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Is it 2006 yet? Another midway point of the season and another dose of 'also-ran's lament' ](*,) Oh well, whilst reduced to viewing the season from a perspective that ostensibly removes one's own side from the picture entirely, at least I can see that we're undergoing as interesting a season as I've seen for some time.
The Kangaroos would've been rapt to get that win up. That being said, my preseason suggestion that the side was locked-in a disturbing holding pattern has well and truly been borne out. Indications are that the Roos will finish anywhere between 7-10 and I'd be expecting another finish of around 9 or 10. The club lacks impact and genuine improvement power, and its only a matter of time before the ladder forces inherent in the contemporary code overwhelm it.
The Tigers will rightly rue the loss and Terry Wallace was rightly lamenting his side's ineffective finsihing in the media. The loss of Nathan Brown hit home hard yesterday and will continue to hurt for the remainder of the year. Brown aside, I sense a lowering of confidence in the side and if Wallace isn't careful this could quickly degenerate in full-on negative momentum. Its far from a "razor blades @ dusk" scenario for the side yet, however, and we'll watch them closely over the next few weeks.
Both the Tigers and the Roos can ill-afford to falter with Brisbane & Port showing clear signs of a major resurgence, and with an indifferent Freo side likely to come home far stronger. I'm still not sold on Collingwood yet, but a win this afternoon will only increase the anxiety among the more fragile sides currently positioned in the eight.
Geelong remains a genuine flag contender, but will need to lift markedly in future weeks. Adelaide played a wonderful game in the conditions at Skilled Stadium and came within a poofteenth of getting the points in a war of attrition against a Cat outfit with its back to the wall (and subsequently at its most dangerous). The Crows remain the most intriguing side in this competition. Preseason you would have been hard pressed finding a handful of punters willing to position the Crows anywhere other than the bottom four for 2005, but the much maligned Craig has been little short of a revelation in the manner that he has transformed the team. If anything, the side can consider itself unlucky not to be sharing the lead with West Coast, given that they've had a couple of tight and unlucky losses.
West Coast is clearly the talk of the comp and its ever arrogant and obnoxious supporter base are all over the football websites claiming the premiership in June. As far as I'm concerned it's sh*t for sale with the Eagles and I'm just not buying. The revised finals draw may play into the clubs hands as it seeks a soft road to the GF, but while they may well get there, I still think they're a thrashing waiting to be implemented.
St Kilda has been disappointing this season, but given the level of manpower the side has been missing each week, this shouldn't come as a surprise. The tight nature of the competition plays into the Saints hands though, and I expect to see the club dangerously poised in the top four come season's end.
Sydney? Pfft! Another ordinary side caught in an ongoing holding pattern, look elsewhere.
At the other end of the table, The hapless Hounds look for all the world like a 13th placed side and will be hard pressed avoiding the ignominy of a fourth successive bottom four finish! The bottom three is effectively settled 10 weeks out, with the remaining rounds likely to do little more than finalise the finishing order.
Essendon will probably find enough to avoid the priority pick zone with a 14th place finish, but that will probably be as much as they are capable of this year.
Predictably, Hawthorn's early promise is fading faster than the dashboard of some mull head's Datsun 180B in the harsh glare of the northern coastal sunshine! Even the Peter Schwab All-HBF sides of yore couldn't have looked any more impotent than the Hawk outfit of the past fortnight! Supporter patience was always going to be sorely tested by the Clarkson long-term overhaul approach, and given whats' sure to be in store for the week's ahead, I can but give thanks for St George-Illawarra's surging NRL fortunes.
Its utterly ludicrous to even contemplate a round 22 ladder that won't find Hawthorn anchored to 16th spot, but Carlton is the favourite for this dishonour, which speaks volumes for the unholy mess the once proud Blues find themselves in! Another loss, belted by Brisbane, Fevola injured, several players facing suspension... The club doesn't look like it could buy a win even if it had the money to do so!
