Finals - Week One
September 7th 2008 10:45
1. Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs
On Friday night the Hawks comprehensively beat the Western Bulldogs. Much talk has surrounded the performance of Lance Franklin. He kicked eight goals and was clearly the best player on the ground. 'Buddy' loves the big stage. The bigger the stage, the better his return. Rodney Eade opted to play Dale Morris on Franklin. Franklin had kicked five goals by half time. Brian Lake did a serviceable job in the second half. He was able to match 'Buddy' for strength, but lacked athleticism when the ball hit the deck. Franklin is the one player who will have the Cats hierarchy worried.
Although Franklin was superb, the Hawks had a great supporting cast up forward. Jarrod Roughead chimed in with three goals. Michael Osborne played arguably the best game of his career. Osborne was fierce at the contest; a quality which is essential come finals time. Mark Williams and Cyril Rioli also played good games. The balance looked right. With Cameron Stokes set to miss the preliminary final, the Hawks will almost certainly bring Xavier Ellis back into the side. Ellis has had a good season, but the Hawks coaching staff may have felt that he lacked the physical presence that is necessary in a final.
The Bulldogs were terrible. Their four mid-range forwards - Hahn, Murphy, Welsh and Brad Johnson - were largely ineffective. They lack a key forward who is capable of bursting a game open. Franklin's eight goals were roughly the difference between the two sides. Grave doubts now exist over the Bulldog's ability to make the grand final. They should be able to beat Sydney next weekend, but do not appear to be in the same league as Geelong. It is difficult to see the Bulldog's forward line causing many headaches for the Cats. Brad Johnson has been a wonderful player, but he is labouring at the moment. He will have a lot to prove on Friday night, in what may be his final game.
2. Collingwood v Adelaide
It was a gutsy win by Collingwood on Saturday afternoon. There were several momentum shifts throughout the game. Collingwood started in a blaze of glory and were unlucky not to be further in front at quarter time. Mid-way through the second quarter the Crows led by four goals. Scott Stevens played the game of his life and kicked six goals. Yet the Crows forward line fell apart in the second half. They had no player capable of presenting across the half forward line. Instead, the Crows opted to bi-pass centre half forward, which meant that they became predictable. Since Brett Burton's knee injury they have struggled to kick winning scores. Although Neil Craig has manufactured some clever wins in recent weeks, it was only a matter of time before their lack of quality forwards was shown up.
Collingwood, on the other hand, had numerous threats up forward. Travis Cloke, their best forward, was relatively quiet. The likes of Anthony, Medhurst, Dawes and Thomas all contributed. The value of having a strong forward line was shown in the first week of the finals. This is why Colingwood has been able to have so much success in the finals under Mick Malthouse. He has always been able to assemble a talented brigade of forwards. Unfortunately for him, his best forward will be missing for the remainder of the finals (even though he is perfectly fit). If the Pies can beat the Saints this week they will be able to take a lot from this season. They may only be one Daniel Kerr away from winning a flag.
3. Sydney v North Melbourne
Three rounds ago North Melbourne appeared to have timed their run to perfection. Although they put in a respectable performance against Geelong in round twenty-one, their confidence obviously took a pounding. It was difficult to say which result was more disappointing: last weekend's capitulation to Port Adelaide, or Saturday night's loss to Sydney? Shannon Grant has retired. The club now has a key decision to make over the future of Nathan Thompson. With David Hale, Drew Petrie and Hamish McIntosh all required players, they look too top heavy with Thompson in the side. Interestingly, Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell, both of whom have been good this season, struggled against the Swans. As Stephen Milne has shown in recent seasons, being a slightly-built forward pocket specialist is a difficult position to play in a final.
One of the main stories to come out of the match was the terrible attendance. How can the AFL possibly be considering another team in Sydney if the public holds no interest in their only team? In spite of the poor crowd, the Swans put in a great performance. Barry Hall broke the game open in the second half. If he is able to repeat that performance he will give the Bulldog's defence some trouble next weekend. Sydney has a lot of players with finals experience. Brett Kirk was superb. He loves the ferocity of finals football and will almost certainly put his hand up to take on Adam Cooney. Sydney has gone one round further than last season. Although the club appears to be in decline, some of their younger players are now gaining valuable finals experience.
4. Geelong v St.Kilda
The Cats were methodical in their destruction of the Saints. The two teams were in a different league. St.Kilda tried quite hard in the first half, but were eventually undone by the Cats superb pressure. Geelong's defence held firm, as it always does. Brad Ottens played one of his most damaging games for the season, kicking three goals. Ablett and Bartel were clearly the best two players on the ground. There appears to be very little that can stop Geelong. They were reduced to twenty-one players for the majority of the match after Brent Prismall went down with a serious knee injury in the first quarter. The only result was that Mark Thompson shut up shop in the final quarter to avoid gaining further injuries. James Kelly will be an apt replacement.
There is very little for the Saints to take out of the loss. Why play for second best? Captain Nick Riewoldt had a shocking game. The Saints were frequently out-muscled at the clearances. The respective depth in the teams was also on display. Geelong have a healthy competition for places in their team. The Saints' bottom four to five players really struggled. What wouldn't they give to have Tom Hawkins at their disposal? St.Kilda faces Collingwood next weekend. Ross Lyon has never beaten Mick Malthouse as coach. Unless the Saints can get Luke Ball back to add some grunt at the stoppages, it is difficult to see them winning.
