Match Reviews

[Melb Blood Bro]

Thank you Jewels, Mel and Erica for your very kind words. I'm really enjoying putting a few words together about the Swannies, and the way that we're playing at the moment is making it even more enjoyable! I will certainly continue to post a match review each week for the rest of the season on RWO if Swans supporters like yourselves find them to be good reads. Thanks again.

Keep em coming Joe. It's esp. great for us Melburnians to get that SCG feel.

[joemoore12]

Thanks guys. I'll keep em coming for sure. 'Melb Blood Bro', I actually live in Hobart but try to get to a few games at both the SCG and MCG each year. 'Swanny40519' I hope I haven't jinxed anything, but I have already booked flights and accommodation for Grand Final weekend! If we don't make it, I'll just head along to the Rising Sun!

[Auntie.Gerald]

Thanks Joe

I must say i have tried a few varieties of hot toddy over the years

I played golf for a little while with a lovely scotsman who would bring along a thermus flask of Hot Toddy in the middle of winter. On the fifth hole early in the morning in the freezing cold, he would say "alright laddies its time for a hot toddy" and we would all stand there, over looking the pretty course, mist rolling in some days and we would all say

"Slainte. Here's tae ye"

i personally dont like to drink when playing golf but i must say a couple nips of this warming beverage with a few mates was all class and just the tonic to warm up and make the day even more magical !

while spending time in the States (middle of a Washington DC Winter) i was introduced to a warm whiskey cider which was hard to beat !

recipe -

Ingredients: traditional 1

1.5 shots of whiskey but you can use, brandy or rum
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water

Ingredients: traditional 2

1 and a half shots of whiskey
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag

my version :

1 and a half shots of whiskey
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag of rooibos tea which is simply amazing !

[joemoore12]

Thanks Auntie Gerald, I'm going to steal your recipe!

[Melb Blood Bro]

Thanks guys. I'll keep em coming for sure. 'Melb Blood Bro', I actually live in Hobart but try to get to a few games at both the SCG and MCG each year. 'Swanny40519' I hope I haven't jinxed anything, but I have already booked flights and accommodation for Grand Final weekend! If we don't make it, I'll just head along to the Rising Sun!

Is that the Rising Sun in South Melb where we have our Blood Brother get togethers? What happens there on game day, do they telecast the match?

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks Joe

I must say i have tried a few varieties of hot toddy over the years

I played golf for a little while with a lovely scotsman who would bring along a thermus flask of Hot Toddy in the middle of winter. On the fifth hole early in the morning in the freezing cold, he would say "alright laddies its time for a hot toddy" and we would all stand there, over looking the pretty course, mist rolling in some days and we would all say

"Slainte. Here's tae ye"

i personally dont like to drink when playing golf but i must say a couple nips of this warming beverage with a few mates was all class and just the tonic to warm up and make the day even more magical !

while spending time in the States (middle of a Washington DC Winter) i was introduced to a warm whiskey cider which was hard to beat !

recipe -

Ingredients: traditional 1

1.5 shots of whiskey but you can use, brandy or rum
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water

Ingredients: traditional 2

1 and a half shots of whiskey
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag

my version :

1 and a half shots of whiskey
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag of rooibos tea which is simply amazing !

They sound like good remedies for a cold. I've had a dry cough for over a month; I'll have to try it.

[Auntie.Gerald]

enjoy

BTW the fella (the Scot) I played golf with had a few $ tucked away and he always used lovely old scottish single malt......no doubt a little expensive

For a non lover of whiskey i must it was very nice

[Melb Blood Bro]

Thanks Auntie Gerald, I'm going to steal your recipe!

I like my recipe better;
1 x glass of whiskey,
small amount of ice,
Drink

[joemoore12]

[QUOTE=Melb Blood Bro;646113]Is that the Rising Sun in South Melb where we have our Blood Brother get togethers? What happens there on game day, do they telecast the match?

Yeah that's the one mate. I often drop in when I'm in Melbourne, they show all the Swannies games, get a pretty good crowd in there too. I'm sure they would do something on GF day, but if the Bloods are playing, I'll be at the 'G!

[Melb Blood Bro]

[QUOTE=joemoore12;646122]

Is that the Rising Sun in South Melb where we have our Blood Brother get togethers? What happens there on game day, do they telecast the match?

Yeah that's the one mate. I often drop in when I'm in Melbourne, they show all the Swannies games, get a pretty good crowd in there too. I'm sure they would do something on GF day, but if the Bloods are playing, I'll be at the 'G!

Never knew that Joe. Thanks. It's a bit far for me if I'm having a beer or two and using public transport. I go there for the BB get togethers but drive.

