The Australian, Herald Sun and other media flogs...

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What a week for the pathetic football media in Melbourne.

Before I start...this doesnt include Gerard Healy or Rob Walls...so I will look forward to On the Couch this Monday as a result. Healy got it right on Geelong from about round 10 this season...great call using proper football stats relevant to the modern game, said we looked the premiers then. Rob Walls as far as I know was the only media person to call Geelong would win the GF comfortably. His reasoning was the important bit...Geelong played rope-a-dope with Port Adelaide in round 21 showing them nothing, no tags, resting players and just sitting back and watching their game plan unfold. Walls picked this up and suggested this would see Geelong win with comfort...as they did.

Lets get started...The Australian/Patrick Smith. Re-hashed his 10 point plan to beat Geelong in Grand Final week that he printed prior to the Qualifying Final. Made to look completely foolish now as a result....seriously should be sacked as a guy who understands little about modern footy. Spends all his time talking about what is symptomatic about the game rather than what beats at its heart and soul...the midfield. Collingwood did well against Geelong but we were coming off 3 weeks of non competitive footy and no doubt we got an attack of nerves in front of the big crowd and the umpires cost us 3-4 goals which does happen too. We were well off our best game yet still won. His inability to read this PF scenario saw him dive straight back to his completely flawed notes on how to stop the Cats. Deserves to bare his arse in the Centre square at Skilled as the flag gets unveiled next season.

To add to this...The Australian, Herald Sun and Caro Wilson all suggested Geelong didnt handle GF week well because regardless of what the media felt we ought to be doing all week...we were going to stick to our weekly process which meant stuffing what anyone else thinks. Williams and Port were held up as poster boys for how to handle the hype and pressure of GF week...by talking rubbish all week to the media, throwing them dog bones and horse sh1t and baiting fish hooks for Mark Thompson that were as tasty as Patrick Smith's hairy balls after he had dribbled his Old Man River on them.

Mark Stevens at the Herald Sun got in a real flap about being asked to leave the stadium grass at Skilled...even though they were told well in advance it was off limits. Wrote a big article about it...how our media guy became a story...try this...How about just follow what your directions are for the day and you might get an interview AFTER training. Stevens tried to imagine it the other way round...but sorry mate...you didnt get an interview because THE MEDIA STUFFED UP THE WHOLE THING. What very poor form.

Finally the Herald Sun running the article about Jimmy's Dad. Does it ever occur to these D1ckheads....this might have cost them friendship for the week also? What a pathetic article to run and spoil the Brownlow for a fantastic guy in Jimmy Bartel..and for his Mum...and to have Mike Sheahan back the story on Saturday morning saying we cant feel responsible for Bartel's feelings we just had to run the story.

The Geelong footy club offered enough interviews during the week when and as it suited them. We were always polite and gracious. We were focused too...sorry about that.

The media on the other hand....were unprofessional, uneducated and amoral in their approach to GF week. You have proven bar a few exceptions you have no class and have no idea about what goes on at footy clubs on a weekly basis. You have rare clues about how modern footy is actually played and you have no etiquette when it comes to young champions of the game who absolutely have carried themself in the highest order for all their career. Yet the first chance you get for no reason than the lowest motives you try to embarrass Jim and his family when they should have been celebrating.

Shame the media cant get dropped or scrutinised like AFL players...because the media is a soft 'boys club' with very soft standards...and weak morals...just fat arse checks that arent worth the paper they are printed on because on the whole you guys/gals in the media have got nothing and it was proven this week for all to see.

In closing for the 2007 season I would like to congratulate the Geelong Footy Club for keeping their nerve all year, doing what was right for the club and the supporters all year. Just being a professional outfit all year was fantastic to see. To the whole club I congratulate you on your/our Premiership, it was well deserved and in the face of media stupidity and adversity you handled yourselves brilliantly.

Well done GFC on a fine season you are all to be thanked and congratulated.
 

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winty

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Can't fault any of that. Spot on in my opinion, and one of the best posts I've read on any topic this year. Top job We are Geelong, and full credit to the club for sticking to their guns and doing what they exist for, playing football instead of jumping through hoops just to please the fruit loops in the media. :thumbsu:
 

Mr.Chicken

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#3
I agreed with most of what you are saying but sometimes feel you are a being a bit harsh. I mean, it would be pretty hard to sell newspapers if the only sport articles in it suggested that the cats would win no matter what. I personally would have found that boring to read.

What I'm in full agreement with is the issue regarding the Herald Sun and Jimmy Bartel's father. My anger at this is unimaginable as I'm sure many Geelong supporters would be as well. Herald Sun are a scum newspaper who are obessed with gossip and conflict stories that 90% of the public dont give a toss about. That is why I buy a quality newspaper in The Age that actually care about what really matters and not this gossipy bull.
 

PendlesIsAStar

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#4
You don't realise how lucky you are to have 3 papers reporting on the footy and offering differing points of view!

I had to put up with one paper only, which boldly declared daily what a great job Mark Williams was doing unsettling the Cats and also asking the question "what could Geelong do to stop Port Adelaide?".

Enjoy your articles from Mike Sheahan, Damian Barrett, Jake Niall, Greg Baum, Caroline Wilson and co, and just be thankful you don't have tp put up with Michaelangelo Rucci and his Port biased views every day like I do!

Well done Catters, from a Geelong bred boy, you shut these inbreds over here up and also made a lot of my friends and family very happy!
 

a.f.k.a.y.o.p.

