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Filed under: Afl, Nrl, Sport

12 comments

Well, Sydney pipped Melbourne by a nose this weekend for gripping sporting action. Check this amazing - and I mean amazing - pick up by Gold Coast Titans winger David Mead last night in his side’s surprise win over the Sharks.

Wait, what I saying? No win over the Sharks is a surprise.

Melbourne struck back with the humdinger at Etihad last night, where Essendon squeaked home by a point. Adam Goodes, who is both literally and figuratively the Swans’ poster boy (he’s on bus shelters all over Sydney) shaved the wrong side of the big stick after the siren. What a game. What a weekend.

So close, Goodesy. So close. And unquestionably, the most famous behind in a Sydney/Essendon match since Tony Lockett’s post-siren one-pointer at the SCG in 1996, which propelled the Swans into the grand final, where they proved perfect cannon fodder for Wayne Carey’s North.

By the way, Sydney beat Essendon by just a kick back in Round Two this year, so it was probably a fair result.

What was your weekend sporting highlight? I’m gessing it wasn’t the Wallabies, who were hoplessly outclassed against the All Blacks.

If anyone feels like starting their usual fight over NRL vs AFL, here are two points to get the ball rolling. Not that you guys need a kick start but anyway.

Point 1: On Friday night, the Tigers/Dragons match at the SFS got more people than the St Kilda/Freo game at Etihad. Not by much, but it was 27,000 vs 26,000.

Now, admittedly the Docklands crowd would have been much bigger if there had been anyone but the Dockers, but all the same. That’s a rare one-up for the NRL.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that there was a second match in Sydney that night - the Bulldogs vs Cowboys at ANZ. So for just one of the two Sydney games to outdraw the main Melbourne match is a rare feat indeed.

Point 2: In today’s Sun Herald, rugby league’s self-appointed chief huffer and puffer Phil Gould made the very salient point that the NRL has no formal strategy to protect its western Sydney turf, in the face of the AFL’s frontal assault.

There are four NRL clubs in western Sydney. Perhaps they should form some kind of joint taskforce or some such. Not that a committee ever saved the world, but you can’t help thinking they are fiddling while Rooty Hill burns.

* Oh, and one last thing. Last Monday The Punch said that the AFL’s lopsided season was a bit of a worry. You’ll excuse us for pointing out that Mick Malthouse said exactly the same thing in today’s press.

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- TimB says:
  
  05:13pm | 07/08/11
  
  Personal higlhight? Canterbury vs North Queensland. Not the greatest game in the world, but a Canterbury win is a Canterbury win. And they need it to stay alive to. Win the rest off the games (especially the one against Newcastle, hope Newcastle drops another game or two along the way, and the Bulldoogs might just slide into the finals.
  
  Fingers crossed.
  
  Reply
- Rebekah says:
  
  05:25pm | 07/08/11
  
  Let me be the first to say did a good job You seem to now what you are talking about.
  c’arn the Crows…apparantly thats how we are meant to say in SA.
  
  Reply
- Mahhrat says:
  
  05:45pm | 07/08/11
  
  Personal highlight was the Eastern Shore Derby between Clarence United Football Club and Olympia Warriors at Wentworth Park. There was only one journalist and no cameras, but in the pouring rain and freezing cold, CUFC in front of it’s home fans went from 2-1 down in the 90th minute to win 3-2 in the 98th.
  
  It had pitch invasions, the CUFC coach was sent off for inappropriate conduct, one poor Warriors gent needed paramedic attention for an injury to his ribs, and the blogs have been lit up with the usual back and forth from keyboard warriors happy to tell others to grow up while hiding behind anonymous postings.
  
  Awesome, awesome stuff.
  
