In the face of much opposition and many back-handed compliments, Collingwood finds that it has cemented a place in the 2007 AFL finals. In a year where the requisite number of wins needed to make the finals has gone from 11 to 13, Collingwood now sits confidently on 13 wins with one game to go. Of interest this year is the resurgence of Victorian teams. While it's been many years since the last Victorian premiership, this year would seem to be the best opportunity since 2000 to bring the premiership cup back to the state if its birth.
Now this supporter has been critical of Nathan Buckley's decision to play on. With each injury setback this year I have decried his place on the senior list as selfish and pointless. I didn't think he would play again, and certainly felt that a better long-term solution would be to elevate a youngster from the rookie list. In 2007 Collingwood has played no less than eight first year players. Some of whom, I'm looking at Tyson Goldsack and Marty Clarke in particular, have become essential components of the side. Over the past month it's become painfully obvious that the youngsters have been running out of steam and motivation. And back comes Nathan Buckley. A part of me saw this coming and thought that it would be a disaster to have a player, even one of Buckley's caliber, come back to play finals in a team that had spent a year without him. The mere presence of Buckley on the field seemed to have an impact on the youngsters. After all, who would want to fumble a pinpoint pass from the Collingwood champion?
Watching last night I realised that Nathan Buckley is indeed a champion and it's GREAT to ave him back. He didn't have a significant impact, particularly in the second half when he became a bit more tired, but it was clear that he has lost none of the mental hunger for a premiership. His passes were accurate and he provided the voice of experience that some of the youngsters have perhaps been needing over the past few weeks.
Yes, Collingwood are back and we want the premiership cup.
Showing posts with label AFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFL. Show all posts
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
If half of what I'm saying...
One of the greatest indulgences I have is the Saturday night spent at home. I've developed this over the last two years. Go out on the Friday or the Sunday night and leave the Saturday night free for music, a couple of home bevvies and books or the Net. Tonight's an I'm-going-through-my-iTunes-for-all-the-coolest-stuff night. So far I've moved from the Cat Empire to Blondie to the Shins to You Am I.
I've finished up with the final Potter book. It's interesting to watch a series of books become so conscious of and influenced by the films that will subsequently follow. Certainly the climax of this final book will look spectacular on film, assuming they don't gloss over aspects that are certain to be glossed over in a literary form but will look spectacular on film. Unfortunately, this final book falls into exactly the same trap that they last 4 books have fallen in to - it takes far to long for the main plot to advance. When you're writing the final book of a 7 book series I would hae thought it prudent not to waste over a sixth of the book on aspects that don't advance the characters or the plot. It's fantastic to read, of that there's no doubt, but from a planning point of view it would seem to me to be a mistake. And yes, there's copout that W alluded to on her blog. I tend to agree with you.
My sister was in town last night and we did the touristy thing, largely because it was close to her hotel and because she was appalled that after almost 2 months here I hadn't actually done it myself yet. We went to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel followed by dinner and then a night cap at Chjimes. She warned me that when I do have visitors, this is one of the night's out to do. So now I know. Long Bar then Chjimes. Very colonial and very toffy stuff, but I can see how it would be fun for a tourist. As always it was fun to catch up with my sister and dissect all the family goings on in Melbourne. Her and I are still plotting to have our parents sell the family home and move into a place devoid of others (my brothers, in case it needed further elaboration).
Tomorrow I'm off to see the Simpsons movie. which I think makes about 8 films I've seen since arriving here. I figure there's nothing much left so I can take a break from the bog screen for a little while after this. I'm also on a total sequel ban - having seen every single sequel that has come out over the last three months - Spidey, Pirates, FF, Die Hard etc. Am thinking I'll hit one of the few and far between Arthouse cinemas here to detox from my glut of blockbusters.
