Aussie Rules Football Age - The 2008 AFL Season Thread

[Grug]

With the pre-season comp a couple of weeks away, I thought it was time to get the 2008 Season Thread under way.

I'll start of with an overview of the teams and my thoughts on how they will go this year.


THE TEAMS



Adelaide Crows
Coach: Neil Craig (5th season)
Captain: Simon Goodwin
Last Premiership: 1998
2007 Ladder Position: 8th

Players In: Symes, Moran, Gallman, Walker, Dangerfield, Otten, Jacky, Cook, Armstrong
Players Out: Torney, Perrie, Bode, Hinge, Pfeiffer, Hudson, Welsh, Meesen, Ricciuto, Mattner
Key Players: Andrew McLeod, Ben Rutten, Simon Goodwin

Grug Comment: I feel the Crows will go backwards this year. Through some bizarre trading and recruitment practices, they have lost a lot of talent including Hudson, Welsh and Mattner. The loss of leadership from retiring great Mark Riccuito will also be tough to fill. The Crows do however have one of the tightest and well drilled defences in the league and a fleet of young on-ballers coming through to carry the midfield load. Their forward line is their undisputed weakness and with the departure of Welsh and Perrie, a lot of pressure will be placed on the inconsistent Burton. The loss of Hudson is a big setback for their ruck brigade. Expect the Crows to finish between 10th – 13th.





Brisbane Lions
Coach: ‘Lethal’ Leigh Matthews (10th season)
Captains: Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Nigel Lappin, Luke Power.
Last Premiership: 2003
2007 Ladder Position: 10th

Players In: Travis Johnstone, Lachlan Henderson, Tom Collier, James Polkinghorne, Bradd Dalziell, Matt Austin
Players Out: Brad Scott, Ben Fixter, Marcus Allan, Cameron Wood, Chris Johnson, Richard Hadley
Key Players: Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Daniel Bradshaw, Jamie Charman

Grug Comment: After a few lean years since their historical three-peat of premierships, expect the Brisbane Lions to play finals football this year. The club has undertaken a major rebuild of their list and has poured plenty of match experience into their youthful brigade. The addition of flashy Melbourne Demons player Travis Johnstone adds extra class to an already star studded midfield of Black, Power, Lappin and Adcock. These midfielders will have no shortage of targets to kick the ball to with a classy Brisbane forward line spearheaded by the 2007 Coleman medalist (and arguably most dominant player in the competition) Jonathan Brown. Brown will be aided by the return of Daniel Bradshaw from a knee reconstruction. The Brisbane ruck brigade is very solid with Jamie Charman leading the charge with young ruck prodigy (and 2008 Rising Star Award favorite) Matthew Leuenberger developing in the wings. Brisbane showed last year that their best football is almost unbeatable, proven with the massive upset win over the West Coast Eagles and the 93 point demolition of Collingwood. That said, the side struggled with consistency and suffered a 7 week patch of ill form where their best result was a draw. They do however have the best coach in the league, and if they can find away to play at their best more consistently, pencil them in to finish between 5th – 8th.



Carlton Blues
Coach: Brett Ratten (Debut Season)
Captain: Chris Judd
Last Premiership: 1995
2007 Ladder Position: 15th

Players In: Judd, Hadley, Jackson, A O’hAilpin, Kreuzer, Browne, Armfield, Pfeiffer
Players Out: Whitnall, Koutafides, Lappin, Kennedy, McLaren, Teague, Young, Raso, and Flint
Key Players: Fevola, Judd, Stevens

Grug Comment: For the third year in a row Carlton has been awarded a priority draft pick for continual poor performances. Many predict that 2008 will be the year that they begin their long crawl back from football irrelevance. I however, am not so sure. My first reason for this, is that Carlton have still failed to address their woeful backline. Carlton had an average losing margin of 45 points and conceded nearly 400 points more then the next worst team (Richmond). They are in dire need of a gun backman to shoulder the load and you would have thought they’d address this with one of their recent draft picks. Instead they have taken Murphy and Gibbs (both midfielders) and Kreuzer (ruckman). You would think that with the return of Nick Stevens and the recruitment of one of the best midfielders in the league (Judd), that their midfield is settled. Their full forward Brendan Fevola is an absolute superstar when he has his head screwed on, but they need more options up forward. I also fear that with years of underperformance, their young players simply do not know what it takes to fight out and win a match, this is something that will need to be learned. Their new coach Brett Ratten (replacing the sacked Denis Pagan) was a tough competitor on the field and will look to instill that in the side. This will take time though. Expect them to finish 13th-16th.





