London 2012 Olympic Games: Day Three Review

Not the greatest day ever, but not an entirely bad one, either.

Australia's men's hockey team, the Kookaburras, opened their Olympic campaign and after a somewhat slow start the Olympic favourites got their campaign off to the best possible start, recording a 6-0 win over South Africa in a battle of the No. 1 seed vs. No. 12 seed. The Kookaburras showed why they are favourites to win Gold in London, with the dynamic duo of Eddie Ockenden and Jamie Dwyer cutting the South Africans to shreds in the second stanza. Dwyer, one of the veterans of the team, is a class act, a superstar of the sport and showed why, netting a hat trick to propel the Australians to a shut-out victory. Can't have started much better than that.

On the flip side, the Australian women's basketball team, the Opals, suffered what can only be described as a shock overtime loss to France, which will make their quest for Gold a little more difficult. That the game progressed to the OT frame was amazing in of itself, the Opals down by 3 points right at the very end when Belinda Snell of the Bulleen Boomers in Australia's WNBL launched a Hail Mary shot from the wrong side of half-court  as time expired, only to see it hit nothing but net. DAGGER! Three points, tie game, overtime. Sadly, with the unexpected loss to the French, this highlight probably won't get the same exposure that it might have had the Opals won, and that's a shame. Snell was as clutch as you like. Incredible stuff.

Well, the controversial and divisive Nick D'Arcy is on his way home from the Olympics, having failed to qualify for the final of the 200m butterfly, after a poor heat and a semi-final that didn't bring with it a better result. Sixth wasn't enough to get him into the final. Thus, the Olympic journey of a man who, in my opinion - one held by a large number of Australians and swimming observers the world over, I'm sure - is done and dusted within twelve hours and now, thanks to that incident with Kenrick Monk and the photos taken in a gun broker's store, apparently cool but, really, just stupid, he's on his way home and won't get a chance to represent his country at the closing ceremony. Rather an apt end, if you ask me. I don't believe that breaking the jaw of a fellow athlete in an alcohol-fuelled rage fits in with the Olympic ideals that the IOC try so hard to uphold. Good on FOXTEL's Ray Hadley and Rebecca Wilson for saying what so many of us are thinking during their broadcast of his heat races.

Better news from the pool, with Emily Seebohm coming home second behind the American Missy Franklin in 100m backstroke final, narrowly missing the Gold medal and blaming her obsession with social media afterward. Regardless, this was an impressive result, and a medal, not quite the colour we all wanted, but a bright moment in a swimming program where there have been more dark spots than bright thus far. The Americans swept the 100m backstroke finals, with the mammoth Matthew Grevers winning the men's race.

Though not a medal, Lethal Leisel Jones showed a few people the cue for Humble Pie, coming home a very respectable fifth in the 100m breaststroke final. For a girl some sections of the media cruelly decided was "fat" and couldn't be expected to do much of anything in the pool after a somewhat unflattering photo of her emerged in the lead-up to the London 2012 opening ceremony, she went pretty well. Good on Leisel for always showing a brave face and for proving a few critics wrong with a solid swim. Fifth in the world is far from anything to sneeze at. As happy as she was at the end of the race, you'd swear she'd won a medal.

So a Chinese doctor is pointing the figure at Michael Phelps as a possible drug cheat? Okay, my friend, you might want to look just a little closer to home. The sixteen-year-old Ye Shiwen seems to be able to swim faster than some of the best men in the world. Her final freestyle lap time of 28.93 seconds in the 400m individual medley was faster than what the flying American Ryan Lochte swum over the same distance in the men's 400 IM. Hang on...yeah. The Chinese have jumped to her defence, of course. They're not going to throw their new national sensation under the bus, but with the previous form that the Chinese have, it's no wonder people are speculating as they are.The executive director of the USA Swimming Coaches Association, John Leonard, described Ye’s performance as “unbelievable”, “suspicious” and “disturbing”. He also called the 100m of freestyle in the IM as "impossible." There might be more to play out on this story.

In rowing, the Australian men's coxless fours pretty well anhilated the competition and will be the quickest qualifier for the final with a time of 5:76.06. Our closest rival for the gold - surprise, surprise - the Team Great Britain crew seemingly held something back for the medal roumd, rowing a conservative time at around 5:50. The interesting thing is that the Aussie crew reckons they can yet get more speed from their boat. If so, watch out! The final promises to be one of epic proportions, with the Brits figuring to go quicker, too.

Australia's medal tally after Day Three: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze. Total: 4. Rank: 10. The good news? We still have more gold medals than Great Britain.