Yes, I'm very aware that Collingwood got pounded tonight. This being the first week since I arrived that Australia Network hasn't shown the Collingwood game, I'm pretty sure there's a jinxish lesson in there for us somewhere. Not to mention the slightly worrying trend of us not being able to string together multiple wins in this second half of the season. There'll be hell to pay if we somehow end up missing out on the finals...
I've finished up with the final Potter book. It's interesting to watch a series of books become so conscious of and influenced by the films that will subsequently follow. Certainly the climax of this final book will look spectacular on film, assuming they don't gloss over aspects that are certain to be glossed over in a literary form but will look spectacular on film. Unfortunately, this final book falls into exactly the same trap that they last 4 books have fallen in to - it takes far to long for the main plot to advance. When you're writing the final book of a 7 book series I would hae thought it prudent not to waste over a sixth of the book on aspects that don't advance the characters or the plot. It's fantastic to read, of that there's no doubt, but from a planning point of view it would seem to me to be a mistake. And yes, there's copout that W alluded to on her blog. I tend to agree with you.
My sister was in town last night and we did the touristy thing, largely because it was close to her hotel and because she was appalled that after almost 2 months here I hadn't actually done it myself yet. We went to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel followed by dinner and then a night cap at Chjimes. She warned me that when I do have visitors, this is one of the night's out to do. So now I know. Long Bar then Chjimes. Very colonial and very toffy stuff, but I can see how it would be fun for a tourist. As always it was fun to catch up with my sister and dissect all the family goings on in Melbourne. Her and I are still plotting to have our parents sell the family home and move into a place devoid of others (my brothers, in case it needed further elaboration).
Tomorrow I'm off to see the Simpsons movie. which I think makes about 8 films I've seen since arriving here. I figure there's nothing much left so I can take a break from the bog screen for a little while after this. I'm also on a total sequel ban - having seen every single sequel that has come out over the last three months - Spidey, Pirates, FF, Die Hard etc. Am thinking I'll hit one of the few and far between Arthouse cinemas here to detox from my glut of blockbusters.
Yes, I'm very aware that Collingwood got pounded tonight. This being the first week since I arrived that Australia Network hasn't shown the Collingwood game, I'm pretty sure there's a jinxish lesson in there for us somewhere. Not to mention the slightly worrying trend of us not being able to string together multiple wins in this second half of the season. There'll be hell to pay if we somehow end up missing out on the finals...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
I was tearing from the betrayal
It would appear that there is much betrayal going on in Singaporean schools. Oh yes, and a whole lot of tearing. No, no, not like when you rip a phone book in half to impress a girl. Apparently this tearing is crying, or at least starting to cry. I've been a teacher for some years now and am curious to know whether I am being sold down the river or whether I truly am as dumb as I look. Have any of you guys heard of the verb 'tearing'? I've only ever heard it from Singaporeans which lends credence to my this-is-a-made-up-Singlish-word theory. But I'm open to being utterly wrong. So is 'tearing' actually a word? I've never heard it used in Australia but it is said/written here with such regularity and conviction that I have to wonder whether maybe I'm the one with the vocabulary problem.
Oh yes, and betrayal. It's such a great word that I almost never use - someone recently said that this was because I'm so careful that it would be very difficult for anyone to betray me. And yet, it would appear that the majority of my students have been betrayed by their 'best' friends. Whether is was their friend stealing something and then blaming it on the writer or them making a pact to cheat only to have the friend inform the examiner at the last minute, there seems to be an undercurrent of skulduggery and quite knifing going on across the island. I'm not sure whether this can be attributed to astounding naivety on the writer's part or a willingness to partake in petty criminal activities, but I've just spent the last 2 hours reading all about 'tearing' and betrayal from a bunch of Secondary 4 (equivalent to Year 10) students. My brain hurts.
I'm not yet finished Potter so I'm avoiding all of your blogs and won't read the comments on this one til I'm done. Yes, I've learnt from my students that I can't trust anyone ;)
I'm planning some commentary on the writing styles of Geoff Johns, Brian Bendis and Gail Simone soon. I know how much you all love comics so I'm sure you're drooling in anticipation.
