This week…
A media star is born:
A big surprise happens:
and Robbie Gray has ice in his veins and teammates on top of him:
Welcome to Balls of Steel’s AFL Beat!
This was a very interesting week on the footy pitch. We had upsets, we had an After The Siren kick to win a game, and we had some teams showing they weren’t done quite yet. Let’s get right to it.
Here are the results and highlights from Round Seven:
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Geelong Cats 35 v Collingwood Magpies 57 at Optus Stadium
The Pies are back amongst the favourites for the Premiership with a big win in the middle of injuries and controversies.
Friday, July 17, 2020
Essendon Bombers 51 v Western Bulldogs 93 at Metricon Stadium
This was, by far, the upset of the Round. I doubt anyone saw this coming.
GWS Giants 68 v Brisbane Lions 88 at Giants Stadium
This was a big loss for the Giants at home. I guess Toby Greene really makes a big difference.
Sydney Swans 60 v Gold Coast Suns 92 at the SCG
This was a big bounceback win on the road for the Sunnies. They may yet be legit.
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Richmond Tigers 77 v North Melbourne Kangaroos 23 at Metricon Stadium
The Tigers, like the Pies, are back amongst the favourites. This was a beatdown.
Carlton Blues 61 v Port Adelaide Power 64 at The Gabba
This was the Match of the Round. My word, what a finish!
Here are the full-game highlights:
Hawthorn Hawks 48 v Melbourne Demons 91 at Giants Stadium
The Demons played probably their best game of the year. Can they repeat the effort?
Sunday, July 19, 2020
Fremantle Dockers 32 v West Coast Eagles 62 at Optus Stadium
Add the Eagles to the list of Premiership favourites. They look unstoppable right now.
Monday, July 20, 2020
Adelaide Crows 55 v St. Kilda Saints 78 at Adelaide Oval
This time, the Saints were able to hang on to their big lead. They’re back in the Eight!
***
Let’s take a look at the ladder, shall we?
| P | TEAM | W | L | T | PTS | % |
| 1 | Port Adelaide Power | 6 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 153.8 |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 5 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 118.5 |
| 3 | Collingwood Magpies | 4 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 144.6 |
| 4 | Richmond Tigers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 114.4 |
| 5 | Geelong Cats | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 116.7 |
| 6 | St. Kilda Saints | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 112.2 |
| 7 | Gold Coast Suns | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 109.5 |
| 8 | West Coast Eagles | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 100.5 |
| 9 | Western Bulldogs | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 100.0 |
| 10 | Essendon Bombers | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 99.5 |
| 11 | Carlton Blues | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 101.9 |
| 12 | Melbourne Demons | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 101.1 |
| 13 | GWS Giants | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 97.3 |
| 14 | Hawthorn Hawks | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 78.6 |
| 15 | Fremantle Dockers | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 85.7 |
| 16 | Sydney Swans | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 80.4 |
| 17 | North Melbourne Kangaroos | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 76.8 |
| 18 | Adelaide Crows | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 55.5 |
Here is the Balls GraphTM:
[gview file=”https://www.doorfliesopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AFL-Ladder-2020R7.pdf”]
***
Footy Tipping Contest
Here is where we are after Round Seven:
| P | TIPPER | Round Tips |
Round Margin |
Total Tips | Total Margin |
| 1 | BFC | 7 | 9 | 40 | 124 |
| 2 | Litre_cola | 8 | 11 | 40 | 146 |
| 3 | SonOfSpam | 7 | 16 | 40 | 164 |
| 4 | Dolph Ucker | 6 | 35 | 38 | 185 |
| 5 | BALLS | 7 | 13 | 37 | 165 |
| 6 | 4 | 38 | 37 | 219 | |
| 7 | Sunrisesunrise | 6 | 4 | 35 | 203 |
| 8 | WhyEaglesWhy | 6 | 34 | 35 | 177 |
| 9 | BC Dick | 5 | 7 | 33 | 165 |
| 10 | Yeah Right | 6 | 34 | 33 | 199 |
| 11 | Game Time Decision | 6 | 33 | 32 | 219 |
| 12 | Reverend Mayhem | 5 | 22 | 26 | 151 |
| 13 | Maestro | 5 | 22 | 23 | 160 |
| 14 | Sharkbait | 3 | 22 | 22 | 251 |
We still have a three-way tie at the top of the standings but now with a different combination of folks! Good job to Litre_cola for getting top score this week! 8 out of 9 is mighty impressive! It’s still super tight at the top, so good job to everyone!
Remember how I always remind you to put the Footy Tips in with a picture of a girl’s feet? Well, this week forgetting to put the tips in did not cost Reverend Mayhem and Maestro as last week when they got zero points. In fact, they outscored Sharkbait, who only got a 3 out of 9. The feet giveth and the feet taketh away… As always,
DON’T FORGET TO PUT THE FOOTY TIPS IN!
