Just Some Thoughts on the Grand Final

[striker]

I'm still like an angry Bear (worse than Ursus or Bearinator) as you've probably noticed on here. 

Ursus is not realty that angry.....  just looks angry all the time....  

  otherwise great article on the BOTN

 

[Pete]

Half the people I work with are from Newcastle, half from the Coast.

Only 2 or 3 of us are actual "supporters" (all from the Coast), but the Newy-Newcomers are behaving as you would expect Novacastrians to behave.

I hear ya, Floss, but the people I work with, well, they don't even support the HAL at all, they just heap sh*t on the whole idea of Australia having a decent comp at all.

One guy was at THAT (the one that mattered) Uruguay match, but I swear he was more there to see Australia fail than win. He spent some time in Chile (he's Aussie tho), and I reckon he's more South American in attitude. He reckons he's gunna play for Gladesville Spirit this season, and I warned him that if he got into their first grade he'll be facing up to the Mariners! God it was good to see his face go white at the prospect of marking up on Aloisi, Petrovski and even Mrdja! Doubt he will sign on for them tho, he's one of these 'gunners' (and I also doubt he'd be good enough to lineup for the Spirit in a preseason game vs. Mariners). This guy was also edging at me to ask Aloisi for an autograph, ffs!

Another guy bets on EPL and other Euro comps, always runs down the local comp tho. He's only started betting on HAL this year so he's slowly coming around. He still reckons the standard of the game is no better than English League Two.

Another guy has just started going to Mariners matches, even tho at the start of the HAL he reckoned he was an avid football supporter. He had the gall to enquire if I would get him tickets, but luckily by the time he asked I had already bought mine for the GF. He reckons he'll be buying a membership for the Mariners next year, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Brad, on the other hand, has quietly told me he supports the Jets, just wears their cap in the leadup to the matches during the Finals series. Has been supporting HAL since probably day 1. I have more respect for his views on Football and his supporting of HAL than the other workmates combined.

 

[mariners4ever]

Hello all,

Some of my thoughts (I am writing this as personal observation, these are my thoughts only and DO NOT necessarily represent the views of the Marinators Club):

1. Loved the pre-match at KB, lots of fun and mirth.
2. Newcastle had the balance of play, but the game was nothing special, dreary at times. One mistake, boom, gone. Great finish by Bridge.
3. The Squadron's tifo was terrific, particularly the big flag and large "ribbons" down the side. Gives us something to aspire to in the "WOW" factor.
4. The Cove End is great, wouldn't it be great to have something similar at Bluetongue?
5. James Holland's handball, mmm, how was that missed by both the referee and his assistant? Saw the replay for the first time at Melsy, Trina and Bear's place this morning and my first reaction was, "F^&*"!! After that, the game descended into chaos, to be frank.
6. Danny, mate, I honestly don't know what to say. Nine months seems harsh, good luck if you appeal. My express wish is that you are able to play for Arnie in Beijing.
7. I'm always proud to be a Mariners fan (for life) and a Marinator (for life). When we eventually win a toilet seat, I will take the bloody whole week off to celebrate.
8. Mingara afterwards was funny, didn't know exactly what to feel. Glad to see the boys, nice to have a couple of beers for a change, but losing hurts, doesn't it?
9. Sorry about the trains being mixed, Cityrail got that one wrong. Hope you all got home OK.
10. Messrs Lambert & Chivers, thank you.

I look forward to the new season; hopefully a trip back home to Orange; planning for Thailand, Vietnam or Malaysia; seeing 10 teams in the burgeoning A-League, a bus trip to Skilled Park at Robina; and being a Mariners fan for the fourth year of the rest of my life.

Kindest regards to all of you, my friends.

Auburn Mariner

great post auburn

also well done to those who helped auburn control the situation after the game

 

[Jolly_Roger]

This is a good thread and one of the sanest on the forum at the moment. About the only place i want to post. Some of the comments in other sections of the forum are beyond belief at the moment. Finals football always seems to bring out the worst in people. Whether it be the A league or your local park football. I cant explain it.

Sitting in bay 22, i agree with all that Auburn Mariner said. Their banner was impressive. We need to get something like that. When it first went up i thought it looked abit like a North Korean flag (except the wrong colours). Someone behind me yeld "COMMUNISTS" which was an amusing comment at the time.

I had a great day. If some said to me at the start of the season that we would get the minor premiership, a place in Asia, Runner up in the GF, John Aloisi, our crowds, and the sponsors we have got banging on our door, i would say take it. Its been a great season and no one should be complaining.

I was glad there was no trouble to talk of. I am sure the Thugby league and AFL writers had their pens in hand ready to strike a blow against football. I am sure they were praying for a riot (they had to target mad monday and hitler gumps instead).  All were well behaved. I am sure everybody prior to the game was concerned about the mix of bad winners and sore losers with bellys fully of alcohol on the train trip home. But all went well.

I will not lose to much sleep over the result. In my opinion Newcastle are a great side with a very astute coach. Nothing like plunging the knife into the so called Rugby league heartland of newcastle with a win in the A league GF. I will never understand laurie's decision not to play gumps when tommy was ruled out. I was shocked when he wasnt in the warm up squad.