Collingwood Magpies
Coach: Mick Malthouse (9th season)
Captain: Scott Burns
Last Premiership: 1990
2007 Ladder Position: 6th

Players In: Cameron Wood, John McCarthy, Toby Thoolen, Jaxson Barham
Players Out: Nathan Buckley, James Clement, Paul Licuria, Guy Richards
Key Players: Travis Cloke, Anthony Rocca, Josh Fraser

Grug Comment: Despite the fact I hate everything about the Collingwood Football club, Mick Malthouse took what was essentially a group of kids to within 5 points of a grand final, and this is no mean feat. Malthouse is an expert of building a game plan around his sides strength and minimizing their weaknesses. The loss of Nathan Buckley and James Clement hurts though, robbing them of not only supreme talent, but also leadership. Younger leaders such as Nick Maxwell, Heath Shaw and Tarkyn Lockyer will need to step up and fill the void. Young sides have a tendency to go off the boil a bit after a big season and I suspect this may affect Collingwood this year. Travis Cloke has the potential to be a star CHF but the Collingwood forward line needs more consistency from veteran Anthony Rocca. Collingwood have also finally addressed their ruck inadequacies by trading for young Brisbane Lions ruckman Cameron Wood who will be a quality prospect, but will need more time to develop. He will provide some relief for the overworked Josh Fraser in the meantime. I expect Collingwood to finish around 6th again this year.

[Grug]

Essendon Bombers
Coach: Matthew Knights (debut season)
Captain: Matthew Lloyd
Last Premiership: 2000
2007 Ladder Position: 12th

Players In: Darcy Daniher, David Myers, Tayte Pears, Hooker, Williams
Players Out: James Hird, Mark Johnson, Kepler Bradley, Richie Cole
Key Players: Matthew Lloyd, Scott Lucas, Dustin Fletcher

Grug Comment: Going down! Essendon were extremely lucky to win several games last year by the tiniest of margins, and most of these victories could be chalked up to the legendary James Hird, who has now retired. Sporting easily the worst midfield in the AFL, things are looking grim for the Dons and they really need to cop a few lean years while they blood their youth. They have some quality young players in Stanton, Davey, Myers, Ryder, Houli, Dempsey and Gumbleton, but these kids need time. The team will again be carried on the shoulders of veterans Lloyd, Lucas and Fletcher, none of who are getting any younger. Matthew Knights has his work cut out for him I am afraid. You’ll be missed Sheeds! Expect the Dons to finish 14th – 16th




Fremantle Dockers
Coach (# of seasons): Mark Harvey (debut season)
Captain: Matthew Pavlich
Last Premiership: Never won one.
2007 Ladder Position: 11th

Players In: Mark Johnson, Kepler Bradley, Rhys Palmer, Clayton Hinkley, Chris Mayne
Players Out: Parker, Cook, Collard, Mourish, Haddrill, Dunn, Longmuir
Key Players: Matthew Pavlich, Luke McPharlin, Jeff Farmer


Grug Comment: Who the f*** knows that these guys are going to do. They have the talent to win the flag, and the inconsistency to win the spoon. If I was a Freo supporter, I would have committed seppuku years ago. When you write them off, they’ll win, and when you talk them up, they lose. They made finals in 2006 and bombed out horrible in 2007. I suspect ex coach Chris Connolly was far too soft on player discipline. Mark Harvey should whip them in to shape, although I am baffled at why he picked up two Essendon castoffs in Johnson and Bradley… time will tell. If they play to potential, they’ll finish 3-7th. If they perform to their track record, they’ll be outside the top 8.




Geelong Cats
Coach: Mark “Bomber” Thompson (9th Season)
Captain: Tom Harley
Last Premiership: 2007
2007 Ladder Position: 1st

Players In: Taylor, Dawson Simpson, Scott Simpson, Donohue, McKenna
Players Out: Steven King, Charlie Gardiner, Sam Hunt, Nathan Ablett, Spencer, Owen
Key Players: Gary Ablett Jr, James Bartel, Matthew Scarlett, Cameron Mooney

Grug Comment: An unstoppable force in 2007. Hit there straps in about round 5 and looked flag bound ever since. The funny thing was, the 2007 side was largely unchanged compared to the 2006 side which didn’t even make the finals. This shows the fine margin between ultimate success and dismal failure. They have the talent, they have the game plan. If they can avoid a premiership hangover and play the same sort of football that took them to glory, they’ll be the team to beat. Looking at the names on their list is fearsome stuff, stars galore… Ablett, Bartel, Johnson, Mooney, Scarlet, Egan, Enright, Ling! Prediction: 1st-2nd.




Hawthorn Hawks
Coach: Alistair Clarkson (4th season)
Captain: Sam Mitchell
Last Premiership: 1991
2007 Ladder Position: 5th

Players In: Cyril Rioli, Brendan Whitecross, Stuart Dew
Players Out: Richie Vandenberg, Joel Smith, Ben Dixon
Key Players: Lance Franklin, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell

Grug Comment: If the Cats face a significant challenge for the 2008 flag, it will come from Hawthorn. A side that has done the hard yards in the football wilderness, recruited well and bided their time. Their time in the sun is now. An incredibly even side across the park with a selection of some of the AFL’s most exciting talent thrown into the mix. Luke Hodge, an incredibly hard at it midfielder with class to spare, Sam Mitchell the hard working ball magnet who could be the next Simon Black and of course, the most exciting and precocious young talent in the AFL, Lance “Buddy” Franklin who, when on song, leaves football fans shaking their heads in disbelief. If he can stay focused on his football (and avoid the women and white powder) he will be a juggernaut. The Hawks play a committed and exciting style of football and after getting their first recent taste of finals football, will come out snarling in 2008. The drafting of Stuart Dew is a risk that the Hawks can afford to take, and could pay off in spades. Prediction 1st-2nd.

