I'm not talking about a night at Sizzlers. That's stepping up with a plate. Nor is it showing Stepped up to the plate. Yep. The Dees had a good win yesterday but one word sums it up. St Kilda. up with a plate. That's what the little lady does at a Lions Club barby. With the cocktail onions and coleslaw! And none of that bloody wog Tuh-booly grass muck either! Nope, I'm talking about what the Demons did yesterday. Got it back on track. Won one for the boys.
NB: Speaking of time-honoured mindless cliches that have yet to pass the test of time. I'm pretty damn sure that when Ashley Sampi kicks a goal off the ground, Jason Bennett's rapturous cry of "David Beckham! Eat your heart out!" won't cause Mister Posh to go green with envy and topple off his wallet.
Meanwhile, over at My Two Cents, Parker? - "Yes M'lady" - has decided to get stuck into my statement that the Western Australian teams benefit from their home ground advantage to a greater extent than their Victorian counterparts. At least we both agree there's such a thing as a home ground advantage. Where I don't agree is with his assertion that because the WA teams travel ten times a year and the Victorian teams three to six that the Vic clubs suffer no real disadvantage by comparison. He's wrong of course. And in being so, he's comprehensively missed my point. To whit, it's not his "Away Ground Disadvantage" but my "Home Ground Advantage" that's the issue. For the Victorian clubs the West's beguiling symmetry of "every second week" doesn't exist. Come to think of it, I can see how it could distort the communal perspective over there and how it may have led Gareth to jump to the wrong conclusion. The WA media are unlikely to help the situation either. The fact is though, the Victorian clubs don't travel as often but also don't get a home ground advantage every second week. The Western Australians DO travel every second week but every other week they get a bull-moose home ground advantage. West Coast gets ten home games against interstate teams and in a good year might win all or most to set up a finals place. Not a confronting task if the Coasters are travelling well. In the past they've also had the advantage of a gimme against the Dockers. This year it's fifty/fifty but if the Eagles win both that's twelve wins and finals certainty. Purely from playing at home. Toss in a couple away wins and they're a contender for top four. What then, of the Victorian teams? Well, Gareth is the one suffering booze related brain trauma if he thinks "Melbourne still playing 13 times on its own ground the MCG" constitutes a comparable home ground advantage. In fact, it's nothing of the sort. What he's conveniently overlooked is that ten of them are against other sides that want to play there and consider it as good as a home game. This year Melbourne only gets a home ground advantage against West Coast, Freo and Port. We only play the Cows in Adelaide. What about Brisbane and Sydney, I hear you ask? Well, Melbourne has been playing Brisbane up there lately (that's Melbourne's choice) but before when they played here, there were as many Fitzroy supporters as there were Melbourne ones. So there's no advantage here against Brizroy. When it comes to Sydney, the last time the Pinks played Melbourne at the MCG their fans more than doubled Melbourne's. Those old Blooders consider Sydney games in Melbourne as home games too. It also shouldn't be forgotten that the Victorian side of the equation is further weakened when you consider that oftentimes Melbourne plays the Eagles, Dockers, Port & Cows at either Optus or Telstra. Not even the Dee's nominal home grounds. As well as home games at both against the Roos, Saints and Dogs. The upshot is that when it comes to opportunities to build a season, because that's what a solid home ground advantage amounts to, West Coast has TEN and Melbourne FOUR. Three this year. All in all it's clear the home ground advantage enjoyed by the West Coast and the Dockers far outweighs that enjoyed by any of the Victorian clubs. And further illustrates my original point in the post below that the competition is hopelessly compromised (intentionally or otherwise) and in a word, unfair. And that the AFL, in making any kind of claim about the MCC in turn being unfair is seriously tainting it's own credibility.
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