Dozzy2 points of contention - Sydney rewarded for cheating!
April 29th 2008 23:54
I am not a Sydney supporter, and I have the utmost respect for the way the club goes about it on the field. They are relentless and are only very, very rarely soundly beaten. They fight, tooth and nail to give themselves every chance of winning, and over the past few years have garnered the kind of reputation and never-say-die attitude that any club would be proud to call their own.
That is what makes the most recent Sydney debacle all the more disappointing. With 19 men on the ground, Sydney was able to claw back to kick a point and level the scores against a North Melbourne team who, really, should've shut the gate on the Swans. The only problem is, it is hard to man-up and be accountable when the opposition team has an extra player on the field. It may have only been for thirty seconds, but it was in the dying minutes, and the player whom he was supposed to replace got a disposal in that time, leading to the Sydney point, the scores becoming locked and the game ending in a draw.
On Footy Classified on Monday night, former Kangaroos champion Glenn Archer stated that he would be very upset if the Kangaroos were to miss the finals by two points or percentage, as a result of this "mix up." He's completely right to be, as well.
It is not about whether it was done purposely, or whether it was accidental. It was done. If I have a car accident on the way home and it is my fault - accident or not - I am obliged to pay for the damage my inattention has caused. To use an American phrase - someone on the Sydney bench (where their coach sits, mind you) dropped the ball against the Kangaroos.
Sadly, the AFL has picked it up for them and handed it back.
Having Sydney in the finals is good for the national competition, but at what price? The Kangaroos are hurting financially. They need a finals appearance just as much as any club, and bush-league decisions like allowing the draw to stand and giving both teams two premiership points, when one team was clearly in the wrong, smack of pandering to the Sydney club.
A $50K fine? I am sure Sydney would shell out fifty large for a couple of premiership points.
The AFL has botched this one and the Kangaroos are, pardon the pun, entitled to jump up and down about it.
They deserve better.
The competition deserves better.
The fans deserve better.
B
That is what makes the most recent Sydney debacle all the more disappointing. With 19 men on the ground, Sydney was able to claw back to kick a point and level the scores against a North Melbourne team who, really, should've shut the gate on the Swans. The only problem is, it is hard to man-up and be accountable when the opposition team has an extra player on the field. It may have only been for thirty seconds, but it was in the dying minutes, and the player whom he was supposed to replace got a disposal in that time, leading to the Sydney point, the scores becoming locked and the game ending in a draw.
On Footy Classified on Monday night, former Kangaroos champion Glenn Archer stated that he would be very upset if the Kangaroos were to miss the finals by two points or percentage, as a result of this "mix up." He's completely right to be, as well.
It is not about whether it was done purposely, or whether it was accidental. It was done. If I have a car accident on the way home and it is my fault - accident or not - I am obliged to pay for the damage my inattention has caused. To use an American phrase - someone on the Sydney bench (where their coach sits, mind you) dropped the ball against the Kangaroos.
Sadly, the AFL has picked it up for them and handed it back.
Having Sydney in the finals is good for the national competition, but at what price? The Kangaroos are hurting financially. They need a finals appearance just as much as any club, and bush-league decisions like allowing the draw to stand and giving both teams two premiership points, when one team was clearly in the wrong, smack of pandering to the Sydney club.
A $50K fine? I am sure Sydney would shell out fifty large for a couple of premiership points.
The AFL has botched this one and the Kangaroos are, pardon the pun, entitled to jump up and down about it.
They deserve better.
The competition deserves better.
The fans deserve better.
B
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