London 2012 Olympic Games: Day Two Review

For all intents and purposes, Day One was a better one for Australia than Day Two.

New Zealand scored a nice goal inside the first two minutes of their clash with Australia's Hockeyroos and the Aussie girls, who always seemed one nice pass away from really threatening the New Zealand goal, succumbed to our cousins from across the Tasman for the first time in Olympic competition. It might've been much worse for Australia had their goalie, Toni Croft, not made a number of brilliant saves to keep the final score to a more flattering 1-0 defeat. The blue turf and pink sidelines with yellow hockey ball was certainly an interesting look.

It wasn't much better for the Australian men's basketball team, with the Boomers falling to Brazil 75-71 in their opening game. That first-up loss may well mean a quarter final contest with the formidable and daunting Team USA, and it was a loss very much brought about by turnovers and execution issues, particularly in a disastrous third quarter. The last-gasp comeback, spearheaded by NBA star Patty Mills and Joe Ingles wasn't quite enough, and next up, medal contenders Spain. Really would've loved to have seen Andrew Bogut out there. He might've been the difference between a narrow loss and a narrow win. Even so, the Boomers campaign is not, as has been suggested in some circles, "in tatters.". That's just defeatism. Considering Australia has but one NBA player on it's roster - Mills - we punch above our weight.

Finally, the Team USA Men's Basketball team got into action, taking on France - it seems quite a day for USA vs. France contests - and the not-quite Dream Team did it in style, easily besting the tricolour nation 98-71 after a stop-start first half. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 22, while Kobe Bryant started slowly, scoring only ten points. Probably a good game to shake off the cobwebs and get the tournament rolling. Make no mistake, this team will win the Gold medal. I honestly can't see anyone coming close, let alone beating them.

And the British complain about Australians being whingers and whiners? Well, Mark Cavendish, you might not have won the men's cycling road race on Day One, but you certainly excelled in the press afterward, blaming the Australians for stopping you from winning the host nation's first gold medal. Silly me, Mr Cavendish, I had no idea that it was the fault of the Australians. I figured that it was the Kazakh, Colombian and Norwegian riders who finished 1-2-3 who were actually the ones at fault for you not winning a medal. Shut up, man. Just shut up.

The Missile, James Magnussen, really had a misfire, and the Australians, red-hot favourites for gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the pool tonight, finished a very disappointing fourth. I suppose most of the country was entitled to think that we were, if not dead-set certainties, certainly reasonably good things after Magnussen's heat swim and the boys coming into the team for the finals, but it wasn't to be, with the French coming from nearly another postcode to beat America on a pulsating final leg that reminded me of the same event in Sydney. You know, when Garry Hall Jr. promised that he'd smash us like guitars. At least the Americans didn't get gold. Masterful last leg by the French, and a well-deserved medal. Magunssen was speechless after the race, and rightly so. It wasn't our finest moment.

Better news in the pool for Australia: Christian Sprenger, about to give swimming up eighteen months ago because he'd lost the drive to train, scored a surprise silver medal in the 100m breaststroke behind the flying South Africa, Cameron Van Der Burgh, who broke a world record in a time of 58:46. And Alicia Coutts came home for the bronze in the women's 100m butterfly behind gold medal winner Dan Vollmer of the United States, who also broke the World Record, swimming 55:98.

Australia's medal tally after Day Two: 1 Gold, one Silver, one Bronze. Total: 3. Rank: 8

London 2012 Olympic Games: Day One Review

The Opening Ceremony was as fantastic an event as I've seen since Cathy Freeman stole the show on that amazing night in Sydney in 2000. Everything was epic, from the music to the fireworks to the Queen and James Bond in Buckingham Palace, Danny Boyle crafted a superb masterpiece. It was good to see that the actual lighting of the flame was done in a manner that departed from the norm. Instead of famous former Olympic athletes or other sportsmen - I can't understand how people could imagine that David Beckham might've gotten the nod - it was ignited by the future of British sport, which was a nice touch, and will be long remembered. 

Congratulations to China and their shooter Siling Yi who won the first gold medal of the Games of the 30th Olympiad, in the Women's 10m Air Rifle at the Royal Artillery Barracks. That's a wonderful accomplishment.

GOLD AUSTRALIA!! The girls in the 4x100m freestyle relay broke an Olympic record (3:33.15) and took home our country's first gold medal! Alicia Coutts, Cate Campbell, Britany Elmslie and Melanie Schlanger, welcome to Australian sporting immortality! Schalnger's final leg was perfect. Go Aussie!! Pulsating call by Ray Hadley. Say what you will about his non-sporting radio broadcasts, but he brought the moment into Australian lounge rooms beautifully. So great to hear that Australian national anthem ring out!!

