Alex Malcolm and Chris Robinson are your commentators for Sunday twilight football, Essendon against St Kilda from Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. It promised to be one of the matches of the round between the undefeated Saints and the giant killing baby Bombers. This was a great contest under the roof at Docklands. No need to download the podcasts. Just click on the links and press play.
Preview
1st Term
2nd Term
3rd Term
4th Term
Wrap up
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
From pretenders to contenders
It is currently a race in two. As so many expected it to be after seven rounds of AFL season 2009. Two sides have nominated themselves as genuine contenders and stand clearly out from the crowd.
Geelong is one. No surprises here. They are the benchmark of the competition. Their depth is incredible. They have covered the losses of Brad Ottens and Gary Ablett Jr in recent weeks seamlessly. Such has been their dominance Sydney coach Paul Roos proclaimed he had never seen a team so far ahead of the rest, after his side’s 50-point defeat to the Cats last Saturday. They have won 49 out of their last 52, which included the 2007 Grand Final but not the 2008 decider.
The other contender is not the 2008 Premier. This is a shock to the system. Hawthorn’s premiership hangover is lingering far longer than anyone expected. Just three wins in seven weeks is hardly the record of an elite side. Those in the know suggest this is not a cause for concern. But a 44-point loss to Essendon last Friday would suggest otherwise. They were beaten at their own game. They were suffocated by the pressure and intensity of the Bombers and got burnt going the other way. The number of injuries on the Hawks list is also of grave concern. Trent Croad, a pillar at centre-half back last year, has yet to play a game in 2009. Grant Birchall, who played all 25 last year, has missed three this year. Norm Smith medalist Luke Hodge looks set to spend up to a month on the sideline after a groin twinge. The reigning Premiers will be fortunate to be in touch at the half-way mark of the season.
Instead, the other contender is the perennial pretender St Kilda. No one expected their exceptional start to 2009. Seven wins from seven starts with a percentage of 208 is phenomenal in anyone’s language. Until a fortnight ago they still had their doubters. The Saints first month of football had been sublime. But the pretenders tag is hard to shake. We’ve seen this before from the Saints. They’ve played on Preliminary final weekend in three of the past five seasons. Never once have they come closer than five goals to their preliminary final conquerors.
Hence the skeptics have been keen to reserve judgment so far this year. Even two successful trips to Adelaide in the first five weeks could not convince some doubters. The quality of the five interstate teams they beat is still up for debate.
But their performances in the last two weeks have convinced all and sundry that they are genuine contenders. Their 28-point victory against the Western Bulldogs was not as convincing as it could have been had they kicked straight. And the Bulldogs were somewhat flattered by a fight back in the last term.
But St Kilda made the competition sit up and take notice on Monday night against Collingwood. Yes the Magpies have been as inconsistent as any side this year, and yes they were missing Leon Davis and Paul Medhurst, arguably early leaders in Collingwood’s Copeland trophy race, but the mauling was no less frightening.
Collingwood prepare for the best sides better than any other side in the competition. They took the attack to the Saints in the opening term. The Saints have played expansive play-on and attack football in the first seven rounds. The blueprint has been supplied by Geelong and Hawthorn. But their skills, depth, and running capacity has allowed the Saints to control the corridor and move the ball swiftly to their two tall targets in Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke upfront, with the classy and elusive pair Adam Schneider and Stephen Milne buzzing at their feet.
The key to the Saints ball movement has been two on ones. They draw defenders and move the chain along via handball, eventually releasing their best ball users in Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo, Brendon Goddard, Jason Gram and Farran Ray to send the football forward untroubled.
The Magpies in the opening term did not allow it. They sweated off the ball carrier, not committing to him and therefore leaving a player free to receive as the next link in the chain. It saw 18 men defending 17 targets and forced the Saints wide throughout the opening term. If you didn’t look at the scoreboard during that period in the match you would have sworn the Magpies were in-front. But alas St Kilda still managed to lead at quarter time. Like any good side they found a way. And after quarter time they upped the ante and blew the Magpies away.
The feature of St Kilda’s play is their ferocity at the football. No team works as hard without the football. Ross Lyon has taken the man on man defensive pressure that led Sydney to the 2005 Premiership, where he was an assistant coach, and applied it to the current context. The result is a full ground defense akin to basketball’s full court press. Teams are suffocated from playing on quickly through the middle and tried and trusted defensive switches to the open side are rarely allowed. It is an upgraded version of Hawthorn’s rolling zone and a credit to Ross Lyon and his group.
