Freo get the Blues – but can they emulate them?
Whether the Dockers will slide in 2015 looms as one of the more interesting questions of the summer. Ross Lyon and captain Matthew Pavlich have both spoken since their loss to Port about “not going away”, but the reality is Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands aren’t getting any younger and Luke McPharlin may be finished. As far as Fremantle have come, it was in a familiar old way that they let themselves down this year: at the trade table. They got doughnuts from Col Sylvia and Scott Gumbleton, while an earlier trade, Danyle Pearce, was found lacking in the white-hot glare of finals footy.
But fear not Freo supporters, there is a side you can take heart from. Carlton lost a grand final in 1993, were bounced out in straight sets in 1994 then won a flag in 1995.
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Can the Dockers emulate that sequence? The similarities don’t end there. Ageing South Australian spearhead? Check. Ageing lumbering ruckman? Check. Young superstar at the height of his powers? Check (if you squint Nat Fyfe even looks a little like a young Koutoufides…). If Sandi and Pav can just hang around a little bit longer and the Dockers get a better run with injury than they had this year, they’ll go deep into September once again.
The Power’s onballers’ blend of the magic and the manic made Fremantle’s fleet of Rolls Royces look like Mazdas.
Power to the people
Port Adelaide are a seductive side, full of impetuous youth and class. They take the game on and seem to have become everyone’s second team. Wines, Wingard, Boak and most of all Robbie Gray – the Power are a joy to watch, and Ken Hinkley would have to be a shoe-in for most likeable coach in the league. His case was aided by Steve Johnson’s revelation in the Herald Sun last week of Hinkley’s larrikin side. According to Stevie, he once told former Cats defender Tim McGrath: “Bluey, mind my man for a bit. I’ll be back in three votes.”
It was tough not to get swept up in their stirring second-half comeback against Fremantle – the Power’s onballers’ blend of the magic and the manic made Fremantle’s fleet of Rolls Royces look like Mazdas. Hawthorn will probably be too good for them in Saturday night’s prelim, but the Power will give you plenty of bang for your buck.
Fed breaks Davis duck
Thought Roger Federer had done it all? Yep, so did we. But no, the Swiss maestro has never made it to the final of a Davis Cup before – until now. Switzerland will journey to France in November for what will be the 33-year-old’s maiden Davis Cup final appearance. Seeing Federer chaired off by Swiss captain Severin Luethi and Stanislas Wawrinka after his win over Fabio Fognini was a reminder of just how great Davis Cup tennis can be.
Surely the tournament deserves more play in the mainstream media. Who cares about those dime-a-dozen ATP 250 events throughout the year? The Davis Cup is sporting drama at its absolute best, and a win would be the perfect swan song for the man many regard as the greatest tennis player ever. Then again, while he’s playing like this, why give it away?
Soward’s way
Jamie Soward said this week he stopped caring what other people thought about him when he signed with Penrith. We say he probably stopped caring about it when he decided to go with the helmet, but we digress.
When Soward slotted the winning field goal with five seconds left to give the Panthers a magical win over the Roosters on Saturday night, he wasn’t caring what anybody thought of him, not even the club trainer who ran on the field to give him a high five. Soward told him to “f*** off”, as there was still time on the clock and he was worried that the wingers would be caught off guard with a short kick-off. That, people, was a man in the zone.
Floyd wins … again
Floyd Mayweather comfortably won his rematch with Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas. Mayweather is very, very good at what he does, but we don’t understand the appeal of paying $40 to watch a master painter paint a picture he’s already painted many times before. Moments of drama in Mayweather fights are like drops of water in the Nevada desert. Miguel Cotto had his successes and Shane Mosley hit him with a nice right hand but you have to go back to his fights with Oscar de la Hoya (2007) and Jose Luis Castillo (2002) to find the last time he even remotely looked like losing. His turbulent personal life (Ray Rice, 50 Cent, illiteracy and family squabbles) make him a little bit compelling, but we are rapidly losing interest. Even a fight with Manny Pacquiao may not be able to rekindle interest in Floyd, given it’s at least five years over due.
Leonard had Hearns, Duran and Hagler. Who’s Floyd got?
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