2008 Premiership Round 9

hanton12

Friday, May 23
Collingwood v Geelong at the MCG, 7.40pm (10.40GMT) Setanta Sports 2 10.30AM and 9.30PM

Saturday, May 24
Carlton v Fremantle at Telstra Dome, 2.10pm (5.10GMT)
Port Adelaide v Sydney at AAMI Stadium, 2.40pm (6.10GMT) Setanta Sports 2 6.00AM and 1.30PM
Essendon v Richmond at the MCG, 7.45pm (10.45GMT)
West Coast v Adelaide at Subiaco, 5.40pm (10.40GMT)

Sunday, May 25
Brisbane Lions v St Kilda at the Gabba, 1.10pm (4.10GMT)
Melbourne v Hawthorn at the MCG, 2.10pm (5.10GMT)
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne at Telstra Dome, 4.40pm (7.40GMT) Setanta Sports 2 7.00AM


highlights Monday evening, 6pm on Setanta 2; also TG4 wednesday night at 11pm. Europsort UK usually have games too.


Collingwood v Geelong :Cats
Carlton v Fremantle : Blues
Port Adelaide v Sydney: Power
Essendon v Richmond : Tigers
West Coast v Adelaide : Crows
Brisbane Lions v St Kilda : Lions
Melbourne v Hawthorn : Hawks
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne : Bulldogs

Geelong to keep rolling on, Carlton I think will beat Freo, but not a foregone conclusion. Freo could well win it. Port have been looking good lately, so should be another tight game. Tigers have impressed me more than the bombers this year. Crows to take care of eagles, Lions to do the job on home turf. Hawks to demolish the demons, and match of the round will be tight, but the doggies should do it.

One Cold Hand

Okay I'm going to pretend like I know something about AFL and try and predct these:

Collingwood v Geelong :Cats
Carlton v Fremantle : Blues
Port Adelaide v Sydney:Swans
Essendon v Richmond : Essendon
West Coast v Adelaide : Crows
Brisbane Lions v St Kilda : Lions
Melbourne v Hawthorn : Hawks
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne : Bulldogs

For me the tight ones will be Power v Swans and Bombers v Tigers. I honestly have no idea who will win them, so pick the opposite to you Hanton! Oh Blues and Freo will also be tight, but had to stick with the Blues here!!

Traq

Collingwood v Geelong :Cats
Carlton v Fremantle : Blues
Port Adelaide v Sydney:Port
Essendon v Richmond : Tigers
West Coast v Adelaide : Crows
Brisbane Lions v St Kilda : Lions
Melbourne v Hawthorn : Hawks
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne : Bulldogs

Looks like I've gone for the same as Hanton this week. On paper it looks like they should all win, but I really wouldn't be surprised if there were a few upsets in there this week. Blues v Freo is tough, as is Doggies v North, those could go either way. And as always, there's going to be an upset or a close call in a game that looks like it should be a sure thing!

I will actually make it to the Blues game this week. I was the same as One Cold Hand last week and decided to stay indoors as a result of the miserable weather here in Melbourne and the fact that the game was on tv anyway! I'll bring along the camera and get a few pics from the game, come on the Blues!

One Cold Hand

Traq wrote: »

I was the same as One Cold Hand last week

You mean you were drinking from 5 on Friday evening until 6 on Saturday morning, and weren't able to move until monday as a result? Fair play! Something I won't be doing again this week!

Traq

Actually not far off it, from 8 til about 4am, so that and the rain made me stay put on the couch Saturday evening!
I won't be doing that either, it kind of writes off your entire weekend!

Xavi6

Collingwood v Geelong : Cats
Carlton v Fremantle : Blues
Port Adelaide v Sydney: Power
Essendon v Richmond : Tigers
West Coast v Adelaide : Crows
Brisbane Lions v St Kilda : Lions
Melbourne v Hawthorn : Hawks
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne : Bulldogs

I'm gonna with the Tigers against the Bombers. Lloyd hasn't exactly been firing on all cylinders for the Bombers lately and overall they've been pretty awful.

The rest pretty much pick themselves (I hope!)

Boca

Collingwood v Geelong :Cats
Carlton v Fremantle : Freo
Port Adelaide v Sydney: Swans
Essendon v Richmond : Tigers
West Coast v Adelaide : Crows
Brisbane Lions v St Kilda : Saints
Melbourne v Hawthorn : Hawks
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne : Bulldogs


Reckon the Swans might be up for a big game against Port

Saints v Lions could be the game of the round

Cats should win easily

hanton12

jeez the fecking pies are doing right well against Geelong. Listening to it here on radio, might slip home for an early lunch to get the 4th quarter. Its 66-21 at the moment. Guys on radio going mad over it!

hanton12

fuk that, Geelong have scored first 3 goals of third quarter. going home to watch it!

Boca

http://news.realfooty.com.au/sport/magpies-thrash-cats-by-86-points-20080523-2hq0.html

Off to an interesting start then!

hanton12

Collingwood were unreal. I saw nearly all the second half, and looked back at the half time highlights too. The tackling from them was immense and they pressured Geelong the whole time. That was the Collingwood I had expected all year, maybe that will kickstart their season and they will move on and claim a top 4 spot. Really like their play, and they have some exceptional young skilfull players. Dale Thomas scored an outrageous goal in the 4th too, ball came to him in the inside pocket, right by the touchline, and he just hit along the ground with the outside of the boot and never looked like it was going anywhere else but straight through the posts. As he siad after, its one of those things you try when you are 10 goals up, but he really has talent to pull it off. He scored a similar one last year that wasnt given.

