AFL Season 2014

[AlriteHorse]

Swans v Hawks Final then?!?

Don't know if anyone seen the video of the Head of the Match Review Panel last week. They were chatting about Fyfes 2 game suspension for a head clash earlier in the year, and he reiterated that anyone doing the same would get a 2 game ban. Days later Brett Harvey does it on Selwood........what happens? 1 game ban! Roos won't get past Swans anyway but it just goes to show how inconsistent / clueless the Panel Members are.

Is Harvey retiring this year?

[stephenite]

One game suspension for Boomer Harvey overturned. Crazy

[AlriteHorse]

WTF? This shows just how bad the Match Review Panel is! The Head came out and said if anyone does the same head clash as Fyfe, then it's a 2 game suspension as a "head clash is a head clash". Harvey get's one game which makes the Panel look incompetent.........then they over turn it making themselves look worse!

Ah well. Bring them on!

[TabClear]

Its this kind of inconsistency that drives players crazy in every sport, whether from referees or review boards. While I am glad to see Boomer getting another chance in a big final on a personal note for the man, great career, the Board has come out of this very badly.

I dont think its going to make much of a difference against the Swans though!

[Aerlik]

I'd like to start by thanking AlriteHorse for not ripping into me this week.  I have been ultra sensitive after last weekend.  But we'll start with the game on Friday night. 

North Melbourne 98 - 92 Geelong
I predicted a  North win by 7 points on the Tipping site I'm on.  As mentioned just before me, this was a great game to watch and the quality of play, although not spellbinding, was pretty damned well what you'd expect for a game at this stage of the competition.  The enigma that is North continues.  Why oh why were they NOT top of the table at the end of this season?  Granted, some injuries didn't help, but all teams  suffer injuries (and some of us suffer more than others.)  Anyways, I am glad to see them through but I fear that is the end of the road as Sydney will just be too much. 

Port Adelaide 105 - 83 Fremantle
I don't know how to describe the feeling at the end of this game, whilst sat amongst the 43,000 faithful.  But for a couple of groups of fans, it was a Freo full-house.  I was a little anxious at the start of the game but the boys got stuck into it after a slightly jittery start.  The match was not so much won by Port as lost by Freo.  Instead of actually being 24 points up at half-time, I figured that Freo should have been at least 52 points up.  And that would pretty much have sealed the game and a trip to Melbourne.  The problem was simple; if you can't kick shite off a briar you will not win games.  Jaysus H Christ the goal kicking in the second quarter was woeful.  And inevitably the pressure footy with little return eventually wore the lads out and the Port midfield began to get the ascendancy.  Injuries were a factor but NOT the factor why Freo lost.  Simple as that.  I could go on a length about the umpiring, especially the absolute balls up made by the umpire in the 3 quarter allowing Brady Grey to retake a set-shot which he originally missed because he had overstepped his mark. 99/100 of times that would have been that.  But oh no, the clampit in the middle made him retake it.  Goal.  Fcuk.

And so there you have it.  That is the end of the road for Freo this season.  It has been a disappointment in the end, especially considering how they demolished Hawthorn in Perth only a few weeks ago.  But, that is sport.  There will be next year.

As for me, I'm a quiet Port Adelaide fan and so am wishing them further success.  I think this week will be a successful one for them.

[AlriteHorse]

Ah now Aerlik, I'd like to think I'm better than that. Wouldn't kick ye when ye were down. Disappointing result for youse but as you said, the kicking was brutal. Port completed skied a few chances as well. Thought Freo missed my doppleganger badly. His presence alone usually just gives the other players a lift.

Anyway, the Swans game tonight isn't as straight forward as it some quarters are making it out to be. Imagine the Roos had Daw available. That would make things really interesting.

#Bloods

[Club Rossa]

Hawks fortunate to get over the line today.Port kicked themselves out of it,should have been out of sight at quarter time.They would need to up the ante next week to get anywhere near the Swans.

[Aerlik]

The Preliminary Finals:

Sydney 136-65 North Melbourne
As expected the swans were just too good all over the pitch for the roos.  And the one area where the roos really needed to be on their game was who would mark Buddy.  Well, it was a failure.  The man mountain was all over the place and was too good for the roos.  His only downside is his inability to kick off his right.  There were great performances all over the park in this very comprehensive win.  The only area of concern is the ruck division.  Former Canadian international rugby winger Mike Pike (I know!) has that job but I still don't rate him.  But for the fact he has a sterling midfield to work with, things could be very different for the swans.  Next week will be telling.

Hawthorn 97-94 Port Adelaide.
It would appear that Port Adelaide incorporated the kicking skills of Fremantle from the week before.  They should have been in the Grand Final at half time in this game.  But just as Freo's kicking was miserable so, too, was Port's.   True, it was an exciting last ten minutes, reflecting on the 4-quarter performances that have won this team many admirers this year.  Many of us neutrals were actually barracking for Port but in the end, Jarrad Roughead's six majors were more than the difference.  One man that Hawks really value is their big man, David Hale.  Great fitness and great feat for a ruckman.  This will be vital in next Saturday's final.  Other questions remain, too: will Rioli play, for example? 

