Well hello there. It's time to get the Deep heat on, the shrimps on the barby, the 4X in the fridge and get in the mood for another year of Aussie Rules Footy courtesy of my totally unbiased, blinkers off take on the preceding week's games.
Fear not, I am still rabidly anti-West Coast cos the CEO still hasn't resigned and until he does, my observations shall be forthright and full-on. And if you haven't been keeping up to date with all that has been happening Down Under here is a wee summary.
I forgot to write up a report for the end of the 2015 season as I was still in stitches and fits of laughter about the shameful display of themmuns in the Grand Final v. Hawthorn up until about 10.30am last Sunday (my report of the Freo v. Western Bulldogs game will explain that). It was that bad that I was actually finding myself taking pity on the decent players in the team as the show-boaters fcuked up relentlessly. To the point that I was actually shouting at the TV and telling the galloots what to do...as you do.
Essendon got smashed by the World Anti-Doping Authority for its crimes against its players; and here's the irony - the bombers sacked James Hird and employed John Worsfeld, the coach of West Coast during the shameful period of drug cheating and off-field shenanigans. Doooooooooh. Oh well.
Collingwood is in the sh*ts again for its players misbehaving with talcum powder (apparently you sniff talc for a joke at parties).
So there you go. All's well in AFL land...or it was until 10.10am last Sunday. Grrrr.
Looking forward to another season of balanced reporting Aerlik, at least when Freo and WC are playing! ;)
First round highlights for me were a cracking game between the cats and hawks with geelong pulling away in the last quarter for the win. The hawks were very good in patches but missed roughead badly up front and hills running. Dangerfield was fantastic for the cats in his debut. Him and Selwood are as good a midfield pairing as I've seen. Expect at least one of these two to be playing in the grand final.
Swans destroyed a well fancied magpies who lost dane swan early to a nasty looking knee injury.
I enjoy reading these too, but maybe Aerlick you could give a brief summary of the teams in the league? I don't always know who you are talking about. Who are Themmuns, and why do you hate them, etc etc?
Good to have it back Aerlik. Could I make my annual request that you can add a league ladder each week to save us the bother of having to look elsewhere. Not important for the first few weeks but would be handy from half way onwards.
Have BT Sports now so gonna follow this this year. Looking forward to it
Quote from: AZOffaly on March 30, 2016, 11:15:46 AM
I enjoy reading these too, but maybe Aerlick you could give a brief summary of the teams in the league? I don't always know who you are talking about. Who are Themmuns, and why do you hate them, etc etc?
West Coast Eagles 3 times Grand Final winners and the big brother in the Eagles/Freo rivalry. Liverpool to their Everton.
Dramatic finish to the Richmond and Collingwood game!
A great result for the Pies after last week's mauling in Sydney.
Quote from: Aerlik on March 30, 2016, 07:06:42 AM
Collingwood is in the sh*ts again for its players misbehaving with talcum powder (apparently you sniff talc for a joke at parties).
Can you explain this a bit further?
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/31204375/nothing-positive-about-collingwood-drug-scandal/ (https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/31204375/nothing-positive-about-collingwood-drug-scandal/)
11 players tested positive for recreational drug use in the off season. Also see they're in hot water over a sectarian banner at the tigers game
Thanks Ifdown, that's fairly interesting. When exactly did this happen, was it over the break this year or a few years ago?
;D
Just after watching the Hawks overcome the Bulldogs in a classic.Worth watching for Rioli's goal from the boundary,pure class!
Several technical issues with the home internet have resulted in my not being able to provide my (as anticipated) unbiased, probing and generally insightful analyses of the rounds that have preceded today. Now that my home internet connection has a semblance of normality again, I shall endeavour to bring you all up to date with what's what in the world of AFL land. (And I can see JimStynes and AlriteHorse smirking already...fekkers.)
Aerlik how did the Cockers get on against the mighty Eagles at the weekend??
;D
Quote from: Club Rossa on April 10, 2016, 09:09:21 AM
Just after watching the Hawks overcome the Bulldogs in a classic.Worth watching for Rioli's goal from the boundary,pure class!
Great game. The hawks production machine seems to be rollng on with big Sicily who had looked very good in roughead absence.
Demons against the kangaroos was another great game where the demons had a shout at goal with the last kick for the win.
The west coast Derby was a awful game and I reckon aerlik will have plenty to say on it. Dockers really struggling.
Aerlik where are you with your reports??
Quote from: Club Rossa on April 19, 2016, 05:39:42 PM
Aerlik where are you with your reports??
Have you not seem the ladder? Aerlik is in counselling! ;) To be fair I think he posted something about having broadband issues.
Another couple of cracking games at the weekend. Hawks were pushed all the way by a st kilda side that is looking better and better. Adelaide beat the swans in a great game. I'm really surprised by how well the crows have dealt with the loss of Dangerfield.
Freo lost again to North but played much better. You would have got some odds on then being 0-4 to start the season.
Pearce Hanley was brilliant against gold coast in an upset win for the lions. That left north with the only 100% record.
Yeah,that was a great game between the Crows and Swans.Hawthorn next for Adelaide.The Hawks performance against St.Kilda wouldn't do on Friday night.
In response to some general enquiries, I'll attempt to give a little background over a few posts about the AFL. Those better qualified can certainly point out errors and corrections.
History
In 1896, delegates from the stronger and wealthier Victoria Football Association clubs—Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne—met to form a breakaway competition and in 1897, the Victorian Football League (VFL), was born as an eight-team competition. Popularity of the VFL grew rapidly and by 1925 with 12 teams, had become the most prominent league in the game and would dominate so many aspects of the sport from that point on.
By 1980, the way the game was played had changed dramatically due to innovative coaching tactics, with the phasing out of many of the game's kicking styles and the increasing use of handball; while presentation was influenced by television.
In 1982, in a move that heralded big changes within the sport, one of the original VFL clubs and then struggling, South Melbourne, relocated to Sydney and became known as the Sydney Swans. In the late 1980s, due to the poor financial standing of many of the Victorian clubs, the VFL pursued a more national competition. Two more non-Victorian clubs, the West Coast Eagles and the Brisbane Bears, began playing in 1987.
In their early years, the Sydney and Brisbane clubs struggled both on and off-field because the substantial TV revenues they generated by playing on a Sunday went to the VFL. To protect these revenues the VFL granted significant draft concessions and financial aid to keep them competitive. Each club was required to pay a license fee which allowed the Victorian-based clubs to survive.
The league changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) following the 1989 season. In 1991, it gained its first South Australian team, the Adelaide Crows, which paid five million dollars to enter the AFL. During the next five years, two more non-Victorian teams, the Fremantle Dockers and Port Adelaide Power, joined the league. In 2011 and 2012, respectively, two new non-Victorian teams were added to the competition, the Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney Giants.
