Footy's Back

A collective groan is heard across the nation as many of us gear up for AFL Season 2016 and the first bounce at the G tonight when Carlton get ready to take on Richmond for the traditional season opener.

But as I get my stats sheet ready I see the following news article on my favourite stats page:

Chris Yarran has shrugged off criticism of his physical condition this pre-season after being labelled "his own worst enemy" by former coach Mick Malthouse.

Malthouse questioned Yarran's dedication, saying he "hasn’t quite got that knack of being a great professional in regards to coming back and being ready to play".

"I don't pay too much attention to it to be honest … everyone's got different opinions about it," Yarran said.

"At the end of the day, the only people that matter are my close friends and teammates.

"I'm always happy with my shape."

Chris Yarran is at Richmond now, no thanks to Mick. And Mick has been assigned to irrelevance now, no thanks to his outdated game style and a rough-and-ready collective that wasn't keen to play for him.

OK so Malthouse has the all-time record for the number of games coached and played in an illustrious career that saw flags as a player and coach, but many (myself included) will judge him on how his career was finished at Princes Park.

OK so Yazz isn't ready for the season opener. Big Deal! Many of his team mates and his colleagues across the League are in the same position for various reasons! Mick's not slagging off about them (or is he?)

Let's just get on with the footy, ignore the irrelevant, and we'll see who's there at the pointy end when we tune our TVs to the local channel and our radios to Roy & HG for the Festival Of The Boot once again!


peterg
24Mar16

Records a-tumble as the Demons are absolutely BELTED by the Bombers

The Dees continued their horrible start to the year with a 148-point loss to the Bombers. They only managed the equivalent of 6 goals to the Same-Olds' 28.16 in an effort which still has Melbourne fans screaming for blood!

Going to the records, a worse ladder-percentage after round 2 (28.4% (90 for, 317 against) was not even achieved by the newcoming Suns (30.4, 2011) or Giants (32.2 last year). I had to go back to 1901, during Carlton's heyday as the VFL's whipping boys, to find the worst result (16.8). St.Kilda's 1896 side managed 18.6, and the Uni boys didn't go below 51.1 in what was to be their final year! Let's hope that doesn't happen to one of the VFA/VFL's foundation sides!

Some other records:

• Fitzroy 36.22 (238), Melbourne 6.12 (48) R17, 1979 [190 point loss](This is second highest-score ever in the VFL/AFL, also the biggest win ever) 
• Geelong 37.11 (233), Melbourne 7.5 (47), R19, 2011 [186 point loss](This is the fourth highest-score ever, also the second-biggest win ever)
• Fitzroy 5.4 (40), Melbourne 0.2 (2), R16, 1899 (Equal-2nd lowest-score ever: lowest-ever was Geelong 23.24 (162), St Kilda 0.1 (1), R17 that same year)

Essendon have played Melbourne 208 times since 1897, with time-off because the Ds couldn't field a side during World War 1. They've tied twice (7/5/21 and 2/10/48). Until yesterday, the highest margin of 122 points was achieved on 5/7/86 when the Bombers downed the Dees by 122 points: 27.10 (182) to 8.12 (60). We have to go back to 1927 to see the scale tipped the other way, with a win on 6/8/27 to the Ds by ninety points: 20.20 (140) to 8.2 (50). Both of these games were at the G.  

Something to think about. 

peterg

Details thanks to Paul Jeffs' AFL Stats pages at http://stats.rleague.com/afl/

Here’s the final instalment of the Carlton player stats 1974-2012. Following the club’s dramatic and disappointing exit from the finals this year, this sheet has been posted a little earlier than I would have liked, but this gives me the chance to concentrate more on uni now the season’s over for another year. Yes, I’ll be following the finals with interest, hoping that some teams make it in favour of some others, but come the last Saturday inSeptember, I’ll probably be watching with a little less interested that I would otherwise have been.

