hickmott 2 S Camporeale 2 B Fevola 2 S Beaumont 2 S
Silvagni M Lappin M Allan.
Best:
Hawthorn: J Hay D Chick T Croad N Thompson D Harford W McPharlin.
Carlton: A Koutoufides A Hickmott B Ratten.
Injuries:
Hawthorn: N Holland (thigh), D Harford (concussion), T Woods
(hamstring), D Chick (ankle).
Carlton: A Hickmott (cut eye).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: C Mitchell, D Howlett, A Coates.
Official crowd: 27,597 at Pretty Park.
Much was made of David Parkin's enigmatic return and the Hawthorn
hoodoo at Pretty Park in the lead up to this match.
In the end it was the Mayblooms teamwork and dominance of the
midfield that swung the game, and I don't think Parkin was being
self effacing when he denied any significant role in the Hawkers
win.
Parking was at a premium and the trams were full around North
Carlton as Saturday Football returned in force on a sunny, if
blowy, Autumn afternoon in Melbourne.
Carlton started well enough, but that was about it. When the
Hawks switched on they did so with style. Chick stood out for
more than just his shock of blonde hair; he limited the hard
working Camporeale, who nonetheless did some useful things for
the Blues despite conceding some shocking turnovers. The aging
Kouta and Hickmont shouldered the load for the Blues, who used
Whitnall as their only real option up forward.
Croad is a genuine talent for the Hawks, his two goals belying
his effort up forward - but it was the eleven separate
goalkickers that signalled Hawthorn's stunning array of options.
Things didn't improve for Carlton when Silvagni wrapped himself
around the point post - the only thing uglier at Pretty Park all
afternoon was John Elliott. Silvagni bravely returned to the fray
in a show more full of pride and emotion than common sense.
Manton was busy without being terribly effective, while Brett
Ratten can hold his head up.
Ominously the Mayblooms Thompson consigned Rehn to a support role
in the ruck. This is a side dripping with depth - Box Hill, an
independent VFL identity who happen to be Hawthorn's second XVIII
- won comfortable against Carlton's Reserves earlier in the day.
This will be important given a string of injuries resulted from
the match for the Hawkers.
Carlton, on the other hand, have serious problems. The week
before they squeaked home against Freo. This week none of their
support players stepped up, they were inaccurate and
disorganised.
After it was all over it was a succession of long faces that were
stuck in the traffic on Sydney Road last Saturday afternoon, and
for them the brilliant sunset was little consolation.
- Phil Doyle. http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
Richmond v. Western Bulldogs
Saturday April 7, 2001 - MCG
Final Score
Western Bulldogs 4.0 7.2 11.6 17.9 (111)
Richmond 2.4 4.7 5.9 9.15 (69)
The Bulldogs are back! After a 5 point loss to the Saints last
week all the knockers were out in force. We were told that they
should give the young guys a go and end up finishing 10th rather
than aim for finals. Well the Dogs showed on Saturday that they
still mean business.
The Dogs got off to a flyer, getting 3 goals straight. They were
winning the ball in the centre and were going direct into the
forward line to the Bulldog talls such as Grant, Penny and
Bartlett. Meanwhile Richmond just blazed away kicking a couple of
behinds. An unlikely player in Duncan Kellaway kicked Richmond's
first goal. A pretty good one too, because he was about 50 meters
out on a tight angle. By the end of the term Richmond started to
get their act together and forwards Richardson and Ottens looked
dangerous.
An incident early in the quarter involving Libba and Knights
(where Knights went off with the blood rule) probably got the
Tigers a bit rattled. Both teams were extremely pumped up after a
mini-melee that followed the incident. The Bulldogs however kept
their heads and lead by 8 points at quarter time.
The second quarter was fairly even with the Dogs adding 3 goals 2
to the Tigers 2 goals 3. At times the Tigers looked like they
could get a run on but they wasted opportunities. Unfortunately
for Richmond they lost Holland (cork thigh) and Ottens (ankle) to
injury and suddenly the Tigers forward line was not so tall. In
fact I had a quick scan of the Tigers forward 50 and the only
forward who was taller than his opponent was Richardson who was
on Ellis.