  Reply
- Bilby says:
  
  05:45pm | 07/08/11
  
  I read Phil’s article and I really fealt for the guy. He’s one of the true believers and he sees it all slipping away. He’s only using the AFL as a rallying point, while laying the blame firmly at the feet of the administrators of his own game. I don’t know that that is actually the problem, with there being far fewer junior clubs in my area than there once was so perhaps the answer is at a more grass roots level or maybe, dare I say it, people are no longer up for such a brutal sport, especially for their kids. I’ve been to a few junior league games and I was shocked by the things being shouted by the parents. It’s a gladiatorial crowd and it’s a bit unseemly at an under 10s game. Junior AFL is somewhat better (in Sydney. can’t speak for anywhere else) and attracts compliments from former league and soccer parents alike. Call me soft, but ultimately I believe that’s what’s killing the game. It’s one thing to yell “smash him” at a chooks game, but when it’s a bunch of 9 year olds it just doesn’t wash.
  
  Reply
Tim says:

07:36pm | 07/08/11

Yes,
You’re just soft.
Shane says:

12:40pm | 08/08/11

@Tim
Yes, you’re an idiot.
I know you didn’t ask the question but I am happy to provide the response.
Tim says:

02:41pm | 08/08/11

Thanks for your input Shane,
The question I didn’t ask was obviously,
“what is the most common response when Shane asks whether he is an idiot?”
- Furious Ennui says:
  
  06:10pm | 07/08/11
  
  The NFL player lockout is over. Limerick looks good this year.
  
  Reply
- Gregg says:
  
  05:55am | 08/08/11
  
  Nobody likes to see such lopsided scoring, that’s for sure Ant but then scoring is always much more prevalent in AFL than NRL and I reckon you could dredge up a few 40 - 5 scorelines and the like and even been some whoppers at international levels in Rugby.
  This time of the year the stronger sides will likely have less injuries and you also will get some coaches deciding on some new blood, not that it would account for the Melbourne drubbings of late and perhaps the whole club has ailment syndrome with their beloved President Jim Stynes.
  This season will roll on into the finals and then there’ll still be next year, probably even continuing with greater global conflict unlike WW2.
  
  As for crowd numbers, the Tigers, Dragons and Bulldogs in the NRL are all reasobably popular clubs when it comes to membership ain’t they whereas it is not just Fremantle’s supporter base is in WA but the Saints home ground is down in Moorabbin and they have never had a huge following.
  You know if you compare the top two NRL clubs matches with those of the AFL, crowd numbers will be hugely different.
  
  You wonder whether the AFL cannot organise to telecast what ought to be the better matches for who would have thought top against last in SA would have been anything compared to two sides wanting to assure themselves of a place in the finals and it being in the heartland.
  
  Is it you do not like AFL Ant or just do not like the thought of another club in Sydney, for what’s this about a formal strategy!, for with growing populations surely we can allow people to make up their own minds on what sport and clubs they may want to follow or go to the Opera, Ballet or Pub.
  
  As for Mickey M , do not be too swayed by his comments as support for your case as he does come up with some doozies at times, labelling opposition players on the ground and fined for that one.
  And then you read ” We’re entertainers, not masochists.” and I would have thought players at least are footballers first and that ought to be foremost, the entertaining bit following and any team that does not play to its very best whatever the score line can have problems.
  
  Reply
- Budz says:
  
  08:37am | 08/08/11
  
  My sporting highlights for the weekends were the All Blacks dominating the feeble Wobblies (now they just need to back that up at the WC) and Sri Lanka smashing the Aussies in the 20/20. Nearly had the Saturday trifecta with the Warriors beating the Broncos, but not to be.
  And my own form at social tennis on Sunday wasn’t too bad either
  
  Reply
- GB says:
  
  02:32pm | 08/08/11
  
  My Bombers over the Swans definitely the highlight. Lowlight was definitely the wobblies. Well done to Adam Scott on his victory as well. The Bridgestone is a huge tournament. Maybe it is all about the caddy Tiger
  
  Reply
- Illa Wong says:
  
  07:08pm | 08/08/11
  
  Melbourne is better at Rugby League NRL rather than Australian Rules AFL.
  Melbourne Storm is doing better than Melbourne Demons!
  Sydney is better at Australian Rules AFL rather than Rugby League NRL.
  Sydney Swans are doinmg better than Sydney City Roosters !
  2011 is the reverse of 2010 !
  
  Reply

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