Fortune favoured the brave as six teams became four in week two of a thrilling 2022 AFL finals seriesAt Melbourne, they often speak of learnings. There aren’t many more weasel words than learnings. It’s a word that’s popular with chin strokers, with LinkedIn loiterers, and with football coaches. In the past, there haven’t been many learnings (sorry) to take from the second week of finals. Semi finals are often a reordering of the top four, a reminder not to be seduced by the previous week’s winner.But this weekend was different. This weekend taught us a lot. We learnt, for instance, that Melbourne simply isn’t good enough. After Round 10, they were the shortest priced premiership favourites in the history of...
After a barnstorming opening round of finals a ridiculously high bar has been set for this week’s two matchesNot enough has been written about the art of being underwhelmed by football. Certainly not in the past week, after a few days of finals footy that began as engrossing and ended up as epic, heralding a media deal equivalent to Fiji’s GDP.But for the neutral supporter, there is a sense of AFL ennui this weekend, particularly in the context of it approaching the middle of September. To use the words of Ross Lyon: “Sometimes it’s just... it wasn’t vibing. There was no vibe.” Continue reading...
History says the premiers are unlikely to come from outside the top four but the tale of the tape can only tell so muchIt won’t be lost on the Sydney Roosters that winning a premiership from outside the top four is about as likely as cracking a double-yolked egg. An exaggeration, perhaps, but the odds are not good. In the 113 years since 1908, 111 champions finished inside the four – Brisbane claimed the title from fifth in 1993 and the Bulldogs from sixth in 1995.Still, there’s something brewing in Bondi. The Roosters, who finished sixth on the ladder, are on the longest winning streak of any team entering the finals. The last match they lost was to Penrith at...
Despite all the controversies and the inordinate number of lead changes at the Gabba the Lions were worthy winnersHeading into Thursday night’s elimination final, it felt like the football world had given up on Brisbane. For all the big scores and easy kills, they weren’t a team you could trust. Too much lip and swagger. Too brittle down back. Too prone to leaking, and to switching off at critical stages. Sure, when everything was going well, and when the game was on their terms, they were capable of scintillating football. But when the heat was applied, they’d wilt. This week, it had been all bad news and long faces in the Brisbane camp. They’d coughed up a spot in the...
The Australian’s searing form this year has only intensified the spotlight on him before the New York grand slamYou wouldn’t know Nick Kyrgios is getting sued based on his Instagram page. While a Wimbledon fan he accused of being drunk was preparing her legal papers, the subject of her litigation was cruising around Manhattan in a rickshaw, a Book of Mormon program in hand, grooving to beats, enjoying the Times Square tourist jaunt. “LUV NY,” he captioned the video.Start spreading the news, he’s leaving today. Kyrgios is in New York and everyone is watching. Rarely does the Australian not command international attention, but perhaps never has there been so much of it as now, in the week before the US...