[retired_nela]

I got that the day it came out, having talked about it for months. I uninstalled it within two hours.


Even more retirements - Fraser Gherig, Andrew Thompson and Byron Pickett.

Essendon almost came back from over 40 points down in the last quarter, getting to within three before West Coast finally managed to seal the game. Still, it cost them second spot, so Port gets the home final.

[retired_nela]

The results from round 22:

This Day In History
Season Rnd Home Team Away Team Gnd
2006 R22 Collingwood 20.19 (139) dftd Kangaroos 10.11 (71) MCG Details
1995 R22 Sydney 19.13 (127) dftd Collingwood 15.14 (104) SCG Details
1994 R24 Essendon 12.8 (80) dftd Carlton 9.8 (62) MCG Details

(More...)

Round 22 Results

Collingwood 11.9 (75) lost to Adelaide 14.10 (94)
Adelaide's win sealed their finals place and ensured St Kilda would miss out.

Richmond 13.14 (92) lost to St Kilda 14.18 (102)
A dead rubber, with Richmond taking the wooden spoon. However, they don't get first pick in the draft - the first time a bottom-placed side has missed out, IIRC.

West Coast 21.6 (132) dftd Essendon 19.10 (124)
A remarkable comeback from Essendon in the final games for Sheedy and Hird, but not quite enough.

Brisbane Lions 15.13 (103) lost to Geelong 22.13 (145)
Geelong, having already sealed top spot several weeks ago, avoided two losses in a row.

Port Adelaide 17.15 (117) dftd Fremantle 12.13 (85)


Sydney 22.9 (141) dftd Hawthorn 10.9 (69)
Hawthorn cost themselves the double chance and lost momentum going into the finals, while Sydney could be a threat.

Western Bulldogs 14.9 (93) lost to Kangaroos 23.19 (157)
Another dismal effort from Bulldogs, and the double chance for Kangeroos.

Melbourne 21.13 (139) dftd Carlton 15.18 (108)
Carlton took two of the first three picks in the draft, Melbourne got four points. I know which side I'd rather be...

Here is the final ladder:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Team W D L For Agn Stk Pts % Geelong 18 0 4 2542 1664 1W 72 152.76 Port Adelaide 15 0 7 2314 2038 4W 60 113.54 West Coast 15 0 7 2162 1935 4W 60 111.73 Kangaroos 14 0 8 2183 1998 2W 56 109.26 Hawthorn 13 0 9 2097 1855 1L 52 113.05 Collingwood 13 0 9 2011 1992 1L 52 100.95 Sydney 12 1 9 2031 1698 1W 50 119.61 Adelaide 12 0 10 1881 1712 3W 48 109.87 St Kilda 11 1 10 1874 1941 1W 46 96.55 Brisbane Lions 9 2 11 1986 1885 2L 40 105.36 Fremantle 10 0 12 2254 2198 1L 40 102.55 Essendon 10 0 12 2184 2394 2L 40 91.23 Western Bulldogs 9 1 12 2111 2469 4L 38 85.50 Melbourne 5 0 17 1890 2418 1W 20 78.16 Carlton 4 0 18 2167 2911 11L 16 74.44 Richmond 3 1 18 1958 2537 1L 14 77.18 </pre>

And this week's finals:

Friday September 7, 2007
Second qualifying final
Port Adelaide v West Coast at AAMI Stadium, 7.50pm CST

Saturday September 8, 2007
First elimination final
Hawthorn v Adelaide at Telstra Dome, 2.30pm AEST

Second elimination final
Collingwood v Sydney Swans at the MCG, 7.30pm AEST

Sunday September 9, 2007
First qualifying final:
Geelong v Kangaroos at the MCG, 2.45pm AEST

[retired_sera]

My final tip count: 118.

Happy with that. :cool:

[retired_newme]

http://www.surreycricket.com/the-bri...llenge-trophy/

No AFL in London this year

[retired_nela]

No junket for players and beer-fest for a bunch of expats? How tragic.

I think they're aiming for South Africa and the US with the international expansion, because it's never really caught on in the UK.

