By now the nerves of all Saints and Magpies supporters have received an extended shredding.
The teams have been selected- heartache for some, delight for others.
After a week of huge football stories, the biggest one of all will now be played out.
How is everyone feeling? What do we expect tomorrow? Let ‘er rip folks!
I’m wondering how all you Sainters and Pies are travelling?
One GF week is exhausting enough. How have you handled this week?
I suspect the Magpie bubble has somewhat subsided since last week’s bravado. Nervous? Maybe a little uncertain? Or just focused on the task?
Have I missed something?
Has there been an outbreak of Bird Flu that has disengaged, or bed ridden, all the Magpies this week?
They certainly have gone quiet from that racaus worbling in massive mobs last week. (Yes, that was worbling not wobbling: but it could be both)
I’d go so far as the say that the Pies are shot ducks(if thats possible being a completely differnt species of bird).Ive been of the opinion(rightly or wrongly. probably the latter) that the Pies dont have a match winner. They have plenty of depth etc players that gatherers but were are the hunters. Goddard, Hayes or Nicky boy can step up and grab the game like they did last week. Didaks etc puts in cameos, not games breakers. Granted that could be enough in a close low scoring game but I think tomorrow might be a little more open as both teams tire in the second half. Thats when Saint Nick comes into his own and takes home the Norm Smith.
Saints by 13 @ around $3
Nick medal at $8
Game score over 160 & $1.90
Coll Saints Saints Saints Q by Q
so endeth the crytal balling
TR
We are now becoming more experienced at handling the nerves of GF week, but my GF eve will be a lower-key than last week’s session(s) at the Clyde. A bit of food poisoning last night put paid to that!
But as a typically nervous Saint, here’s what’s running through my head right now…
Why St Kilda will win / Why Collingwood will win:
– more experienced, harder bodies / younger fresher legs
– pain of last year still driving them / pain of last week driving them
– momentum from 2nd half last week / ability to still hold them off last week
– Room to improve Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Montagna / Room to improve Swan, Pendlebury, Didak
– A few Pies are sore from last week / A few Saints are sore from last week
– One team may “snap” …Coll in trouble if StK get the jump early / StK in trouble if Coll get the jump early
– Tags to Hayes and Goddard will throw out Coll’s gameplan / Tags to Hayes and Goddard will stifle StK
– Pies can’t kick straight / Pies are due to kick straight
Just bring on the bloody bounce!
…and Lionel Richie – I’m praying he belts out “Hello” and “Say You Say Me” – the place will be going right orff ..??
Dave
Dave (et al),
I continue to be amazed at the AFL’s lack of vision when it comes to pre-match entertainment. They seem to be stuck in a time-warp. I was a huge INXS fan 25 YEARS AGO. Which, unsurprisingly, was around the time when Lionel Richie was at his peak.
And don’t get me started on the national anthem. Julie Anthony seems like a lovely lady
and all, but there is so much more female singing talent in Australia at present….
D.D.
I’m struck by the absence of any Magpie voices. Where are you all?
6- i was just at Coles. :)
There’s a game on tomorrow?
One more sleep Danni?
9- ….yesses…
6 – talks cheap and the time for it is over
Time to let the actions do the talking
Go Pies
11- Nick, are you the same Nick that runs that collingwood webiste?
website**
Nah post on all the websites though, they call me the understudy.
Me thinks me should be the pre-game entertainment.
*pulls out guitar and starts strumming*
(to tune of billionare- bruno mars)
We wanna be the Premiers,
so freakinnn BADDDDD-
finally get the prize we never had.
We wanna be on the cover of-
the Herald Sunnnn, hold up the sacred silver cup.
Ohh everytime i close my eyesss,
i see my boys in shiny lights-
A different margin every night, OH-OH
I swearrr, Melbourne better prepare
for when we are Premiers…
*breaksout into dancing with goodlooking backup dancer dudes.*
Hahaha that’s classic Danni, you made a very terrible song into a good one.
It’s by Travvie McCoy too, not Bruno Mars. Sorry to be pedantic.
16- ahh yes, ur right its Featuring Bruno Mars
Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot that Bruno Mars featured in it.
Still undecided on a winner for tomorrow, head says Collingwood, heart says St Kilda. But i’ve put all my money, and I had none, on Brendon Goddard for Normie.
#6 I’m taking it one draw at a time, JB.
I’m quietly confident about tomorrow, despite the fact that everyone I talk to, even fellow Magpie supporters, seem to be predicting a St Kilda victory.
Unlike Phantom before the Prelim (Remember the Year of the Cat) I don’t see any point in making big statements before the game. If Collingwood wins I will no doubt engage in a burst of triumphalism, if they lose I will be very quiet.
At the moment I am just waiting for tomorrow afternoon (and wishing the AFL had hired a talented local act as pre-match entertainment instead of bloody Lionel Ritchie)
As a minor distraction from tomorrow’s big game, I noticed today, as I took the kids around the Perth Royal Show, that the Fremantle Showbag was not in high demand. Stood and took interest for about 20 minutes and didn’t see one sale. Was the Paul Haselby badge not considered a collector’s item? Later in the day, even a price reduction didn’t see the fans flocking to the bored, young saleswoman…….
yes
C’mon AF
Call yourself a Magpies fan! :)
Fire up!
Just wait till Danni gets on here..
Well done Pies. Too good. Stifled the ball getting to Riewoldt. Kosi too busy in the ruck. Strangely, not feeling too bad. Glad I am not in Melbourne…
Pendlebury for Norm Smith? Really? 22 uncontested possessions.
Who goes from Saints and Collingwood to the Suns?