The AFL, currently with 18 member clubs, is the sport's elite competition and the most powerful body and continues to seek further opportunities to expand into new markets.
The 2015 season ended as follows, with the top 8 making the Finals. Hawthorn beat West Coast Eagles in the Grand Final.
The next post will detail the structure of the Finals.
1 Fremantle
2 West Coast Eagles
3 Hawthorn
4 Sydney Swans
5 Richmond
6 Western Bulldogs
7 Adelaide
8 North Melbourne
9 Port Adelaide
10 Geelong
11 Greater Western Sydney
12 Collingwood
13 Melbourne
14 St. Kilda
15 Essendon
16 Gold Coast
17 Brisbane Lions
18 Carlton
Drawing a diagram is the best way to show how the Finals work, but that is a skill I don't have. So a description of the four weeks of Finals will have to do instead.
The important thing to note is the Top 4 teams are not eliminated with a loss in their first game. the 5v8 and 6v7 games sees the loser out of the competition with one loss. Also, what they call the semi-final is what we would call a quarter final.
Week one
• 1st Qualifying Final: 1st ranked team hosts 4th ranked team
• 2nd Qualifying Final: 2nd ranked team hosts 3rd ranked team
• 1st Elimination Final: 5th ranked team hosts 8th ranked team
• 2nd Elimination Final: 6th ranked team hosts 7th ranked team
The eight finalists are split into two groups for the opening week of the Finals Series. The top four teams have the best chance of winning the premiership and play the two Qualifying Finals. The winners get a bye through to Week Three of the tournament to play home Preliminary Finals, while the losers play home Semi-Finals in Week Two. The bottom four teams play the two Elimination Finals, where the winners advance to Week Two away games and the losers' seasons are over.
There is a game on Friday Night, Saturday Afternoon, Saturday Night and Sunday Afternoon.
Week two
• 1st Semi-final: Loser of 1st QF hosts winner of 1st EF
• 2nd Semi-final: Loser of 2nd QF hosts winner of 2nd EF
One semi final is played on a Friday Night and the other is played on a Saturday Night.
Week three
• 1st Preliminary Final: Winner of 1st QF hosts winner of 2nd SF
• 2nd Preliminary Final: Winner of 2nd QF hosts winner of 1st SF
One Preliminary final is played on a Friday Night and the other is played on Saturday, usually in the Afternoon or at Twilight if one or more of the teams playing is an non-Victorian team, or at Night, if both teams are Victorian. However the final has not had two Victorian teams playing it in since 2010, and based on positive Twilight timeslot experiments in 2012 and 2014, it is unlikely that any future preliminary finals involving two Victorian teams will be played on Saturday night.
Week four
• Grand Final: Winner of 1st PF meets Winner of 2nd PF at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on a Saturday Afternoon.
Was there a team from New Zealand in it any time, thought I heard it in commentary one time
Quote from: redzone on April 23, 2016, 11:07:45 AM
Was there a team from New Zealand in it any time, thought I heard it in commentary one time
St. Kilda had a three year deal with Wellington to host a game each year, which is what you might have seen. That deal expired this year and was not renewed. Attendances dropped by 50% over the three years, from 25,000 to just over 12,000 last year, so it seems to be not catching on with the NZ sporting public. Some are anxious to renew the effort with Christchurch a possible venue, but no games in NZ for 2016.
The "Regular" Season's fixtures
Back in the days of 12 teams, each team played every other team at home and away, resulting in 22 games per team before the Finals. As expansion occurred the rules had to be changed. As the league now has 18 teams, the question arises as to how the league HQ decide how to get 22 games for each team. Hopefully, I can help to make it a little clearer here.
First of all, every team plays every other team once. That covers 17 games. To get the remaining five games the "committteeeeee" came up with the following system.
The previous season's final league position (called the "ladder" rather than "table) is divided into three sections, 1-6, 7-12 and 13-18. A team's extra five games is determined by their position in the section.
Sides ranked 1-6 on the ladder will have a minimum of two double-meetings with other top six sides and a maximum of three meetings with sides ranked 1-6. They will have a minimum of one double-meeting of sides ranked 7-12 and a maximum of two double-meetings of sides in the 7-12 range. They will have either no double meetings or a maximum of one double meeting with a side ranked 13-18.
Sides ranked 7-12 on the ladder will have a minimum of one double-meeting with sides ranked 1-6 on the ladder and a maximum of two meetings with sides ranked 1-6. They will have a minimum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 7-12 and a maximum of three double-meetings of sides 7-12. They will have a minimum of one double-meeting of sides ranked 13-18 and a maximum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 13-18.
Sides ranked 13-18 on the ladder will have either no double meeting or a maximum of one double meeting with a side ranked 1-6. They will have a minimum of one double-meeting with sides ranked 7-12 and a maximum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 7-12. They will have a minimum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 13-18 and a maximum of three double-meetings of sides 13-18.
Essentially, they try to match teams as far as possible with those of even strength from the previous year's standings.
The 22 rounds are played over 23 weeks, with each time having one bye week. 2016 sees a week off between round 23 and the first week of the finals as teams already qualified for the finals were resting players in the final round to the detriment of the viewing/paying public.
2016 Predictions before the season started
Although there are 5 rounds completed by this weekend, I thought it appropriate to check on the pre-season predictions of some of the expert reporters that cover the games.
The easiest part is to determine from the predictions are the teams with no hope of making the top 8 and advancing to the finals. The experts say Essendon, Carlton, Brisbane, St Kilda, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Adelaide Crows are the bottom seven in the competition.
That leaves 11 teams fighting for 8 finals positions.
Top 6 seem to be separated from the rest (in order): West Coast, Hawthorn, Fremantle, Richmond, Sydney Swans and Geelong.
That leaves five teams chasing the last two spots: Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and Collingwood.
Regular updates will show how "expert" these predictions turn out, although they seem general enough in classifying teams into groups rather than exact finishing positions.
After 5 rounds there is only one team undefeated...North Melbourne. There is also one winless team...Fremantle.
Western Bulldogs, Sydney Swans, Geelong and Hawthorn have four wins out of five.
On 3 wins is GW Sydney, Gold Coast, West Coast, Adelaide Crows and Melbourne.
That's the Top 10.
On two wins are Port Adelaide and Collingwood and single victories have been gained by ST Kilda, Richmond, Carlton, Brisbane and Essendon.
Surprises so Far.
Biggest surprise, even shock, is the winless Fremantle Docker team. Add in the fact that star player Nat Fyfe broke his left leg this weekend and the season looks very grim for the team that topped the ladder last year. The only other item missing from out West is Aerlik's computer...any connection in both being disabled?
