Junior Almanac Round 16 – Geelong v Sydney: The trip has begun

By Aidan Hammond Aged 10

 

From Adelaide we hop into the plane to Melbourne, we find the “AFL Record 4 Kids” magazine in duty free. I just read that and nothing else on the plane. Most of the time waiting for the toilets to open and the food trolley to come past but my China travel sickness did not kick in. We get to the Melbourne airport then catch a cab to the train station.

 

I was still getting used to the Melbourne hipsters then this random guy came up to us and said a plan about girls going into the boys cubicles because the boys can just walk straight in but the girls have to wait in a massive line. Decent idea but a bit weird.

 

So we go to Red Rooster (no longer in Adelaide) and get something to eat then after a while we head to the train and get on. I just play AFL Live 2 and FIFA 16 then we get to our hotel room and check in. We have a relax and watch Foxtel. Then we go outside and see Geelong, very much like San Diego, if they just have some more conferences.

 

We find this nice place along the river to have drinks. I tried my first Mocktail, it won’t be my last. Then we head inside the same place for dinner and have some really nice food in front of the fire. Geelong is a really nice place, it’s all really social and it’s not too big or too small. We have the walk back to our hotel room wearing our Crows scarves and I see three Swans supporters and many, many Geelong supporters. Including us, seven Crows supporters.

 

We rug up and get ready to go the match. A draw is ideal for the Crows today because if the Giants lose to Collingwood and Swans and Geelong draw and Crows beat Carlton we will move up to 2nd spot on the ladder. But if the Crows win on Sunday there is a top four spot guaranteed at the end of this round. We take photos of Kardinia Park, buy a Record and do some fun games outside.

 

Then I get my photo taken will the Geelong team (printed on the wall), see how taller my ex-favourite player, Patrick Dangerfield is than me. We end up locating our seats in the left forward pocket near the Geelong cheer squad about eight rows up. Swans and Dangerfield are brilliant out of the blocks, but all 18 players on the field matter and only one was going for Geelong, Patrick Dangerfield who had 18 disposals in the 1st quarter.

 

Kieran Jack is playing his 200th game tonight and what a way to start it to kick the first goal of the match. Buddy and Dean Towers get majors to make it an 18 point ball game. Nakia Cockatoo gets Geelong’s 1st and it is a 12 point ball game. Ted Richards gets a point, yes you’re not dreaming, he is playing up forward. Geelong fight back and get the margin to 7 points.

 

Dangerfield is on fire and is causing danger for Sydney. If he keeps this up and Geelong get their act together Geelong could be walking home with four premiership points. But never the less, Sydney are a good side and can control the game. Zac Smith and Daniel Menzel give the cats a five point lead. Jimmy Bartel gives away a 50 metre penalty and Zak Jones converts, the swans are up by one, and soon 15. That is the margin at half time.

 

Sydney control the game and look like winning by a lot but it is only 23 points in the middle of the 3rd – a couple of goals to cats would make it interesting. I guess you could say it was boring because the three quarter time score was swans by 27.

 

Sydney look to break the game apart in the final quarter with the margin of 39 when all of a sudden, Patrick Dangerfield takes it out of the middle, does the old one two, then runs a bit more, steadies himself up then kicks truly from 47 metres. That is what you call a champion! He gets his own song when he kicks a goal!

 

In the last bit of the term, nothing really special happens except a Tom Hawkins goal from 50 on an angle and Kieran Jack’s 3rd goal for the match. In the end, the Swans come out 38 point winners and upset the locals.

 

When we were going back to our hotel we overheard these blokes talking about how Geelong focus too much on Dangerfield and how he has his own song when he kicks a goal. At least he means well, he made the Crows better and the Cats better and got home with his family, now that’s a good win win win situation.

 

These other people also noticed my Crows scarf when we were walking back and said that Geelong should be last on the ladder and Crows should be first. They were quite drunk and were visiting some friends in the hotel that we were staying at, and said that they would drink out the bar. Imagine where Geelong would be after that!