So I went out to an Irish pub in Raleigh on Friday night. The pub carried Setanta Sports, so I could watch a bit of the Richmond Tigers v. West Coast Eagles match. It cost $3 for parking, $5 for a cover charge, and $6 for a Newcastle and tip. Plus, the game started at midnight, so the pub was sure to kick me out midway through the 3rd quarter. All in all, I spent $14 to watch one half of live AFL footy.
Setanta Sports needs to hurry its ass up and get on Dish Network. Damn it.
West Coast Eagles 99, Richmond Tigers 76. The more I see David Wirrpanda in action, the more impressed I am with his skills. He was Johnny-on-the-spot all throughout the first half in this one, forcing key turnovers and igniting the Eagles’ 40-point 2nd quarter with an impossible goal. Wirrpanda had 3 goals, and Quinten Lynch had 4 goals for the still-unbeaten Eagles. Richmond drops to 0-5. Jay Schulz had a rough day, shanking four goal kick attempts for behinds. I’ve seen better kicking out of Chris Gardocki.
Collingwood Magpies 95, Essendon Bombers 79. Australia’s annual ANZAC Day celebration saw the ‘Pies fight off fatigue and inaccurate 4th-quarter kicking — 7 behinds in the 4th — to hold off Essendon and climb to 3-2 on the season. Anthony Rocca struggled late but finished with 22 points on 3 goals and 4 behinds, while Matthew J. Lloyd and Alwyn Davey led the Bombers with 20 points each.
Fremantle Dockers 58, Adelaide Crows 57. Here’s your upset of the week. Luke Webster broke a 57-57 tie with a late behind 20 seconds from the final siren to give the Dockers their second win in a row. Has Fremantle recovered from an 0-3 start to start challenging in the AFL?
Port Adelaide Power 96, St. Kilda Saints 43. And the Power just keeps on charging. They are now 4-1 on the season after spanking the Saints, whose offense just seems to disappear against quality teams. Warren Tredrea had 3 goals for the Power, while Shaun Burgoyne added 14 points and Brett Ebert scored 13 points. Those three alone outscored the Saints. Yikes.
Brisbane Lions 136, Carlton Blues 124. Shootout! Carlton had a 92-79 lead at the half, but a late Brisbane charge put this one away. Jonathan Brown led the Lions with 20 points and 15 marks, while Brendan Fevola tied six other players, including Brown, with 3 goals. The Lions are now 3-2, while Carlton drops to a disappointing 2-3. The Blues need to find some defense. They’ve given up a league-high 618 points so far this season.
Sydney Swans 109, Melbourne Demons 60. Confronting demons has never been easier than it’s been in Melbourne lately, where these Demons are the runaway favorites to win a wooden spoon. The Swans proved more far accurate than usual in this one, converting 17 of 20 shots on goal. Barry Fuckin’ Hall led the charge with 4 goals.
All the Round 5 scores and current standings are available from the AFL web site and, of course, Wikipedia.