On the positive side, the undefeated North Melbourne and one-loss Western Bulldogs top the ladder. They play each other this coming weekend, so we will see if either or both are for real. Note from the expert predictions that these two were expected to be in the five chasing the last two finals spots. Plenty of games left, but these experts might be the same mob doing the weather forecasts.
Geelong were expected to improve over last year, and are indeed looking good. Sydney Swans have not gone back much from last year and Hawthorn will be there or thereabouts as well.
Still have 17 rounds to go and anything can happen. Steering clear of injuries is crucial in such a high-contact game.
Although I've been watching the game seriously for only two years and do not live in a city with a team (hence no allegiance to any team), I find the game enthralling. There have been some very exciting games so far. The knowledgeable commentators and analysts (nearly always ex-players) during games add greatly to the game - usually four commentators per game!!! There are a few other observations/peculiarities that should be raised for comment with a view to improving Gaelic football. Look for another post later on my list of items to discuss, assuming the board is still functioning that is...anyone have any reason for unavailability several times over the last few days?
>:( >:( >:(
Ahem, the internet issues were resolved; the comment about counselling, while probably not unwarranted, was not the case. My team are not playing well. NO. Oh well, as you've been screaming for it here goes.
ROUND ONE
Richmond 92-83 Carlton
The traditional start to the season and while it was a close game on the scoreboard, Richmond did enough throughout to keep their noses in front to the end. Of note was the lack of noise from Richmond fans about this being the year...every years seems to be the year.
Melbourne 80-78 GWS
A superbly exciting final quarter saw the Demons snatch a victory that many would not have begrudged the rising Giants. Not pretty but a win is a win.
Gold Coast 121-60 Essendon
We were all wondering just how much the year-long bans would have on Essendon and this provided the answer. Tis going to be a long year if you are an Essendon fan.
North Melbourne 107-97 Adelaide
Classic game of footy with two teams who will feature in the finals for sure. End to end stuff and some great play all around. What the fan of the game wants to see, every week.
Sydney 133-53 Collingwood
If you're going to upset a team's plans for their season, best to do it two days before the first game of the season and best to make it a damning indictment of the club. The latest drug scandal to affect the AFL is against Collingwood and, well, it showed. Rubbish to watch.
Western Bulldogs 103-38 Fremantle
But not as rubbish as the crap that was served up in this game by the team who finished the regular season atop the ladder. Sweet Jaysus that was bad. No further comment.
Port Adelaide 133-100 St. Kilda
Not many teams score 100 and still lose. Signs are not looking good at Port Adelaide for the year and St. Kilda are on the rebuild.
West Coast Eagles 166-102 Brisbane
Right, if you are from Perth, forget about booking flights to and hotels in Melbourne on the first weekend of October as it is a given that themmuns will be in the final. This is going to be very difficult to stomach.
Geelong 116-86 Hawthorn
Is this the beginning of the end for Hawthorn or is the four-in-a-row still on? Hmmmm, I wonder. Patrick Dangerfield made a great debut for Geelong after his transfer from Adelaide, and the absence of Jarrod Roughead for the Hawks were two noticeable points in this game.
ROUND TWO
Collingwood 87-86 Richmond
How not to defend an 18pt lead with a few minutes remaining. Rule no. 1, do not kick the ball to the wing as the rules have changed and you'll give away a free. Rule no. 2, mark a man, especially the 6'4" lad standing about 20m out from your goal...on his own. Rule no. 3, do all of the above in the last 30 seconds cos otherwise the opposition will score. And guess what happened...
An amazing ending to a pretty enjoyable game even if there were long periods of mediocre skill execution.
Adelaide 144-86 Pt. Adelaide
Oh dear, not one the Port fans will want to remember. Didn't see the game but by all accounts it was a feeble Port effort.
Essendon 80-67 Melbourne
Last year this would've been expected but this year with the banned players etc., Melbourne were supposed to win. Fekkers ruined my 9/9 tipping. Fekkers.
North Melbourne 117-83 Brisbane
As expected the powerful kangas continue on their merry way against a rebuilding Lions team.
Western Bulldogs 93-36 St. Kilda
Another powerful effort from the ascending Dogs.
Gold Coast 126-100 Fremantle
Another shite effort from Freo. In my nearly 10 years as a full member of the club I had never walked out before the end of a game...until this game. I was raging. Some of the errors were simply unforgiveable. Not impressed. On a brighter note, mini-me finally got to see Gary Ablett Jr. play and in the same game as the current Brownlow medallist, Nat Fyfe of Freo. Not the best start to the season, especially at home.
GWS 89-76 Geelong
Yep, you read right. Some superb score-taking by the young Giants. Is this their year to make finals?
Hawthorn 99-53 West Coast
Phew, there might be room on the planes to Melbourne in October, after all. The hawks were absolutely clinical in this game and questions have to be raised about the mental capacity of the Eagles' players. I'm just fekkin happy they lost. Hard enough living in Perth listening to the soothsayers.
Sydney 131-71 Carlton
Putrid footy by the Blues. Nuff said.
ROUND THREE
Port Adelaide 112-51 Essendon
Didn't see this game but by all accounts it was garbage.
St. Kilda 119-90 Collingwood
I had tipped the pies to win but I didn't mind getting this wrong. Helluva game for Saints fans with some of the play breathtaking in its execution.
Adelaide 128-92 Richmond
Eeek, the Crows are starting to develop a seriously powerful squad. Should be there or thereabouts in September. As for the Tigers, well, it's not looking good.
Sydney 93-68 GWS
Now we know which is the best team in Sydney. The Swans were just waaaaay to strong all over the park for the Giants. No repeat of past giant-killing (no pun intended) exploits in this game.
Gold Coast 95-41 Carlton
More shite from Carlton. Why? I dunno. Just not playing ball.
Themmuns 92-59 Freo
A great start by Freo had themmuns on the rack in the first quarter despite some shocking set shot kicking by Freo. The game could've been over at quarter time but lady luck was to deal us a bad hand. A serious injury to the Freo ruck giant Sandilands (punctured lung/broken ribs) after a contested mark with the human palm tree saw the Freo game disintegrate. Not a happy chappy walking home but at least the effort was better than last week and I refused to let the drug cheats's fans gloat too much and I stayed to the end. Fekk.
North Melbourne 136-131 Melbourne
Another really exciting finish and had the Demons had an extra 5 seconds there is nothing to say they wouldn't have snatched an incredible win. But that is footy. Close.
Hawthorn 93-90 Western Bulldogs
A wonderful game for the neutral. It had everything. Drama, controversy, great scores, shocking misses. But sadly it also have injuries, none more so than to the great Bulldogs player Robert Murphy, who in the last minute wrecked his knee in a contested mark from which the Hawks man kicked the winning score. Yep that is footy.
Geelong 125-56 Brisbane.
I didn't see this game but the score says it all.
