Round 16 Blog

The Eagles have conquered the Cats, though not without a scare or two after a dominant first half. What does successive losses for the previously undefeated mean?

Today the Hawks host the Lions down in Launnie. Will Buddy play? Will it matter?

The Swans visit the Gold Coast and desperately need to bring the match points home.

Richmond can see their season slipping away if the lose to the Bombers, who will want to show last week was no fluke.

Collingwood will be eyeing top spot against the Roos.

The Saints can keep the dream alive, but will be aware Port have been troublesome to them in the past.

Carlton can feel Eagle breath down their necks, giving the game against the Doggies extra urgency. Every game is now urgent for the tardy Dogs.

What did you make of last night folks? And what of the games to come?

Fire away.

Comments

  1. Well done to the Eagles. Like the Blues, they’ve gone a bit burko with the forward press pressure press.

    The Cats? Yoof. Their young guns, headed by Menz et al, are just that. Young. Put enough pressure on, and you can expose them. In that second quarter last night, we lacked just enough composure that what would’ve been a 3-4 goal run became a 8ish goal blitz. The Weagles put the squeeze on and with no Selwood, Ablett (not to mention Rooke) and with Chappy and Bartel quiet, it was an old fashioned shallacking – 1994 style.

    Not the end of the world though. Carlton’s bizarre losses in the middle of 1995 spring to mind at times like this, but the Dons and the Eagles are capable of sensational football it must be said.

    What was the story with those two loses? Does anyone know? From memory they got absolutely pounded by the Swans in the rain at the SCG, and then kicked three goals at Waverley the week after against the Saints. Both pretty crumby sides at the time. The other game where the ladder leader (effectively Geelong is second I guess) was knocked off which I always think back to was when the Lions beat the Eagles in the final round. Was it ’91?

  2. John Butler says

    Edward, you recall 1995 correctly. Carlton won 7 straight, went to Sydney and got flogged, then played the Saints on a drizzly dreary Waverley afternoon and lost kicking only 3 goals.

    It set up a big clash with co-tenants the Hawks the next week. We won by a 100 points and never looked back.

    Ah, memories…

  3. Yes John. Memories.

    Humph.

  4. I put it down to the sunglasses. Apparently Geelong wearing the mirrored sunnies at the ’95 GF parade rankled the Bluebaggers, they thought they were aloof. Had we gone for something more subdued, say those John Lennon style ones, or some simple Ray Ban’s, we would’ve knocked youse off.

    I’m thinking Adrian Hickmott with a nice monocle.

  5. John Butler says

    I think your problem was more than choice of sunnies that year.

    That Blues team was fired by the previous couple of years’ failures in finals. It was the last chance at glory for some. They were always going to be tough to beat.

    And the Cats were set up by a long string of easy victories leading into the GF. They didn’t know what hit them.

  6. Rick Kane says

    Good solid win by the Hawks.

    I got to see about 20 minutes of the game. Unfortunately it happened to be the last 20 minutes of the second quarter, when the Hawks squandered a 30 point lead (that looked like it was going to be 50 to the good by half time). I

    watched/inter-related with the second half at the AFL’s online match centre (I love the model ground and the clear and simple description of each action) and my iPhone application, ‘Footy Now’.

    It’s fab, by the way. There is a graph that describes the lead margin one team has over the other at any point in the game. By game’s end you can visualize the control one team had on the game. The graph for last night’s game, for example is striking in what it says about that contest. The graph for the Hawks game pinpoints the 20 minutes I watch at the Junction Hotel in Preston, as the only dip in the Hawks fortune through the day.

    As I said, a good win and I think the boys will relish the bye/rest next weekend.

  7. Appatently the Cats have lost three in a row and are gone.

    At the Wynyard game today I had more hands presented at me, and salutations, than the last time I was in ‘Change Alley’

    To each of the many I walked right into their space, assumed the bear hug position, and presented a lips on lips embrace. Actually got contact on two people. The word got around and people kept away.

    I was told I was sick and even heard a few grunts that I didn’t play fair.

    Even the great Colin Robertson took a backward step after taking a forward one and coming into my space.

    I just love footy.

  8. Andrew Fithall says

    Collingwood picked up 11 percentage points today. Gigs (or anyone else), has any other team ever been on 180% after 14 (taking byes into account) rounds of football?

  9. Richard Naco says

    Yep. We’re dead.

    Only 13 wins for the season, languishing in second place, and facing games against Brisbane, Richmond, Melbourne & the $un$. Collingwood fans are all over the various internet forums rubbing it in with infinite spite & malice (I’ve never really hated any other club in my life, but I think I’m learning to now).

    Gone.

    (As somebody tweeted on the Geelong website: “I’d rather lose consecutive games mid-season if it means we don’t drop consecutive games post season” – or words to that effect.)

  10. John Butler says

    Blues getting the staggers like last year?

    Next week looms as important now. Time to get out the wobble boards (Colli that is).

  11. Essendon the week after may be a bit of a distraction as well JB.

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