The highlight of the quarter for me was Rohan Smith running at
full speed through the centre of the ground and kicking a goal
from about 70 metres out. He is really relishing his return to
halfback and looks like he could be in for a big year.
The Bulldogs increased their half-time lead of 13 points to 21 in
the third quarter. However this doesn't show the real gap between
the teams. The Doggies were using the ball far better, bringing
the ball from defence and into the forward 50 quickly with
precision. The likes of Smith, Johnson, West, Harrison, Robbins
and Cox were especially damaging.
In the final term the Dogs dominated, playing all over Richmond
to end up winning by 42 points. Rohan Smith was best on ground.
Goalkickers
Bulldogs - Grant 4, Smith 3, Bartlett, Hudson, Johnson 2, West,
Darcy, Romero, Brown 1.
Richmond - Richardson 2, Ottens, D. Kellaway, Gale, Dragisevic,
Hilton, Fiora, Hall
Best
Bulldogs - Smith, Grant, Johnson, Cox, Harrison, Darcy
Richmond - Richardson, Hilton, Cameron, D. Kellaway
- HahnPremium8 http://www.afltips.com/people/hahnpremium8.html
**********
Collingwood v. Fremantle
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Colonial Stadium (N)
Well the highlite from this match was the brilliance of Nathan
Buckley who seemed to be everywhere. There will be a foureyed
Melbourne journalist who will have egg on his face after
Buckley's performance against the very disappointing Fremantle
Dockers last night at colonial stadium.
Fremantle were fancied to take this one out but were well held by
Collngwood. In fact Fremantle looked pretty ordinary as
Collingwood were not rushed into any urgency whatsoever. The
crowd of 26,000 Collingwood supporters was anticipating a win
from their beloved magpies but the events at the same venue last
year really did not guarantee an automatic 4 points.
Don't be fooled by the end result. Fremantle were shocking and
Collingwood really only looked as though it did what it had to
do. In other words it was only one gear ahead of Fremantle all
night. Modra looked disinterested, the Fremantle midfield was
well held and Josh Fraser kicked 4 goals. But the night belonged
to Nathan Buckley. It was simply, for a better description, the
Nathan Buckley stadium.
Both sides will have to improve, one gets the feeling Collingwood
will and well Freo will have to do a lot of soul searching if
it's to justify its self as a club on the move.
Collingwood by 17 points. Buckley best on ground.
- JoffaMagpie http://www.afltips.com/people/joffamagpie.html
**********
Adelaide v. Melbourne
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Football Park (N)
This week the Crows lined up against the Melbourne Demons in what
was the closest and toughest match of the round. 35,653 people
came to Football Park to watch an absolute nail biter, which saw
Melbourne win by just 3 points. Melbourne lead throughout the
match and only just prevented an Adelaide upset miracle. The
Crows had more scoring shots than the Demons, but inaccurate
kicking saw them not convert that to the scoreboard.
The only multiple goal scorer for the Crows was Scot Welsh who
kick 4 majors and 7 other teammates each kicking one. As for the
Demons, Robertson kicked three and Leoncelli, Schwarz and Bruce
each kicking 2.
The match was extremely even when it came to the kicks, handballs
and marks, but the Crows received 6 extra free kicks from the
Melbourne side.
Bode was the only casualty for the night and will be out for a
number of weeks after breaking his hand. The loss for the Crows
sees them third bottom on the ladder and are yet to secure a win.
This was Melbourne's first win for season 2001 and due to a low
percentage only boosts them to 11th on the ladder. Next week
Melbourne will have a tough match against Geelong and Adelaide
play host to the 'Local Derby' against a strong Port Power!