Marty Clarke has really started getting his form back too for the Pies. He had 28 or 29 possesions today and was very good in second half, mainly playing against Stokes. Commentators were discussing their brownlow picks for the game and Clarke was up there as one of the better players. good to see him back in good form anyway.

Some start to round 9!

Xavi6

Right I'm down the boozer, off me tits etc etc but Dale Thomas has scored the goal of the year in the 4th quarter tonight. Absolute genius.

Xavi6

Another cracker involving the Dockers today. Looked like they had it won against the Blues in the third quarter but once again they are doing their best to throw it away. 2 points in it with about 4 minutes to go. Pavlich, who's been really well marshalled by Setanta all game, choked again from 25 metres while at the other end Fev scored the 'soccer' of the year.

And as I type Pfeiffer just scores a screamer around the corner to pretty much seal it.

Dockers are the biggest bottlers EVER!!!

One Cold Hand

Good game alright. 9 point win in the end. Great goal at the end to seal it. Fev's goal was great alright, but he missed a lot of other opportunities.

Good win for the Swans also, 11 points over Port Adelaide.

Xavi6

Damn the feckin Swans anyway.

Eagles just about to start against the Crows.

Xavi6

So we finally won! Crackin performance by the whole team tonight. A couple more first gamers got blooded. I'd love to know the average age of the Eagles squad this year as it must be the lowest in the league. Some of the older boys like Embley and Braun were superb as well.

Wirrpanda played his 200th game, fittingly during the indigenous round, while we were also the first club to get done under the new interchange rules.

It was hilarious in the changing room after when the team went to sing the song. Any players playing in their first game or first win have to go in the middle of the circle. The Eagles had SIX lads in there and had to get the injured players and coaching staff to help form a big enough circle around them!

The likes of Houlihan, Ebert, Wilkes, McKinley and Masten look quality and the signs are good, if not for next season, then for 2010.

hanton12

so 2 of the unbeaten teams lose their record and Hawthorn sit alone at the top of the ladder. I watched the Bulldogs Kangaroos game earlier, fantastic game, unbelievable stuff and really was game of the round. Brent Harveys 25th game and he got a huge hit early on when he fell awkwardly and got knocked out, but came back before the end of the quarter to score a really good goal.

It was nip and tuck most of the way, with the doggies holding the lead the majority of the time, Cooney and Murphy leading the way for them. But the roos held in there with Thompson doing well up front, and then the last quarter was one of the most topsy turving entertaining 1/4s you could see.

With nothing between them, Brad Johnson missed an absolute sitter, hitting the post from a couple of yeards out on the run. Then on his next set shot he hit the post. Shannon Grant really came into it, and got loads of disposals. The roos hit the front and were up by 10 when Johnson goaled to bring it to within one kick. The last 2 minutes were so tense, with both sides going for it, and Akermanis was really throwing himself about to get the ball back. The bulldogs worked the ball inside the 50 and with 2 seconds left, Johnson marked 30m from goal, a bit to the left. So the siren went almost as soon as he got posession. So, with 4 points in it, and with the last kick of the game, Johsnon had the chnace to be the hero again, but his kicked went to the far side and out for a behind and the Roos won an epic game.

The eagles game sounded great, and from wht I hear they really got things going and the workrate and handling was far better than recent weeks. Priddis will be a vital cog in the middle, and its great to see the young gus are stepping up to the mark and making a difference. At least the future looks a bit brighter anyway, but its still a long road ahead.

Dockers still choking in the 4th anyway. Harvey must be sickened with them.

The top 8 nearly looks set now tho, and seems to be a gap opening up between the two halves.

big b

Not much I can, or need, add to what's posted above.

Suffice to say the 2 games we had live at the weekend - Port A v Swans & Bulldogs v Kangaroos were absolutely superb stuff.

Think we get to see Freo next weekend - maybe I'l just watch the first 3 quarters!

redspider

So, Geelong get fairly hammered by Collingwood 134-48, their first defeat of the season, and a major one. A sign of a crack perhaps. A good performance by Martin Clarke according to accounts given and supercoach values. Collingwood seem to be top-8 contenders.

Hawthorn continue on their march, but the Bulldogs slip up to the Kanga's who are also harbouring a top-8 finish.

Carlton win again and a top-8 finish is possible for them. That's something they probably didnt even contemplate at the start of the season.

Essendon's hopes of a top-8 perhaps are finally dashed with a loss to Richmond, although there are many more rounds to go so its not over even for them.

Redspider

hanton12

here is the aforementioned Dale Thomas goal against Geelong. Super stuff, and all about skill. No lucky bounce of the ball or anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi4vQUUENyw

there are videos of Denis Commetti and Nathan Buckley talking about it after, and also Thomas' interview after the game on youtube too.

Xavi6

Goal of the Year so far easily for me. Stunning effort