They have even contributors across the board. Their midfield is a brilliant mixture of tough-inside ball winners, and smooth outside movers. The ruck division is vastly experienced and finally fit, aside from Steven King’s recent hamstring. Their forward line is versatile and full of stars, and their back six is as dependable as any.
They are still weeks away from confronting either Hawthorn or the benchmark in Geelong. But barring major injury St Kilda will most definitely be there on Preliminary final weekend. And on present form they should be there on the final Saturday in September for the first time in a decade, hoping to deliver their first flag in more than four.
Geelong is one. No surprises here. They are the benchmark of the competition. Their depth is incredible. They have covered the losses of Brad Ottens and Gary Ablett Jr in recent weeks seamlessly. Such has been their dominance Sydney coach Paul Roos proclaimed he had never seen a team so far ahead of the rest, after his side’s 50-point defeat to the Cats last Saturday. They have won 49 out of their last 52, which included the 2007 Grand Final but not the 2008 decider.
The other contender is not the 2008 Premier. This is a shock to the system. Hawthorn’s premiership hangover is lingering far longer than anyone expected. Just three wins in seven weeks is hardly the record of an elite side. Those in the know suggest this is not a cause for concern. But a 44-point loss to Essendon last Friday would suggest otherwise. They were beaten at their own game. They were suffocated by the pressure and intensity of the Bombers and got burnt going the other way. The number of injuries on the Hawks list is also of grave concern. Trent Croad, a pillar at centre-half back last year, has yet to play a game in 2009. Grant Birchall, who played all 25 last year, has missed three this year. Norm Smith medalist Luke Hodge looks set to spend up to a month on the sideline after a groin twinge. The reigning Premiers will be fortunate to be in touch at the half-way mark of the season.
Instead, the other contender is the perennial pretender St Kilda. No one expected their exceptional start to 2009. Seven wins from seven starts with a percentage of 208 is phenomenal in anyone’s language. Until a fortnight ago they still had their doubters. The Saints first month of football had been sublime. But the pretenders tag is hard to shake. We’ve seen this before from the Saints. They’ve played on Preliminary final weekend in three of the past five seasons. Never once have they come closer than five goals to their preliminary final conquerors.
Hence the skeptics have been keen to reserve judgment so far this year. Even two successful trips to Adelaide in the first five weeks could not convince some doubters. The quality of the five interstate teams they beat is still up for debate.
But their performances in the last two weeks have convinced all and sundry that they are genuine contenders. Their 28-point victory against the Western Bulldogs was not as convincing as it could have been had they kicked straight. And the Bulldogs were somewhat flattered by a fight back in the last term.
But St Kilda made the competition sit up and take notice on Monday night against Collingwood. Yes the Magpies have been as inconsistent as any side this year, and yes they were missing Leon Davis and Paul Medhurst, arguably early leaders in Collingwood’s Copeland trophy race, but the mauling was no less frightening.
Collingwood prepare for the best sides better than any other side in the competition. They took the attack to the Saints in the opening term. The Saints have played expansive play-on and attack football in the first seven rounds. The blueprint has been supplied by Geelong and Hawthorn. But their skills, depth, and running capacity has allowed the Saints to control the corridor and move the ball swiftly to their two tall targets in Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke upfront, with the classy and elusive pair Adam Schneider and Stephen Milne buzzing at their feet.
The key to the Saints ball movement has been two on ones. They draw defenders and move the chain along via handball, eventually releasing their best ball users in Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo, Brendon Goddard, Jason Gram and Farran Ray to send the football forward untroubled.
The Magpies in the opening term did not allow it. They sweated off the ball carrier, not committing to him and therefore leaving a player free to receive as the next link in the chain. It saw 18 men defending 17 targets and forced the Saints wide throughout the opening term. If you didn’t look at the scoreboard during that period in the match you would have sworn the Magpies were in-front. But alas St Kilda still managed to lead at quarter time. Like any good side they found a way. And after quarter time they upped the ante and blew the Magpies away.
The feature of St Kilda’s play is their ferocity at the football. No team works as hard without the football. Ross Lyon has taken the man on man defensive pressure that led Sydney to the 2005 Premiership, where he was an assistant coach, and applied it to the current context. The result is a full ground defense akin to basketball’s full court press. Teams are suffocated from playing on quickly through the middle and tried and trusted defensive switches to the open side are rarely allowed. It is an upgraded version of Hawthorn’s rolling zone and a credit to Ross Lyon and his group.
