Showing posts with label AFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFL. Show all posts

06 April, 2013

A day at the footy...

Today, I spent the DAY at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as the footy (AFL) has started again… The Sydney Swans are the Premiership Club after winning last years Grand Final!

As this was their first 'home game', they had a special ceremony for the Premiership Flag. Then, it went around the Stadium for a lap of honour! The field looked great, despite the showers about, although the first half (two quarters) was sloppy/greasy play. In the end, the Swans won, Swans 17.12(114) to Suns 11.7(73)

Swans v Suns
Unveiling Premeriship Flag
Swans v Suns
Premiership Cup and Flag
Swans v Suns
Premiership Cup
Swans v Suns
Premiership Flg
Swans Win v Gold Coast Suns
Swans Facebook Status

In other news, my other football (NRL) team, Parramatta Eels, FINALLY won a game, after losing 50-0 last week, we won over the Cronulla Sharks!

Eels Win v Cronulla Sharks
Parra Win

Hoo roo for now...

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30 September, 2012

2012 AFL Grand Final - Well Done Sydney Swans!!

This morning, I am a little 'horse', I have a headache, but I am glad to have both... Yesterday, the mighty Sydney Swans won the 2012 AFL Grand Final!! Final score was Sydney 14-7-91 to Hawthorn 11-15-81!!

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The day started early, I went down to the MCG, a 10-15 walk from Richmond, to soak up the atmosphere. I arrived at my designated gate, No. 4!

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I also caught up with some friends from Sydney, D&A were also down, (A being a tragic supporter as well!!!), and finally the gates opened!

2012 AFL Grand FInalUntitled

The stadium filled quickly, all 99,683 of us, the entertainment was good, (The Temper Tramp & Paul Kelly) and then the AusKick kids came up, and stormy skies came over...

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The game itself, was excellent, in that both teams had a mutual respect for each other, and the game changed so many times, especially in the final quarter!

2012 AFL Grand FInal2012 AFL Grand FInal

Post match, they also had a concert, where at 6pm, the gates opened so as supporters who didnt get a ticket could come in...

2012 AFL Grand FInal

What a fantastic day...

2012 AFL Grand FInal

Hoo roo for now...
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27 August, 2012

The weekend that was...

It was a weekend of highs and lows, and in the end, a bit of a blurr actually... It all started friday, which was a simply stunning day weather wise, and in the late afternoon, there was a definate 'spring feel' about it.

Saturday, I was up semi early apart from a neighbourly issue, but that's an aside... The main thing for the day was to get to the SCG and to watch the Swans AFL game. This was to be a high, but alas, in an absolute cracker of a game, it was a last minute loss against Hawthorne. For weeks, I had been looking at getting a guernsey, and tonight I was in luck, as they were having a sale and it was reduced from $90 to $65, yay me!!


Swans Sale

Cheers...

SCG with Grandstand removed

Being part of a group of people and talking and catching up, made it difficult (not to mention the lack of suitable service at the game when a concentration of people demand service) I was quickly running out of phone power. I was delivering score updates to many people at the end of each quarter. It was a real 'nailbiter' of a game! Sitting in the cool, even with suitable clothing, gave me an almighty back ache, so I was glad to get home, heat-pack, and lie flat...

Sunday was another nice warm sunny day, and it was off to catch-up with some friends. Whilst the kids went into the play areas, we sat and chatted and soon we had some lunch. I had a hotdog and wedges... Soon enough, it was time to go, and I was heading to ANZ Stadium for the footy, different code this time - NRL.

However, along the way, increasingly, a headache was gaining momentum, and by the time I got to Silverwater Rd, I turned around and headed home... Soon after, I was being (physically) sick, and ended up sleeping off most of the afternoon...


MM Wedges and Hotdog

So, that was, the weekend that was...

By the time I got back to the car at Central Station

Hoo roo for now...

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24 June, 2011

V Set Retirement Tour

On Saturday, early, I went on a train tour of the Sydney Metropolitan System, but it was an unusual trip in that the retiring interurban train was used and went on some lines that they do not use. The tour was being run by the Sydney Electric Train Society - SETS

HERE is a CityRail network map if it helps track our route!

I first drove from home to Granville, as there was trackwork on the line west from Granville, so there is a higher chance of getting a train from here; and lots of parking!

Anyways, I caught a train from here to Strathfield, which is where the tour was to start. I waited here for S and L, friends of my brothers up in the mountains who I have come to be friends with and we also all go to the footy together, which was later in the evening!

The crowd gathered on the platform, and from some sources, the train that was to be used had a good ‘spit ‘n’ polish’ from the sheds it was in over night. It was a 4 car, V Set!

V13 SETS Tour 25062011

From Strathfield, we headed west to Olympic Park. We were given a notice that there will be NO cab rides, photo stops will be plentiful and that times will be strictly adhered to as we were actually incorporated into the wider, more complex, CityRail timetable.