This sheet, like the others before, is a snap-shot of the performance of every player to have appeared in the old dark Navy Blue during this short century, and features many players from the 1980s and 1990s as well as those who (would want to) don the jumper every week in this, the second decade of the 21^st Century.

You’ll also see, from 2009, Dreamteam (DT) scores and values. DT is one of two fantasy football leagues operated for AFL fans; the other being Supercoach (SC), which is run by News Limited separately and independent of the AFL. Many statistics websites, including those sourced for my stats spread sheets, show both the points and values for each of these leagues. I have only recorded the DT points and values because I played in that fantasy league during 2009 and 2010 but found that I couldn’t put the required amount of time into it to make it a good go of it.

The points and values are generated using codes and algorithms which are a closely guarded secret of those who wrote them. Each player is given a salary cap and can then choose any 25 players from across the AFL and pit them against teams either created by friends or other people in the league. Many players are well known commentators and former players and it was always interesting to see how the average Joe went up against these guys every week- I think I was up against Leigh Matthews, Dermott Brereton, and Barry Hall during those furtive attempts at fantasy footy.

In compiling these spread sheets, I find I am learning more about the players who generated these numbers. Why were some careers so short? What kept some players going and going and going? While these questions can’t necessarily be answered by these numbers, they certainly help explain the decisions made to delist or re-sign the players they do- that and following the game every week with a certain bias toward one of the League’s foundation clubs. A little more time, like fantasy footy, needs to be spent following the lower and other State leagues, the SANFL,* WAFL, and VFL, and the draft, to understand it more. This is also something I can’t do, but I get enough out of Australian football doing this!

Hopefully the URL that I generate for this sheet will lead to the page that I update every week next year. Otherwise I’ll just upload the next chapter with, more than likely, some deletions, some additions, and some old faithfuls that keep turning up each time to, hopefully, sing that famous song more than once of a weekend!

peterg
08Sep12

*I followed the SANFL during Rhys O’Keeffe’s final year at North Adelaide- the main aim of following this league was to follow both previous and former Carlton players like Rhys, Cain Ackland, Adrian Deluca, Mark Passador, and many of the current and rookie Port Adelaide and Adelaide player (Port players came mainly from the original Port Pies club, but Crows players played for all SANFL clubs when not selected for AFL Seniors duty). I compiled and posted statistical reports for Talking Carlton and got to know another stats nut at SA Footy who we might be able to mutually assist. But that’s another project for another lifetime…. 

Carlton VFL/AFL Player Statistics Page 2

Statistics weren’t always a part of Australian Rules football - it was not until 1974 that records* were kept beyond the number of games played and the number of goals scored. In 1987 those records were extended to include the number of tackles laid by a defensive player.

In 2008 those records were extended again to include: 

• Inside 50s: the number of times the ball is inside a side’s forward-50. An individual’s inside-50s count is the number of times that player has put the ball into his side’s forward-50. As with many AFL statistics, this may also count toward a goal-assist or, for the more powerful (or lucky) kickers, a goal.
• Goals contributed: the number of goals kicked as well as the number of goal-assists
• Goal-assists: a statistic which shows the last player to have had the ball prior to the one that scored the goal. Players like Chris Judd have a lot of goal-assists as they would prefer the “glory” to be taken by another player, whereas players like Brendan Fevola would prefer that glory for themselves.

After Round 12, 2012, these details were hidden from public view, changing back to the “standard” stats which were recorded from 1987. And from 2010 additional statistics of which I am yet to ascertain the meaning have been recorded. So my next page of stats is going to take a little longer to collate and post- do I include these new numbers, or just continue on with the ‘87s?! We will see in time enough!  

As we are seeing in the modern game, each touch of the ball represents a number of stats- follow a game live on www.afl.com.au any weekend and you’ll see that a game statistician’s is not an easy job! Contested or uncontested possessions, effective or ineffective disposals, errors, clangers, the list is huge. This spread-sheet is only a snap-shot of the main player stats from 1987 to 1999.

