Sunday, August 21, 2011

AFL Round 22 wash-up; round 23 fixture and tips


Round 22 hasn’t been the end of the home-and-away year since 1994. Here’s how it played out, with my tips underlined:

Fri 19Aug11
#AFLBluesHawks 1.4 1.8 5.12 8.18 (66) def by 4.4 7.10 8.14 10.18 (79) with full ¼-by-¼ stats here

Sat 21Aug11
#AFLSunsCrows 2.2 5.7 8.8 9.10 (64) def by 9.4 10.7 11.11 18.17 (125)
#AFLEaglesDons 4.3 6.6 12.12 20.14 (134) def 3.0 7.1 9.5 11.11 (66)
#AFLNorthFreo 6.1 10.7 16.10 21.17 (143) def 3.1 3.4 5.7 6.9 (45)
#AFLPiesLions 2.4 7.10 12.16 14.18 (102) def 3.5 5.6 6.6 13.6 (84)

Sun 22Aug11
#AFLSwansSaints 1.5 3.12 6.17 10.23 (83) def 3.3 6.4 9.6 10.8 (68)
#AFLPortDogs 1.0 4.1 9.3 15.7 (97) def by 10.3 15.9 22.12 24.13 (157)
#AFLDeesTigers 4.0 7.1 14.2 17.8 (110) def by 6.2 10.9 11.12 17.15 (117)
#AFLCatsBye

Gives me 4/8. Makes the ladder look like this
Collingwood 20 19 1 0 178.96% 76 2407 1345
Geelong 20 18 2 0 157.67% 72 2313 1467
Hawthorn 20 16 4 0 145.31% 64 2136 1470
West Coast 20 15 5 0 126.33% 60 2001 1584
Carlton 21 14 6 1 133.77% 58 2159 1614
St Kilda 20 10 9 1 108.37% 42 1670 1541
Sydney 20 10 9 1 106.13% 42 1679 1582
Essendon 21 10 10 1 99.67% 42 2097 2104
North 20 9 11 0 104.09% 36 1932 1856
Fremantle 20 9 11 0 87.58% 36 1678 1916
Bulldogs 20 8 12 0 95.20% 32 1886 1981
Richmond 20 7 12 1 84.68% 30 1857 2193
Melbourne 20 7 12 1 82.89% 30 1758 2121
Adelaide 20 7 13 0 82.67% 28 1593 1927
Brisbane 20 4 16 0 81.99% 16 1666 2032
Gold Coast 20 3 17 0 54.03% 12 1355 2508
Port Adelaide 20 2 18 0 61.21% 8 1493 2439  

Had a go at the ladder predictor on the AFL website and saw it coming out like this (with my tips as above). Will have to revisit it with these results and the following tips for Round 23: 

Fri 27Aug11
#AFLDockersPies @ Subi from 10:40 AEST

Sat 28Aug11
#AFLHawksDogs @ the G from 14:10
#AFLCatsSwans @ Skilled from 14:10
#AFLSaintsNorth @ Etihad from 19:10
#AFLLionsEagles @ the Gabba from 19:10

Sun 29Aug11
#AFLCrowsTigers @ AAMI from 13:10
#AFLDeesSuns @ the G from 14:10
#AFLDonsPort @ Etihad from 16:40

Sunday, August 14, 2011

AFL Round 21 wash-up and Round 22 fixture and tips

More lop-sided results but not as much game coverage from me this week.

