This week…
We are in the middle of a shitload of games in a row:
and IT’S SEXY AFL FRIDAY!!
Welcome to Balls of Steel’s AFL Beat!
Like last week, we don’t really have much time to reflect upon the Round That Was because there is another Round starting tonight! The one new thing is that the AFL revealed the schedule for Round 13, which will be the Doug Nicholls Round! As you will remember from previous years, this is the Round where the AFL teams wear special guernseys celebrating and recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture.
Here are the results and highlights from Round Ten:
Monday, August 3, 2020
Port Adelaide Power 55 v Western Bulldogs 42 at Adelaide Oval
Port keeps winning and our very own WhyEaglesWhy was at this game!
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Richmond Tigers 82 v Brisbane Lions 41 at Metricon Stadium
Brisbane couldn’t hold off the defending champs. A repeat may still be in the cards.
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Geelong Cats 90 v North Melbourne Kangaroos 57 at The Gabba
The Cats rotated a lot of players and they still won handily and could have won by more.
Adelaide Crows 37 v Melbourne Demons 88 at Adelaide Oval
It looks like the Crows are not going to win a game this year. That fourth quarter was awful.
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Collingwood Magpies 50 v Sydney Swans 41 at The Gabba
The Pies won to keep pace with the leaders, but they suffered more injuries.
Gold Coast Suns 74 v St. Kilda Saints 78 at Metricon Stadium
This game was an absolute thriller. It came down to the final two minutes:
Here are the full-game highlights:
Friday, August 7, 2020
Essendon Bombers 55 v GWS Giants 59 at Metricon Stadium
It was a gritty win in the wet. That means two things.
Round Ten Byes: Carlton Blues, Hawthorn Hawks, Fremantle Dockers, West Coast Eagles
***
Let’s take a look at the ladder, shall we?
| P | TEAM | W | L | T | PTS | % |
| 1 | Port Adelaide Power | 8 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 144.7 |
| 2 | St. Kilda Saints | 7 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 123.0 |
| 3 | Brisbane Lions | 7 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 117.9 |
| 4 | Richmond Tigers | 6 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 123.4 |
| 5 | Geelong Cats | 6 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 122.2 |
| 6 | West Coast Eagles | 6 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 114.8 |
| 7 | GWS Giants | 6 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 104.7 |
| 8 | Collingwood Magpies | 5 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 112.5 |
| 9 | Western Bulldogs | 5 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 92.2 |
| 10 | Essendon Bombers | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 88.7 |
| 11 | Gold Coast Suns | 4 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 101.0 |
| 12 | Melbourne Demons | 4 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 100.0 |
| 13 | Carlton Blues | 4 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 97.6 |
| 14 | Hawthorn Hawks | 4 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 86.6 |
| 15 | North Melbourne Kangaroos | 3 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 88.1 |
| 16 | Fremantle Dockers | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 84.6 |
| 17 | Sydney Swans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 78.2 |
| 18 | Adelaide Crows | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 55.1 |
Here is the Balls GraphTM:
[gview file=”https://www.doorfliesopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AFL-Ladder-2020R10.pdf”]
***
Footy Tipping Contest
Here is where we are after Round Ten:
| P | TIPPER | Round Tips |
Round Margin |
Total Tips | Total Margin |
| 1 | SonOfSpam | 6 | 5 | 59 | 223 |
| 2 | BFC | 6 | 2 | 58 | 173 |
| 3 | Litre_cola | 7 | 3 | 58 | 195 |
| 4 | Dolph Ucker | 6 | 13 | 58 | 240 |
| 5 | 6 | 1 | 55 | 294 | |
| 6 | BALLS | 6 | 12 | 54 | 224 |
| 7 | Yeah Right | 6 | 5 | 51 | 235 |
| 8 | Sunrisesunrise | 3 | 13 | 51 | 313 |
| 9 | WhyEaglesWhy | 6 | 4 | 49 | 229 |
| 10 | BC Dick | 5 | 13 | 48 | 224 |
| 11 | Game Time Decision | 5 | 13 | 47 | 304 |
| 12 | Reverend Mayhem | 3 | 13 | 39 | 210 |
| 13 | Maestro | 3 | 13 | 37 | 233 |
| 14 | Sharkbait | 3 | 13 | 36 | 368 |
There were a couple of slight moves with Litre_cola pipping Dolph Ucker for 3rd place based on margin and WhyEaglesWhy and BC Dick changing positions. Congratulations to Litre-cola for getting a perfect 7 out of 7! That’s our first perfect Round of the year!
