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Great to be back online - unfortunately my change of ISPs took longer than planned. But now I've finally got some working speed broadband, so hopefully it'll work out best in the long term.
Anyway, on Sunday I was in Canberra where Melbourne took on the Sydney Swans; and here's a gallery of pics from the game:
Game on, Melbourne move forward
Spider Everitt wins possession
Jude Bolton kicks the Swans’ first
Adam Schneider moves forward
Gavin Carroll lays a tackle
Jeff White wins a hit-out
Jude Bolton and Ryan O’Keefe tackle
Spider comes from behind to mark on the wing
Quarter time in the Swans huddle
Quarter time with the Demons
Aaron Davey launches the Demons into attack
Nick Malceski goes for a run
The Demons shepherd a goal
Jeff White clears Melbourne out of trouble
Melbourne score, and their deceptively red and white banners fly
The Swans score, and the red and white flags fly
Ball in dispute on centre wing
Michael O’Loughlin shoots
Craig Bolton goes for a run
Amon Buchanan handballs under pressure
A consolation goal for the Demons after the siren
A lap of honour for the Swans players after the game
Canberra kept their slim finals hopes alive, and kept Penrith 2 games clear at the bottom of the ladder, when the Raiders completed a 34-30 win on Friday night. A hat-trick from Phil Graham made the ACT side look home and hosed when they led 34-16 with just 7 minutes to go, but a surging Panthers outfit was not to be denied; with 3 tries in the remaining few minutes slashing the deficit. Sadly for the Panthers, Nick Youngquest’s boot failed him when it mattered, with two of those conversions missing which cost the bottom side a chance at forcing golden point.
Canberra 34 Tries – P Graham 3, B Goodwin, T Carney, M Dobson. Goals – M Dobson 5. Penrith 30 Tries – G Daniela 2, M Jennings, M Blair, C Gower, F Pritchard. Goals – N Youngquest 3.
Referee – P Simpkins. Crowd – 8,240 at Canberra Stadium.
Brad Fittler’s unbeaten reign as Roosters coach continued, with the Eastern Suburbs side snaring the scalp of top side Melbourne 26-16 at the SFS on Friday. An early penalty goal to Fitzgibbon gave the Roosters the lead, and when Anasta set up Tupou and Ashley Harrison ran through the Storm defence the Roosters were up 14-0 and heading for an upset. A double to John Williams made the game safe, and despite a late rally by the Storm adding some respectability, this was the Roosters’ night; one that sees them still in with an outside chance of a finals berth that looked impossible just 3 weeks ago.
Sydney Roosters 26 Tries – J Williams 2, A Tupou, A Harrison. Goals – C Fitzgibbon 3, A Roberts. Melbourne 16 Tries – I Folau, C Cronk, J Aubusson. Goals – C Smith 2.
Referee – S Hampstead. Crowd – 8,824 at Aussie Stadium.
Just a month ago the New Zealand Warriors were in trouble, now they’re in the top 4 after recording a 52-10 demolition of Newcastle at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday. It took just 3 minutes for the Warriors to signal their intentions when Wade McKinnon pounced on a grubber to score. From there it was a rout – 30-4 at the break and the second half only marginally closer as the Auckland-based side went on a scoring rampage. Michael Witt was again in outstanding form with the boot, scoring 8 from 9; taking the Warriors up to 4th on the ladder while the Knights are left languishing 2 games out of the 8 with the worst points difference in the comp.
New Zealand Warriors 52 Tries – W McKinnon 2, J Ropati 2, G Rovelli 2, M Vatuvei, S Price, W Koopu. Goals – M Witt 8. Newcastle 10 Tries – J McManus, K Reynoldson. Goals – K Gidley.
Referee – J Maxwell. Crowd – 11,301 at Mt Smart Stadium.
A capacity crowd at WIN Stadium saw the Bulldogs come from behind to snatch a 28-24 win over St George-Illawarra. The Dragons had led 14-0 shortly before half-time, but were unable to hang on against the Bulldogs juggernaut. The key play came with 8 minutes left and the Dragons leading 24-16 when Sonny Bill Williams executed a contentious 1 on 1 strip against Ben Creagh and scored. When Cutler went over in the final minute, the Bulldogs were in front for the first time all night. The result sees the Bulldogs jump to 5th position, while the Dragons are 15th and will be ruing Jamie Soward’s shocking night with the boot, only able to manage 2 from 6.