On Friday night the Hawks comprehensively beat the Western Bulldogs. Much talk has surrounded the performance of Lance Franklin. He kicked eight goals and was clearly the best player on the ground. 'Buddy' loves the big stage. The bigger the stage, the better his return. Rodney Eade opted to play Dale Morris on Franklin. Franklin had kicked five goals by half time. Brian Lake did a serviceable job in the second half. He was able to match 'Buddy' for strength, but lacked athleticism when the ball hit the deck. Franklin is the one player who will have the Cats hierarchy worried.
Although Franklin was superb, the Hawks had a great supporting cast up forward. Jarrod Roughead chimed in with three goals. Michael Osborne played arguably the best game of his career. Osborne was fierce at the contest; a quality which is essential come finals time. Mark Williams and Cyril Rioli also played good games. The balance looked right. With Cameron Stokes set to miss the preliminary final, the Hawks will almost certainly bring Xavier Ellis back into the side. Ellis has had a good season, but the Hawks coaching staff may have felt that he lacked the physical presence that is necessary in a final.
The Bulldogs were terrible. Their four mid-range forwards - Hahn, Murphy, Welsh and Brad Johnson - were largely ineffective. They lack a key forward who is capable of bursting a game open. Franklin's eight goals were roughly the difference between the two sides. Grave doubts now exist over the Bulldog's ability to make the grand final. They should be able to beat Sydney next weekend, but do not appear to be in the same league as Geelong. It is difficult to see the Bulldog's forward line causing many headaches for the Cats. Brad Johnson has been a wonderful player, but he is labouring at the moment. He will have a lot to prove on Friday night, in what may be his final game.
2. Collingwood v Adelaide
It was a gutsy win by Collingwood on Saturday afternoon. There were several momentum shifts throughout the game. Collingwood started in a blaze of glory and were unlucky not to be further in front at quarter time. Mid-way through the second quarter the Crows led by four goals. Scott Stevens played the game of his life and kicked six goals. Yet the Crows forward line fell apart in the second half. They had no player capable of presenting across the half forward line. Instead, the Crows opted to bi-pass centre half forward, which meant that they became predictable. Since Brett Burton's knee injury they have struggled to kick winning scores. Although Neil Craig has manufactured some clever wins in recent weeks, it was only a matter of time before their lack of quality forwards was shown up.
Collingwood, on the other hand, had numerous threats up forward. Travis Cloke, their best forward, was relatively quiet. The likes of Anthony, Medhurst, Dawes and Thomas all contributed. The value of having a strong forward line was shown in the first week of the finals. This is why Colingwood has been able to have so much success in the finals under Mick Malthouse. He has always been able to assemble a talented brigade of forwards. Unfortunately for him, his best forward will be missing for the remainder of the finals (even though he is perfectly fit). If the Pies can beat the Saints this week they will be able to take a lot from this season. They may only be one Daniel Kerr away from winning a flag.
3. Sydney v North Melbourne
Three rounds ago North Melbourne appeared to have timed their run to perfection. Although they put in a respectable performance against Geelong in round twenty-one, their confidence obviously took a pounding. It was difficult to say which result was more disappointing: last weekend's capitulation to Port Adelaide, or Saturday night's loss to Sydney? Shannon Grant has retired. The club now has a key decision to make over the future of Nathan Thompson. With David Hale, Drew Petrie and Hamish McIntosh all required players, they look too top heavy with Thompson in the side. Interestingly, Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell, both of whom have been good this season, struggled against the Swans. As Stephen Milne has shown in recent seasons, being a slightly-built forward pocket specialist is a difficult position to play in a final.
One of the main stories to come out of the match was the terrible attendance. How can the AFL possibly be considering another team in Sydney if the public holds no interest in their only team? In spite of the poor crowd, the Swans put in a great performance. Barry Hall broke the game open in the second half. If he is able to repeat that performance he will give the Bulldog's defence some trouble next weekend. Sydney has a lot of players with finals experience. Brett Kirk was superb. He loves the ferocity of finals football and will almost certainly put his hand up to take on Adam Cooney. Sydney has gone one round further than last season. Although the club appears to be in decline, some of their younger players are now gaining valuable finals experience.
4. Geelong v St.Kilda
The Cats were methodical in their destruction of the Saints. The two teams were in a different league. St.Kilda tried quite hard in the first half, but were eventually undone by the Cats superb pressure. Geelong's defence held firm, as it always does. Brad Ottens played one of his most damaging games for the season, kicking three goals. Ablett and Bartel were clearly the best two players on the ground. There appears to be very little that can stop Geelong. They were reduced to twenty-one players for the majority of the match after Brent Prismall went down with a serious knee injury in the first quarter. The only result was that Mark Thompson shut up shop in the final quarter to avoid gaining further injuries. James Kelly will be an apt replacement.
There is very little for the Saints to take out of the loss. Why play for second best? Captain Nick Riewoldt had a shocking game. The Saints were frequently out-muscled at the clearances. The respective depth in the teams was also on display. Geelong have a healthy competition for places in their team. The Saints' bottom four to five players really struggled. What wouldn't they give to have Tom Hawkins at their disposal? St.Kilda faces Collingwood next weekend. Ross Lyon has never beaten Mick Malthouse as coach. Unless the Saints can get Luke Ball back to add some grunt at the stoppages, it is difficult to see them winning.
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Comment by Murray Middleton
on All Australian Team
AFL Talk
-MM