On the front page you will see the name of every man to have worn the old dark Navy Blue in that period, including names like Silvagni, Bradley, McKay, Ratten, Kernahan, Camporeale, Koutoufides... The first page shows the totals for each stat for each player for his entire career (Silvagni 312games 1985-2001, Bradley 375 games 1986-2002, McKay 244 games 1993-2003, Camporeale 233 games 1995-2006, Koutoufides 278 games 1992-2007, etc). The subsequent pages show the numbers for those players alongside those of his team mates for that year.

Have a look, bring back some memories, or wonder about memories you could have had of the late 1980s and the entire 1990s of the old dark Navy Blue!

peterg

16Aug12

*Champion Data, AFL Tables, FinalSiren, and All the Stats are just examples of statistical repositories for AFL players. The detail available is determined by how deep you want to drill!

Carlton VFL/AFL Player Statistics Page 1

This is a snap-shot of the player-statistics for every man to wear the Old Dark Navy Blue between 1974 and 1986.

Some of these players had been playing for years prior to this period, and others started during this time and continued on afterwards.

The numbers for those who started playing prior to this period cannot reflect their games from that time because these statistics (for the time being) were not recorded before 1974. For example, John Nicholls played from 1957 to 1974 but this sheet only reflects his statistics from those last 14 matches that he played in 1974. And Bruce Doull (1969-1986) only has the details of games played in the last 12 years of that era.

Records for 1897-1973, at the time of writing, only include Games Played/Won/Drawn/Lost, and the player’s Goals. Brownlow votes were recorded from 1924.

However, Stephen Silvagni, who started his playing career in 1986, continued on to the early years of the next century. While his summary shows the total for that career, you will only find the numbers from 1986 in this spread-sheet. The next pages in this series will fill that out more.

Players in each year are recorded according to their jumper number. Some changed : this has not been reflected on the summary page. The link to the web-page embedded in the first cell will lead you to that player's page at AFL Tables.

There is only one more page in this series for the moment, being 1987-1999. The reason for the breaks:

- More and different statistics were being recorded after 1987, and again after 2007

- I thought the end-of-the-Century would be a good break, anyway

More statistics began again in 2007, but as many of the players from that period are still playing, it's best not to upload it until there's another opportunity for a break. That will ensure accuracy of the data. 

My reason for doing this? I became interested in AFL as a sport in the 1990s, began following it in earnest in 2002, and became interested in the statistics of the game from 2006. These pages began to be compiled in 2007 and were renewed / revitalised this year when I found many, many mistakes, as well as new / more / older data.

Please let me know if there is any more explanation needed! Check my About Me page to get up-to-date stats on a game-by-game basis: snap-shots are taken at every break and posted to my Google Docs, with links tweeted and +'d almost immediately after the game.   

peterg

01Aug12

- Horse's birthday

- Swiss National Day

- Pinch-and-a-punch
- only 30 days left of my 47th year on earth. 

AFL Round 20 (to COB Saturday)

A round of surprise results. Many of the lop-sided games were top 8-vs-bottom 8 but not all!


Take Saints v Freo for example. Fremantle are a top-8 side (although their recent form has them sliding out) and St Kilda are top-8 contenders (in the same vein as Collingwood in David Williamson's The Club). Freo's last quarter was abysmal, showing them and us, at the wrong time of the year, that they're no closer to their first flag than they've ever been:
St Kilda 3.8 7.11 10.13 16.17 (113)
Fremantle 1.1 7.7 10.10 10.11 (71)
St Kilda
Milne 4.4; Koschitzke, dal Santo, Schneider 2.0; Gram, Goddard 1.1; Ray, Fisher, Armitage, McEvoy 1.0; rushed 0.5; Steven, Riewoldt, Peake 0.2
412 Possessions: Jones 29; Blake 27; dal Santo 25; Gram, Fisher 24; Montagna 23; Scheider 21
60 Tackles: dal Santo 8; McEvoy 6; Gram, Koschitzke, Ray 4
54 Hit-Outs: McEvoy 29; Koschitzke 21
22 Frees: Dempster, Milne 3
Fremantle 
Mayne, McPhee 2.1; Ibbotson, Barlow, Johnson, Grover, Mzungu, Suban 1.0; rushed 0.6; Pavlich, Pearce, Hill 0.1
328 Possessions: Mzungu 30; Barlow 26; Lower 22; Pavlich 21