ROUND FOUR
West Coast 125-57 Richmond
Yep, well, we better not be booking any flights to Melbourne again. Really boring game.
Geelong 72-42 Essendon
More rubbish from the bombers. Didn't see any of the game but can't imagine my comments to be anywhere too far from the facts.
Hawthorn 87-84 St. Kilda
I only started watching the last quarter of this really tight and tense encounter. It was gripping stuff. When young (19 yo) Paddy McCartin took a great contested mark 50m out with only 3 minutes to go, there was nothing to suggest he would miss. He did and the Hawks hung on for their second 3-point win in successive weeks. Great stuff from the young Saints team.
Brisbane 107-94 Gold Coast
The Suns were looking for a 4-0 start to the season but a Pearse Hanley-inspired Lions team took the game right up to them and recorded a great win, their first for the year. The most notable incident in the game was the "bump" by May on the Lions player. Ouch, it hurt just to watch it. Tough boys in this game.
Western Bulldogs 85-49 Carlton.
Didn't see any of this game and I don't think I missed too much.
Adelaide 113-103 Sydney
Kurt Tippett returned again to his first club but left on the losing team. Great game from two teams which I am beginning to think will be in the Grand Final. (Alrite Horse has booked his Grand Final package already, I'm told.)
GWS 151-65 Port Adelaide
Now I'm not a fan of the Port director, David Koch who also happens to the anchorman for Channel 7's breakfast TV show. But his description of the efforts of his team as a "disgrace" says it all. It was. That is not taking anything away from the efforts of the Giants.
Melbourne 102-67 Collingwood
Very few like Collingwood, and even fewer Melbourne fans have got even an iota of sympathy for what is reputed to be the largest club in the land. Well, the Demons' fans were singing loud after this one.
North Melbourne 132-101 Fremantle
Woeful kicking. That is all. I started to watch the game then switched off at quarter time. I'd had enough. How the fcuk men who are paid very well to kick a fekkin ball cannot do so is beyond me. Mini-me and his Redcliffe u-15s are better. Not impressed. Finals over. The end.
ROUND FIVE
Hawthorn 112-109 Adelaide
A fine advert for Aussie Rules. Not a fine advert for shite umpiring. For the third week in a row the Hawks escaped defeat with only a 3-pt win. But the talking point will be the decision to award a free in the last minute to Hawthorn for what seemed a perfectly good tackle. Other than that it was a classic game for end-to-end footy.
Sydney 88-49 West Coast
Oh, don't you love it when the media build up a team you despise only to see them self-implode! Freo's woes are being cushioned by those teams that beat themmuns well. I only caught bits of the game. Enough to see me grin again.
North Melbourne 119-81 Gold Coast
The roos made it 5-0 and their best start to a season in over 20 years. Is this the start of a premiership season? Wouldn't begrudge them the win, to be honest. But Collingwood fans are not happy. Are they ever?
Western Bulldogs 120-67 Brisbane
Back to earth with a bump for the Lions. The dogs are playing some great footy in spite of injuries. One to watch in the finals, methinks.
Geelong 107-59 Port Adelaide
At quarter time the Power were up by 18 points then Geelong woke up and totally dominated the rest of the game. Some nice "attention" was paid to ex Crow Patrick Dangerfield on his first visit back to Adelaide after his transfer to the Cats. I got bored at ¾ time so turned over.
GWS 126-79 St. Kilda
The Giants keep on winning and winning well. Bit of a surprise, this result, as I thought that the Saints were building a bit of momentum following their previous two displays.
Carlton 72-68 Fremantle
My late father used to describe my shots at goals as "ya cuddint hit a bull's arse with a barn dure"! Well, the same applies to Freo at the moment. This was agony to experience in the flesh. In fact, I was numbed to the point of not even getting up and leaving before the end. What has gone wrong? I have no idea. Bottom of the ladder. Suddenly that grin is invisible. And serious injuries to Nat Fyfe who has re-cracked the fibia he damaged last year, and Michael Johnson with his dodgy hamstring make this the season from hell. Well, I for one, won't be heading to Melbourne in October.
Melbourne 129-96 Richmond
For the second week, the Demons have belted another of their old cross-town adversaries. The first time in several seasons that they've won back-to-back games. Not something to be lauded, mind you.
Collingwood 142-73 Essendon
The traditional ANZAC day clash and it was crap. I only saw the highlights which were enough.
I'm not a happy Freo fan today.
ROUND SIX
North Melbourne 61-46 Western Bulldogs
Arguably the most anticipated game of the round. It was tough and uncompromising but not pretty. To be expected but the Roos held on and now stretch their winning streak to 6-0.
St. Kilda 135-96 Melbourne
The Saints were just too smart for the Demons today.
Adelaide 97-64 Fremantle
Never mind hitting a bull's arse with a barn door, Freo couldn't hit one with a fekkin laser guided missile from 5 metres. They were all over Adelaide in stages of this game and but for shite kicking (8-16) could even have won this game. Dear God this is agonising, 0-6.
GWS 158-83 Hawthorn
No, your eyesight is perfect. Yes, you have read that correctly. And I watched it. Whao. What an effort. Ex-Cat Steve Johnson was at his mercurial best as was the Giants' giant ruckman Rory Lobb. Hands like shovels, arms like windmills and feet that work. Take note Freo. A great game to watch as it is nice to see the little man thrash the big man. Except that Freo play the little man next week. Gulp, groan, eeeeeeeeek.
Port Adelaide 94-59 Richmond
Things are not looking too good for the Tigers' season either. Another loss and they are at 1-5.
Geelong 168-48 Gold Coast
Bet Gary Ablett Jr. had wished he had taken up the rumoured offers to return to Geelong last year after this thrashing. From 3-0, the Suns now are 3-3. Damnit, there's even a chance Freo might catch up with them.
Sydney 97-94 Brisbane
Ooooooh so close for the Lions. I was listening to this in stages on the car wireless and it was close throughout but the experience of the Swans was just too great and they fell over the line.
Carlton 72-57 Essendon
When are Freo playing Essendon? That is all.
West Coast 124-62 Collingwood
At ¾ time there were only a couple of kicks in it as the Pies came back after a very sluggish start and took the game to the undetected Drug Cheats. In the end the latter were just too powerful and won handily enough.
https://www.facebook.com/720942448042789/videos/741751425961891/
Hopefully this comes through. Before the AFL, the Western Australian Footy League had massive crowds and big hits. Like this one.
Hawks have not been particularly impressive this year. Brilliant in patches and involved in great games but lucky to have 4 wins on the board given three wins were by less than a goal. The loss of roughhead is massive.
North look pretty good as do the Bulldogs. Franklin kicking big scores for the swans as well.
Luke Hodge out for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.
Aerlik men in glass houses shouldnt throw stones regarding West Coast players alleged drug use, from what I have seen and heard theres plenty of Dockers who like a bit of party gear.
