2008 FOOTY TIPPING
AFL PREVIEW – ROUND 10
Preview tipping: 53 from 72 = 73.6%
To all those tipsters who followed my predictions last week and who, no doubt, are milling in the courtyard with ropes in their hands, all I can say is: “OOPS!”
Okay, now we have last week out of the way.........I don’t know whether you folk in the east are getting this Freo choking stuff as badly as we are in the west but it really is a crock. It seems the Dorks have broken some age old statistical record that has been dragged up from the archives by some semi-retired, mischievous sports writer stating that no team has been beaten in the last quarter after having been ahead in four consecutive games since 1929 or something. Huh? Last week Fremantle were a measly few points ahead in what had been a close game all day and after a continuation of close scores were finally beaten by 8 points. The players have had to endure a week of psychological assessment to determine the reasons behind their obviously fragile mental state. On that basis the Melbourne team should be under constant psychiatric treatment to help interpret repetitive nightmares! Sure Fremantle were well ahead of Geelong as well but we had the almost bottom team playing last year’s premiers, to that date unbeaten in the season, and let’s face it tipsters, a 5 – 6 goal lead in today’s football isn’t a lot when a team gets a run on. The only game that really got away from them was the match against the Demons. Still, amidst the news reports of chair sniffing and blouse lifting in the WA government it has been a few slow weeks so this dismantling of the Dorks keeps the print ink running if nothing else. For some real news what about this absolute debacle of the interchange rule introduction when we are already into a season and the employment of umpteen hundred interchange stewards to oversee the player rotations? Honestly, if this rule had been trialled in the pre-season, AS IT SHOULD HAVE, pundits would have canned it within weeks and it certainly would not have seen the light of day. Would that statistic chaser previously mentioned dig around in the archives and find out just how many teams have won a game with 19 men on the field and with the extra man being 5 metres from the interchange box!!!
Last week’s fabulous win by both North Melbourne and Collingwood seemed to inspire Paul Wearing of Australian Unity to give me a serve for not picking the Pies and he waxed on fabulously about the greatness of Dean Laidley. Obviously a one-eyed North supporter who will be sad at the loss this week of one of their greats in Mick Nolan – the Galloping Gasometer – a most unlikely looking but great ruckmen for North in the 70’s who helped them to a premiership under Barassi. RIP Mick.
My comment on the ban from TV’s Footy Show (which I rarely watch) of Sammy Newman? An intelligent man who lowers himself to be crassly controversial with inane comments and personal insults should not be compared to a Neanderthal as that race didn’t know what they were doing!! ‘Nuff said!!
Last round was a week of upsets tipsters in which the best score was about 5 in tipping comps around the nation. Those upsets will now have tipsters thinking a lot harder about some of their weekly selections. Two top teams beaten so their vulnerability has been exposed, West Coast smashing the Crows, Collingwood killing the Cats, Hawthorn slipping across the line against Melbourne, Brisbane thrashing the Saints, yep, we have some serious thinking to do this week to maintain that high selection percentage. Remember the week before when there was only a kick in getting 8 right or getting 5 right? Well, last week the results fell the other way with close games going against us. I would have been happy with four correct last week. Good luck this week.
Adelaide V Essendon at AAMI Friday Night
Well, it’s nice to start with an easy one.
Adelaide by 66
Collingwood V West Coast at MCG Saturday arvo
I knew it!! The Eagles start coming good and get to meet the Magpies the very next week. Take away last week’s result and I would be tipping the Pies to kick the sweep but if West Coast play as well against Collingwood as they did against the Crows this will be a close game. Let’s hope the Eagles resurgence is short lived.
Collingwood by 29
Hawthorn V Western Bulldogs at Aurora Stadium Tassie Saturday arvo
It is a bit of a shame that the Bulldogs lost because we would then have the two undefeated sides playing each other. Nevertheless it should still be a great game. Neither side will allow a blow out so be prepared to tick your choice and sit there chewing your fingernails as it gets down to a couple of goals at the end. The game is being played at Aurora in Tassie and a ground full of Hawthorn supporting yokels should be the difference in getting them over the line.
Hawthorn by 7
Brisbane Lions V North Melbourne at the Gabba Saturday night
Well tipsters, here’s another tough game to pick. Both teams are in pretty good form and are making a mark as would-be finalists this season. We wondered how North did it last year and it would be dangerous to consider them as easily beatable in any game this year. The Brown Black Power of Brisbane is a large factor in this match and although I am going to pick Brisbane the presence of those players isn’t my sole reason. The Saints provided little opposition to the Lions last week while North had to slug it out against the Bulldogs in their close match and a combination of mental let down and physical fatigue might be against North in the latter stages of the game. I’m thinking a third quarter burst by the Lions will do the trick here and apologies again to Mr Wearing.
Brisbane Lions by 19
Geelong V Carlton at Telstra Dome Saturday night
If Carlton thinks the Cats will have another nap this week and allow the Blues to play the purrfect game they’re wrong.
Geelong by 42
St Kilda V Melbourne at Telstra Dome Sunday
Well, even if we didn’t know that the Saints were soft and easily beaten their coach Ross Lyon has dispelled all doubts these last two weeks by telling us exactly that. He says he gets paid a lot of money to change that aspect of the players’ psyches but it looks like they don’t either pay him enough or pay the players too much. With the return of Riewoldt there can be no coinciding return of the G train who should probably be shunted permanently into a quiet siding to discuss old times with Thomas the Tank Engine. But as weak and soft as the Saints are is it weak and soft enough to allow Melbourne to win another game of footy? The Demons have been able to bring other sides down to their level and make this a danger game for the Saints who really can’t afford a much lower level themselves!!! I mistakenly said that the Saints were a better team than the Lions last week and as I eat my words I’ll leave a few sentences in the bowl that says they are a better team than the Dees.
St Kilda by 44
Sydney V Richmond at SCG Sunday
The mighty Tigers with the mighty Richo playing like a 20 year old on the wing have notched up 3 wins and a draw thus far this season and are competitive against all teams even when they lose. But honestly tipsters, I’m actually a bit reluctant to pick against the Swans for the rest of the season except in the games I pick against them. This isn’t one of them.
Sydney Swans by 31
Fremantle V Port Adelaide at Subiaco Sunday Arvo
Somebody asked me whether I would be brave enough to actually tip the Dorks again this season. Probably not. In another close game, the “chokers match” I guess we can call it (gawd, now I’m doing it!), the team that kicks the lowest score in the last quarter will lose. If it’s Freo then they will have created a statistical record that probably won’t be broken for 2754 years and if it’s The Power, well, then, it was expected anyway. It actually should be a reasonable game as it will be a tight finish.
Port Adelaide by 10
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