- Josh Hemelaar http://www.afltips.com/people/joshhemelaar.html
**********
Brisbane v. Kangaroos
Sunday April 8, 2001 - The Gabba
Well the Kangaroos faced the Lions on a cold day marred with
injuries. Carey was not name in the line up, which increased the
pressure on the rest of his side. The Lions on the other hand
lined up with a strong lineup, however dropped Bradshaw as he has
not been performing in the forward line.
The Lions started the game very strongly. After just seconds of
play, they had the first goal on the board to Notting. After this
the Lions still dominated, but kicked very very inaccurately, 3
goals 8. Lots of feeling was very evident with players such as
Pike having some very physical tussles. The Kangaroos were able
to stay in touch with some accurate kick, making the most of the
Lions missed shots.
The rest of the first half saw much of the same. The Lions still
dominated strongly, but kept the inaccuracy going. Mal Michael
played a sterling second quarter including a huge speccy out
classing one from Alistair Lynch in the first quarter. Savario
Rocca was the only player holding the North forward line together
kicking four majors in the first half, prompting Leppitch to be
taken from the match up.
The third quarter nearly sealed it for the lions with six
straight goals to the Kangas 1. Leppitch got back three goals to
his name and the Lions looked hot! The final quarter lost a lot
of the heat with both sides acknowledging the Lions strong
performance today. It was a great full team effort with huge
positives from all the young guns!
The Lions won the game 17.16.118 to 8.10.58 a 60 point win.
- Josh Hemelaar http://www.afltips.com/people/joshhemelaar.html
**********
St Kilda v. Geelong
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Colonial Stadium
How good is Geelong?
Well, they play a good half of football.
This was almost two games of footy for the price of one, with the
Sainters going berserk from the start, only to confront a
different Geelong in the second half.
It was big day for the Saint Kilda football club with the naming
of their team of the century midweek, followed by the obligatory
motorcade prior to the spectacle. It was a day when winter turned
up in Melbourne and brought its mates, the driving rain forcing
the closure of the roof at The Source Of All Our Misery.
Harvey, Burke and Hall were inspirational in the first term, as
was the recruit Hamill - he will be a big part of this Saint
Kilda side that took a 22 point lead in at half time.
Geelong's eight goal to one third quarter was reminiscent of
Adelaide's recovery the night before. The Cats simply started
running, throwing up the loose man as they flooded forward.
Hocking, Ricardi, Moody and Graham showed the Geelong mix of
experience and class will be a big part of season 2001. This must
be a comforting thought for Geelong Coach Bomber Thompson, who
must of had a few quiet reasoned words for his team at half time.
Spider Everritt cannot fire, he was shut down for the second
half; while Ossie Jones was a dejected figure that struggled to
get a possession. Robert Harvey kept them in the match, until
Geelong's ability to goal against the run of play took the game
away from the Saints. Blight would tear his hair out at this
effort, if he had any.
Ronnie Burns' vision and disposal were both wise and spectacular.
In particular a handball back to Ricardi when the five goaler was
at the pointy end of a three on one contest was brilliant. This
allowed Ricardi to release Moody, who goaled.
Once again the spectre of umpiring raised its ugly head. In
particular there was an incident just before three-quarter time
when Barry Hall set off through a pack, the big fella trying to
bullock his way through, and the umpires failed to pick up the
fact that he'd played on. A Geelong player getting pinged for
playing on right as the siren went followed this. It was a
display described by sections of the media as inept, and this
continues to create a frustrating stop-start spectacle for the
football public.
- Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
West Coast v. Sydney
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Subiaco
The West Coast Eagles salvaged some pride yesterday by coming
back from a 47 point defecit at half time to lose by 19 points
at the close of the game.
But the confidence Sydney’s players gained from the match could
to prove to be invaluable later in the year after they have now
set themselves up with 2 wins from 2 outings at the opening of
the season.
The Swans seemed to travel easily thru the first quarter, and
part way thru the second, with the Eagles trailing not too far
behind.
Then it happened, a 6 goal blitz that blew apart the scoreline
and put Syndey 45 points ahead just prior to the big break.