They have even contributors across the board. Their midfield is a brilliant mixture of tough-inside ball winners, and smooth outside movers. The ruck division is vastly experienced and finally fit, aside from Steven King’s recent hamstring. Their forward line is versatile and full of stars, and their back six is as dependable as any.
They are still weeks away from confronting either Hawthorn or the benchmark in Geelong. But barring major injury St Kilda will most definitely be there on Preliminary final weekend. And on present form they should be there on the final Saturday in September for the first time in a decade, hoping to deliver their first flag in more than four.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Super Swede tames Sawgrass
It is known as the fifth major and today it played like a major. The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass produced a Sunday of golf to rival any major and it was the Uber-consistent Swede Henrik Stenson who survived to claim the title, producing a flawless final round six-under 66 to win by four over Englishman Ian Poulter.
The languid, long-hitting 33-year-old is fast becoming one of the best players never to have won a major title. The man who currently holds that unenviable “title”, Sergio Garcia, ironically won the Players last year.
But Stenson’s golfing resume is starting to read like that of a major champion. He entered the world’s top 10 with a win at the Dubai Desert Classic in February 2007. He then backed that up with a win at the prestigious World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play. Both times Tiger Woods featured prominently in the field. Then last year the Swede produced his most consistent results in majors as he tied for third and fourth at the British Open and USPGA respectively.
Today he played with the composure of a major champion. As the rest of the field melted under the pressure and the heat, on a treacherous golf-course that had been baked to a crisp, Stenson remained ice-cool behind his Oakley sunglasses.
Stenson began the day in a group of six players tied for second, five shots behind 54-hole leader Alex Cjeka, and a shot ahead of three other players. Of those ten men he was the only player to break 70 on Sunday, let alone shoot 66.
It was Cjeka’s tournament to lose. The German journeyman’s story is a remarkable one. Born behind the Iron-Curtain in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, nine-year-old Cjeka unwittingly fled the Soviet-run state with his father crossing through four countries before swimming across the Rhine River into West Germany and freedom.
Cjeka had played brilliantly all week, belying his world ranking of 267. He led the field in driving accuracy and seemed to be playing a different golf course through 54 holes. The fear most held for Cjeka was the threat of Tiger Woods, who was paired with him in Sunday’s final group, drawing comparisons with Sean O’Hair who partnered Woods at Bay Hill six weeks ago with a five-shot lead only to lose by a stroke. Cjeka seemed unfazed about the prospect quoting the final-round of the 1996 British Open when he beat Woods – then a 20-year-old amateur – by three strokes. However that achievement ranks alongside English cricketer John White, whose claim to fame was dismissing a 20-year-old test debutant named Bradman.
But it was Stenson, not Woods, who made the most noise with a performance that was the total antithesis to the other nine men in the last five pairs.
Stenson hit 13 of 14 fairways in the final round, essentially copying the blueprint laid out by Cjeka over the previous three days. He turned in two-under 34 having ignited his day with birdie from the fringe at seven. He struck the best tee-shot of the day at the monstrous 235-yard par three eighth but could not capitalise. A two-putt birdie at nine was enough to give him the lead at eight-under from a host of players after Cjeka and Woods butchered the front side.
Cjeka’s magnificent driving over the first three days disappeared on Sunday as he flipped everything left on his way to a front-nine six-over 42 which virtually ended his tournament. He finished in a tie for ninth after a disastrous 79.
Woods was doing the polar-opposite to his playing partner and losing everything right. He confessed after day three that he is still fighting his swing since returning from knee surgery. He “grinds” better than anyone, his tournament score held together by his steadfast putter and superior mental strength, as he holed more than 50 putts from inside five-feet without fail all week.
But today his swing was at its worst and the best score he could muster was a one-over par 73. Consistent block-cuts were his kryptonite. His hips beating his hands through the ball as he wrestled with his rhythm the entire day.
Rhythm was a feature of Stenson’s play. His driving was exemplary bar one fairway miss at 14 but he still rescued par when he caught a break with the lie in the right rough.
But the power of positive thinking was the key. He was full of confidence following a magnificent birdie-two at 13. He has worked on his mental game recently with mind-guru Bob Rotella, the man accredited with unlocking the secrets to Padraig Harrington’s recent success. Not to mention the assured caddie Fanny Sunesson by his side, who partnered Nick Faldo to four of his six major titles.