Bulldogs 28 Tries – H El Mazri 2, T Cutler, S B Williams, N Kouparitsas. Goals – H El Mazri 4. St George/Illawarra 24 Tries – M Cooper 2, K Lulia, J Soward, B Scott. Goals – J Soward 2.
Referee – B Cummins. Crowd – 19,051 at WIN Stadium.
South Sydney kept themselves just a slight points difference out of the top 8 when they completed a 20-14 win over Gold Coast at Homebush on Saturday night. It wasn’t a game that reached any great heights but a close finish kept the crowd cheering till the end. The Titans looked likely to end their losing streak when they took a 14-8 lead; but tries in the last 10 minutes to Nigel Vagana and Dean Widders got the Rabbitohs over the line.
South Sydney 20 Tries – F Talanoa, N Vagana, E Paea, D Widders. Goals – N Merrett 2. Gold Coast 14 Tries – M Rogers, B Delaney, L Bailey. Goals – B Delaney.
Referee – G Badger. Crowd – 13,351 at Telstra Stadium.
The Sharks went into this match with a 5-match losing streak, and hopes of snapping the run of poor form took a nosedive inside the first 10 minutes when Steve Michaels and Corey Parker both ran through some soft defence to score easy tries. From there, the Sharks were never in the contest; and a finals berth that looked theirs for the taking just a month ago looks like an impossible dream. But for the Broncos it continues a remarkable second half of the season that keeps hopes of back-to-back titles alive.
Brisbane 30 Tries – S Michaels, C Frawley, C Parker, G Eastwood, D Carlaw. Goals – C Parker 5. Cronulla 16 Tries – I De Gois 2, A Dykes. Goals – B Seymour 2.
Referee – S Clark. Crowd – 24,563 at Suncorp Stadium.
Parramatta and Manly put on a classic clash on Sunday afternoon at Parramatta Stadium, with the lead and momentum see-sawing throughout the match. Sadly the sellout crowd was marred by the behaviour of a few morons among their number who threw coins at former Eel Jamie Lyon, now playing with the Sea Eagles. But it was Lyon’s new club who left with the money after Lyon went over twice in the last 10 minutes to take victory; a result that leaves the Sea Eagles a whopping 4 games clear of the 3rd-placed Eels, virtually guaranteeing the top 2 is settled.
Manly 32 Tries – J Lyon 2, B Stewart, M Robertson, B Kite, S Menzies. Goals – M Orford 4. Parramatta 24 Tries – J Hayne, K Inu, B Smith, E Grothe. Goals – K Inu 4.
Referee – T Archer. Crowd – 20,113 at Parramatta Stadium.
Leichhardt Oval was packed beyond capacity on Monday night, with kick-off delayed 15 minutes as the crowd was still attempting to find their way into the ground. Once the match got under way, the crowd was in raptures, with the Tigers dominant with a 10 goals to 2 exhibition to run away with a 54-10 victory. The procession started after just 5 minutes, when even with 4 Cowboys hanging off him, Tuiaki was able to carry the ball over the line and score. And the try-fest continued all night; continuing a dismal run for the Cowboys in Sydney but restoring the 2005 premiers’ position in this year’s top 8.
Wests Tigers 54 B Harrison 2, D Fitzhenry 2, T Tuiaki, J Morris, B Hodgson, C Heighington, R Farah, D Halatau. Goals – B Hodgson 2, B Marshall 4, R Farah. North Queensland 10 Tries – J Smith, M Bartlett. Goals – J Thurston.
Referee – S Hayne. Crowd – 17,101 at Leichhardt Oval.
Pics from SportingDaily.net archives
Finally a good-news story comes out of Iraq; with their football team giving the people of the war-torn country a reason for national pride when they defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 to take out the Asian Cup.
The first half was a scrappy affair, with Australian referee Mark Shield constantly blowing his whistle and 5 yellow cards being issued. But after the break it was Iraq who settled down and got their rhythm going, threatening several times to break the deadlock. Finally it came at 71 minutes when captain Younis Mahmoud was in the perfect position to receive a corner and headed it home into the corner of the net. 1-0 to Iraq, and for the last 18 desperate minutes that’s how it remained.
The victory to Iraq triggered wild celebrations in Baghdad and around the country, with guns fired into the air and fireworks aplenty around the country. For a nation that has suffered so much for so long, it was a rare moment of joy; and one the people were determined to celebrate.
Iraq 1 (Younis Mahmoud 72) d Saudi Arabia 0
Iraq Asian Cup Champions for 2007
In the third-place playoff, it was scoreless for regulation time and extra time; before a marathon penalty shootout saw Korea take third place and relegate Japan to 4th.
