AFL Beat 2020 Season Finals Week 1 Recap

This week…

We have Semifinal Matchups!

Welcome to Balls of Steel’s AFL Beat!

Holy shitballs we had some amazing games!  Let’s get right to them!

Brisbane Lions 69 v Richmond Tigers 54 at The Gabba

Oh Brisbane, you cheeky bastards!  Not only did you get revenge for last year’s Qualifying Final loss to Richmond, you are now in the driver’s seat for a spot in the Grand Final at home!  Well fucking done!

St. Kilda Saints 67 v Western Bulldogs 64 at The Gabba

I stayed up late to watch this one.  Boy oh boy was it worth it!  My heart was racing at 2 AM.  Both sides gave it their all and the Saints came out on top.  What a finish!

West Coast Eagles 75 v Collingwood Magpies 76 at Optus Stadium

Speaking of great finishes, what about another game that went down to the last two minutes?

Here are the full-game highlights:

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Footy Tipping Contest

Here is where we are after Finals Week ONE:

It is now officially a three dog race between Dolph Ucker, BFC, and SonOfSpam for the coveted gently-used fleshlight!  In the meantime, a hearty well done to Game Time Decision and BC Dick for getting top scores this week and predicting some major upsets!  There are still some tight battles for positioning like me and Joliet Jake Delhomme, the threesome of Yeah Right, BC Dick, and Sunrisesunrise, and Game Time Decision vs WhyEaglesWhy!

Please keep in mind that the Footy Tipping Contest continues through the Grand Final so I remind you, as always,

DON’T FORGET TO PUT THE FOOTY TIPS IN!

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Without further ado, it’s

Balls’ Sechs

1- I anticipated a much closer game and I was right, but the Port Adelaide-Geelong game unfolded much differently than I thought.  It was actually a close game throughout and the Cats definitely had chances to win if they could have converted shots into goals.  In some games this season, their accuracy allowed them to steal a game they probably shouldn’t have won.  This time, it bit them.  On the bright side, they are still alive and meet Collingwood next week.

2- The Brisbane Lions did a magnificent job of not allowing the Richmond Tigers to play their game.  They fought from start to finish and it looks like they definitely learned their lessons from last year.  They are now one win away from the Grand Final and it will be against the winner of the Geelong-Collingwood Semifinal in two weeks. I’m not saying it will be a piece of cake, but it’s better than playing again this week.

3- The Doggies-St. Kilda game was a classic.  The two sides were very even until the Saints got a lead in the third.  The Doggies came roaring back in the fourth and simply ran out of time.  Amazing game and amazing effort by both teams.  Now the Saints go up against the Richmond Tigers, who lost against the Lions.  If they can put together four quarters against the Tigers instead of the three they played against the Doggies, they have a chance to win.

4- The last game of Finals Week One was, to me, the surprise of the week.  I mean, West Coast hardly EVER loses in Perth!  Pies American Mason Cox stepped up big with 3 goals and made a difference in the game.  A season that looked so promising for West Coast is now over.

5- The Cats lost by 22 to the Pies back in Round 7, but that was a long time ago and the Power lost to the Cats in the regular season by 60 and still beat them this week, so anything is possible.  It will take a bad game by the Pies for the Cats to pull through.  I think that happens and the Cats play the Lions next week in a Pussy Battle Royale with cheese!

6- While I would love for the Saints to continue their run, I can’t help but think that a fourth quarter like the one they played against the Doggies will cost them the game against the Tigers.  I think the Tigers make it three felines out of four in the Preliminary Finals.

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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 Finals Week One live broadcast schedule with North American broadcast partner:

Semi Finals

Friday, October 9, 2020

1:50 AM – Richmond Tigers v St. Kilda Saints at Metricon Stadium (FS1, TSN1)

Saturday, October 10, 2020

1:40 AM – Geelong Cats v Collingwood Magpies at The Gabba (FS2, TSN1)

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See you next week!