Birdies at 15 and 16 meant he could safely negotiate the treacherous 17th and 18th without risk.
The eccentric Poulter was the best of the rest with a composed two-under 70 to finish in outright second. Poulter is best known for a verbal gaff last year where he revealed that if he got his game together it would be he and Tiger Woods each week and the rest would be playing for third.
But Poulter showed he may be able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. He struggled with a 75 on Saturday playing alongside a resolute Cjeka but his response today was Tiger-esque as he grinded his was to eight-under whilst those around him fell apart.
It still wasn’t good enough to reel in the Swede. Stenson confirming he belongs amongst the game’s elite players while showing the composure and class required to win a major championship.
The languid, long-hitting 33-year-old is fast becoming one of the best players never to have won a major title. The man who currently holds that unenviable “title”, Sergio Garcia, ironically won the Players last year.
But Stenson’s golfing resume is starting to read like that of a major champion. He entered the world’s top 10 with a win at the Dubai Desert Classic in February 2007. He then backed that up with a win at the prestigious World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play. Both times Tiger Woods featured prominently in the field. Then last year the Swede produced his most consistent results in majors as he tied for third and fourth at the British Open and USPGA respectively.
Today he played with the composure of a major champion. As the rest of the field melted under the pressure and the heat, on a treacherous golf-course that had been baked to a crisp, Stenson remained ice-cool behind his Oakley sunglasses.
Stenson began the day in a group of six players tied for second, five shots behind 54-hole leader Alex Cjeka, and a shot ahead of three other players. Of those ten men he was the only player to break 70 on Sunday, let alone shoot 66.
It was Cjeka’s tournament to lose. The German journeyman’s story is a remarkable one. Born behind the Iron-Curtain in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, nine-year-old Cjeka unwittingly fled the Soviet-run state with his father crossing through four countries before swimming across the Rhine River into West Germany and freedom.
Cjeka had played brilliantly all week, belying his world ranking of 267. He led the field in driving accuracy and seemed to be playing a different golf course through 54 holes. The fear most held for Cjeka was the threat of Tiger Woods, who was paired with him in Sunday’s final group, drawing comparisons with Sean O’Hair who partnered Woods at Bay Hill six weeks ago with a five-shot lead only to lose by a stroke. Cjeka seemed unfazed about the prospect quoting the final-round of the 1996 British Open when he beat Woods – then a 20-year-old amateur – by three strokes. However that achievement ranks alongside English cricketer John White, whose claim to fame was dismissing a 20-year-old test debutant named Bradman.
But it was Stenson, not Woods, who made the most noise with a performance that was the total antithesis to the other nine men in the last five pairs.
Stenson hit 13 of 14 fairways in the final round, essentially copying the blueprint laid out by Cjeka over the previous three days. He turned in two-under 34 having ignited his day with birdie from the fringe at seven. He struck the best tee-shot of the day at the monstrous 235-yard par three eighth but could not capitalise. A two-putt birdie at nine was enough to give him the lead at eight-under from a host of players after Cjeka and Woods butchered the front side.
Cjeka’s magnificent driving over the first three days disappeared on Sunday as he flipped everything left on his way to a front-nine six-over 42 which virtually ended his tournament. He finished in a tie for ninth after a disastrous 79.
Woods was doing the polar-opposite to his playing partner and losing everything right. He confessed after day three that he is still fighting his swing since returning from knee surgery. He “grinds” better than anyone, his tournament score held together by his steadfast putter and superior mental strength, as he holed more than 50 putts from inside five-feet without fail all week.
But today his swing was at its worst and the best score he could muster was a one-over par 73. Consistent block-cuts were his kryptonite. His hips beating his hands through the ball as he wrestled with his rhythm the entire day.
Rhythm was a feature of Stenson’s play. His driving was exemplary bar one fairway miss at 14 but he still rescued par when he caught a break with the lie in the right rough.
But the power of positive thinking was the key. He was full of confidence following a magnificent birdie-two at 13. He has worked on his mental game recently with mind-guru Bob Rotella, the man accredited with unlocking the secrets to Padraig Harrington’s recent success. Not to mention the assured caddie Fanny Sunesson by his side, who partnered Nick Faldo to four of his six major titles.
Birdies at 15 and 16 meant he could safely negotiate the treacherous 17th and 18th without risk.
