#Essendon Bombers Tickets

[techiinfoo]

North Melbourne Kangaroos v Sydney Swans; Western Bulldogs v Adelaide Crows; Fremantle Dockers v Geelong Cats; Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast Suns; Essendon Bombers v Richmond Tigers results, scores, fixtures, teams, ladder, odds, tickets, how to watch

[ticketblasterafl-blog]

[totalconway]

Drinks at the Pub, ends in short film opportunity...

So a little back story first, I started performing stand up comedy in 2012 and by 2013 I was lucky enough to win the state leg of Australia’s largest open mic competition Triple J RAW Comedy and headed to Melbourne to perform on the ABC.

Following that experience I was given a lot of opportunities to perform support spots purely based on that RAW comedy credit.

One case of this was performing at Rottnest Island for their Rottofest summer comedy which was held every Friday during the summer. Rottnest Island is a hot bed of local and international tourist, and the Island’s Gov’s Tavern where the gig is held would often sell out (120+ People) the crowd was always a mix of high profile people and obnoxious drunks (most of the time both)

On one particular Friday night, I was performing, and not to brag blowing the roof off the joint and in the crowd was none other then the President of my favorite sporting team the Fremantle Dockers Football Club.

At the time, the Fremantle Dockers board was facing backlash from the supporter base because they wanted to move the Dockers training ground from their spiritual home of Fremantle Oval to a state of the art, purpose built training facility in Cockburn (Yes Cock Burn) which is about a 30 minute drive up the road.

So after the gig on Rottnest Island, I get introduced to the president of the Dockers with the intro line “Hey Sean, tell him what you think of the Cockburn move” and you can see his look go from chilled and calm to “I seriously got to deal with this shit on my holiday”. I just told him “I’m pumped for it” and I was, its been a good move for the Dockers and I started reeling off the benefits for the move etc etc. We hung out had a few beers and the whole night I was spun out that I was hanging with the president of the Dockers.

I went back to work on Monday telling people I got to hang out with the President of the Dockers, with a bit of fake bravado swagger to jokingly let them know I only hang with A-Listers now! After a couple of days I didn’t think anything of it and went back to gigging and working.

A few months down the track I get an email from the booker of Rottofest Summer comedy asking if I’d be keen to Star in a short film for the Dockers. Its not paid but if the film is one of three winners of the competition I’d receive one of the tickets to the USA which was up for grabs. Honestly, they had me at “Star in Dockers short film”. 

Apparently the opportunity was between myself and a Perth duo called Henry & Aaron. Henry & Aaron are film makers/comic actors who pretty much went viral on youtube with every film they made (Talking millions and millions of views) and they lost out to my RAW comedy set that had about 12 views purely because I had a few too many beers with the president of the Dockers. 

When I got the call to go meet them about the project I was incredibly nervous. I had a whole pitch prepared about why I was the best candidate for the job “I fucking bleed purple” because I was still thinking I had to audition for the film but essentially I had already been cast in the film. Their only concern was whether or not I could fit in the costume because I’m a big fat dude they had to see if I would be able to squeeze into it. The whole time I was terrified of ripping it because it’s a $3-$4K costume.

Once the costume fit (just) it was straight to work. It was a great project to work on because they gave me a lot of creative control of my character, and I really wanted to portray a David Brent (The Office) like character, like a really fat black sheep in a white herd.

So we started filming in September of 2013, just after the Dockers had beaten Geelong in an away game in the first week of the finals. So the Dockers had a weeks break before they played Sydney in Fremantle’s first home preliminary final in two weeks time. This was a huge moment for the club because If we win this it will be the first Grand Final the Dockers have ever been in. 

The first day of shooting was super intimidating, not because I was meeting some of my football idols but because the night before the first day of shooting I watched a documentary called Catching Hell about the Chicago Cubs fan Steve Bartman who was blamed for the Chicago Cubs not winning a game that would of sent them to the world series. Not the best film to watch when you’re about to work with you’re sporting idols on the eve of the biggest game in the clubs history. To say it made me super paranoid the whole shoot is an understatement, and it didn’t help that the first shot of the day was with the Dockers marquee player Matthew Pavlich. The scene was me jumping on his back, FUCK RIGHT OFF. I’m twice the size of Pavlich and you’re dreaming if you think I’m jumping on his back. If you watch the scene I take the “mark” and I’m nowhere near Pavlich.

It was a great shoot because everything was time sensitive, the players had their other appointments so we literally only had 10 minutes for each shot with the players so we flew through the script. 

I got to meet a lot of the players I was fans of like Ryan Crowley, Nat fyfe, I didn’t get to meet Michael Walters but the scene he’s in, my fat is hanging out of my footy jersey and I did hear him say to David Mundy “That dude looks like a bag of oranges” which was funny, but Ideally I would of preferred he made the joke to me so I could of gained a fan when I busted his balls back, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

The last shot of the film was me gate crashing a press conference with Michael Barlow . Barlow did the interview and the CEO at the time did a big speech thanking the media for their support throughout the year and if they wouldn’t mind hanging around for 10 minutes so we could get our last shot. We smashed out the shot in 2 takes, boom we’re finished, I’m told not to tell anyone about the film until it airs the following week, easy enough right.

Wrong, the next day I’m back at work and people are looking at me like I’m the biggest piece of shit in the world, because one of the media outlets had filmed me gate crashing the Michael Barlow press conference, and passed it off like I was genuinely gate crashing the press conference. 

I had to tell people it was for a film which didn’t help the situation because they thought because I do comedy it must have been some Jackass type movie I was doing. It also didn’t help the situation that Radio talk back shows were crucifying me saying how unfunny I was and how big of a dickhead I was for gate crashing the Barlow press conference, but I didn’t care too much because I knew the film was coming out the following week. It didn’t stop my Mum and my sister writing a long scathing letter to the radio station about how they should do their research before they try to shame their baby boy on the radio. Luckily I was able to stop them from sending it out.