[ugg]

Joe did you write a report for any of our losses? Would love to see the contrast

[joemoore12]

Yeah, I have Ugg. I went to the match v North that we lost pretty badly. I'll post that report up for you to take a look at.

[joemoore12]

AFL Round 4 ? Sydney v North Melbourne: Minimum chips

It?s not very often that you get to celebrate your birthday a month early. Fortunately for me, this year I did. As a gift from my wonderful wife, we flew from the Apple Isle to the Harbour City for a long weekend which included watching my beloved Swans take on The Enemy at the SCG. A true sporting icon, the Sydney Cricket Ground is without doubt my favourite place to visit. As a Swans supporter, there is no feeling like being surrounded by red and white, cocooned in a blatantly one-sided, biased home crowd supporting our boys, who more often than not, reward us with a performance which enables the singing of our favourite tune at the end of the match. As we stroll through the city streets from Haymarket to Moore Park, I comment on how comfortable I feel when I get to watch the team play live. ?I?m never nervous when we come up here?. In fifteen seasons of watching the Swans play live, I have only ever witnessed one loss at our traditional home ground, and that was by less than a solitary goal! Things were about to change?.

This would be my first time experiencing the new grandstand and I must say, it?s impressive! (Apart from the broken down escalator taking you up to Level 2). Meandering through the completely modernised brand spanking new area, decked out with brand new flat screens displaying Swannies highlight reels and poster after poster of star players, my eyes gaze upon the Matilda Bay Brewery Bar. Where am I? I feel as though I?ve stumbled across something so profound that it has given me a reason to believe in some form of magical after life! I compose myself and make my selection from the numerous taps. Minimum Chips! A ?Hand-cut Golden Lager? that didn?t disappoint. As this match wore on, I would reacquaint myself with this particular region of the ground at much more frequent intervals. I would like to thank Minimum Chips for supporting me through a gruelling afternoon?s viewing.

There is a growing feeling amongst our supporters that the new breed of Swan is uncomfortable when the Sherrin is wet. This is incomprehensible for someone who has grown up watching players like Kelly, Kirk and Bolton and a team who would thrive in these conditions. As I am finding out this year though, things change and change quickly in the football world. Today is wet. Very wet. The Enemy are a good side. They haven?t beaten us for a long time, and an even longer time on our home patch. From the opening bounce, they outplayed us. Completely. A midfield that just seemed to be cloned in their blue and white stripes, dominated the early proceedings and never looked back. In fact, as the match wore on, they continued to extend the gap between the two sides. This new stand seems very quiet for some reason.

As I pay my $8 for another serving of Minimum Chips, I find myself re-evaluating pre-season expectations. Dramatising and over analysing what this loss means, I quickly pull my head in! I know that I have been completely spoilt over the past twenty or so years, in witnessing the ?Rise of the Swans? as Martin Blake would put it. I need to keep a level head and assess the current situation. We have not started this season well, that is a fact. We have not played well today, that is a fact. I have still had a ball with my wife watching my team play live, that is a fact. Minimum Chips is a bloody good beer, that is a fact. Life?s not so bad?.

Well played to The Enemy. They have endured their fair share of criticism over the past couple of seasons, and they looked good. My boys will live to fight another day and will do so in the same proud manner as they have for many years on this famous old ground. The match day experience at your team?s home cannot be replicated. The brotherhood and sisterhood of Bloods supporters (and multiple servings of Minimum Chips) have consoled and placed my football teams? fortunes into perspective. Enjoy the experience and revel in an environment that somehow feels like home.



North Melbourne 13.13 (91)

Sydney 6.12 (48)

Goals:

Sydney: Laidler 2, Grundy, Jack, McVeigh, O?Keefe

North Melbourne: Black 3, Wells 3, Mullett 2, Petrie, Thomas, Nahas, Adams, Goldstein

Best:

Sydney: Kennedy, McGlynn, Laidler, McVeigh

North Melbourne: Thompson, Cunnington, Wells, Adams, Gibson, Dal Santo, Black

Umpires:

Chamberlain, Meredith, Ryan

Official Crowd:

25, 505

Votes:

3- Scott Thompson (North Melbourne)

2- Ben Cunnington (North Melbourne)

1- Leigh Adams (North Melbourne)

[joemoore12]

AFL Round 16 - West Coast v Sydney: Where Were You?