[Grug]

Melbourne Demons
Coach: Dean Bailey (debut season)
Captain: David Neitz
Last Premiership: 1964
2007 Ladder Position: 14th

Players In: Meesen, Morton, Grimes, Maric, Cheney, McNamara, Martin
Players Out: Travis Johnstone, Simon Godfrey, Ward, Neville, Ferguson
Key Players: Brock McLean, David Neitz, Jeff White

Grug Comment: The trading of Travis Johnstone to Brisbane seems to indicate one thing for the Demons. Rebuilding time. The club has outwardly said as much by adopting a youth policy. Dean Bailey will be given time to develop the youth in this team, and a couple of lean years will be acceptable. The Demons drafted extremely well in the recent draft, Cale Morton and Jack Grimes are classy midfield prospects and Adam Maric is a dangerous small forward option that will add some sting to the Demons attack Brock McLean will win a Brownlow medal one day. It would now appear unlikely that David Neitz will finish his career as a premiership player, which is a shame as he has been a fantastic presence at the Melbourne Football Club and has shown incredible loyalty. Prediction: 12th – 15th




North Melbourne Kangaroos
Coach: Dean Laidley (6th Season)
Captain: Adam Simpson
Last Premiership: 1999
2007 Ladder Position: 4th

Players In: Davies, Power, Adams, Campbell, Tarrant, Greenwood, Smith, Grima
Players Out: Archer, Green, Hay, Grima, Moran, McConnell, Trotter, Urch, Whyman
Key Players: Brent Harvey, Hamish McIntosh, Nathan Thompson

Grug Comment: You can’t help but admire the fight of North Melbourne. They have spent decades teetering on the brink of football oblivion and manage to hold on by their fingernails, all the while staying competitive on the field. They resisted the AFL’s push to relocate them to the Gold Coast and hopefully their supporters get on board and keep the club afloat after seeing how close they came to destruction. Like many others, I wrote off the Kangaroos chances early last season, and had them penciled in for the wooden spoon, and like many others, I was left redfaced when the Kangaroos fought their way into a top 4 finish. While I think they will fall off the pace a little this year, I still think they will play finals. You just can’t discount how important heart is, and this team has plenty of heart, the return of Nathan Thompson from a knee reco adds extra dimension to their forward line. Daniel Wells needs to lift and become the player we all know he can be. Prediction: 5th-8th.




Port Adelaide Power
Coach: Mark “Choco” Williams (10th season)
Captain: Warren Tredrea
Last Premiership: 2004
2007 Ladder Position: 2nd

Players In: Lobbe, Farmer, Motlop, Westhoff
Players Out: Symes, Mahoney, Wakelin, Willits
Key Players: Chad Cornes, Kane Cornes, Shaun Burgoyne

Grug Comment: Credit must go to Mark Williams for the incredibly quick rebuilt he has performed with this side since their 2004 premiership win. Like Collingwood, they are a team that is drilled to make the most of their strengths and the their incredibly even performances bely the fact that the team is populated with many relatively unknown players. They defied all pre-season expectations and made it all the way to the Grand Final, where they were embarrassingly pummeled by a Geelong side that played close to the perfect game. If they focus on their incredible season and get past their grand final capitulation, there is no reason why they can’t play the same brand of football in 2008 that took them so far last year. Chad Cornes is vital to their success as he plays the Centre Half-Back position to perfection, setting up play with his incredible vision. Prediction 2nd – 4th.




Richmond Tigers
Coach: Terry Wallace (4th season)
Captain: Kane Johnson
Last Premiership: 1980
2007 Ladder Position: 16th (Last)

Players In: McMahon, Morton, Cotchin, Rance, Putt, and Gourdis
Players Out: Krakouer, Hartigan, P. Bowden, Howat, Peterson
Key Players: Matthew Richardson, Nathan Foley, Nathan Brown, Troy Simmonds

Grug Comment: Another team that would be a nightmare to support, in spite of this Richmond probably has the most loyal and passionate supporter base of all who stick with the club through thick and thin. I tip my hat to them. Despite coming deal last in 2007, Richmond were denied the first draft pick due to Carlton exploiting the priority pick rules. Despite this, Richmond still got the best player in the draft in my opinion. Trent Cotchin is a gun midfielder who oozes class. The future Richmond midfield is looking pretty bloody sweet with Deledio, Cotchin, Foley, Raines all class. Even better for Richmond is the return of Mark Coughlan from a season ending injury which gives them even more midfield class. The Tigers also missed the services of Troy Simmonds last year and his return will increase their potency at the ruck contests tenfold. I also hope we see another big year from Matthew Richardson – if there is a more entertaining character in the game, I’d like to know who! Unfortunately, Richmond have a spin doctoring egomaniac for a coach, and the sooner they offload Terry Wallace, the better. Richmond have drafted well for the future across the park, but it will take a few more years before it shows on the field. Luckily their fans are patient. Prediction: 12th-15th.

