Fevalenko25
Team Captain
Blue Skies
2:45:36 PM Wed 13 April, 2005
Garrie Hutchinson
carltonfc.com.au
Liverpool manager Bill Shankly was quoted in 1981 as saying ‘Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.’
Saturday’s events at the MCG proved the opposite – that life is fragile, and to be valued much more than the result of a single game.
I was privileged to be sitting at the President’s lunch instead of down below in the Great Southern Standing Room, and very pleasant it was too. Ian Collins was in good form, razzing some young turncoat supporters, and recalling the grand Carlton tradition of beating Collingwood in Grand Finals.
No one could have predicted what happened to the President, even after a very disappointing loss. There’s always next week in football, which is not always the case after a major illness. It showed once again what was important. Get well soon, Collo, from all the supporters out in cyberspace.
One of the fun parts of a footy lunch is tipping the quarter by quarter scores, with the prospect of predicting a win, and winning some cash. My tips, always heart over head, were Carlton in front by 5, 17, 19 and 33 point. So I had won, with quite a few others, the half time pool, and during what would normally be late in the third quarter was looking good on plus 19 for some more cash.
Then the wheels fell off and we went backwards to a one point lead as the quarter went on, and on and on, for over 36 minutes.
Collingwood kicked goals that honoured the spirit of Peter Daicos (or a Tiger Woods putt at the 16th) in their intrepid qualities, they whoofed giant snaps, they kicked them out of their back pockets and worst of all, they just couldn’t miss.
Nine goals one in the third quarter, and six straight in the last, fifteen goals one in the second half speaks for itself, especially when Carlton managed the same number of shots, and still fell 20 points short.
But at three quarter time I was feeling more hopeful than the despairing feeling last week, which just shows the effect heat can have on any football brain. But for the generosity of the interpretations of the umpires in the second quarter, we would have already been dead in the water.
The heat certainly seemed to have had an effect on the Carlton players in the second half. Kouta, who with Stevo, Lappo, Campo, Waitey and Houla had been in everything, was stoppered out of the action. He had just two touches in the second half, and his handball count was way down on the 2005 average.
And try as they might Fev and Lance couldn’t make an impact. The backline was overwhelmed when Tarrant and Rocca started to get the footy delivered more accurately in their direction.
Not that anyone gave up, but the statistics are not pretty. Third quarter we were out marked 24 to 17, and in the last quarter 34 marks to a miserable five.
In the last quarter only Stevo was still running, and his ‘if you want something done do it yourself’ goal, was Carlton’s despairing last gasp.
But, there is always next week.
It looks tough, but just think back to one of the worst moments of 2004. Round 10, Carlton had been ignominiously thumped by St Kilda by 108 points in the Saints best and the Blues worst performance for the year. That was the game where the Coach had Fevola start at full back, to learn something about how to play full forward.
The next week we had to travel to Adelaide. Confidence at rock bottom. But with nothing to lose Fev kicked the goal of a lifetime from the boundary at the 50 metre line and we won by a kick. Carlton, in the words of the Coach, persisted and persevered and won. It was the win which really set up the revival in 2004 that culminated in the Wizard win in 2005.
So next week it’s Port Adelaide, who are having a bit of a premiership hangover it seems. And Carlton is in better shape, despite the loss through suspension of a couple of midfielders. The loss against Collingwood was another wake up call, especially to the forwards.
And in sport, as in life, anything can happen. As the Coach rightly says, football is played 90 per cent between the ears. And, another quantity is played in the heart.
I’m sure we’ll get up and help Collo along in his convalescence with a comfortable win.
It will be from the heart.
Review: Down by 20.
Best:. Stevo.
Preview: Carlton by 15.
Watch out for: four quarters from Kouta.
2:45:36 PM Wed 13 April, 2005
Garrie Hutchinson
carltonfc.com.au
Liverpool manager Bill Shankly was quoted in 1981 as saying ‘Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.’
Saturday’s events at the MCG proved the opposite – that life is fragile, and to be valued much more than the result of a single game.
I was privileged to be sitting at the President’s lunch instead of down below in the Great Southern Standing Room, and very pleasant it was too. Ian Collins was in good form, razzing some young turncoat supporters, and recalling the grand Carlton tradition of beating Collingwood in Grand Finals.
No one could have predicted what happened to the President, even after a very disappointing loss. There’s always next week in football, which is not always the case after a major illness. It showed once again what was important. Get well soon, Collo, from all the supporters out in cyberspace.
One of the fun parts of a footy lunch is tipping the quarter by quarter scores, with the prospect of predicting a win, and winning some cash. My tips, always heart over head, were Carlton in front by 5, 17, 19 and 33 point. So I had won, with quite a few others, the half time pool, and during what would normally be late in the third quarter was looking good on plus 19 for some more cash.
Then the wheels fell off and we went backwards to a one point lead as the quarter went on, and on and on, for over 36 minutes.
Collingwood kicked goals that honoured the spirit of Peter Daicos (or a Tiger Woods putt at the 16th) in their intrepid qualities, they whoofed giant snaps, they kicked them out of their back pockets and worst of all, they just couldn’t miss.
Nine goals one in the third quarter, and six straight in the last, fifteen goals one in the second half speaks for itself, especially when Carlton managed the same number of shots, and still fell 20 points short.
But at three quarter time I was feeling more hopeful than the despairing feeling last week, which just shows the effect heat can have on any football brain. But for the generosity of the interpretations of the umpires in the second quarter, we would have already been dead in the water.
The heat certainly seemed to have had an effect on the Carlton players in the second half. Kouta, who with Stevo, Lappo, Campo, Waitey and Houla had been in everything, was stoppered out of the action. He had just two touches in the second half, and his handball count was way down on the 2005 average.
And try as they might Fev and Lance couldn’t make an impact. The backline was overwhelmed when Tarrant and Rocca started to get the footy delivered more accurately in their direction.
Not that anyone gave up, but the statistics are not pretty. Third quarter we were out marked 24 to 17, and in the last quarter 34 marks to a miserable five.
In the last quarter only Stevo was still running, and his ‘if you want something done do it yourself’ goal, was Carlton’s despairing last gasp.
But, there is always next week.
It looks tough, but just think back to one of the worst moments of 2004. Round 10, Carlton had been ignominiously thumped by St Kilda by 108 points in the Saints best and the Blues worst performance for the year. That was the game where the Coach had Fevola start at full back, to learn something about how to play full forward.
The next week we had to travel to Adelaide. Confidence at rock bottom. But with nothing to lose Fev kicked the goal of a lifetime from the boundary at the 50 metre line and we won by a kick. Carlton, in the words of the Coach, persisted and persevered and won. It was the win which really set up the revival in 2004 that culminated in the Wizard win in 2005.
So next week it’s Port Adelaide, who are having a bit of a premiership hangover it seems. And Carlton is in better shape, despite the loss through suspension of a couple of midfielders. The loss against Collingwood was another wake up call, especially to the forwards.
And in sport, as in life, anything can happen. As the Coach rightly says, football is played 90 per cent between the ears. And, another quantity is played in the heart.
I’m sure we’ll get up and help Collo along in his convalescence with a comfortable win.
It will be from the heart.
Review: Down by 20.
Best:. Stevo.
Preview: Carlton by 15.
Watch out for: four quarters from Kouta.
