Australian Football League News

Brief Update on 2012 TV Coverage

admincms — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:02:30 -0600

This is a brief update on the expected TV coverage of the AFL in North America in 2012. For US viewers, we can advise that at this time we do not expect any coverage on ESPN affiliated networks in 2012 based on information from ESPN. However negotiations are on-going according to the AFL. (This has no bearing on whether ESPN covers the sport in other parts of the world.) Coverage on MHz Networks will likely continue however, no agreement has been concluded. We understand negotiations are continuing but beyond that we do not have further information at this time. For Canadian fans, we are awaiting word but with the loss of ESPN it would be reasonable to assume that coverage on TSN is endangered. [Ed. note: this article has been slightly revised following a request by the AFL to remove it. AFANA has determined that it accurately reflects the information we have received and we are re-publishing it.]

Fans are encouraged to be patient as AFANA is seeking additional information from the AFL and the TV networks. We still have about 8 weeks until the AFL season is underway. We will, as always, keep you informed with updates as things progress and advise if we think fans should take action.

AFL 2012 Schedule Released

johnson — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:57:25 -0500

by Johnson Leung reporting for AFANA from Melbourne with contributions by the AFANA staff

Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants, the AFL's newest team, will kick off the 2012 season with a local derby against cross-town rival Sydney, according to the schedule revealed recently in Melbourne. The Giants will play the Swans at ANZ Stadium on Saturday, March 24 in the only match of the week, to celebrate the new club's entry into the national competition. Richmond and Carlton have kept their season-opening marquee fixture on the following Thursday night (March 29), with Hawthorn hosting Collingwood on Friday, March 30, in Nathan Buckley's first game as Magpies' coach. High-profile Melbourne recruit Mitch Clark will face his old club, the Brisbane Lions, in his first game for the Demons, on Saturday afternoon (March 31) at the MCG, while reigning Premiers Geelong will kick off its title defense with a trip to Patersons Stadium to play Fremantle that night. The schedule changes adversely affect fans in North America as there are fewer games that start prior to 1:00 AM US EDT. Even if ESPN and TSN wanted to show a match at 12:00 MN US EDT every week, that will no longer be possible as the schedule caters (predictably) to the needs of the Australian television networks.

AFL Chief Operating Officer Gillon McLachlan defended the huge gamble to give the Giants a stand-alone season opener, stating it put the city of Sydney center stage for the start of the season. "With a start-up club in a new market, it's about awareness and growing a club from a standing start," he said. The Swans will be the only Top Eight team from last season to play GWS twice, a scheduling decision designed to smooth the new team's entry into the competition and to avoid the competition's best teams getting an unfair advantage from two percentage-boosting wins against the newcomers. The Giants will play their first game at their new home ground (Skoda Stadium, formerly known as the Sydney Showground), in the Homebush area of Sydney's west, in Round 9 against Essendon. The match will pit Giants' coach Kevin Sheedy against the club he mentored for 27 years and against his former star player James Hird, now coach of the Bombers. The Giants will also play a game at the 10,000 person capacity Blacktown International Sports Park and two at Canberra's Manuka Oval. GWS Acting Chief Executive David Matthews said the Giants were thrilled, rather than daunted, by the stand-alone season start and pleased with the draw overall. "As the AFL's 18th and newest club we don't underestimate how tough a competition it is particularly for a young emerging team" he said.

The home-and-away season will be played over 23 rounds, consisting of 198 games. Every club will have a bye, scheduled over one of Rounds 11, 12 and 13 (six games each round and six teams with a bye for each of the three rounds). The AFL will once again decide timeslots for matches in Round 23 closer to the time to allow maximum flexibility for those going into Finals, and has not ruled out scheduling two Friday night games.

Collingwood and Geelong will meet twice in 2012, with the 2011 Grand Finalists facing off in Rounds 8 and 16. The Pies will face five of 2011's Top Eight clubs twice in 2012 and will be the only team to do so. Their season will include return match-ups with the Hawks, Cats, West Coast Eagles and Carlton plus traditional rival Essendon. Geelong will have to wait until Round 4 to reveal their Premiership Flag at their first home match in Simonds Stadium (formerly Kardinia Park) against Richmond.

Other features of the 2012 schedule include:

• All 18 clubs will play each other at least once with five "make-up" games, where teams play each other twice.

