Week 2 - Hawks/Roos

[Dutchy]

This might fire the boys up, win or lose you will see a different Roos side this week -

KANGAROOS great Glenn Archer has vowed to find personal and team redemption this weekend after admitting he shamed the blue and white jumper on Sunday.

As the Kangaroos try to re-load after their 106-point humiliation to Geelong, Archer said the mental scars would be gone today and all energies would be put into playing Hawthorn on Saturday night. But the loss haunted him yesterday.

"When you play like that you basically are disgracing the jumper you're playing for," Archer said.

"There have been many games when I've walked off and thought I didn't play well, but there's been only a couple of games I've walked off and thought, 'No, you probably didn't deserve to wear the jumper today'. It is such a crap feeling.

"I've played a lot of finals and most of them have been OK, but Sunday's wasn't too good.

"No doubt it was my worst final.

"In the end I was angry, frustrated, knowing that, personally, it was one of my last games. Secondly, I was frustrated with the way the whole team played, we just let them waltz through us, do whatever they wanted to do to us in the end.

"I'm still a bit flat, but I'm getting better. I'm getting better as I get older getting over games like that.

"Moping, whinging, feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to help, you've got to move on straight away."

The veteran Kangaroo and his teammates were mesmerised by Geelong's final three quarters, drawing a furious response from coach Dean Laidley. Laidley locked out all club and coaching officials and supporters after the game and delivered a brutally honest assessment to the team.

Archer was dragged in the first quarter and had his opponent, Paul Chapman, kick three of Geelong's first four goals.

The Cats admitted post-match they had Archer in the gun.

They dragged him back to the goalsquare to try to exploit any pace deficiencies and stop his most powerful quality: to cut off kicks and be the third man up in contests.

"Laids gave it to us and deservedly so, absolutely, you can't put up a performance like that and not expect to get a roasting," Archer said.

"(But) there's nothing we can do about it now," Archer said.

"No one means to go out and play like that, sometimes it just happens like that.

"We know we can bounce back. We were in the same boat in 2000. We played Essendon in the first final and lost by 125 points and then we played Hawthorn the next week and beat them by 10 points.

"It starts with the players. The coach can't do much more than what he's doing. It starts at the first bounce on Saturday night.

"We can train our bums off during the week but the only place to fix it is out on the ground and you'll know in the first five minutes if we mean business."

The Kangaroos lost all confidence after the quarter-time break, which meant the players were caught in the twilight world of chasing and blaming and, during the second half, mental and physical exhaustion.

Archer said that during the final quarter, when the Cats piled on seven goals, he wanted to "dig a hole and crawl into it".

'It's a confidence thing," he said.

"It just spread through the whole team at quarter-time and before you knew it the whole confidence in each other was shot."

Archer joined skipper Adam Simpson, Brady Rawlings, Corey Jones, Drew Petrie, Daniel Pratt and others for a post-game wind-down at Simpson's house. It included a couple of beers, but not many.

"It was good," Archer said. "Usually I go straight home, but I decided to go have a couple quiet beers together and be with each other instead of being on your own."

Kangaroos officials yesterday said it was up to the middle-tier players to respond but Archer was adamant it started with senior players, such as Brent Harvey, himself, Shannon Grant and Drew Petrie.

"Everyone has to stand up but it's got to come from the senior blokes, the ones that have been there before should know what to expect in a final," he said.

[Rik E Boy]

I reckon the Roos can hit back against the Hawks. The inexperienced Hawk side indulged in a fair bit of back slapping last week after their emotional victory but the humbled Roos will come out as hungry as they have been all year.

If you doubt the power of hunger look at what it has done for Geelong this year. Yes, Hawthorn will also be hungry but maybe they are a bit full on last week's complete meal...Geelong only left the Roos the scraps and the Kangaroos this week will get their fill.

Roos by four goals.

regards,

REB

[Dirko]

I think the Roos by 36....
Get them p##sed off and fired up and watch 'em go....
They fire up when it's us against them....

