CAN I BE the first person in football to admit I haven’t had my best pre-season ever? I hate to think how many clever lines have entered Dennis Cometti’s head while my mind has been elsewhere. Denis Pagan would tell me not to worry about things I can’t control, so hopefully I’ll be okay.
It’s not that I haven’t put in the kilometres. The NAB Cup has taken me to the Gold Coast, Launceston, Adelaide and then Cabrini. No, Cabrini is not the latest name for Princes Park or Glenferrie Oval, or even some ground in South Africa or Dubai, it’s the hospital where my second daughter was surprisingly born in the days leading up to the NAB Cup Grand Final.
The timing was not ideal. Not only was she nearly five weeks premature, but she decided to make her presence felt right in the middle of the tense one-day cricket final. As I scurried around the house collecting items for my wife’s hospital stay, she kept calling out ‘another one’, ‘another one’. I thought the Australians must have been bowled out for a record low score, but on returning to the lounge-room I realised she had been referring to the increasing number of contractions. It was our new little baby who was trying to get out.
We made it to the hospital and from there it all happened so fast. The birth was amazing and emotional. Before the big moment I did manage to sneak away in the guise of ‘ringing your sister’ to watch the last over of the cricket. It’s comforting to know the hospital budget is spent on cutting-edge medical technology because it certainly hasn’t been spent on the television in the waiting room. I’m sure the Rank Arena there must have been donated by Robert Klomp.
With my head still spinning, calling the NAB Cup Grand Final was out of the question, but I did manage to watch it from hospital. I must have still been in cricket mode, as Adelaide reminded me of India, with their youngsters thriving on the extra responsibility.
Like the inexperienced Indian batsmen who took it up to the Aussies, Adelaide youngsters Douglas, van Berlo, Porplyzia and Vince clearly relished their more prominent midfield roles. Having Andrew McLeod in the forward line is a bit like batting Sachin Tendulkar at number six – it could prove to be a luxury the Crows cannot afford.
In Kirk Tippett I can see Ishant Sharma. Still raw, Tippett is bursting with ability and capable of causing immediate damage. Tippett is a basketballer and a Queenslander – but still manages to look natural on the footy field. Given his background, I was particularly impressed when he tried to sneak around and fool the umpire to get a better angle. Oh, his marking isn't bad either - he certainly has the previous number four at Adelaide, Matthew Clarke, covered in that area.
The Crows ended up falling short against the Saints and Neil Craig was surprisingly emotional for a pre-season final. They’ve made some bold, but necessary changes to their aproach, however it is great to see some Adelaide traditions haven’t changed – at the post-match presentation one of the young Auskick children had a mullet that would make Greg Anderson weep
The pundits might still be unsure about the Crows, but only injury can stop the rise of the Saints. In Michael Gardiner and Steven King they have the biggest combined body mass of a ruck duo since Mick Nolan and anyone at North Melbourne in the 1970s.
From what we’ve seen the talented St Kilda midfield might get much better service than they’ve ever had before. Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster will certainly provide more depth and there has been improvement from within.
Every team needs a player like Clinton Jones. His desperation and hard work is contagious, even if his frenzied approach means his disposal is sometimes questionable. Incidentally, I think he should enter that breakfast cereal cricket look-alike contest – he would be 50 per cent Brett Lee and 50 per cent Shane Watson.
Anyway the cricket season is now behind us and the bounce of the ball for the real thing is just days away.
Our precious little Mary-Jane has just arrived home and I’m ready to go – it’s been the best pre-season ever.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
