A double chance or a week's rest? Lowest placed losers, highest placed winners, coach with the best moustache, all factors in the McIntyre Final Eight.
The big news, apart from it being my birthday, and apart from my aerodynamic haircut, and apart from this sensational website, is the inclusion of Matthew "Matty" "Hoggy" Hogg in the Carlton team this week. Hoggy comes back into the team to replace Anthony Franchina, who seems to have picked up the nickname "Franga". I'm sure I don't know what that means.
While we're talking about Number 33, "Matty" "Hoggy", let's look at the teams for the Saturday afternoon West Coast home game at the MCG. To make things fair, the AFL asked Carlton to fly half-way across the Nullarbor and back. John Elliot supposedly said something about a trotter's derriere.
The Weagles decided last week that they could actually play football, after weeks of doing otherwise. Uncle Fewster is in for the Weagles, Ball was dropped. Ken Judge will be in the rooms before the match getting to know the players, before he goes off the Cooee (or maybe Penguin) in Tasmania's North-West to take up the assistant-coach role with Wayne Wiedermann.
Carlton shouldn't be there, but they're a chance to knock off the Weagles. Carlton won in the west earlier in the season, but the last two weeks have been forgettable. Irregardless, I'll be there at the MCG on Saturday afternoon, in bay D2, going loopy. (do you like my haircut?)
(An interesting aside - in the Herald-Sun today they listed the details of the four coaches involved this season. Y'know - Mick Malthouse, age, games coached, etc. Except for David Parkin they've listed his age, games coached and his weight. I hope that's pounds and not kilograms, otherwise he's very heavy-boned.)
I saw an ad in the paper today - "Penthouse Pets, Adult Stars, Hot Stripshows, Free Giveaways". Looks like St Kilda has started pre-season already.
Brisbane host the Bulldogs on Saturday night. One last chance for the Dogs to get let off the choker-leash. Winner will face North next Friday night. Of the Lions and the Bulldogs, Scott Wynd has the least number of vowels in his name with one.
Tipping closes at 6pm tonight. For those that haven't forked out yet, I'm looking after the cash this time, just so no-one can make off with the cash and settle in a Spanish mansion in Traralgon.