[Hondo]

This game is very hard to pick to me

Losses like the Roos suffered either galvanise a team for a huge response or tip them in a hole they can't get out of in a hurry

They have shown great character all season so hopefully they show us what they are made of

Their other problem is the the Hawks are coming off the high of their great comeback and so will be chock full of confidence

Head to head this season it's 1-1 between them

Hawks just ......

[the joker]

i can see the roos getting near the hawks this week i think they are still pretenders. and i hope the hawks win because there is no way that kangas can beat port. and i think hawks are a huge chance to beat port and could win the flag with a big september from franklin,hodge,mitchell,crawford,bateman and ben dixon ciould be there wild card.

[Dutchy]

and i hope the hawks win because there is no way that kangas can beat port

[macdog3]

I'm confident my beloved roo boys will get the job done this week!

also hisotry is on our side as Port is the only side to ever finish in the top 4 and go out in straight sets (2001, i think)...

[the joker]

and i hope the hawks win because there is no way that kangas can beat port

we will see dutchy

[hearts on fire]

the Hawks should win easily

[Dutchy]

what do you base that on HOF?

I got one wish.....Leigh Brown gone!

Semi-final one, MCG, Saturday, September 15, 7.30pm
Kangaroos
Backs: Pratt Firrito Gibson Half-backs: Smith Watt Lower Centres: Harvey Simpson Rawlings Half-forwards: Hale Petrie Edwards Forwards: Archer Grant McMahon Followers: McIntosh Harris Rover: Wells Interchange: Hansen Sinclair Swallow Sansbury Emergencies: Campbell Brown Harding In: Hansen Lower Out: Jones (foot) Brown
Hawthorn
Backs: Guerra Gilham Brown Half-backs: Birchall Croad Ladson Centres: Lewis Mitchell Vandenberg Half-forwards: Bateman Boyle Dixon Forwards: Franklin Roughead Hodge Followers: Campbell Sewell Rover: Crawford

[hearts on fire]

maybe not easy, but i think both sides are pretty even and it will be close, i just think hawthorn will win but it could go either way

[Hondo]

maybe not easy, but i think both sides are pretty even and it will be close, i just think hawthorn will win but it could go either way

You backed off quick!

That's 2 completey different predictions in the space of 3 posts

Just stirring .....

[Hondo]

Dutchy the intimidator!!!!

[Dutchy]

the Hawks should win easily

maybe not easy, but i think both sides are pretty even and it will be close, i just think hawthorn will win but it could go either way

[hearts on fire]

well i did get abit carried away saying the hawks would win easily but i still think they will win

[Hondo]

That's a classic!

Sorry to laugh at your expense HOF, no offence

[hearts on fire]

thats okay hondo, your forgiven

[hearts on fire]

With Leigh Brown out it sort of evened it up for me a bit

when i say easily i mean 40-50 points

when i say close i mean between 1-3 goals

only time will tell

[Pup]

I find this one a really really tough one to pick.

Last time these two teams played the Roo's won easily, but Corey Jones kicked 7, and Buddy and Mitchell didnt play. This week Jones is missing and both Mitchell and Buddy are in and in form. The question is can the Kangaroo's put last weekend's debacle behind them and brush of the rampaging Hawks?

In- Hansen, Lower
Out- Brown, Jones

Corey Jones is a massive loss and the omission of Brown is deserved but still an interesting decison given the height of the Hawthorn forward line. Who is going to take Buddy? if they can shut him down then thats half the battle won IMO.
Watt to Buddy, Firrito to Roughhead, who will get Boyle? will Arch get isolated and exposed again?

I think with Hodge and Bateman under injury clouds and the Roo's deperate to atone for last week that they might just get up

Kangaroos by 8 points

On a side note, great to see Lower get elevated this week after two Brilliant weeks in the VFL for North Ballarat.

[sydney-dog]

last week, I recall a memeber posting the stats for win / loss ratio of top 8 clubs against each other

the Kanga's record was not good in this respect, the loss of Jones will hurt

Hawks with all the the momentum and too many big guns