[Grug]

St. Kilda Saints
Coach (# of seasons): Ross Lyon (2nd season)
Captains: Nick Riewoldt
Last Premiership: 1966
2007 Ladder Position: 9th

Players In: Steven King, Adam Schneider, Sean Dempster, McEvoy, Steven, Connors
Players Out: Andrew Thompson, Matthew Clarke, Brett Voss, Aaron Hamill, Andrew McQualter, Raymond, Luke Sweeney, Fergus Watts, Barry Brooks
Key Players: Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo, Robert Harvey

Grug Comment: Like Fremantle, St Kilda are a team that easily has the talent to win the flag but has failed to deliver. However, unlike Fremantle, St Kilda have an excuse… injuries. The Saints have been absolutely brutalized by injuries in recent times, definitely more than their fair share. I personally put this down to the terrible playing surface at the Telstra Dome. The Saints absolutely owned trade week, getting quality players while giving up very little for them. Steven King will add much needed ruck depth (along with the St Kilda debut of ex West Coast All Australian, Michael Gardiner who missed 07 through injury.) Getting Schneider and Dempster from Sydney is a massive coup for the Saints and gives them added depth. As mentioned above, the Saints ooze talent, players like Riewoldt, Hayes, Dal Santo, Koschitzke and Ball are all elite standard players. If St Kilda manage to have a relatively injury free season… LOOK OUT! Prediction: 3rd – 6th.




Sydney Swans
Coach: Paul Roos (7th season)
Captains: Brett Kirk & Leo Barry
Last Premiership: 2005
2007 Ladder Position: 7th

Players In: Marty Mattner, Henry Playfair, Brendon Murphy, Jake Orreal, Craig Bird, Patrick Veszpremi, Meredith
Players Out: Phillips, Vogels, Simpkin, Schnieder, Dempster
Key Players: Goodes, Hall, Bolton

Grug Comment: As a Brisbane Lions supporter, I know what the end of an dynasty looks like, and Sydney are there right now. They have played an incredible disciplined and structured style of football (albeit not very entertaining).
that has proved successful, taking them to the 2005 flag and a narrow defeat to West Coast in the following grand final. However, they have already shown signs of going backwards and this looks set to continue. Like the Lions at the end of their era, Sydney has a massive talent gap in the 20-26 year age range in their list which is the cornerstone of a successful flag tilt. This fact makes the decision to trade Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster even more baffling. This is also compounded by the fact that during their successful years, the Swans failed to blood their youngsters. Therefore, a massive rebuilt of the list looks likely for the Swannies. It is not all bad news though, there is some nice talent coming through, Ed Barlow has shown brief glimpses of his incredible athleticism for a big fella (the next Adam Goodes maybe?), Craig Bird is a class young midfielder who will play 250 games for the Swans and Brendon Murphy looks to be the most talented of all the Irishmen who have joined the great Aussie game. There is light at the end of the tunnel for Swans fans, but there is a bit of darkness to ride through first. Prediction (9th -13th)



West Coast Eagles
Coach (# of seasons): John “Woosha” Worsfold (8th season)
Captain: Darren Glass
Last Premiership: 2006
2007 Ladder Position: 3rd

Players In: Josh Kennedy, Chris Masten, Brad Ebert, Tony Notte, Scott Selwood, McGinnity
Players Out: Chris Judd, Ben Cousins, Josh Wooden, Rowan Jones, Daniel Chick,
Key Players: Daniel Kerr, Daniel Glass, Dean Cox

Grug Comment: The only way to describe the Eagles’ 2007 season would be to call it the “year from hell”. Players Daniel Kerr and Ben Cousins were embroiled in drug related controversies, which eventually cost former captain and Brownlow Medallist Cousins his football career. The Eagles also mourned the death of beloved ex player Chris Mainwairing and to cap it all off, their current captain and best midfielder in the competition, Chris Judd requested a trade back to his home city of Melbourne. Yes folks, it can’t get any worse than that. Fortunately, the Eagles appear to have got their ship back in order and is taking player discipline seriously. The loss of Judd and Cousins is impossible to fill, but the club did well in the draft, picking up two of the elite midfielders on offer (Mastern and Ebert) and finally reunited 2 of the 4 Selwood brothers at the one club by picking up Scott with selection 22. (The other two brothers, Joel and Troy are at Geelong and Brisbane respectively). Despite losing Cousins and Judd, the West Coast midfield still boasts Daniel Kerr who is an absolute elite player and will win a Brownlow one day if he can avoid getting suspended. 2007 also saw the emergence of Matthew Priddis, another high possession ball magnet in the Ben Cousins Mould. West Coast also boast the best fullback (Glass) and ruckman (Cox) in the league. Any team with those two players will always hold up relatively well. The Achilles heal of the West Coast side is still it’s forward line. Quinten Lynch is an honest battler but will never be a star, Ashley Hansen is injury prone and Brent Staker is majorly inconsistent. There are forward prospects waiting in the wings, (Mitch Brown, Tony Notte and Josh Kennedy) but they need time to develop. I think West Coast will slide a little this year, but they won’t take long to reload and will be a force again from 2009 onwards. Prediction 5th-9th.