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#5
Great job WEG.
Not really much mor to add except you forgot that stooge Haydon that "revealed" to the "football world" the confidential personal medical reports that he basically broke "accepting stolen goods" laws to bring to light the supposedly terrible drug culture within one Melbourne club. Stooge number one. Why was he never charged as an accompliace after the fact??
 
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#7
Great post WAG. In China for two weeks and fotunately missed all this crap from the media - I detest things such as the "scoop" on Jimmy's family - we all know the situation. It is fascinating reading for me - Patrick Smith should be held up for the ridicule he deserves - what did he say in in his usual arrogant rant to KB on SEN?
If you tackle any of these journos they defend their unethical stance on the basis of giving the public the truth - utter hypocracy.
I guess we can dismiss it with the scorn it all deserves now that we are premiers.
 

Brasil2007

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#10
Great post WAG. But I'm not sure Gerard Healy should get off Scott free after this article.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22493813-5013855,00.html

To be fair Gerard in that article was asked to play the role of the Port Coach and put an argument as to how he'd win the game. He's been our biggest supporter since very early in the season and is without doubt the main reason we have so many AA's. I think he's a terrific analyst, I love his work.

The bloke that started this thread also missed the bit where the media hid up trees and used a helicopter to watch our closed training session. Apparently this is against the protocols agreed between the AFL and the media (they did the same thing earlier in the year and got a please explain from the AFL).

All year the media has been on our backs. We were too slow. We lacked leadership. We couldn't kick enough goals to win.

To start the season we were no good because we were beaten by four goals by the Dogs (never mind the fact that everyone thought the Dogs were a very good chance at the flag at that stage). Then when we won a couple against weaker clubs we were flat track bullies. When we lost to the media proclaimed wooden spooners we were in crisis. Then we were chokers who were lucky not to have any injuries who would fall back to earth sooner rather than later (like St Kilda). Then we wouldn't handle the pressure. No other club - not one - has the amount of media attention (good and bad) that the Cats get, even when basically nothing much is happening.
 

PoidaCat

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#11
Dermie has been potting us ALL season.

He said something along the lines of Geelong isn't that good and Port will run us of our legs. :eek:

He sounds like a Bay 13 Troll.

Still bitter about 1989.
 

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CF

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#12
who'd a thought we would be sticking up for Throbbie Walls, but yeah he has been spot on this season and Gerard Healy has also been talking up the Cats since the Richmond thrashing pretty much.

I agree with WAG that the media did try and make Geelong look a bit amateurish during GF week and I think this was purely because they wouldn't give too much away. While on the other hand Mark Williams was just about becoming a media Ho.

The media focus did shift to Port by the end of the week and I found it amusing that people started backing Port with big money. The Bookies love the media and williams for this. Just goes to show that a lot of punters believe the crap the football media dishes up. More fool them.

James Hird gushed in the HUN that he was supporting Port after a long phone call where Williams supposedly explained his plan to beat Geelong. Then Williams says in his post match press conference that his main plan was to play mind games because the Cats were supposedly otherwise unbeatable. Hirdy must feel like a right goose now.
 

Brasil2007

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#13
James Hird gushed in the HUN that he was supporting Port after a long phone call where Williams supposedly explained his plan to beat Geelong. Then Williams says in his post match press conference that his main plan was to play mind games because the Cats were supposedly otherwise unbeatable. Hirdy must feel like a right goose now.
Hirdy did some motivational speaking for them last week. I'm sure he didn't do it for free, and after taking their money he probably wasn't in a position to come out and say they had absolutely no chance :) Let's just say I think if he wants to move into motivational speaking after football this probably wasn't the start to his career that he imagined!
 

Stripey PJs

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#14
^ Interesting tactic, having Hird share his Grand Final experiences. Didn't that conflict with Port's "calm and relaxed" approach? Ignore reality, don't deal with the nerves their players would've been experiencing, pretend they don't exist and...WHAM, hit by a bus.
Finally the Herald Sun running the article about Jimmy's Dad. Does it ever occur to these D1ckheads....this might have cost them friendship for the week also? What a pathetic article to run and spoil the Brownlow for a fantastic guy in Jimmy Bartel..and for his Mum...and to have Mike Sheahan back the story on Saturday morning saying we cant feel responsible for Bartel's feelings we just had to run the story.
I tried to enforce a media blackout at my joint, and purposely missed most of these pre-match giggles.

Jimmy's response when quizzed on this issue by ABC radio on Sunday: "Very disappointing, someone...someone <spat out with venom> tried to rain on my parade. But it brought the family closer together...made me more determined." (IIRC) It was a good reply.
 

Selwood07

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#15
Dermie has been potting us ALL season.

He said something along the lines of Geelong isn't that good and Port will run us of our legs. :eek:

He sounds like a Bay 13 Troll.

Still bitter about 1989.
This moron has been gradually eased out of the media - he doesn't even have the wit to be giving us an amusing serve as a former Hawk. He is always miles off the mark and speaks gobbledygook anyway. A real hasbeen.
 

Brasil2007

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#16
Dermie has been potting us ALL season.

He said something along the lines of Geelong isn't that good and Port will run us of our legs. :eek:

He sounds like a Bay 13 Troll.

Still bitter about 1989.
Notable absentee from SEN's Run Home on Monday. I bet he heard how many people were going to get onto him and hid.

I actually don't mind his in game comments, I think that's a reflection of his understanding of the way the ball moves around the ground. But he has no talent at all for the more reflective, long term stuff.
 
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