I do think it was abit of poor form for the jets players to celebrate their victory in front of the ccm suppports at the cove end with finger gestures and all. Although i believe some of our guys did something similar after the 3-0 win a couple week ago (i wasnt there). Players on all sides need to show some restraint. I think this sort of thing can instigate trouble.

Anyway thats my humble view on things. Cant wait to get back to the local park soccer.




 

 

[greenpoint]

We've been quite focused on the obvious handball penalty that should have gone the Mariners' way in the 93rd minute.

I don't think we've made enough of the other obvious penalty: the one that should have been awarded to John Aloisi minutes earlier. There is a photograph in today's Central Coast Express Advocate that shows - with outrageous clarity - D'Appuzzo grabbing Aloisi by the shirt in the penalty area. For a referee to miss this is an absolute howler!   

I just can't see how FFA referees and assistant referees can come out of this season with any credibility. I've already emailed our old mate B. Buckley, this time asking how he's going to improve refereeing standards. But as others have indicated elsewhere on this forum, there's no point in holding my breath for a reply.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

yeah you're right.
The excuse for Shield missing the handball is that the box was crowded - though if you have a look, there was only one player between holland and shield, and holland had his arm raised.
The 'crowded box' line might work for the near AR.
The far AR would've actually had a similar angle to Shield - so how come he saw it from another 40 or so yards away?
There was nobody blocking the view of the other penalty.  Nobody.  Even if Shield had a bad angle, Gibson (near AR) should've spotted it.

 

[~Floss~]

I don't think we've made enough of the other obvious penalty: the one that should have been awarded to John Aloisi minutes earlier. There is a photograph in today's Central Coast Express Advocate that shows - with outrageous clarity - D'Appuzzo grabbing Aloisi by the shirt in the penalty area. For a referee to miss this is an absolute howler!  

I think that penalty claim looks even more convincing on video than in the still photo; you can see how JA lunges at the ball, but just as you're expecting the paths of his head and the ball to meet, he suddenly gets pulled back. He keeps wrestling his way towards the ball.

 

[MrCelery]

I'm just back from a few days work in Canberra - the perfect tonic for getting away from my usual workplace - Newcastle.

I left the GF immediately after the final whistle - just couldn't stomach watching the Scum lift the trophy - glad I didn't see the wankers jeering at the Cove end.

The 8pm Newcastle train was 90% Mariners - and it was a very, very quiet trip home. Many stunned looks on faces, mine included.

So much has been made of poor player behaviour - how come nothing gets said in official circles about the Scums blatant attempts at inciting our fans? Bridge also did the same when he scored.

On a positive note, while in Canberra I was amazed at the number of both closet and full-on Mariners fans - very heartening. I'm pretty sure that the Mariners are many people's 2nd team, and where there is no A-League team nearby, even their 1st team. Something for the Club to build on.

Tommorrow, below my office window, will be the Jets victory parade. Thankfully, I have a bad cold, so a day at home is planned, and will be very welcome. Let them have the city - at least football wins, and we won't get Buggery League and the Knights rammed down our throats.

This last week has had me doing some real soul-searching about whether to keep pouring effort, heart, soul, and no small amounts of money into following football. I'm not sure the pleasure outweighs the pain at the moment.

Not yet decided, but I'm sure I'll come around for V4.

Of course, there is the Asian tourney....

 

[promdi442]

My daughter caught a train at Hornsby to go to the grand final. As she was getting on the train there a group of Jets fans were getting off and walking around the platform in an apparent daze. Just as the train was about to leave with the doors closing they made a try to get back on board. Some made it and some did not. It appears that the train driver said that the next stop after Hornsby was SYDNEY TERMINAL. So the bogans not knowing any better started to get off and look for another train to take them to CENTRAL STATION. There was a lot of laughing at the boagans who were left at Hornsby.
I took the 8.20pm (left at 8.30) to Newcastle. Again as we had left the SFS immediately there were plent of Mariners on board. There was some friendly jibes from both sides and the ride back was OK and without any problems. Congrats to all who were on that train, or to be more exact the carriage I was in. 

 

[LFCMariners]

What's with the League hating on here? The NRL is NSW's premier code, always has been. Same as the AFL in Victoria.

 

[kevrenor]

What's with the League hating on here? The NRL is NSW's premier code, always has been. Same as the AFL in Victoria.

Association Football was all there was where I grew in Sydney up matey! It has been here over 120 years ... Rugby league is a blow in.
http://www.ozfootball.net/museum/carlingford.html

 

[greenpoint]

On a positive note, while in Canberra I was amazed at the number of both closet and full-on Mariners fans - very heartening. I'm pretty sure that the Mariners are many people's 2nd team, and where there is no A-League team nearby, even their 1st team. Something for the Club to build on.

I understand the Mariners have taken great strides in the ACT, setting up partnerships with the local league and with particular clubs. I was lucky enough to be in Canberra for a pre-season friendly between Belconnen and the Mariners, and was captivated by the support and the football appreciation shown by the local fans on a freezing night in the Capital.

