Solid win from geelong. Its looking ever likely for a blockbuster cats pies GF. That would be something. 2011 the last one between them, and then all the way back to the 50s for the previous.
I think GWS will have a say yet.
Preliminary finals are:
Collingwood v Brisbane/Freo/Gold Coast
Geelong v Adelaide/GWS/Hawthorn
I think GWS will knock off Hawthorn and Adelaide. Although GWSās home ground advantage is so non-existent that Hawthorn definitely have a big chance there. GWS are a really seasoned team now a bit like Brisbane were last year and I wouldnāt write off that they could be quietly moving into position to challenge for a Premiership a bit like Brisbane last year. I didnāt expect them to get top four this year but they are a team who can win it from outside the top four.
Brisbane were well beaten there and itās now hard to envisage them getting themselves back up to beat both Freo at home and Collingwood at the MCG.
Whilst it could happen, the only thing I would have is that GWS have to beat Hawthorn and then go to Adelaide when Geelong will have that week off. It will be tough to beat Hawthorn, go to Adelaide and then to the MCG and knock out Geelong, particularly if Geelong bring that intensity in their next game. Stranger things have indeed happened, but it also has been a long time since weāve had such a blockbuster double MCG semi finals, last time was as far as I can recall, 2011 when it was Geelong and Collingwood also.
Geelong beat Port Adelaide by 84 points in the qualifying final last year, had the week off, and then were beaten by Brisbane who had to beat Carlton and then GWS away in a titanic struggle where they looked dead and buried at 40 points down after half time.
So you just donāt know. Sometimes being battle hardened can really work in a teamās favour and the week off can be a double edged sword.
Collingwood v Brisbane and Geelong v Hawthorn would be the two blockbusteriest preliminary finals possible.
Collingwood v Gold Coast and Geelong v GWS not so much.
2011 was almost the blockbusteriest finals line up you can get as you had Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon, Hawthorn, Geelong, Sydney and West Coast all involved.
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yep, agree with all that.
AFL is a funny one. Whilst its great seeing GWS, brisbane and the likes going well and making inroads, a typical VFL MCG big name finals series (with West Coast thrown in for good measure) cant be beat. Iād love to see Carlton and Essendon play in a grand final. Both been utterly shit and out of it for so long, 2 of your stereotypical sleeping giants. As much as the VFL dominates and gives the vic teams as much advantage as they possibly can, there is still just something different about it all.
Essendon v Carlton 1993 is the last Grand Final between two of the ābig threeā.
Essendon v Carlton in the 1999 Preliminary final is probably the definitive Essendon v Carlton clash of all time and also the greatest preliminary final of all time. I watched it on Sky Sports on the Tuesday evening after it happened, not knowing the result. They showed the full game. I was in bits by the end of it.
Since then Iād say 2011 Collingwood v Geelong and 2018 Collingwood v West Coast were the two biggest blockbuster Grand Finals. Maybe 2008 Hawthorn v Geelong as well.
Since the 70s itās really a big four as Hawthorn have won 12 Premierships since 1971 which is way out in front of any other team.
Although traditionally Richmond would have been seen as making the ābig fourā with Collingwood, Carlton and Essendon. Richmond have never really ādone itā for me though. I donāt know is it the colours or what.
Collingwood have NEVER played Hawthorn in a Grand Final. Itās still theoretically possible this year.
Yeah Geelong and Hawthorn series of finals and late round ladder games were iconic during their years of dominance. Richmond Iād say were always the little brother of the Melbourne clubs, similar to the Demons, just never cracked it into the big names. And the Bulldogs way behind them again, and the Roos no where near the discussion.
I watched some of the Hawthorn v Geelong 1989 Grand Final on the YouTubes in bed last night. Fuck me it was incredible. One of the greatest sporting contests ever played. Footy was miles better then, it was pure helter skelter stuff, all one on one contests and the skills were better too.
The commentary was way better too. 7ās commentators now are shite. Whateley and Huddo on Fox are decent but they arenāt in the league of the God squad of commentators 7 had from the late 80s up to 2001.
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Collingwood and Tipperary both won in 1958 and 2010.
I met Denis Cometti years ago in what was the Dome Cafe in Vic Park. Really nice man. Of all the commentators, he was the one that I liked most. Just had a great array of phrases and sayings, all prepared I imagine, but even so. A lot dont like Brian Taylor now, but I think he is great too.
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Wow thatās a proper celebrity spot. Dennis Cometti is one of the greatest commentators on any sport ever. Iād say top 5 at least. The quality and tone and swing of a commentatorās voice is everything and he had everything. It isnāt really about sayings, itās about how a voice becomes an accompaniment to your life, a friend. He just had one of those voices you never tire of listening to which evokes wonderful things. I believe he did cricket as well but footy was his thing because he was an actual football man.
Bruce McAvaney, Ian Robertson and Sandy Roberts were all top tier commentators too. All had very distinctive voices and were great nuts and bolts commentators. Drew Morphett was a fine commentator from that 1990s era. There was Rex Hunt on the radio also. Eddie McGuire wasnāt too bad as a commentator.
Anthony Hudson definitely the best of the modern day commentators for my money. Himself and Gerard Whateley are both massive Geelong fans.
Brian Taylor once did radio commentary for an International Rules match alongside MicheĆ”l OāMuircheartaigh. 1999. The two seemed to get on great.
More than you realise
So vfl plus your team makes it?!
Ablett, brereton, the rat, dipper. Overflowing with characters and all timers
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I liked Bruce, but I also felt he seemed to force things at times too, kinda like Marty Morrisey does, just tries to over do it. Although not near as bad as that, but in that way. There is a good clip of Daisy Thomas taking the piss out of Bruce when he was watching Winx win some horse race.
Anthony Hudson is very good. a long time on the go now (cc @fran)
ah you cant deny that the eagles are a big draw of any of the teams outside of the VFL. In terms of clubs making in roads to the VFL, the Eagles are the only really to be a huge club on a par. They are complete shit now obviously, but those absolutely stacked early 90s teams, and then the mid 00s clashes, particularly with Sydney, were huge events.
Hudson learned his trade at 7 in the late 90s and early 2000s under the God squad of commentators before 7 lost the rights at the end of 2001. He then went to Nine or was it Ten (I always get confused between those two).
Commetti was allowed leave 7 and then come back in 2007 when they got the rights again but Hudson who appeared the natural heir to Bruce and Dennis has never gone back to 7.
Bruceās real strength was always that he was an all-rounder in the way George Hamilton or Barry Davies or Jim Nantz are. Athletics was probably his best sport.
As Iāve remarked before he had a little phrase just before the bounce of the ball in Grand Finals from about '94 up to '01 where heād say āthe moment has arrived againā. That was classic commentary which gave a tremenjus feeling of BIGNESS.
Bruce came back to do some presenting work for 7 around the finals last year, it was like Heffo walking into Dublin training one night in May 1978 and just taking over again. Iām not sure is he doing it again this year as nearly all the coverage Iāve watched this year on Fox and Iāve seen hardly any of 7ās coverage.
Yeah most of the coverage I watch now is on fox through the dodgy box, but the commentary is still from channel source. Denis Cometti did local Perth radio commentary for 5 or 6 years after.
I see it but I donāt believe it
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GWS 88 Hawthorn 107. Looked like a great match.
Hawthorn led by 42 points with arch troll Jack Ginnivan giving it loads, then GWS kicked seven goals in a row to get level at 86-86.
Then they let it slip away again.
Hawthorn now play Adelaide in Adelaide with the winner to meet Geelong.