• Nine regular timeslots across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including a new Saturday twilight fixture starting at 4.40 PM AEST, allowing Foxtel to broadcast three games back-to-back on its new 24-hour AFL channel. The Brisbane Lions (six) and Gold Coast (four) will play the most matches in the new Saturday twilight timeslot.

• Only 13 games will start at 2.10 PM AEST next year and only five of those games are in Melbourne. The era of early afternoon football on Saturday has all but disappeared.

• Friday night matches will begin 10 minutes later than last season at 7.50 PM AEST.

• Saturday night games have been pushed back from 7.10 PM AEST to 7.40 PM AEST.

• One Sunday afternoon game will start at 3.10 PM AEST allowing the Seven network to show the game live immediately before its 6PM news bulletin.

• Five clubs - North Melbourne, Melbourne, Gold Coast Suns, Adelaide and the Sydney Swans - will have the bonus of playing GWS twice in 2012.

• Skoda Stadium, Blacktown International Sports Park and Blundstone Arena (formerly Bellerive Oval) in Tasmania's state capital Hobart will all host AFL matches for the first time.

• Victorian clubs face a minimum of five trips interstate in 2012, compared to three or four times in previous years. For Collingwood its five interstate trips will mark the first time the Magpies have travelled so much since 2008. They will play games at the Gabba, AAMI Stadium, Skoda Stadium, ANZ Stadium and Patersons Stadium with three of those trips (against GWS, Sydney Swans and West Coast) coming in the final six rounds of the season.

• All Top Eight teams from 2011 play at least two other Top Eight teams twice, and all bottom 10 teams (with new club the Giants included in that group) play at least two other bottom 10 teams twice.

• The Anzac Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon will be played on a Wednesday, meaning both clubs have only four days to prepare for the game after playing on the previous Saturday.

• Adelaide will have only one Friday night game (against St Kilda) while Port Adelaide will have none, alongside Brisbane, GWS and Gold Coast.

• Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney and GWS will play Sunday twilight games for the first time.

• Carlton will enjoy huge exposure on free-to-air TV, including two Thursday nights, seven Friday nights and one Monday night game.

• GWS will play Richmond, Essendon and Collingwood at Skoda Stadium. Overall, the Giants will play matches at 12 venues in its debut season.

• Melbourne will play 13 games at the MCG including nine of the first 12 games. They also play eight games on Saturday afternoons but only four on Sunday afternoons.

• St Kilda's first three games are against the Gold Coast, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs. The Saints host Fremantle (and former coach Ross Lyon) in Round 4. The Saints also have the highest number of six-day breaks (nine).

• Richmond faces Geelong, Collingwood, Carlton and West Coast in the first five weeks of the season.

• Hawthorn faces its fellow Top Four sides of 2011 within the first four rounds of the 2012 season: Collingwood in Round 1, Geelong in Round 2 and West Coast in Round 4. The Hawks will also host five MCG games against interstate teams, four of which are on Sundays. They will have seven six-day breaks, three of them back-to-back (the most of any club).

• North Melbourne will play two games in Hobart against GWS in Round 2 and West Coast in Round 15. The Kangaroos have the least number of games shown on free-to-air TV in Victoria (eight). They again have only one Friday night clash, against Carlton in Round 16.

• None of last season's top five clubs will play the GWS Giants or Gold Coast twice.

• Of Port Adelaide's 11 home games, six are in the timeslots that are least popular with Power fans - four on Saturday afternoons and two on Sunday twilights. Only two (against Carlton and Adelaide) are scheduled in the most popular Saturday night timeslot.

• Adelaide also has four Saturday afternoon games and two Sunday twilight matches. The Crows have just two Saturday night games at home.

• Port Adelaide will only play one game in Darwin mid-season, against Melbourne.

McLachlan said the most challenging aspect about doing the schedule - and those for the next few years - was establishing the GWS Giants as a draw card side and balancing their opposition as they stepped to the higher level of competition. "We've been open and realistic about the size of that challenge, the balance of the teams we're putting up there," McLachlan said. "You could put Collingwood, Carlton, all the big teams up there but at the moment they're the toughest teams to play against in a football sense. So trying to have big ticket teams up there, but not having (GWS) play the best teams twice is obviously a challenge." McLachlan said the schedule also rewarded better performing teams by allocating them more Friday night games. "Those four clubs with no Friday Night Football (Power, Giants, Lions, Suns) don't like it but they understand it," he said.