Western Bulldogs
Coach (# of seasons): Rodney “Rocket” Eade (4th season)
Captain: Brad Johnson
Last Premiership: 1954
2007 Ladder Position: 13th

Players In: Hudson, Callan, Grant, Ward, Reid, Wood, Boumann, O'Keefe, Welsh
Players Out: Chris Grant, Jordan McMahon, Sam Power, Matthew Robbins, Luke Darcy, Brett Montgomery, Walsh, Faulkner, McCormack
Key Players: Johnson, Cooney, Murphy, Cross

Grug Comment: After being touted as Victoria’s great premiership hope at the start of 2007, the Bulldogs had a shocking year and finished 13th overall. This can be linked to several factors. Firstly, the Dogs suffered some injuries to key players including Grant, Minson, Darcy, Hahn, Cross and Griffen. Secondly, it became obvious that many opposition coaches has dismantled the Bulldogs game plan. The Dogs “outside” style of play was exposed by sides willing to apply physical pressure at the stoppages and the clearances and generally smashes the Bulldogs in the area that had previously been their strength, their midfield. The Bulldogs have also been criticized for their lck of tall key position players and the loss of Grant and Darcy doesn’t help. Quite simply, coach Rodney Eade needs a Plan B for when Plan A doesn’t work. If he doesn’t, he may be the next coach seeking new employment. Prediction: 6th-10th

[Grug]

Tomorrow I'll post a preview of the 2008 NAB Cup (Pre-Season competition).

[Grug]

2008 NAB PRE-SEASON CUP – ROUND 1


Saturday 9th February

Collingwood vs Adelaide - (Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, United Arab Emirates)


Friday 15th February

St Kilda vs Richmond - (Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Victoria)

Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne - (TIO Stadium, Darwin, Northern Territory)


Saturday 16th February

Geelong vs Melbourne - (Skilled Stadium, Geelong, Victoria)

Port Adelaide vs Carlton - (AAMI Stadium, Adelaide, South Australia)

Essendon vs Brisbane Lions - (Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast, Queensland)


Sunday 17th February

Hawthorn vs Sydney - (Aurora Stadium, Launceston, Tasmania)

Fremantle vs West Coast - (Subiaco Oval, Perth, Western Australia)

[Karakand]

Wow thanks for the amazing OP, OP.

[Grug]

Wow thanks for the amazing OP, OP.

Once I started, I couldn't stop!

I'm just hanging out for some damn footy!

Who is your team?

[Grug]

For anyone not familiar with the game... here is a highlights reel from the 2007 season.

[legend166]

Nice thread.

I'll be going for my Swannies again. Got my membership paid off again for the 8th year now, so I'm not a bandwagon jumper, haha. I went to both GFs, first one was amazing, second was so sad. After the loss I don't think I've ever left a place so quickly. We were out at the airport 35mins after the match ended. Sure, was a bit soft, but oh well.

I don't think we'll challenge for the flag this year, but I don't think we'll fall as hard as some are predicting. A lot of our players are aging, but most of them can still compete. Kirky, for example. I think Hall will bounce back (he better). Leo Barry is past his prime though. We can't continue to play him on the main forwards anymore. I think Goodes will dominate and win the Brownlow again. Nearly did it last year after being completely useless for the first half of the season! I agree with you about us getting rid of Schiender. Totally retarded. Didn't care as much for Dempster though. I can see us finishing 7th or 8th.

I really can't tell who is going to win the flag. In terms of last years Grand Finalists I think Port's season was a one off, and they'll fall back into the pack again, whilst still being competitive. I don't know about Geelong. They might have a big Premiership hangover after finally winning it after all these years. Then again, people said that about us in 05 and we made the GF again.

Anyways, can't wait for the season to begin. The good thing is this year there's no 2 month gap between the end of the cricket and the start of the AFL

[Grug]

Nice thread. I'll be going for my Swannies again. ...

So jealous that you guys got Brendan Murphy from Ireland. He was practically a signed, sealed Brisbane Lion until Tadgh Kennelly got in his ear and got him to the Swans.

Absolute freak of an athlete.

[legend166]

I haven't seen much of him, but I'm always up for more Irishman. If he's anything like Kennelly we're in for a treat.

I think the Lions will be the dark horse this year if Brown can keep dominating.

[Grug]

I haven't seen much of him, but I'm always up for more Irishman. If he's anything like Kennelly we're in for a treat. I think the Lions will be the dark horse this year if Brown can keep dominating.

Murphy is more of a freakishly athletic tall player, in the Lance Franklin mould.

I reckon Marty Mattner is a great pickup for you as well. Neil Craig played him out of position at the Crows... he was never a key defender. He is a natural tall running wingman and will suit the Sydney gameplan nicely.

But yeah, I am quietly confident about how the Lions will do this year. Brown is a once in a generation player, god I love watching him play.

[Grug]

Speaking of Brown legend, I bet you weren't too happy when he did this.

[legend166]

I wasn't.

But I bet you weren't happy when you saw......


