Crazy Fool's Newsround - Digger's AFL round 14

Digger's AFL round 14
June, 29th 2006 10:53 AM

Digger is heading off to watch some matches live. They may not be AFL matches but more likely local footy at the grass roots level. It will be interesting to see how the game at the elite has affected the local boys. Reports from the front will be forthcoming. Digger will also be attending a 50^th Premiership Team reunion and will be taking notes on what all the old fella's reckon about today's game. I can hear it know, "what happened to the stab and drop kicks", "we were a lot tougher in our day", "a bunch of pansies today's players". The longer the day goes and the drunker they get the bigger the stories will be. Should be an interesting day.

Why Australians will not embrace soccer No. 11 - Too much damn crying. Did you see the Limeys carry on in the wee hours of last Sunday morning? Enough tears shed to float a boat! The only guy who had any reason to blubber on was the bloke who copped a testicle load of Loony Rooney's boot. Even thought the Crazy Fool himself was going to have a breakdown when having a beer with him. Turned out it was only the puss dripping out of the scab on his head.

If you missed last weeks clash between Adelaide and Geelong, see if you can get a video tape of the game. Without doubt they are the best team going around at the moment and some of their play last week was sublime. Every junior coach should teach his players how to play the Raven way. The only bad part was that they still get away with the occasional "crow throw". Having said that lots of teams are getting away with it as the umpires must have had some sort of instruction to let it go. Can someone tell if the rule has actually changed? The Ravens were super impressive while their opponents from Geelong were very, very ordinary. Ling seems to have had an Ian Baker-Finch experience.

Here is a little bit about Raven coach Neil Craig,

After having just nine games in charge after taking over from Gary Ayres midway through the 2004 season, Neil Craig was able to make his own mark on the team in 2005.

A veteran of 321 games with SANFL clubs Norwood, Sturt and North Adelaide and a State-of-Origin captain, Craig coached Norwood from 1991 to 1995. His association with the Adelaide Football Club began in 1997 where he was the fitness coach during the premiership years, before his appointment as an assistant coach in 2001. He had 15 years background working in Sports Science with Australian Olympic and other elite athletes and coaches.

Thanks to the Adelaide Football Club's website for that information.

As Digger correctly predicted, Richmond caused the upset of the round by stunning Collingwood in the encounter held at a very soggy MCG. However the days glory was tinged with sadness when young gun Chris Newman broke both his tibia and fibula in a clash. You think that Digger has been harsh on Collingwood supporters in the past? Rightly so, as the more deranged of them shouted abuse at Newman as he was stretchered from the ground in agony. "Get up you weak prick" as one of the mildest of the taunts. Get a life dickheads!

The Tigers are now in the eight.

Essendon are plumbing the depths of their grand tradition after suffering another defeat, this time at the hands of the Kangaroos. In more bad news, Bomber great James Hird pulled a calf (not talking about his good looking wife) with a third soft tissue injury of the year. Cannot see the old guys at the reunion talking about "soft tissue injuries". In their day, and even in mine, you pulled a hammy, or a quad or more to the point, you pulled a muscle (yeah, yeah, that's what happened to the oyster at the seafood disco). The Kangaroos just scrapped home with a narrow 7 point victory. Interestingly, Essendon had one more individual goal kicker than the ‘Roos.

Melbourne cemented their place in the top four with a solid win over Port Adelaide at the ‘G. Adam Yze, pronounced like ouzo but with an A replacing the second O, was in great form and has immediately been drafted into Digger's Super Coach team. With only one goal in it at the long break the Power looked a chance but the six goal final winning margin flattered them. They have some good players and maybe back in 2007. Demon skipper, Neitz slotted 5 majors for the victors.

Across town at the rink, St. Kilda slaughtered the hapless Hawks by almost 12 goals. It took Hawthorn over a 110 possessions to score their first goal and they only had 3 on the board at the lemon break. Saints big men, Fraser Gehrig and Nick Riewoldt kicked 9 between them to score more than the Hawks.

Saturday night saw Brisbane and Carlton meet in Brisbane. Digger did not see this game as he was too tired, read in a drunken slumber in front of the tele, but it must have been wet or windy or both. The two teams kicked 15 goals between them but a massive 37 points. Blue spearhead, Brendan Fevola slotted 2 majors to be the first player for the season to notch 50 goals. Brisbane have a player named Cheynee Stiller. I thought Chance Bateman was a strange name.

Also on Saturday night, the Mentals traveled to Sydney to front up against the Swans. The Mentals led by a point at three quarter time but a resurgent Swan outfit outscored them in the final stanza to run away 33 point winners. Nick Davis was back in form with 4 majors for the Swannies and big man Matthew Pavlich got 4 for his team.

