The AFL Thread Watching the Bombers Fly Up

[Axver]

Some good football this round. Sydney vs North is turning into a cracker, and how incredible to see Aliir Aliir playing on Majak Daw, the sort of sight you couldn't have imagined on a football ground even a decade ago.

 

[kabigon]

Best game I've seen this year, after bulldogs v cats a few weeks ago. Etihad's justifying its existence for now.

 

[Axver]

I'm disappointed with the result because fuck Sydney, but what an epic game. Those two teams have played two classic games this year. How good is footy.

Also, I will never understand the hatred for Etihad.

 

[cobl04]

Some wonderful footy of late, which makes me so happy given the massive amount of fuckwits constantly calling for significant changes after a few weeks of low scores.

With every passing day I grow happier and happier that I ditched my 'become a sports journalist' path. There's still a lot of stuff in it I'd like to do but the always-online, constantly embarrassing journos that pollute AFL coverage makes me very glad I'm not part of it.

Some good football this round. Sydney vs North is turning into a cracker, and how incredible to see Aliir Aliir playing on Majak Daw, the sort of sight you couldn't have imagined on a football ground even a decade ago.

Some great tweets on the subject.

[tweet]1018372414491643905[/tweet]

 

[cobl04]

Gold Coast beating Sydney at the SCG is my favourite result of the season.

 

[kabigon]

Brisbane narrowly losing at the same time Geelong narrowly won might be my least favourite simultaneous result of the season.

 

[cobl04]

Tom Hawkins is literally the greatest man to ever play this sport.

 

[kabigon]

Pointless Round 23 fixture prediction time:

Times AEST

*Friday, 24 August (7:50 pm) Port Adelaide (6) vs. Essendon (7) Adelaide Oval

Saturday, 25 August (1:45 pm) Richmond (8) vs. Western Bulldogs (6) MCG
Saturday, 25 August (2:10 pm) Geelong (7) vs. Gold Coast (7) GMHBA Stadium
Saturday, 25 August (4:35 pm) Fremantle (7) vs. Collingwood (7) Optus Stadium
*Saturday, 25 August (7:25 pm) Sydney (7) vs. Hawthorn (7) SCG
Saturday, 25 August (7:25 pm) St Kilda (7) vs. North Melbourne (6) Etihad Stadium

Sunday, 26 August (1:10 pm) Carlton (7) vs. Adelaide (7) Etihad Stadium
*Sunday, 26 August (3:20 pm) Melbourne (7) vs. Greater Western Sydney (6) MCG
Sunday, 26 August (4:40 pm) Brisbane Lions (6) vs. West Coast (7) Gabba

(x) = days since round 22 game
* = Shown on Ch7 in Melb

 

[Axver]

Gold Coast beating Sydney at the SCG is my favourite result of the season.

That was so fucking good. I'm still laughing.

It would've been one thing if they'd hung in there for a nail-biter, but to win so thoroughly is simply breathtaking.

Brisbane narrowly losing at the same time Geelong narrowly won might be my least favourite simultaneous result of the season.

Fucking LOVED that Geelong win, but gutted Brisbane couldn't quite pull off the big comeback. They really deserve to finish above the bottom four.

 

[kabigon]

That was so fucking good. I'm still laughing.

It would've been one thing if they'd hung in there for a nail-biter, but to win so thoroughly is simply breathtaking.



Fucking LOVED that Geelong win, but gutted Brisbane couldn't quite pull off the big comeback. They really deserve to finish above the bottom four.

I like seeing Melbourne lose, but not if it means yet another narrow win by Geelong.

Brisbane may well be an exciting and dangerous team next year. If you take out their horrible loss to Richmond their percentage is just below 100%, despite a 4-13 win-loss record.

 

[Axver]

CARN THE FUCKEN DOOONNNSSSsssSSS

 

[kabigon]

CARN THE FUCKEN DOOONNNSSSsssSSS

This must be the new afl thread title

 

[Axver]

Strong endorse.

 

[kabigon]

We were 2-6 after *that* unmentionable loss. 8-2 since then.

 

[Axver]

I almost want Carlton to win one more game just so we're not the team that fucked up and stopped Carlton from having the first winless season since 1964.

I will also be gutted if *that* loss is what denies us from making the eight. Don't fancy our chances in the final two weeks of season though: Richmond at the G and then Port in Adelaide.

 

[kabigon]

The latest Squiggle ladder predictor autotip shows it's quite possible a team could have 13 wins and still miss out on the eight on percentage.

 

[cobl04]

I am so here for Sydney sucking arse.