As the 3rd qtr started, anyone who had picked the Eagles for the
wooden spoon was probably feeling pretty chuffed about their
tipping ability, but someone forgot to tell the Eagles that.
West coast kicked 5.5 to Sydney’s 2.1 in the 3rd, and the Swan’s
began to look like they were running out of steam.
Sydney held on while the Eagles came within 13 points late in the
final quarter, but that is as close as they would get.
The Eagles, decimated by injury could take some positives out of
the game, with the good performance by debutant Dean Cox, and the
inspirational fightback lead by Cousins and Fletcher.
For Sydney, the best signs were from Williams, Cresswell,
Maxfield and Fosdike whose pace and possessions put them in a
great position to win the game.
Final Scores
Sydney 15.14 104
West Coast 13.11 89
Best:
Sydney: Saddington, Goodes, Maxfield, Ball
West Coast: Cousins, Fletcher, Collica
- Danni http://www.afltips.com/people/danni.html
+----------+
3) 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
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Copyright (C) Adrian Appleyard, 2001
ENDS
[This message has been edited by Bluey (edited 09 April 2001).]
Round 2 - 8 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) "The Quick Snap" from The Half Back Flanker
2) "Weekly Round-Up" - reviews of all matches from our Regular
Contributors
3) Various info about AFLTips.Com.
+----------+
1) The Quick Snap
By The Half Back Flanker http://www.afltips.com/people/halfbackflanker.html
Recently, several AFL footballers have got themselves into a
little strife while out enjoying a few drinks.
While this is nothing new, and certainly not unusual for
footballers of any age or ability, the media are quick to
highlight any misdemeanours by prominent athletes, accenting the
need for these players to be role models on and off the football
field.
However, anything these players have reportedly got up to, at
least so far, pales into insignificance alongside what the rugby
league guys seem to get caught doing.
As if Julian O'Neill didn't cause enough bad publicity with his
motel wall redecoration episode, John Hopoate has well and truly
brought the world's attention on to how these guys behave.
Sure, he was suspended for 12 weeks, but part of the punishment
for this type of episode is always the bad taste jokes that do
the rounds.
Not being one to be backward in coming forward, here are several
that have reached my inbox over the last week or so ...
Have you heard John Hopoate is changing codes?
He has just signed with Arsenal.
Have you heard John Hopoate has been given a job in the Tigers
Leagues Club while he is on suspension?
He has to go around and make sure all the stools are pushed in.
A recent rumour says that Arnott's are soon to introduce a new
biscuit called the 'Hopoate' ... it's going to be a choc-coated
Scotch Finger.
Have you heard John Hopoate is appealing his sentence on the
grounds that he was misunderstood?
He didn't know that you had to win a Grand Final before you can
have an NRL Premiers' ring on your finger.
Apparently John Hopoate has found something to occupy his time
while on suspension.
He's taking up quoits.
Craig Field and Kevin McGuiness are appealing their suspensions
on the grounds that they got 6 months for cocaine and ecstacy,
and that Hoppa only got 12 weeks for crack.
John Hopoate deserves all he got ... let's face it he turned a
Rugby League match into a three ring circus.
Have you heard John Hopoate has been signed for a new movie
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Finger, and is considering a role in the
sequel to Goldfinger?
What is John Hopoate's favourite dessert?
Sticky Date Pudding.
What is John Hopoate's favourite morning tea?
Finger Buns.
What is John Hopoate's favourite Ice cream?
Choc Wedge.
What is the difference between a concert pianist and John
Hopoate?
A concert pianist cracks his fingers.
Heard any other good ones? Send them to afl.info@excite.com and
we will
endeavour to publish the best of them in a later edition.
'The Half Back Flanker' is not the author of any of the above
jokes, and no copyright is claimed or known for any of them.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead was no doubt intended
by the original author, but is not acknowledged, or any
responsibility accepted, by 'The Half Back Flanker'.
