Supreme optimists,
Something very rarely if ever seen at the Western Paddock on Saturday night.
The stadium rise as one to give the Sydney Swans a standing ovation at three quarter time, after a pearler of a championship quarter.
An eight goal belter that really put the issue beyond doubt.
The not inconsiderable Hawthorn cheer squad just around from the cheap seats behind the goal were speechless.
For a team that was written off in the pre-season by those who should know better as a bunch of old blokes getting about in wheelchairs, it seems there is life in the dead horse yet.
Although, you wouldn’t have known it from the off with the usual sluggish start as the Swans rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, and when the Buddy Franklin kiddie, just after quarter time, shrugged off three Swans defenders as if they were some kind of nancy boys, piroqutted on a sixpence, and slotted the ball through the big ones, the pessimists among the faithful were ready to hang their heads in their hands.
The youngest daughter has learnt well over the years as she turned to me right on the half time siren and said “well, I guess it’s all down to the championship quarter then, isn’t it, Dad?”
Who knows what SC Roos said or did at halftime, maybe he called for the electro-shock therapy equipment, but whatever it was, it worked.
Haven’t seen the Swans play a better second half of football since probably the premiership year.
Jolly running riot in the ruck, with The Goodes Train expertly playing a position that has become all but obsolete these days – ruck rover – [no room for the Canadian rugby player in the side], Malceski was strong, sort of a backliner who thinks he’s playing in the forwards, the Ugliest Man in Football was busy with Marty Mattner and Oddhead McVeigh, knocking up a dingo proof fence across the half back line.
Cap’n’ “never played a bad game” Kirk and C.Bolton probably tied for best on ground for mine as they tossed the Hawks about like soft toys through the centres, with Rhino Keefe assisting, and the Bird kiddie leading the charge of the few youngsters in the side.
BBB Hall spent most of the second half swatting opposition players like flies; the big fella believe it or not has bulked up even more during the off season, maybe putting on 5-10 kilos, and looks like he’s been spending time in the gym, so if he wasn’t a massive intimidating unit before, well, he is now.
Kicked four, but it could have been six or seven if he’d bothered to put in some goal kicking practice.
Probably thinks he’s too old for that now
Welcome to the $6.30 beers at Olympic Park this year; next to useless for mine, luke-cold Toohey’s New including that trademark nasty metallic taste.
Found much better value in the cheeky $7 shiraz out of a bottle into a generously sized plastic tumbler…went well with a couple of stolen pies…will they ever learn?
On the event bus home, it was a good thing the smattering of Hawks supporters were deep in thought and didn’t hear the Good Lady Wife referring to them as those “sad little beige jobbies”
SYDNEY 3.4 8.7 16.9 22.11 (143). Goals: Goodes 4, Hall 4, Jolly 3, Malceski 3, O'Keefe 2, Kirk, Bird, McVeigh, Moore, White, Mattner.
HAWTHORN 5.4 8.9 12.12 15.15 (105). Goals: Roughead 3, M.Williams 3, Morton 2, Franklin 2, Brown, Rioli, Stokes, Moss, Dew.
At Olympic Stadium
Crowd: 33,116.
It would be enough to do an ordinary coach’s head in.
Win by a wide margin one week, get thrashed mercilessly the next.
A 5.30 pm start at the foot of the mountains coincided with a trip to the Swans game, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record, haven’t seen a single frame of this game – again.
Seasoned observers at the ground who have been watching the Chocolate Soldiers go around for ages conceded that “The Best Leb in The Game” continued to put his hand up for NSW State of Origin duties, while Our Benji has found a rare early season purple patch, but beyond that, for the small mob of away fans, there wasn’t much to write home about
They reckon the game hung in the balance until the last ten minutes or so, when the Tigers simply ran out of legs, and the floodgates opened.
It’s taking a helluva long time for them to find match fitness – perhaps SC Sheens isn’t flogging them hard enough on the training track.
In any case, he will need to wave his hands around a crystal ball for a while to find a cure for the coaches curse of inconsistency.
PENRITH PANTHERS 42. Tries: Lewis, Sammut, Jennings, Pritchard, Graham, Lachlan, Coote. Goals: Gordon (9).
WESTS TIGERS 22. Tries: Hanbury (2), Galloway, Tuiaki. Goals: Marshall (3).
At Penrith Stadium.
Crowd. 15,813.
