2008 Premiership Finals Thread

bruschi

Friday, September 5
Second QF, Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs at the MCG, 7.50pm AEST

Saturday, September 6
First EF, Adelaide v Collingwood at AAMI Stadium, 2pm ACST
Second EF, Sydney Swans v North Melbourne at ANZ Stadium, 7.30pm AEST

Sunday, September 7
First QF, Geelong v St Kilda at the MCG, 2.40pm AEST

All live on Setanta sports and highlights Monday on SS2 at 6pm an dTG4 on Wednesday at 11pm

Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs : Hawks
Adelaide v Collingwood : Pies
Sydney Swans v North Melbourne : Roos
Geelong v St Kilda : Cats

Hawks have better form in recent weeks, so can win this one. Pies, while undermanned, have enough to take Adelaide, but their recent form has been very good. Porplyzia is a big loss tho. Roos can take a strugglin Sydeny, but Swans know what to do to win these games. Cats to hammer Saints.

Michael Voss has left Eagles to go to Lions, where Leigh Matthews has resigned. Lets hope Eagles make good use of the high draft pick and get a better season than last year, cant endure that again. Jeff Farmer has retired too, left before he was pushed I'd say after all his on and off field crap over the last year

Xavi6

Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs : Hawks
Adelaide v Collingwood : Pies
Sydney Swans v North Melbourne : Swans
Geelong v St Kilda : Cats

Hawks/Dogs is my prediction for game of the week. Could be a nail biter.

No Porplyzia for Adelaide is a massive blow so it's the Pies in that one for me.

You just can't write off Sydney when it comes to Finals so I'm going with them.

No one's gonna stop the Cats this year!

Xavi6

3 tips out of 3 so far.

A disgraceful 19,000 showed up for the Swans/Roos game last night. Typical of the fickle Swans fans who had no faith in their team winning. Roos kicked the first 4 goals but Sydeny battered them in the second half to run away with it.

Pies and Hawks also progressed with good wins.

bruschi

Franklin is a beast! Some scores he got against the dogs. They completely wiped them out, and I cant see the dogs returning into the series. It'll be tough for the Saints too, and I think Swans and Pies will advance, to be beaten at the next stage. Looking forward to a Hawks/Cats final, but probably some team will throw a spanner int he works and upset the odds!

big b

Seemed to spend half my weekend watching matches, which was great!:D

Swans had a very poor crowd alright, probably a mixture of fickle fans & hellish weather. I thought big bad Barry had a decent game, and McVeigh was as effective as always.
But it all seems kinda irrelevant as I can't see anyone even getting close to the Cats - another awesome display!

redspider

The results:
Hawthorn 127 Western Bulldogs 76
Adelaide 94 Collingwood 125
Sydney 110 North Melbourne 75
Geelong 119 St Kilda 61 MCG

went more or less according to the ladder:

Pos Team Pts G W L D %
1 Geelong 84 22 21 1 0 161.84
2 Hawthorn 68 22 17 5 0 131.85
3 Western Bulldogs 62 22 15 6 1 118.66
4 St Kilda 52 22 13 9 0 110.56
5 Adelaide 52 22 13 9 0 109.74
6 Sydney 50 22 12 9 1 112.45
7 North Melbourne 50 22 12 9 1 96.98
8 Collingwood 48 22 12 10 0 111.24


Collingwood can be happy with their start. Sydney are always a good battling team in the final rounds so I cant see why their fans had lost faith in them. Granted they are not at the level of Geelong, who are clear favourites for this and will win it unless they beat themselves. The only team I can see beating Geelong are Hawthorn, which would make a good final as anything can happen in a final.

Martin Clarke had a stormer of a game for Collingwood (125 according to supercoach).

Redspider

big b

Was the Swans crowd being so low really just down to fickle fans? It looked like atrocious weather.

Not defending them at all - I've no reason to. And I know soccer crowds turn up whatever the conditions and all. I'm curious to know would weather like that often reduce the attendance so much?
Or are the Swans fans just a fickle bunch as Xavi says?

bruschi

big b wrote: »

Was the Swans crowd being so low really just down to fickle fans? It looked like atrocious weather.

Not defending them at all - I've no reason to. And I know soccer crowds turn up whatever the conditions and all. I'm curious to know would weather like that often reduce the attendance so much?
Or are the Swans fans just a fickle bunch as Xavi says?

saying in the live game that it was to do with terrible weather for a couple of days, the Roos temselves being one of the worst supported, Swans fans thinking they wouldnt go well as their form has dipped a lot, league season getting into climax stages. all contributing to a poor crowd.

watched the games over the weekend, and Clarke did well, but wasnt outstanding or anything. Got a nice goal (off his right foot again) but made a couple of mistakes, one bad one when he messed up a goal chance with a poor handball to Thomas. He has developed into a good solid player tho

redspider

Looking at the crowd in the stands it didnt seem to be as low as reported. Weather was a factor as was all of the above.

I watched the highlights programme and the commentator mentioned that he would give the reasons why there was a low attendance but they didnt show it.

Xavi6

Yeah they gave the reasons when it was live. There were two of them - weather and the supporters thinking the Swans would lose.

bruschi

may as well keep the finals thread as one rather than splitting them all up.


