Melbourne upset the Saints in a scrappy but still entertaining first elimination final!

St. Kilda had injuries left, right and centre but full credit to the Dees, they could have easily given it up many times but they kept fighting.

I went, and it was a fairly good match and it was good to see Melbourne win. Though if they do play like that again next week they'll be blown off the park.

No more Collingwood!

What a brilliant game last night though, AFL at its very best.

So now it's -

West Coast vs Bulldogs - probably Saturday night
Freo vs Melbourne - probably Friday night

Two finals in Western Australia in one weekend, incredible...!

Bulldogs! You beauty! Hopefully they can upset West Coast at Subiaco next week.

I hate Collingwood for some reason. Fricken swans too.

Hoping for a Western Derby grand final in Melbourne.

I also hate Collingwood. Want Doggies to win the GF but its a huge doubt. Hopefully they can do an upset at Subiaco

All-Australian team, in case anyone's interested:

B: N Bassett (Ade) D Glass (WC) L Gilbee (WB)
HB: C Bolton (Syd) J Bowden (Rich) A McLeod (Ade)
C: S Goodwin (Ade) S West (WB) A Goodes (Syd)
HF: A Didak (Coll) B Hall (vc) (Syd) R O'Keefe (Syd)
F: B Johnson © (WB) B Fevola (Carl) N Riewoldt (St.K)
R: B Lade (PA) C Judd (WC) B Cousins (WC)
INT: S Burgoyne (PA) D Cox (WC) J McDonald (Melb) M Pavlich (Fre)

Having Basset, Bolton, Bowden at CHB, Didak and McDonald in there is an absolute fucking joke tbh.

I think (and hope) Freo will pump Melbourne tonight and as much as I'd like the Doggies to get up, West Coast will be too strong.

Congrats to Rohan Smith and Scott West though.

Freo easily over Melbourne tonight.
And the Doggies bandwagon to keep rolling against West Coast

HAHA I AGREE totallly with you,except i I HATE rugby league with a passion, its not football its f**ken RUGBY LEAGUE im sick of the newspaper and tv saying shit about the"footy" its not footy!!!!!

And i hate afl aswell no as much as the other but still,,,lol the dumb bastards at brisbane lions are still paying the juinor football(soccer) club...the queensland lions money to use the name... brisbane lions as the football club had this name before the afl club..

I really wanted the Bulldogs to win. The flag is going to another state, again

go the interstate clubs!!! The league should realise that 10 victorian teams it to many. Get rid of 2 i say as some are really struggling

It's going to be a reply of last years Sydney v West Coast final I think.

Agreed.

Yep and it is. West Coast beat Adelaide by 10 points

West Coast to win.

im so glad west coast beat adelaide, i cant stand the thought of a premiership going to adelaide, bad enough its going to west coast or sydney

Woohoo! That was an epic over the Crows.
I hope the Coasters win the grand final (even though that would result in everyone focusing on aussie rules in Perth). We deserve it, with our attractive flowing style and our incredibly talented players. Worsfold is a great coach because he stays true to this style. Sydney can play their catenaccio-esque but we'll hopefully overun them.

Sydney'll win.

And Goodes for the Brownlow.

Brad Johnson for the Brownlow, I've been on him for a long time, he's looked the goods this season

scott west for the brownlow

Westy was very deserving, but Goodes ultimately wins out.

Congratulations Goodesy, well earned

was hoping scott west! he deserves one, oh well

dammit, wanted west or johnson to win it

oh well, congrats to goodes

Goodes win it? Shows only bout half-way through in the west.

Cousins won it but lost the final... hopefully it'll be the otherway around.

Delayed into Perth obviously, sorry if I spoiled the result for you mate...

Goodes was obviously a deserving winner as you guys have mentioned. Was hoping Scotty West could've tied it with him but wasn't to be. I can't see Westy winning a Brownlow now unfortunately. Unlucky, thats for sure.

Who you guys going for in the big one on saturday?

Go the Bloods.

Kerr... if he didn't get injured for those couple games and suspended possibly could've won it... damn!

oh please bulldogs, win it, don't let the swans win it, i'll never here the end of it on the damm news here in sydney,

Grand Final day! Where the Crown Lagers at?

Come on West Coast.

What are you blokes doing for the big day? Me and about 20 mates are just going over to a friends house to watch the game, cook a BBQ and drink beer.

Sydney to win by 21 points, but I hope they win by 100.

What a game!

One point!!!!!!!!!! What a fucking game!!!!!!!!!

Credit to Sydney, but West Coast fully deserved the win. Great, great game.

West Coast Eagles 2006 Premiers.

