BLINDERS!

Club officials not mad about Monday
As Round 22 of the home-and-away season wound up eight teams were preparing for “Mad Monday” while the other eight were gearing up for a finals series. Mad Monday is now feared by all clubs as it is another drinking fest that gets out of control and shocking decisions are made. Writing this article on Monday morning I can almost guarantee that by the time it is read on Wednesday there will have been news of a player or players that have taken Mad Monday too far. This may include players losing their careers due to excessive consumption of alcohol and poor decision-making. I have been involved in more than 15 Mad Mondays and they are nothing short of writing yourself off as quickly as possible. And if that includes vomiting and losing consciousness, well all the better. Mad Monday is almost archaic in its attitude considering the professionals that are undertaking the event. It is a culture within the clubs that has been handed down from generation to generation. The leaders within the group will determine how far and how out-of-control Mad Monday will get. The problem is that after the group festivities the players go their own way in small numbers and that’s where the real trouble begins. After training for nine months straight players want to let their hair down, but often they are not used to consuming large amounts of alcohol and it hits them like a tonne of bricks. Sadly, someone will make headlines after a Mad Monday incident.

Mitchell lucky he didn’t strike out
The position of captain at any club is an enormous honour and Sam Mitchell, who is leading Hawthorn at a time when the club is enjoying a resurgence, must be awfully proud. Mitchell’s leadership story is an amazing one after he battled to make his way on to a senior list at the beginning of his career. He came through the VFL and did it the hard way, which held him in good stead to skipper his club. Being the captain means leading from the front and setting a good example for the players around you. Over the past two weeks Mitchell has looked frustrated and can consider himself lucky to be playing in the Hawks’ first final against the Western Bulldogs this Friday night. Raising his elbow in a contest against the Blues is the last thing the club needed and he’s lucky he didn’t make contact. The week before coat-hangered a player, which could have seen him miss a week as well. There is no doubt that Hawthorn will struggle to win the Grand Final if Mitchell is not in the side. He is a wonderful user of the football and a great leader. Is he the spiritual leader of the club? I’m not sure. That role may belong to Luke Hodge. Hawthorn is lucky that it has quality leaders all over the ground, but it only takes one incident to undo all the good work put in over the season. The Hawks have sailed close to the disciplinary line all year and you would hate to see them cross it at the pointy end of the season.

Fine line between pleasure, pain
In the leap-up to last year’s Grand Final we saw a story unfold before our eyes that many couldn’t believe. Young Mark Blake, who had been in Geelong’s senior side all year, lost his premiership spot to Steven King. It was a hard-luck story, but one that has been told many times before. Leading into another finals campaign there will be many more hard-luck stories emerge as players get injured, reported or replaced due to form. Jude Bolton was reported last weekend and will probably miss the first week of the finals at least. Ironically, Blake now has a shot at burying last year’s pain. He’ll face off against King and St Kilda in the first week of the finals in what will be a wonderful duel. At Geelong there is no doubt there will be a couple of players devastated come the end of the season. Tom Lonergan has returned to the senior side and kicked 31 goals in 10 matches, taking Tom Hawkins’ spot at full forward. After having a kidney removed as a result of a sickening clash, his return to senior football has been superb and he deserves his chance in September. Hawkins has done everything right and one of these boys will miss out come the last weekend of the season.

Dogs can get back to their old tricks
The first 13 weeks of the season for the Western Bulldogs was their best for nearly 50 years. But the past couple of months have been ordinary at best. Yet they had the luxury of knowing that a top-four finish was assured and they were probably playing Hawthorn in the first final. Games that have no real meaning can be difficult to prepare for. I’m not making excuses for the Bulldogs’ patchy form, but it is hard to play your absolute best knowing the result isn’t going to change where you finish on the ladder. Hopefully the Dogs don’t believe they can turn their form on and off like a tap. Good form is hard to find and you don’t want to mess with it. The major concern for the Bulldogs is the lapses in concentration from quarter to quarter. Their play hasn’t been terrible, but they have gone missing for portions of games. When they were at their best earlier in the year they were playing four quarters of carefree football that was inspiring to watch. Skipper Brad Johnson will lead his team into the finals with the belief that they are a genuine premiership threat. The Dogs have been the third-best side all year and erasing the past few weeks should be a mere formality. They have known they were playing the Hawks for well over a month so they should be ready to go (likewise the Hawks). I can’t wait for this one.

SHOCKER!

Eagles will go long to keep Kerr
In 2006 we were marvelling at the midfield that the West Coast Eagles possessed - Dean Cox, Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr. How quickly things can change. Judd and Cousins are gone, Cox looks like he’ll be at the club all of his career, but Kerr may also be leaving in the off-season. How the mighty Eagles have fallen. But the club will dig its heels in when it comes to Kerr. Speaking to Peter Sumich on the weekend he made it quite clear that Kerr will be offered up to a five-year deal by West Coast in a bid to retain his services. That would make him the only player with a five-year deal in the competition at present. If Kerr can get a high five from the Eagles, good luck to him. But I think it is almost irresponsible for clubs to be offering more than three years as there are so many variables over a long period of time. We have seen clubs brought to their knees by lengthy contracts. Anyway, I think the lure of coming to Melbourne may prove too much. Kerr may be playing his football in Victoria from next season.

THE OX