Sources: afl.com.au, Melbourne Age, Herald Sun, The Advertiser, AAP

International Rules Television and Radio Coverage

fondacaro — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:49:19 -0500

Television and Radio Coverage of 2011 International Rules Tests

Premium Sports and afl.com.au will be providing television and radio coverage (respectively) of the AFL/GAA 2011 International Rules Series, scheduled for October 28 in Melbourne and November 4 in Gold Coast.

Premium Sports (http://www.premiumsportsinc.com/index.html) coverage may be seen by subscribing to the feeds on UStream (http://www.ustream.tv/internationalrules2011) or Setanta-I (http://setanta-i.com/). There is no coverage on ESPN in the US or TSN in Canada. Coverage will begin at 4:30 AM US EDT for the first match and 4:30 AM US EST for the second. We will update this if it changes.

The cost for the tests is $19.99 each.

Radio coverage may be heard per usual through afl.com.au. Further information is available on our AFL Radio page.

Geelong Proves Greatness In Epic Grand Final

janetl — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:32:40 -0500

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Australia

Those who condemned Geelong to the “too old, too slow” basket will be adding “too good” to the slogan after the Cats produced a powerhouse final quarter to win the 2011 AFL Premiership. Geelong held a narrow seven point lead at the final change and the game looked to be set for a close and exciting finish. The much talked about second Premiership Cup for retiring Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse was not to be, as the Cats ran over the top of the 2010 Premiers in front of 99,537 screaming fans.

After raining all morning, the sky cleared for the beginning of the 2011 decider. Against the odds, Darren Jolly and Ben Reid lined up for the Pies and star Cat forward Steve Johnson ran out to play after making a miraculous recovery from a serious knee injury in last week’s Preliminary Final. Two young stars wore the substitute vests for each team, Mitch Duncan for Geelong and Alex Fasolo for Collingwood. Most fans agreed that the two best teams of the year were about to face off in a do or die Grand Final.

Cameron Ling won the toss for Geelong and the Cats produced a thrilling first passage of play as ruckman Brad Ottens and Joel Selwood combined to give a hard-running Travis Varcoe the first goal in the first ten seconds. Varcoe was the man of the moment, scoring a second goal two minutes later. Travis Cloke’s marking power loomed as a threat in the forward line and his two goals (one from well outside the 50 meter arc) brought the Pies back into the game. Andrew Krakouer regained the lead with a long goal but the Cats’ miracle man Johnson kicked a beautiful goal to snatch it back for the Cats. Collingwood’s Luke Ball scored a handy major from a free kick and 50 meter penalty before another free kick, this time to Joel Selwood for a hit across the face, resulted in a steadier for Geelong. At the end of a free-flowing and highly entertaining quarter, Geelong entered the short break with a one point advantage.

Eight goals in the first quarter were followed by another goal fest in the second. Collingwood was on the board first after a brilliant Krakouer snap. Dane Swan (crowned the 2011 Brownlow medalist during the week), Scott Pendlebury and Leigh Brown were dominating play and Jolly lifted in the ruck contests as the Pies played more desperate football. Cloke produced another long goal and Ben Johnson joined the celebrations as Collingwood went out to a three goal lead. The signs looked ominous for the Cats but a defiant Matthew Stokes crumbed a loose ball and goaled. James Podsiadly fell awkwardly after a marking contest and badly dislocated his shoulder. He was stretchered off as Krakouer kicked a terrific goal after an unbelievable pack mark to add to the Cats’ woes. Collingwood looked like the team to beat and another goal through Steele Sidebottom made the going look tough for the Cats. Substitute Mitch Duncan took the field, his Geelong team mates cranked up the defensive pressure and the game took a sudden turn. A brilliant piece of play by Johnson on the boundary line kept the ball in play for Selwood who swooped and goaled to bring the Cats back to within nine points. Jolly hit the ball over the line on the full from a ruck contest, gifting Jimmy Bartel a free kick although from a very acute angle. No problem for the skilful Bartel who kicked the goal. Geelong had fought back to go into the half time break less than a goal behind the Pies after several momentum swings in the one quarter. It was anyone’s game from here.