With the new compressed schedule, it will be more important than ever to enter in the tips in advance. Like now because the first game of Round Eleven starts in a few hours. 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). Here then are the game schedules for Round Eleven to Twelve:
Round Eleven
Friday, August 7, 2020
11:35 PM – Port Adelaide Power v Richmond Tigers at Adelaide Oval
Saturday, August 8, 2020
2:40 AM – Brisbane Lions v Western Bulldogs at The Gabba
10:35 PM – West Coast Eagles v Carlton Blues at Optus Stadium
Sunday, August 9, 2020
1:10 AM – Melbourne Demons v North Melbourne Kangaroos at Adelaide Oval (new venue, switch of home teams)
Monday, August 10, 2020
1:10 AM – St. Kilda Saints v Geelong Cats at The Gabba (switch of home teams)
3:40 AM – Fremantle Dockers v Hawthorn Hawks at Optus Stadium
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
1:35 AM – Adelaide Crows v Collingwood Magpies at Adelaide Oval (new time)
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
2:10 AM – Gold Coast Suns v Essendon Bombers at Metricon Stadium
Byes: GWS Giants, Sydney Swans
Round Twelve
Thursday, August 13, 2020
3:10 AM – Sydney Swans v GWS Giants at Optus Stadium
Friday, August 14, 2020
2:50 AM – Geelong Cats v Port Adelaide Power at Metricon Stadium (new venue)
9:35 PM – North Melbourne Kangaroos v Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium (new venue)
Saturday, August 15, 2020
12:10 AM – Melbourne Demons v Collingwood Magpies at The Gabba
3:10 AM – Fremantle Dockers v Carlton Blues at Optus Stadium
8:05 PM – Western Bulldogs v Adelaide Crows at Metricon Stadium
10:35 PM – St. Kilda Saints v Essendon Bombers at The Gabba
Sunday, August 16, 2020
1:10 AM – West Coast Eagles v Hawthorn Hawks at Optus Stadium
Monday, August 17, 2020
2:10 AM – Richmond Tigers v Gold Coast Suns at The Gabba
Round Thirteen
Friday, August 21, 2020
2:50 AM – Gold Coast Suns v Carlton Blues at TIO Stadium (Northern Territory)
8:45 PM – Western Bulldogs v Melbourne Demons at Metricon Stadium
11:35 PM – Port Adelaide Power v Hawthorn Hawks at Adelaide Oval
Saturday, August 22, 2020
2:40 AM – Essendon Bombers v Richmond Tigers at TIO Stadium (Northern Territory)
3:10 AM – Fremantle Dockers v Sydney Swans at Optus Stadium
8:05 PM – Adelaide Crows v Geelong Cats at Adelaide Oval
10:35 PM – Brisbane Lions v St. Kilda Saints at The Gabba
Sunday, August 23, 2020
1:10 AM – West Coast Eagles v GWS Giants at Optus Stadium
Monday, August 17, 2020
2:10 AM – Collingwood Magpies v North Melbourne Kangaroos at The Gabba
The postponed Essendon-Melbourne game will be made up after Round 12, but there is no schedule out yet.
***
Without further ado, it’s
Balls’ Sechs
1- I am REALLY looking forward to WhyEaglesWhy’s Boots On The Ground at the Port Adelaide-Western game. It must be amazing being one of very few people IN THE ENTIRE WORLD that could see a live sporting event right now.
2- The Richmond Tigers, like the West Coast Eagles, are back and they’re scary. Those two are my top two teams in the competition right now, no matter what the ladder says.
3- The Cats have been doing a masterful job of rotating players and giving new guys opportunities during this compressed schedule. The young guys are responding too. This bodes well for the future.
4- The Adelaide Crows are so bad even the announcers are rooting for them to do something good. They were good for three quarters against the Demons but that last quarter was just horrendous. People will be fired after this dreadful season mercifully comes to an end.
5- I don’t think Litre_cola, in his wildest dreams, thought that the Saints would be in 2nd. He is sure they will fall, and they probably will, but man what a run they’re on! That game against Gold Coast was something…
6- Next week’s games start right away with a titanic clash tonight between Port Adelaide and the Richmond Tigers. Luckily, it starts before midnight on the West Coast. If you can’t sleep, this game should be on your TV tuned to Fox Sports 1 or TSN1.