From here, we then headed out of Olympic Park and onto the Bankstown Line (Orange on map) stopping at Punchbowl and Erskineville along the way. It was hard for the organisers and station staff, as passengers at these stops often tried to board the train. After Erskineville, we headed into Central for a crew change (which is always the case for a train into/out of Central) before heading through the City Circle (Town Hall and Wynyard ONLY) and over the Harbour Bridge stopping at Milsons Point (red/yellow line), which had a great view back over the Bridge. Here, some of the passengers got out and headed down to a vantage point to get some pics of the train in the Lavender Bay rail yard (VERY rare) but we stayed on, as the route it takes to get down there was part of the journey not often taken! We headed up to Waverton (neck – siding) and then down to the Bay. This gave some great views back toward the Bridge overlooking Luna Park. We had a stop here, but were not allowed to get off the train due to OH&S.

Harbour Bridge Milsons Point
Harbour Bridge Lavender Bay

We made our way back up to the Waverton Neck and then doubled back to Nth Sydney and Milsons Point to pick up our wayward passengers before heading back over the Bridge and through the City Circle (Town Hall and Wynyard ONLY) again into Central (crew change) and heading out towards Cronulla (Blue line) for lunch. There were numerous stops along the way here and as the train was not allowed to stay in the platform (or in the rail yard there), it headed back to Hurstville to fill in time! Stephen caught up with a friend of his at Strathfield, and he sat with us on the trip, so we walked along the corso in Cronulla to get some fish ‘n’ chips for lunch. I mean, when at the beach, is there ANYTHING else to eat? Now Cronulla is a wonderful place, lots of cafes, restaurants and the like, L & I use to often go here for breakfast of a Sunday morning, but the consensus was for the fish.

Cronulla Rock Pool
Cronulla Beach Lookout
STOP Cronulla

Anyway, lunch was ok, company was great and that was the main thing! We walked back along the corso to be greeted with the train just pulling in. We were to now head back along the blue line into Central and around the city circle, this time, taking in Circular Quay, St James and Museum, where at Museum, we stopped for a photo opportunity, before heading back to Central, (yes, another Crew Change) and heading along the Airport East Hills Line (Green) all the way out to Campbelltown and Macarthur, which was the end of the line for electric trains. We were here for a little bit, the raffle was drawn (I didn’t win) and we were now on our way again through a mixture of lines… Green, blue and then purple and finally silver stopping at Rhodes! It was a complex trip here. Again, plenty of stops along the way, but at Rhodes, we had a group photo. As it was an association (which I am not a member of) I raced around the back of the guy taking the photo (President I think) and took some as well. I said to him that I will also get a photo of the group with HIM in it and took his camera. I also got some with mine as well. I will be forwarding it across to him as well… I think I will join...

V13 Museum
VSet Tour Party RHODES01

We left Rhodes back to Strathfield where we all said our goodbyes and exchanged details etc. S, L and I were going to the footy (ANZ Stadium is in at Olympic Park) so we caught a train to Lidcombe, where we went across to Dooleys Club for a quick drink and so as S could catch up with some friends. Again, we jumped on a train and headed into the stadium at Olympic Park. This was to be a game that was rumoured to be, a bit of a white wash for the Swans, and that we would lose convincingly. Collingwood are the team to beat, but, and the end of the second quarter, we had a 30 odd point deficit! However, the third quarter, we fought back and we actually got in front at one point, but Collingwood were just that little bit TOO good, winning by a goal (6 points). It was a fantastic game all the same… I eventually got home around 11pm… I didn’t do any processing of pics, and headed straight to bed after feeding both Macc and Jasmine!

Hoo roo for now... ------

28 September, 2010

Something a little 'sporty'

It all started the weekend BEFORE the Grand Final, that wasn't! Let me explain...

Saturday morning of the 18th September, I was invited out to Blacktown Olympic Stadium for the U18 AFL Grand Final to watch a mate play. It was SUCH a good game, and at the end of regular time, it was all tied up at 87 each! now here is where the rules differ between this lower grade and that of the AFL in that, here they played an additional 5 mins each way PLUS 'time on' so as a result could be achieved, WHERE AS in the AFL, they are playing the Grand Final AGAIN this Saturday! Stupidity! So here are some pics from the day:

First Bounce GAME ON
Fighting for the ball
Full Time Score
Full Time after extra TIME
Done well guys, you can hold you heads high!

Blacktown Olympic Stadium was the home for Baseball & Softball for the Olympics in 2000, and they later included a turf cricket pitch (my former work life was managing these) and is now a multi-purpose stadium including AFL.

Blacktown Olympic Park

So, this weekend (which is a long weekend here) will have the AFL replay Grand Final (now with 5 mins each way + time on) on Saturday, the NRL Grand Final on Sunday and a rest day on the Monday!!! AND, I think there may even be a car race as well, bring it on!!!!

Predictions FOR the weekend? Well as it seems lately every game I put a 'tip' out there, my team goes down, BUT I WILL STILL stay with St Kilda in the AFL and any other team OTHER than St George in the NRL, so GO the Roosters!!!!!

Hoo roo for now...

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