+----------+
2) 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)
Essendon again showed why they are the measuring stick of the
competition following a comprehensive 38 point defeat of Port
Power at Colonial stadium on Friday night.
The night began with the unfurling of the premiership flag in
front of just under 35,000 people, which would have pleased the
Bomber faithful.
On paper this appeared a reasonable contest after Port had won
the Ansett Cup and showed some reasonable form in a solid win
over Brisbane last week.
The match began with Port in control for the opening 10 minutes
of the game with Matthew Primus leading the way and at one stage
Port held an early couple of goal lead. But inevitably the
Bombers clicked into top gear and showed why they are the best
team going around by such a large margin that its not funny. If
you want to see a real football team play then i suggest you take
a look at Essendon play. They used sure ball handling combined
with aggressiveness at the ball and great teamwork to leave their
opponents just standing there watching.
By quarter time the Bombers were in total control of this contest
leading by 27 points after kicking 7 goals for the quarter.
After that it was just a matter of how far, as the Bombers just
seemed to cruise along their merry way. It's going to take quite
an effort to topple them again this season.
One thing apparent is the difference in skill level between the
two sides, as time and again the Bombers were able to take full
advantage of Ports ball handling errors and make them pay where
it counts, on the scoreboard. One thing you know about the
Bombers is they don't make those kinds of errors.
The Bombers completely dominated the opening 3 quarters of this
match and if not for some late goals in the final quarter by
port, with some of the better Essendon players rested, the final
margin would have been greater. Still it was a fairly
entertaining match to watch with some of Essendon's play
absolutely awesome, leaving us supporters of other teams shaking
our heads in dismay.
For the Bombers, the best players on the ground were Hird (BOG),
McVeigh, Misiti and Wellman. Its really quite hard to pick out
the best for Essendon because they really do play as a team and
share the ball around so well. On the night they managed some 14
goal kickers. Matthew Lloyd, although well held, still managed
4 goals - with 3 coming in a third quarter blitz.
For Port, they would have been well pleased with the efforts of
Matthew Primus in the ruck who worked tirelessly all night and
Stuart Dew who kicked 6 goals.
All in all, Port will at least come away in the knowledge that
they forced Essendon to play some of their best football to beat
them and they were not disgraced on the night. And as we know
very few teams can say that in the last year.
Still one thing this game does prove is at their best there is
still a gulf between the Bombers and the rest of the competition.
- Andrew Teres http://www.afltips.com/people/andrewteres.html
**********
Carlton v. Hawthorn
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Optus Oval
HAWTHORN 5.2 8.5 15. 7 16.11 (107)
CARLTON 4.5 4.9 6.12 11.15 ( 81)
Goals:
Hawthorn: J Barker 3 J Hay 2 D Chick 2 T Croad 2 S Crawford L
Picioane A Lord G Bowyer T Clarke A Lekkas S Rehn.
Carlton: A Hickmott 2 S Camporeale 2 B Fevola 2 S Beaumont 2 S
Silvagni M Lappin M Allan.
Best:
Hawthorn: J Hay D Chick T Croad N Thompson D Harford W McPharlin.
Carlton: A Koutoufides A Hickmott B Ratten.
Injuries:
Hawthorn: N Holland (thigh), D Harford (concussion), T Woods
(hamstring), D Chick (ankle).
Carlton: A Hickmott (cut eye).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: C Mitchell, D Howlett, A Coates.
Official crowd: 27,597 at Pretty Park.
Much was made of David Parkin's enigmatic return and the Hawthorn
hoodoo at Pretty Park in the lead up to this match.
In the end it was the Mayblooms teamwork and dominance of the
midfield that swung the game, and I don't think Parkin was being
self effacing when he denied any significant role in the Hawkers
win.
Parking was at a premium and the trams were full around North
Carlton as Saturday Football returned in force on a sunny, if
blowy, Autumn afternoon in Melbourne.
