Week One of the finals was not good for the Minor Premiers as well, as the Saints threw away their crutches to beat to Crows at home. The upside is that the Swans won't have to travel to Adelaide if they get past the Cats on Friday night. At least at the MCG they'll have some support from the old South Melbourne fraternity.
I'm a bit dismayed at the AFL's decision to play the Swans / Cats game at the SCG on Friday night. It seems they're doing it for the TV ratings. Personally, I wouldn't put Channel 10 out if they were burning. After advertising that they would show the Crows match live in Sydney, a Star Wars movie magically appeared in its place on Saturday night.
Memo to the AFL when negotiating the next TV deal: Let SBS broadcast any finals matches that the official broadcaster won't televise. It's worked with the cricket.
Being fair, the AFL should have played the match at Homebush on Saturday afternoon. The crowd would have been bigger, and the Cats would have got an extra day to recover.
Being partisan, the Swans at the SCG should be hard to beat. The small ground suits their game, and the close proximity of the crowd should help them forget the events of the week before.
Here's hoping!!
Can the Swans, but have you seen who the umpires are, our beloved Goldspink is officiating.
I'll be cheering on from Bay 20, close enough to the fence to have a few words to Mr Goldstink should he do a McInerney.
I wasn't aware of who the officials are. Goldspink is a shocker, for sure.
The Swannies will have to make sure any lead is big enough to make the decisions of the men in white (or yellow, red, whatever) irrelevant.