A thrilling eight goal quarter kept spectators at the game, and those watching worldwide, on the edge of their seats. Tom Hawkins was continuing his brilliant form in the Finals and he conjured up a goal from nowhere to put the Cats ahead three minutes in. The Pies were quick to reply but in controversial fashion, after the replay showed that Sharrod Wellingham’s goal had clearly shaved the post. Hawkins was unstoppable in the Cats’ forward zone and after taking a strong mark, he scored his second for the quarter. Reid appeared to have no answer to the young Cat’s speed and athleticism. Tom Lonergan was doing a masterful shutdown on Cloke but some strong forward play by Brown, playing his last game for the Pies, saw him goal and regain the lead for Collingwood. It was football at its best with the two sides trading goals over the last five minutes of the quarter. Bartel kicked a fantastic goal from deep in the forward pocket then substitute Duncan scored a handy one for the Cats before Sidebottom replied with a superb goal. Hawkins finished off a torrid quarter with a soccer goal and Geelong entered the final break of the year with a slim seven point advantage. It looked like the game would go down to the wire in as good a Grand Final as anyone could hope to witness.

Hawkins was prominent early in the fourth quarter, flying high at marking opportunities but missing crucial shots on goal. When he marked for the third time on a slight angle, he handballed off to the dangerous Johnson who goaled and gave Geelong a 14 point lead. Johnson was again in the play kicking long into the forward arc to a running Varcoe who kicked a six pointer. The Cats were playing clinically now with their defense turning back attacks as Lonergan and Harry Taylor reigned supreme. Collingwood tried hard to counter-attack but goals were hard to find and Cloke, Tarrant and Dawes all missed gettable shots. As the Pies fell to pieces, the dam wall broke open and Geelong stormed home with goals to Bartel, Johnson and Ling.

Geelong rose to the challenge and charged to victory in the 2011 Premiership by 38 points. The Cats’ peaked late in the season when it mattered and fully deserved their third Premiership in five years. The winner of the Norm Smith Medal was Geelong midfield player Jimmy Bartel.

Scoreboard
Geelong:     4.2 8.6 13.7 18.11 (119)
Collingwood: 4.3 9.3 12.6 12.9   (81)

Best players
Geelong:     Bartel, Selwood, Hawkins, Johnson, Ling, Lonergan, Varcoe
Collingwood: Thomas, Pendlebury, Tarrant, Cloke, Sidebottom

Geelong Wins 2011 Grand Final

admincms — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:44:22 -0500

Congrats to the Geelong Cats! 

Collingwood  12  9  (81)
Geelong      18 11 (119)

Cats win 2011 Premiership, 3rd in 5 seasons. Magpies lose 3 games all year, all to Cats.

The Norm Smith medal went to Jimmy Bartel. Attendance 99,537. AFANA will have further match reports and photos in the coming days. Thanks to all the fans for your support this past season. Stay tuned for off season news, international rules reports, and more.

AFL Grand Final Teams Announced

johnson — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:25:56 -0500

by Johnson Leung reporting for AFANA from Melbourne

Collingwood and Geelong have announced their starting teams for Saturday's AFL Grand Final. In the only change to either team, Pies' midfielder Dayne Beams, who only had two possessions in last week's Preliminary Final win over Hawthorn, is out with groin soreness and has been replaced by Alex Fasolo. Pies ruckman Darren Jolly and key defender Ben Reid, who suffered upper-leg injuries in the match, have been retained in the team.

Geelong has named an unchanged team, including forward Steve Johnson, who hurt his knee last Saturday during the Preliminary Final win over West Coast. Johnson has been having treatment in a hyperbaric chamber this week to speed up his recovery from the injury, and had an encouraging appearance at the club's training session on Wednesday. He will have a fitness test before the match.

Geelong's emergencies feature the surprise inclusion of 19-year-old Cameron Guthrie, who made his AFL debut this season and has played just two games. Guthrie took the place of key forward Cameron Mooney, who will retire at the end of this season. Mooney, a triple Premiership player with North Melbourne (1999) and the Cats (2007 and 2009), revealed his omission to a big crowd at the AFL Grand Final Live Site at Melbourne's Federation Square. "Unless one of the big guys falls over at training tomorrow (Friday) or on Saturday, I'm probably not going to play," he said.

Here are the starting teams.