I can't find a video for Hall's last second goal against you guys :(

[APerfectCircle]

just wondering, u listed josh hunt as leaving geelong, but i couldnt see where he was going to? surely he would of got picked up by another club, if he left geelong?
just a small thing, i think u meant guy richards left collingwood rather than ted richards?
im pumped for this season, could really be the start of something big for collingwood. alot of young players, and for once we picked up a promising ruck. i dont think we will be challenging for premiership til next season, but hopefully we will give it a shake. a good crop of young games, and for the first time in a long while, the likes of cloke, pendles, thomas and co could actually be league leaders. i think for quite too long that our players were good to ok, but never special such as the midfielders of the brisbane and west coast era's.

we need consistency, i believe we would of made it to the grand final if we had it last year, we could go close to a top team one week, then lose to richmond the next.
clement will be a big loss to us, bigger than buckley, but it gives a chance to shaw, H.Obrien and maxwell to step up. gunna love to see if irish clarke can take another step coz he was fantastic last year.

i recon the big climbers of this season will be carlton and possibly hawthorn... gunna go out on a limb and make a prediction of the ladder come round 22:

1. hawthorn
2. Geelong
3. Collingwood
4. Adelaide
5.Power
6. W.b
7.West Coast
8.Brisbane (just ahead if not even with carlton)
9.Carlton
10. Essendon
11. Freo
12. Sydney
13. Richmond
14. Melbourne
15. Nth Melbourne (they r shit, no matter what they did last year)
16. St Kilda (back home).

[Grug]

I wasn't. But I bet you weren't happy when you saw...... I can't find a video for Hall's last second goal against you guys :(

I was sitting round on the boundary line nearby as Brown kicked that. I went mental. Starting hugging complete strangers.

As for Hall's goal, I was living in London at that stage and was listening to it via internet radio, and I threw a tantrum like a little child when that happened. Literally threw myself to the floor and started pounding the ground like a 5 year old.

We lead for the entire match, and Hall wins it off his own boot after the siren. Gutting!

I hope Hall bounces back this year, he is an absolute monster when in form. Lets hope he can get fit again. But even if he doesn't, a lucrative boxing career awaits him.

[Syth_Blade22]

Damn amazing thread Grug, looking forward to being a part of it.

Keen bombers supporter here, would love to get to more games but I dont live in melbourne unfortunutly. Have got plane tickets organised though for the Anzac day game, went to my first one last year, and it was just amazing.

Speaking of close sydney wins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoSpoq-Bb7o =P

Other than the bombers this year I'm hoping to see the Dee's have a good year, hit so hard by injuries last year, it'll be good for them to have a few wins, + Yze is too cool, so is nathan carroll.

[Grug]

just wondering, u listed josh hunt as leaving geelong, but i couldnt see where he was going to? surely he would of got picked up by another club, if he left geelong? just a small thing, i think u meant guy richards left collingwood rather than ted richards?

Yep, got my wires crossed on both counts. It was Sam Hunt that left Geelong and Guy Richards that left Collingwood. I've edited the post and fixed it up.

Cheers for that.

Our first home game this year is against Collingwood. Can't wait. We lost to the Pies last year at the Gabba and I had to see Joffa parading around in his bloody gold jacket.

[legend166]

Last minute victories?

More like last minute horrible umpiring decisions :p

Speaking of that, I delievered Chinese food to Mark McVeigh once. It was the week before the 06 Grand Final, so I guess he was in Sydney to stay with Jarred or whatever. It was funny, because I was wearing my Swans hat, so we talked about it and stuff.

[Grug]

Last minute victories?

Well out of bounds by McPhee there. Poor umpiring.

Wasn't the only close game the umpires have given the Bombers... in their game against West Coast at the Dome last year, Chris Judd should have been given a free kick in the goal square with a couple of minutes to go. He was absolutely monstered off the ball... umpiring insanity.

God I hate umpires. Maggots!

[Pachael]

I'm a Sainters supporter and I approve of this thread, although some things down in St Kilda-land have struck me as weird this past year, from the on-field injuries to Rob Buttress v Grant Thomas part XX to Gehrig retiring and then doing a backflip to 'we do not want to stay in Moorabbin anymore wah wah pokies'.

That said, you're right Grug, we did well in trade week and hopefully w/o injuries we can make the finals this time, though as usual I think there's still a way to go premiership-wise. I think Carlton will be the big turnaround and the Hawks should be really strong. However it's a bit early to predict who'll win the flag.

[Syth_Blade22]

heeey bout time we had some umpiring decisions go our way lol.

*sigh* everyone hates us. and they only liked us for james hird.

Now you REALLY hate us don't you. lol

[APerfectCircle]

Well out of bounds by McPhee there. Poor umpiring. Wasn't the only close game the umpires have given the Bombers... in their game against West Coast at the Dome last year, Chris Judd should have been given a free kick in the goal square with a couple of minutes to go. He was absolutely monstered off the ball... umpiring insanity. God I hate umpires. Maggots!

shouldn't hate them too much, they gave u your second premiership, lynch, the unmovable wall who turned to jelly every quarter for a free goal, tarrant who got raped withouth anything, and rocca's goal just not being good enough for the goal ump, yep, those umps have been a lot nicer to u my friends than they have been to me ;)
*Desperately wants to see collingwood win a premiers, was too young last time :()

[APerfectCircle]

heeey bout time we had some umpiring decisions go our way lol. *sigh* everyone hates us. and they only liked us for james hird. Now you REALLY hate us don't you. lol

people liked james hird :O first ive known of it ;)

[Grug]

shouldn't hate them too much, they gave u your second premiership, lynch, the unmovable wall who turned to jelly every quarter for a free goal, tarrant who got raped withouth anything, and rocca's goal just not being good enough for the goal ump, yep, those umps have been a lot nicer to u my friends than they have been to me ;) *Desperately wants to see collingwood win a premiers, was too young last time :()

Ahh the old Rocca's goal that never was legend. Heard it a million times.

