Roadtrip Fever

After we lost to Brisbane two years ago I said I wouldn't go interstate for football the next year. Then I went to Sydney and we won in the Jared Rivers farcical 50 match. That was suitably wild so suddenly I had the fever and announced that this year I was going to go to EVERY SINGLE GAME no matter where it was. Thank fuck that concept was shelved because it's been bad enough watching us get slapped by everyone in Victoria without travelling to Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane to see it as well.

Having never been to Manuka Oval before I was suckered into spending a weekend going there and coming back by car. Why did I bother? I always knew we were going to be shit. I didn't even notice at the time that Byron Pickett had channelled the spirit of Terry Wheeler and decided to kick into the wind in the first quarter. Maybe, like Terry, a fisherman told him that the wind was going to swing around? But where the fuck do you find a fisherman in the ACT?

We kicked the first two scores. That was nice. Then they started to massacre us, which was severely depressing. By the time we started kicking goals it was people who probably shouldn't even be there like Holland and Jamar who were doing it. You could tell that there was something seriously wrong when we had a Miller/Holland/Jamar combination for a goal. Why are any of these people in our first 22? Injuries or not I have serious doubts that they should even be on the list. At least you can argue that Holland gives 110% every time and Jamar is learning but what's Miller's excuse? He's just shit.

Five goals down and marooned in the middle of a bunch of Sydney fans. Could life have gotten any better? At least the ground itself was nice.

Fucked if I know what else to say. It's all just... Depressing.

We got smashed, but not by as much as you'd think. Looked to me like the Swans put the cue in the rack in the last quarter and resisted the temptation to put us to the sword like Port had the week before. We have, however, kicked the last two goals in both of our last two games - which might be helpful if we could stay within 12pts of the opposition longer than two minutes into the first quarter.

Crowd Watch
It was a ludicrously 'multicultural' crowd. We spotted at least one person wearing the colors of every single team in the league as well as the Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy. Then there was the Canberra Raiders (natch), Canterbury Bulldogs, Wests Tigers, Washington Capitals, New York Yankees, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and about 25 different local footy teams. Nobody cared that we got tonked but thanks for helping prop the club up - see you next season.

2007 Allen Jakovich Medal Votes

5 - Jones
4 - Holland
3 - Carroll
2 - Green
1 - Ferguson

Leaderboard

With Bruce gone it looks as if we're down to a three-way race for the most undeserved championship in world sports. McDonald would have to be favourite on consistency alone, but Jones is climbing the leaderboard at a rapid rate and could pull off a shock victory.

In other awards Wheatley looks home in the defender of the year, and Petterd will hold on for rookie of the year unless Juice Newton can pull something special out of the bag in the next few weeks.

Everything that needs to be said about this season can be seen in the fact that Miller only has one vote less than the man who we've all decided is the saviour of the club. God I hate footy.

27 - McDonald
25 - Green
24 - Jones
19 - Bruce
17 - Bate
16 - White
12 - Wheatley (Shock Leader: Marcus Seecamp Medal for Defender of the Year)
11 - Johnstone
10 - Rivers
10 - Davey
9 - McLean
8 - Miller
8 - Godfrey
7 - Sylvia
7 - Holland
6 - Neitz
6 - Robertson
6 - Bizzell
6 - Moloney
5 - Yze
5 - Bell
5 - Petterd (Leader: Jeff Hilton Medal for Rookie of the Year)
5 - Brown
5 - Carroll
3 - Newton
2 - Dunn
1 - Frawley
1 - Pickett
1 - Ferguson

Next Week
We got smacked by Footscray. Then Collingwood, Freo and Carlton. Apparently this is a good thing - fuck that I want to WIN WIN WIN.