When the most credible of sources, 'Wikipedia' lists encounters between these two sides as an official rivalry, you know you're in for a serious afternoon of football. Fierce rivals over the past decade, the Swans and the Eagles have played out some high-stakes thrillers never failed to entertain. Whilst recent encounters have lacked the ferocity and tense finishes of previous battles, whenever these two modern-day giants meet, memories of past glories are evoked. Where were you when the Swannies won the flag for the first time in seventy-two years? I was in Dublin, cheer cheering from a mate's lounge room sipping on a can of Guinness at the ungodly hour of 5am. Great day! Where were you when the Eagles gained revenge the next year with a one-point Grand Final victory? I was in Dublin, again in a mate's lounge room, this time sipping Guinness cans through the night to sit up and watch the big game (slightly bleary eyed). Like all supporters of these two proud clubs, those memories will last forever.

So, apparently Kurt's hurt and Nic Nat...well out he sat. Perth is wet and the scene is set. The rivalry continues. The Great Goodesy will today break the record for the most games played by an indigenous man. A milestone that I feel hasn't quite received the accolades that it deserves. For a young man drafted by the Swans with pick no.43 in the 2007 draft, his career has been remarkable. As a proud indigenous man, breaking the record set by the Mercurial McLeod, playing game number 341, will surely go down as one of his greatest achievements. He celebrates by crumbing a pack, snapping around his body on the trusty right boot for the Swannies second goal.

Where were you when Big Bad Barry lost all control and broke Staker's jaw? I was sitting in the Southern Stand of ANZ Stadium. Like the rest of the crowd, wondering why Staker was laying down. A glance at the big screen and all questions were answered. You're in trouble here, Baz. Cometti and Zempilas are not a Mediterranean Shipping Firm, but the providers of today's commentary and the inclement weather is reaking havoc with the coverage. By the time the dulcet tones of Dennis return, Reidy has nailed the third for the Bloods and looked to be handling the conditions better. Eric and Lance look to be having an enthralling duel at full-forward as both teams miss gettable chances in the wet. That Priddis is a good player. His first quarter keeps The Enemy in touch. An eight-point lead at quarter time is not enhanced by the news that young Jonesy has been subbed out with the dreaded concussion.

As the slog continues, it is the younger brigade of the Swans who are impressing. Parker, Jetta, Bird, Rampe and Reid are leading the charge for the visitors as a series of opportunities are expertly created but then, expertly wasted. Teddy is safe as a bank, but the Eagles are showing some real grit, that has perhaps been lacking throughout the season. Where were you in 2008, when the Swannies came back from a 36-point half-time deficit to win at a pumping Subiaco by five points? I was discussing the rivalry with a couple of silver-haired well-lubricated lawn bowlers in a Moonee Ponds pub. "Those Swans never bloody give up". Eric and Lance continue to wrestle. Lance wins a free. The crowd boos. Lance kicks a goal. The deluge loiters, however this good ol' fashioned slog is providing an entertaining contest. As The Enemy goal in the dying stages of the half, the margin is reduced to thirteen.

A key combatant in this rivalry was Jude Bolton. As he sits on the sidelines in his new role in the football media, I pose a question. Have I ever seen a Swan play better in these conditions than Juuuuude? No. I have not. We could do with him today as The Enemy fight back with a vengeance in the third quarter. Two goals in a minute and the Bloods hold a shaky looking one-goal lead. The hard-working McGlynn goals and Basil roars...."The little man, with a big finish!" The final term begins with a sense that this match will be a return to those tight tussles of the past. Both sides have lifted the intensity of their efforts and the soggy Sherrin is proving problematic. Parker goals for the second time today and further enhances his standing as one of our 'main men'. Goodesy marks and goals and the Bloods skip out to a twenty-five point lead which looks to be a match-winning one in these conditions. This proves the case and with a terrific team effort, the Swans prevail. Luke Parker claims the best-on-ground honours in a dominant display. Where were you when the Swans beat the Eagles by a slightly flattering margin of 28 points in Round 16, 2014? I was at bloody work.

Sydney 10.19 (79)

West Coast 7.9 (51)

Best:

Sydney: Parker, Bird, Richards, Reid, Jetta, McGlynn, McVeigh.

West Coast: Priddis, MacKenzie, Shuey, Darling, Lycett.

Goals:

Sydney: Goodes 3, Parker 2, McGlynn 2, Rampe, Reid, Franklin.

West Coast: Kennedy 2, Priddis, Shuey, Darling, Cripps, Lycett.

Crowd:

25,076 at Patersons Stadium.

Umpires:

Farmer, Chamberlain, O'Gorman.

Votes:

3 - Luke Parker (Sydney)

2 - Sam Reid (Sydney)

1 - Matt Priddis (West Coast)

[Zlatorog]

Sorry, but Goodsey was drafted in 1997 not 2007.

[joemoore12]

Thanks Zlatorog. It was actually 1997, must have confused my decades!