the next one to go

Apologists,

No Hall.
No cigar.
Season over.
As simple as that.
Even the supercoach has said as much.
Quite startled to read in the Tuesday morning fishwraps that SC Roos had publicly conceded the likelihood of missing the finals for the first time since 2002 was now a dead set certainty, even though the club is yet to slip into the nether world of mathematical calculations.
It’s something SC Sheens, just for instance, would never admit to publicly.
Then again, if you are turned over by a side of the likes of Essendon to the tune of five goals for the Marn Grook Trophy, there is probably no use in pretending anymore.
St Paul also foreshadowed that the pogrom will be well and truly on in coming weeks as a number of shoulders will be tapped, old crocks will be ruthlessly cast aside, the lame and the crippled will be pushed out of the igloo, more names added to the column headed DELIST, and younger players given ample opportunity to “show their wares in the top grade”.
But what youngsters?
From where?
Wonder what this year’s draft picks are up to?
Are they still injured and struggling through a Melbourne winter in short pants?
The Veszpremi kiddie, who’s had a couple of decent games in the past few weeks, was a draft pick of a couple of years ago, maybe even three years ago, so he’s been a long time coming on.
Noted that Jesse “James” White [who some crazed supreme optimists have foolishly dubbed as the new “white Goodes”] kicked 11 goals last week in the seconds against the mighty Tuggeranong outfit, and is crying out for a game in the seniors, but as for Mike Pyke, the former Canadian rugby “star”, holding some sort of future as a handy ruckman, well sorry, serious students of the game don’t rate him as anything more than having the potential to become an ordinary journeyman.
It’s a long row to hoe when your year is condemned by the main mentor as a write-off just a little way past the half way mark in the season.
Any rookies the Swans are able to pluck out of thin air will be eaten alive by the likes of Geelong and St Kilda over coming weeks, and with an it’s-all-buggered frame of mind instilled in the team by no less than the main mentor, Sydney is now in real danger of becoming a Fremantle-style laughing stock.
With such a defeatist attitude, at Sunday morning smoko by the magic waters, SC Roos, as he gazed out to sea, stroked his chin, and ran his fingers through what hair he has remaining – would have been having a good ponder, and the thought must have crossed his mind “am I the next one to go?”, surely?
Good to see that the club did in fact load BBB Hall into the back of a ute for a single lap of dishonour at the G.
But it came far too early for mine, with the suppurating sores still too raw.
My spy at the ground suggested that Bazza was about as popular as the recently deceased Robert “Dolly” Dunne as his single vehicle cavalcade passed the bays housing the rapidly dwindling ranks of Swans members.
To quote:
“The silence from the long suffering faithful in the stands on the western side of the SCG told the story. Who cares? Fukc off. You let the team down. We need you to be lining up at half forward today. Who cares about past glory? A tear welled in his empty eyes as he was paraded like a sideshow freak. I felt sorry for the bastard. But the Swans couldn't care less about how a broken man feels? Just get out of the Club! Now!”They should have waited for the St Kilda game for Hally’s tribute as he’s probably got more friends at the Saints for leaving the club when he did, than he does in Sydney right now.
Next thing, he’ll be lining up against Aussie Joe “I went twelve rounds with Ali” Bugner to slug it for the Australian heavyweight title at some sort of Rooty Hill RSL club rag tag fight night.
Five bucks in, and all the cheap beer you can drink.

SYDNEY: 4.2, 5.8, 7.11, 10.12 (72). Goals: O’Loughlin 3, Veszpremi 2, Roberts-Thomson, Goodes, O’Keefe, Barlow, Crouch
ESSENDON: 4.6, 8.8, 12.12, 15.17 (107). Goals: Lloyd 3, Winderlich 3, Lucas 3, Dyson 2, Reimers, Lonergan, Welsh, Stanton
At Sydney Cricket Ground.
Crowd: 30,924.

Easiest two premiership points of the year for sitting around and doing nothing.
This Sunday afternoon’s 2005 grand final rematch against the Cowboys at the Spiritual Home of Balmain rugby league, which this year happens to be 11th v 5th, will no doubt be season defining.
Might even make an effort to get on the 445 bus.

WESTS TIGERS: Bye.