The film came out the following week as well as the entries for the other films that we were competing against, the winners would be based on who had the most likes, shares and views. The first film we were up against was by the St Kilda Saints who managed to get Eric Bana to star in their film, it still makes me chuffed to think I starred in a film that went head to head with an Eric Bana film. The second film was by the Melbourne Demons which was a documentary about a child fan who was very sick, third place was us, and the rest of the films were Essendon Bombers which was fucking terrible and a few other teams who I can’t remember.

The film was released the night the Fremantle Dockers played Sydney Swans in a game which would determine who would be playing Hawthorn in the grand final the following week. Literally the clubs biggest game in their history at that point so the game was sold out and 50,000 people got to see me make an ass out of myself and it was humbling how much the Dockers supporters loved it.                     But more importantly the Dockers smashed the Swans and were headed for their first ever Grand Final.

Being the Dockers fan I am, there was no chance in hell we were missing out on seeing the Dockers play in their first Grand Final. I had cousin’s overseas who cut their holiday short to make it back in time for the Grand Final. It was such an amazing experience heading over for the grand final, and thanks to the film I was a bit of a star amongst Dockers supporters. I was flying over with my dad and at the same time One Direction were flying in and all these young preteen girls were waiting for them with signs and screaming for One Direction. I’m chilling with my dad waiting to board our flight and a family of Dockers fans came over and asked for a photo. All of these young preteen girls were looking at me with a confused look on their face wondering who I was and while they were distracted by me, One Direction walked past the crowd of fans with out any of them noticing.

The morning after we arrived in Melbourne we went straight to the Grand Final Parade which is one of the biggest events of the AFL Grand Final week. All the fans line the street to watch the two competing teams drive through the streets of Melbourne and ends with a big speech on the government steps and the captains of each club holding the trophy in front of their screaming fans. When the event finished all the Dockers fans turned to walk away and saw me in the street. Everyone stopped to shake my hand and to get photos, treating me like a full blown celebrity, even a girl who I had a crush on in High school asked me for a photo and I got to experience all this with my family watching. It was a very surreal and amazing experience to say the least.

The next day was the Grand Final, all the Dockers fans met at Federation Square before the game so we could march to the Melbourne Cricket Ground like soldiers marching to war. It was a sight that Melbourne people have never seen by an interstate club, which made me incredibly proud to be a Dockers fan. Being apart of the film, Dockers fans continued to stop and cheer me as we all marched to the MCG. 

When we got to the MCG I was starting to get anxious for the game, my cousins could see me becoming more anxious, which is why they started screaming out "Look it’s the Unsung Docker” every 5 minutes. I had Dockers fans lining up to get a photo with me and then Hawthorn supporters and famous AFL commentators would walk past with a look on their face like “Who the fuck is this guy”

The Dockers ended up losing the Grand Final and we headed to the Dockers after party which felt more like a wake. After the Dockers lost the game I also found out that we also finished fourth in the film competition behind the Essendon Bombers who got the fucking Janoskians to pump out their film amongst their fans and got their views up with comments like “I’m only here because I like the Janoskians” (I’m still bitter about it). In one afternoon I managed to see my favourite team lose the ultimate prize and have my payment for the film pinched from me by some shit head kids, it was a rough way to end what was otherwise a truly amazing experience.

I wasn’t too disappointed though, the film helped me get an acting agent in Sydney which has lead to some amazing acting opportunities. I’ll share some more stories down the track. The Dockers unfortunately haven’t made it to another Grand Final since 2013, but hopefully one day I’m at the right bar at the right time to have a drink with the new president of the Dockers and we can get the wheels moving on The Unsung Docker 2 

[afltickets]

The team at Ticketblaster has been involved in AFL tickets for almost 15 years. Our Australian based customer service team is here to help you 24/7.We have a large range of AFL Footy Tickets available for purchase. Ticketblaster supplies many supporters with Medallion Club AFL Tickets. In addition, we sell tickets all AFL venues. A few of those venues include:

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[leanpick]

Bombers, Hawks welcome Marvel AFLW move

Bombers, Hawks welcome Marvel AFLW move

Hawthorn and Essendon have welcomed the decision to move their season-opening AFLW game to Marvel Stadium following an “unprecedented” demand for tickets. Entering the competition as expansion sides this season, the Hawks and Bombers’ round-one fixture had initially been scheduled for the 12,000-capacity North Port Oval in Port Melbourne. But with tickets selling out within 24 hours, a “Move it…

[letsjanukhan]

Western Bulldogs v Essendon Bombers finals week one, fixtures, results, tipping, tickets, draw, odds, tickets, AFL Finals

Western Bulldogs v Essendon Bombers finals week one, fixtures, results, tipping, tickets, draw, odds, tickets, AFL Finals

Here is a parable about Tasmanian football. Graeme “Gypsy” Lee, my first footy hero, died earlier this year. Gypsy inspired East Devonport to its historic 1968 premiership win, which was magical and memorable in the same way that the Western Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership win was. As Gypsy lay dying, East Devonport announced it could no longer field a senior team. My footy hero died not knowing his…

[lvcvgvllo]

The rise and rise of e-sports

E-sports explained (equalman2018)

Video games have changed drastically over the past few decades, developing from standalone games to collaborative and competitive games played via multiplayer online environments (Banyai et al. 2018). More recently, video gaming has become professionalised whereby people are competing against others, often for money, in electronic sports or e-sports (Banyai et al. 2018).

The impact, opportunities and challenges facing sports since the meteoric rise of e-sports affects a number of key segments outlined in Figure 1.1;

The sport as a business model

The introduction of e-sports has seen a number of changes, including sporting organising purchasing and adopting e-sport teams. As a result, ‘super clubs’ have emerged, such as AFL team, Essendon Football Club. The club now has an array of teams, including their men’s and women’s football teams, wheelchair team, as well as an e-sports team. The e-sports team, which dons the ‘Bombers’ name and colours competes globally, has had the ability to attract major partnerships, including New Era (Fitch 2019) and Coca-Cola. Evidently, adopting e-sports teams into sporting clubs presents as a major opportunity for clubs to extend and attract partnerships, increasing overall revenue and exposure for the club and sponsors alike (Arkenburg et al. 2018). While saturation of media and sponsorship is a growing issue, the e-sports industry has almost singlehandedly created another platform and market for sponsors to appeal to, with estimations suggesting the industry to generate in excess of one billion dollars by 2021 (Pei 2019).