[Grug]

people liked james hird :O first ive known of it ;)

Hird was a legend.

Voss, Buckley, Harvey and Hird are the players of their generation.

[Karakand]

Who is your team?

Lions (I have cousins from the Cairns area), but since I live in the U.S. I don't really get much of a chance to follow them.

Last season all I watched was the Grand Final. But you have inspired me to try and be better at following them with this thread!

[APerfectCircle]

Ahh the old Rocca's goal that never was legend. Heard it a million times.

be bitter forever about it
hird indeed was a incredible player, doesnt mean i will like him though :P
and i agree, that the 4 players you listed are among the finest players to have played the game, in mentality and in skill. funnily enough, all four, bar buckleys first year, stayed at the same clubs and became legends rather than the more accustomed trend nowadays.

[Grug]

Lions (I have cousins from the Cairns area), but since I live in the U.S. I don't really get much of a chance to follow them. Last season all I watched was the Grand Final. But you have inspired me to try and be better at following them with this thread!

I'll keep you informed. I am a Lions obsessive.

[Grug]

"Why are you leaving Brisbane, Nathan?"

"I want to play finals footy."



Fate didn't go his way, but he still cemented his reputation as one of the greats.

[APerfectCircle]

"Why are you leaving Brisbane, Nathan?" "I want to play finals footy." Fate didn't go his way, but he still cemented his reputation as one of the greats.

yeh, i always felt kinda bad about that, but the guy will go down as a legend of this club, a club which is arguable the greatest ever in the league, so he did alright ;)

[Grug]

yeh, i always felt kinda bad about that, but the guy will go down as a legend of this club, a club which is arguable the greatest ever in the league, so he did alright ;)

Yeah, plenty of great players retire without premierships unfortunately.

Kevin Murray, Bob Skilton, Chris Grant, Gary Ablett, Luke Darcy...

Robert Harvey's last chance this year I reckon... surely he can't go on much longer.

[Grug]

Syth_Blade22: any predictions for Rnd 1 of the NAB cup?

Last time we played you guys in a NAB cup game at Carrara, Jared Brennan won us the game by a point with 30 seconds to go...

Is Essendon likely to play a team full of kids?

Brisbane historically play most of their young kids and rookies. Simon Black and Jonathan Brown wont be playing.

[APerfectCircle]

has everyone read the latest on carey, seems he was a real dic in the US, and is up for assaulting a police officer, as possibly the greatest player i ever saw (in his prime), its a real shame! 2nd legend of the game to have gone astray in this generation, wonder if he will get a nomination, unlike abllett.

[Syth_Blade22]

Syth_Blade22: any predictions for Rnd 1 of the NAB cup? Last time we played you guys in a NAB cup game at Carrara, Jared Brennan won us the game by a point with 30 seconds to go... Is Essendon likely to play a team full of kids? Brisbane historically play most of their young kids and rookies. Simon Black and Jonathan Brown wont be playing.

Yeah essendon will most likely be the same, lucas and fletcher most likely rested, lloyd will play, he's had a year back, but I guess they'll want to check he's back at 100%.

Expect a lot of hard and fast running, some of our young kids have REALLY bulked up over the off season. Can't see us winning though lol. but hopefully it's close and we put up a challenge. a Win would do so much for moral though, like you said, no one expects us to do anywhere near where we did last year considering Hird is gone, but tbh, davey was the real spark.

Lions will probly win it by a couple of points <-- realist
Bombers by a few goals if some of our younger players get the pace going quickly <-- optimist.

I'm also calling it now, Geelong will lose to melbourne in the NAB cup.


Edit:

has everyone read the latest on carey, seems he was a real dic in the US, and is up for assaulting a police officer, as possibly the greatest player i ever saw (in his prime), its a real shame! 2nd legend of the game to have gone astray in this generation, wonder if he will get a nomination, unlike abllett.

He's also lost his contract to channel 9 and will no longer be on that show.. which name i forget now.. ugh.. you know the one, with caro, hutchy and lyon.

Will be interesting to see who they get to replace him. Would be nice to see one of the newly retired champions on there.

[Grug]

Do you reckon they'll play Mal Michael in the NAB cup Syth?

He hasn't played a game up here since the.... defection.

I am looking forward to giving him a 'warm welcome'... if you know what I mean.

As for predictions, I reckon Kangaroos will win the NAB cup. They need the prize money and the illusion of success to get more members on board, so they will play a full strength side I reckon.

[Syth_Blade22]

Do you reckon they'll play Mal Michael in the NAB cup Syth? He hasn't played a game up here since the.... defection. I am looking forward to giving him a 'warm welcome'... if you know what I mean. As for predictions, I reckon Kangaroos will win the NAB cup. They need the prize money and the illusion of success to get more members on board, so they will play a full strength side I reckon.

Heh.. he did nothing wrong.

Retired because you wouldnt let him have days off...

we did.. simple maths!