Fri 12Aug11 (my tip)
#AFLSaintsPies 2.1 6.3 7.7 10.10 (70) def by 5.2 8.4 11.4 14.5 (89)

Sat 13Aug11
#AFLHawkSport 8.1 17.4 23.6 31.11 (197) def 0.2 2.2 5.2 5.2 (32) with ¼-by-¼ stats here.
#AFLFreoBlues 3.0 4.2 7.7 12.13 (85) def by 5.5 7.10 11.16 16.19 (115) with ¼-by-¼ stats here.
#AFLDogsDons 1.3 6.3 11.8 15.11 (101) def by 7.0 14.3 18.6 23.12 (150)
#AFLLionsSuns 5.2 7.5 10.11 18.15 (123) def 1.4 3.6 4.9 8.13 (61)

Sun 14Aug11
#AFLEaglesDees 1.2 3.4 8.7 9.8 (62) def by 3.2 10.9 13.9 16.14 (110)
#AFLTigersSwans 1.4 5.8 8.12 14.15 (99) def 2.6 3.9 5.11 7.14 (56)!! Maybe John Longmire and his charges should concentrate more on retaining their spot in the 8 than making insurance company ads!
#AFLCrowsCats 2.3 5.6 8.10 12.13 (85) def by 2.3 8.7 11.10 14.12 (96)!! Bicks has the establishment worried: when Craig threw in the towel / had the towel thrown at him, little did we know that, three weeks later, his charges would be giving premiership-contenders such a scare! 

Makes me 7 / 8 for the round and the ladder resemble this
Collingwood          19 18 1 0 2305 1261 182.79% 72
Geelong                 20 18 2 0 2313 1467 157.67% 72
Hawthorn               19 15 4 0 2058 1404 146.58% 60
Carlton                  20 14 5 1 2093 1536 136.26% 58
West Coast           19 14 5 0 1867 1507 123.89% 56
St Kilda                 19 10 8 1 1602 1458 109.88% 42
Essendon              20 10 9 1 2020 1970 102.54% 42
Sydney                 19 9 9 1 1596 1514 105.42% 38
Fremantle             19 9 10 0 1633 1773 92.10% 36
North Melbourne  19 8 11 0 1789 1811 98.79% 32
Melbourne            19 7 11 1 1648 2004 82.24% 30
Western Bulldogs  19 7 12 0 1729 1884 91.77% 28
Richmond             19 6 12 1 1740 2083 83.53% 26
Adelaide              19 6 13 0 1468 1863 78.80% 24
Brisbane              19 4 15 0 1582 1930 81.97% 16
Gold Coast          19 3 16 0 1291 2383 54.18% 12
Port Adelaide      19 2 17 0 1396 2282 61.17% 8  

Next week we have (my tip)
Fri 19Aug11
#AFLBluesHawks – Carlton has their work cut out for them in order to beat the rampaging Hawks. Both clubs are vying for that vital second-chance in September, but I think the Hawks’ll do it. Happy to be proven wrong, though

Sat 20Aug11
#AFLSunsCrows – the Crows were are batting 1000 under Bickley up until their foray with the Cats but the Suns are a better thing than anywhere else at AAMI so I’m backing the darkie.
#AFLEaglesDons – Essendon are so champing at the bit for a place in the 8 but West Coast are already in there, and for a reason, and they should be stronger at TVFKAS
#AFLNorthFreo – Fremantle will want to back up a little stronger after their 5-goal loss to Carlton and, against the in-and-out-of-form Roos, will want to gain some respect and regain their place in the 8
#AFLPiesLions – Surely the Pies would be $1 favourites for this foregone conclusion?!

Sun 21Aug11
#AFLSwansSaints – One of the most boring match-ups of recent years. Both sides are in wont of a win and a possible berth in the 8, but the Saints are on fire and will probably take this one
#AFLPortDogs – another foregone conclusion
#AFLDeesTigers – the battle for the top of the bottom, and either side should take it … but which one to choose?!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

AFL Round 20 (to COB Sunday); AFL Round 21 tips

Three matches today, comments on two of them, both as close as you can get; the third as lop-sided as yesterday's.