The fan

Additionally, the sporting organisations are able to attract new fans to their clubs. If people are exposed to and begin following the clubs e-sports team, this will potentially lead to increased interest across other teams within the same club and therefore increase the source of revenue through a number of streams including membership, apparel and ticket sales.

The player

The player is a twofold issue for the club that can be perceived either positively or negatively. There are the players who physically compete in the sport itself and the e-sports players. While greater opportunities develop with the induction of e-sports teams, this could detract from the number of players who physically play the game. The increasing exposure of e-sports means that from a young age, children may tend to idolise the e-sports players and subsequently play the video game of the sport, rather than physically play (Banyai et al. 2018).

While for most part society is embracing and enjoying the rise of e-sports, many people are still sceptical over the industry, including whether it truly will ever be a ‘sport’. Many critics believe e-sports, and the gaming industry in general, can have dire consequences and lead to unhealthy addictions, or a ‘gaming disorder’. According to the World Health Organisation (Chen 2018), a gaming disorder is when gaming is strongly preferred over other activities and the person does not stop playing even when there are negative consequences. While this does not necessarily apply to all e-sports players, aspirations of adolescents to reach the highest level could in fact lead to these issues.

Concerns have also risen about whether e-sports is too violent to be contested at international levels like it currently is (BBC News 2018). Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, believes that e-sports would not be accepted as an Olympic sport due to the violent and discriminatory nature (BBC News 2018).

Even the consideration alone of potentially becoming an Olympic sport highlights e-sports as no longer being niche concept (BBC News 2018). The global audience of around 320 million fans (BBC News 2018) has provided another opportunity for sporting organisations to capitalise on and continue raking in substantial amounts of money per year.

While the debate of what actually constitutes a sport - and if e-sports fits that mould -continues, the industry is no longer seen as ‘nerds’ competing in games they stay up all night playing, rather a career path that could see them playing for a sports team and earn them a living.  

References

Arkenberg, C Van Dyke, D Tengberg, J, Baltuskonis, N 2018, ‘esports graduates to the big leagues’, Deloitte Insights, 23 July, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/telecommunications/capitalizing-on-growth-of-esports-industry.html

Banyai, F Griffiths, M Kiraly, O & Demetrovics, Z 2018, ‘The Psychology of Esports: A Systemic Literature Review’, Journal of Gambling Studies, vol. 35, iss. 2, pp. 1-16, viewed 25 September 2019, http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32858/1/PubSub10417_Griffiths.pdf

BBC News 2018, ‘Esports too violent to be included in Olympics’, BBC News, 4 September, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-45407667

Chen, A 2018, ‘Here’s why gaming experts are sceptical of the ‘gaming disorder’ diagnosis’, The Verge, 19 June, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/19/17479318/gaming-disorder-who-psychology-video-games-science

equalman 2018, ‘Esports explained | The Billion Dollar Gaming Industry Revolution’, YouTube,13 December, viewed 25 September, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1-dELm3JJY

Fitch, A 2019, ‘Bombers announce New Era as official apparel partner’, Esports Insider,18 February, viewed 25 September 2019, https://esportsinsider.com/2019/02/bombers-new-era-partnership/

Jonasson, K & Thiborg, J 2010, ‘Electronic sport and its impact on future sport’, Sport in Society, vol. 13, iss. 2, pp. 287-299, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248952070_Electronic_sport_and_its_impact_on_future_sport_Sport_in_Society_132_287-299

Pei, A 2019, ‘Here’s why esports can become a billion-dollar industry in 2019’, CNBC, 21 January, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/20/heres-why-esports-can-become-a-billion-dollar-industry-in-2019.html

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Crows Dive with Pyke

NO-ONE likes waiting around 

Here we are, after a cracking crescendo to the end of the home and away season, where permutations and calculations saw an enthralling final eight set, and now we’ve got a week off.

The end of season bye came in not just because the AFLPA wanted more rest in-season for its union, but too the AFL saw an integrity issue with the final round and stars being rested.

Yet last Friday Essendon rested some of their players still, and from all appearances, with no disrespect to Hawthorn, West Coast rested all their team too, so what’s the point Gil?

Ah well, get in the garden, Father’s Day as well, it’ll be Thursday night in Perth before you know it. We hope.

 1.       Bit of a mixed bag this week, no footy for the last weekend in August, we’re a bit lost, but let’s start with West Coast. Last three games against good teams they’ve lost now. And two of those games were at home, the narrow loss to a then spluttering Collingwood and then one out of the box to a Hawthorn team who finished ninth. Not the kind of form you’d want in attempting to defend your title, especially when it now requires four wins to do it.

2.       So some still pick West Coast to go all the way, based on what we know about their best footy. But we must realise it’s less about the talent and some about the path there. To win the whole thing, weeks two through four would mean either three wins in Melbourne against Geelong or Collingwood, then Richmond, then Geelong or Collingwood, or, week three might be in Brisbane followed up by Richmond the week after. For a team that served that up against the Hawks, when top four was on the line, they ain’t doing any of that.

3.       Brisbane has a tough assignment too. One point win over Geelong at home and then Richmond was always comfy despite the stats and the margin. So first week is no gimme, but do that they’d earn a home prelim against Geelong or Collingwood, maybe West Coast, before copping Richmond at the MCG again most likely. Somewhat plausible but I don’t see three wins in them. If they lose first week they’re done and dusted, especially if the Tigers can beat them up there, they’d be cactus if they come down and play them again, or a hot Cats or Pies, down here.

4.       Just a random one, you know you’re talking to a Victorian, South Australian or Western Australian when they speak about the speed of the wind prevailing in a measurement of goals. “Hey, go put some washing on, it’s about a four-goal breeze out there”. Love it.

5.       The Pies looked really nice against the Crows, but it was the Crows and we’ll get to them. Aside from that, awful when it mattered against the Giants, not on the Tigers’ level and the Bombers win was unconvincing. If you back them in it’s on potential but the evidence on form is still a massive question mark.