Probly right on the kangaroos there. they need something to happen desperatly early on in the season or it's just going to go right down.

and if we're not playing fletcher he probly will be played.
And if we dont play him.. we're probly notgonna play a heap of other guys too so it may be a very very young side, or an ok side.

[Grug]

Heh.. he did nothing wrong. Retired because you wouldnt let him have days off... we did.. simple maths!

Except that he was still a contracted player when he retired.

Don't sign contracts you can fulfill. He exploited a loophole. Pretty harsh thing to do to the club that gave you three premierships. You want to go to another club... request a trade.

Anyway, we've got the Number 1 defensive spoiler in the competition at fullback now, big Dan Merrett, so all is good.

Have Essendon had their intraclub match yet? Ours is next Tuesday.

[jobbidiar]

just wondering, u listed josh hunt as leaving geelong, but i couldnt see where he was going to? surely he would of got picked up by another club, if he left geelong? just a small thing, i think u meant guy richards left collingwood rather than ted richards? im pumped for this season, could really be the start of something big for collingwood. alot of young players, and for once we picked up a promising ruck. i dont think we will be challenging for premiership til next season, but hopefully we will give it a shake. a good crop of young games, and for the first time in a long while, the likes of cloke, pendles, thomas and co could actually be league leaders. i think for quite too long that our players were good to ok, but never special such as the midfielders of the brisbane and west coast era's. we need consistency, i believe we would of made it to the grand final if we had it last year, we could go close to a top team one week, then lose to richmond the next. clement will be a big loss to us, bigger than buckley, but it gives a chance to shaw, H.Obrien and maxwell to step up. gunna love to see if irish clarke can take another step coz he was fantastic last year. i recon the big climbers of this season will be carlton and possibly hawthorn... gunna go out on a limb and make a prediction of the ladder come round 22: 1. hawthorn 2. Geelong 3. Collingwood 4. Adelaide 5.Power 6. W.b 7.West Coast 8.Brisbane (just ahead if not even with carlton) 9.Carlton 10. Essendon 11. Freo 12. Sydney 13. Richmond 14. Melbourne 15. Nth Melbourne (they r shit, no matter what they did last year) 16. St Kilda (back home).

ok considering the roos finished higher than you last year (after the final series) your so called "ladder" is ridiculous. I agree with the original poster, we will finish in the finals might scrape in 5th-6th hopefully, next time we play the woods hopefully s.grant has his kicking boots on ;)

[Syth_Blade22]

Except that he was still a contracted player when he retired. Don't sign contracts you can fulfill. He exploited a loophole. Pretty harsh thing to do to the club that gave you three premierships. You want to go to another club... request a trade. Anyway, we've got the Number 1 defensive spoiler in the competition at fullback now, big Dan Merrett, so all is good. Have Essendon had their intraclub match yet? Ours is next Tuesday.

Not too sure, dont think they have.. Been to busy this week to really follow them, bah! lol.

[speedpop]

Great thread.

Hopefully the Blues can do something this year.

[Setanta]

Come on the Pies! (The Irish Brigade)

And roll on 2008 International Rules! If they work something out that is....

[Grug]

Come on the Pies! (The Irish Brigade) And roll on 2008 International Rules! If they work something out that is....

Why do Collingwood get to call themselves the Irish Brigade... Brisbane and Sydney have two Irishmen each. Carlton has even more!

[legend166]

I'd kill myself if Collingwood won the flag.

It's so hard to hate on their fans though, SINCE WE CAN'T BEAT THEM AT ALL. Dammit. Atleast we've got a recent flag though.

[Grug]

I'd kill myself if Collingwood won the flag. It's so hard to hate on their fans though, SINCE WE CAN'T BEAT THEM AT ALL. Dammit. Atleast we've got a recent flag though.

Collingwood are our bitch.

14-4 Win/Loss record against them.

[Setanta]

Its just me who called them the 'Irish Brigade', maybe some Aussies in Melbourne call them that too? I wouldn't know as Im Irish myself and don't live there.
But I wish the AFL would stop pinching Irish Gaelic Football talent.

[legend166]

Its just me who called them the 'Irish Brigade', maybe some Aussies in Melbourne call them that too? I wouldn't know as Im Irish myself and don't live there. But I wish the AFL would stop pinching Irish Gaelic Football talent.

Maybe when, you know, they actually get paid to play the sport, we'll stop stealing them :P

[Syth_Blade22]

Its just me who called them the 'Irish Brigade', maybe some Aussies in Melbourne call them that too? I wouldn't know as Im Irish myself and don't live there. But I wish the AFL would stop pinching Irish Gaelic Football talent.

Interesting point I've wanted to find out what it's like in Ireland regarding this, I saw the bbc doco on marty clarke, but how has the general press been on the topic? Pretty angry at australia as a whole?

[Grug]

I But I wish the AFL would stop pinching Irish Gaelic Football talent.

You act like we are slave traders loading these boys onto a boat.

We are simply giving them a chance to use their talents as a career. Something they can't do in the GAA. You have some elite athletes in your competition who are forced to work 40 hour weeks in an office/trade and then train and play football on top of that. You can't blame them for taking the opportunity to play AFL.

They are very well looked fter by AFL clubs. Colm Begley is already a massive fan favorite at the Brisbane Lions.