Aerlik knows I saw a few dockers players taking drugs in a club in Perth one night!! They weren't secret about it either. PEDs are rife in AFL as well.
Quote from: Club Rossa on May 03, 2016, 07:48:51 AM
Luke Hodge out for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.
Bollox. One of my favourite players
Hodge not having much luck this season.Hawks will miss his leadership.Roughead has resumed light training though,not sure when he's expected back.They have Richmond this weekend,who have a very good recent record again Hawthorn .Will be interesting to see how they respond after last week's tanking.
Quote from: Club Rossa on May 04, 2016, 01:47:24 PM
Hodge not having much luck this season.Hawks will miss his leadership.Roughead has resumed light training though,not sure when he's expected back.They have Richmond this weekend,who have a very good recent record again Hawthorn .Will be interesting to see how they respond after last week's tanking.
Good news about roughhead but the problem I can see is the lack of pre season. Afl is one of the toughest sports out there from aerobic perspective and to come into it mid season is tough.
Incredible game between the Tigers and swans with Richmond winning by a point with a goal after the siren. Game was runsof 3-4 goals for one team them the other coming back. Tigers really upset the form book in this one.
Buddy Franklin kicked 5 but his battle with Rance was as good as you'll see. Probably the best forward in the game up against the best man on man defender.
Awful news about Jarryd Roughead,he's suffered a recurrence of melanoma.
Quote from: Club Rossa on May 17, 2016, 07:21:04 AM
Awful news about Jarryd Roughead,he's suffered a recurrence of melanoma.
Not good. Great player and he seems like one of the most likable players around. Hopefully he can get it sorted and make it back this season.
Fingers crossed he can overcome it again.
Where did the match reports go to :(
Quote from: redzone on June 13, 2016, 08:15:33 PM
Where did the match reports go to :(
Aerlik's team keep getting beat, that's where lol. In fairness I too look forward to the weekly reports, id be a bit of an Eagles fan, hopefully the reports keep coming.
I don't get to watch as many games as Aerlik, however I did see one live and another recorded.
Firstly the live game and Brisbane Lions (9-10-64) v Freo (23-9-147):
Bottom of the table clash as these 2 with a single win each from the first 11 rounds and Essendon will definitely make up the bottom 3, as a Lions fan I was hoping that home ground advantage and an improved effort in the last 2 weeks would see us win.
Boy was I wrong. Freo, who are decimated by injuries this year, and travelled without Pavlich, scored more than they have done in any game in 3 years. The outlook is bleak for the Lions, whereas Fremantle's list should bounce back from this year.
Geelong (15-15-105) v North Melbourne (12-2-74)
Probably the second best game of the round after the Bulldogs and Port, this was a mother of a midfield battle. Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood combined for a total of 86 disposals! On the other side Brent Harvey, who is 38 years old and is 5 short of the most appearances of any AFL player ever, scored 4 goals in the first half. North were undone by the loss of their captain Andrew Swallow to a nasty looking concussion from a relatively innocuous challenge, Nick Dal Santo was in and out some sort of adductor tweak.
Really the cats could have been clear much earlier, but they have been kicking poorly this year - it was 5-9-63 to 8-1-49 at half time.
Beggars belief how long Danger was left without a tag.
Port Adelaide (14-13-97) v W Bulldogs (15-10-100)
Only got to see bits of this game but seems to have been a cracker. The Bulldogs briefly led by 3 goals half way through the first qtr but thereafter no team was ever more than 11 pts ahead.Bulldogs scored 3 in a row at the start of the fourth to get from 9 down to 9 up, and it was tit for tat after that with every second goal up to the final whistle.
GWS (15-15-105) vs Sydney Swans (9-9-63)
GWS are a young up and coming side - they have had a couple of blips this year and people don't know how highly to rate them. They were impressive here, in the club's 100th game and at home to the local rivals. Sydney had been building nicely up to this game and would have been expected to go top with a win here, but the Giants went ahead half way through the second quarter and never looked back.
In other games, Essendon (6-7-43) got hammered by the Hawks (23-13-151), West Coast (11-10-76) suffered a home defeat to Adelaide (15-15-105), St Kilda (17-8-110) slightly shocked a Carlton (12-6-78) side that had been exceeding everyone's expectations this year (even though they have about 5 #1 draft picks), an up-and -down Richmond (17-12-114) beat a poor Gold Coast (15-7-97) and finally on the Queen's bday long weekend in Melbourne, Melbourne Demons (16-8-104) beat Collingwood (8-10-58). Haven't seen or heard much from that game
Thanks Deeler,will you do that for us every week?
I was trying to do it at work - took about two hours of coming back to it
Hawthorn beat north melbourne by 8 in a cracker on Friday night. North should have been about 30 clear at half time but missed to many and the hawks just kept chipping away with goals. Sicily scored 5 for the hawks when the big name forwards well marshaled. Mitchell and burgoyne very good.
A few scuffles in this game but great watching. The hawks just know how to win tight games and North fans will be worried about how they perform against the big guns.
Boomer Harvey closing in on the all time game record
Very bad tempered game between the Hawks and Roos.All the talk beforehand was about how North had been bullied by the Hawks in their last meeting.North should have been out of sight at quarter time but they let the Hawks hang about.They are making a habit of coming through in tight games and did so yet again last night.
Hawks beat Sydney by 5 in a great gam between the top 2. Rioli with a winning kick work a couple of minutes to go. Swans will be sick. Leaf kept changing but a couple of 50 metre penalties that talked in goals cost them in the end.
Shaun Burgoyne and Sam Mitchell excellent for hawks and frawley kept franklin scoreless. Luke Parker and Gary rowan excellent for the swans. 5 th hand this year the hawks have won by under a goal.
Quote from: Ball Hopper on April 24, 2016, 06:43:57 AM
2016 Predictions before the season started
I thought it appropriate to check on the pre-season predictions of some of the expert reporters that cover the games.
The easiest part is to determine from the predictions are the teams with no hope of making the top 8 and advancing to the finals. The experts say Essendon, Carlton, Brisbane, St Kilda, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Adelaide Crows are the bottom seven in the competition.
That leaves 11 teams fighting for 8 finals positions.
Top 6 seem to be separated from the rest (in order): West Coast, Hawthorn, Fremantle, Richmond, Sydney Swans and Geelong.
That leaves five teams chasing the last two spots: Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and Collingwood.
Regular updates will show how "expert" these predictions turn out, although they seem general enough in classifying teams into groups rather than exact finishing positions.
After 16 of the 22 games have been played, it is time to update the standings for everyone and see where the pre-season experts got it right/wrong.
Easiest way is to state number of wins for each team (4 points for a win if you want to look up the table/ladder). Teams with same number of points are separated by % scoring difference (points scored divided by points conceded, times 100).