OooooOOOoooooOOOOOoooh!!!
WHEN DID AVRIL LAVIGNE GET HEY OWN MANGA!!!??!?!?!
I noticed this in Kinokuniya the other day. She has manga... my head is still trying to grasp this concept. I understand that she's a record label creation. I get that. It's a carefully constructed image made palatable for the 11-15 year old girl crowd, while being just (corporate) "edgy" enough to avoid total deconstruction by the mainstream media. And now she has manga. Tapping the EXACT same demographic that would buy her albums, hence doubling sales. This news doesn't make me want to vomit, it makes me want to shake the hand of whichever low-ranking office clerk passed off this brilliant idea to the boss that then claimed it as his own in a high-ranking board meeting. It's genius.
Welcome to the reign of black and white. Despite being laughed out of a bbq at a friend's house at the beginning of the season, I take much pleasure in noting that Collingwood are the only team supported by anyone from the conversation that is going to be playing finals this year.
RIP Sheedy's Essendon reign.
Oh yes, and betrayal. It's such a great word that I almost never use - someone recently said that this was because I'm so careful that it would be very difficult for anyone to betray me. And yet, it would appear that the majority of my students have been betrayed by their 'best' friends. Whether is was their friend stealing something and then blaming it on the writer or them making a pact to cheat only to have the friend inform the examiner at the last minute, there seems to be an undercurrent of skulduggery and quite knifing going on across the island. I'm not sure whether this can be attributed to astounding naivety on the writer's part or a willingness to partake in petty criminal activities, but I've just spent the last 2 hours reading all about 'tearing' and betrayal from a bunch of Secondary 4 (equivalent to Year 10) students. My brain hurts.
I'm not yet finished Potter so I'm avoiding all of your blogs and won't read the comments on this one til I'm done. Yes, I've learnt from my students that I can't trust anyone ;)
I'm planning some commentary on the writing styles of Geoff Johns, Brian Bendis and Gail Simone soon. I know how much you all love comics so I'm sure you're drooling in anticipation.
OooooOOOoooooOOOOOoooh!!!
WHEN DID AVRIL LAVIGNE GET HEY OWN MANGA!!!??!?!?!
I noticed this in Kinokuniya the other day. She has manga... my head is still trying to grasp this concept. I understand that she's a record label creation. I get that. It's a carefully constructed image made palatable for the 11-15 year old girl crowd, while being just (corporate) "edgy" enough to avoid total deconstruction by the mainstream media. And now she has manga. Tapping the EXACT same demographic that would buy her albums, hence doubling sales. This news doesn't make me want to vomit, it makes me want to shake the hand of whichever low-ranking office clerk passed off this brilliant idea to the boss that then claimed it as his own in a high-ranking board meeting. It's genius.
Welcome to the reign of black and white. Despite being laughed out of a bbq at a friend's house at the beginning of the season, I take much pleasure in noting that Collingwood are the only team supported by anyone from the conversation that is going to be playing finals this year.
RIP Sheedy's Essendon reign.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wisdom of Solomon?
People are probably aware that I have a passing interest in Australian football. The most recent controversy involving the West Coast Eagles has set tongues wagging across the country. Dockers player Des Headland was allegedly on the receiving end of slurs directed at his daughter by Eagles player Adam Selwood. Selwood allegedly said that he f*cked her after seeing a tattoo of Headland's daughter on his arm. When Headland said it was his daughter, Selwood allegedly repeated the taunt and called her a slut. Headland lost it and belted Selwood and tried multiple times to re instigate the confrontation. For this, Headland faced a 5-6 week suspension from the game. In a bizarre turn of events the AFL has found Selwood not guilty of making sexual taunts to Headland but also cleared Headland because of extenuating circumstances.