[retired_newme]

Originally posted by Donners:
No junket for players and beer-fest for a bunch of expats? How tragic.

I think they're aiming for South Africa and the US with the international expansion, because it's never really caught on in the UK.

I know. Its something I'd never really known/heard about before I went travelling this year. I then fell deeply in love with Hawthorn. More exciting then watching bloody Reading.

I'm still learning alot about the game, and was hoping that I might get to see some action down at The Oval, and maybe introduce some of my 'Pommy' mates to it. I'm just gonna have to go back to Melbourne at some point :thup:

Who is your tip for the 'Flag' then Donners? From what I've learnt Geelong are quite a strong side. Power though have had some impressive results and a nice run in.

AFL is great :thup:

[retired_nela]

It's a pretty tough one this season. Geelong has been the most dominant side in the regular season, but this same side didn't even make the finals last season. The pressure of being a one-team town, plus their infamous failures throughout the ninties, equals the prospect of a dramatic collapse. Still, the Swans hadn't won a Premiership since the 30s, and that didn't stop them in 05, and almost 06.

I'm certainly no expert, but here's my thoughts on each side:


Geelong: Had a massive winning streak only broken in Round 21, and even then they showed they hadn't forgotten how to play from behind, almost stealing the win. A good, even side with no real weaknesses, though they look to have lost key defender Matthew Egan for the season. They will have to get through the finals without their home ground advantage, since Skilled Stadium is too small to host the major games, but they have done well away from Geelong. Two midfielders in with a chance at the Brownlow - Gary Ablett Jr and James Bartel - is a fair effort, and West Coast went all the way with a similar situation (Kerr and Judd).

Port Adelaide: Back up the top a few years before most thought they would be. Very strong in the midfield and ruck, and if Warren Treadrea finally fires up forward, they could be devastating.

West Coast: Have to play their first final away, but have the double chance. Plenty of last year's Premiership side around, and have Cousins back after his drug problems. Still lacking a key forward, which could cost them in a fast-paced game. Their success could depend on how well Judd handles his ongoing groin injury.

Kangaroos: Considering they lost their first three games, probably in second-best form. Plus they play Geelong at their home ground, having beaten them earlier in the season. An underrated team, but fairly unimpressive on paper.

Hawthorn: Looked really bad in the last few weeks. Franklin is a monster up forward and could turn a game, but they need to play a lot better than they did against Sydney.

Collingwood: Fairly weak in the ruck and were lacking an elite midfielder. However, now Nathan Buckley is back, possibly in the last few games of his career, and they already look a better side. They've already beaten Sydney twice this season.

Sydney: A proven finals performer with the ability to shut down an opposition midfield - crucial when the top three sides have such good ones. So much depends on whether Tadgh Kennelly and Barry Hall are right for the game on Saturday. If both are fit and play well, I think Sydney can win.

Adelaide: Very similar to Sydney in their ability to lock a game down. They don't play well in Melbourne, but with Hawthorn's recent form, anything is possible.


The top four sides have a double chance - so the losers of their games play the winners of the other two finals between the fifth to eighth sides. I can easily see West Coast getting through - even if they lose to Port, they'll get a home final against Sydney or Collingwood, and that I think they can win. Still, with Judd's problems, they'd be hoping to win straight up and get a week off.

Look, you can't ignore Geelong's performance this season, but I think either Port or West Coast will challenge for the flag. Sydney are an absolute dark horse if Kennelly and Hall get back to their best, but winning four away games is incredibly unlikely.

[retired_sera]

Adelaide hasn't had the 'win at home, lose away' syndrome since Robert Shaw in 1995, ffs.

[retired_nela]

Robert Shaw was the footy coach at my school.

Their home record was 7-5 and away 5-5, so I suppose it's not a vast difference. It should be easier for them to lock the game down at Telstra Dome than the MCG, though Sydney never had much trouble with the latter.

[retired_nela]

Channel 7 have finally knuckled under and apologised, BTW. Guess they were a bit worried about players refusing interviews during the finals.