This week,

We had two thrilling Semi-Finals. Let’s get right to it!

Welcome to Balls of Steel’s AFL Beat!

Finals Week Two started with the first of the two Semi Finals to be played: West Coast Eagles against the Geelong Cats at the MCG.

Before I get into the game, let me point something out: Attendance for this game was 51,813. Last week’s Geelong game against the Collingwood Magpies had 93,436. Doing some simple math, that means that last week at least 41,623 were Collingwood fans. How the hell can anyone justify making Geelong play at the MCG by saying it gives more opportunity for their fans to attend?

That’s complete bullshit. The MCG got filled by Collingwood fans, plain and simple. It’s about dollars and not about competition. BTW, the Gabba was filled this weekend for the other Semi Final. The attendance was 30,036. Geelong’s stadium seats 36,000.

Anyway, the MCG held mostly Geelong fans this week and they were treated to a great start by the Cats. To their credit, the reigning champions came storming back in the third to take the lead at Three Quarter Time. That was when I started watching on Friday morning before work.

To my great delight, the Cats held the Eagles to one behind the rest of the game while scoring four goals and took home the victory down to Geelong. Here are the highlights:

The next morning, I again woke up early to catch the second half of the Semi Final between the Brisbane Lions and the GWS Giants. I can thank my old ass digestive system for the early wakeup that allowed me to watch what was probably the Match of the Year.

The Giants had jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter only for the Lions to come right back and take the lead going into Quarter Time. From there, the game went back and forth with several lead changes in the second quarter, a Giants surge early in the third, and another Lions comeback late in the third. Everything was set for a frantic fourth quarter.

A late Brisbane goal put the Lions ahead with about five minutes left. Then, GWS’s Brent Daniels, the shortest dude on the field, managed to grab a rebound, run past defenders, and kick a banana through the uprights with three minutes left for what turned out to be the winning goal. Here are the highlights:

The Cats and Giants go on to play the Tigers and the Pies, respectively, next week in the Preliminary Finals. In the meantime, the Lions and Eagles go home and start thinking about how to take the next step next year.

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Footy Tipping Contest

Here is where we are after Finals Week Two:

Big congratulations to Game Time Decision, , and BFC for a perfect week of 2 for 2! With that score, BFC is now within 2 tips of Litre_cola! Similarly, Game Time Decision and were able to leapfrog Why Eagles Why in the standings. There is still time to catch the leader and the person in front of you in the standings!

DONT FORGET TO PUT THE FOOTY TIPS IN!

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AFL Finals Week 3 (Preliminary Finals) Preview

Here is the schedule for Finals Week 3 (all times Pacific):

Friday, September 20, 2019

2:50 AM (Late Thursday Night!) – Richmond Tigers v Geelong Cats at the MCG

The two Preliminary Finals will be greatly affected by what happens at the Tribunal as two pivotal players will be looking to over-turn their one-game suspensions.

For the Cats, it’s Tom Hawkins that is in trouble for a hit off the ball that resulted in his opponent going down on the turf. He did get up and continued the game, so that bodes well, but if he does not win his appeal, that will be a costly blow for the Cats.

In any case, it all depends on whether the Cats decide to play well for four quarters or just three like they did two weeks ago.

Prediction: I think the loss of Hawkins plus the Tigers’ home field advantage plus another bad start will spell the end of the Cats’ season.

11:35 PM – Collingwood Magpies v GWS Giants at the MCG

The player in trouble for the Giants is, surprise surprise, Toby Greene. The contact this week seemed more innocent than last week, so that also bodes well. However, losing Toby would be a much bigger blow to the Giants than losing Hawkins would be to the Cats.

The Giants have been led by example by Greene as he has accumulated over 30 possessions per game in the two finals and driven his team to victory.

On the other side, you have a Collingwood side that seems vulnerable. If Toby plays and the Giants play to their capabilities, the Pies could be upset at home.

Prediction: I say the Giants continue their run and make their very first Grand Final.

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That’s all for this week! Next week, we’ll have recaps of all the games and a preview of the Grand Final. See you next week!

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