If you've been with me this long, you already know that I'm no footy expert! If you're new to my site, the disclaimer is at the bottom of the page! Please read it so you know where I'm coming from!!

Whether you're new to the sport or a seasoned veteran, your comments and questions are always welcome! Send 'em to me and I'll share them here!

This has been such a good season so far!! I'm beside myself to contain my joy! What fun it is to win!!

I listened to the game via the Internet audio feed from Triple M. Had a beautiful feed throughout the game. It was almost as if I were right there in Australia! Isn't technology wonderful?!

Prior to the start of the game, the annoucers said that Essendon had been "fickle" and if they were to win, they needed to get over that. They said that Richmond would need to be "sensible", and that if we could achieve sensibility we'd be able to beat the fickle Bombers.

I always think it's funny to hear the pre-game shows! I get a kick out of the predictions and summarizations!

In any case, Essendon were picked to win but no one was ruling Richmond out entirely.

Good thing, too, as we had the lead from our first goal early in the game until the final siren, despite poor accuracy with our kicks!

Granted James Hird was injured early in the game and we don't know how much of a difference that made, but the fact is our first goals were set up nicely. If I wrote the numbers down right, the first was 25 out from goal, directly in front, followed by 35 out, then 30 out, again directly in front of goal. I think that says a lot about our Tigers! We were getting into position to goal based on good team effort. Particularly in light of our injuries, that's something to cheer about! Go Tiges!

Close to three-quarter time the announcers called it Game, Set, Match. I was feeling pretty comfortable by that point in time, although the flurry of behinds in the final quarter concerned me a little bit. If we could have converted those to goals, just think how our percentage would have jumped. (OK, I'm getting greedy now!)

My only regret is that I didn't get to see the Mark Johnson SCREAMER in the final quarter of the game. From what I heard and what I read, it must have been something! Good for the Bombers to have something positive to take from the game.

And after all that, AFL.com describes the Tigers as playing an "unglamorous but effective brand of football." Pffft! It didn't sound unglamorous via the audio!! It doesn't look unglamorous on the ladder!

One of many cool things about sport in Australia is that it still operates on a personal level. I want to share a brief story that comes from the Fairfax site:

Tigers celebrate, Dons drown sorrows
By Peter Hanlon
May 11 2003
In a move instigated by the clubs' presidents, and not seen consistently at AFL level for nearly two decades, the Tigers welcomed their opponents, club officials and umpires into their inner sanctum for an old-fashioned, post-match get together.

There was a modern addition to the routine - both teams went through their warm-down in the new Punt Road swimming pool - before all retired to the social club to mull over the day.

"We talked about it a couple of weeks ago - I'm showing my age now - about going back to the old-fashioned after-matches every now and again," Frawley said. "It's probably gone out of football and we want to make sure with a few clubs . . . it's dog-eat-dog, but after the game, you can sit down and have a coldie together."

Before the match, Sheedy had described it thus: "Have the battle on the field, but you can actually have a life off it." Afterwards, he said it would do his beaten players "the world of good to go back there", adding that it provided a rare chance to mix with opponents, umpires and officials that was commonplace 15 years ago.

"I think there's a missing link there between the camaraderie that was there in the VFL days, particularly with umpires," Sheedy said. "It's tough for us this week, but that's life. Someone was going to lose today."

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I think that's the coolest thing!! It would be a difficult task on the part of the team that lost, but what a cool thing to do anyway! That is a side of the game that I absolutely love. Way to go, Tigers and Bombers! Sportsmanship Supreme!

Oh we're from Tigerland, a fighting fury we're from Tigerland!

Hi Becky,

It's just over 6 hours since we hammered Essendon at the G and I can't get the song out of my head. I've just come back from a friends house where we had a few beers, watched a replay of the game and discussed how great it was. I still can't talk properly. Shouted myself hoarse screaming "YYEEESSSSSSSS!!! CARN' THE TIGERRRRRSSSSSSSSS!!!!"

It was so wonderful! The last time I was at a match when we beat Essendon it was the '95 2nd semi. When I saw that Ray Hall was out I thought "Yes, this is going to be ugly." but they just went out there and smashed Essendon from pillar to post and set us up beautifully for the season. I wish you'd seen it Becky, our boys were just so good, so tough, so hard, so committed. You know what the weird thing is, I'm driving to the game and thinking of our forward woes, I mean we named Royce Vardy at full forward for God's sake, and I thought: gee it'd be nice if Andy Krakouer caught fire and kicked a few. What happens? The little guy goes nuts in the 3rd quarter and bags three, 5 for the match and we belt Essendon!

YELLOW AND BLACK!

Chris.

Disclaimer: This site is intended for those of us who are relatively new to Aussie Rules Football. I don't claim to be an expert -- in fact I'm as green as they come! The ideas expressed are accurate to the best of my wee, limited and infantile knowledge! Please keep in mind that my comments come strictly from listening to the game, not viewing it. I'm putting a lot of weight into the way it's called.

Thanks so much to the Tiger fans from Australia who have taken time to write! It's been great fun and I love hearing from you! That said, kick back and have some fun with me as we go through a season of Aussie Rules Football!!