I'm getting caught up after more than a week with my daughter and heck of a weekend of footy. (Note: if you don't know the weekend's results and don't want to know them... stop reading here.)
First off, I want to congratulate my reporting team in Australia and America. Our photographer, Derrick den Hollander, covered both matches in Adelaide this weekend. If you haven't seen his photos, we have two photo essays linked from our home page. More will follow over the next few weeks. Great stuff. Our reporters on the scene in Melbourne, Oren Flamm and Lisa Harris, will have reports for us from the MCG to be posted soon. And of course, our general news reporters, Lisa Albergo (Chicago) and Johnson Leung (Melbourne) will have complete wrap-ups of the footy news from the past week plus scores posted on the web site. Again, just check the links in the news column on the right side of the page. All of it should be there within the next 24 hours.
Finals always produce surprises. It was my thinking that now that finals had arrived, Brisbane would rise a level and try to give the "three-peat" a go. But when the pressure was on late, it was Collingwood that continued it's recent form and got the win. Something about going to the well too many times, I guess, for the Lions.
Congrats to my friend, Paul Roos, and the Swans. After watching and meeting Paul during his tour of the states a few years ago, I had the hunch that if the situation was right he would succeed at the AFL level. It's just happening sooner than even the Swans expected. For the Power, some clubs develop a mentality about championships and have trouble getting over the hump. Convenient, too, for the folks at Telstra Stadium in Sydney. Their poor planning proves not to be a problem (see earlier blog!)
Now, my beloved Eagles. Another season ended in a late fade. Since about Round 14 or 15, it has been pretty much downhill. We got to 2nd on the ladder then a few injuries and that mental thing I referred to above kicked in. I really think it's mental not physical. What Worsha and the club are going to do about it I'd love to know.
Finally, pun intended, there were the Dockers. What a great step forward they made this year. But lack of experience and a Sheedy coached opponent were too much.
I like the Lions next week to regroup at home against the Crows and go to another Preliminary final. I think Port will finally get a finals win in a close one with Essendon. That would set up Collingwood and Port in one prelim and Sydney and Brisbane in the other I believe.
I've got more to say on the survey comments to come later on. We've had a terriffic response so far. All of you fans living in the USA or Canada keep it up.
-Rob (relaxing now)
Posted by rkdesantos at September 7, 2003 02:22 PM
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Love the perspective.
I agree, Roosy is a great bloke. I met him here in CHicago as well.
Interesting to see the teams which are doing well in the finals are all coached by former defenders - Sheedy, Malthouse, Roos, Ayres
And if it's any consolation, the Eagles did get hit with some injuries late in the year. Losing Gardiner with a knee injury certainly didn't help and he has been pretty proppy in the last few games. Embley also may have been down on form coming off an injury.
Ditto the Lions with Voss, McDonald, the Scott boys, and Johnson.
As for the Dockers, they will certainly be better for the run in their first finals campaign. They can still hold their heads up for their best finish yet.
Posted by: Lisa Albergo at September 7, 2003 02:51 PMStuff Paul Roos and the bloody Sydney Swans
May they continue to lose money and fade away into the football wilderness.
Carna' Pies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gee, I see the really intelligent crowd has shown up.
Posted by: Rob de Santos at September 10, 2003 11:07 PM