Aussie winter Sports thread

Sydney ends Collimgwood's season in a result I didn't particularly care about because, on every ladder predictor I put in the Pies couldn't have finished higher than 9th had they won out anyway. Pies blew a 27 point lead in the last quarter and whinged about a late 50m penalty non-call. Short memories of the Kangaroos game I guess...

Penrith also came from a long way back to beat the Eels in a classic. Cronulla didn't need a comebacks to end the Titan's season 44-0 on the Gold Coast. 2-3 months of building squandered without a whimper.

In Australian sports there's a phenomenon known as the "Premiership window," from which few clubs are exempt (Geelong and Sydney in the AFL, Roosters and Melbourne in the NRL). The window is very short in the NRL (2-3 years) and a little longer in the AFL (5-7 years). Collingwood's window has been open for 6 years and they won a premiership right at the end of it. We now have the oldest list in the comp and need to refresh it, drop down the table a bit for a couple of years, and then come back built around Bobby Hill and the Daicos brothers.

GWS put their hand up as serious contenders, overcoming a 30 point deficit at quarter time to run over the top of Brisbane by 18 points. May have been a different story had Brisbane not gone 8.16 in front of goal whilst the Giants were extraordinarily accurate kicking 13.4.

And North somehow managed to lose to West Coast in spite of leading by 19 with less than 4 minutes left.

Manly thrashed Canberra in the NRL.

Dragons came good, and showed some glimpses of form. The Doggies did find another gear though to win comfortably in the end.

NRL getting interesting. Brisbane can still get there, but it's hard to see anyone below Canberra (24 points, 11th) getting in. Bulldogs, Sharks and Roosters to sort out 3rd-5th with the top 2 looking safe. The extra point for Manly has them reasonably safe in 6th. Cowboys playing poorly and looking vulnerable in 7th. Shame the NRL app doesn't have a predictor attached to their ladder like the AFL does. Some big games next week with many of the clubs in contention for finals spits playing each other and the top of the table clash in Penrith.

In the AFL it's a complete crap shoot at the moment. 2nd-4th all on 56 points. Brisbane are out of the 4 but look safe to play finals. From Fremantle down can all miss. Swans need one win to be guaranteed top 2.

Big games from here are GWS V Fremantle, Bulldogs vs GWS and Fremantle vs Port. Other big games of course, including a Showdown next week, but those are the three games that will sort a lot out.

Big game tonight in the NRL - Penrith at Home against the Storm. 2nd v 1st.

Although not initially named in the side, the mail is that both Dylan Edwards and James Fisher Harris are starters for the 3 time defending champions.

I think it’s a much more important game for the Storm than the Panthers. Penrith just know they have it, and have repeatedly proven it. The last few weeks they have been very lax in some areas, but have had the gears to pull wins from deep inside their own arse. A loss here, although loses them the minor premiership, isn’t a massive issue.

Melbourne, have also looked very patchy, and need a solid performance to really frank their premiership credentials. There is a nagging doubt about them, especially their forwards, in a game against a big club.

Manly eventually shake off a determined Warriors 24-10 while the Roosters thrashed a miserable Parramatta 38-14.

Swans about to seal the minor premiership and end Essendon's season unless something extraordinary happens, leading by 27 in the last quarter. Essendon had a staggering 38 inside 50s to 15 in the first half. Even more staggering all those I50s produced only 10 shots to the Swans 7. That is staggering ineptitude.