CSM: Chapter 8.
8. Cause and effect. Going into any new season, there’s always a sense of optimism. Even if you’re the worst possible team, you can always hope that things will get better. That mightn’t actually be the case, or the season might quickly disabuse you of that notion, but initially your expectations are pristine. When you’re a grand finalist – even a pummelled grand finalist – the hope burgeons. (Well, usually.) You know you’re thereabouts. But for a bit more luck, an absence of injuries, younger players improving, and an injection of new talent, you have all the ingredients which suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, you might be able to go…
CSM: Chapter 6.
6. Creating History. A quick recap (for those who might not be in the know) – in 1980, the ladder comprised a final five. This involved the best finals system Australian Rules Football had ever seen, which worked like this: Week 1 1st gets the week-off – a rest, as a reward for finishing first. Qualifying Final: 2nd vs 3rd Elimination Final: 4th vs 5th. The loser is eliminated from the finals race. Week 2 Second Semi Final: 1st plays the winner of the Qualifying Final. The winner goes straight into the grand final. If 1st won (and they usually had an advantage as a side coming off a week’s…