78 Tackles: Barlow 8; Lower, Ibbotson 7; Duffield, Pearce 6; Mzungu, Pavlich, Pearce 5

38 Hit-Outs: Mayne 26

17 Frees: Barlow, Lower, Johnson, Clarke, Ballantyne 2

Full ¼-by-¼ stats (except ¼-time) at http://j.mp/punupl

Carlton v Melbourne went as expected, but when I turned it on, the Dees were ahead by 25 to 19. But that was the end of the rot. Jeff "Jeffie" Garlett, then Bret "T-Bird" Thornton kicked successive goals, and that was the end of the rot: Melbourne only scored another 3 points for the rest of the half, but were allowed to salvage some dignity in the second. If the Blues play like that for their next three matches, they can kiss their finals-win dream goodbye!

Carlton 6.1 14.2 18.7 21.8 (134)

Melbourne 3.7 3.10 6.12 7.16 (58)

Carlton

Ellard 3.1; Garlett 2.2; Judd, Gibbs 2. 1; Walker, Scotland 2.0; Robinson, Kreuzer, Thornton, Betts, Joseph, McLean, Warnock, Henderson 1.0; rushed 0.2; Simpson 0.1

371 Possessions: Scotland 32; Judd, Murphy 31; Gibbs 27; Simpson 22; Robinson 21

62 Tackles: Yarran 8; Judd 6; Robinson, Betts, Kreuzer 5

42 Hit-Outs: Warnock 36 

20 Frees: Betts 3; Scotland, Judd, Murphy, Gibbs 2

Melbourne

Dunn 2.2; Watts 2.1; Green 1.2; Davey 1.1; Howe 1.0; rushed 0.3; Bate, Scully 0.2; Martin, Gysberts, Trengove 0.1  

333 Possessions: Trengove 24; Gysberts 22; Moloney, Jones, Garland, Watts 21

74 Tackles: Trengove 9; Moloney, McKenzie 8; Dunn 7; Scully 6; Gysberts, Macdonald 5

30 Hit-Outs: Martin 15; Gawn 10

21 Frees: Trengove 3; Gysberts, Macdonald, Jones 2

Full ¼-by-¼ stats at http://j.mp/rtNeJm

Collingwood and Geelong proved why they're at the top and why Port and Gold Coast are at the bottom. Both top-sides absolutely crushed both bottom-sides, with calls for Tredders' resignation in the same vein as Craig's earlier this month (before it comes to being pushed like Bailey earlier this week)

Port Adelaide 0.1 1.2 2.2 3.3 (21)

Collingwood 6.5 12.12 16.16 23.21 (159)

Port
Banner 2.0; Stewart 1.0; rushed 0.3

314 Possessions: Boak 31; Pearce 26; Cassisi 23; Banner 21

64 Tackles: Banner 8; Hartlett 6; Salter 5

35 Hit-Outs: Lobbe 27

13 Frees: Banner, Boak, Gray, Pettigrew 2

Pies

Blair 4.1; Cloke 3.6 (that's more like we'd expect; Swan, Beams 3.1; Brown 2.2; Krakouer 2.1; Fasolo 1.3; Pendlebury, Ball, Sidebottom, Rounds, Jolly 1.0; rushed 0.4; Davis 0.2

