pricked the balloon

Triumphalists,

Definitely one for the ages.
Sydney pricked the balloon that is Hawthorn's over-inflated sense of superiority and entitlement.
They reckon after hoisting the flag last year, they are unstoppable, but Sydney and a few other teams have other ideas.
The Hawks will do anything to go there again, but it's always good to inflict pain on them from time to time just to remind then that they are not omnipresent at the centre of the football universe.
Buddy oh Buddy oh Bloody Buddy Franklin - kicking seven straight behinds before turning on the two late goals that sealed the deal, inclduing a complete speculator off the toe of the boot as he was being flung to the ground.
Nice to see Buddy's new buddy, The Hannebery Kiddie easily earn Best on Ground, after not having the best of pre-seasons what with crashing Buddy's girlfriend's car, and finding a fondness for the drink.
No doubt he would have been told good and proper to pull his head in if he wants the stellar career he's so obviously capable of.
SC Horse still has a lot of a lot of work to do around the ground, but he can't help but be happy that a few of the young blokes coming on, Parker in particular - he's a tough relentless young bastard.
In contrast, while the Goodes Train remains his brilliant best running in a straight line, even though he's lost of a couple of yards in pace, the trademark jink and weave are well on the way out with age.
No more swizzle stick action and picking the ball up off a sixpence.
The rude truth is that Adam is probably only being picked on account of who he is - The Australian of the Year - the Marketing Dept would insist upon it.
And it's really sad that Rhino Keefe can't get a first grade game anymore.
Here's a bloke who's been more or less cast on the scrap heap after 286 games for the same club and winning the Norm Smith medal but two years ago for being too old and too tired at age 33.
Look for a couple of mid-season retirements.
The Stats Guru mentioned in passing that suddenly that's four wins in a row and Sydney find themselves temporarily fourth on the ladder with other better placed teams on the bye; so only one win away from an early-to-mid season purple patch, which is just what the doctor ordered.
Pity that the Swans and Tigers games were played simultaneously, but with the ridiculous length of a game of Strayan Rules, the rugby league match was all done and dusted by the time they got half time in the AFL.
To emphasis the point, on a late start Friday night game, My Spy at The Ground - who's never very happy at the football, worries too much - had the stop watch on the start times of each quarter:
1st 7:50pm, 2nd 8:28pm, 3rd 9:17pm, 4th 9:57pm, end of game 10:38pm.
Country members who'd come down to the game from Newcastle complained bitterly that with the trains not running that efficiently, they didn't get home until well after 2am!
Utter madness.
He also noted that the crowd was down about ten thousand on what it would have been if it had been played on a Saturday night for Sunday afternoon...surely they should have learned years ago that Sydney has a distinct dislkike for Friday night games.
And gawd help us, they have a Thursday night match coming up shortly at the SCG.
The Bluds will have a mighty time trying to roll Essendon in the official Marn Grook game this weekend, again on a Friday night, to do a Patterson's Curse.
Called into the Front Bar at The Local on Monday morning, as is my want.
The Brown Bros were in high spirits after The NZ Worriers had won by a cricket score.
[Saw them just last week actually laying a small section of footpath just down the street from my gaff, and went to say hello; they greeted me warmly, as always, particularly after the compliments they got from me on their impeccable formwork - they know their caper and what they are doing in concreting that you can actually walk on without tripping up].
Found the Philosopher in his usual corner, enjoying this week's favoured tipple...a Tom Collins with a twist.
The barmaid told me that he somehow managed to convince the bar manager that limes are cheap at the minute, and he should get a couple of bags in, fit for purpose.
For the record, it's a double gin with the juice of one lime and ice in a highball topped with club soda.
He forgoes the sugar cube on the top for his health.
The Philospher seemed perplexed by the last fortnight's goings on, looked up, cocked his glasses on his snoot, and said while poking his paper with his bony hand "what's this I read about them taking away Buddy's car keys and hiring him a full time chaffuer on top of his already bloated stipend? He could always take a taxi like the rest of us, couldn't he?".

SYDNEY: 4.8, 6.12, 9.16, 15.17 (107). Tippett 4, Franklin 2, Malceski 2, Parker 2, K.Jack, Bird, McVeigh, Hannebery, Jetta.
HAWTHORN: 2.2, 6.5, 11.7, 13.10 (88). Goals: Breust 3, Roughead 3, Simpkin 2, Birchall, Puopolo, Hale, Suckling, Duryea.
At Olympic Stadium, Homebush.
Crowd: 34,506

It's plain for all to see that Balmain are very seriously understaffed.
There's no senior management left on field, and young blokes who are struggling to match it in the top grade are being asked to do all the heavy lifting, and the ask is plainly too much.
Doesn't matter what you think of Braith Anasta, but when the Best Leb in The Game went down with a dislocated elbow a fews ago, at least Braith stepped into the breech as acting captain and the marshall of kicks-in-play.
But with him gone this week with some kind of niggle, no one seemed to have any idea who the new acting Captain actually was, and the poor Balmain backs spent most of their time standing around and asking each other "well, who's going to kick the ball, then?" - a question that was never really decided.
But, it is "football" after all, and when they sink the slipper in rugby league, all sorts of opportunities open up in broken play.
You are sunk without the principal paymakers.
And the Tigers forwards couldn't get any go forward going against the mob of monsterously huge South Sea Islanders Easts have in their side.
The Balmain Football Dept decided from the off that they didn't have a snowflakes trying to match that, and they were right.
A little birdie was singing that Farah could've played - wanted to play - but Coach Potter said "nah, you can keep".
Harry had already written the game off as a dead loss before the opening whistle, so no point in bringing the marquee player back early for no useful purpose.
He'd decided that at this stage a loss wasn't going to do them a huge amount of much damage on the ladder - they'd still be in the top eight - so you might as well just try to get out of it without sending anyone else down to Sick Bay, which is already full in any case, no beds available.
Is there such a thing as a "calculated loss"?
S'pose you'd have to ask a few bookies about that - the Waterhouse family in particular - they'd know.
Don't know about the pink away strip Balmain played in; with the pink replacing the white in the Western Suburbs Magpies jersey.
Puce
Pink has never been incorporated in any footballers playing jersey, ever, even though quite a few wide lapelled lary pink shirts might have made an appearance on the back of some up The Cross back in the 60's and 70's.
So, what was that was that all about?
A good cause no doubt, but it just didn't look right, for mine.
Certainly bought them no luck, no luck at all.

SYDNEY ROOSTERS 30. Tries: Tupou (2), Jennings (2), Cordner, Pearce. Goals: Maloney (3).
WESTS TIGERS 6. Tries: Lawrence. Goals: Austin (1).
At Sydney Football Stadium.
Crowd: 16,024.