Brisbane's Lions reached 100 points within 15min of the last. The urban-myth is that first to 100 wins the match. But not today! And weren't Crows' fans ecstatic! That has new / caretaker Mark Bickley batting 1.000 for his coaching career!
Brisbane 5.1 11.6 14.7 16.9 (105)
Adelaide 6.3 9.5 10.11 16.14 (110)
Brisbane
Cornelius 4.2; McGrath 3.0; Karnezis, Clark 2.0; Rockliff, Polkinghorn 1.1; Leuenberger, Banfield, Hanley 1.0; Dyson 0.2; Redden, Raines, rushed 0.1
356 Possessions: Rockliff 34; Black 26; Raines 23; Redden 22
79 Tackles: Stiller 8; Redden, Buchanan, McGrath, Leuenberger 7; Black 6
45 Hitouts: Leuenberger 31
12 Frees: McGrath, Leuenberger 2
Adelaide
Walker 4.1; Gunston 3.3; Wright, van Berlo, Johncock 2.0; Jacobs 1.1; Riley, Henderson 1.0; rushed 0.3; Petrenko, Reilly, Dangerfield, Sloane, Thompson, Vince 0.1
76 Tackles:  van Berlo 8; Thompson 7; Reilly, Wright, Riley 5
43 Hitouts: Jacobs 30; Maric 13 
26 Frees: Jacobs, Thompson 3; van Berlo, Wright, Talia 2
Full ¼-by-¼ stats at http://j.mp/p3EgZg

Hawthorn and North went toe-to-toe at Launnie this arv with an unexpected result. OK, it was expected that Hawthorn would win, being a top-4 side against a bottom-8 side, but not the way it went! North were actually leading with not-very-long to go: Matt Campbell booted 5 (4 in the last quarter) and had the Roos' noses just ahead. But with just seconds to go, bang bang - one from Smith and one from Buddy sealed the Roos' fate and the four points for Hawthorn. 
Hawthorn 2.1 6.6 9.8 15.13 (103)
North 3.7 5.7 9.7 13.8 (86)
Hawthorn
Franklin 3.2; Smith 3.1; Breust 2.0; Rioli 1.2; Hale, Ladson 1.1; Whitecross, Lewis, Sewel, Burgoyne 1.0; rushed 0.3; Hodge, Suckling, Shiels 0.1  
340 Possessions: Mitchell 31; Suckling 26; Sewell 25; Hodge 24 
76 Tackles: Shiels 10; Mitchell, Breust 7; Guerra, Whitecross, Ladson 6; Franklin 5
62 Hitouts: Bailey 26; Birchall 23
26 Frees: Lewis 4; Sewell, Birchall 3 
North
Campbell 5.1; Petrie 2.0; Petersen, Harvey 1.1; Goldstein, Ziebel, Wells, Richardson 1.0; rushed 0.3; Harper, Garlett 0.1  
301 Possessions: McMahon 29; Ziebell 27; Harvey 26  
78 Tackles: McMahon, Garlett, Petrie, Thomas 6; Ziebell, Rawlings, Goldstein, Swallow 5
48 Hitouts: Goldstein 37
27 Frees: McMahon 5; Goldstein 4; Petrie 3 
Full ¼-by-¼ stats at http://j.mp/pcm6Z7


So, in a nutshell
  • St Kilda def Fremantle 113-72
  • Geelong def Gold Coast 188-38
  • Carlton def Melbourne 134-58
  • Essendon def Sydney 100-99 (Actually, it was Adam Goodes who lost the game for the Swans with the very last kick)
  • Port def by Collingwood 21-159
  • Brisbane def by Adelaide 105-110
  • Hawthorn def North 103-86
  • Eagles def Richmond 147-90
Ladder is at http://www.afl.com.au/ladder/tabid/74/default.aspx although there is a round-by-round ladder somewhere else...


Next week we have (my tips):
#AFLSaintsPies
#AFLHawksPort
#AFLFreoBlues
#AFLDogsDons - tough call 
#AFLLionsSuns - I called it the other way around last time ... won't happen again
#AFLDeesEagles
#AFLTigersSwans
#AFLCrowsCats
#AFLNorthBye

Buenos noches

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