 

[cobl04]

[tweet]1023418530941657088[/tweet]

 

[kabigon]

Perennial finals teams Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney all losing in the first week of finals, with Collingwood the icing on the cake. Couldn't ask for much more than that.

 

[cobl04]

I would ask for a lot more, it was a pretty underwhelming round of finals. West Coast-Collingwood was the only good game. Tigers are by so far the best team it's ridiculous and both the Melb-Geel and Syd-GWS games were pretty ugly.

However, I take your point. I've always respected Sydney but it's nice they're out early for once. Not sure GWS will be able to beat a fired-up Collingwood at the G though. Also glad the Hawks lost, and every person with a right mind will be hoping Melbourne fucking thrash them this weekend. I absolutely adore Melbourne and think they are the biggest threat to Richmond. Hopefully they beat Hawthorn and then they've got West Coast at home, where they won just a couple of weeks ago. Richmond vs Melbourne is our best hope of a great grand final, the Tigers will thrash West Coast.

As for my team, well. We were hideous on Friday night. It was doubly painful because on one hand we could quite easily have won if we hadn't made so many poor mistakes (Dangerfield, Menzel missing from point blank and Selwood giving away that fucking free kick) but then also nearly every single one of our players picked that night happened to play their worst game for the year. I've never seen Selwood play so badly. I'd say we've got maybe one more shot at a flag next year before Ablett gives it away and we have to rebuild.

 

[LemonMelon]

What is with all the low scores so far in the finals? Only one team has hit triple digits in six matches. Has it been raining or has everyone been playing very sloppily? 30 points in a finals match is hilarious.

EDIT: Just noticed that only the Dees have managed to kick more goals than behinds in a match so far. That's awful, considering we're talking about what's supposed to be crisp finals footy.

 

[kabigon]

For tonight's match:
-cold (by Melbourne standards for this time of year) 6C/2C apparent temp during the match after warmer weather the last week and a half
-ground probably still wet from showers earlier in the day
-Collingwood playing in its first final at the MCG in five years returning from a tough game in Perth
-GWS playing in front of its second-biggest crowd ever (72k), which is 6 times the crowd they get at their home games

Ever since the Bulldogs won in 2016 (or 2015, if you count North Melbourne against West Coast in the prelim), teams 5-8 no longer feel like they're just making up the numbers to make the finals series last another week or two. Anyone finishing 1-8 can win on their day.

 

[cobl04]

It hasn't been a very inspiring finals series so far, definitely one of the worst in my memory. No classics. Conditions have played their part but not really an excuse. I think the only thing you could really put it down to is we've got some inexperienced teams starting to lead. It's the first time since 2002 that the prelim finals haven't featured at least one of Geelong, Hawthorn or Sydney, which is a fucking insane stat.

 

[kabigon]

Wowee

 

[LemonMelon]

Ewwww

 

[intedomine]

Devastating result.. felt like this was coming though, such were my nerves during the week, on the day and at the game.

Collingwood's style of play is so similar to us, and they capitalised on so many opportunities that were presented.

Grundy was amazing and I hope he wins the Brownlow on Monday night. I will have money on him.

West Coast all the way please, but this season feels irrelevant now [emoji53]

 

[kabigon]

I hope it won't be the sixth year in a row where a Victorian team defeats a non-Victorian team.

 

[kabigon]

Since the finals system changed in 2000, four grand finals have had the same teams as a match in week one, and the results were all reversed. (03/05/06/15)

 

[cobl04]

Last night was absolutely amazing. Electric. Again, not a classic game, but Collingwood played as good a game of football as I've ever seen played. Up there with Geelong 2011, Dogs 2016, Hawks 2015. They didn't put a foot wrong all night. We all knew the Tigers would come in the second half and when they kicked two to kick off the final quarter it seemed on. But then the Pies got two back against the run of play. Mason Cox, who I viciously hate to love, played a game that left me speechless considering the fact he'd never fucking heard of the sport a few years ago. Steele Sidebottom would have polled four Brownlow votes. And Richmond just completely went to water, it was genuinely shocking (in the surprising sense of the word). Jack could hold his head high, kept his team in it, but Dusty didn't seem fully fit, Rance seemed to have been replaced Kang and Kodos style.

The feeling after the game was amazing. There was a formidable sense of inevitability about Richmond's march to back-to-back flags this year (despite what you say Alex), so for Collingwood to come out and obliterate them, wow. There may not have been many good games of football this finals series, but in terms of sheer story and intrigue, it's been one for the ages. Cannot wait for tonight's game and desperately hoping for a Pies-Dees grand final. That will be lit.

 

[cobl04]

Yikes this is ugly. Go the Pies next week.