Most projections say 12 wins will get a playoff spot
13 wins Hawthorn
12 Adelaide Crows, Western Bulldogs
11 GWS Giants, Sydney Swans, West Coast Eagles, Geelong Cats
10 North Melbourne
That's the top 8 teams who would make the play-offs if current standings hold over the last 6 games.
Chasing the top 8 are:
8 wins Port Adelaide, St Kilda
7 Melbourne, Collingwood, Richmond
6 Carlton
5 Gold Coast Suns
3 Fremantle
1 Brisbane Lions, Essendon
Now to the experts predictions...two of their top 6 are well out of the race, Fremantle and Richmond. Of their bottom 7, one (Adelaide Crows) are in 2nd place overall - the other six are outside the top 8 although St Kilda and Melbourne are not in the bottom 7 and with a run of form from here on could reach the 12 win mark.
I'm fairly sure the resident experts on this board would have as good a prediction as the experts.
Will update again in a few weeks as the season continues - the last game before playoffs is the last weekend in August.
Quote from: Ball Hopper on July 20, 2016, 06:51:25 PM
Quote from: Ball Hopper on April 24, 2016, 06:43:57 AM
2016 Predictions before the season started
I thought it appropriate to check on the pre-season predictions of some of the expert reporters that cover the games.
The easiest part is to determine from the predictions are the teams with no hope of making the top 8 and advancing to the finals. The experts say Essendon, Carlton, Brisbane, St Kilda, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Adelaide Crows are the bottom seven in the competition.
That leaves 11 teams fighting for 8 finals positions.
Top 6 seem to be separated from the rest (in order): West Coast, Hawthorn, Fremantle, Richmond, Sydney Swans and Geelong.
That leaves five teams chasing the last two spots: Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and Collingwood.
Regular updates will show how "expert" these predictions turn out, although they seem general enough in classifying teams into groups rather than exact finishing positions.
After 16 of the 22 games have been played, it is time to update the standings for everyone and see where the pre-season experts got it right/wrong.
Easiest way is to state number of wins for each team (4 points for a win if you want to look up the table/ladder). Teams with same number of points are separated by % scoring difference (points scored divided by points conceded, times 100).
Most projections say 12 wins will get a playoff spot
13 wins Hawthorn
12 Adelaide Crows, Western Bulldogs
11 GWS Giants, Sydney Swans, West Coast Eagles, Geelong Cats
10 North Melbourne
That's the top 8 teams who would make the play-offs if current standings hold over the last 6 games.
Chasing the top 8 are:
8 wins Port Adelaide, St Kilda
7 Melbourne, Collingwood, Richmond
6 Carlton
5 Gold Coast Suns
3 Fremantle
1 Brisbane Lions, Essendon
Now to the experts predictions...two of their top 6 are well out of the race, Fremantle and Richmond. Of their bottom 7, one (Adelaide Crows) are in 2nd place overall - the other six are outside the top 8 although St Kilda and Melbourne are not in the bottom 7 and with a run of form from here on could reach the 12 win mark.
I'm fairly sure the resident experts on this board would have as good a prediction as the experts.
Will update again in a few weeks as the season continues - the last game before playoffs is the last weekend in August.
Crowd are playing the best football of the lot. If Dangerfield hadn't went to Geelong the flag might have been a foregone conclusion the way he is playing at the Cats!
Hayden Ballantyne looking to leave Freo Shockers and join the Eagles I hear! Great result for the Eagles today!
Help me out here.....18 team league yet each team play a league of 22 matches?? Surely if its a 1-way league you play 17 matches?? So how do they work this out?
Quote from: aontroim abu on August 17, 2016, 10:16:24 AM
Help me out here.....18 team league yet each team play a league of 22 matches?? Surely if its a 1-way league you play 17 matches?? So how do they work this out?
See post below from earlier in the thread:
The "Regular" Season's fixtures
Back in the days of 12 teams, each team played every other team at home and away, resulting in 22 games per team before the Finals. As expansion occurred the rules had to be changed. As the league now has 18 teams, the question arises as to how the league HQ decide how to get 22 games for each team. Hopefully, I can help to make it a little clearer here.
First of all, every team plays every other team once. That covers 17 games. To get the remaining five games the "committteeeeee" came up with the following system.
The previous season's final league position (called the "ladder" rather than "table) is divided into three sections, 1-6, 7-12 and 13-18. A team's extra five games is determined by their position in the section.
Sides ranked 1-6 on the ladder will have a minimum of two double-meetings with other top six sides and a maximum of three meetings with sides ranked 1-6. They will have a minimum of one double-meeting of sides ranked 7-12 and a maximum of two double-meetings of sides in the 7-12 range. They will have either no double meetings or a maximum of one double meeting with a side ranked 13-18.
Sides ranked 7-12 on the ladder will have a minimum of one double-meeting with sides ranked 1-6 on the ladder and a maximum of two meetings with sides ranked 1-6. They will have a minimum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 7-12 and a maximum of three double-meetings of sides 7-12. They will have a minimum of one double-meeting of sides ranked 13-18 and a maximum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 13-18.
Sides ranked 13-18 on the ladder will have either no double meeting or a maximum of one double meeting with a side ranked 1-6. They will have a minimum of one double-meeting with sides ranked 7-12 and a maximum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 7-12. They will have a minimum of two double-meetings of sides ranked 13-18 and a maximum of three double-meetings of sides 13-18.
Essentially, they try to match teams as far as possible with those of even strength from the previous year's standings.
The 22 rounds are played over 23 weeks, with each time having one bye week. 2016 sees a week off between round 23 and the first week of the finals as teams already qualified for the finals were resting players in the final round to the detriment of the viewing/paying public.
Conor mckenna with a couple of goals at the weekend as the bombers finally got their second win.
Regular season done and the Swans win the minor premiership with Cats second. Hawks beat Collingwood by a point to clinch 3rd. Had they lost it would have had major implications for the finals.
Two Sydney teams look very strong with west coast in a good run of form as well. Geelong have Dangerfield and Selwood but possibly not enough scoring threat up front. Adelaide can score for fun but struggle against the big guns at time. And the Hawks are the Hawks. Poor form recently, still heavily dependent on Sam Mitchell but just know how to win.
All in all the most open Final series in years.
Here's hoping I can lay out the playoff games in an easy to understand format.
First off the Top 8 make it to the Finals. The Top 4 need only win 2 games to get to the Grand Final, while 5-8 must win 3 games.
I find it is easier to understand if I label games A to F.
