The View From Down Here #44

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I’ve said enough this week already.
            Or so I thought.
            And yet what should confront me in this morning’s paper? Rugby league’s Willie Mason (Sydney Roosters) was apparently photographed urinating in public. Amateur football club Prahran in Melbourne is in trouble for having a stripper perform for the players 20 minutes before a match.
            I am not making this shit up, folks. This is real. Unbelievable… but real.
            Here’s the games. Just the games…

Cricket
We have a break for a while.
            And – thank God! – there’s no scandals or anything, with the sport being focused on the end part of the Indian premier League, which I’m not covering because it’s too damned difficult.
            So there.

Australian Rules Football
AFL Round Eight
Fremantle 9.11 (65) lost to Hawthorn 13.9 (87)
            And Fremantle came so very close to pulling off the upset of the season! Hawthorn only just scraped the win in the last minutes, and Fremantle’s inaccuracy cost them.
Melbourne 15.7 (97) lost to Western Bulldogs 15.14 (104)
            Another one that was so very close to being a huge upset, but the Bulldogs did just enough to come away with a hard-fought, at times scrappy, win.
Geelong 18.11 (119) hammered North Melbourne 7.7 (49)
            Can anyone stop Geelong. Some people actually thought this would be close. But 70 points! Geelong are on the roll of all rolls.
Brisbane 18.11 (119) def Adelaide 12.11 (83)
            Adelaide were ahead at half time and looking comfortable. Then they took their collective foot off the pedal and Brisbane ran over them with a 7 goal to 2 third quarter. And Adelaide are still looking soft.
Sydney 16.10 (106) def West Coast 15.11 (101)
            Sydney just pulled out the win in a tough and hard game. I enjoyed it.
Port Adelaide 14.18 (102) just def Richmond 15.9 999)
            Port Adelaide got out of jail in this one! Richmond should have done it for Wallace, their coach, but just could not pull it off, especially with Tredrea doing a one-man-show to save Port. But it was actually a good match, and Richmond showed something here.
Collingwood 7.11 (53) lost to Carlton 16.8 (104)
            Collingwood have now fallen off the radar, and will have to do something amazing to be there come September. Having said that, this was the Carlton that everyone has been expecting all year; just a shame they don’t come out like every week!
St. Kilda 13.12 (90) def Essendon 10.11 (71)
            The Saints continue on, much as Geelong. But Essendon put up a good fight, much better than probably expected, and showed they have something to offer this year. They may well help shape the finals, and woe to any team that underestimates nthem.
SANFL Round Eight
Norwood 8.8 (56) killed by Glenelg 17.15 (117)
            Glenelg are finally consistently showing the form that took them to last year’s grand final. This demolition of Norwood was complete and trelentless… which is what is needed to defeat centrals this year.
Sturt 16.17 (113) killed South Adelaide 5.6 (36)
            South have fallen off the pace so badly they appear to have given up already this year. Sturt needed this for their own confidence… South needed it like a hole in the head.
West Adelaide 12.15 (87) def Woodville-West Torrens 10.7 (67)
            This was a tough call to pick a winner beforehand, and the game ended up being quite a good one to watch. West did enough to keep the Eagles at bay in the end.
Central Districts 18.9 (117) def Port Adelaide 16.7 (103)
            Tough day at the office for the Bulldogs as Port belied their ladder placing to give the Doggies a hard run for their money. Centrals did enough to win, but had to really earn it this week. Glenelg are breathing down their neck now; this year has finally looked anything but a one-horse race.
Bye: North Adelaide

Basketball
New league, seven teams or eight…
            This is a disgrace and an embarrassment and I believe it is going to be the start of a long, dark night-time for basketball in Australia.

Motor Sport
V-8 Supercars
            Smaller fuel tanks for the cars has been shelved for a little while, giving some teams relief, but making some others hoping for the changes a little bit of grief.
            That’s it.
            As much as I find the sport dull to watch, I love the fact the news from this sport is all about, you know, the sport.

Netball
Round Seven
Tactix 47 just def by Steel 48
            Good game! Wow!
Fever 49 slaughtered by Vixens 74
            The Vixens are the team to beat this year. In basketball terms, this would have been a 98 to 148 demolition, to give you an idea of the scale of the slaughter…
Magic 50 def Mystics 35
Swifts 54 lost to Firebirds
            The Swifts are really down in the dumps this year now…
Bye: Thunderbirds, Pulse

Rugby Union
Super 14 – Round 14
Chiefs 10 def Brumbies 7
Lions 33 lost to Waratahs 38
Blues 13 def by Crusaders 15
Reds 28 def by Hurricanes 37
            I love high scoring rugby matches, and was fortunate enough to catch this one.
Force 33 def Highlanders 28
            I missed this one.
Cheetahs 22 def by Stormers 28
Sharks 26 just done by Bulls 27
            I missed this game as well, but by all accounts it was quite a memorable game.

Rugby League
Round Ten
            I will start by saying that I considered dropping Rugby league from this report for the rest of this year. But my annoyance does not stop me from actually occasionally enjoying the sport. I will try to not be so sarcastic about Manly, though, because apparently some people who read this enjoy teams that support the bashing of women. Go figure.
Brisbane 32 def Gold Coast 18
St George Illawarra 20 just def Bulldogs 18
            A controversial no-try from the video ref, which the ref’s boss has admitted was wrong, cost the Bulldogs. That simple. Why have a video ref if they can’t even get it right when, while difficult, was not an impossible decision? Or maybe it was and we’re all just smarter than the referees.
Sydney Roosters 6 hammered by Newcastle 38
Penrith 26 def Cronulla 22
Warriors 12 lost to North Queensland 34
Manly 34 def Parramatta 10
Wests Tigers 22 just def by South Sydney 23
            This was a good game as well, and Souths have really improved this year. Consistency is now the key to their prolonged success.
Melbourne 46 slammed Canberra 6
            Embarrassing…

And that’s this unfortunately dull view… Sorry. My bad. But I am just too…

 

Read Number 43 from a few days ago. You’ll understand.

Australian. Perpetual student. Married. Kids. Write for Sports and Wrestling and anyone else if they want me. Is there anything else?