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Aussie Footy Finals Fever!


stevie

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Well, this is football finals time for Australia's two biggest codes;

The AFL (Australian Rules) had its Grand Final yesterday in Melbourne, with an historic win to the Sydney Swans over West Coast Eagles (Perth). Not that I'm much of a follower of Aussie Rules, but neverthless _ Good Onya Swannies!!!!

Personally, of even more excitement value, is the fact that Wests Tigers, the present-day incarntaion of my beloved Balmain Tigers, have made it through to next week's National Rugby League Grand Final against the North Queensland Cowboys.

It's an amazing match-up _ two "Cinderella" teams making it to the biggest game of the year!

West Tigers was created from the former Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies Football clubs. It has never reached a final before _ Balmain last reached (but lost and broke my heart) in the Grand Final in 1989, and last won in 1969.

North Queensland Cowboys was formed in 1995, based out of Townville, and has never reached a Grand Final before.  

Go the Tiges!

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The fact the Swans won the Grand Final means absolutely nothing to me, I just can’t get into aussie rules, it makes no since to me what so ever. Just a bunch of Melbournians running around a cricket oval smacking into each other (and im told a ball is involved somewhere).

But I follow the NRL religiously (my warriors, what has happened to my warriors) and it seems that everybody I talk to is practically creaming themselves over the Tigers making the grand final (myself included). Everybody here has forgotten about our team and adopted the tigers and their kiwi boys Benji Marshall, Paul Whatuira, Dene Halatau and Bronson Harrison.

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The fact that Sydney finally cracked it in the Holy Grail of Melbourne sporting success has the whole city (actually, maybe only parts of the Sydney eastern and northern suburbs) jumping on the Swans bandwagon. If the Swans hadn't have made the Grand Final and won, interest in Sydney would have been minimal, and you'll still probably find that the NRL preliminary finals rated higher on TV in Sydney than the AFL Grand Final. I'm glad the Swans won, but really to me Aussie Rules is an alien code that just looks too scrappy to me. Guess I wasn't brought up on it to appreciate it

Now the Tigers are a different matter. I was born and bred a Black and Gold supporter. I remember the joy of watching the Tigers win their last Grand Final back in 1969, and was thrown in despair in 1989 when I sat at the Sydney Football Stadium and watched the title being snatched from their hands in the dying minutes of the Grand Final against Canberra. I really never thought I'd see them play in a Grand Final again. This is huge! I'll be having spontenous orgasms if they win next Sunday!

It's a great time to be true blue Sydneysider-Balmain Boy!

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Unlucky to the Eagles... sadly im slightly disapointed even though im a collingwood supporter myself.. I managed to get over to Melbourne for the final, though had to watch the match from the big screen at Olympic Park. Still the atmosphere inside the MCg was incredible, cant wait until its fully completed.
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Thanks CAF!

Yes, victory was all the sweeter because the Tigers have always been "battlers" _ a struggling team _ for my lifetime, and at the start of this season they were rated at 150-1 to take out the title. It was a true fairytale finish to the Rugby League season!

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01.jpg

Premiership trophy before the Eagles during the national anthem

08.jpg

Norm Smith (Best on Ground) winner Chris Judd with the ball.

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Paul Roos rallies his team at three-quater time

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Swan celebrate there dying moment, 4 point victory over West Coast ending a 77 year draught for a Premiership.

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Taghd Kennelly celebrates his Irish heritage with a little dance after his awarded his Grand Final medallion

23.jpg

After 77 years, the Swans finally hold the Premiership Cup once again.

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06.jpg

A see of red and white filled most the MCG with the total crowd for the day being 91,989.

07.jpg

Not to be out-done, some 35,000 Eagles supporters made the 4000km journey from the western sea-board to the church of football (MCG)

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AAustralian Seahawk helicopter helped deliver the match ball and the Premiership trophy.

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Retiering player Leigh Colbert waves to the crowd during the grand final game parade before the first bounce.

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When it comes to TV ratings, the NRL Grand Final well and truly outrated the AFL Final in Sydney and Brisbane _ it was the most watched program in those cities this year. It just goes to show, yeah, some Sydneysiders might be happy that the Swannies won, but Aussie Rules will never really capture the hearts and minds of NSW and Qld, we are still Rugby States.

