So I didn’t get to watch the AFL Preliminary Finals over the weekend, thanks in part to the joys of being an away supporter for my local soccer club, but the outcome was all too predictable. AFL table-toppers the Geelong Cats will face the 2nd-place Hawthorn Hawks in front of a packed house at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this coming Saturday.
Last year, Geelong utterly demolished the Port Adelaide Power in one of the most lopsided Grand Finals in Australian history. This year, it ought to be different. Hawthorn played Geelong really close a few weeks ago and might have won but for a few key missed shots at goal. If Buddy Franklin can avoid those bad misses this time around, it could very well go the other way.
Or is that wishful thinking? Seriously, nobody wants another blowout this year. We want our Grand Finals to go right down to the wire, like the Sydney v. West Coast battles in 2005 and 2006. After all, I’m going to be up until 3:00 in the morning at a Grand Final party in a bar in downtown Raleigh, and the last thing I need is a game that will put me right to sleep.
That’s on you, Hawks. Try to make a game of it this time, okay?
4 responses so far ↓
1 Chani // Sep 23, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Enjoy the game Dave. I won’t be able to watch it in the UK because I don’t have Setanta. Incidentally, my dad planned his overseas trip to visit me to make sure he flies back to Australia Friday night so he can watch the grand final on Saturday!
2 Ryano // Sep 23, 2008 at 2:13 pm
This game has all the makings of an epic, but now I’ve said that it probably won’t be.
Regardless its gonna be fun, I hope you and your fellow North Carolinians’ enjoy the game Dave!
3 Kick2Kick // Sep 23, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Yes should be a good game so lets just hope that both teams turn up. This years finals has been boring so we need a good GF to make this a memorable year for the 150th year of AFL.
4 another joe // Sep 27, 2008 at 3:01 am
Well, it was an exciting game for a half.