Friday, September 12
Second SF, Western Bulldogs v Sydney Swans at the MCG, 7.50pm AEST

Saturday, September 13
First SF, St Kilda v Collingwood at the MCG, 7.30pm AEST

Both live on Setanta Sports, and highlights on Monday evening. Also highlights on TG4 on Wednesday night.


Bulldogs v Swans: Dogs
Saints v Pies: Pies

Bulldogs arent in good form, and wont go much further. Sydney arent looking too hot either, and could easily win this one. But I'd say the doggies are hurting after that last loss, and they'll be out to get this one.

Saints were very very lucky to get that 4th spot, and while the Pies are still undermanned, they put in a good performance against Adelaide down south in hot weather to come away with the win.

Xavi6

Well bit of a shock with the Saints beating the Pies. Riewoldt was pretty much at his best.

No surprises in the other game with a tired and sore Sydney going down to the Bulldogs.

That leaves -

Cats v Dogs

Hawks v Saints

I think all neutrals will be hoping for a Cats/Hawks Grand Final.

One Cold Hand

Xavi6 wrote: »

I think all neutrals will be hoping for a Cats/Hawks Grand Final.

For the sake of a good contest yes. But I'd also love to see Harvey get to a final before he retires. But the Cats would stuff them (again) if they did get to the final.

bruschi

One Cold Hand wrote: »

For the sake of a good contest yes. But I'd also love to see Harvey get to a final before he retires. But the Cats would stuff them (again) if they did get to the final.

be fairy tale stuff for Harvey to get to a Grand Final, but they'd be hammered and not sure that'd be such a good ending. Hawks Cats is the final we'd like, but whther we get it is another thing. Should do really and I cant see the Bulldogs or Saints upsetting the odds, but you never know.

Pies were brutal on Saturday. Amount of missed set shots and shooting by forwards was terrible. Had enough of the ball to win, but the forward unit and midfield was crap. Riewoldt had a great game, and really led from the front. Some lad to take a mark.

Sydney werent in it at all either, dogs just ran them into the ground. Solid performance from them, but all in vain I'd imagine as they come up against Geelong.

big b

Was saying to my brother last week that Swans would run out of 2nd half comebacks. Absolutely blown away in the 3rd quarter by a very decent Doggies performance.

Cats v Hawks would be a final alright. Or as near as we'll get to one....Cats just look a different league!

pucan

Xavi6 wrote: »

Yeah they gave the reasons when it was live. There were two of them - weather and the supporters thinking the Swans would lose.

So why would have over 45,000 turned up for the geelong game, which no one expected us to win.
The AFL took over promotion of this game and have already admitted they ****ed it up. Apart from members, very few people even knew the game was on.
Plus the game was on out in Homebush which puts a fair number off going.

I agree in general that Syndey supporters are a fickle bunch, but there is a harcore swans support of at least 25K so the fact that even all of them didn't turn up means there were obviously other factors at play.

bruschi

Friday, September 19
Geelong v Western Bulldogs at the MCG, 7.40pm AEST

Saturday, September 20
Hawthorn v St Kilda at the MCG, 7.00pm AEST

Both live on Setanta Sports 2 (10.30am and 10am Irish time)

Highlights Monday on Setanta Sports 2 at 6, and also on TG4 on Wednesday at 11pm.

Cant see anything other than a Hawks/Cats final. St Kilda are poor enough, and I think the Hawks will win, but not as easy as expected. St Kilda have ground out a few results, but I think this will be a step too far, especially meeting a refreshed Hawthorn side. Cats will hammer Bulldogs, as they have done all year.

I hope this is the final we get too. Last years was a joke, and nothing in comparison to the 2 absolute crackers from the previous 2 years.

Xavi6

All going to plan so far.

Cats disposed of the Dogs last night handy enough.

Hawks ahead at quarter time but Franklin has serious problems with his wrist and Luke Hodge has a nasty rib injury and is spitting blood.

Xavi6

92-24 with only 5 mins gone in the 3rd quarter. Game over!

Xavi6

So the Hawks win comfortably.

Some very sad scenes at the end with Robert Harvey bowing out after 21 years at the top level. An absolute legend for the Saints and a player who will be missed by all in the league.

redspider

Yeah, all the finals games have gone the way they were expected on paper, and we are now left with Geelong and Hawthorn to fight it out in the final.

It should be a good one. I hope so anyway. Geelong who have good footballers and stamina all over the pitch beat the Hawks during the season in a close affair. I reckon the final could be close too. I wouldnt be surprised if the Hawks won it either as sometimes finals can go that way, ie: the 2nd favourite winning it. I hope its a good game and not a scrappy affair.

Here are the results of the 2008 finals, thus far:

Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs 127-76
Adelaide v Collingwood 94-125
Sydney v North Melbourne 110-75
Geelong v St Kilda 119-61

Western Bulldogs v Sydney 106-69
St Kilda v Collingwood 106-72

Geelong v Western Bulldogs 83-54
Hawthorn v St Kilda 118-64

Redspider

bruschi

games went as expected alright. Dogs put it up to geelong for a while, but they missed too many chances. Cats eased their way through without being spectacular.

Hawks did very well, and some of the lesser lights really shone through. Williams up front being the main man and Buddy being very quiet. Hodge had a great game consideing he was fecked for most of it.

looking forward to the final now!