Queen's Birthday Clash for Melbourne and Collingwood
During the week, the build up to the Queen's Birthday clash between the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood, dominated the media, the rumor mill was rife that Paul Gardner was stepping down as Melbourne's chairman, to be replaced by Irish import and club legend Jim Stynes.
Bombers go down in clash with Hawks, but not without a fight
The game was positioned by Hawthorn supporters- as a 'percentage booster match'. The high flying, top of the table, Hawks - still steaming from last weeks toweling by the Dogs - also dominated the media during week but for all the wrong reasons.
After a "premature" announcement last week, it is now official, Setanta Sports will soon be available to viewers who have Verizon's FiOS TV fiber optic based TV service. A press release was issued today by Setanta which said the following, in part: "Setanta Sports ... today announced the upcoming launch of Setanta on Verizon FiOS TV,...
"It's only a flesh wound..."
Coach Allan Jeans was known for exhorting his players to "pay the price" for victory and that's exactly what they did in one of the most bruising games of the modern era. The Hawks were defending their 1988 title against Geelong.
Winning with the Think System?
Mental toughness has been the top talking point among Western Australian football followers in the past few weeks. With both local teams flailing at the bottom of the AFL Ladder and each failing to deliver consistent and winning performances, fans have been turning to an examination of the psychological components of the game to find answers.
Sore knees and aching heads
ADELIADE
Injury Update:
Brad Symes, ankle, 2 weeks
Brad Moran, hamstring, 3 weeks
Myke Cook, hamstring, 2-3 weeks
Kris Massie, hamstring, 2 weeks
Rhett Biglands, knee reconstruction, season
Crash, bang, wallop!
Charges Laid:
Brett Burton ADE), bumping or making forceful contact from front-on against Essendon's Henry Slattery: assessed as reckless conduct (two points), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points), equaling five points, a Level Two offense, 250 demerits and a two game suspension.
Bring a note from home?
The new interchange system, in which an interchange steward must accept and approve a written interchange request, has already undergone modifications. A number of clubs complained that the overly complicated process, which would not allow a player onto the ground until the paperwork was complete, was too slow and sometimes left a team one player short.
Hawthorne to Melbourne and everything in between
The banner hoisted by the Essendon cheer squad before the match stated the Bombers had come to play. And did they ever play. They kept the Crows from running free and won as much of the ball as their opponents.
Setanta Says Report Inaccurate
(Updated with info from Setanta and links to original source and subsequent retraction.) [Ed. note: See later post on this.] According to an article in the May 29 "The Morning BRIDGE", a cable industry newsletter published by Media Business Corp., Roger Hall (Setanta Sport CEO) told the newsletter that Setanta Sports will begin a "rolling launch" on RCN cable systems beginning June 1st and on Verizon FiOS fiber optic cable systems in July. AFANA spoke to a representative of Setanta Sports who indicated the report by The Morning Bridge was inaccurate and the story has since been partially retracted. We would appreciate if viewers of RCN or FiOS systems call their local office and seek details on whether Setanta will be available in their area and post that info in a comment.
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