***
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 11 live broadcast schedule with North American broadcast partner:
Round Eleven
Friday, August 7, 2020
11:35 PM – Port Adelaide Power v Richmond Tigers at Adelaide Oval (FS1, TSN1)
Saturday, August 8, 2020
2:40 AM – Brisbane Lions v Western Bulldogs at The Gabba (ESPN3, TSN1)
10:35 PM – West Coast Eagles v Carlton Blues at Optus Stadium (ESPN2, TSN1)
Sunday, August 9, 2020
1:10 AM – Melbourne Demons v North Melbourne Kangaroos at Adelaide Oval (FS1)
Monday, August 10, 2020
1:10 AM – St. Kilda Saints v Geelong Cats at The Gabba (FS1)
3:40 AM – Fremantle Dockers v Hawthorn Hawks at Optus Stadium
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
1:35 AM – Adelaide Crows v Collingwood Magpies at Adelaide Oval (FS1)
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
2:10 AM – Gold Coast Suns v Essendon Bombers at Metricon Stadium (FS1, TSN2)
Byes: GWS Giants, Sydney Swans
The new AFL schedule will also change the publishing times of the AFL Beat. AFL Beat Round 11 will publish on Wednesday, August 12, 2020. Finally, AFL Beat Round 12 will publish at the normal day/time on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.
See you next time!
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/STLCards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#STLCards</a> have 3 new positives, two players: Ryan Helsley and Austin Dean.</p>— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) <a href=”https://twitter.com/markasaxon/status/1291892784199278597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Found a funny:
Us whenever a social media platform is down
Same thing happened on Westworld.
Eulers move on… to the lottery.
Holy Fuck. Amazing.
Amazing. Amazing.
Mike Trout just hit a long HR. It’s his 29th birthday. This is the 5th time he has homered on his birthday. Dude like to celebrate, I guess.
Evening
Time for my annual schadenfreude pilgrimage to the pens blog
Gotta say, not a fan of the new pens blog. Where’s the snark? Where’s the juvenile whining? Where’s the agony? Where’s the terrible photoshops and that one really good one where they photoshopped a whale on the ice for Kate Smith?
The 1929 Ford Pinto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIGo31k-qkw&feature=emb_logo
Checking up on those afternoon hockey games
You can come be a 3rd line grinder for us anytime you want, Sid
Today was Sidney’s birthday? Damn shame.
Yeah but now all the losers are in the 1st pick lottery
Hmm. Deion Sanders is still a piece of shit. And water is still wet.
When Deion dies he’ll meet st. Peter at the pearly gates. When he asks why he’s not being let into heaven, st peter will simply reply: I’m paid to save souls, not work miracles
Edmonton losing here and getting the first pick would also be pretty pretty pretty
funnyannoying.That would be a 1 in 4 chance of LaFreniere playing with Crosby/Malkin or Draisaitl/McDavid.
Gross.
I think we can all agree that the best place for him to land is Minnesota, cause they aint winning shit with or without him.
WOOOOOOOOOO!
Every time I read these, it makes me want to go back to Sydney
You dated Sydney Penny?
The world needs to know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BqiX1NwqbI
The American flag at the end was a nice touch
For whatever reason, the Geelong/West Coast game didn’t record last week and I’ve really been missing my AFL fix. Watching other teams is good, but not the same, damnit!
Question for my Boy Dads out there: As ab aspiring Step Dad in training, I’ve noticed that my seven year old is going through a phase where we consistantly catch him touching his junk. I think it’s a nervous thing he does now that we’ve stopped him from putting his hands in his mouth/nose, and threats of taking him to the doctor to have it looked at if it itches or something have been met with assurances that it doesn’t. How do I encourage the dick jokery on the eventual interwebs, and not in the physical sense?
Is the biological father Italian? It may be hereditary…
In all seriousness, it is probably best to help figure out why he feels the need to do something with his hands. It could be a nervous tic or some way to cope with an anxiety. Is everything ok? It could be nervousness about the COVID. It is having big stress effects on a lot of people.
Happy Friday.
The Ice Alouettes beating the Ice Steelers, only to get swept next round, costing them a shot at Lafreniere, who then goes to the Ice Steelers would be the most Ice Als thing of the 21st century.
I’d sell my soul* for Laf to then get injured in his first preseason Pens game.
*may already be 1 soul in debt to a foxy redhead
No! Spoon! FOAR CARLTON!!!
The Saints game was amazing, I thanked my son for waking me at 4. Same again this morning what a game.
As for the Saints. They will make the playoffs, and eventually lose to Richmond.
Balls did you ever take part in the same tipping site that Hungry Jack’s (Burger King) would give you a free whopper if you had a perfect week? I would have them mail me the voucher and then mail it to my friends becausr I thought it was funny.
I never heard about that! That’s awesome!