A post that isn't just links...

...and no pics of Christina Hendricks.

Some observations on the football

- I know people hate Collingwood, and for good reason. They play attractive football, score goals, defend well, and display a team mentality often lacking in professional sport these days. It's sickening. But if you can overlook all that, you will see a team that is really doing the biz in almost every way. Mick Malthouse has added hard bodied, experienced players (Ball, Jolly, Brown) to the established core (Swan, Maxwell, Shaw, Didak, Davis, Cloke, O'Brien, Pendlebury), and brought on young players who show no fear (Beams, Sidebottom, Dawes, Toovey, Blair). It's a potent mix. This is the best Collingwood team I've seen in my lifetime. I guess the 1990 Premiership team was bloody good too, but it was slightly before my time (I did start supporting Collingwood in that year though).

- All that said, Collingwood may not have enough to beat Geelong at their peak. The Cats are running hot again. It's scary how good they are. I can only hope Gary Ablett Jr comes out before the finals and announces he's leaving to go to the Gold Coast. It might upset the apple cart enough for the Pies to snatch a key win. We'll find out this weekend if Collingwood have improved enough to tackle a red-hot Geelong.

- Brisbane... where to start? A debacle of a season. Someone said the other week to judge the team next year after all the new signings have had time to settle in. I don't know. They've actually got worse as the season has progressed. Surely they should be settling in better? This could ruin all that good work Voss did in his first season as coach.

- Got to say, I'm still enjoying West Coast's demise. HAHAHA. Fun. Other people irrationally hate Collingwood, I irrationally hate West Coast. And Essendon. But seriously, HAHAHAHAHA West Coast suck.

- I want to make a public apology to the young Richmond fan who sat in front of me and Dr Harry at the preseason game vs Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium. While watching that performance (one of the worst I have seen), we were dead certain the Tigers would not win a game in 2010. We discussed their chances of ever getting a high draft pick in the next three years (chance: zero). We said how they had no one coming through. We said it would be three years of pain for Richmond. Well, young bloke who had to listen to us (justifyably) verbally destroy your team - I apologise. Turns out Damien Hardwick is a better coach than we gave him credit for.

- Also, on Richmond, who in the AFL thought Jack Riewoldt wouldn't make it as a goal scoring forward? Anyone - anyone - who watched him play for the Tassie Devils in the VFL as a 17-year-old would have known he could do it. Why? Because as a skinny, light weight 17-year-old, he regularly kicked multiple goals against hard-bodied, AFL listed players. That takes skills and intelligence. Once he added the bulk and got a few games under his belt, he was going to take off. I thought he went low in the draft at the time, and now other people are recognising it too. Also, got to give Richmond credit for playing Richo on the wing that season to allow Riewoldt the chance to develop up forward. Not only did it give Richo a real chance at the Brownlow (a crying shame when he missed out), but the dividends are paying off handsomely now with Jack's goal-kicking form.

- Melbourne are a game and half outside the eight. Ridiculous, I know. They won't make it... but they could go very close. Considering they were missing a few players through injury this year, it's a great effort. The Jim Stynes effect could get them over the line.

- On North Melbourne moving to Hobart for a few games, I have this to say.
1) It would be their fourth base outside Melbourne in eight years. Sydney, Canberra and the Gold Coast didn't work. Why would Hobart?
2) More than $20 million needs to be spent on Bellerive to get it to AFL standard, including removing the Hill and adding a drop-in wicket. Nice way to ruin the cricket.
3) North Melbourne are uninspiring. They look at the Hawks and the success that has been. They're not realising just how well the stars aligned for Hawthorn. A young team, an absolute superstar in Buddy Franklin who brings people to games, an unexpected premiership early on in the deal, and a huge latent supporter base from the 1980s. North has none of those things. The team is uninspiring and has no one to attract new supporters.
4) Hobart people do not have a culture of going to sporting events. It's unfortunate, and no fault of ours. We have been starved of national winter sport for so long that it doesn't occur to us. When we do have some sport - like the Tassie Devils in the VFL - we only go along when they're successful.
5) The Mercury is pushing this hard, because their readers only care about AFL football. They don't give a stuff about local football (which is why it is covered intermittently). The Merc wants to write about the big time. AFL is the big time. And it's in Launceston right now. I work for the opposition, sure, but I'm a Hobart person born and bred. I would love to see AFL games here. Unfortunately, the deal on the table will not work. Richmond could make it work. North will not.

- There are a few footy books coming out worth reading. Andrew McLeod's autobiography will let everyone know what happened between him and Tyson Edwards that meant they did not speak to each other for FIVE YEARS, despite playing in the same team that entire time. Mental. David Schwarz talking about his massive gambling debts and when his father got shot dead by a masked gunman should be interesting. And, of course, Aker. Damn. That is going to be a good read.

- Carlton suck sometimes and I like that.