Straight Shooters,
Now officially into a very rare early season purple patch, as it's been about 12 years since Sydernee topped the table for two weeks running, at any stage, in any season.
You only need to look at the scorebox to see how the Swans methodically closed down the game in the final quarter not bothering to score a goal, after putting the Bears away in the Championship Quarter on the back of a handy half time lead.
Bradhsaw's miracle 60 metre torpedo right on the three quarter time hooter sealed the thing, and was rated by many at the ground as the best goal seen at the SCG in years.
A seasoned observer reports :
"...about 10 rows back in that pocket, so had a perfect view of the mark, his approach, the drop of the ball onto his foot – “Hell Yes, he’s going the TORP!”, I bellowed and then eyes-up!!!, everyone standing to see the ball spin and wobble high into the air and over the goal umpire’s hat – magnificent...the torepdo punt is the new black..."
Did the ABC TV News really say on Sunday that "the jury was still out" in Brisbane as to whether it was a very good idea to swap Bradshaw for Fevola in a complex series of trades, and who got the best value?
If the jury had any sense, the verdict would have ben pronounced a while ago now.
Bad Uncle Fev, of course, did nothing, apart from soccer a few goals off the ground after spending some time at training practicing the toe poke.
The Ugliest Man in Football, Lewis Roberts-Thompson, did what he was told by SC Roos, and simply water-skiied behind Fev all night -- the shirt tugging, the shoulder bumping off the ball, the discreet elbow to the ribs, the love taps, the constant niggle in back play, and knock over top, all the while calling Fev all kind of names.
Brilliant.
The Other Bolton, Rhino Keefe and the Goodes Train also had corkers, but really, the sports hacks on the Sunday's could have just written "all played well" in the best column in the newspaper scoreboxes, and no one would have argued.
All highly satisfactory.
[As an aside, another spy at the ground who knows a thing or two about the configuration of the SCG, past and present, has suggested that from his view in The Members Bar, the actual attendance was a good five to six thousand short of the official crowd figure.
The AFL is probably thinking they can afford to forgive the Swans for a bit of book cooking at the turnstiles when they know The Great Sheeds is looming on the horizon.]
It's also about 12 years since Sydney won at Kardinia Park, and they will need all the luck they can get there this weekend.
For away teams and fans, it's the most miserable gawd-forsaken dump of them all, if my bitter experience at the ground three years ago is anything to go by:
http://crazycraves.blogspot.com/2007/07/pontiffs-seed-is-strong.html]
It's cold and windswept, it always rains, the terraces are overcrowded, you get warm beer poured all over you, the cold pies have got liver and giblets in them, the away team always loses, and there is certainly no shortage of pyschopaths among the Geelong faithful.
SC Roos refuses to say anything about it, save "it'll be a good yardstick as to where we are at".
No kidding.
SYDNEY: 5.1, 9.5, 16.8, 16.11 (107) Goals: Bradshaw 6, Goodes 3, J.Bolton 2, Smith 2, Moore, Jack, Malceski.
BRISBANE: 2.2, 5.3, 11.4, 13.9 (87) Goals: Brown 4, Fevola 4, Banfield 3, Leuenberger, Polkinghorne.
At Sydney Cricket Ground.
Crowd: 30,975.
For some unknown reason, haven't been too hard on the Bamfords in either code so far this season.
Well, now it's time to blow up.
Tigers were dead set robbed blind in broad daylight.
After deciding that Campbelltown was too far to go, even on my holidays, and preferring instead a long Sunday lunch on a post-card picture perfect day in the Emerald City, you can imagine my surprise on arriving home to find Balmain 8-6 in front deep into the match with just ten minutes left.
You can then well imagine my disgust as the video Bamford awarded Eastern Suburbs the match winning 'try' four minutes from full-time on the very dubious "benefit of the doubt" clause, when it was perfectly clear to anyone taking even a casual interest in proceedings that Beau Ryan at full back fumbled a very high, well placed whiz-bang of a bomb; but was then completely over-run and flattened while getting a slap in the chops on trying to clean up his own mess, and the 'try' scorer came from clearly an offside position.
Anyone's guess as to what the fool Bamford was 'seeing'?
Obviously, the buffoon has never had a cursory glance at the NSWRL Rule Book, let alone made any serious study of it.
Could take him to my 1966 copy, and direct him to the chapter and verse regarding the tackling of defenders without possession of the ball, and the rule regarding offside attackers in open running play in the opposing side's half.
Nothing's changed in that department since the outset of the caper a hundred years ago.
Only two reasons why the 'try' should have been disallowed and a Tigers penalty awarded.
And what were the incompetant touch judges doing at the time, by the way?
Either looking the other way, fast asleep, drunk, or in dire need of a long consultation at the optometrist.
What an absolute shocker.
That sort of rubbish from the officials is a coach's worst nightmare as it's something he has no control over.
The only footage of the match that flashed before my eyes on the highlights reel was that of SC Sheens, who had returned to the coaches box from the sideline, on the awarding of the offending 'try', throwing his head back and rolling his eyes into to the rear of his skull, before plunging his forehead into both hands in despair, and then proceeding to pull out what little hair he has left on his scone.
He must be breathing a sigh of relief that after three losses on the trot, the Tiges will be gifted the two premierships points this weekend with the bye, and he'll have time to make an appointment at Ashley & Martin to see if they can do anything about the coiffure.
WESTS TIGERS 8. Tries: Heighington. Goals: Marshall (2).
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 12. Tries: Carney, Nuuausala. Goals: Carney (2).
At Campbelltown Sports Ground.
Crowd: 19,901.