425 Possessions: Swan 37; Beams 32; Pendlebury 31; Blair, Ball 25; Davis, Thomas 23; Sidebottom 22; Johnson 21

98 Tackles!!!: Pendlebury 9; Ball, Davis, Rounds 7; Swan, Maxwell, Wood 6

55 Hit-Outs: Wood 33; Jolly 22

15 Frees: Jolly, Cloke, Fasolo, Brown 2

Geelong 8.1 18.4 21.8 29.14 (188)

Gold Coast 3.0 3.0 6.1 6.2 (38)

Cats

Johnson 6.1; Podsiadly 5.1; Mooney 3.3; J Selwood 3.0; Christensen 2.3; Chapman, Bartel 2.0; Stokes 1.1;  Wojcinski, Milburn, Ling 1.0; rushed 0.3; Varcoe 0.2

466 Possessions: Varcoe, J Selwood 33; Johnson 31; Chapman 30; Christensen 28; Wojcinski 26; Milburn, Duncan 25

61 Tackles: Chapman, West 6; J Selwood, Kelly, Ling, Corey 4

36 Hit-Outs: West 29

24 Frees: Chapman 4; J Selwood, Christensen 3

Suns

Bennell 2.1; Stanley 2.0; McKenzie, Fraser 1.0; rushed 0.1

331 Possessions: Bock 27; Harbrow 23; Rischitelli 22; Brennan, Bennell 21

54 Tackles: Weller, Brown 2

33 Hit-Outs: Smith 17; Fraser 14

14 Frees: Lynch, Weller 2

Full ¼-by-¼ stats (except ¼-time) at http://j.mp/pb9fVs

#AFLDonsBlues Progress Details

¼-time
Essendon 4.2 26
Carlton 5.3 33

Scorers
Essendon
11.D Zaharakis 1.0
45.S Crameri 1.0
30.P Ryder 0.1
 9.B Prismall 1.0
22.M Hurley 1.1

Carlton
19.E Betts 3.0
38.J Garlett 1.1
 1.A Walker 1.0
32.B Thornton 0.1
 6.K Simpson 0.1

½-time
Essendon 8.3 51
Carlton 9.4 58

Scorers
Essendon
11.D Zaharakis 1. 0
45.S Crameri 1.0
30.P Ryder 1.1
 9.B Prismall 1.0
22.M Hurley 2.1
 7.L Jetta 1.0
32.T Colyer 1.0

Carlton
19.E Betts 4.0
38.J Garlett 1.1
 1.A Walker 1.0
32.B Thornton 0.1
 6.K Simpson 0.1
 8.M Kreuzer 1.0
 4.B Gibbs 1.0
27.D Armfield 1.0
12.M Robinson 0.1

½-time stats
Essendon
245 Possessions [Prismal 21; Stanton, Zaharakis 19; Crameri 18]
48 Tackles [Howlett 11]
27 Hitouts [Hille 21]
15 Frees [Howlett 3]

Carlton
270 Possessions [Judd 29; Scotland 22; Murphy, Robinson 20]
64 Tackles [Judd 10]
39 Hitouts [Warnock 13]
11 Frees [Robinson, Warnock 2]

¾-time
Essendon 8.4 52
Carlton 17.8 110

Scorers
Essendon
11.D Zaharakis 1.0
45.S Crameri 1.0
30.P Ryder 1.1
 9.B Prismall 1.0
22.M Hurley 2.1
 7.L Jetta1.0
32.T Colyer 1.0
rushed 0.2

Carlton
19.E Betts 5.0
38.J Garlett 1.2
 1.A Walker 2.0
32.B Thornton 0.1
 6.K Simpson 0.1
 8.M Kreuzer 2.1
 4.B Gibbs 1.0
27.D Armfield 2.0
12.M Robinson 0.1
13.C Yarran 1.0
 5.C Judd 1.0
 3.M Murphy 2.1
rushed 0.1

Full time
Essendon 4.2 8.3 8.4 12.7 (79)
Carlton 2.3 9.4 17.8 24.9 (153)