#24 – Cloke or Anthony? I agree on Pendelbury, I felt Goddard singlehandedly kept the Saints in the game in the first half. I will be very interested in hearing how the votes were apportioned.
Collingwood were the best team of the year and clearly deserved to win the flag.
The Saints don’t kick enough goals in GFs to win GFs. What is it? 9,10,7 consecutively?
Not sure about 2011. Back-to-back is rare. Collingwood should make the GF.
I reckon AF nailed it in one. Why say anything more?
Tim,
I selected Sidebottom.
The votes are as follows:
10 – Scott Pendlebury, Collingwood, 3 3 2 2
8 – Steele Sidebottom, Collingwood 3 3 2
4 – Dale Thomas, Collingwood 3 1
3 – Dane Swan, Collingwood 2 1
2 – Darren Jolly, Collingwood 1 1
2 – Luke Ball, Collingwood 2
1 – Nathan Brown, Collingwood 1
Saints Footy….pftt!
I was so glad I shared in this with my family. Took my daughter, brother and nephews to Vic Park and absorbed every precious second. We finished on top and we deserved to win the FLAG! I was never a fan of Mick Malthouse, but tonight I repent! Thank God he saw the sense to replace Fraser and O’Bree with Ball and Jolley. Our young guys were brilliant. Hail Sidebottom,Macaffer,Wellingham,Toovey,Brown, Reid and Blair! A sweet,sweet victory!!!
Phil
The Pies showed themselves to be the the better side over the course of both games.
But a little respect should be due “Saints footy”. But for a crooked bounce last Saturday, they would have had you.
Enjoy.
Pies were too good, it was as simple as that. I for one am glad that “Saints footy” was beaten again. Not so much the Saints, but this strangling, claustrophobic footy that Ross Lyon created called “Saints footy”. Its failed twice now.
Enjoy the spoils Pie supporters.
Bakes, Danni et al – hope you have a ball.
#28 Phil – Rocca also made way since last year.
The other four veterans left out were Leon, Presti, Medhurst and Tarks !
the 22 selected yesterday was spot on
Didak and Ben Johnson were the only two to survive from the failed campaign of 2003
Certainly a very different line up to the team MM picked against the saints in last years finals series
2009 Qualifying Final Line Up and Stats v Stkilda
Collingwood Match Statistics (Sorted by Supercoach Score) Coach: Mick Malthouse
Player K HB D M G B T HO GA GC I50 FF FA DT SC
Nick Maxwell 8 9 17 5 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 61 113
Heath Shaw 11 10 21 6 0 0 6 0 0 0 2 0 2 89 111
Alan Toovey 8 12 20 4 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 2 0 87 101
Leigh Brown 4 9 13 6 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 61 99
Travis Cloke 17 2 19 13 0 2 3 2 4 4 7 0 0 110 98
Steele Sidebottom 7 5 12 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 2 0 51 87
Dane Swan 15 9 24 6 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 89 83
Leon Davis 8 7 15 3 1 1 4 0 1 2 3 1 1 68 72
Anthony Rocca 4 1 5 3 2 0 3 3 0 2 2 1 1 48 69
Dale Thomas 8 4 12 3 2 2 1 0 0 2 2 2 0 61 68
Josh Fraser 10 3 13 4 0 0 0 10 0 0 1 2 1 57 58
Ben Johnson 11 9 20 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 60 55
Tarkyn Lockyer 5 4 9 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 1 1 1 45 53
Dayne Beams 6 5 11 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 38 53
Paul Medhurst 8 2 10 6 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 53 52
Harry O’Brien 6 3 9 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 35 44
John Anthony 3 0 3 1 1 0 5 0 0 1 2 0 1 35 40
John McCarthy 6 3 9 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 40 36
Alan Didak 7 6 13 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 39 23
Scott Pendlebury 1 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 22
Simon Prestigiacomo 0 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 16
Shane O’Bree 8 4 12 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 31 1
GA – Goal Assists, I50 – Inside 50s, GC – Goals Contributed (Goals + Goal Assists)
GA – Goal Assists, I50 – Inside 50s, GC – Goals Contributed (Goals + Goal Assists)
Did anyone catch the two Collingwood twins on the telly (even got a replay) at 2.38 minutes to go?
Soooooooo Collingwood.
The defence rests it’s case.
By the way Pie knackers. Well done. I know how you feel at the moment and there can be no arguement with the result. Fair and square. Nice feeling isn’t it.
I will continue my nagging, old fashioned half back flanker tagging, next season; it’s the only way I know how to play.
My votes for the season.
Danni 3,
Dave Nadel 2,
Andrew Fithall 1.
I tried to fit Dave Latham in but he went missing last week and could not be considered for selection. (Phantom’s no train no play policy)
Love yous all. See yous all next season. God I need a break. I’m starting to talk like them now.
Phantom. I suggested to my Collingwood supporting children we go to Gosch’s paddock for the player presentations this afternoon. Having viewed the “twins” on the TV, they declined: “There will be too many Collingwood supporters there.”
I’m sorry Andrew.
Nice try but my votes are final.
The cut off period was at the time of the bounce.
Even if I wanted to I can not change them.
Thanks Phantom, but I wasn’t fishing. Surprised I scored a vote given my own absence during the week. In Adelaide for girls under 15 lacrosse nationals. Collingwood supporting Audrey in the winning team (Vic Ice), but her own contribution was negligible because of illness. Geelong supporting Ursula in the 4th placed team (Vic Fire), but she did well considering she (and Audrey) have another two years at this level. Drove back a day early to watch the GF on TV.
Phantom – saw the twins, had a vision of the after party, had a puke, moved on.
AF – well done old boy. See you at the launch. I suspect you will have put a few pounds on by then!!