Carlton started well enough, but that was about it. When the
Hawks switched on they did so with style. Chick stood out for
more than just his shock of blonde hair; he limited the hard
working Camporeale, who nonetheless did some useful things for
the Blues despite conceding some shocking turnovers. The aging
Kouta and Hickmont shouldered the load for the Blues, who used
Whitnall as their only real option up forward.
Croad is a genuine talent for the Hawks, his two goals belying
his effort up forward - but it was the eleven separate
goalkickers that signalled Hawthorn's stunning array of options.
Things didn't improve for Carlton when Silvagni wrapped himself
around the point post - the only thing uglier at Pretty Park all
afternoon was John Elliott. Silvagni bravely returned to the fray
in a show more full of pride and emotion than common sense.
Manton was busy without being terribly effective, while Brett
Ratten can hold his head up.
Ominously the Mayblooms Thompson consigned Rehn to a support role
in the ruck. This is a side dripping with depth - Box Hill, an
independent VFL identity who happen to be Hawthorn's second XVIII
- won comfortable against Carlton's Reserves earlier in the day.
This will be important given a string of injuries resulted from
the match for the Hawkers.
Carlton, on the other hand, have serious problems. The week
before they squeaked home against Freo. This week none of their
support players stepped up, they were inaccurate and
disorganised.
After it was all over it was a succession of long faces that were
stuck in the traffic on Sydney Road last Saturday afternoon, and
for them the brilliant sunset was little consolation.
- Phil Doyle. http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
Richmond v. Western Bulldogs
Saturday April 7, 2001 - MCG
Final Score
Western Bulldogs 4.0 7.2 11.6 17.9 (111)
Richmond 2.4 4.7 5.9 9.15 (69)
The Bulldogs are back! After a 5 point loss to the Saints last
week all the knockers were out in force. We were told that they
should give the young guys a go and end up finishing 10th rather
than aim for finals. Well the Dogs showed on Saturday that they
still mean business.
The Dogs got off to a flyer, getting 3 goals straight. They were
winning the ball in the centre and were going direct into the
forward line to the Bulldog talls such as Grant, Penny and
Bartlett. Meanwhile Richmond just blazed away kicking a couple of
behinds. An unlikely player in Duncan Kellaway kicked Richmond's
first goal. A pretty good one too, because he was about 50 meters
out on a tight angle. By the end of the term Richmond started to
get their act together and forwards Richardson and Ottens looked
dangerous.
An incident early in the quarter involving Libba and Knights
(where Knights went off with the blood rule) probably got the
Tigers a bit rattled. Both teams were extremely pumped up after a
mini-melee that followed the incident. The Bulldogs however kept
their heads and lead by 8 points at quarter time.
The second quarter was fairly even with the Dogs adding 3 goals 2
to the Tigers 2 goals 3. At times the Tigers looked like they
could get a run on but they wasted opportunities. Unfortunately
for Richmond they lost Holland (cork thigh) and Ottens (ankle) to
injury and suddenly the Tigers forward line was not so tall. In
fact I had a quick scan of the Tigers forward 50 and the only
forward who was taller than his opponent was Richardson who was
on Ellis.
The highlight of the quarter for me was Rohan Smith running at
full speed through the centre of the ground and kicking a goal
from about 70 metres out. He is really relishing his return to
halfback and looks like he could be in for a big year.
The Bulldogs increased their half-time lead of 13 points to 21 in
the third quarter. However this doesn't show the real gap between
the teams. The Doggies were using the ball far better, bringing
the ball from defence and into the forward 50 quickly with
precision. The likes of Smith, Johnson, West, Harrison, Robbins
and Cox were especially damaging.
In the final term the Dogs dominated, playing all over Richmond
to end up winning by 42 points. Rohan Smith was best on ground.
Goalkickers
Bulldogs - Grant 4, Smith 3, Bartlett, Hudson, Johnson 2, West,
Darcy, Romero, Brown 1.