COLLINGWOOD

B: Alan Toovey, Ben Reid, Heritier O'Brien

HB: Nick Maxwell, Chris Tarrant, Heath Shaw

C: Jarryd Blair, Dane Swan, Dale Thomas

HF: Ben Johnson, Leigh Brown, Alan Didak

F: Steele Sidebottom, Travis Cloke, Luke Ball

Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Andrew Krakouer

I/C: Leon Davis, Chris Dawes, Sharrod Wellingham, Alex Fasolo

Emg: Tyson Goldsack, Cameron Wood, Ben Sinclair

In: Alex Fasolo

Out: Dayne Beams (Groin)

GEELONG

B: Josh Hunt, Matthew Scarlett, Tom Lonergan

HB: Corey Enright, Harry Taylor, David Wojcinski

C: Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel, Andrew Mackie

HF: Steve Johnson, Tom Hawkins, Travis Varcoe

F: Trent West, James Podsiadly, Paul Chapman

Foll: Brad Ottens, Cameron Ling, Joel Corey

I/C: James Kelly, Mathew Stokes, Mitch Duncan, Allen Christensen

Emg: Shannon Byrnes, Darren Milburn, Cameron Guthrie

No change

Sources: Melbourne Age, Herald Sun, AAP

Grand Final Day Events and Timeline 2011

admincms — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:14:57 -0500

The following is the time line for the the Grand Final day events including key times for match and TV related activities. All times are listed first in Australian AEST and then in US EDT. This is based on information from the AFL, AFANA, press reports and past history. This story will be periodically updated with late information.

Start Time AEST	Start Time US EDT	End Time AEST	End Time US EDT	Event	US / Can Network Coverage
10:00 AM	8:00 PM	12:30 PM	10:30 PM	Season in Review / Grand Final Day from the MCG (Relayed from Ch. Ten Australia) 3AW radio pregame begins	ESPN3.com (TV Internet only at this time)
11:00 AM	9:00 PM			SEN radio pregame begins	Same as above.
12:00 NN	10:00 PM			Gillette AFL Grand Final Sprint heats; K-Rock and Triple M radio pregame begins	Same
12:10 PM	12:20 PM	10:10 PM	10:20 PM	AIS Academy Squad and Photograph; TAC Cup presentation and photo	Same
12:30 PM	10:30 PM	1:30 PM	11:30 PM	Grand Final Preview (Relayed from Ch. Ten Australia)	Same
12:55 PM	10:55 PM			Delivery of match footballs to Umpires	Same
1.00 PM	11:00 PM			On field pre-match set up; ABC radio pregame begins	Same
1.10 PM	1.25 PM	11:10 PM	11:25 PM	Preliminary on field warm up opportunity for competing clubs	Same
1:25 PM	11:25 PM			Stage and sound set in centre square	Same
1:30 PM	2:00 PM	11:30 PM	12:00 MN	Pre match entertainment featuring Meat Loaf. Retiring players presentation follows in around the ground motorcade. See list below this timeline. TSN.ca joins the coverage.	ESPN3.com / TSN.ca (TV Internet only at this time)
1:31 PM	11:31 PM			Team highlights on screen and on banners	Same
1:35 PM	11:35 PM			Meat Loaf performs.	Same
1:46 PM	11:46 PM			Legends, retiring players, medallists, and greats introduced (time approximate)	Same
1:51 PM	11:51 PM			Performance of team songs	Same
2.00 PM	12:00 MN			Pre-match entertainment concludes	Same
2:00 PM	2:08 PM	12:00 MN	12:08 AM	Arena cleared and reset, ESPN2 joins the TV coverage. Channel 10 Australia is the lead broadcaster and the commentary team is lead by Stephen Quartermain, Matthew Lloyd, Anthony Hudson and Luke Darcy.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com / TSN.ca
2:10 PM	12:10 AM			Aircraft fly over (not confirmed)	Same as above
2:12 PM	12:12 AM			Cheer squads and banners set	Same
2.15 PM	12:15 AM			Umpires enter the arena on cue (Bret Rosebury, Shaun Ryan, Chris Donlon, Matt Stevic emergency)	Same
2.16 PM	12:16 AM			Geelong Cats enter the arena on cue & team photo	Same
2.19 PM	12:19 AM			Collingwood enters the arena on cue & team photo	Same
2.27 PM	12:27 AM			Australian National Anthem ("Advance Australia Fair") sung by Vanessa Amorosi	Same
2.28 PM	12:28 AM			Two sirens sound and Toss of Coin	Same
2.30 PM	12:30 AM			2011 Toyota AFL Grand Final commences	Same
3:30 PM	1:30 AM			TSN joins the live coverage.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com / TSN / TSN.ca
3.40 PM	1:40 AM			(times approx.) Half time (22 mins) – Gillette AFL Grand Final Sprint; NAB AFL Auskick kids perform; Gillette promotion	Same
5:15 PM	3:15 AM			(times approx.) End of match; AFL Grand Final presentations	Same
				Alex Jesaulenko will present the Jock McHale Medal to the winning Grand Final coach and Michael Long will present the Norm Smith Medal to this year's best on ground during the Grand Final.
				Runners up team captain to dais; Norm Smith Medallist to dais; Winning team captain to dais, Premiership medallions presented by NAB AFL Auskick competitors. Premiership Cup presented by either Murray Weideman if Collingwood wins and and Doug Wade if Geelong wins followed by team photo.
5:30 PM	3:30 AM			ESPN2 coverage ends, other networks continue	ESPN3.com / TSN / TSN.ca
6:00 PM	4:00 AM			Post match events and television coverage concludes including on ESPN3.com, TSN, and TSN.ca. Radio coverage on Triple M concludes, other radio continues.	Radio only from this point
6:00 PM	4:00 AM			After Match Concert begins at Federation Square, performance by Adam 12	Same as above.
6:10 PM	4:10 AM			Media Conference - Runners Up	Same
6:35 PM	4:35 AM			Media Conference - Premiers	Same
7:00 PM	5:00 AM			All radio coverage concludes.	None
7:30 PM	5:30 AM			Premiers depart MCG for presentation at Federation Square	None
8:00 PM	6:00 AM			Presentation of Winning Team at Federation Square	None

