meltiger said:
Wanna talk shockers, ho0w about Cleve's efforts!
If we're talking shockers, the conversation starts and ends with Hawthorn's showing today!
I would argue that Sam Mitchell and Campbell Brown were the only two players who could argue a case for winning their positions (Hodge may have got there, had he been left in the midfield all day) and the only genuine positive to come out of the game was the continuing solid form of Grant Birchall.
Vandenberg tried hard but was typically awful (I call upon him to do the right thing and retire at season's end), Smith is past it (should finish out his career at Box Hill in 2007), Barker is the second last remaining Fitzroy player in action, and played just like a dinosaur (must retire at season's end, and I'd expect to see Dowler in the top side sooner rather than later providing his fitness holds). You can talk about the value of experience all you like, but if the experience on offer is of this calibre, its definitely more of a liability than anything else.
St Kilda showed the grit and determination that could them over the line in horror conditions against Sydney and were far too good across the whole game. Reiwoldt was superb up front and while he didn't star, the Saints would have been happy with the first-up showing from ruckman Michael Rix. Robert Harvey was great again, but it would have been nice to see him with an actual opponent! Brendon Goddard was also allowed to run free throughout the day, but even allowing for that, I can see how well he is coming along as a player (could be the newest example of a Travis Johnstone style slow-burn realisation of his potential). Gehrig & Milne did more than enough to earn their pay, as did Dal Santo, as is per usual.
If votes were being awarded on the Hawthorn side, I'd expect to get the 3, 2 and the 1 for sitting through every single second of this tosh; just wishing the Dragons had of been on the tube with the Hawks having the bye!
Rubbish and then some from the AFL team with by far the bioggest gap between its best and worst. Definitely not a game I'll be downloading from aussietorrents.com!
Rant over, going to drink alcohol! :evil:
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