Adam 0 Report post Posted September 16, 2003 Thought I might make this board a little more Aussie. Preliminary Final Weekend! Saturday - 2pm - 1st Preliminary Final Collingwood vs. Port Adelaide (MCG) Saturday - 7pm - 2nd Preliminary Final Sydney vs. Brisbane (Telstra Stadium) I would really like to see a Sydney-Collingwood Grand Final, just because I hate Port and even though the Lions are a great team, its good to see an underdog team win. Thoughts? Aussies? Yanks? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Prime Time Andrew Doyle 0 Report post Posted September 17, 2003 Being Victorian and because half of my family support them, I want to see Collingwood go through to the Grand Final and win it, and I think they have a better chance against Sydney. I highly doubt that Port can come over and beat Collingwood, mainly because they will choke. They can delude themselves and think thy got over the choking in the finals, but they have not, 2 from 9 finals is a poor record and I do not think it will improve. sysdney has a great chance to beat Brisbane, because they have had the wood over themm all year and it does not look like it will change. Brisbane will go into the game way too arrogant and will be suprised when they get to Telstar Stadium. I was at the Collignwood vs Sydney game there in Round 18 and the crowd really lifted them and I think that will get them through the to Grand Final. My Brownlow Medal Prediction is Nathan Buckley. But knowing the AFL and its umpires, it will probably go to a Brisbane player, and if that does happen, it will be the only three-peat they achive this year. so in final my prediction is a Collingwood -vs- Sydney Grand Final with Collingwood winning Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nanks Report post Posted September 17, 2003 Ahhhh a footy thread. How many times have I tried to get this started. Sadly the Yanks and Canucks are blind to the awesomeness of our great sport. And few care to open their eyes to it. However, I cannot wait for this weekend's games. The final 3 games this year could absolutely go either way. Personally, I am leaning towards a Brisbane v Port GF. Brisbane v Sydney - To say that Brisbane will go in arrogant is a little silly. This is not a young, inexperienced team with a young, inexperienced coach. This is arguably the most professional outfit going round. They have not had a good year injury-wise with several of their stars being sidelined (Voss, Lappin, Scott I, Scott II, Brown, Keating, to name a few) and have still managed to get to where they are. Sydney have taken the chocolates on both occasions this year against the Lions, both in Brisbane and in Sydney, and the finals are too important a time to be discounting them again. That being said, Sydney have been amazing this year. Brisbane do not have a defender that can stop Barry Hall single-handed, however, what they do have is a few nutcases who will drop into the hole in front of him. That will be telling. Whilst Brett Kirk and Darryn Cresswell have been two of the best run-with players this year, it's one thing to take an injured Voss and Simon Black out of the game, but who is to attend to Lappin, Akermanis, Power & Hart?? This is not the H & A season, this is crunch time, I'm going with the class. Port v Collingwood - I'm really not too sure on the outcome of this one, what I am sure of is that it will be an epic encounter. Port is such a quality side with so many contributors but Collingwood have been here before recently and do have the slight advantage of the home state. Whilst Collingwood's defence has fantastic depth and have proven themselves week after week this year, I can see them being really stretched by the possibility of Port playing 3 ruckmen. Brogan and Lade are two of the most in-form talls of the comp, and Port have the option of including their returning captain in Matthew Primus. Sure, Primus has been out of the game for 5 weeks, but whack him down in a forward pocket and let the two in-form players take the rucking load and you have danger. With the Collingwood defence already looking at Tredrea & Cornes as the danger men, who is their 3rd tall who can move onto Primus whilst still keeping Rocca up forward?? The engine room v engine room matchups will be a great tussle. Buckley, O'Bree, Woewodin, Burns v Stevens, Schofield, Wanganeen, Carr. I like it. Frankly, I don't really have too many more arguments to set these two teams apart, other than I just have a real bias towards Port's style of footy and they deserve to go to the Last Day in September. Calling them chokers is ridiculous, it's not like they're the only team to go down to the very impressive Sydney outfit this year, and I sure didn't see too many signs of choking last week against Essendon. Well, as far as ways of killing 10 minutes, that should do nicely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Prime Time Andrew Doyle 0 Report post Posted September 18, 2003 To say that Brisbane will go in arrogant is a little silly Having a meeting halfway through the season about comitting to reaching a three-peat with still a long way to go. They are not have as good a team as they were the past two years. Thoguh I disagree with you on Barry Hall. He is one of the, if not the most inconcistant (sp?) player in the leauge right now. Brisbane wil have their hands full, but it will have less to o with hime and more to do with the other Sydney players. Comparisons to Hall and Tony Lockett which have been made in the past are ludacrous. Calling them chokers is ridiculous, it's not like they're the only team to go down to the very impressive Sydney outfit this year, and I sure didn't see too many signs of choking last week against Essendon. Losing three Qualifying finals three straight years, the last two going to the team who finished fourth and after having eighteen wins throught the Season. They only have 2 finals wins out of 8 or 9. In order to go to the