6.       Mind you, overall, the Maggies are 7-4 against fellow top eight teams, which ranks first, the Cats are 5-3, Tigers are 5-4. Both the Eagles and Lions are only 4-4.

7.       I know this might not be the best version of the Giants we’ve seen the last four or so years, but geez they’ve been stiff. Could argue in 2017 and 2018 they were the second best team in it, only narrowly beaten by the eventual premier in the prelim. Too, they lost Cal Ward in the Dogs prelim early and Dylan Shiel in the Tigers prelim as well, so bit of sliding doors then who knows? Last year, narrow loss to the Pies in a semi-final. So in reality, whilst Cameron cops it for his record, the GWS really have been mighty close.

8.       Gee Chris Scott keeps banging on about venues. Let’s be clear. Last five years Geelong has had 11 home games at the MCG, outside of finals. You’d think going by his rhetoric they’re an 11-home games a year team down the highway. If it’s good to host home games there during the year, I don’t think you can labour the specific.

9.       Further, oh, it’s the Pies home ground, well yes that’s true. But in terms of home ground advantage, 100% of Geelong home games at GHMBA are home games, they are its only tenant, whereas only 57% of Collingwood home games at the MCG are true home games, the other 43% are against fellow-MCG tenants, neutral games in essence. For Victorian teams, there’s hardly any home ground these days anywhere, no advantage to be captured during the home and away, unless you’re Geelong of course.

10.   Don Pyke might be in the gun. Two schools of thought. First, it’s not yet two years since they played in a Grand Final. Furthermore, he has two years to run on a contract. But. Second school of thought, which I starting to subscribe to, is that despite all of that in his favour, has he ever regained the players properly since the 2018 pre-season? Have they looked any good since the 2017 granny? Think about the last two weeks, with finals implications on the line, they’ve looked putrid. The last Showdown is telling too, Port hammered them by ten goals no less. We may let him go into 2020 but then see more of the same and the decision makes itself. So if that looms, might as well act now and get the restart that playing group obviously needs.

11.   And also, Adelaide, by far the oldest list in the comp as well, so when you’re finishing 11th with that hanging over your head, lots needs to happen. Lots.

12.   If the Suns get handed pick two as a concession that’s a farce. It would firstly not be an objective reaction to assessing their situation, but secondly it would be not only incredibly overs for a club that doesn’t deserve, nor do well with drafting and development of players anyway, but it would be a contrived result based on a specific regards the upcoming draft pool. The top two standouts this year are two best mates from Melbourne, Noah Anderson and Matty Rowell. Both go to school at Carey, both in the Oakleigh Chargers program, both elite midfielders with different skillsets that as a package deal, as best mates, look immense. So for the AFL to deliberately land, potentially, on a concession to hand them pick 2, so they can grab both boys in the hope they are more likely to stay up there because they’re with each other, just stinks. Would hate it.

13.   Speaking of the Suns, they say they got over 7,000 to the Suns-Giants game on the weekend. No chance. No more than 3,000 paying attended, tops, with a couple thousand freebies chucked in for good measure. Poor Stuey Dew, will likely be 1-10 or 2-9 by the bye next year, and we’ll still have no strong answer to the question ‘is he a good coach?’ or not. For all we know he is Van Gogh without any access to paint.

14.   Steve Coniglio re-signs for seven years. That wouldn’t happen at the Suns. If he was on the Gold Coast he could be lured elsewhere for a can of Sprite and a Curly Wurly. But taken unders to stay in Sydney, speaks volumes of getting that franchise right, and embedded. Big difference to the Gold Coast where Jack Martin was so eager to tell the club he was leaving he almost told the runner Saturday night.

15.   And with all this trade stuff heating up, my Lord, how many numpties now throw darts at anything or have five bucks each way on every horse in the race, then letting us all know about it when a couple of the tickets in their pocket are winning ones? Its bad journalism. You know what we should demand in footy media? You know what proper trade-breaking, player movement coverage looks like? One word. “Woj”.

16.   Like this one – a leading psychologist (as opposed to those back of the peloton, off the street psychologists that are never quoted) has said that “not keeping score in junior sport is part of the ‘wuss-fication’ of an entire generation, with young kids not learning how to be resilient”. Knock me down with a feather, halle-bloody-lujah!

17.   All-Australian tonight, my team will be somewhere, but also the Rising Star is soon as well. Could google when it is but I’m not bothered, and we know Sam Walsh just wins, will be a gem for that club. My 5-4-3-2-1 if I was voting, if I’m honest: 5-Connor Rozee, 4-Sam Walsh, 3-Sydney Stack, 2-Cameron Zurhaar, 1-Mitchell Lewis. No judge will do anything like that, but that doesn’t make them right. I think Walsh is a gun but I just think Rozee is a special, special talent Victorians don’t appreciate enough. Zurhaar is a beast and helped win North two or three games by himself, and Lewis is the Hawks’ Roughy replacement, as a 20-year-old – yeah I’d be happy with that.

18.   Why are we naming an All-Australian squad of 40 the week of the final 22 being announced? Makes no sense at all. Why stop there? Why not name a 60-man shortlist then, last week? A top 100 after Round 16. Or, maybe after each Round, Hunger Games-style, tell us five blokes definitely not making the All-Australian. Or, maybe just maybe, we don’t worry about all of that and just tell us the team on the night? Don’t know. Maybe too radical.

19.   Legends game this Friday night, and its AFLX which caused a massive stink. Hate to say it though, it might, might, actually be better. Think about it, all AFLX really is, is on a smaller ground, doesn’t need tackling and the ball moves around quicker. Sounds like the perfect ingredients for older blokes who aren’t keen on amassing big GPS numbers on a standard-sized oval. Don’t like AFLX at all for normal players, but for the legends, made for TV, for charity, I think it maybe works out for the best?

20.   In this bye week I’m allowed – want to give a shout out to Roy Laird. Who? Last weekend he coached his 357th and final game for Central District in the SANFL after 17 seasons. He coached the Doggies to seven premierships and two runners up, the only success for Centrals in their history, won 22 of the 30 finals he coached and finishes with a 66% winning record. Freak. It’s been too long to get Centrals into this column so this week, we say well done and good luck to one of the greatest coaches the SANFL, and footy in general, has seen.