Across in the West, the Weagles welcomed the Western Bulldogs. And in the upset of the round, yeah you can have two, the woofa's were wearing wide grins on their dials after inflicting defeat on the home side. Again, Scott West was the leading possession getter for the Bulldog's. He is the leading possession getter in the AFL with a grand tally of 389.

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Dear Digmeister,

I note with interest that the Melbourne versus Brisbane game this weekend is being played in Brisbane yet Melbourne is the home side. Does Melbourne have lots of supporters in the Sunshine state?

Regards,

Ben Dover and Phillip McRack, San Francisco

Dear Ben and Phil,

Thanks for your question. Again, as the case in many things AFL it all comes down to money. Melbourne say they are about 3,000 members short of covering their expenses for the year 2006. Therefore they are given a financial incentive to give up a home game and play interstate. Full membership for the Demons is 255 AUD. Multiply that by 3,000 and you have 765,000 AUD. That seems a figure far too high for an incentive payment. I will do some more research for you but I doubt anyone would buy a game of football for 1,000,000 AUD given that they would also have to add the money they would make from a home game. By the way, coach Neale Daniher would rather the game be played at the ‘G.

The opening match this weekend has the Bomber's flying westwards to take on the Mentals at Subiaco. Essendon coach, Kevin Sheedy, is taking the youngest Essendon team for years in another round of rebuilding the struggling team. The trip to Sydney last week by Fremantle may have taken a toll but they should be able to got over both that and Essendon. If the mentals can get giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands and goal scorer Luke McPharlin back for this clash it may be a matter of how far.

The woeful Geelong travels up the highway to meet Carlton at the Dome on Saturday. Carlton's form has not been too bad of late and the Cats are coming off an absolute shellacking from the Ravens. According to reports in the Geelong Advertiser, Cat skipper, Steven King, has gone into hiding, leaving the other members of the leadership group to carry the can. A good match up in this game will be former All Australian full back Matthew Scarlett and against most likely All Australian full forward this year Brendan Fevola. Hard to pick a winner here but going for Geelong.

Hawthorn take on the Weagles at the MCG on Saturday afternoon. Both sides are coming off bad defeats and the question is who can mentally recover the quickest. There is no doubt that West Coast is the classier team but their form has been a bit shonky for the last month. Chris Judd will make his presence felt in his second game back from injury while the Hawks need huge improvement. The West Coast to win but it will no pushover.

As alluded to in our LETTER OF THE WEEK, Melbourne have a home game against Brisbane in Brisbane. My mate, Cheynee Stiller played a great game last week and won the NAB Rising Star nominee for round 13. Brisbane skipper Micahel Voss has missed training this week and must be in doubt for the game. Melbourne will be all out to keep winning and with a grand mix of veterans and youngsters combining well they should prove too tough for the Lions. Cameron Bruce will be the key player for Melbourne.

Saturday night also sees the Richmond team traveling and they go off to Adelaide to meet with the Power. Two games ago the Tigers traveled to Tassie and were whipped by the Hawks. Not good traveling form. What can coach Terry Wallace conjure up this time? Port have brothers Burgoyne, Sean and Peter in good form and a handful of others showing promise. Digger has seen no reports in the press about the deceitful use of the Port Adelaide runner last week. For those who did not see the game the runner spent many periods of up to 7 minutes on the ground and he appeared to be being used as an extra blocker in the back line. Keep your eye on him this week. Hard for me to say this but I reckon the Power will get up.

The early game on Sunday is Sydney versus Adelaide in Sydney. As well as being last years premiers, Sydney also has the reputation as the giant beaters of the competition. They often beat Brisbane during their reign, knocked over St. Kilda in their stellar year of 2004 and of course knocked over the more favoured Weagles in last years big one. Can they do it again? Hentschell, Ricciuto, Goodwin and Burton are in great form for the Ravens and will Sydney will need guns, Goode, Hall and Davis at their best. The small SCG will also help the harbor side team. Yes, the giant killing will continue with a win to the Swans.

St. Kilda and Collingwood have two things in common. Both coaches played at St. Kilda and they both wear vertically striped jumpers. In the context of this season they are going in different directions. Collingwood's long awaited slide down the ladder has commenced and St. Kilda now seem to be heading in the right direction. St. Kilda to win. If Rhys Shaw is one of the better ‘pie players they can't be that good.

More giant killers this time the Western Bulldogs meet the Kangaroos on Sunday. And well may you say giant killers as the doggies are the Lilliputians of the league. But boy do they run. Brad Johnson has got to be one of the smallest full forwards ever but is kicking bags of goals. While the Kangaroos got up last week and old mister tired Nathan Thompson bagging a few they will be confident of a win. However it will not to be and the Bulldogs will ran the ragged ‘roos of their feet. The Westerners to be in the top four after this week of matches.