Scorers

Essendon
11 David Zaharakis 1.0
45 Stewart Crameri 1. 2
30 Patrick Ryder 2. 1
 9 Brent Prismall 1. 0
22 Michael Hurley 3. 2
 7 Leroy Jetta 1.0
32 Travis Colyer 1.0
37 Kyle Reimers 1.0
 5 Brent Stanton 1.0
rushed 0.2

Carlton
19 Edward Betts 8.0
38 Jeff Garlett 1.2
 1 Andrew Walker 4.0
32 Bret Thornton 0.1
 6 Kade Simpson 0.1
 8 Matthew Kreuzer 2.1
 4 Bryce Gibbs 2.0
27 Dennis Armfield 2.0
12 Mitch Robinson 0.1
13 Chris Yarran 1.0
 5 Chris Judd 1.0
 3 Marc Murphy 3.1
31 Marcus Davies 0.1
rushed 0.1

¼-by-¼ statistics [except for ¼-time] at http://j.mp/qaPoGp

R17 Carlton v Collingwood @ MCG 16Jul11 1410

When ever I watch a match, I always get the stats together on a ¼-by-¼ basis. This week I didn't get to do that, but one of my twitter friends gave it a go and saved my bacon! Here are the ¼-by-¼-basis summaries which I would have tweeted on the day...

¼-time
Carlton 2.1 13
Collingwood 2.6 18

Scorers - Carlton
 4. B Gibbs 0.1
 3. M Murphy & 39. W Twomey 1.0

Collingwood
32. T Cloke & 10. S Pendlebury 1.0
13. D Thomas, 47. J Blair, & 1. L Davis 0.1
rushed 0.3

½-time
Carlton 4.6 30
Collingwood 5.11 41

Summary

Scorers
Carlton
 4. B Gibbs 0.1
 3. M Murphy 2.0
39. W Twomey 1.0
 1. A Walker & 13. C Yarran 0.1
29. H Scotland 1.0
 6. K Simpson & 11. R Warnock 0.1
rushed 0.1

Collingwood
32. T Cloke 3.1
10. S Pendlebury 1.0
13. D Thomas 0.1
47. J Blair 0.2
 1. L Davis & 18. D Jolly 0.1
44. L Keeffe 1.0
rushed 0.5

Stats 

Carlton
Disposals 173 (C Judd 17; B Gibbs, K Simpson 15; M Robinson 13; M Murphy, H Scotland 12; A Walker 11)
Tackles 28 (Twomey 4; Judd, Robinson 3)
Hitouts 17 (Warnock 11)

Collingwood
Disposals 176 (D Swan 19; B Johnson, S Pendlebury, D Thomas 14; T Cloke, S Sidebottom 11; L Ball 10)

Tackles 31 (Krakouer 6, Thomas 4)
Hitouts 21 (Jolly 13)

¾-time
Carlton 9.11 65
Collingwood 11.16 82

Scorers

Carlton
 4. B Gibbs 0.1
 3. M Murphy 2.0
39. W Twomey 1.0
 1. A Walker 2.1
13. C Yarran 0.1
29. H Scotland 1.0
 6. K Simpson 0.1
11. R Warnock 0.2
12. M Robinson 0.1
32. B Thornton 1.0
38. J Garlett 1.3
19. E Betts 1.3
rushed 0.1

Collingwood
32. T Cloke 3.4
10. S Pendlebury 2.0
13. D Thomas 0.1
47. J Blair 0.2
 1. L Davis 1.2
18. D Jolly 0.1
44. L Keeffe 1.0
36. D Swan 0.1
 3. J McCarthy, 22. S Sidebottom, 15. L Brown, and 12. L Ball 1.0

Full Time - Carlton 2.1 4.6 9.11 11.13 (79)
Collingwood 2.6 5.11 11.16 13.20 (98)