The men's cycling road race didn't quite go to plan for Team Great Britain, who tried and tried and tried and ultimately failed to control the 250km event that was run at a furious pace through the streets and parks of London. The final sprint towards Buckingham Palace that Team GB wanted never materialised, the race never run the way they wanted it to be run. Really, who could've imagined that the medal places would be filled by riders from, in order, Kazakhstan, Colombia and Norway, when it seemed like Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish were poised to deliver a gold-silver blow for the locals.

Michael Phelps and his quest for immortality got off to a shaky start at the pool on the first night of finals, finishing 4th in the Men's 400m Individual Medley. It was another American, the quickly-emerging Ryan Lochte who won, checking out halfway through the race and wasn't headed after that. He was on World Record pace during the first half of the event, but swimming on his own without any meaningful competition probably squashed that chance. Still, an impressive swim from the American, who the experts say might be just as good as Phelps. Watch out for him in four years time? Watch out for him in the next few days. It'll be great to see a neck-and-neck Phelps vs. Lochte race like we saw Hackett vs. Thorpe in Sydney.

Twenty-year-old Sun Yang can lay claim to breaking the the first WR of the London 2012 swimming competition, winning the men's 400m freestyle with the reigning world champion Taehwan Park coming in second. That was a story in itself, the North Korean having earlier been sensationally disqualified from his heat and then, even more sensationally, later reinstated for the final. There was no shortage of pool-deck drama on the opening day.

Stephanie Rice had a Michael Phelps moment, not exactly showing her best - or at least the best that we've become used to seeing - in the women's 400m Individual Medley. Although she was up in the lead early on, she faded badly, coming home in sixth, well adrift of the wonderful USA vs. China battle that ended with 16-year-old Chinese swimmer Shiwen Ye smashing the world record,  with her Chinese compatriot LI Xuanxu in third. Very good start in the pool for the Chinese team.

Australia got one over Great Britain - never a bad thing, especially in the current sporting climate with them beating us regularly in just about everything - with the Opals, favourite for gold in women's basketball, doing their work nicely, recording a 74-58 win over the home team. Business as usual for the Opals, with Lauren Jackson scoring 18 and Suzie Batkovic grabbing 10. Of course, the more stern tests for the ladies are yet to arrive.

Tomorrow: looking forward to seeing the men's basketball team in action on the second day of competition and the Hockeyroos, amongst others. Team sports are really ramping up.

Penn State Sanctions

Monday was a historic day in college football, but for all the wrong reasons. It was the day where Penn State Football - and, largely, the university itself - was forever changed. In response to the Freeh Report, a damaging document that implicated Penn State school officials, including legendary football coach, Joseph Vincent Paterno, in the cover up of child sex abuse allegations levelled at Paterno's long-time defensive coordinator, and the man once considered Paterno's heir apparent in Happy Valley, Jerry Sandusky, the program was hit with major, long-lasting penalties.

Sandusky was found guilty of numerous counts of sexual abuse of at-risk boys, mostly identified through the charity he founded for under-privileged kids, and faces a life behind bars when he is sentenced at a date to be determined. Not quite as shocking as Sandusky's acts but horrifying nonetheless, was the cover-up apparently engineered by Paterno, a man who had been known to spruik Penn State's integrity and morality in recruiting visits and who like to make snide remarks about coaches who fell foul of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). All the while, he was harbouring an evil man.

This week, it was Paterno who fell foul of the governing body for college athletics, with the NCAA forcing Penn State to vacate their wins stretching back to 1998 - when the first allegation of wrongdoing by Sandusky emerged, but was not strong enough for any form of prosecution - as well as face a bowl ban of four years, crippling scholarship losses over four years and issuing a fine of $60 million, to be paid to organisations who seek to eradicate child sexual abuse. For mine, this was the most pleasing part of the entire set of penalties. The money will go to an exceptional cause, and hopefully can go at least a little way to undoing some of the hurt that Jerry Sandusky caused.

Penn State and everything Joe Paterno said it stood for died on Monday. Paterno dropped from the winningest coach in major college football right out of the top five, and his reputation will forever be tarnished. He preached integrity yet allowed a monster to roam freely, using PSU facilities and football events to groom victims who will never, ever be able to have a proper life. Being sexually abused by a father-type figure must be the worst sort of betrayal imaginable, and worse for kids coming from already broken homes and broken lives.

