Arborists,
Nothing quite like soundly beating the team that beat you to deny you a place in last year's Grand Final, after a miserable mid-season draw, that, as always predicted, proved to be the fly in the ointment in '13.
Don't get mad, get even.
SC Horse would be entitled to be well pleased.
Did like the moment that Jake Lloyd came on as the sub in the Final Stanza in his debut game in senior footy, and they told him to just stand on the wing and watch the ball; his first touch in top grade was a solid chest mark and then he kicked the thing straight into Buddy's arms and the goal was never in doubt.
Could be corrected here, but the first half was probably the best footy seen all season; a genuine dog-fight for that ball, neat passing, and strong marking from long bombs.
Holding the Dockers to just two goals at the long break was a very good effort, given their firepower.
On the face of it, the half time lead looked enough, and they were never going to be beaten after a hard fought Champo.
Let's look at the team, for once.
Always pleasing to see the children go well.
The Rampe Kiddie was probably Best on Ground, for mine, while his chief partner in crime, Teddy Richards might have been also, if not for a couple of blunders against The Pav in the Champo.
Much to like about the games of the Child Laidler, Rick Shaw, and the two bald bearded wonders in Malsceski and Jetta [you'd want to book in well in advance to see the same hairdressers that those two blokes frequent, looks like they are popular], Parker & the Hannebery Kiddie, also, and there is nothing like it when you go "in like McGlynn".
The Ugliest Man in Football has also been on song in the past couple of weeks.
Franklin just did precisely what he is paid to do.
Throw his weight about and kick a few goals; the bloke is someone you def wouldn't want to come across in a dark alley late at night, and he can kick bananas and boomerangs.
To their credit, the Bamfords put their whistle away and just let them get on with it.
Seems that Tipsy copped a broken rib in his comeback game in the reserves, but even if he scrubs up eventually, where would you play him?
Kurt, even when fit, will find it hard to find any wriggle-room back into the seniors.
And how much are the Swans paying, exactly, for him not to play?
There's also a plan afoot according to unconfirmed reports to tip someone off the bench, and put The Goodes Train on there as the sub for this weekend's game at The G.
No need to play him if you don't have to against the Demons.
Toot! Toot!
You need a settled side to put a purple patch together.
SYDNEY: 2.1, 5.7, 11.10, 13.13 (92). Goals: Franklin 4, McGlynn 2, Malceski, Kennedy, McVeigh, Roberts-Thomson, Parker, B.Jack, Jetta
FREMANTLE: 2.2, 2.4, 8.6, 11.9 (75). Goals: Pavlich 4, Johnson 2, Ballantyne 2, Mzungu, Mundy.
At Sydney Cricket Ground.
Crowd: 25,376.
Toyed for a minute with the idea of doing a walk up to the ground without a ticket, but then thought better of it, given it was Easter Monday afternoon.
Turned out to be a champion idea not to go there, when word filtered through that fifty thousand people had decided to turn up to Cathy Freeman Stadium, with that many again, and then some, at the Royal Easter Show right next door.
Even with the event buses and trains running full pelt to the 2000 Olympics timetable, it would still have been a crush, and while you would have been able to buy a ticket at the gate, trying to find any sort of decent seat in general admission would have been a nightmare in that stupendous crowd - surely the biggest turn out for a club come in quite some time.
Fancy the Tigers going from playing in front of six and a half thousand to fifty thousand in the space of a week?
That'd tell the boys in the back office something they already know - the abysmal nature of Campbelltown Sport Ground, and the genius of the Olympic Stadium.
Only goes to prove that if you put on the right game, at the right time, at the right venue, and offer cheap family tickets that include all the kids, the people will come.
The Club Secretary would be rubbing his hands in glee.
Undoubtedly the best win of the season.
Did like the disallowed Parramatta try right near the finish that would have clinched the game for them, being rubbed out by the video ref on some kind of technical obscure obstruction rule, that left the score 18-18 with a couple of minutes left.
Then the Balmain forwards just ran it toward the goal posts and the 19 year old half back calmly potted an easy field goal to take a one point lead.
No idea how the mysterious penalty came about in the shadows of full time, but that allowed Pat Richards to have a shot at penalty goal, which he duly put way for the fruit on the sideboard, a three point lead with 43 seconds left on the now accurate clock.
The Fat Lady strangled a cat.
Was startled by the breaking news at half time, that The Great Benji Marshall took the get out clause with Auckland...given that he's been a complete failure in rugby union by his own admission...only managing to notch up 122 minutes on the field in eight games.
They don't want him...and let's face it...who'd want a petulant turn-coat who's just had a massive fail?
Did not Balmain offer him millions for a three year contract extension, yet he wanted four years, they told him to take it or leave it, and he gave them the bird?
Such a disappointment, brought on by his own stubborness and sense of entitlement.
Now, according to his agent, he's hawking himself to anyone who'll have him back in the rugby league at $60K for the rest of the season.
Talk about pulling the wrong rein, and the rooster becoming the feather duster, to mix a metaphor.
Benji won't get a job at Leichhardt, having burnt all his bridges to Balmain, Rozelle and Lilyfield.
All very sad really, given that Marshall will be a Balmain legend - he's in The Pantheon down on the Balmain Road - no matter what he does for the rest of his life.
Good luck to him, but really -- as everyone said at the time -- what was he thinking?
Speaking of old blokes and has-beens, a lovely quote on the radio commentary from The Wok, aka Warren Ryan, ex-Balmain coach of some renown, re Braith Anasta: "Hey Braith, why don't you try running the ball and busting the advantage line, instead of constantly passing it to other people and kicking the thing? The opposition would die of shock".
Gold.
Seems The Wok likes his style of play just as much as me.
Still, if Balmain can get their act together enough to win against pretty good, in-form, sides over the next few weeks without the Best Leb in The Game sorting out the order of battle, then an early season purple patch isn't out of the question, against all odds.
Who would have thought at the start of this year's Winter Game that The Mighty Tiges would be second on the ladder and in effect equal top, bar for a small margin in the for and against?
Folks will be up in the Port Jackson fig trees trying to get a view at this Sunday afternoon's game at Leichhardt.
PARRAMATTA EELS 18: Tries: Hayne (2), Sio, Radradra. Goals: Sandow (1).
WESTS TIGERS 21: Tries: Austin, Brooks, Richards. Goals: Richards (4). Field Goals: Brooks (1).
At Olympic Stadium, Homebush.
Crowd: 50,668.