Korea Republic 0 drew Japan 0
Korea Republic wins 6-5 on penalties
And so the Asian Cup comes to an end. A tournament that promised much for the Australians but delivered little. The draw against Oman and the loss to Iraq were a wake-up call for those who thought Asia would be easy pickings for the Socceroos. Better performances against Thailand and Japan followed, but the penalty shootout defeat ended the dream.
But in the end, the only country that defeated Australia in regulation time was the team that went on to win the tournament. Congratulations to Iraq – unfancied before the tournament started, it was a fairytale rise to prominence.
The next Asian Cup in 2011 will be held in Qatar. Australia is reportedly keen to bid for the 2015 event.
Pic from Sportal.com.au
The upsets continued in the Asian Cup, with Saudi Arabia recording a 3-2 victory to edge out Japan and qualify for the final against Iraq.
A long-range strike from Yasser Al Qahtani gave the Saudis the lead after 35 minutes; but as they did against Australia the Japanese equalised almost immediately when Yuji Nakazawa headed home a corner. 1-1 at half-time.
Saudi Arabia again hit the lead after the break when a pin-point cross hit Malek Maaz who calmly headed it through. But again Japan quickly equalised when a flying scissor kick from Yuki Abe hit the Saudi net. But in a high-scoring shoot-out, Malek Maaz scored the decisive blow just 4 minutes later; with a long bomb netting his second goal
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The football world is in stunned disbelief following the announcement that Essendon will not be renewing the contract of Kevin Sheedy, their coach since 1981, when it expires at the end of this season.
The end of Kevin Sheedy's coaching reign is the end of an era. Sheedy's time in charge of the Bombers has been a time of enormous change for the game. When Sheedy started, he was a sole coach who had another job outside football. Now the Bombers have a panel of full-time coaches to finely analyse every aspect of the game in microscopic detail. The VFL, as it was then known, had 12 clubs all based in Victoria and playing at suburban grounds. Not it's a national competition, with games played at major stadiums; and although Victorian clubs have struggled to keep up in recent years, Sheedy remains the last coach to have led a Victorian team to the premiership.
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Yes, Iraq does have a weapon of mass destruction - its football team. And wild celebrations are taking place in Baghdad, after Iraq made it through to the Asian Cup final after a penalty shootout against Korea
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In a season where the coaching merry-go-round has already claimed the scalps of Neale Daniher and Chris Connolly, it was no surprise when Carlton gave embattled coach Denis Pagan his marching orders.
Pagan came to the Blues in 2003, after the Blues had won their first ever wooden spoon. But although financially lucrative for him, the Carlton he joined was no longer the powerhouse club of the 1980s and 1990s. Saddled with debt from the Legends Stand that no-one sits in, the club was hit with harsh fines and loss of draft picks after a string of salary cap breaches during the John Elliot era.
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The Socceroos are out of the Asian Cup, but the competition goes on; showcasing the best football in Australia's new region that they will be matched against in their battle to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
Iran's Asian Cup bid is over, and like Australia the Iranians were denied by a penalty shootout. Their contest against Korea was a tight and tough affair - goal-less after 90 minutes, still goal-less after 120 minutes and through to a shootout. And in the shootout, it was Korean keeper Lee Woon-jae who was the hero; pulling off a series of miraculous saves for the 2002 World Cup co-hosts to take the shootout 4-2 and advance to a meeting with Iraq.
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Manly hadn’t recorded a win at Shark Park since 1986; but with the Sharks’ form falling away in recent weeks and with a mounting injury toll that saw the locals without all their Origin players and forced to bring in nightclub bouncer Murphy Su’a from park league, the Sea Eagles were the hottest of favourites to snap the losing streak. But the Sharks proved a hard side to get past, and when Frazier Anderson went over in the corner shortly before half time to give the locals the lead at the break and Henry Perenara scored a few minutes after the interval, there were hopes that the long winning run would remain intact. In the end it wasn’t to be, with tries to Stewart, Hicks and Cuthbertson and a long-range field goal to Michael Monaghan with just 3 minutes to go giving the Sea Eagles a 29-22 win. But although the Sharks were defeated, they can take a lot of heart from this performance
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Comments (2)
Comment by Michael Shillito
on Iraq defeats Saudi Arabia to win the Asian Cup
Nozzin' Aroun'
All the religions and factions that are fighting among themselves on the streets united on the football field to win the tournament. At least it gives some sort of hope to the people there.