[newscoflash-blog]

newsCO.com.au | Sydney Swans v Essendon Bombers elimination final, AFL, odds, tickets, start time, odds, preview, betting, news, teams

newsCO.com.au | Sydney Swans v Essendon Bombers elimination final, AFL, odds, tickets, start time, odds, preview, betting, news, teams

@newsCOflash 2017-09-08 05:38:00

ESSENDON’S resurgence in 2017 has been remarkable after last year’s wooden spoon (in unique circumstances) but the last time the Bombers experienced September success was back in 2004.

But they face a massive task against Sydney, which is the form team of the competition.

FLYING UP: HOW ESSENDON GOT IT’S GROOVE BACK

0-6 START: HOW SWANS PULLED OFF FINALS MIRACLE

[jaeame-blog]

Eagles beat Crows, secure finals berth | AFL finals

TALKING POINT: Richmond's win over St Kilda on Sunday means they will finish third and play second-placed Geelong in a qualifying final. Richmond can bounce into the top four with a win over St Kilda but it's the day's other two matches that are most intriguing. As the home team, Geelong have earned the right to host the game at Simonds Stadium. It is a road too far for the Eagles, even if the first road trip to Adelaide Oval to face Port Adelaide will make Adam Simpson's crew feel very confident.

Hocking got a late tap on the shoulder just two minutes before the bounce on Sunday after Cale Hooker felt a tightness in his calf. The champion Giant turned up for a big game at his old home ground hoping to prove to the Giants he was an X-factor they could not afford to leave out of finals. Fittingly, the margin lurked around that mark for most of the thrilling final quarter.When Charlie Cameron burst into an open goal with less than 10 minutes left, Melbourne fans rejoiced with their team bound for finals. Sydney, if they win through, will find themselves up against the loser of Geelong and Richmond.

Ainslie have booked their ticket to another AFL Canberra grand final but they'll be sweating on the availability of Hayden Armstrong after he was reported before the bounce. Essendon has sealed a spot in the AFL finals with a xx-point win over Fremantle on Sunday afternoon.The Essendon Bombers are looking to wrap up a fairytale finals berth in the last round of the season coming up against the Fremantle Dockers fresh off consecutive century defeats. The Dockers were 15-point losers against Essendon on Sunday at Etihad Stadium to round out their season. Ross Lyon can see growth in his AFL side. Round 23 is over, the ladder is set, and now we know which teams will meet in the first week of the 2017 AFL finals series. Richmond have secured a top-four berth and sent AFL great Nick Riewoldt into retirement with a 41-point win over St Kilda on Sunday. Heath Hocking was never supposed to play against Fremantle, but John Worsfold was delighted he did. They remain on top of the ladder, and can take two weeks to recover before hosting the Giants at Adelaide Oval in a huge qualifying final.

[judyholl-blog]

08-06 Bombers' golden tickets on offer #Essendon http://dlvr.it/Pc96Tw

[footyplusau]

After the siren: Best weekend ever? It’s right up there

IN TERMS of drama and impact, nothing will ever beat the final round of the home and away season in 1987.

Hawthorn champion Jason Dunstall’s last-minute goal at Kardinia Park knocked Geelong out of the finals and paved the way for Melbourne to make it for the first time in 23 years by beating Footscray at the Whitten Oval.

Meanwhile at Waverley, Carlton kept the Hawks from claiming top spot – and the precious week’s break that came with it – courtesy of Stephen Kernahan’s goal after the siren.

But the weekend of footy just gone comes awfully close. Hawthorn’s fabulous win over Adelaide on Thursday night at Adelaide Oval (17th beating first for the second straight week) might have stood up all weekend.

Yet the events that followed over the next 72 hours had already consigned it to the “ancient history” basket by Sunday night.

We’ll get to the Hawks a bit later. Let’s start instead with the really close ones. This was the first round since round 23, 2013 to have two one-point results. Add the West-Coast Melbourne and Geelong-Fremantle games and you have four games decided by less than one kick – giving us a weekend of drama and excitement not seen for, well, 30 years.

• The run home: How the race for the finals is shaping up

Comeback Cats do it without Joel

As he sat dazed on the bench after the head clash that sent him off the ground after just one minute on Sunday, Joel Selwood was entitled to wonder whether, after so many games over the last decade in which he carried his side to victory, that gesture would be reciprocated.

Thankfully for him it was, and the two-point win over Fremantle turned out to be one of Geelong’s bravest for years.

By the final quarter, Tom Stewart and Darcy Lang were also out of action, yet it was the Cats who finished all over the tiring Dockers, who at one stage during a mesmerising second quarter led by nearly six goals.

WATCH: The thrilling final minutes at Simonds Stadium

It might have been at home in front of their adoring fans, but such a win can only fuel the belief at Geelong that anything is possible this year. We’ve moved on from the ‘Dangerwood’ phenomenon at Geelong this year, but to claw back and win in the fashion the Cats did without one of them, bodes well for what is to come for the rest of the year.

A grand old flag? Win in the west gets Dee faithful dreaming

Saturday night marked Melbourne’s first win over West Coast since 2009 and the first by the Demons over West Coast in Perth since 2002.

They had no business winning the game, really. Jack Watts, Jesse Hogan and Nathan Jones were watching on TV on the other side of the country while a fourth star, Jack Viney was running around with a crook shoulder.

• Nine things we learned from round 14

Yet the toughness and the versatility for which they’ve become renowned in 2017 came to the fore. Viney was magnificent after spending part of the third term off the ground and Clayton Oliver (despite an awful theatrical flop to the ground right on half-time) relished the hard contest.

Demon takes on ex-Test cricketer in Twitter spat

And then there was the career-best five-goal haul to Tom McDonald. Usually a defender, the absences of Max Gawn, Hogan and Watts have required him to play everywhere but in defence, and he has emerged as one of the better swingmen in the competition.

And that goal to put the Demons ahead just before the death was superb. A bit lucky, but superb nonetheless.

