The Roar, Round Four,

The week in review

Recounted using haiku

From the States, to you…

[This was originally published today in The Roar, an Australian sports magazine for which I write a weekly column about Aussie Rules football. For you "Yanks" who don't understand the most glorious of all sports, I'll translate for you in the right margin... Undoubtedly, this will screw up phone readers, though. Tablets and PCs should still be fine.]

West Coast did enough

To make Franklin sore, and drop

Swans to oh-and-four.                                           (West Coast won 91-65.)

Sydney lost just five

All season last year, and now,

It’s five in a row.                                                   (Last year, the Swans were "minor premiers",

                                                                          meaning they had the best season record, at 17-5.)  

Good Friday footy

Made its debut this weekend.

Will Christmas be next?                                        (No, because the season only runs to September.)

I know it’s just once,

But Melbourne and the Bulldogs

Should keep Good Friday.                                     (Until this year, Good Friday was sacrosanct on

                                                                          the AFL calendar. But it was a big charity success.)

***

The Crows dominate;

The Giants look awf’lly strong.

That’s my Grand Final.                                          (Adelaide is 4-0; GWS' only loss was to them.)

But maybe it’s now

That we see if the Tigers

Can really challenge.                                              (Richmond starts the year 4-0 for 1st time since '95)

Glad to see Brisbane,

Carlton, Freo, and the Dons

Pull their weight this year.                                     (Last year's bottom four all look better so far in '17.)

Even the Kangaroos

Look pretty sound in defeat

Against four good teams.                                       (North Melbourne jettisoned most of their older

                                                                      talent, and though they're 0-4 so far, they're competitive.)

It could be this year

Gold Coast won’t have injuries.

Then we’ll see if...IF…                                          (The Suns were on their way up until three straight

                                                                    seasons of massive injuries derailed them. So far, so good.)

And Port Adelaide

Still looks good. I’ve got Wines as

A Brownlow dark horse!                                       (The Power are another team doing surprisingly 

                                                                    well, with a record of 2-2, losing to my two favorites only.)

***

It’s strange how quickly

We move from “Finals bound!” to

“They’re in “transition”!”                  

Hawthorn and Sydney                                         (Hawthorn won three straight titles in '13-'15; Sydney

Were supposed to be good, but                                won three over a decade and were in the Final last

Suddenly, they’re “old”?                                         season; both finished 17-5 and were expected to be

                                                                                 slightly behind last year - but not 0-8 combined!)

We act like we knew,

But nobody had the Hawks

Losing their first four.

Hindsight is perfect.

Now, we see the flaws they have,

But not in advance.

Both teams seem to have

Just the wrong combination

Of too old, too young.

***

Cloke played two-fifty.

He may not be what he was,

But he’s still all class.                                                 (Travis Cloke, formerly of Collingwood and now

                                                                                     with Western, got a bad rib injury Friday night.)

Like I always do,

I’ll watch recovery news

While holding my breath.

Buddy’s two-five-oh

Came and went last week, with no

More than a whisper.                                                    (Milestone games, like the 250th for Cloke or

                                                                                       superstar Lance "Buddy" Franklin, are a really

When Lance kicks eight ton,                                         big deal in the AFL. Franklin was held without

Can he then be recognized                                            a goal in his 250th, but is just three goals shy of

As one-of-a-kind?                                                          becoming the 12th man in history to kick 800.)

I don’t know that there’s

Ever been a player who

Looked and kicked like him.

When Buddy is on,

He can do things with a ball

No one else can do.

But it could be worse:

Lindsay Thomas missed the chance

To win his milestone.                                                    (He had a tough kick in the last seconds for 

                                                                               North Melbourne to win the game - and missed.) 

***

I’m proud of the way

All of footy spoke as one

Against racism.                                                             (A week ago, Eddie Betts and Patrick Ryder,

                                                                               both superb indigenous players, were vilified by

It feels like it was                                                      fans at the Adelaide/Port Adelaide game.)

ALL of society against

A few lone bigots.                                                         (The reaction from footy was universal.)

But don’t get happy:

It drove Goodes out of the game,

And Eddie’s upset:                                                         (Sydney superstar Adam Goodes retired

                                                                              rather than face that hostility any more after 2015.)

“Stuff like this wrecks it,”

Betts told Five-A-A last week,

When he should be smiles.

Unless you’ve lived it,

Like the indigenous have,

We can’t understand.

And that includes me.

All that we “white folks” can do

Is support, always.

So here’s hoping that

Footy continues leading

The war on racists.

Weekly Wanderings:

Not much to add to this post.

So, Happy Easter!