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES, RETIRING GREATS, MEDALLISTS, and AWARDS

Hall of Fame
Horrie Gorringe (deceased)
Nathan Buckley
James Hird
Mark Ricciuto
Michael Voss
Tony Charlton (media)

Retiring Greats
Craig Bolton *
Daniel Bradshaw *
Mitch Hahn *
Ryan Houlihan *
Tadhg Kennelly *
Steven King *
Tarkyn Lockyer *
Simon Prestigiacomo *
Hayden Kennedy (umpire)
Michael Vozzo (umpire)
* in around the ground motorcade prior to match.

Coleman Medallist
Lance Franklin

Brownlow Medallist
Dane Swan

Rising Star
Dyson Heppell

Cats Too Classy for Weary West Coast

janetl — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:01:47 -0500

Brook Kilpatrick reporting for AFANA from Australia

Geelong booked their passage into a Grand Final face-off with reigning Premiers Collingwood after a comfortable 48 point win over the West Coast Eagles at the MCG on Saturday. First year coach Chris Scott has proved many critics wrong by taking the Cats back to the Grand Final, in the wake of losing the game’s best player in Gary Ablett Jr to the Gold Coast Suns.

Geelong dominated possession early in the first quarter. Travis Varcoe scored the first goal before wayward finishing failed to convert on some solid midfield work from the hard running Cats. The normally aggressive West Coast outfit seemed timid as James Podsiadly stretched the lead with a second Geelong goal. After Jack Darling missed for the Eagles, Trent West marked and goaled for Geelong once again and things were looking grim for last year’s wooden spooners. The Eagles finally had their first goal when Josh Kennedy – still sporting a half-closed eye from the previous game against Carlton – kicked truly after taking a solid contested mark. David Wojcinski kicked a wonderful major to blow the margin out to 28 points before Nic Naitanui brought one back for the Eagles just before the siren ended the first quarter. Geelong dominated the inside 50 entries 22 to eight but led by just 22 points at the break.

West Coast drew first blood through Marc LeCras in the second quarter and after a Podsiadly miss at the other end, a Luke Shuey goal had the Eagles back to within ten points of the Cats. The Eagles, uncharacteristically reserved in the first quarter, appeared to find their mojo and were no longer second to the ball. The Cats were still finding their way into the 50 meter arc but some great work from tough nut Beau Waters helped to stem the steady stream of attack. Just when it looked like the Eagles had the momentum, the vastly improved Tom Hawkins extended the Cats’ lead before an inspirational Joel Selwood added another. The Eagles hung in, working hard in the midfield to contain Geelong’s early dominance. A great long goal from Darling kept the margin manageable, but with just seconds remaining in the half, midfield gun Jimmy Bartel broke free to extend the Cats’ lead to 25 points at the half.