WATCH: McDonald’s five hauls Dees across the line

Social media was abuzz afterwards as to whether the Demons are premiership material. Footy history suggests this group might need to experience some finals footy heartbreak first, but with the best ruckman in the competition and the right blend of speed, hardness, scoring power and flexibility, Melbourne’s premiership window is open. In this new era of AFL parity, why not this year?

Dogs thrill, but 2016 still a distant memory

About a quarter of an hour earlier, the Western Bulldogs outlasted North Melbourne to win by a point, having led for most of the night.

Only in the final seconds of the game, when they went coast-to-coast to get the ball to Jake Stringer for the match-winning point, did they resemble the premiership winning team of last season. Otherwise, they played in fits and spurts and it is hard not to hark back to 12 months ago when the Bulldogs would have put this game to bed much earlier.

WATCH: The final thrilling minutes of WB v NM

The umpiring will be a talking point out of this one – the 26-14 free kick count (which at one stage was about 14-2) and episodes such as Shaun Higgins being called to play on by the non-controlling umpire 40m away just before half-time will dominate the Monday AFL talkfests this week.

Frustrated Scott not dwelling on costly free kicks

The Dogs have been mainly good at home but woeful away and are going to have to manufacture some wins at places such as Adelaide Oval, Cazalys Stadium and Eureka Stadium before the end of the year to a) make the finals and b) enter them with any degree of confidence. After Saturday’s clash with the Eagles they play just three more games at Etihad Stadium for the year.

Swans get the little things right in huge win

The night before at the SCG was insane. What is it about Sydney, Essendon and close finishes?

But while the spotlight will be about the Bombers and the number of errors they made in the final few minutes, the takeaway should also be about how well the Swans played the last few minutes. Heath Grundy and Callum Mills made some enormous defensive plays and player after player made the correct decision during those same frantic contests.

WATCH: The final two minutes of the Swans’ thrilling win

It’s what you get with a mature group that is never out if the game and is a product of one of the best coaching set-ups in the AFL. John Longmire looked as though he couldn’t believe what he saw, but in fact, he shouldn’t have been too surprised. He has engineered the Swans to finish the game as they did.

• Forecast the road to the flag with the AFL Ladder and Finals Predictor

Clarko’s still the king of coaching

Hawthorn’s triumph on Thursday night was another triumph of coaching. Adelaide’s forward line contained Eddie Betts, Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch, Wayne Milera, Hugh Greenwood and Andy Otten. The Hawks countered with Kaiden Brand, Blake Hardwick, Ryan Burton, Taylor Duryea, Luke Hodge, Grant Birchall and James Sicily.

On paper the Crows win that every time, but Alastair Clarkson’s brilliantly crafted defensive game-plan didn’t let the Crows get the easy goals out the back, which has been their modus operandi for much of the year.

The Hawks recalled 774 games of experience to their side and it showed. Birchall was a key inclusion and it was a night where the veteran savvy of both Hodge (how fantastic was it having him mic’d up by Channel Seven?)  and Shaun Burgoyne came to the fore. We still don’t see Hodge playing next year, but giving Burgoyne another year at this stage appears a no-brainer, even though the Hawks should rightly wait until the end of the season before making the call.

But the most important person at Hawthorn right now is Clarkson. In a fascinating interview on ABC radio on Saturday he gave every impression of someone determined to stick around for the rebuild, even if nobody at Waverley is calling it such. He remains the best in the business, as Thursday night in Adelaide amply demonstrated.

Other observations

1. It’s all about the wins for the Tigers these days, so excuse the lack of style in their defeat of Carlton on Sunday. Things such as poor conversion can be worked out to a degree at training, but the Blues came at them several times and the Tigers held their nerve. Bachar Houli likely won’t be playing any time soon after what was one of the most uncharacteristic reportable acts in recent memory.

2. Fortress Subiaco? Perhaps not. Saturday night was the first time since 2010 that West Coast has lost a game at Domain Stadium by less than a goal, having won the previous seven. West Coast’s last four games at home this season have been decided by an average margin of eight points. It is becoming increasingly likely that West Coast’s round 23 clash with Adelaide there will be the last AFL game before the move to the new stadium next year, because hopes of a home final for either the Eagles or the Dockers are fading fast.

3. This was the second time this season North Melbourne has lost by one point, and North in 2013 is actually the last team to lose two one-point games in the same season. Adding further salt, they’ve played in five one-point games since 2011 and lost them all. 

4. Hayden Ballantyne’s value to Fremantle was evident from the very start against the Cats on Sunday and he was a factor until he ran out of petrol tickets in the final quarter. He’ll be better for the run, as they say, and Ross Lyon will be delighted to finally have him back.

5. Compared to the lofty standards set elsewhere this weekend, Saturday’s Collingwood-Port Adelaide clash was a relatively drab affair. But the brilliant work of Robbie Gray, especially in the first half, was worth the price of admission alone and his five-goal haul was easily his best return in 12 games at the MCG to date. Ken Hinkley made the point post-match that Gray wasn’t hurt, which hopefully for Port’s sake is a portent of what is to come for the rest of the year.

WATCH: Robbie Gray’s MCG masterclass

6. Expect some of South Australia’s best investigative football journalism this week as the locals examine how North Adelaide’s Ryan Burton slipped twice through Adelaide’s grasp at the 2015 NAB AFL Draft and found his way to Hawthorn. Those two third-quarter goals against the Crows were all class and Burton now shapes as the best first draft pick made by the Hawks since Cyril Rioli a decade ago. He’s signed through until the end of next year, but some of that extra money the Hawks now have thanks to the new CBA will surely find its way into Burton’s bank account before too long.

7. Dayne Beams can’t take a trick and let’s hope the Lions captain, who has been riddled with injury since moving home two-and-a-half years ago, gets on the ground again this year. Beams stood no chance up against Shane Mumford, who as long as he keeps things legal, will scare the bejeezus out of the Giants’ opponents between now and the end of the year.

• Around the state leagues: Who starred in your club’s twos?

