AFL Finals Week Three

What started as a chore at work and became a weekly hobby; it's the Weekly Turnaround! Richmond v Collingwood Here we are at the penultimate week of the year. You may have thought we missed last week, but that post can be found here. Richmond and Collingwood in a Preliminary final. If you predicted the start of the season, you're either a genius or a Collingwood supporter. If you believed the media before this game, all Richmond had to do was show up. It would have been their 23rd straight win at the MCG, and would have set a record for wins in Victoria in one season. However, much to the delight of Collingwood, show up was about all they did in the first half. Collingwood supporters were united in their love of Cox on Friday night, as the Texan kicked more goals than the Tigers to half time, and finished the game with the equal highest contested mark of any Pie. However the chants of USA ringing out around the MCG leaves me wondering if the Magpies think that Cox is a whole country. Large though he is, unfortunately he is not. While Richmond came back hard in the second half, on the back of an inspired Jack Riewoldt, the damage was done, as Collingwood ran away very comfortable winners, with Dusty looking a bit Rusty as a result of a corkie he copped in the Qualifying final win over the Hawks. The unfortunate result of this, is that the dethroning of Richmond, has resulted in Collingwood making their 44th Grand Final, and a chance to be an equal best 16. And we all know Australia is a better place when Collingwood supporters are miserable. West Coast Eagles v Melbourne There are only three things certain in the AFL. Death, and Melbourne fans finding misery in September. Melbourne fans flew over to this strange foreign city called Perth, which as absolutely no snow in September, with a real hope of winning their way to their first Grand Final in eighteen years, having won their last two games in Western Australia. However it wasn't to be, as the Curse of Norm Smith held strong, dooming Melbourne to the worst first half in an AFL Preliminary final by any side, with their mere 34 tackles far shy of the 67 and 88 recorded in previous finals appearances this season. That isn't to take away from the Eagles who came out on fire, and only slowed down in the second half to control the game when it was beyond doubt, as they steeled themselves for their seventh Grand Final in the AFL era, and a potential fourth Premiership, to really stake their name as one of the great modern sides. It will, however, be interesting to see what Robert Walls has to say after his bold prediction earlier this season, with the Battle of the Birds coming next week. For a fun reference the combined first halves of this weekends games was a score of 133 - 26. It was a fun time to be had by all* *That didn't want Richmond or Melbourne to win