I’m Not Paranoid…It’s Just That Everyone’s Out To Get Me!

Paul Roos now needs bodyguards everywhere he goes (Source: Daily Telegraph – Colleen Petch)

Paul Roos just can’t take a trick. His side has not won a ‘competitive’ preseason cup match in six years, he jokingly tells one of his players to ‘not kick a goal’ with minutes to go in a tight game, which they lose, and wonders why the League sends him a ‘please explain’ letter? Paul Roos says ‘it’s personal‘…Andy D says ‘No, it’s not’.

We say ‘wake us up when it’s over’! The AFL tend to be a humourless mob (they are, after all, the people responsible for the grand final entertainment) so if Roos was joking, it would be no surprise that they didn’t get it. If they think Roosy was serious, he is probably in a whole world of crap. But for the Sydney coach to be punished when struggling clubs are actually rewarded for taking his approach during the regular season to improve their chances of securing the top pick in the draft?

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Brett Burton taking a practice speccy…he’s saving his best stuff for round one (Source: Adelaide Advertiser - Sam Wundke)

The League is fighting a losing battle to promote the NAP Cup as a prestigious tournament. There are plenty of benefits from holding it, no doubt, but how do you maintain the integrity of a competition when none of the teams are at full-strength, or pick players in their best positions and leave their match-winners on the bench with the result up for grabs?

It is not just the clubs that lose in the first round either…listen to the two winning coaches from the semi-finals. We have Adelaide, who are more focused on round one, and we have St Kilda, who are more focused on round one. And how can the League bang on about integrity when there is a rule in place that entitles Adelaide, who kicked the most goals, to host the final but then the League attempt to move the match to Melbourne because they can make more money at the Telstra Dome?

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Off-Broadway news:

• The lights go out on Melbourne and the Bulldogs in Bendigo…not a good omen for the season ahead! Maybe Aker pulled the plug so he didn’t have to play another trial match;
• Port Adelaide get the better of Collingwood at whatever they call Princes Park these days, prompting articles questioning the Pies. As much fun as Magpie-bashing can be, does it make sense to question the legitimacy of preseason results because winning is not the priority, then be critical of those who don’t win?
• Jess Sinclair to miss start to season as the Roos defeat Fremantle after the Dockers forget to show up after three quarter time;
• The Tigers have been put on notice for season 2008 but, hey, they won a trial game on Friday night! That’s got to be worth something…oh wait, it was against the Swans. Never mind…