OK, we're back and with a bit more time this week, which sucks for you lot because I have some time to type away on a few of the hot topics.
Firstly, I was told on the weekend that the mob down the road are targeting Leigh Colbert as an Ass Coach. Now I like to support those in the community with diminished faculties as much as anyone else, but this is a bit much isn't it? And aren't they already doing that with Sumo?
Maybe with the sponsorship deal with Channel 7 the Budgie hierarchy aren't able to watch other channels, because if they were, they'd see this bloke has as much trouble putting together a meaningful sentence as I have walking past an unguarded donut on a plate. A highlight of this potential move for me came on the weekend when this mental colossus remarked that someone was being moved from "the forward line to down back so they can be more better at holding up the opposition in the middle contest".
Excuse me?
Bring on Colby for the Eagles I reckon.
The other thing I want to quickly tackle is that it now looks likely that we'll settle in to 14th spot on the ladder come season's end. It'll be hard to make up ground and go up, and neither of the teams below us has a chance in hell of coming up.
So;
Pick 1 - Melb/Toast: Watts/Natanui
Pick 2 - Toast/Melb: Natanui/Watts
Pick 3 - House of Imperial Purple & Goodness: Mr. Daniel Rich.
I, for one, am very happy with that.
OK, on with the rankings.
1(1) Cats. Destroyed the Doggies with an irresistible 2nd half attack. The daylight between them and the rest of us grows and grows. The good game with the Hawks this week has FINALLY arrived. Possibly the last chance for anyone to set up an interesting GF. If the Hawks don't push them, no one left will.
2(2) Hawks. A terrible loss on the weekend but I suspect they may have been casting a collective eye towards this week's game. Still, losing to the Aints after being up comfortably shouldn't ever be excused if you're in the top echelon.
3(3) Doggies. So many clichés, so little time. However, as a long time campaigner against media group think clichés like "tail between their legs", "licking their wounds" etc, I will take a different tack. I think these guys are at a stage where they can learn more from a loss like that than they would have from a win. The confidence won't be shot from 1 game and Eade is good enough to have picked up something. Let's hope so for the comp's sake.
4(4) Sydney. Not an awe inspiring performance by any means, but a win is usually better than a loss. After an inspirational run prior to BBBH's return and subsequent suspension, they're now staggering to the line. Still a chance to make a run at it, but unlikely.
5(6) Saints. Despite Robert Walls professed love for all things Lyon, I still don't buy in to this mob as a serious contender. Having said that, they're travelling better than any other team below them at the moment so give them some credit. Here's a big hairy statement for you: I'm predicting that these guys will play finals but go straight out.
6(7) North. If you've been following, and why wouldn't you be, it's clear that we've worked them out. They were never a chance to lose against C'wood under the rules I gave a few weeks back. Hopefully both of you who read it have gotten stinking rich by following the rules. This week is Melbourne, don't get anywhere near them with your money.
7(5) Collingwood. I will always regret having HDTV after seeing this game. Is there an uglier sight than a despondent Joffa wearing a pink beanie? The sugject's obvious trauma offers the viewer some real beauty if they understand the situation but still, it's Joffa, in a seemingly handmade PINK beanie. Now I'm sure his 1 toothed 1st cousin made it for him, but just because your wife makes you something doesn't mean you should wear it out in public.
8(10) Brisbane. Back somewhere near the tracks after some woeful recent performances. They let the annoying puppy stay on their leg a bit long on the weekend but eventually dispatched the worthless opponent. Mitch Clarke needs to show a bit more in the near future to be worthy of the title of "from East Fremantle" on his bio. Thankfully that great club has 150 George Doig's for every Phil Read but he still needs to be careful.
9(9) Tigers. Apparently a good game between them and the Boobers on the weekend. But in all honesty, who cares? Great to see shots of G. Polak walking around on his own last week. Hopefully he gets back on the field next year. Noone deserves to have a career ruined in that fashion.
10(8) Crows. Gone. How this year is judged depends on how you rated them going in. If you thought they were a top 6 side, then you'll be bagging them for making you look bad. If, like me, you expected them to drop off this year, then you'll be saying that they did a good job of playing above themselves for a long time. The problem for them is when you're playing above yourselves as a team, 1 injury or unlucky dropped game matters more than it does for the REALLY good teams.
11(11) Bombed. They've shown much more than I gave them credit for. However, the amount of credit I gave them wouldn't even have let Matty Knights text his husband. On a brighter note, I don't think this club has bottomed out yet, which is a nice thought if you hate Essendon.
12(12) Blues. I saw Fev laying tackles? What an amazing thing the contract year is, it can make players do the strangest things. I think Ratten is being exposed at the moment, as if he hadn't been already. If I was a Blues supporter I'd be hoping he gets the sack soon. I'd also be a sad and bitter person with horrible Donald Trump-like combover, a Kouta obsession and a growing reputation for being a complete nong. Am I close Mr Parkin?
13(14) Freo. 1 of the best 2008 performances followed the worst of starts. If we can only find a way to drag our worst up to a level somewhere near our best then we'll win a flag in the next 2 years. If not, then we'll all be making judgments on next year's list by Rd 16 every year. By the by, if D Mundy had 25% of C. Mayne's endeavor, he'd have won a Brownlow already. As it is, he's an immensely frustrating lolly-gagger with sublime skills.
14(15) Port. A surprising and probably brief brush with decency this week. How long does a 100pt GF bashing less than a year ago last as an excuse for being completely crap? Will Tredders be talking about rebounding from that loss when he's PA's midfield coach in 2010?
15(13) Demons. Started with a huge bang before remembering exactly who they were and "what they stand for". According to Mike Sheehan, they're definitely on the right track, so I guess they have that going for them.
16(16) Dead Weight. In any organisation where you're monitoring trends and you notice a significant change in that trend, the first thing you look for in explaining that change is the presence of a significant event. If 1 exists then you may have a reason for the change in the trend. Now, let us imagine that you're evaluating Mike Braun's career. You would see an amazing drop in production directly following an unsubstantiated accusation from an opposition player about alleged PED use. Here at work the quality assurance people would call that a "potential causal link worthy of investigation".