And of course, the reverse also holds true. The NRL Grand Final for the first time won its time slot in Melbourne, but just as we up north don't understand Aussie Rules, they don't understand or appreciate Rugby (either Union or League). I'm glad the fourth Aussie Superv 14 franchise went to Perth _ with all the Yarpie expats, they'll probably get a better following out west.

It's a pity Australia is divided when it comes to football codes _ it means football doesn't unite the nation. It's up to the Melbourne Cup then, to be Australia's biggest annual sporting day. And imagine what a power we would be on the world scene if we were united behind, say, soccer.

weststigerscelebration_wideweb__430x295.jpg

The Telstra Cup travels to Leichhardt Oval!

sheens-evans400.jpg

Tigers coach Tim Sheens lets his hair down after the win.

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Winger Pat Richards' amazing try off a Benji Marshall 80m break and flick pass. One of the greateest Grand Final tries of all time!

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When it comes to TV ratings, the NRL Grand Final well and truly outrated the AFL Final in Sydney and Brisbane _ it was the most watched program in those cities this year. It just goes to show, yeah, some Sydneysiders might be happy that the Swannies won, but Aussie Rules will never really capture the hearts and minds of NSW and Qld, we are still Rugby States.

And of course, the reverse also holds true. The NRL Grand Final for the first time won its time slot in Melbourne, but just as we up north don't understand Aussie Rules, they don't understand or appreciate Rugby (either Union or League). I'm glad the fourth Aussie Superv 14 franchise went to Perth _ with all the Yarpie expats, they'll probably get a better following out west.

It's a pity Australia is divided when it comes to football codes _ it means football doesn't unite the nation. It's up to the Melbourne Cup then, to be Australia's biggest annual sporting day. And imagine what a power we would be on the world scene if we were united behind, say, soccer.

weststigerscelebration_wideweb__430x295.jpg

The Telstra Cup travels to Leichhardt Oval!

sheens-evans400.jpg

Tigers coach Tim Sheens lets his hair down after the win.

0,1658,5055891,00.jpg

Winger Pat Richards' amazing try off a Benji Marshall 80m break and flick pass. One of the greateest Grand Final tries of all time!

Yes, that is true Roltel, though i think its safe to say AFL is far more of a national game as it pulls good crowds in almost all states and cities. Especially now with the success of Brisbane and Sydney.

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Yes, that is true Roltel, though i think its safe to say AFL is far more of a national game as it pulls good crowds in almost all states and cities. Especially now with the success of Brisbane and Sydney.

The success of AFL in Sydney and Brisbane can be a bit overestimated. Certainly in Sydney, it's really more a "boutique" following _ inner city yuppies from the well-to-do eastern suburbs and north shore. It's always the same crowd. For the wider community _ yeah, they're vaguely interested in the results of Swans games, but they wouldn't watch them and really don't have any interest in the AFL comp in general.

Rugby League, though, had a bumper, vintage year in NSW. Huge supporrt, about half a dozen crowd records at various club games, all fuelled by an amazing competition where a lot of the fancied teams fizzled and a lot of the underdogs did well, culminating in the "Fairytale" Grand Final with two underdog teams that got the highest ratings and crowd support in NRL history (it sure brought me back into the fold with a vengeance after being disillussioned during the Super League wars _ it also helps when your favourite team does so well heh, heh!).

Take, for example,  the Swans' ticker-tape parade in Sydney after winning the AFL comp _ 20,000 showed up for it, most of them office workers who were there on their lunch break anyway.

Two days earlier, the final training session for Wests Tigers drew 35,000 to an out-of-the-way suburban oval.

Come to TV audiences for the two grand finals, in Brisbane the NRL Grand Final had twice as many viewers (778,000 versus 340,000) as the AFL, while as I said, Sydney had it's record for an NRL Grand Final (1.18 million) the highest rating this year.

The Swans have carved a niche in Sydney, but a limited small niche. I suppose it's bigger, though, than the tiny following Melbourne Storm RL has in Melbourne.

The one advantage Rugby (especially Union with its World Cup and rivalries with the All Blacks and Springboks) will always have over Aussie Rules is its international aspect. Apart from novelties like the hybrid "tests" against Ireland and the novelty leagues in places like the US, Aussie Rules doesn't really have a profile outside Oz.

It all comes down to the schools and junior comps, of course. There are few, if any schools in Sydney and wider NSW that have or compete in schools Aussie Rules comps. I'd imagine the situation is reversed vis-a-vis Rugby in Victoria, WA, SA etc.

As I said, if only we were a soccer nation.

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