I wouldn’t say the Eagles are back on the Christmas card list but Collingwood are grateful for their insipid performance against Hawthorn. How grateful remains to be seen but in an open finals series, getting back players is a good thing. Hawthorn are definitely back on the list, for this year anyway. Clarkson had a revolutionary way to combat McGovern – put a player on him who knows about the footballing thing, and don’t kick the ball to him, unless it’s on the ground, because McGovern has the turning circle of an Airbus A380.
Next week Stevo comes back after his ten week suspension for his gambling indiscretion (and a controversial run in the magoos), Jordy has had a few weeks rest and Sidey returns after a testing time. Contrary to all the doom and gloom about Darcy Moore, it seems to me everyone is missing the play here. Moore started off the ground and only came on when Levi took out Shaz (I hope you bought him some flowers). The call would have been to test it in the name of match fitness but at the first sign of anything, get the *&%k off. Now he’s got two weeks to recover from a twinge and will come back fresh with a bit of match practice under the belt. That’s four big ins. Good signs for Friday week.
All Australian week always throws up some challenges and some people get super pissed off when they didn’t get anyone in the team. I even heard an Essendon supporter complaining that no one from the Bombers made it. Goodness, Gold Coast was a better chance to get one of their players in – maybe that Dew kid, he goes OK. If Mark Cosgrove has taught us anything it’s that curvy kids go OK. No, Zach Merrett does not belong in that midfield – well maybe if they play the game at the Western Oval circa 1978 in the mud, but then I’d pick Tony Shaw or Dale Weightman ahead of him, they’d both be quicker..
I was actually surprised that Pendles made it – he’s a victim of his own smoothness. I think part of what makes him so good is he seems such a nice bloke that other players think they’d better leave him be. Six times All Australian – surely in the conversation for the best Pie ever.
Nice to see Adam Treloar in the squad but his disposal can be pretty random on bad days. I think that cost him.
Grundy was clearly the dominant ruckman this year and has been benefiting from the rule change that allows him to take the ball out of the ruck contest. Bellchambers was rusty last Friday but BG made him look a bit silly on a couple of occasions.
Friday is Rising Star time – last year Stevo won it, but hopefully he doesn’t have any money on it. That’s all we care about, no nominations for the Pies this year. Isaac Quaynor was our only debutant and he’s injured. Walsh will win it but I’m going for Cam Zurhaar. I like the way he goes about it.
Gee the Sam Murray thing went under the radar didn’t it? He will be free to play next year because the amount of cocaine in his system was insufficient to have been ingested intentionally. Mmmmm kay.
Friday night is legends game. Buffoonery at it’s best, spare me.
Have an opinion you want to share? Be sure to join the conversation online by liking us on Facebook.