Richmond - Richardson 2, Ottens, D. Kellaway, Gale, Dragisevic,
Hilton, Fiora, Hall
Best
Bulldogs - Smith, Grant, Johnson, Cox, Harrison, Darcy
Richmond - Richardson, Hilton, Cameron, D. Kellaway
- HahnPremium8 http://www.afltips.com/people/hahnpremium8.html
**********
Collingwood v. Fremantle
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Colonial Stadium (N)
Well the highlite from this match was the brilliance of Nathan
Buckley who seemed to be everywhere. There will be a foureyed
Melbourne journalist who will have egg on his face after
Buckley's performance against the very disappointing Fremantle
Dockers last night at colonial stadium.
Fremantle were fancied to take this one out but were well held by
Collngwood. In fact Fremantle looked pretty ordinary as
Collingwood were not rushed into any urgency whatsoever. The
crowd of 26,000 Collingwood supporters was anticipating a win
from their beloved magpies but the events at the same venue last
year really did not guarantee an automatic 4 points.
Don't be fooled by the end result. Fremantle were shocking and
Collingwood really only looked as though it did what it had to
do. In other words it was only one gear ahead of Fremantle all
night. Modra looked disinterested, the Fremantle midfield was
well held and Josh Fraser kicked 4 goals. But the night belonged
to Nathan Buckley. It was simply, for a better description, the
Nathan Buckley stadium.
Both sides will have to improve, one gets the feeling Collingwood
will and well Freo will have to do a lot of soul searching if
it's to justify its self as a club on the move.
Collingwood by 17 points. Buckley best on ground.
- JoffaMagpie http://www.afltips.com/people/joffamagpie.html
**********
Adelaide v. Melbourne
Saturday April 7, 2001 - Football Park (N)
This week the Crows lined up against the Melbourne Demons in what
was the closest and toughest match of the round. 35,653 people
came to Football Park to watch an absolute nail biter, which saw
Melbourne win by just 3 points. Melbourne lead throughout the
match and only just prevented an Adelaide upset miracle. The
Crows had more scoring shots than the Demons, but inaccurate
kicking saw them not convert that to the scoreboard.
The only multiple goal scorer for the Crows was Scot Welsh who
kick 4 majors and 7 other teammates each kicking one. As for the
Demons, Robertson kicked three and Leoncelli, Schwarz and Bruce
each kicking 2.
The match was extremely even when it came to the kicks, handballs
and marks, but the Crows received 6 extra free kicks from the
Melbourne side.
Bode was the only casualty for the night and will be out for a
number of weeks after breaking his hand. The loss for the Crows
sees them third bottom on the ladder and are yet to secure a win.
This was Melbourne's first win for season 2001 and due to a low
percentage only boosts them to 11th on the ladder. Next week
Melbourne will have a tough match against Geelong and Adelaide
play host to the 'Local Derby' against a strong Port Power!
- Josh Hemelaar http://www.afltips.com/people/joshhemelaar.html
**********
Brisbane v. Kangaroos
Sunday April 8, 2001 - The Gabba
Well the Kangaroos faced the Lions on a cold day marred with
injuries. Carey was not name in the line up, which increased the
pressure on the rest of his side. The Lions on the other hand
lined up with a strong lineup, however dropped Bradshaw as he has
not been performing in the forward line.
The Lions started the game very strongly. After just seconds of
play, they had the first goal on the board to Notting. After this
the Lions still dominated, but kicked very very inaccurately, 3
goals 8. Lots of feeling was very evident with players such as
Pike having some very physical tussles. The Kangaroos were able
to stay in touch with some accurate kick, making the most of the
Lions missed shots.
The rest of the first half saw much of the same. The Lions still
dominated strongly, but kept the inaccuracy going. Mal Michael
played a sterling second quarter including a huge speccy out
classing one from Alistair Lynch in the first quarter. Savario
Rocca was the only player holding the North forward line together
kicking four majors in the first half, prompting Leppitch to be
taken from the match up.
The third quarter nearly sealed it for the lions with six
straight goals to the Kangas 1. Leppitch got back three goals to
his name and the Lions looked hot! The final quarter lost a lot
of the heat with both sides acknowledging the Lions strong
performance today. It was a great full team effort with huge
positives from all the young guns!
