Friday, July 11, 2014: Bloody Fairfax

Bloody Fairfax. In a year that has been dogged by low crowds, awful fixturing, expensive food and drinks, drug scandals, Richmond, Josh Bootsma, Buddy's driving, Carlton, COLA, the rolling mauls etc etc, there was really only one success story: The Adelaide Oval.

Oh yes, this was a building as revered as the Colosseum or Stonehenge. So stunning, so monolithic and iconic that previously erudite commentators were reduced to blubbering sycophants, only able to riff ad nauseum on the size and beauty of the structure. The football was relegated to the background, a mere cherry on top of the wonder that is Adelaide Oval. No matter who should hold the cup aloft in September, the real winner of 2014 has been a small patch of grass just a short walk from the Adelaide CBD.

At least, so we thought. Fairfax, with their love of ruining all things joyous with scandal-hunting "journalism", through their chief fun policewoman Caroline Wilson, has intervened. In a devastating back page lead, The Age has alleged the stadium deal offered to Port and the Crows will leave the Power broke within three years. What might have looked like the worlds greatest living tribute to all things sport is actually a Frankenstein-esque Leech monster, sucking the viability out of the very clubs it was built to serve.

The deal is set to be re-negotiated, meaning the terms may change. What will never change is this: whenever the League gets something right, Caro will be around the corner to prove that they haven't...

In the news...
Throwing a dinner party is hard work, so having people not show can be frustrating and embarrassing. That's the fate that awaits Sir Gillan on Monday night, with Melbourne and Essendon being the first to decline his offer for a coaches dinner on Monday night.

Sam Fisher will return for the Saints against North in Hobart this weekend. It's Fisher's first game since round 10 last year, and proves that the Saints are either not tanking, or at least that they're not very good at it.

Teams are here. Time to choose someone to replace Ablett as Supercoach captain.