Grand Final and win it will require them to double their win total, which I can't see happening. Lets not forget where Essendon played the previous week, Only two teams broke the Curse of the west this year (Crows and Lions. The Doggies didnt lose, but didnt win the next week).Haing not seen this weeks teams, this may not happen, but I think Port will make the mistake of putting the guy on Hrd last week, onto Buckley this week. If they do that, which I suspect they will, it will be a major mistake. Buckley and Hird are two different players, and people seem to forget the knock that Hird took from Lade. Garrunted (sp? I cant spell for shit) if that was from a player from the Bulldogs or Saints, he would have got two weeks for it. Getitng back on track, Collignwood are a way better side this year, even better than the team who beat Port in the first week of the finals last year. Woewodin has had a big impact in the second half of the season. He has added an extra depth to their play. Safe to say, I think Collingwoods midfield will eat up Port's, one part because I think they are a better side and also because they ahev had a nice long break, whereas Post had a hell of a battle against Sydney and they faced a tough Essendon side in the rain last week. Therefore as I said earlier I think it will be a Collignwood/Sydney Grand final, in a repeat of what happened last year, 2nd and 4th winning their Qualifying and Preliminaries and with 2nd wining the Grand Final. On a side note, it will be interesting to see the Footy Show tonight and to see what Eddie says about Mark Williams comments during the week. I think Eddie cops a lot more than he deserves/ In his time at Collingwood he has done more good for the club since they won the Grand Final in 1990 and for people who say he has a conflict of intrest, they seem to be the same people who froget that alot of the time it has been Sam and Trevor who wind him up about Collingwood. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam 0 Report post Posted September 18, 2003 Even though I am not Victorian and rather Tasmanian, I still have many relatives in Vic, and therefore hate any teams from SA. Sydney are the most underdog team this year, so I would really like to see them get over Brisbane for the third time. I really want Buckley to win the Brownlow, ashe has deserved at least one in the past 7 years. I really thought he was going to win it in one of the Robert Harvey years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest croweater Report post Posted September 18, 2003 not quite the one and only AFL finals thread, I started one before last weeks matches which quickly suk to the bottom of the forum, but I digress. my beloved crows lost. sigh Anyway, my predictions. I grew up in SA and live in Tassie so I hate any victorian teams, and I hate Pt Adelaide because I'm a crows fan. So in the battle of the two evils I'm gonna have to go for Collingwood. Pt Adelaide fans shit me to tears and at the moment theyr'e in pretty poor form. Bris vs. Sydney Hopefully whoever wins this will win the final. I have a soft spot for Sydney because they are the underdogs, but I have family who live in Brisbane. I'm gonna tip Sydney, just because it's about time they won a premiership. If you didn't see the Adelaide / Brisbane game on the weekend you should know what a huge difference Michael Voss makes to the team even when he's not getting the ball. Him just being on the ground completely lifted Brisbane last week and here's hoping that his knee holds out. God knows they'll pump him full of pain killers before the game Premiership tip: Sydney Brownlow medal: Buckley Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam 0 Report post Posted September 19, 2003 The big games are on today!!! I'm pumped!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nanks Report post Posted September 21, 2003 Well, I was half right. Brisbane's class was simply far too much for Sydney, who did put up a brave fight for 3 quarters, and good on them, Brisbane is just one of the most complete sides going round. They just don't lack any player types a great team needs. I look forward to watching them in their third straight Big Dance. As for the other game, I underestimated Collingwood's superior pressure. When the ball was in contention they just appeared to want it more, and when opportunites arose for them, they had the cleaner hands and took advantage far better than their opponents. I still think the addition of Primus would've made the game a lot different, just in the aspect of who Collingwood would use to man him up in defence. Collingwood v Brisbane - This is a game which I thoroughly enjoyed this time last year. Collingwood's pressure and determination up against Brisbane's size, polish and class. Guaranteed good football. I think Anthony Rocca is in big trouble at the tribunal this week, and that will have quite an impact on how they'll line up next Saturday. Collingwood will most likely exercise the option of Jarrod Molloy to fill the CHF spot Rocca will leave, however, it still won't be quite the same. There is nothing I will enjoy more than seeing Collingwood fall over at the final hurdle again, and it would be especially nice if it were to happen with a kick from 50 after the siren that just eludes the fingertips of a pack of Magpie defenders as it sails through to take the game from them. Nanks' premiers - Brisbane Nanks' Brownlow Medallist - Gavin Wanganeen Nanks' Norm Smith Medallist - Luke Power Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest croweater Report post Posted September 22, 2003 Buckley, Riccutio(sp?) and Goods. Bloody hell, I wan't expecting a three way for the brownlow. I got pumped as hell towards the end. The captain of my favourite team won and..... That's right vics ADD 3 MORE SOUTH AUSTRALIANS TO THE LIST OF BROWNLOW MEDAL WINNERS **does a funky little dance** Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