The Lions won the game 17.16.118 to 8.10.58 a 60 point win.
- Josh Hemelaar http://www.afltips.com/people/joshhemelaar.html
**********
St Kilda v. Geelong
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Colonial Stadium
How good is Geelong?
Well, they play a good half of football.
This was almost two games of footy for the price of one, with the
Sainters going berserk from the start, only to confront a
different Geelong in the second half.
It was big day for the Saint Kilda football club with the naming
of their team of the century midweek, followed by the obligatory
motorcade prior to the spectacle. It was a day when winter turned
up in Melbourne and brought its mates, the driving rain forcing
the closure of the roof at The Source Of All Our Misery.
Harvey, Burke and Hall were inspirational in the first term, as
was the recruit Hamill - he will be a big part of this Saint
Kilda side that took a 22 point lead in at half time.
Geelong's eight goal to one third quarter was reminiscent of
Adelaide's recovery the night before. The Cats simply started
running, throwing up the loose man as they flooded forward.
Hocking, Ricardi, Moody and Graham showed the Geelong mix of
experience and class will be a big part of season 2001. This must
be a comforting thought for Geelong Coach Bomber Thompson, who
must of had a few quiet reasoned words for his team at half time.
Spider Everritt cannot fire, he was shut down for the second
half; while Ossie Jones was a dejected figure that struggled to
get a possession. Robert Harvey kept them in the match, until
Geelong's ability to goal against the run of play took the game
away from the Saints. Blight would tear his hair out at this
effort, if he had any.
Ronnie Burns' vision and disposal were both wise and spectacular.
In particular a handball back to Ricardi when the five goaler was
at the pointy end of a three on one contest was brilliant. This
allowed Ricardi to release Moody, who goaled.
Once again the spectre of umpiring raised its ugly head. In
particular there was an incident just before three-quarter time
when Barry Hall set off through a pack, the big fella trying to
bullock his way through, and the umpires failed to pick up the
fact that he'd played on. A Geelong player getting pinged for
playing on right as the siren went followed this. It was a
display described by sections of the media as inept, and this
continues to create a frustrating stop-start spectacle for the
football public.
- Phil Doyle http://www.afltips.com/people/phildoyle.html
**********
West Coast v. Sydney
Sunday April 8, 2001 - Subiaco
The West Coast Eagles salvaged some pride yesterday by coming
back from a 47 point defecit at half time to lose by 19 points
at the close of the game.
But the confidence Sydney’s players gained from the match could
to prove to be invaluable later in the year after they have now
set themselves up with 2 wins from 2 outings at the opening of
the season.
The Swans seemed to travel easily thru the first quarter, and
part way thru the second, with the Eagles trailing not too far
behind.
Then it happened, a 6 goal blitz that blew apart the scoreline
and put Syndey 45 points ahead just prior to the big break.
As the 3rd qtr started, anyone who had picked the Eagles for the
wooden spoon was probably feeling pretty chuffed about their
tipping ability, but someone forgot to tell the Eagles that.
West coast kicked 5.5 to Sydney’s 2.1 in the 3rd, and the Swan’s
began to look like they were running out of steam.
Sydney held on while the Eagles came within 13 points late in the
final quarter, but that is as close as they would get.
The Eagles, decimated by injury could take some positives out of
the game, with the good performance by debutant Dean Cox, and the
inspirational fightback lead by Cousins and Fletcher.
For Sydney, the best signs were from Williams, Cresswell,
Maxfield and Fosdike whose pace and possessions put them in a
great position to win the game.
Final Scores
Sydney 15.14 104
West Coast 13.11 89
Best:
Sydney: Saddington, Goodes, Maxfield, Ball
West Coast: Cousins, Fletcher, Collica
- Danni http://www.afltips.com/people/danni.html
+----------+
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ENDS
[This message has been edited by Bluey (edited 09 April 2001).]