What a fucking grand final. Best ever. Kudos to West Coast. Kerr was fucking magnificent

the best grand final i have ever seen, absolutely stunning. the west coast midfield was immense

superb game. eagles were in front almost the whole day so no doubt they deserved it. payback for last year i guess

*CHUCKS MAJOR TANTRUM*

ONE POINT!! LOL. They're not my fav team but still!

just noticed, sydney swans lost a grand final in melbourne, melbourne storm lost in sydney in the NRL.

A bit late commenting on the final but yeah.... Wooohooo... we're the best!
I had to watch this from the aisles of Coles (I work there).

Though I'm over the win now unlike the rest of Perth and especially the media. Another World Cup would be good.

On a totally random note. Did everyone see that goals of the year package before the game. Aaron Davies volleys were awesome. If I played AFL, I would play like him .


Yeah true. Though the strange thing is Sydney are good at AFL and Melbourne are good at Rugby.

Akermanis off very quickly to the Bulldogs as soon as the trading period started, could be a very good trade for the Bulldogs if they can keep his personality in check

Yeah...his personality=tosser

Ireland tour squad announced

The AFL today announced its 24-man squad for the Foster's Australian International Rules Team for the 2006 series to be played in Ireland.

The squad, to again be coached by Essendon legend Kevin Sheedy, will be defending the Cormac McAnallen trophy, which was won emphatically 2-0 last year with decisive victories in both Test matches played in Perth and Melbourne.

Sheedy said the squad's make up had been based on last year's successful model with an emphasis on pace and youth, sprinkled with older players who had successfully played the game at International Level in earlier years.

The team is:
Chance Bateman (Hawthorn), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Ryan Crowley (Fremantle), Aaron Davey (Melbourne), Nick Davis (Sydney), Sam Fisher (St Kilda), Dustin Fletcher (Essendon), Lindsay Gilbee (Western Bulldogs), Brendon Goddard (St Kilda), Barry Hall (Sydney), Graham Johncock (Adelaide), Matthew Lappin (Carlton), James McDonald (Melbourne), David Mundy (Fremantle), Ryan O’Keefe (Sydney), Brett Peake (Fremantle), Danyle Pearce (Port Adelaide), Andrew Raines (Richmond), Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), Adam Schneider (Sydney), Adam Selwood (West Coast), Justin Sherman (Brisbane Lions), Kade Simpson (Carlton), Brent Stanton (Essendon).

Davey, Davis, Fletcher, Gilbee, Hall, Lappin, O’Keefe and Riewoldt have previously played at International Level with only Hall (played in 2003), and Riewoldt (2004) not part of last year's winning team from that group.

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cant believe we got two players in there, especially stoked that campbell brown is there

Oh sweet I didn't think there were any Essendon players in it. Go Fletcher!

Good to see Stanton getting a gig in there. Kid's a top player

Yeah, that's cool. I've never even heard of him though!

Voss wins IR selection
Newly-retired Brisbane Lions champion Michael Voss will take part in the International Rules Series after Australian coach Kevin Sheedy revealed the Brownlow medallist had been added to the squad.

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Good to see that they are giving a legend of the game a nice sendoff with International Rules selection.

Trading period over.


Jason Akermanis, Brisbane Lions to Western Bulldogs.
Traded for draft selection no.34

Chris Tarrant, Collingwood to Fremantle.
Traded for Paul Medhurst and draft selection no. 8

Dean Solomon, Essendon to Fremantle
Traded, with draft selection no. 52, for draft selections 42 and 47

Graham Polak, Fremantle to Richmond
Traded, with draft selections 13 and 63, for draft selections 8 and 42

Paul Medhurst, Fremantle to Collingwood
Traded, with draft selection no. 8, for Chris Tarrant

Peter Everitt , Hawthorn to Sydney Swans
Traded for draft selection no.33

Andrew McDougall, West Coast Eagles to Western Bulldogs
Traded, with draft selections 34 and 66, for draft selections 29 and 59

Michael Gardiner, West Coast Eagles to St Kilda
Traded, with draft selection no. 59, for draft selection no. 43

Shane Birss, Western Bulldogs to St Kilda
Traded for St Kilda's fourth round draft selection (no. 59 overall)



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Dissapointed we didnt get Thornton from Carlton but im glad that Everitt is gone, from what ive been told he wasnt popular amongst the other players

Thank fucking Christ Solomon is gone. Sucked in Freo, he's an absolute fucking dud with one working knee who can't mark, kick or defend.

Polak to Richmond is a bad move IMO. Tigers got robbed.

Hedhurst and pick number 8 for Tarrant?! You gotta be kiddin me. Freo are fools. If Gardiner gets his shit together that could be an awesome move by the Saints, he's a quality, quality player.