There was drama in the third quarter with Geelong goal sneak Steve Johnson kicking a sweet left foot goal before being involved in an ugly collision with Andrew Embley. Johnson’s knee appeared to hyper-extend as it buckled under Embley, and the initial thoughts were of a possibly ruptured ACL. Cats’ fans looked stunned by the sight of Johnson being helped off the ground, but his team mates continued to maintain their ascendancy over the Eagles. Geelong kicked two unanswered goals and the Eagles went back into their shells, being indecisive with the ball in defense and only sporadically moving into attack. Goals to Kerr and Kennedy kept the Eagles in touch but a final five minute frenzy, highlighted by a powerful Paul Chapman run and goal, saw the Cats leading by a whopping 56 points at three quarter time.

An early Hawkins goal had the crowd thinking “blowout” but to their credit the Eagles refused to lay down, and goals to Kennedy and emerging superstar Naitanui kept the scoreboard respectable. The sight of the injured Johnson emerging from the rooms without the aid of crutches brought a roar of approval from the Geelong fans. It was party time for the Cats’ faithful as the game sauntered to its inevitable conclusion, a comfortable 48 point win for Geelong.

The Cats will now face the might of Collingwood looking for back to back flags and are no doubt hoping that Johnson can make a miracle recovery and take the field on Saturday. The Eagles were beaten but not disgraced. For a team that finished on the bottom of the ladder just 12 months ago, they have come a long way in a short period of time. With a young, talented list at their disposal, West Coast has plenty to look forward to in 2012 and beyond.

Scoreboard
Geelong:    5.7 8.11 15.14 17.15 (117)
West Coast: 2.3 5.4   7.6  10.9   (69)

Best Players
Geelong:    Kelly, Mackie, Selwood, Taylor, Chapman, Scarlett
West Coast: Naitanui, Waters, Kerr, Priddis, Gaff, Shuey, Waters

Pies Defy Hawks In Thriller

janetl — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:22:07 -0500

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Australia

A disappointed Hawthorn side will rue the impact of poor kicking on goal and a lack of desperation in the final quarter against Collingwood in the first Preliminary Final. The Hawks had been on top of the much-fancied Minor Premiers for most of the first three quarters but are now doomed to wonder what might have been as the more determined Pies’ outfit looks forward to a Grand Final against Geelong next Saturday.

It was the first time in history that Collingwood and Hawthorn had clashed in the Preliminary Final. Both teams started close to full strength with Hawks’ stars Lance Franklin and Josh Gibson much-talked about after excellent games in the Semi-Final against Carlton. Ben Reid and Dale Thomas were important inclusions for Collingwood with their selection in the All-Australian team during the week underlining how crucial they are to their side’s chances for consecutive Premierships.

Momentum was with the Hawks during the first quarter but they could not get the advantage on the scoreboard. The quarter was high intensity and pressure football at its best. The Hawks’ risky short kicks and indirect play proved troublesome to Collingwood who seemed thrown either by the occasion or by the Hawks’ tactics. Travis Cloke was a target up forward for the Pies and Franklin loomed, as usual, as a danger man for Hawthorn.

Collingwood star duo Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury gained prominence in the second quarter. Hawthorn had early chances but both Cyril Rioli and Brendan Whitecross missed easy shots before Franklin took a strong grab against Tarrant and scored a major. Minutes later, he loomed large again in front of the goal posts and Hawthorn took a 13 point lead. Collingwood could not find the time or the space to get their running game going but Darren Jolly was awarded a free kick and converted. At the half time break, it was an absorbing contest with a small eight point lead to Hawthorn.

Hawthorn’s Brent Guerra scored the opening goal in the third quarter and when the Pies’ skipper Nick Maxwell was caught holding the ball minutes later, Sam Mitchell put another goal through for the Hawks to provide a 21 point buffer. The upset of the Finals was brewing but the Pies were not done with and goals to Leon Davis and Cloke brought the margin back to 11 points. A superb goal to Rioli gave the Hawks the ascendancy at the final break but missed opportunities by Puopolo, Burgoyne and Hodge would have put the game almost beyond doubt. As it was, the misses gave Collingwood the small window of opportunity it needed.