And so it comes down to what has been cited as "the promoter's dream": Sydney v. Hawthorn (aka the Buddy show).

Which will win?  I am sticking with the Hawks.  Better balance all over the park.  But it will be some game...hopefully.

[stephenite]

If any of our GAA Board brethren happen across a grand final ticket I will graciously be forever in their debt.

No chance but worth a shot all the same!

[TabClear]

Final all the media wanted. Hawks nearly threw it away at the end. Roughhead versus Buddy, the two massive forwards who have unbelievable athleticism. I'm going to go with the swans.

Hope Rioli can play some part, one of these players who can change a game.

[TabClear]

I see Matt Priddis of WCE won the Brownlow. Obviusly with Ablett out of the running it was wide open but a big surprise.

While he had a great year, it does show how flawed the voting system is when he did not even make the all australian squad. Brownlow voting favours good players in weak teams as stronger teams tend to split the votes between diffrent players.

The Leigh matthews trophy is a much better guage of the best players as its voted by the players. In the last 20 years only 5 times have the two winners been the same and two of those have been Ablett. Given Fyfe was out of the running I think I would have given it to Selwood.

[Never beat the deeler]

I see Matt Priddis of WCE won the Brownlow. Obviusly with Ablett out of the running it was wide open but a big surprise.

While he had a great year, it does show how flawed the voting system is when he did not even make the all australian squad. Brownlow voting favours good players in weak teams as stronger teams tend to split the votes between diffrent players.

The Leigh matthews trophy is a much better guage of the best players as its voted by the players. In the last 20 years only 5 times have the two winners been the same and two of those have been Ablett. Given Fyfe was out of the running I think I would have given it to Selwood.

Aye, Priddis has been the best of a bad lot when it came to a pretty dismal WCE season.
He won the Brownlow by being extremely consistent, receiving votes in 13 games out of 22, including 5 losses.
The Brownlow is known as a midfielder's medal, as Buddy Franklin was the only non-midfielder out of the top ten, so with that many midfielders having a good season, it isn't crazy to think that other players had played better (though not necessarily as consistently) as him

Of course there is also an argument that the East coast bias also contributed to him missing an All Australian, as that would be less evident in a game where there are only two teams playing - those picking the AA squad would have seen Collingwood or Geelong more often than the Eagles

[Aerlik]

The 2014 AFL Grand Final

Hawthorn 137-74 Sydney
I had begun to write this with eight minutes left in the game, such was the dominance of the Hawks all over the pitch.  And in case you are unsure let me put it in words; Hawthorn belted Sydney by sixty three points.  That's right the much vaunted, much talked about, certain to win, untouchable, best forwards in the history of the game Sydney were trashed all over the park. 
What a simply stunning performance from the Hawks, and that is coming from a unashamedly one-eyed Freo fan that I am.  It was a super performance all throughout the ground.  I said after last week's fortunate win over Port Adelaide that the Hawks would win; I wonder what Port Adelaide are thinking now?

I will not hide that fact that I am glad Hawthorn won because way too much was made of the whole Buddy Franklin affair, to the point that those of us not Swans fans were scundered (north Derryism for those of you not in the know) to the teeth listening to it.  True, Franklin did kick four, but his other big forward teammates failed to shine to the point that Tippett seemed to have spent more time in the ruck/midfield than in the forward 50.  Step up Jarrod Roughead, and David Hale (of whom I spoke last week) and Ben McEvoy, the two Hawks ruckmen who dominated that area.  It was a masterstroke by the coach, Clarkson, to include the latter and was a surprise to many.  "We're a happy team at Hawthorn..."; they will be now.

So, folks, that is the AFL season over for another year.  It was a disappointing year for me as a Fremantle fan after the massive progress the club made in the past three years but all is not lost.  The window is still open but slowly closing for the likes of Sandilands and Pavlich to win the holy grail but next year will most likely be their last.  The main group are still young enough to keep building and strive for that still elusive first flag.   Hopefully that will come soon.

However, seeing Port improve so much, West Coast fail so much (try living in Perth and you will know what it is like - and why I detest that club) and Nathan Fyfe excel (yet just miss out on the Brownlow medal thanks to a combination of crap umpiring and suspension) means overall it wasn't too bad a year. 

For the Irish lads involved it was a very mixed year with little on-field success and a few calling it quits.  Zac Tuohy can hold his head up high after a pretty solid year for Carlton but top honours simply have to go to Pearse Hanley whose star is steadily climbing in this game.  He's even showing up on national TV adverts for Heart Disease among women.  If Brisbane can hold on to him and if they continue to improve he will have an even greater impact in the next two or three years.

But at this point the fat lady sings. Thank you to all the folk who added to the thread this year again.  It has been great to have the input of other AFL fans either here or outside Australia.  And with that...

Freo Abú

[macdanger2]

Thanks for the updates Aerlik, always enjoy reading the AFL thread

[lynchbhoy]

Yeah - enjoyed the updates Aerlik! Thanks

Hope all is well