REB's Whiz Hard GF guide

FTR, I did pick the Cats except for last week. Besides Bird, it's only Wednesday, you must be having a shocker of a week! You must know how Ricky Ponting must feel at the mo LOL.

regards,

REB

My apologies its just the sense of antici_________pation !!!!!

No having a great week but yeah Ricky P, what are you goin' ta do, but I'd rather have the team in trouble from being too attacking then in trouble after 25 maiden overs for the day eg. the Poms approach to the SL's

Good luck REB hope your team wins

REB'S WHIZ HARD CUP GRANNY GUIDE
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Geelong by 10 points.

St Kilda will be playing against a team with more to prove than them for the first time in this pre-season (with the exception of the Tigers who just aren't up to it are they?). Not only will the hype that surrounds the Sainters take their eyes off the prize but it pisses of the Cats something rotten. Similiar press last year resulted in a Cat victory at Cat park in round 22.

I believe the biggest threats to Geelong in this match will be ruckman Trent Knobel and the smaller Sainter forwards Stephen Milne and Xavier Clarke. The Cats will match up well on Riewoldt, Hamil and Gehring. Scarlo will do a job on Fraser G and I believe that Cameron Mooney, for all his flaws will be a far tougher match up for Nick Riewoldt than the wet behind the ears Kepler Bradley who Sheeds tried in the Semi. Harley will take Hamill so that leaves Sanderson and Milburn on the smaller guys so the Saints duo have a pace advantage there. In the ruck, Paul Chambers will give his all but Knobel is the more experienced man.

People such as my Port supporting mate JSA suggest that the Cats have beaten nobody in one breath and then say forget whiz hard cup form in the next but you can't have it both ways. Geelong are playing for the respect that has been handed to the Saints on a platter like so many early draft picks. No draft picks, no AFL hand outs, no one one wants to play for us, us against the world. Yes, it's time to make our own history.

David Parkin says we can't win. Robert KnoWalls reckons the spoon is ours. Yes we overuse the ball but while we are doing that the ball is not the hands of Hamil, Riewoldt or Gehring. We beat Melbourne with Neitz and Green firing even though we had far less entries into our forward 50 than the Demons. Last year we had plenty of forward entries but no marks inside 50. Any match were we would have had less forward 50 entries than the opposition last season would have been a loss not a win (especially up against a free kick count of 13-22).

While Parkin and many other scribes have maligned our forward set up, no one has paid too much attention to the Saint defence. Who is going to match up Kingsley, Haynes, Graham, McCarthy and now Steve Johnson who is our most creative forward? Even with Maxiheart the brave in the side that is the area in which this Saints side is most vulnerable.

The Cat midfield, although not as heralded as the Saint engine room, will take it up to Ball, Harvey, Powell and Co and provide our forwards with enough opportunities to kick a winning score. Harvey runs all day but so does Cameron Ling who is a better bet to slot through a few goals. Kelly, Ablett, Bartell and Riccardi can and will be rotated through the middle and we will stand up in the centre of the ground.

The Cats won't be done for pace like Essendon. We won't roll over like the Tigers and we will turn up from the first bounce unlike the Cows. The Bombers and Cows underestimated the Saints and paid the price. Geelong underestimate no one and will hang tough like we did in nearly every match of last season's unfulfulling premiership quest.

Forget Geelong's woeful grand final record, most of these youngsters had nothing to do with our sins of the 90's. There is no unhealthy reliance on one player in this group. A loss here would be added to that unglamourous list mentioned above and would not be the end of the world but Saints beware...the Cats are desperate to prove to the football world that they have finally arrived.

regards,

REB

Bad luck REB, bloody good game tho.

I think it shows the potential class of the saints that they can hang in there and blow the game a way when required.

Cheers Jase, despite my massive write up, I wasn't that confident. I was only a quarter away from getting right, as were Geelong. I reckon it is the Saints that have proven to have arrived but the Catters are not to far away and we'll give plenty of cheek in Round 1 at the same venue.

Matty Primus hurt again Jase? Not a good look if it turns out to be serious.

regards,

REB

The two teams produced a first for the new millennium: a pre-season final worth wasting the video tape on.

Re Hamill: Erik, have your boys learnt absolutely nothing since 1989?

Not too far out, i have to admit i was surprised at how good and physical geelong were, pity a few of there older heads were disappointing (benny and ricardi) plus the charge on ling eventually hurt the cats as he would have been the man for harvey.

Fred, i though for 3 quarters hamill was crapping himself, i think mooney scared the crap out of him, and it was only for teh fact that mooney was a bit lame late in the game that hamill got away.

Mooney was obviously under instructions not to clout him but to play him close and wrestle him. He actually played a good disciplined game, which was a surprise to me (and anybody else who recalls his brief but dramatic 'contribution' to the 99 GF).

If Mooney did worry him (which I doubt, but Hamill can look ordinary when there's a bloke on his toes) Harley stuffed it up by actually thumping him, clearing the cobwebs and making him spit chips.

I thought harley was stiff, hamill was trying to block for reiwoldt, which i thought was illegal.

I have to admit boys that I didn't watch this game. My cricket side is about to embark on a finals series and we were having a few not so quiet ales in the local when the game was on and I was only glancing up the score every schooner or so. After a while I couldn't read the score anymore but I noticed a lot of Red, White and Black flags flying and that old familiar feeling was happening again.

What I've read and gathered about this game, well, we were a bit stiff in the end and we looked to have run out of puff. FTR, I think the Saints are a fair side but yeah, we let it get away.

What bothers me most in the wash up is the way Bomber has been carrying on. First the Hamill thing before the game and the 'why should we even turn up' line offered to the press. And now after the game Bomber has come up with 'shattered by the nine point penalty'.

Mark it is only pre-season and the word 'shattered' should not have been uttered by you. Is Bomber losing patience? It is the fans who have had to wait 41 long years not Bomber Thompson. Surely being positive about Round 1 should have been the main theme rather than harping on a free kick. We still had time to win the game like we did against Melbourne. Better off paying out the nine point thing after the match we won.

So Bomber my advice is this - start winning the big games and the respect will come. We have to earn that respect, not just have it handed to us because we have a list with potential. Potential can be an almost bigger tease as losing grand finals. Forget the bottom feeders and start pumping up the boys because it's a big year out at Catland.

regards,

REB

Unlucky REB, what I saw of the game I thought you guys would continue. The papers are talking about similarities between Saints and the Brisbane team of 1999. I know it's one thing Brisbane do well is not giving up until the final siren has blown. 'Cause if the CATS had kept there momentum going they would have won.

Agree with you about Mark Thompson though, his hangdog demeanour is starting to remind me of Daniher.

which team ya play for REB??

C'mon Jase!!

He's in South Aussie isn't he?

Can only be playing for the REBbacks

LOL@Westy. I'm skipper of Western Youth Centre IV in the Adelaide & Suburban Cricket Association (Hard wicket). Can't afford to play turf!

regards,

REB

Did your mob ever play in turf?? i remember playing a side of a similiar name.

REB unbelievable your a western suburbs mongrel and you barrack for norwood, what happened??

LOL. I lived in the Sturt zone when I first came to SA and all of my mates were Sturties..drove me bloody mad they did. So when the grand final rolled around I went out and bought up the colours of the mob that was playing them..had the last laugh too. As for western suburbs I live right behind the goals at Richmond Oval.

Na, WYC never play turf..except at the junior level.

regards,

REB