With early last quarter goals to Chris Dawes and Davis, the Pies were closing with the margin back to four points. Captain Luke Hodge kicked one for the Hawks before Swan booted a brilliant goal from a stoppage deep in the forward pocket. When Cloke took a strong pack mark with seven minutes to go, Collingwood took the lead and fans were on the edge of their seats. Franklin conjured a remarkable goal out of nothing and the Hawks were back in front. It was heart-stopping football and everything fans could hope for from a Final. Just when it looked like Hawthorn might get over the line, Luke Ball snapped a goal from another stoppage and the Pies stole the lead. Hawthorn had one more attacking move but as Rioli charged across the centre line with the ball, Dale Thomas, very down on form to this point, chased hard and caught him holding the ball.

It was game, set and a Grand Final appearance for Collingwood. As Dane Swan said in his Brownlow Medal acceptance speech on the Monday night after the thriller, good teams find a way to win even when they don’t play well. Such was Collingwood’s performance and they now move into solid contention for consecutive Premierships under Mick Malthouse in his final game as coach. Alastair Clarkson, Hawthorn coach, was devastated after the game and acknowledged the fact that the Hawks did not play four quarters of football and had effectively denied themselves the win.

Scoreboard
Collingwood: 2.3 3.5 5.6 10.8  (68)
Hawthorm:    2.4 4.7 7.11 9.11 (65)

Best players
Collingwood: Cloke, Swan, Pendlebury, Ball, Tarrant
Hawthorn:    Burgoyne, Sewell, Lewis, Mitchell, Hodge

2011 Grand Final Live on ESPN3 and ESPN2 in North America, Delay on TSN!

admincms — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:16:29 -0500

ESPN3 and ESPN2 in the USA will carry the Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong LIVE on Friday night / Saturday morning, September 30th / October 1st. US coverage on ESPN3.com will begin at 8:00 PM EDT Friday including most pre-match festivities; Coverage will continue until 4:00 AM EDT Saturday concluding after the awards ceremony. ESPN2 will join the live coverage in progress with the pre-game at 12:00 MN (Midnight) EDT and continue until 3:30 AM EDT Saturday. First bounce is about 12:30 AM EDT. Canadian coverage on TSN (not TSN2) will be joined in progress at 1:30 AM EDT and run to 4:00 AM. The entire Grand Final will be repeated on delay at 11:30 AM on TSN on October 1st and conclude at 3:30 PM. TSN.ca will have live coverage beginning at 11:30 PM EDT. through to 4:00 AM. If you have no access to any of the preceding options, the game will be live on LiveAFL.tv. If available to you, then you can signup at this link. Fans should check our TV Schedule page for details on the coverage and our TV Info page for more information on ESPN3, ESPN2, TSN, TSN2, and TSN.ca. For those looking for parties, see our listings on our Grand Final Party page. We have a timeline of Grand Final Day events posted here. (Note: the only live coverage in North America is via these outlets and they are available nationally via cable and satellite services -- see our TV Info page.)

ATTN: Canadian Fans:

(Update: 9/29/11: TSN has now added coverage on TSN (not TSN2) joined in progress at 1:30 AM EDT through to 4:00 PM. The full Grand Final will be aired on repeat beginning at 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM.) TSN has advised the AFL and AFANA that they will not be airing the Grand Final live on TSN2! They already have a live CFL game and live coverage of the Rugby World Cup (ironically the match involves Australia). TSN Networks have a obligation to air the Grand Final live and is not honoring that commitment. We encourage party organizers and fans to contact TSN and let them know you want the big game live. At this point, TSN (not TSN2) will have the Grand Final on tape delay on October 1st at 11:30 AM EDT. Ask them to provide an over the air live feed of the match. (TSN.ca will have full live coverage via the internet.) Please do so in a polite and civil manner and remember that they may not share your unlimited love for Aussie rules. Their obligation is to a Canadian audience not an Australian one (ex-pat or otherwise) so the object is to convince them this is important to a Canadian audience. Your party is evidence of that! AFANA recommends telephone and fax communications not merely e-mails to Audience Relations. Time is too short for e-mail and it is too easily ignored. We will update this post if there are any last minute developments and also post to our Facebook page - link to the right, top of inside column.