Sure, it's sad for the legions of players who attended Penn State and who effectively never won a game, sad for so many players in the future who will miss out on a scholarship to play Big Ten football at Penn State University, and for the new coaches, the program's fans and anyone else caught up in and perhaps somewhat unfairly punished by these sanctions. That said, these penalties were absolutely and critically necessary. The NCAA had to draw a line in the sand, to show that any school who attempts covering up something of this nature will be dealt with in the harshest - and most deserved manner - imaginable. These penalties that will cripple Penn State football for years, are deserved. Well deserved.

There can be no condoning what happened, the cover-up that allowed Sandusky access to however many more victims than he might have had the allegations not been tossed under the rug. Despite what anyone may say, there is no way to make excuses for what Paterno and the other PSU officials did. Just as there is no way to condone or make excuses for what Sandusky did. Jerry Sandusky is a monster, one aided and abetted by men who had a chance to stop these terrible acts, yet were more concerned about a PR backlash against the football program. Look how that worked out for them.

Penn State University will never be the same. Perhaps, given what's been uncovered since last November, it's just as well.

Dream IZOD IndyCar Series Schedule (Part Two)

Part Two of my dream23-round IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, without taking into account pesky things like sponsorship issues, political considerations, scheduling commitments and anything else to preclude a race from being held.

To recap Part One:

1. Streets of St Petersburg (1.8-mile temporary street circuit; St Petersburg, Florida)

2. Phoenix International Raceway (1.0-mile short oval; Avondale, Arizona)

3. Grand Prix Of Long Beach (1.968-mile temporary street circuit; Long Beach, California)

4. Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile short oval; Newton, Iowa)

5. Streets of Sao Paulo (2.535-mile temporary street circuit; Sao Paulo, Brazil)

6. Fundidora Park (2.104-mile Permanent Road Course; Monterrey, Mexico)

7. Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile speedway; Fort Worth, Texas)

8. Indianapolis 500 (2.5-mile super speedway; Speedway, Indiana)
9. The Milwaukee Mile (1.0-mile short oval; West Allis, Wisconsin)

10. Belle Isle Park, Detroit (2.346-mile temporary street circuit; Detroit, Michigan)

11. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.4-mile permanent road course; Lexington, Ohio)

12. Road America (4.048-mile permanent road course; Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin)

And on to Part Two:

13. Streets of Toronto (1.755-mile temporary street circuit; Toronto, Ontario): The Exhibition Place streets always seem to be a place where temporary insanity - and exciting racing - break out. Canadian fans come out in droves, to an event with the wonderful backdrop of the Toronto skyline. That first turn is always exciting, especially with the double-file restarts now in vogue. It should be the beginning of a three-week swing through Canada.

14. Edmonton City Centre Airport (2.224-mile temporary airport circuit; Edmonton, Alberta): I love a good airport circuit, and this one has so much going for it, and should be run a week after Toronto. As far as new events go, the Edmonton race has been amongst the very best. It's a temporary circuit that has a lot of permanent road-course attributes and draws a good crowd. Better here than Montreal, for mine.

15. Streets of Vancouver (1.78-mile temporary street circuit; Vancouver, British Columbia): Time to bring back a successful event. It was cancelled ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, and IndyCar lost a fun, challenging track.The perfect final event in a mid-summer Canadian swing.

16. Michigan International Speedway (2.0-mile super speedway; Brooklyn, Michigan): The middle event in the Triple Crown, another traditional venue that's sadly fallen by the wayside recently. Far more suited to IndyCars than the NASCAR circuit, it deserves to come back as a 500-mile race, just like in the sport's glory days.

17. Burke Lakefront Airport (2.106-mile temporary airport circuit; Cleveland, Ohio): The greatest casualty of the much-needed open-wheel reconciliation has been this beauty of a race track on the runways and taxiways of the city's airport. So many passing zones made for wildly entertaining races. Run it at night, green flag just around sunset, on the Fourth of July weekend and watch the crowds pack in. Get the ALMS there, and you've got an event and a half.

18. Portland International Raceway (1.967-mile permanent road course; Portland, Oregon): This Pacific Northwest racetrack always produced good racing back in the day, and the issue of continual first-turn accidents seemed to have been solved by rolling starts in the last days of ChampCar at the venue. IndyCar needs to visit all parts of the country, including the Northwest. It helps that they'll be going to a really racy circuit.