I'm not going to debate the blatant hypocrisy of this as I was tired of it about a minute after hearing the tribunal's decision. However I happen to agree with the AFL's decision, at least in a short term sense. I choose to believe Selwood did actually say the things that are being reported. Even a hothead like Headland wouldn't have gone so completely off tap without that kind of provocation. Had they suspended Headland, which past tribunal experience and the damning video evidence suggests they should have, there's no chance that the Dockers would have let the matter rest. The result would be a very long drawn out public process in which Selwood (according to my own interpretation of events) would have been found guilty.
The AFL often talks about bringing the game in to disrepute and this would be a public relations disaster for a game that is billed as being a family institution in this country. Thus, I find the AFL's decision to find Selwood not guilty and to rescind Headland's suspension to be the only logical course of action. It's not a perfect solution but it is certainly not the solution I was expecting. It showed the kind of lateral thinking the AFL is generally devoid of.
Despite my support for the AFL's handling of this case, I fear that they have dug themselves a very deep and muddy grave. Next time a similar case arises they have no choice but to follow a similar course of action which gives players a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card to take physical shots at one another if there is "extenuating provocation". The AFL may have little choice but to decree this as a bizarre, out of context case where the judicial outcome will not be repeated. It can only be a few weeks before a similar case comes up and I guess the AFL's method for handling such cases will become clear then.
I'm not going to debate the blatant hypocrisy of this as I was tired of it about a minute after hearing the tribunal's decision. However I happen to agree with the AFL's decision, at least in a short term sense. I choose to believe Selwood did actually say the things that are being reported. Even a hothead like Headland wouldn't have gone so completely off tap without that kind of provocation. Had they suspended Headland, which past tribunal experience and the damning video evidence suggests they should have, there's no chance that the Dockers would have let the matter rest. The result would be a very long drawn out public process in which Selwood (according to my own interpretation of events) would have been found guilty.
The AFL often talks about bringing the game in to disrepute and this would be a public relations disaster for a game that is billed as being a family institution in this country. Thus, I find the AFL's decision to find Selwood not guilty and to rescind Headland's suspension to be the only logical course of action. It's not a perfect solution but it is certainly not the solution I was expecting. It showed the kind of lateral thinking the AFL is generally devoid of.
Despite my support for the AFL's handling of this case, I fear that they have dug themselves a very deep and muddy grave. Next time a similar case arises they have no choice but to follow a similar course of action which gives players a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card to take physical shots at one another if there is "extenuating provocation". The AFL may have little choice but to decree this as a bizarre, out of context case where the judicial outcome will not be repeated. It can only be a few weeks before a similar case comes up and I guess the AFL's method for handling such cases will become clear then.
Friday, March 30, 2007
2007 predictions
AFL is properly, officially back in about 12 hours time. I haven't tried to predict the whole ladder since I was a child but thought I should do so this year. If only so that I can poke my tongue out at you guys and make farting noises later. These predictions come on the back of me winning second in a footy-tipping competition in 2006.
The ladder
Fremantle
Sydney
West Coast
Bulldogs
Melbourne
St Kilda
Geelong
Collingwood
Adelaide
Richmond
Port Adelaide
Hawthorn
Carlton
Essendon
Brisbane Lions
North Melbourne
Premiers : West Coast
Runners-up : Bulldogs
Brownlow Medalist : Matthew Pavlich
Coleman Medalist : Brendan Fevola
I love you, footy.
The ladder
Fremantle
Sydney
West Coast
Bulldogs
Melbourne
St Kilda
Geelong
Collingwood
Adelaide
Richmond
Port Adelaide
Hawthorn
Carlton
Essendon
Brisbane Lions
North Melbourne
Premiers : West Coast
Runners-up : Bulldogs
Brownlow Medalist : Matthew Pavlich
Coleman Medalist : Brendan Fevola
I love you, footy.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Post Erection Blog
Labor is here to stay. No real surprises as the ALP and Libs basically had the same policies on many key issues and nobody really knew who the hell Ted Bailleau was. Pretty hard if you only become the leader of the party 6-8 months before the election. So it was all about familiarity. And the devil we know seemed a better choice than the devil we don't.