8. Relax, Saints fans. Cool your jets everyone else. Jack Billings (30 disposals and a goal against Gold Coast on Sunday) is becoming a super footballer and is on track to give the club all it could hope for from a No.3 draft pick.

WATCH: Jack Billings puts on another show

9. We have the technology but… goal line reviews are still sketchy. Thursday night and twice on Friday night, the TV pictures weren’t quite clear cut to support what the naked eye seemed to show. Some clarification from the AFL on Monday about want the goalpost padding means when it comes to the ball crossing the goal-line would be helpful as well.

The post After the siren: Best weekend ever? It’s right up there appeared first on Footy Plus.

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[afltickets]

Richmond Tigers Tickets for Sale

RICHMOND TIGERS TICKETS FOR SALE: DON’T MISS THE INCREDIBLE FUN AT PUNT ROAD OVAL AND THE G

What are your plans for this winter? Australia is endowed with lots of fun places to visit and a plethora of activities to enjoy. One of the fun ways to experience this snow season is watching AFL. Australian football is followed by millions of fans all over Australia and the entire world. You want to order your AFL tickets today at Ticketblaster AFL, a reliable seller of Richmond Tigers tickets among other AFL tickets in Melbourne.

GRAB YOU RICHMOND TIGERS TICKETS: DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS YEAR’S RIVALRY-FILLED AFL SEASON

AFL makes all other things in Australia seem nonexistent during winter. Some footy fans believe that it is among the greatest things ever invented. Nothing else in the country has such extensive appeal and that’s why everyone is looking for Richmond Tigers tickets ahead of the winter season. Exciting all genders, ages, races and ethnic groups, AFL is probably the only fun thing that a 7-year old from Darwin and a 98-year war widow from Bendigo can enjoy together. The sport benefits the community in endless ways too.

As you order your Richmond Tigers tickets, it’s good to recap on the history of the Richmond Football Club. The club was born in 1885 during a meeting convened at Byrnes Punt Hotel, Richmond. The attendants elected Councilor JC Winn President of the club. Another meeting at Temperance Hall, Church Street resolved to have blue as the club’s colour. The Richmond Tigers’ first match was against Williamstown with George Smith as captain.

The club has undergone many developments over the last century. In 2012, it achieved a phenomenal milestone, the completion of the redevelopment of Punt Road Oval that cost $20 million. The Punt Road Oval is the home ground of the Richmond Tigers and it provides modern, state-of-the-art facilities for both players and spectators.

BUY RICHMOND TIGERS TICKETS AND WITNESS UNLIMITED ACTION FIRST-HAND

According to an article by ABC News, “The secret to Richmond’s success”, the Tigers’ have a very unique winning strategy. They are patient hunters who organize their team in such a way that midfielders and forwards pressure the opponent’s ball carrier while their defender’s feast on the consequent turnovers. The Tigers rarely go hungry; they are fast, energetic and strategic to the end. Stay ready with your Richmond Tigers tickets to witness this year’s electrifying action

EXPLORE PUNT ROAD OVAL AND THE G WITH RICHMOND TIGERS TICKETS

Buying Richmond Tigers tickets not only give you a chance to enjoy 2019 AFL but also explore other beautiful places in Melbourne. Punt Road Oval is one of the country’s most reputed football grounds. It’s located a walking distance from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, popularly known as MCG or The G. MCG prides in being the largest stadium in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere and the 10th largest in the world. MCG is also home to the National Sports Museum, so you can take an exploratory tour around the facility and learn a lot about Australian sports.

RICHMOND TIGERS TICKETS FOR FAMILY FUN

If you are looking for exciting family fun things to do this winter, consider purchasing Richmond Tigers tickets. Enjoy the pleasurable and memorable memories watching games together. A family fun activity goes a long way in keeping the family together even when everyone is all grown up.

RICHMOND TIGERS TICKETS FOR FRIENDS

It’s time for your crew to spend some amazing time together and bond more at the famous Punt Road Oval and MCG as the Richmond Football Club fights for 2019’s premiership. Reserve your place today by ordering your Richmond Tigers tickets.

The team at Ticketblaster has been involved in AFL tickets for almost 15 years. Our Australian based customer service team is here to help you 24/7.We have a large range of AFL Footy Tickets available for purchase. Ticketblaster supplies many supporters with Medallion Club AFL Tickets. In addition, we sell tickets all AFL venues. A few of those venues include:

Adelaide Oval AFL Tickets

Etihad Stadium AFL Tickets

MCG AFL Tickets

SCG AFL Tickets

Marvel Stadium AFL Tickets

Optus Stadium AFL Tickets

The Gabba, Blundstone Arena AFL Tickets, Metricon Stadium AFL Tickets, Spotless Stadium AFL Tickets, Optus Stadium AFL Tickets and more!

Ticketblaster supplies AFL tickets to all rounds and teams. We have the following tickets:

Adelaide Crows Tickets

Brisbane Lions Tickets

Carlton Blues Tickets

Collingwood Magpies Tickets

Essendon Bombers Tickets

Fremantle Dockers Tickets

Geelong Cats Tickets

Gold Coast Suns Tickets

GWS Tickets

Hawthorn Hawks Tickets

Melbourne Demons Tickets

North Melbourne Kangaroos Tickets

Port Adelaide Power Tickets

Richmond Tigers Tickets

St Kilda Saints Tickets

Sydney Swans Tickets

West Coast Eagles Tickets

Western Bulldogs Tickets

[afltickets]

The team at Ticketblaster has been involved in AFL tickets for almost 15 years. Our Australian based customer service team is here to help you 24/7.We have a large range of AFL Footy Tickets available for purchase. Ticketblaster supplies many supporters with Medallion Club AFL Tickets. In addition, we sell tickets all AFL venues. A few of those venues include:

Adelaide Oval AFL Tickets

Etihad Stadium AFL Tickets

MCG AFL Tickets

SCG AFL Tickets

Marvel Stadium AFL Tickets

Optus Stadium AFL Tickets

The Gabba, Blundstone Arena AFL Tickets, Metricon Stadium AFL Tickets, Spotless Stadium AFL Tickets, Optus Stadium AFL Tickets and more!