19. Watkins Glen International (3.4-mile permanent road course; Watkins Glen, New York): The full circuit, not the butchered short course, is one of the best permanent circuits in America, especially through the Esses and down through The Boot, it's always been a real driver's circuit, demanding and satisfying. Sadly taken off the schedule recently, a double-header with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series' Six Hours of The Glen would draw even more fans. How about a Sunday event after the Rolex Series enduro on the Saturday?

20. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (2.238-mile permanent road course; Monterrey, California): Famous for the gut-wrenching Corkscrew turn at the circuit's highest point and Alex Zanardi's legendary pass in it's shadows, the northern California facility's always been more interesting - to me, anyway - than Sonoma Raceway, so it should return, despite a narrow, tough-to-overtake layout. Run the ALMS as well.

21. Streets of Surfers Paradise (2.79-mile temporary street circuit; Surfers Paradise, Queensland): Almost as good a street circuit as Long Beach, and a favourite for drivers, not just because it involves a trip to Australia. Brilliant mixture of fast straights and rollicking chicanes, the worst thing the IndyCar Series did was not sort out a date for this once-annual trip. Then the V8 Supercars came in, butchered the layout and wrecked it. Bring back the IndyCars and the old layout, especially while you've got Dixon, Power and Briscoe going so well.

22. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (2.774-mile permanent road course; Mexico City, Mexico): One of the great racetracks in the world, the Mexico City fans turned out in droves for the ChampCar races there when the circuit was reborn in the early 2000s. Those Mexican Waves the length of the front-straight grandstand were amazing! The layout through the baseball stadium would be preferable, that little section one of the most ingenious on any racetrack anywhere in the world. If you find a half-decent Mexican, they'll pack the place.

23. California Speedway (2.0-mile super speedway; Fontana, California): Final race of the season, the sister of Michigan International was the scene of some great IndyCar moments - as well as, sadly, some of the sport's darkest days - and deserves it's place as the final event of the season. The IndyCar Series champion gets crowned here, as does the Triple Crown winner in a 500-mile event that should be run under lights.

That's it, the 23 racetracks - short ovals, intermediate ovals, super speedways, temporary street circuits, permanent road courses, airport circuits, events in four countries - that would make up the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series calendar if I had my way. Hey, a guy can dream!!

Dream IZOD IndyCar Series Schedule (Part One)

Talk of the 2013 IndyCar series schedule - and tweaking the 2012 schedule, for that matter - over the last few weeks had gotten me thinking, and this is the end result: my dream IZOD IndyCar Series calendar. In a perfect world - in my perfect world with no sponsorship issues, political considerations, scheduling commitments or anything else to preclude a race from being held - this is the schedule 23-round schedule that the IndyCar Series would race, delivered in two installments:

1. Streets of St Petersburg (1.8-mile temporary street circuit; St Petersburg, Florida) Now the traditional season starter, and a good circuit with a few nice passing zones built in. Always one of the more entertaining street races of the year, and solidly attended. Shots of the marina and waterfront look attractive on TV.

2. Phoenix International Raceway (1.0-mile short oval; Avondale, Arizona): A bastion of open-wheel racing, drawing giant crowds before The Split, when it drew mediocre numbers for the old IRL, this is a track almost tailor-made for IndyCar racing, with the awesome back-stretch dogleg. It's a shame that no Indy-style racing's been there since 2005. The IndyCar Series should race, at minimum, a 200-mile event.

3. Grand Prix Of Long Beach (1.968-mile temporary street circuit; Long Beach, California): The Indianapolis 500 of American road racing. Traditional, fan-friendly, a wonderful race track and a staple of open-wheel racing. A no-brainer. Should be run as a double-header weekend with the ALMS. Long Beach deserves the best of sports cars and open-wheel.

4. Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile short oval; Newton, Iowa): Best new addition to the IndyCar Series in years, purpose-built with progressive banking that promotes brilliantly competitive racing without the danger of larger tracks. Massive crowds, too. IndyCars belong on tracks like this, a 200-lap event.

5. Streets of Sao Paulo (2.535-mile temporary street circuit; Sao Paulo, Brazil): Another easy choice, thanks in part to the number of talented Brazilian drivers in the series, and certainly not the worst street circuit that's ever been invented. 

6. Fundidora Park (2.104-mile Permanent Road Course; Monterrey, Mexico): An old favourite of mine, popular when there were Mexicans in the series, but could still be successful. Mexico is an un-tapped market that should be reconsidered by the Powers That Be.

7. Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile speedway; Fort Worth, Texas): The only intermediate on the schedule, simply because it's the only one that draws a crowd. Aero changes prove that there can be exciting racing on the high banks without the death match that races there seemed to have become. Diversity is important: short ovals, intermediate ovals, super speedways, road circuits, street circuits and airport circuits. A 400-mile race here would hopefully appease Eddie Gossage.

8. Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile super speedway; Speedway, Indiana): The Indianapolis 500 is greatest race of them all, the greatest prize in North American racing, no matter what they might say in Daytona Beach, Florida . It all began here. Race One of a Triple Crown of super speedways.

9. The Milwaukee Mile (1.0-mile short oval; West Allis, Wisconsin): Another no-brainer. The classic bullring should always be run the weekend after the Indianapolis 500. A real driver's circuit that is tough to get around and tougher to master and win. It should be 225-mile twilight race on the track where so many of IndyCar's greatest drivers have celebrated in Victory Lane.

10. Belle Isle Park, Detroit (2.346-mile temporary street circuit; Detroit, Michigan): An important race for the automotive industry, especially with Chevrolet in the series, and another chance to capitalise on the Midwest's fascination with IndyCar racing. Another chance for an IndyCar/ALMS double.

11. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.4-mile permanent road course; Lexington, Ohio): Another traditional venue, admittedly tough to pass on, but the ebb and flow of this circuit makes it a challenge for drivers.

12. Road America (4.048-mile permanent road course; Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin): Another no brainer, as popular with drivers as it is with fans. Easily the greatest road course in North America - and one of the best anywhere in the world - there's nothing not to like about this four-mile blast through the Wisconsin woods draws a large and knowledgeable fan base who deserve to see the zippy IndyCars rather than the lumbering NASCAR taxicabs. Another ALMS double opportunity.

Swans Review - St Kilda (22 July 2012)

SYDNEY SWANS:     1.6    5.13    9.13    15.15 (105)
ST KILDA:     5.1    5.4    7.9    10.16 (76)

GOALS
SYDNEY SWANS: Goodes 2, Jack 2, Bolton 2 Reid, Bird, O'Keefe, Jetta, Roberts-Thomson, Grundy, Kennedy, McGlynn, McVeigh
ST KILDA: Milne 5, Koschitzke, Dunell, Gilbert, Saad, Dal Santo

BEST
Sydney Swans: Kennedy, O'Keefe, Bird, Richards, McVeigh, Shaw
St Kilda: Milne, Fisher, Montagna, Dempster, Gilbert, Jones

INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Mumford (knee)
St Kilda: TBC

Umpires: Findlay, Pannell, McInerney

Official crowd: 26,834 at the SCG

Well, it wasn't pretty. Perhaps that's being nice. It was a display of inaccurate kicking and a scrappy game like we haven't seen from the Swans in quite a while. As far as a close, low-scoring game went, it was a page out of the Book of Paul Roos on Sunday afternoon at the SCG. But, at the end of the day, against a team in the top eight and likely to be playing footy in September, the Swans managed a win. Not as authoritative or domineering as last week in Perth, but a win nonetheless. A win's a win, as the old saying goes, and in this case, a scrappy win will allow the Swans to remain on top of the Toyota AFL Premiership once the weekend's slate of - very interesting - games are concluded.

Thankfully, there are enough players in red-and-white who remember the old way of getting a win, of clawing and scratching and fighting for the football, kicking a few timely goals, and relying on a sturdy defensive effort. There was a sturdy defensive effort today, and it was what won Sydney the game. The Saints would likely feel stiff, for they had a weight of possession for the second half, after dominating in the first quarter, too, but no amount of entries into the 50m arc proved enough for Nick Riewoldt's men to come away with the win. They had their chances to do just that. 

For large stretches of the second half, it seemed like the game was being played almost exclusively inside the St Kilda attacking zone, simply didn't materialise on the scoreboard. The Saints had all the pressure, but poor options - bombing the football long on a hope and a prayer, a long string of Hail Mary attempts - is not the way to do it, but the Saints continued to do just that, providing, most of the time, easy fodder for the Swans defensive corps. At other times, their judgement let them down. A kick instead of a handpass would've resulted in a goal. A handpass rather than a kick might've resulted in a goal, too. Misses at one end went back the other way, six points for the Swans, and, effectively, a twelve-point turnaround. 

Poor kicking was a problem for the Saints and also for the Swans. It wasn't a game that will be remembered for anything more than a win, but it was one similar to what we've come to expect from a contest between these two teams. It's always tight and hard, with big collisions and desperate struggles from one end of the field to the other. Cliched, yes, but also true. The earlier clash, in May at Etihad Stadium, when the Saints midfield ran roughshod, was the exception rather than the rule.