Scorers – Carlton
 4. B Gibbs 0.2
 3. M Murphy 2.0
39. W Twomey 1.0
 1. A Walker 3.1
13. C Yarran 1.1
29. H Scotland 1.0
 6. K Simpson 0.1
11. R Warnock 0.2
12. M Robinson 0.1
32. B Thornton 1.0
38. J Garlett 1.4
19. E Betts 1.0
rushed 0.1

Collingwood
32. T Cloke 3.4
10. S Pendlebury 2.1
13. D Thomas 1.1
47. J Blair 0.2
 1. L Davis 1.2
18. D Jolly 0.2
44. L Keeffe 1.0
36. D Swan 0.1
 3. J McCarthy & 22. S Sidebottom 1.0
15. L Brown 1.1
12. L Ball & 35. A Fasalo 1.0
Rushed 0.6

Full ¼-by-¼ stats at http://j.mp/raHwlY except for ¼ time due to tech difficulties on the day

#AFLBluesLions - Report and Results

Carlton were the favourites in this contest and, from quarter-to-quarter, were ahead the whole time, and we get to hear The Song for the eighth time this year!!

The Brisbane side are a shadow of their former selves; half the side that once caned us by more than 100 points during the reign of Denis Pagan. What will it take for those who make such decisions to call it on Vossie’s tenure? Maybe they don’t have someone to fill those shoes, and it’s the devil they know versus those they don’t...

Any which way you look at it, the end results at Etihad Stadium this afternoon were:

Carlton 4.4 8.8 13.9 19.10 (124)

Brisbane 2.3 3.5 4.8 9.9 (63)

Scorers for Carlton

 1 Andrew Walker 5.0

19 Edward Betts 3.0

38 Jeff Garlett 2.2

46 David Ellard 2.1

 3 Marc Murphy 2.0

23 Lachlan Henderson 1.2

44 Andrew Carrazzo 1.0

 2 Jordan Russell 1.0

22 Shaun Hampson 1.0

42 Zach Tuhoy 1.0 – his first goal in AFL football

 6 Kade Simpson 0.2

 5 Chris Judd 0.1

Rushed behinds 0.1

Scorers for Brisbane

16 Jonathan Brown 3.1

 9 Ashley McGrath 2. 2

 1 Mitchell Clark 2. 0

10 Daniel Rich    1. 1

18 Todd Banfield 0.2

20 Simon Black  0. 1

31 James Polkinghorne  0.1

Rushed behinds 0.1

Next week, Carlton (now 3rd) has Sydney back here next Sunday (#AFLBluesSwans) – there’s still the Carlton-Sydney hoodoo but Carlton have the edge this year, and should take the four points. Brisbane (still 15th) have Richmond at home on Saturday night (#AFLLionsTiges), which should be a win for the Tigers.

AFL Home & Away Round 1: Carlton 2.8 9.10 9.13 14.20 (104) def Richmond 3.0 7.0 13.3 13.6 (84) at MCG 25Mar11

I won't pretend to claim this as my own - a good mate over in WA caught the game and gave me his take on it (which I've emended): 

Both sides faired very well. Tigers attacked like a bunch of adolescent males seeking the alpha status amongst the pack. The youngsters such as Jack (JR) Riewoldt put a message out and yes, they will not be trifled with in front of goals. With late last season, a pre-season, and the 1^st round of 2011 JR proved himself to be a serious forward, the consistency between seasons showed me discipline and a drive that is well behooved of all young players . 

The Blues fought back with style and grace that adorns any veteran side, they out shone the young'uns in both he 1^st and 4^th qtrs. The only downfall for the Blues was the  stoppage of their run in the 2^nd and the sheer dismissal of their midfield in the 3^rd. Where were they? Where was reigning midfield champ? Yes, you know the one I mean!

The 4^th was a different story. Mr. Ratten must have broken the whip on some ass in the break after the 3^rd because those boys came out firing, which they should have done half a game ago to show these kiddies how to play footy. But they didn’t, and because of that they only just got away with a win.

Gooooooo ball!

Signing out

SV