Ticketblaster supplies AFL tickets to all rounds and teams. We have the following tickets:

Adelaide Crows Tickets

Brisbane Lions Tickets

Carlton Blues Tickets

Collingwood Magpies Tickets

Essendon Bombers Tickets

Fremantle Dockers Tickets

Geelong Cats Tickets

Gold Coast Suns Tickets

GWS Tickets

Hawthorn Hawks Tickets

Melbourne Demons Tickets

North Melbourne Kangaroos Tickets

Port Adelaide Power Tickets

Richmond Tigers Tickets

St Kilda Saints Tickets

Sydney Swans Tickets

West Coast Eagles Tickets

Western Bulldogs Tickets

[afltickets]

Get University of Tasmania Stadium Tickets to Watch Hawthorn Football Club in Action

ENJOYING A GAME OF FOOTY WITH UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA STADIUM TICKETS

Who does not adorn football? Absolutely no one who has been a part of some kind of educational institution has ever skipped on football; whether it was being part of the actual game or literally just holding some cheerful attention in our hands in the form of banners as we yelled at the top of your lungs for the team we supported. The actual reason that so many people cannot avoid, or not become part of the best-team conspiracy is because of the aura the stadium presents. They are round and catastrophically dazzling with their charm and neatness with everything in such sheet alignment. The University of Tasmania Stadium which is commonly also referred to as York Park is not only a footy stadium, but it also holds a great amount of importance in terms of various events that are carried out at this ports ground.

UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA STADIUM TICKETS TO WATCH ENJOYABLE SPORTING EVENTS

Originally built in the year 1921 and underwent a reform in 2006, it is primarily located at a very beautiful location to the North of Launceston City, Tasmania Australia. It can be rightly said that this spectacular stadium holds impeccable attention due to its vast seating capacity, estimated to be as twenty thousand seating spots. The Arena dimensions are recorded to be as huge as 170 m by 140 m, which is not the entirety to it. The University of Tasmania Stadium is also highly enjoyable because it held the very historic event of the Rugby World Cup in 2003. This stadium not only hosts the respective AFL (Australian Football Teams) games but is also home to VFL (Victorian Football Association) games who enjoy its hospitality every time.

To have a quick stance of how these AFL games are put to action, it’s better to know what rules and regulations are considered while watching a game. For instance, these games start with a free kick in the beginning which then leads to a competition between two teams, each well qualified to play and has eighteen members on board with them. Team members can either kick the ball or use their body to keep the ball in motion. Matches are played during the blissful months of March and August.

UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA STADIUM TICKETS AND HAWTHORN FOOTBALL CLUB

The University of Tasmania Stadium cannot be done justice with only being described as a ground that lets teams compete. It is way more than that because Hawthorn football club is known to benefit from the stadium due to its sponsorship from the government. Hence matches of Hawthorn are played here every year ranging from one match to specific premiership games, which total four in number. Moreover, the University of Tasmania Stadium also hosts Tasmanian league matches at the stadium.

Regarding the availability of pricing and tickets to this venue the place to go to is https://www.ticketblasterafl.com.au/

Ticketblaster has been selling AFL tickets for many years and has always got a selection of seating tickets at reasonable prices.

Therefore, to be convinced wholly and solely by this breath-taking astounding Stadium, get your University of Tasmania Stadium Tickets and watch a game  to absorb its fascinating charm!

The team at Ticketblaster has been involved in AFL tickets for almost 15 years. Our Australian based customer service team is here to help you 24/7.We have a large range of AFL Footy Tickets available for purchase. Ticketblaster supplies many supporters with Medallion Club AFL Tickets. In addition, we sell tickets all AFL venues. A few of those venues include:

Adelaide Oval AFL Tickets

Etihad Stadium AFL Tickets

MCG AFL Tickets

SCG AFL Tickets

Marvel Stadium AFL Tickets

Optus Stadium AFL Tickets

The Gabba, Blundstone Arena AFL Tickets, Metricon Stadium AFL Tickets, Spotless Stadium AFL Tickets, Optus Stadium AFL Tickets and more!

Ticketblaster supplies AFL tickets to all rounds and teams. We have the following tickets:

Adelaide Crows Tickets

Brisbane Lions Tickets

Carlton Blues Tickets

Collingwood Magpies Tickets

Essendon Bombers Tickets

Fremantle Dockers Tickets

Geelong Cats Tickets

Gold Coast Suns Tickets

GWS Tickets

Hawthorn Hawks Tickets

Melbourne Demons Tickets

North Melbourne Kangaroos Tickets

Port Adelaide Power Tickets

Richmond Tigers Tickets

St Kilda Saints Tickets

Sydney Swans Tickets

West Coast Eagles Tickets

Western Bulldogs Tickets

[afltickets]

The team at Ticketblaster has been involved in AFL tickets for almost 15 years. Our Australian based customer service team is here to help you 24/7.We have a large range of AFL Footy Tickets available for purchase. Ticketblaster supplies many supporters with Medallion Club AFL Tickets. In addition, we sell tickets all AFL venues. A few of those venues include:

Adelaide Oval AFL Tickets

Etihad Stadium AFL Tickets

MCG AFL Tickets

SCG AFL Tickets

Marvel Stadium AFL Tickets

Optus Stadium AFL Tickets

The Gabba, Blundstone Arena AFL Tickets, Metricon Stadium AFL Tickets, Spotless Stadium AFL Tickets, Optus Stadium AFL Tickets and more!

Ticketblaster supplies AFL tickets to all rounds and teams. We have the following tickets:

Adelaide Crows Tickets

Brisbane Lions Tickets

Carlton Blues Tickets

Collingwood Magpies Tickets

Essendon Bombers Tickets

Fremantle Dockers Tickets

Geelong Cats Tickets

Gold Coast Suns Tickets

GWS Tickets

Hawthorn Hawks Tickets

Melbourne Demons Tickets

North Melbourne Kangaroos Tickets

Port Adelaide Power Tickets

Richmond Tigers Tickets

St Kilda Saints Tickets

Sydney Swans Tickets

West Coast Eagles Tickets

Western Bulldogs Tickets