The Swans owe the game to their defensive players. It was a brilliant effort from a group who were, at times, under siege from all corners. Ted Richards continues his brilliant season, and surely must seriously be in the frame for All Australian honours - and if not, some hard questions should be asked - and he was ably supported by the usual suspects: Grundy, Mattner, Johnson and the horrible-bearded Rhyce Shaw. I lost track of how many times those Usual Suspects got their team out of trouble, effectively quelling the influence of St Kilda's twin tall threats, Riewoldt and his running mate, Justin Koschitzke. They were barely a blip on the radar. The midfield did a job on their dangerous St Kilda counterparts, neutralising all the dangerous weapons that proved too big a task in Melbourne, back in May.

Defence, good. Offensively, not so good. Wayward kicking cost the Swans. They survived a serious case of the yips early in the first quarter, had all the run in the second and could've built a match-winning lead, were it not for a 4.7 performance in that frame. Emblematic of their struggles was Ben McGlynn, who couldn't buy a goal early on. Sam Reid regressed a little today, but he wasn't alone. No one seemed to be on song, but players took their opportunities where they could, booting important goals.

The one worry from the 29-point win - a larger margin than looked likely with about 5 minutes left to play - was the apparent injury to Shane Mumford, the ruckman subbed out after half time. It was left to back-up Mike Pike to carry the load in the second half. The Pikelet performed admirably, but the Swans will be anxiously awaiting word of the severity of Mumford's injury as they prepare for a daunting run down to September action and a quest to cling to their top four spot, and that all-important double chance.

Gold Coast next week. Hopefully with Mumford in the ruck. Go Bloods!

Swans Review - Brisbane (July 7, 2012)

SYDNEY 4.2 10.7 15.12 16.14 (110) BRISBANE 3.4 7.4 8.7 9.9 (63)
GOALS Sydney: Reid 6, Goodes 3, McVeigh 2, McGlynn, Hannebery, Jetta, Pyke, OfKeefe. Brisbane: Rich 2, Brown 2, Karnezis 2, Raines, Crisp, Bewick.
BEST Sydney: Malceski, McVeigh, Shaw, Goodes, Reid, Kennedy. Brisbane: Zorko, Hanley, Adcock, Rich, Drummond.
UMPIRES Schmitt, Farmer, Leppard.
CROWD 19,419 at SCG.

Towards the middle of what's been a strange round of football - a strange Friday and Saturday, at least - the Sydney Swans anchored themselves firmly to what was expected of them, and are now atop the Toyota AFL Premiership ladder, ahead of the West Coast Eagles, heading into a now hotly-anticipated, top of the table clash across in Perth next Sunday afternoon.

In a turnaround from their recent way of doing things, the Swans started slowly and ran over the top of the Brisbane Lions, a team getting better, but not quite there yet, on a murky Saturday afternoon-evening to capitalise on Collingwood's demise at the hands of their arch-rivals Carlton on Friday night and on a squeak-past victory by West Coast against North Melbourne in Tasmania. As we would later see, Essendon, premiership co-favourites, were pumped by St Kilda. In a weekend of change and loss at the top of the AFL tree, only the Swans remained steady.

Who would have thought - certainly not this blogger - that the Swans offensive effort would be headlined by Sam Reid? The key forward's never had a problem taking big, spectacular marks over the pack, but converting those grabs into goals is where he's let himself down for most of the season. Except for last night. Reid was tidy, opening his first six pack of a young career and proving that the tutelage of Nick Davis, a gun goalkicker in his day, is reaping reards, and should continue to.

Nick Malceski, a late inclusion for Marty Mattner, played like he'd never been away from the side, amongst the best midfielders the Swans had - no mean feat; the midfield was it's usual ball moving, tackling, intense beast - and will certainly stake a claim to be included in the team to take on West Coast in Perth next week. Where that leaves Mattner, hobbled late by an injury, is anyone's guess. It was a nice

Six goals to three in the second quarter set the Swans on their winning ways. It was a good night defensively, with Ted Richards holding Jonathan Brown to just two goals, smothering the Lions big man with some niggly help underneath from Ben McGlynn, who shows no fear or favour on the field. He'll go after Brown, a giant vs a midget almost, as willingly as he'll go after a guy more his own size. The Hawthorn discard is now a major part of the Swans machine, and has endeared himself to fans with his rugged style of play. After all, rugged is what the Swans covet the most. See Messrs Bolton, Kirk, Kelly as prime examples.