 

[MrCelery]

What's with the League hating on here? The NRL is NSW's premier code, always has been. Same as the AFL in Victoria.

You can shove Thuggery League up your yellow arse BJ!

I played it as a youth, and even followed it for a short while, but it never took hold of me. The 'beautiful game' is in the blood, and has an elegance that the boof-head code simply can't match.

Fool yourself all you like, but League is a very minor sport that is vastly over represented in the media.

 

[LFCMariners]

You could argue the same about the NFL/ Baseball/ Basketball in the USA as well though. Rightly or wrongly, Aussie Rules is the code that has been followed for generations in Victoria and the South-Western States, and League likewise in NSW/ ACT/ Qld. I do find the term 'The beaufitul game' a tad pretensious, there are alot of elements of football that aren't beautiful at all (dives, crowd violence etc.)

Football is a game of skill, agility, being quick on your feet and being in the right position. Strengths are mostly concentrated on the lower body. League is a game of power, agility, endurance, skill and strength. You need to be half decent in all areas to do well in League.

 

[~Floss~]

You could argue the same about the NFL/ Baseball/ Basketball in the USA as well though. Rightly or wrongly, Aussie Rules is the code that has been followed for generations in Victoria and the South-Western States, and League likewise in NSW/ ACT/ Qld. I do find the term 'The beaufitul game' a tad pretensious, there are alot of elements of football that aren't beautiful at all (dives, crowd violence etc.)

Football is a game of skill, agility, being quick on your feet and being in the right position. Strengths are mostly concentrated on the lower body. League is a game of power, agility, endurance, skill and strength. You need to be half decent in all areas to do well in League.

Agree that there are differences that appeal to individuals' tastes. And that physically League has the added element of power.

However I think those who refer to Football as the beautiful game are highly fond of elements beyond the physical attributes you have listed; the strategy, passion, history, culture, tactics,  the relative 3-dimensional-ness of the game... to name just a few.
In terms of global appeal i believe the relative simplicity and consistency of the rules also makes it a far easier sport for the unaquainted general public to follow and understand the happenings in a game.

Not saying League fans aren't entitled to their opinion, and you can't help what yourself or anyone else likes or dislikes.

This could well be a very heated and ongoing thread of its own somewhere else on the forum.

At the risk of getting off topic, I just thought I'd point out that the "beauty" goes beyond the physical skills & speed of individual players. I'm sure if we all understood and had a history with league we'd probably appreciate those elements there as well, just as fans of cricket, F1, baseball, etc. etc. see in their chosen passions.

 

[Jolly_Roger]

I think I am to blame for the slight shift in direction here and I apologise. The comments I made in an earlier post are really in reference to the years of bashing football has coped from the likes of Roy Masters, Ray Chesterton & co who have wrote no shortage of articles over the years bashing Football to death and doing all they can to keep a lid on the football bottle.

There is no question in my mind that these sport journalist neanderthals would have wanted nothing more than for some blow up to occur so that they can continue their unrelenting bashing of our game. Unfortunately for them, we were all well behaved and showed nothing but colour and passion on the day.

Please feel free to steer this thread back on course gentlemen

 

[bikinigirl]

What's with the League hating on here? The NRL is NSW's premier code, always has been. Same as the AFL in Victoria.

Association Football was all there was where I grew in Sydney up matey! It has been here over 120 years ... Rugby league is a blow in.
http://www.ozfootball.net/museum/carlingford.html

. nice choice kevrenor with the carlingford merry farmers fc team photo of 1914 showing none other than lyall's great uncle earl

 

[kevrenor]

nice choice kevrenor with the carlingford merry farmers fc team photo of 1914 showing none other than lyall's great uncle earl

Never noticed that!  Who says the Mariners have no tradition!  You might let him know about the photo and the book.

 

[LFCMariners]

I think I am to blame for the slight shift in direction here and I apologise. The comments I made in an earlier post are really in reference to the years of bashing football has coped from the likes of Roy Masters, Ray Chesterton & co who have wrote no shortage of articles over the years bashing Football to death and doing all they can to keep a lid on the football bottle.

There is no question in my mind that these sport journalist neanderthals would have wanted nothing more than for some blow up to occur so that they can continue their unrelenting bashing of our game. Unfortunately for them, we were all well behaved and showed nothing but colour and passion on the day.

Please feel free to steer this thread back on course gentlemen

Granted, but there have been some very smug comments from the Australian footballing media as well. The NBL, for instance, seems to accept that it lives alongside the NRL/ AFL no problems. By dissing one code or the other, it just makes the people involved look like wankers and makes the sport even less likely to appeal to those who only follow one or the other. It would appear that the majority of A-League fans also back a team in the NRL. Indeed of all my friends who follow the Mariners and Sydney FC in the HAL, they also have strong alleigences to the Bulldogs, Roosters, Knights and Dragons.

 

[The Camel]

Just watched a replay of the GF, Was clear that the ball struck Hollands forearm, also clear that the ball hit Jedinak's hand prior to that.