***
I’ve been providing, for your advanced Tipping reference, the schedule for the next few rounds (All times Pacific). I have not seen yet the schedule for Round 9. Here then are the game schedules for Round Eight:
Round Eight
Thursday, July 23, 2020
2:40 AM – Gold Coast Suns v Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium
Friday, July 24, 2020
2:50 AM – GWS Giants v Richmond Tigers at Giants Stadium
8:05 PM – North Melbourne Kangaroos v Carlton Blues at The Gabba
10:35 PM – Sydney Swans v Hawthorn Hawks at the SCG
Saturday, July 25, 2020
2:40 AM – Port Adelaide Power v St. Kilda Saints at Adelaide Oval
8:05 PM – Adelaide Crows v Essendon Bombers at Adelaide Oval
10:35 PM – West Coast Eagles v Collingwood Magpies at Optus Stadium
Sunday, July 26, 2020
1:10 AM – Melbourne Demons v Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium
Monday, July 27, 2020
3:10 AM – Fremantle Dockers v Geelong Cats at Optus Stadium
There is still no word on how the schedule will need to be adjusted to fit in the postponed Essendon-Melbourne game.
***
Without further ado, it’s
Balls’ Sechs
1- The Big Three from my Season Preview are back. Richmond, Collingwood, and West Coast are looking very strong and will threaten Port Adelaide for top spot the rest of the year.
2- Speaking of Port Adelaide, what a comeback win against the Blues! That goal after the siren was the capper to a well-fought and entertaining game. These are the kinds of things that fuel belief that fuel championships.
3- The Carlton Blues should be commended for taking on the #1 team in the competition and only being beaten on an amazing kick after the siren. The Blues are miles above where they used to be and that’s a credit to the coach, the players, and the organization.
4- The Melbourne Demons are riding Christian Pretacca like their lives depend on it. He is a superstar and will be one for years to come. The only worry is if the Demons become as dependent on him as the Giants have become on Toby Greene.
5- I didn’t think the loss of Toby Greene would impact the Giants that much against the Lions, but it did. The Giants are a very talented team, but it seems that Toby is their heart and soul. His absence made a huge difference in the attitude and effort put forth by the Giants.
6- Next week’s marquee game will be the West Coast Eagles v Collingwood Magpies in Perth. It’s two teams on a massive roll facing each other. The result will tell us A LOT about what to expect the rest of the year.
***
That’s all for this week.
As discussed last week, Fox Sports has the rights to the AFL in the United States while TSN has the rights in Canada and the AFL is pressuring them to have more games available on the FS1, FS2, and TSN networks. Now is the perfect chance for you to see what all the fun is about!
Not only that, but ESPN has jumped back into the AFL pool! They’ll be broadcasting one game per week live on an ESPN network and streaming another live on ESPN3.
You can find the latest broadcast information on the Australian Football Association of North America website here.
Here is your Round 8 live broadcast schedule with North American broadcast partner:
Round Eight
Thursday, July 23, 2020
2:40 AM – Gold Coast Suns v Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium (TSN1, ESPN3)
Friday, July 24, 2020
2:50 AM – GWS Giants v Richmond Tigers at Giants Stadium (TSN1)
8:05 PM – North Melbourne Kangaroos v Carlton Blues at The Gabba
10:35 PM – Sydney Swans v Hawthorn Hawks at the SCG
Saturday, July 25, 2020
2:40 AM – Port Adelaide Power v St. Kilda Saints at Adelaide Oval (TSN1)
8:05 PM – Adelaide Crows v Essendon Bombers at Adelaide Oval
10:35 PM – West Coast Eagles v Collingwood Magpies at Optus Stadium (TSN1)
Sunday, July 26, 2020
1:10 AM – Melbourne Demons v Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium
Monday, July 27, 2020
3:10 AM – Fremantle Dockers v Geelong Cats at Optus Stadium (ESPN2)
See you next week!
The Brisbane Lions got good? When did that happen?
I haven’t seen a Giants fortunes turn so dramatically since Eli was tricked out of his Fruit Roll Ups by Cooper and Peyton.
mask diplay?
https://www.psypost.org/2020/07/study-lower-cognitive-ability-linked-to-non-compliance-with-social-distancing-guidelines-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak-57293
Cole has the spirit……
Exhibit A.
Essendon Bombers 51 v Western Bulldogs 93 at Metricon Stadium
This was, by far, the upset of the Round. I doubt anyone saw this coming.
Litre, Spam, and I tipped western
That’s because you three are sorcerers.
Man what a dog of a game for the Bombers. They just SUCKED. I’d say that they picked the perfect time to recharge against the 0-7 Crows, but knowing teams I root for…
Kids, the next few weeks are going to be interesting! I just saw the schedule for Rounds 9 through 12.
All Footy All the Time!
No breaks. 33 consecutive days of games.
Fuck me. Maybe I should skip a week.
I’d accept that invite.
“How would you like a rap on the kisser?”
Saints on pace for disappointment and I am on pace for my 3rd gently used fleshlight in a row!