Richards should be on his way to All Australian selection, as should Lewis Jetta, who seems to add another highlight reel goal on a season chock-full of them. If both those guys aren't at least in contention, there's something very wrong. It's an amazing moment. Who would've thought, at the beginning of the year, that Jetta and Richards would likely be 1-2 - perhaps separated only by Josh Kennedy - in the best and fairest race. Yet, they've been the backbone of our season.

With the trip to Perth looming, Adam Goodes seems almost back to his vintage best, getting touches, kicking goals, making tackles, and pretty much looking like the Adam Goodes of old, just what we wanted to see. The afore-mentioned Kennedy, and Jude Bolton, Kieran Jack, Dan Hannebery, Rhyce Shaw and his beard and Heath Grundy were sensational, too. And who could forget Ryan O'Keefe's spectacular mark in the square. No doubt he's trying to get on the same highlight reels as Jetta.

A good win, a premiership-leading win, it might be said, and now comes the long trip out to Perth to take on our old rivals, the West Coast Eagles. If prior form is anything to go by, we'd all be best strapping ourselves in for this one.

Go Bloods!!

Swans Review - GWS Giants (June 30, 2012)

SYDNEY 3.4 8.6 14.10 19.18 (132) GWS 1.2 2.5 4.7 5.8 (38)

GOALS Sydney: Jetta 3, Goodes 2, McGlynn 2, Kennedy 2, Jack 2, Roberts-Thomson 2, Reid 2, Everitt, Hannebery, Pyke, Mumford. GWS: Ward, Cameron, Giles, Palmer, Greene.

It's fair to say that last night's Sydney Derby 2 isn't likely to bring a tidal wave of support from rugby league across to the AFL, but the potential seems there. As seems to be the blueprint for games involving the fledgling GWS Giants, Kevin Sheedy's men in burnt orange and gray put in a solid half of football and then, later on, succumb to the speed of the game, the ferocity of the talent and the opposition, who have been playing senior football for much, much longer and understand what is needed to close out the game.

In the end, the Swans swept to a 94-point win that was convincing on the scoreboard if not always on the ANZ Stadium turf. The second term was a red-and-white rout, the Swans kicking 11 goals to 3, and peppering the big sticks late in the final quarter, trying hard to record their second 100-point win of the season, but falling short at the end. Even so, the percentage boost will help. Large win though it was, last night's game really did little to leave an imprint on the minds of the - dissapointing - crowd of 22, 565, well down from 38, 203 on Opening Night. Must've been the absence of the star GWS recruit Israel Folau...

For the most part, it was a scrappy, ugly contest with plenty of stoppages. Indeed, it seemed as though the GWS coaching staff had decided to employ the tactics that won the Swans a flag back in 2005, and delivered them perilously close to a second consecutive one a year later. There were glimpses from the Giants, and it was a physical contest, yet, it was the Swans who flourished playing this brand of football for the most part. Perhaps it's important to remember who wrote the book on that sort of play.

In amongst the passes of dour struggle was individual brilliance. The midfield excelled, as it so often seems to do. Ryan O'Keefe had his best game of the season, Jarrad McVeigh led all comers with 37 touches and Brett Kirk Medallist Kieran Jack was close behind, over 35 touches, and adding two goals - highlight reel goals, for that matter - to his stat line. The movement through the centre was, at times, nothing short of brilliant. We saw a brilliant soccer-style goal from Dan Hannebery, excellent defensive work from Ted Richards, superb movement off of half back from Rhyce Shaw and the ruck duo of Shane Mumford and Mike Pyke continue to impress.

Then there's Lewis Jetta. If this kid isn't leading the Swans best and fairest there's something horribly wrong. He should be on the fringes of All Australian selection, too. Quite simply, the speedy winger, who seems to be able to leave anyone and everyone else in his dust, had the football on a string. At times, it wasn't even fair and the GWS kids must've wondered how a guy with legs like needles can run so far so far and then launch massive roosts to goal from outside of fifty, with plenty of room to spare. It's never dull when #32 has the football. He's fast becoming a superstar, and surely he must be giving opposing coaches headaches? How do you tag a guy who can grab the football and be twenty meters upfield almost before his opposing player knows what's going on?

So Sydney Debry 2 is in the books. There were positives and negatives. After a slow and uneven start, the Swans showed some of the ruthlessness that has appeared this season - see wins vs. Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs - and, thankfully for the fans who have suffered much in the last few weeks, there was no late-game meltdown to test the nerves of the majority of the ground's occupants. For that, if nothing else, we should be thankful.

Sydney return to the SCG next Saturday afternoon at 4.40pm to face Johnathan Brown and the Brisbane Lions.