Despite everything, an awesome weekend in Melbourne.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Guys, I hate to be unnecessarily upbeat and positive, thus ruining the spirit of melancholy prevalent on this list, but I'd like to let you all how my weekend went in Melbourne.

Yes, despite the Swans' pathetic efforts, I had
an awesome time in SUNNY (!) Melbourne, and
didn't really want to come home.

The pre-match get-together with friends from far
and wide at the Cricketers was great fun, as
usual. Robbie Ando scoffed the odd $4 steak sandwich
whilst I availed several $2 sausage sandwiches.
The beer garden out the back of the Cricketers is
DEFINITELY the place for listees/RWO posters to
catch up. Now only Carlton and Geelong remain the
only grounds in Victoria where things are yet to
be organised re meeting up pre/post match. (And
Cher lives across the road from K Park, so there
might be a cattle stampede of NSW types when we
next are in Geelong!!!!)

The game, neeeeeeeeeeext...

After the game, fun fun fun. After Daniel parked
his van on the other side of the Yarra (try
Albury next time mate! )) we all headed to Cafe
Trevi in Carlton for some yummy midnight pizza. I
ordered in Italian, only for the waiter to reply
in English. What were you expecting for $10 Greg?
Wouldn't get that in Sydney at 11pm!! Mine was
yummy, but food and me tend to get on pretty fine
on most occasions. Robbie vanished into the night
so as to catch the last train home. Hopefully his
shoes didn't turn into pumpkins!

I went off to the Port Adelaide match on the
Sunday, as I have been friends with fellow
"illegal" flagwaver Shane Kelly for years, after
we met at an SANFL game on the weekend the Swans
played in Adelaide. Paul and I from the CS got
there at 1pm, only to find out that general
admission seats had all gone. $33 for a game of
footy, rot in hell you Carlton scumbags!!!!
(Thanks to Shane for letting us into the area
around the Port CS!)

The Port supporters are a passionate yet highly
pleasant bunch proud of their club's history (in
the making!). We were very well received being
Sydney supporters at their after-match, which was
far better than anything we have seen in either
Melbourne or Sydney. They are a club run by the
little person FOR the little person. Their after
match hotel has pictures of all the players and
coach. And this is in Melbourne!!!!? Our club
could learn an incredible amount by attempting to
emmulate the blue collar club spirit and worth
ethic of a club like Port Adelaide. It is no
secret that only after a couple of years they are
already among the best sides in the AFL.

A burgeoning friendship is being developed
between the Port and Sydney supporters. Let's
face it, we need the support of the interstaters
in the face of vitriol from Eddie and those south
of the Barassi line. And they seemed more than
prepared to give it to us, being genuinely
interested about how footy is going in Sydney. We
are hoping to develop a relationship when when
both teams play in Melbourne on the same weekend,
that both sets of supporters go to support the
other side.I'll be in for sure. The Port
supporters would be wrapped to know that there
are fans from another club who are willing to
give them a bit of support.

Watching a game of footy not involving the Swans,
in a fiercely passionate footballing atmosphere,
is a pleasant experience in itself for somebody
from Sydney. And a great opportunity to compare
how we are going as a club compared to others.

Have heaps more to say about things, especially
on the field. But at the moment I'm still
satisfied having had such a great time in
Melbourne which people who are now very much my
friends, rather than just people who follow the
same team as me.

cheers everyone

JF

PS:- Des is a jinx. And a bloody good reader of the Record too.

[Angelic Upstart]

Hey JF, interesting comments about Port and their fans. I know a few Crows supporters and have had similiar sentiments, ie interest in the Swans and how they're going. And because of their influence I've grown to quite like the Crows, which has meant I've instinctively disliked Port. So the idea of giving Port my support might be hard for me.

How did you think Carlton's performance compared to the Swans'? I went away from the Hawks game thinking, are we maybe the worst team in the league? Then I saw Carlton play on TV, and I thought, well perhaps there are a few teams worse than us. St Kilda also looked as error-ridden and frustrating to watch for their supporters as the Swans were for us.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Who is better placed at the moment-us or Carlton?

Originally posted by Angelic Upstart
Hey JF, interesting comments about Port and their fans. I know a few Crows supporters and have had similiar sentiments, ie interest in the Swans and how they're going. And because of their influence I've grown to quite like the Crows, which has meant I've instinctively disliked Port. So the idea of giving Port my support might be hard for me.