The eccentric Poulter was the best of the rest with a composed two-under 70 to finish in outright second. Poulter is best known for a verbal gaff last year where he revealed that if he got his game together it would be he and Tiger Woods each week and the rest would be playing for third.
But Poulter showed he may be able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. He struggled with a 75 on Saturday playing alongside a resolute Cjeka but his response today was Tiger-esque as he grinded his was to eight-under whilst those around him fell apart.
It still wasn’t good enough to reel in the Swede. Stenson confirming he belongs amongst the game’s elite players while showing the composure and class required to win a major championship.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Dogs bark again after mute three weeks
After a horror three-week stretch the Western Bulldogs have restored their place among the elite teams of the competition with a convincing 32-point win over Adelaide at AAMI stadium.
Football Park is no longer a fortress for the Crows. The Bulldogs overcoming a terrible record in Adelaide to become the fourth consecutive Melbourne club to beat the Crows at home, winning 17.16 (118) to 12.14 (86).
It was a difficult game to predict coming in. Both sides entered with three wins and three losses. Adelaide had failed to string two wins together while the Bulldogs had won their first three before a nightmare month which culminated in this trip to Adelaide.
Despite all the leading indicators suggesting otherwise - the Bulldogs have been last in the competition in kicking efficiency and points percentage in the last three weeks and second last for inside 50’s - the visitors were installed favourite but it was the Crows who started brighter.
Adelaide dominated the clearances in the opening term leading 10 to four. Their midfield linked beautifully by hand through the centre square. Scott Thompson was the pivot. He went to quarter-time with 14 handballs bringing many of his teammates into play. Adelaide were able to deliver well to Taylor Walker who was a prominent target up forward early. But he could not hurt his direct opponent Tom Williams on the scoreboard kicking 1.2 from three set shots. It did not save Williams from the wrath of Rodney Eade who banished him to the pine for the start of the second term.
The Bulldogs trailed by only seven points at quarter-time courtesy of Adelaide’s inaccuracy but they were sparked in the second by their talisman Brad Johnson. The skipper kicked an early goal and provided plenty of energy at half-forward.
Inaccuracy plagued both teams in ideal conditions. Just ten of the 39 combined shots for goal in the first half were majors and the visitors led at the long break by one point thanks to a trademark running goal from Nathan Eagleton in the shadows of half-time.
The third term was a footballing clinic from the Western Bulldogs as they kicked eight goals to one. Eade has built this side on kicking efficiency and hard running, something that had been distinctly lacking in their last three losses, but it was their efficiency and directness that was decisive in this contest.
Will Minson got first hands on the football in the ruck, and Brownlow medalists Adam Cooney and Jason Akermanis and the talented Daniel Giansiracusa led the charge after all had been quiet in the opening half. Cooney was sublime, winning the football and delivering with aplomb to the likes of Akermanis and Robert Murphy. Murphy finished the day with four goals, Akermanis threaded three including two in the third term.
Cooney combined brilliantly with Daniel Cross in the clinches who was close to the Bulldogs best all day. The AFL’s leading contested ball winner last season had 29 disposals and showed tremendous courage which is a feature of his game.
The lead at three-quarter-time was a seemingly insurmountable 45 points particularly given the Crows could not get their hands on the Sherrin. But the hosts fought on well winning the final stanza. Walker (four goals), Chris Knights (three) and Jason Porplyzia (two) all produced accomplished finishes in the last term to provide the Bulldogs with a scare but the result was never really in doubt. Josh Hill’s two late goals sealed the win for the Bulldogs which arrested their three week slide and restored them in third place on the AFL ladder on percentage.
Rodney Eade’s men have a great opportunity to go 5-3 next week with a date with Melbourne on Saturday afternoon at the MCG while Adelaide have their concerns ahead of a tough trip to the Gabba to take on the in-form Brisbane Lions.
Football Park is no longer a fortress for the Crows. The Bulldogs overcoming a terrible record in Adelaide to become the fourth consecutive Melbourne club to beat the Crows at home, winning 17.16 (118) to 12.14 (86).
It was a difficult game to predict coming in. Both sides entered with three wins and three losses. Adelaide had failed to string two wins together while the Bulldogs had won their first three before a nightmare month which culminated in this trip to Adelaide.
Despite all the leading indicators suggesting otherwise - the Bulldogs have been last in the competition in kicking efficiency and points percentage in the last three weeks and second last for inside 50’s - the visitors were installed favourite but it was the Crows who started brighter.