2016 Finals:
A Sydney Swans v Greater Western Sydney (loser plays winner of Game D)
B Geelong Cats v Hawthorn (loser plays winner of Game C)
C West Coast Eagles v Western Bulldogs (loser eliminated)
D Adelaide Crows v North Melbourne (loser eliminated)
E Winner Game A plays the winner of B loser v C winner
F Winner Game B plays the winner of A loser v D winner
G Grand Final is winner E v winner F
Is this better than quarter finals as we know them? It rewards the top 4 it seems, which is where we might have our provincial champions in the GAA world.
Edit: Games A,B,C and D scheduled for Sept 8, 9 and 10.
Hurley released by Dockers there I see. 3 years and no AFL games. Doubt any other tam will come in for him now being virtually an unknown quantity bar the handful of games he played in the WAFL.
Hard luck on him with the injuries. He might be a good boost for Kildare if he is able to stay fit for Gaelic Football.
I see Colin O'Riordan has broken a bone in his back, and punctured a lung.
Quote from: AlriteHorse on August 31, 2016, 05:13:42 AM
Hurley released by Dockers there I see. 3 years and no AFL games. Doubt any other tam will come in for him now being virtually an unknown quantity bar the handful of games he played in the WAFL.
If he couldn't make an impact for the Dockers this season when they were in rebuild mode and blooded a few youngsters it's hard to see him making it.
2016 Finals after first week of finals:
A Sydney Swans lost to Greater Western Sydney (Sydney Swans play Adelaide Crows on 17 Sept)
B Geelong Cats beat Hawthorn (Hawthorn plays Western Bulldogs on 16 Sept)
C West Coast Eagles lost to Western Bulldogs (loser eliminated)
D Adelaide Crows beat North Melbourne (loser eliminated)
E Greater Western Sydney plays the winner of Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs on 24 Sept
F Geelong Cats plays the winner of Sydney Swans v Adelaide Crows on 23 Sept
G Grand Final is winner E v winner F on 1 October
Quote from: Ball Hopper on September 14, 2016, 04:08:00 PM
2016 Finals after first week of finals:
A Sydney Swans lost to Greater Western Sydney (Sydney Swans play Adelaide Crows on 17 Sept)
B Geelong Cats beat Hawthorn (Hawthorn plays Western Bulldogs on 16 Sept)
C West Coast Eagles lost to Western Bulldogs (loser eliminated)
D Adelaide Crows beat North Melbourne (loser eliminated)
E Greater Western Sydney plays the winner of Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs on 24 Sept
F Geelong Cats plays the winner of Sydney Swans v Adelaide Crows on 23 Sept
G Grand Final is winner E v winner F on 1 October
The hawks cats and Sydney Derby were great games. Smith had a kick after the siren to win it for the hawks but missed.
Bulldogs looked really good against an out of sorts eagles who were many people's tip for the flag after a great fun of results.
Where is Aerlik??
Hawthorn beat! What a team they have been this past few years.
81-57 @ 3/4 time to the Swans v Adelaide, some match, Swans on top in 1st & 2nd 1/4 but Crows came back strong in 3rd. All to play for
So it is down to four...
Greater Western Sydney play Western Bulldogs on 24 Sept and
Geelong Cats play Sydney Swans on 23 Sept
Three of the top 4 still in it...Hawthorn being the odd one out.
Conor Glass picked up his 1st title this morning.Box Hill Hawks won the development grand final against Casey Scorpions.
Hawthorn's amazing run came to an end with defeat to the Bulldogs on Friday night.Blown away in the 3rd quarter after an even enough 1st half.Who knows how things would've turned out had Isaac Smith kicked the goal against Geelong at the buzzer.I still don't think they had the legs for the run in.
Quote from: Club Rossa on September 18, 2016, 09:34:08 AM
Hawthorn's amazing run came to an end with defeat to the Bulldogs on Friday night.Blown away in the 3rd quarter after an even enough 1st half.Who knows how things would've turned out had Isaac Smith kicked the goal against Geelong at the buzzer.I still don't think they had the legs for the run in.
Agreed. Hawks on their day can beat anyone but they weren't as good this year. Wona lot of close games.. still The best team I have ever seen play and hopefully there is one more year in some of the old guard. The loss of roughhead was massive and hopefully we see him back next year.
As for the flagi reckon the swans are strongest. Geelong midfield is awesome but don't think they have enough up front.
At the risk of talking to myself the grand final pairing now decided. Swans crushed geelong in as good a 1st quarter performance as you will see. The surprise package opposing them is the Bulldogs who won a classic against the giants by a single kick. Bulldogs have been superb in the knockout stages bit I just think the swans will have to much for them.
Add a slight aside, rumours that the swans want zach tuohy next year.
Some background before the Grand Final:
So it is Sydney Swans versus a Western Bulldogs team that is riding a wave of momentum in the 2016 AFL Grand Final on Saturday 1 October. The blossoming Bulldogs, who have won three successive games after entering each clash as underdogs, are desperate to end the longest active premiership drought of 62 years in their first Grand Final appearance since 1961.
The Dogs are also the first team in history to make the Grand Final seeded seventh and a win over the Swans would eclipse Adelaide winning from fifth in 1998.
Sydney Swans will enter their fifth Grand Final in 12 seasons and will be aiming for a third title in that period.
The Bulldogs have turned the tables on the Swans in recent times. From 2011-2014, Sydney won six in a row, the last five by an average of 62 points. But their past two meetings, both at the Sydney Cricket Ground (in round five of 2015, and round 15 this year), resulted in stirring four-point Dogs' triumphs.
The Swans have never beaten the Dogs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. They have met on the hallowed turf just three times, each of which were knockout finals won by the Bulldogs in 1997, 2008 and 2010.
Great game here. 1pt in it, 10 mins to go. Bulldogs been on top but can't get the scores.
Bulldogs got their act together and ran away with it, won 89-67. Been 63 years since they last won it, fantastic scenes. Maybe an omen for later?
Thoroughly enjoyable game, as a Swans fan I'm finding it very hard to begrudge the doggies.
Serious match, Swans outmuscled completely in final quarter.
Trade period starts next week - a couple of Irishmen rumoured to be on the move with Pearse Hanley talking to Gold Coast Suns and Zach Tuohy a potential target for North Melbourne.
How's Cian Hanley getting on over there? It obviously took him a while to recover from his ACL so he probably hasn't made much headway yet
Doggies were seriously impressive in the final series. You have to feel sorry for Bob Murphy. Veteran captain who did his cruciate midway through the season so missed out on the finals. Strange season all in all with the top 8 pretty much clear of the pack from about july meaning a lot of games were pretty meaningless in the latter half of the season.
On to the trade period now and a few big moves rumoured. Breust from the Hawks potentially to the Sun's with o'meara going the other way. Tom Mitchell likely to go to hawthorn from swans and Haydon ballwntine could cross the city in Perth.
Hopefully Freo get back to winning ways in 2017 and we might see Aerlik back here! !
