Thursday night review
Oh controversy. That monkey that ambled into Etihad Stadium on Friday night on the backs of Essendon, yet surreptitiously scampered under the door frame of North Melbourne's rooms and left squarely in their possession. Though its ghost still lingers at Windy Hill, and in the Westpac Centre and up north at the Gabba, at the conclusion of round one controversy has made quite a home for itself at Arden Street.
The Kangaroos are in crisis. Let's not forget they've now lost one game in a row, against a side who are likely to finish - barring further developments from ASADA - in the top 4 and with genuine Premiership ambitions. Even the President has heaped the pressure on the Roos, and the coach (for now), Brad Scott, called the performance 'horrific'. Gary Lyon and Damian Barrett went as far as to call it the 'worst performance of the round'
It's hard to believe, given this mess, that North haven't just shut down and re-deployed their players as PE teachers in local schools, hoping to in-time recoup some of the extraordinary losses on players who clearly will never be able to play the game - unless, as we consider likely, they come out next week and beat the Bulldogs while Essendon show the Hawks how realistic their title aspirations are.
That outcome would leave controversy to find a new home, and leave a lot of people looking mighty silly.
Monday Wrap
Thursday:
Geelong 119 defeated Adelaide 81
Friday:
Essendon 99 defeated North Melbourne 60
Saturday:
Hawthorn 139 defeated Brisbane 91
St. Kilda 68 defeated Melbourne 51
Sunday
West Coast 134 defeated Western Bulldogs 69
Ladder:
Fremantle - 4
West Coast - 4
Essendon - 4
Hawthorn - 4
GWS Giants - 4
Geelong - 4
Port Adelaide - 4
St. Kilda - 4
Gold Coast - 4
Richmond - 0
Melbourne - 0
Carlton - 0
Adelaide - 0
Sydney - 0
Brisbane - 0
Western Bulldogs - 0
Collingwood - 0
In the news...
Brisbane's Tom Rockliff has been offered a one week ban by the MRP Sharrod Wellingham has been offered a reprimand, Lewis Johnson and Josh Gibson have been cleared.
Adelaide's Richard Douglas may make a surprise appearance in the first ever Adelaide Oval Showdown. View a strange maybe photo maybe painting of him here.
In proof that Sydney people don't read Melbourne newspapers, the Swans have re-signed John Longmire.
And finally, Matthew Lloyd is confident that James Hird will still coach in 2015 despite the alleged animosity between the Hird camp and Essendon.