Adelaide dominated the clearances in the opening term leading 10 to four. Their midfield linked beautifully by hand through the centre square. Scott Thompson was the pivot. He went to quarter-time with 14 handballs bringing many of his teammates into play. Adelaide were able to deliver well to Taylor Walker who was a prominent target up forward early. But he could not hurt his direct opponent Tom Williams on the scoreboard kicking 1.2 from three set shots. It did not save Williams from the wrath of Rodney Eade who banished him to the pine for the start of the second term.
The Bulldogs trailed by only seven points at quarter-time courtesy of Adelaide’s inaccuracy but they were sparked in the second by their talisman Brad Johnson. The skipper kicked an early goal and provided plenty of energy at half-forward.
Inaccuracy plagued both teams in ideal conditions. Just ten of the 39 combined shots for goal in the first half were majors and the visitors led at the long break by one point thanks to a trademark running goal from Nathan Eagleton in the shadows of half-time.
The third term was a footballing clinic from the Western Bulldogs as they kicked eight goals to one. Eade has built this side on kicking efficiency and hard running, something that had been distinctly lacking in their last three losses, but it was their efficiency and directness that was decisive in this contest.
Will Minson got first hands on the football in the ruck, and Brownlow medalists Adam Cooney and Jason Akermanis and the talented Daniel Giansiracusa led the charge after all had been quiet in the opening half. Cooney was sublime, winning the football and delivering with aplomb to the likes of Akermanis and Robert Murphy. Murphy finished the day with four goals, Akermanis threaded three including two in the third term.
Cooney combined brilliantly with Daniel Cross in the clinches who was close to the Bulldogs best all day. The AFL’s leading contested ball winner last season had 29 disposals and showed tremendous courage which is a feature of his game.
The lead at three-quarter-time was a seemingly insurmountable 45 points particularly given the Crows could not get their hands on the Sherrin. But the hosts fought on well winning the final stanza. Walker (four goals), Chris Knights (three) and Jason Porplyzia (two) all produced accomplished finishes in the last term to provide the Bulldogs with a scare but the result was never really in doubt. Josh Hill’s two late goals sealed the win for the Bulldogs which arrested their three week slide and restored them in third place on the AFL ladder on percentage.
Rodney Eade’s men have a great opportunity to go 5-3 next week with a date with Melbourne on Saturday afternoon at the MCG while Adelaide have their concerns ahead of a tough trip to the Gabba to take on the in-form Brisbane Lions.
Round 7 2009 Adelaide v Western Bulldogs
Alex Malcolm and Tim Serjeant are your commentators this week for Sunday football from AAMI Stadium. The Crows and Bulldogs entered this clash with identical records of 3-3 but vastly different form lines. The Crows looking to avoid a fifth consecutive loss at AAMi while the Bulldogs looking for a win after three straight defeats. This was a very entertaining and freeflowing contest with some humour from your expert commentator thrown in for good measure. No need to download the files, just click on the links and press play.
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap up
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap up
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Pakistan v Australia in the UAE
I have been working for cricinfo.com during the back end of Australia's one-day series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. It has been an intriguing series between a Pakistan side that has been starved for international cricket and an Australian side missing Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, and Mitchell Johnson. The links below are to the match bulletins which i have written.
Game 4 Pakistan 197 (Shehzad 43, Afridi 40, Bollinger 5/35) lost to Australia 2-200 (Clarke 100no, Watson 85no)
Game 5 Australia 4-250 (Watson 116no, Ferguson 41no) lost to Pakistan 3-254 (Akmal 116no, Misbah-ul-Haq 76no)
Game 4 Pakistan 197 (Shehzad 43, Afridi 40, Bollinger 5/35) lost to Australia 2-200 (Clarke 100no, Watson 85no)
Game 5 Australia 4-250 (Watson 116no, Ferguson 41no) lost to Pakistan 3-254 (Akmal 116no, Misbah-ul-Haq 76no)
Round 6 2009 Western Bulldogs vs St Kilda
Alex Malcolm and Chris Robinson are your commentators for Sunday twilight football from Etihad Stadium, the Western Bulldogs and St. Kilda concluding Round 6. It was billed as one of the matches of the round. The Dogs started so well winning their first three before stuttering in the past fortnight whilst the Saints have been irresistible winning their first five in very convincing fashion. This was the biggest test for both sides so far. Once again no need to download the files. Just click on the links and press play.
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap-up
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap-up
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