Have finished marking for the weekend. In general I'm fairly happy with their marks, though I may kick the ones that didn't listen to me in the head. I have no idea what I'll teach them tomorrow and haven't really had the time to create the new materials I wanted to for use tomorrow because of the marking. May sit there and do it tonight otherwise I should have time tomorrow morning. The joy and curse of teaching the afternoon class!
I must say that coming back to the classroom is soooooooooo much better than learning about being in one. But then I'm the quintessential bad student. Skipping classes whenever possible, playing noughts and crosses during lectures, perving on hotties and writing things up at the last minute. Weird that I should be the one teaching people study skills and university level thinking/writing.
I've been spending a lot of time creating new materials this term. The culmination of which is writing the end of term reading and listening exam for the university entrance kids. God knows why they want me to do it, but it would appear they don't realise just how shoddy I am lol. This is a different kind of test to previous ones, whereby the skills will all be integrated rather than tested separately. I'm down with the rationale behind this. I'm constantly reminding my own class about how this skill relates to that skill and that nothing is a waste of their time (how much do I sound like the stereotype teacher!). So this is nothing exceptional, just a pain finding the time to write it. And fuck that, I feel justified in taking a break to update my blog too!
When I eventually crawl into bed tonight I have some season 5 episodes of Angel waiting for me. Only saw a handful of episodes from season 5 so this feels like a reward for finishing up with uni. Yeah, I'm going to continue rewarding myself every time I want to do something indulgent. Sneaky eh?
AFL draft happened over the weekend. Collingwood seem to have a few likely prospects, but then so does every team. It was touted as the super-mega-ultra draft of all time, so it'd be pretty rough if any team came out of it without any bonuses. Essendon have scammed Mal Michael and here's to hoping they get well and truly done for their shady dealings in securing the ex-Lions fullback.
Have finished marking for the weekend. In general I'm fairly happy with their marks, though I may kick the ones that didn't listen to me in the head. I have no idea what I'll teach them tomorrow and haven't really had the time to create the new materials I wanted to for use tomorrow because of the marking. May sit there and do it tonight otherwise I should have time tomorrow morning. The joy and curse of teaching the afternoon class!
I must say that coming back to the classroom is soooooooooo much better than learning about being in one. But then I'm the quintessential bad student. Skipping classes whenever possible, playing noughts and crosses during lectures, perving on hotties and writing things up at the last minute. Weird that I should be the one teaching people study skills and university level thinking/writing.
I've been spending a lot of time creating new materials this term. The culmination of which is writing the end of term reading and listening exam for the university entrance kids. God knows why they want me to do it, but it would appear they don't realise just how shoddy I am lol. This is a different kind of test to previous ones, whereby the skills will all be integrated rather than tested separately. I'm down with the rationale behind this. I'm constantly reminding my own class about how this skill relates to that skill and that nothing is a waste of their time (how much do I sound like the stereotype teacher!). So this is nothing exceptional, just a pain finding the time to write it. And fuck that, I feel justified in taking a break to update my blog too!
When I eventually crawl into bed tonight I have some season 5 episodes of Angel waiting for me. Only saw a handful of episodes from season 5 so this feels like a reward for finishing up with uni. Yeah, I'm going to continue rewarding myself every time I want to do something indulgent. Sneaky eh?
AFL draft happened over the weekend. Collingwood seem to have a few likely prospects, but then so does every team. It was touted as the super-mega-ultra draft of all time, so it'd be pretty rough if any team came out of it without any bonuses. Essendon have scammed Mal Michael and here's to hoping they get well and truly done for their shady dealings in securing the ex-Lions fullback.
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