How did you think Carlton's performance compared to the Swans'? I went away from the Hawks game thinking, are we maybe the worst team in the league? Then I saw Carlton play on TV, and I thought, well perhaps there are a few teams worse than us. St Kilda also looked as error-ridden and frustrating to watch for their supporters as the Swans were for us.

Hey Angelic,
Yeah, I can understand the Crows-Port dislike. If you have attachment to one in any shape or form, you instinctively tend to dislike the other. Interestingly I do NOT dislike the Crows, and cheered madly for them during their recent Grand Finals.

However if the Adelaide Crows are the future of football, I fear for it. The Crows are little more than a conglomerate side created artificially by the SANFL through fear of Port getting in ahead of it. Yes, they have brought heaps of new people into football. And are THE NUMBER ONE TICKET in Adelaide. But it still comes across as a tad too commercial, and a tad lacking in real soul. I mean, what club seriously puts its sponsor in its club song ("Here we go, Camry Crows") When they lose their paid-up season ticketholders choose not to turn up. And their club members (not season ticket holders) get a poster and a car sticker. Oh, and their club house is a giant aircraft-hanger shed around the back of the training ovals where people park their cars.

Of course Port had to re-invent itself to enter the AFL. Gone are the distinctive black and white "gailhouse" stripes, and in is the teal in its place. Interestingly I used to hate Port Magpies in the SANFL, but when you go to a game you seriously get the feeling that Port is a CLUB, representing its area, its supporters, and its history. Yes, the club is followed by a great deal of knuckle-dragging chip-on-the-shoulder type ferals. But it thrives on defeating "better" opponents through simple hard work and the willingness to put your body on the line. This alone is enough to earn my respect. Even if under the "Power" entity the club does come across as a little bit contrived and Americanised. But hey, a pretty decent club already has its Magpies club song.......

You posed the question as to which club out of us and Carlton is in a better shape. This is a very good question. I would have to say Carlton, but only just. The Blues still do have plenty of over-the-hill hacks in their side (Martyn, Kouta,Hickmont, McKernan, French, McKay, Murphy, Ratten, Allen) Due to their draft penalties they won't be able to rejuvenate their club for a fair few years. In this instance we DO hold a long term advantage over them, if we use it properly.

The Blues have already put together some highly credible efforts this season. They nearly beat Collingwood, and knocked over Essendon with a bloody good effort. They have most of the time (except our match, and during the second half against Port) been pretty serviceable, with Pagan getting the most out of a limited squad. I thought they were really in with a show against Port. When they got away to a great start in the first quarter, they really looked good. My Port friends never openly admitted it, but the Blues had them worried. Worried for far longer than the Hawks fans would have been the night before.

Similarly to our efforts during the last quarter against Hawthorn, when placed under pressure Carlton simply capitulated. However the footy they play is far better to watch than us, with far more direct use of the pill, and far less inaccurate passing/handballing. Carlton still have enough leader types to show example. In the absence of Kelly and Dunkley, we simply don't.

However I have the feeling that we are far more capable of turning things around than the Blues are. One day when we are mad enough, and are prepared to play for each other and dive in for the hard ball, we WILL come out and surprise somebody. Hopefully somebody big like Collingwood.

There IS a great deal of improvement in so many of our players. Hall, Micky O, Jude, Goodsey, Saddo, Schaubes, Benny Matthews can play 500% better than they showed against Hawthorn. We are very much a confidence team. When we are 'up", we can play some great footy. however when our confidence is down, the hesitation instantly appears, even at things as rudimentary as kick outs after a behind. Players stop making leads, and the footy we play becomes interspersed with poor skills to players not 100% keen on getting the footy.

Carlton are already capable of playing such footy. And look to have done heaps more in the gym than us. (Hulme, Hickmont, Kouta certainly cannot be described as under-developed bodywise).

Hopefully we will see something more from our charges against the Dees, who are just as suspect as us, if not worse.

What are all your thoughts?

JF

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

How the Port supporters reacted to my comments.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66290

JF

[Angelic Upstart]

They'll be making you an honourary member next, JF!
Anyway, they had another good win in the Showdown, so good luck to them.