Quote from: macdanger2 on October 05, 2016, 10:48:39 AM
How's Cian Hanley getting on over there? It obviously took him a while to recover from his ACL so he probably hasn't made much headway yet
Not sure that he has played a game yet - after the ACL he had groin surgery. After 2 years on the sidelines you would think he would need to make an impression this year or that will be it. Still, with the Lions in the bottom 2 this year and a new coach a lot of things would be up for grabs.
a deal has been confirmed today to send Brisbane defender Pearce Hanley to Gold Coast Suns
Quote from: An Astrail on October 05, 2016, 05:54:42 AM
Trade period starts next week - a couple of Irishmen rumoured to be on the move with Pearse Hanley talking to Gold Coast Suns and Zach Tuohy a potential target for North Melbourne.
Quote from: qz on October 18, 2016, 12:26:24 AM
a deal has been confirmed today to send Brisbane defender Pearce Hanley to Gold Coast Suns
Quote from: An Astrail on October 05, 2016, 05:54:42 AM
Trade period starts next week - a couple of Irishmen rumoured to be on the move with Pearse Hanley talking to Gold Coast Suns and Zach Tuohy a potential target for North Melbourne.
Not a follower of the sport but interested in Hanleys etc. What sort of team are the Gold Coast Suns?
Aware Brisbane have been cannon fodder the past while.
Quote from: PW Nally on October 18, 2016, 04:24:46 AM
Quote from: qz on October 18, 2016, 12:26:24 AM
a deal has been confirmed today to send Brisbane defender Pearce Hanley to Gold Coast Suns
Quote from: An Astrail on October 05, 2016, 05:54:42 AM
Trade period starts next week - a couple of Irishmen rumoured to be on the move with Pearse Hanley talking to Gold Coast Suns and Zach Tuohy a potential target for North Melbourne.
Not a follower of the sport but interested in Hanleys etc. What sort of team are the Gold Coast Suns?
Aware Brisbane have been cannon fodder the past while.
Suns are in the AFL since 2011 & in 6 seasons have never been in the play off finals, top 8, so I'd say he is swapping like for like
Quote from: qz on October 18, 2016, 06:44:45 AM
Quote from: PW Nally on October 18, 2016, 04:24:46 AM
Quote from: qz on October 18, 2016, 12:26:24 AM
a deal has been confirmed today to send Brisbane defender Pearce Hanley to Gold Coast Suns
Quote from: An Astrail on October 05, 2016, 05:54:42 AM
Trade period starts next week - a couple of Irishmen rumoured to be on the move with Pearse Hanley talking to Gold Coast Suns and Zach Tuohy a potential target for North Melbourne.
Not a follower of the sport but interested in Hanleys etc. What sort of team are the Gold Coast Suns?
Aware Brisbane have been cannon fodder the past while.
Suns are in the AFL since 2011 & in 6 seasons have never been in the play off finals, top 8, so I'd say he is swapping like for like
Sun's have a raft of draft picks though. They will be looking to rebuild in the next couple of years.
Some massive trades this year. Sam Mitchell to west coast was out of nowhere. One of the best players ever. I think he's number 2 in all time brownlow votes. 15 yeasts at the hawks but wc offered him a fast track into coaching.
Zach Tuohy gets his move to Geelong on the last day of the trade period - swap with Billy Smedts and some future draft picks
Quote from: An Astrail on October 20, 2016, 12:57:34 AM
Zach Tuohy gets his move to Geelong on the last day of the trade period - swap with Billy Smedts and some future draft picks
Good move for Tuohy. Cats will not be far away next year
Surprised by both the trades of Hanley and Tuohy. Both important players for their teams and seemed well settled.
What sort of contracts would these Irish guys be on?
20-30k per week?
Quote from: JimStynes on October 20, 2016, 06:49:15 PM
Surprised by both the trades of Hanley and Tuohy. Both important players for their teams and seemed well settled.
Tuohy will be fine and Cats will be competitive next year. Not so sureabout Gold Coast. The Suns still depend too much on Ablett when fit and are in major rebuild mode with o meara and prestia leaving. I know all three are injury prone but Hanley will need to hit the ground running big time.
Quote from: An Watcher on October 20, 2016, 08:57:18 PM
What sort of contracts would these Irish guys be on?
20-30k per week?
I think Hanley was on 500k Aussie dollars per year for 5 years when he signed his last contract. Probably even better for this contract. Plus they will get cars sponsored etc. Not premiership footballer money but not bad money for playing football!
Hawthorn doubles up on the Irish Conors
HAWTHORN has signed its second Irish rookie in 12 months, luring emerging Gaelic football and rugby star Conor Nash to Waverley.
As reported by AFL.com.au in August last year, the Hawks have been circling Nash for some time and the talented Irishman has finally joined the club.
The youngster, who hails from Navin about 45 minutes north-west of Dublin, will link up with the Hawks when pre-season training begins next month.
Blessed with height, pace and natural athleticism, Nash is set to learn AFL craft as a key defender.
"I'll learn the trade there hopefully and then they'll maybe look later down the line a bit more forward," Nash told the club's website.
"Key back, especially having the rugby background with tackling and stuff like that, should be all right."
Nash has visited Hawthorn to train with the squad three times since he was first spotted by Hawks recruiting and special projects manager Mark McKenzie three years ago.
He will follow in the footsteps of Northern Irish prospect Conor Glass, who signed with the Hawks last October.
Glass, a running half-back with tidy skills, played in seven games for Box Hill's reserves this season, including the VFL development league premiership victory over Casey Scorpions, treading a path Nash will soon follow.
"It's wonderful to have him (Glass) there, you can relate different things from Ireland to him," Nash said.
"He's good craic as well. It's massive to have him go before me, being able to see the path before me and the process it takes and how long it takes.
"I've just been following his footsteps."
Nash is already an accomplished kick of the Sherrin and is keen to get to work learning master coach Alastair Clarkson's game-plan.
"The oval ball wasn't too bad because I play rugby," he said. "But I suppose positioning and all that will come with a lot of time and a lot of work."
It is as yet unclear whether Nash has been signed as a Category B international rookie.
Under AFL rules, clubs can sign one Irish player directly to their rookie list as a Category B international, which the Hawks used to sign up Glass last year.
Any further Irish players added to the list must be signed as Category A rookies and sit on the main rookie list, with their club forfeiting its last pick in that year's rookie draft.
The Hawks have been willing to take a punt on international players in recent times, with mixed results.
Former New Zealand basketballer Kurt Heatherley broke new ground as the first born-and-bred Kiwi to play AFL this season when he made his debut in round 20 against Melbourne.
However, his compatriot Shem Tatupu quit Hawthorn in March after two seasons at Waverley and joined rugby league club Melbourne Storm
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-30/hawthorn-doubles-up-on-the-irish-conors-in-signing-conor-nash