Both the Hawks and Blues need 3 wins to escape the priority pick zone and I'm buggered if I can see either of them making it! One side has to get a win when they play each other, but other than that...
The Kangaroos would've been rapt to get that win up. That being said, my preseason suggestion that the side was locked-in a disturbing holding pattern has well and truly been borne out. Indications are that the Roos will finish anywhere between 7-10 and I'd be expecting another finish of around 9 or 10. The club lacks impact and genuine improvement power, and its only a matter of time before the ladder forces inherent in the contemporary code overwhelm it.
The Tigers will rightly rue the loss and Terry Wallace was rightly lamenting his side's ineffective finsihing in the media. The loss of Nathan Brown hit home hard yesterday and will continue to hurt for the remainder of the year. Brown aside, I sense a lowering of confidence in the side and if Wallace isn't careful this could quickly degenerate in full-on negative momentum. Its far from a "razor blades @ dusk" scenario for the side yet, however, and we'll watch them closely over the next few weeks.
Both the Tigers and the Roos can ill-afford to falter with Brisbane & Port showing clear signs of a major resurgence, and with an indifferent Freo side likely to come home far stronger. I'm still not sold on Collingwood yet, but a win this afternoon will only increase the anxiety among the more fragile sides currently positioned in the eight.
Geelong remains a genuine flag contender, but will need to lift markedly in future weeks. Adelaide played a wonderful game in the conditions at Skilled Stadium and came within a poofteenth of getting the points in a war of attrition against a Cat outfit with its back to the wall (and subsequently at its most dangerous). The Crows remain the most intriguing side in this competition. Preseason you would have been hard pressed finding a handful of punters willing to position the Crows anywhere other than the bottom four for 2005, but the much maligned Craig has been little short of a revelation in the manner that he has transformed the team. If anything, the side can consider itself unlucky not to be sharing the lead with West Coast, given that they've had a couple of tight and unlucky losses.
West Coast is clearly the talk of the comp and its ever arrogant and obnoxious supporter base are all over the football websites claiming the premiership in June. As far as I'm concerned it's sh*t for sale with the Eagles and I'm just not buying. The revised finals draw may play into the clubs hands as it seeks a soft road to the GF, but while they may well get there, I still think they're a thrashing waiting to be implemented.
St Kilda has been disappointing this season, but given the level of manpower the side has been missing each week, this shouldn't come as a surprise. The tight nature of the competition plays into the Saints hands though, and I expect to see the club dangerously poised in the top four come season's end.
Sydney? Pfft! Another ordinary side caught in an ongoing holding pattern, look elsewhere.
At the other end of the table, The hapless Hounds look for all the world like a 13th placed side and will be hard pressed avoiding the ignominy of a fourth successive bottom four finish! The bottom three is effectively settled 10 weeks out, with the remaining rounds likely to do little more than finalise the finishing order.
Essendon will probably find enough to avoid the priority pick zone with a 14th place finish, but that will probably be as much as they are capable of this year.
Predictably, Hawthorn's early promise is fading faster than the dashboard of some mull head's Datsun 180B in the harsh glare of the northern coastal sunshine! Even the Peter Schwab All-HBF sides of yore couldn't have looked any more impotent than the Hawk outfit of the past fortnight! Supporter patience was always going to be sorely tested by the Clarkson long-term overhaul approach, and given whats' sure to be in store for the week's ahead, I can but give thanks for St George-Illawarra's surging NRL fortunes.
Its utterly ludicrous to even contemplate a round 22 ladder that won't find Hawthorn anchored to 16th spot, but Carlton is the favourite for this dishonour, which speaks volumes for the unholy mess the once proud Blues find themselves in! Another loss, belted by Brisbane, Fevola injured, several players facing suspension... The club doesn't look like it could buy a win even if it had the money to do so!
Both the Hawks and Blues need 3 wins to escape the priority pick zone and I'm buggered if I can see either of them making it! One side has to get a win when they play each other, but other than that...
