There weren’t too many surprises in the AFL this weekend in a round where the favorites all got the job done. There were a few nervous moments for Essendon, North Melbourne and Hawthorn but they managed to be in front when the final siren sounded. The upcoming round is going to be a far more competitive one with some of the top teams clashing heads. Essendon’s off field grilling continues this week over their possible use of banned substances and I expect the distraction to finally catch up with them in Friday night’s blockbuster against Geelong.
In Super rugby, the wheels fell of the Brumbies as they suffered a good old fashioned shellacking at home to the Canterbury Crusaders. The Crusaders, who have dominated the competition over the last decade, aren’t quite the force they once were but the underdogs were clinical against the Brumbies and should have won by more than 30-21. It goes to show that you just can’t write off a side with the pedigree of the Crusaders.
Friday night told us a lot about the NRL competition. The Broncos are still some way off being competitive against the top teams while the word “rabble” appears to be the best way to describe the Wests Tigers; the Canterbury Bulldogs look to have found some of their bite and will soon return to being one of the best teams in the competition; South Sydney is the real deal and Nathan Merritt should be seriously considered for a NSW jumper. John Sutton would also consider himself a smoky for selection as his form has been sensational. Melbourne suffered its first loss of the season in a shock loss to the Raiders at home, but every team has to have a bad night at the office and Canberra is one of those well drilled outfits that can beat anyone when they have a good night.
Good luck and good punting.
