Soddenites,
Masterful wet weather football.
Never in doubt after Q1.
Or even after the opening bounce, really.
Swans scored the first behind and were never headed throughout.
Had 'em completely snookered in defence, and every Sydney goal to half time was a snap off the boot inside 20 yards.
No call for set shots when they couldn't catch the bar of soap; systematically working the ball into in front of the goal square was the way to go
And why not throw in a few long bomb speculators to boot just to scatter the pigeons?
The Goodes Train's reception on his first goal was tumultuous, the sound that can only be heard in a Rules crowd, when the noise gradually reaches a cresendo as the play unfolds to the good of the home side, then finishes with a pearler.
No other game has anything like the din when the crowd went ape-shit as the Excitment Machine, the New Train Jetta scored the miracle goal in the Champo.
Must have booted the pill off close to the half back flank, it sailed clean over what defence there was, didn't bounce but rather plodded into the sodden turf and then just rolled and rolled and rolled and finally came to a stop just over the line between the big sticks with the goal umpire staring at it, as if transfixed.
The place went off the hook.
In the last quarter, just for a jolly jape it seemed, Jetta took a similar ball, but this time on the end of his fingertips, and then pirouetted before seeing The Goodes Train on the loose out of the corner of his eye, so kicked it a long long way, so high it could've bought rain, into the teeth of a very vacant forward pocket while yelling out "there you go, old man, chase that", which The Goodesy duly did, hard, until it rolled harmlessly over the boundary line next to the behind post.
You couldn't dream of a better partnership for Marn Grook.
Spectacular games, both.
All of the Brownlow votes would have gone to the backs, but JP Kennedy could've got a look in with his best game of the year.
There was a bit of silliness that went on in the second quarter when some Bomber tangled with Smiffy and came off second best with a punctured lung, and had to be medi-cabbed to the hospital, so the quarter went for 38m 43s.
Crikey!
That's almost as long as a full half of a rugby league game!
Said it before, say it again, the quarter's should be cut by five minutes and half time slashed by ten minutes to take a half hour off the game.
Everyone knows it goes on for far too long, but no one is prepared to do anything about it.
During the extra extra time, Essendon scored two important goals, to put a shiver of uncertainty through the crowd.
Spectating was trying, under the circumstances.
It was that shitty rain that's strangely peculiar to Sydney.
Light, but unremittingly constant, no wind at all; so certainly enough to give you a wet arse after a while.
It faded to a misty mizzle from time to time, and then you'd get a nice splash from the top of light tower directly behind you.
My trilbie was made of 100% paper, so the hat wasn't up to the job, and didn't cut the mustard.
The bloke outside the ground selling $5 plastic poncho's that'd he'd bought for 5c wholesale was doing a brisk trade.
The Good Lady Wife, The Youngest Daughter and her mad AFL loving mate The Engudster were also attendance, and congratulated, and profusely thanked me for securing tickets to the cheap seats in the dinky stand in front of the construction site that were entirely exposed to the elements.
Not very comfortable at all, and it wasn't much consolation when people around you tried to put on brave faces and were saying things like "well, at least it's not teeming".
However, the temporary cheap seats were in fact fine viewing, among the best in the ground for mine, on concourse level on the flank opposite the Ladies Stand, with a nice raking to look clearly over the bonces of the plastic headed folk in front of Row X.
But the facilities were worse than appalling.
Unlike the rest of Sydney who are renowned for turning up late to anything, arrived at the ground early and decided to grab a beer or two while there wasn't a line of thirsty people
Cruised past the one and only bar in the temporary zone to see the astonishing sight of the barmen pouring stubbies of Carlton Draught into plastic cups.
Stubbies? That's glass, isn't it? Wot the? What would happen to the empties in a full scale beer riot?
You are trying to tell me they couldn't even put a keg on a trolly and bring it over from the Olympic Hotel?
They routinely do better than that at a regular country football match, where they'd wheel in at least two kegs for a small crowd.
But, this, for a full house at the G?
Unbelievable.
Telegraphs from various spies on the other side of the ground suggested that even though they had kegs, it was no better at all in the permenant part of the arena.
Needless to say the beer queue was a mile long at quarter time, the wait for a pie at the chip shop was about two miles long, and the cranky snake into the one and only dunnie block was at least three miles in distance.
World class sports stadium?
My arse.
Third world, more like it.
It always amazes me how yr average punter - who pays good hard earned money to go through the turnstiles - is prepared to be treated like offal, with little or no complaint.
Why?
Could go on about it, but won't.
Joisus.
That's a fair whinge as it is.
Add to that the fact that what with the well known vagaries of Sydney public transport [it required a car, train and bus to get there], the long queues, getting there early to find an unfamiliar seat, and the utterly ridiculous length of the game - even though we live barely 15km from the SCG, it took no less than six and a half hours to go from door to door from our gaff.
Six and a half hours!!
No kidding. No Joke.
Oh, the trials and tribulations of the loyal supporter.
It's as if they try really hard to make it really hard on purpose.
Too old and intolerant for any of that nonsense anymore.
Oh dear, did someone say "shut the fark up Craves - you do go on - Joisus, just get on with it, will ya"?
The GLW has won free tickets to a Pygmies game, ironically against Essendon, out at the new Sydney Showground development at Homebush.
It'll be interesting to go and have a look at something which those who've been say really is world class, and "sheer luxury" in comparison, even for the humblest of patron.
And yet the Giants Marketing Dept can't get to grips with the fact that 99% of Sydney cabbies will draw a blank if you say to them "Skoda Stadium, thanks".
On a brighter note, SC Horse on interview after the game said he "was in awe" of The Great Goodes Train for backing up after the appallingly tawdry Collingwood business.
As little mention should be made of E.Everywhere being a fool to himself and a burden on the community, as possible.
Goodesy had a slow start, but then used his huge football brain, got used to the conditions, and ended up having a very large impact on the outcome of the match.
Pleasing to note that the man himself felt no need need to say anything at all after full time.
Let your four match-winning goals do the talking, as you point at the scoreboard.
And the co-captains in Odd Head and Son of Gary led by example and both had scrupulous games.
No doubt Sydney gets leadership right.
The Stats Guru noted that the Swans as they stand at 7-1-2 , with their upcoming string of matches, will be difficult to unseat from the top four if they can win away.
Never mind they are coming into an insane phase of the season.
If you were asked to go to Adelaide twice in the space of three weeks, you'd want the week in the middle off, just to go quietly mad.
Even under those trying circumstances, Clever Man Longmire would be thinking both games are eminently winnable, and would no doubt have a plan.
SYDNEY: 3.4, 6.7, 11.10, 17.13 (115). Goals: Goodes 4, Malceski 2, Jack, Mumford, Parker, O'Keefe, Mitchell, Bird, Jetta, Everitt, McGlynn, Pike.
ESSENDON: 1.4, 3.7, 7.9, 10.11 (71). Goals: Carlisle 2, Crameri 2, Goddard 2, Melksham, Bellchambers, Winderlich.
At Sydney Cricket Ground.
Crowd: 29,792.
Go, Robbie, Go Farah.
Go you good thing.
All power to your oars.
WEST TIGERS. Bye.
