Round 12: West v Adelaide - Friday 4 July @ City Mazda Stadium

West v Adelaide

Friday 4 July
City Mazda Stadium

League: 7:20pm

Last Week
West 15.8.98 d Port 12.9.81 @ City Mazda Stadium
Adelaide 15.4.94 d North 13.12.90 @ Prospect Oval

Last Time They Met
West 12.7.79 d Adelaide 6.6.42 @ City Mazda Stadium

Ladder Position
West 8th 4-7 46.99%
Adelaide 7th 4-7 47.08%

Both sides are coming off wins, and there's pretty much nothing separating them on the ladder. Who will jump a game clear of the other?

Westies' narrowly, lets say 8 points

There is Metro South u/16 game before hand Goodwood Saints VS Mitcham Hawks

This could be a more exciting game than the main game.

Adelaide have their tails up ATM and are putting it together and should get up and win by 3 goals.

Depends on which Bloods team wants to play on the night!!!!!

If its the team who are switched on e.g. against Port.... Bloods by 2 goals

If its the team who arent switched on e.g. against North..... Crows by 8 goals

Tough call this one - Adelaide by a couple of goals

This game may well be partly determined by the injury outcomes.

West will have to replace Still and hope Hartlett is available, while Adelaide have several players to be tested.

Adelaide's best side is starting to look impressive and they'll be hard to beat, with Matt Crouch leading the way last game.

West were very impressive against Port and have a good record at home this year, but will need to maintain that form to win here.

Should be a great game.

I would put it down to a good game, not a great game.

This was one of tjose games that came down to heart.

One side was clearly more talented, were better organised around the stoppages, had 3 prolific midfielders and much more of the football.

The other side had just that bit more heart.

The folly of playing a Friday night game in July was confirmed by the paltry crowd of 1302.  Normally reliable sources reported that at least 12 Crows supporters attended, although this was unable to be confirmed.

West's administrators are nothing if not optimists, proven by the presence of a Jumping Castle in the outer on a wet, cold Friday night.  The 3 children taking advantage had the best view of the game, though, as 80% of the play was forced on to that outer wing, due to the strong wind and rain.

Adelaide looked a far superior team early and had two goals on the board early through slick ball movement and run.  As the game wore on, though, West's fierce attack on the ball saw them look the better side for most of the last three quarters.

Shannon Green took a sensational one-handed mark at full horizontal stretch, followed by a blinder from Daniel Webb up forward.  In each case the resultant kick was an anti-climax.

West missed several relatively easy shots, while Adelaide racked up the behinds, but more from angles and distances.  West looked the harder side, Adelaide the more skilled, but it was a night for hardness and definitely a night for the brave.

The third quarter was marked by a lack of discipline from each side, as first West were given a free after a goal without the ball being bounced and then Adelaide were gifted a goal with a cumulative 100 metre penalty.  Again, in the last quarter, after West had attacked for some time without reward, they gave away a silly 25 metre penalty which ended in a typically classy Callinan goal.

After that, it was edge of the seat stuff, with several gutsy individual efforts.  Adelaide attacked for the last 5 minutes, West defended grimly.  They defended grimly enough.

Heart won, the umpires went off to the loud suggestion from several West supporters that they had looked after the Crows a bit too well, but in the end most felt the result was just.

So, West won, they sang the song with extra gusto, realising that their slim finals chances were still alive and that they were the first team to beat both AFL clubs this year.

Their form at home has been excellent recently. Their form away has been terrible.

In other news, Mitcham Hawks Under 16's beat Goody Saints fairly comfortably.

I'm pretty happy.

Sometimes in life, one must pay respects to the Gods.

In football, the same applies, especially when you walk out to the three quarter time huddle at a cold, wet and windy City Mazda Stadium.  The players are important, of course, but you then notice a superior being in their midst.  A giant of football, a talent that towers above all others, a veritable champion of the game.

What does one do in the presence of such a deity?  There is only one thing that can be done, so I immediately fell to the ground and like a believer facing Mecca. I raised both arms in a gesture of supplication and paid my respects.

"Oh, great one", I said, "I am humbled to be in your presence, but unworthy to breathe the same air".  

While still prostrate in the mud, I looked up again and saw our Captain turn to the exalted Superior One and speak.

"G'day Fergie", he said.

redandblack wrote:
So, West won, they sang the song with extra gusto, realising that their slim finals chances were still alive and that they were the first team to beat both AFL clubs this year.

No they weren't

No they weren't.

Thanks Scrunch.

No problem. As an aside, same as the previous Friday night, I applaud the hardy souls that ventured out last night

A close win to the Bloods against an improving AFL side   in front of a very dedicated few (1300) on a cold and wet July evening.
The game didn't rise to any great heights but we will take the two points after beating the other AFL side in the previous game.

testy wrote:
A close win to the Bloods against an improving AFL side   in front of a very dedicated few (1300) on a cold and wet July evening.
The game didn't rise to any great heights but we will take the two points after beating the other AFL side in the previous game.

A real gutsy effort by the spectators. I would not have gone, then again West were not playing South.