Know what’s funny?
Last week, I had someone whack me about the Road Warrior Ladder. Yeah, I know… a concept I just made up, with little to no relevance to the games played on the weekend… a bit of fun, and someone got annoyed about it because Victorian teams don’t travel enough.
Huh?
Sooooo, a ladder designed to favour Non-Victorian teams was somehow construed as being unfair to Non-Victorian teams?
Gotcha.
After giving it consideration I’ve decided to just carry on, as I have the suspicion the whack may have been something to do with particular axe to grind and not this column, in particular.
We’ve heard it for years – the teams based outside Victoria have it tougher.
I get it, though. I really do. Forced to travel interstate almost every second week, some teams clock up enormous miles as they traverse the country to be part of this sport we love.
Meanwhile, we get some Victorian-based clubs cracking the sads when they have to play at Marvel Stadium instead of the MCG, and vice versa. Or those who get a little nasty when a move away from Kardinia Park is floated.
So, how do the teams fare away from home, and who is travelling best at the moment?
The Mongrel has devised a little ladder to assess who is the best road team in the league. Oh, the Vic teams will still get a look in if they’re good enough, and whilst I fully expect a number of fans to say this system is rigged to favour non-Victorian teams… I really don’t care. Stop your whining.
So, how does it work?
The Road Warrior Ladder is named after one of the best Tag Teams of all time. Don’t come at me with your Demolition garbage, or your Powers of Pain crap… they were Road Warrior rip-offs… who were, in turn, rip-offs of the 1980s movie, Mad Max.
It was called The Road Warrior in the United States because… geez, I’m not a film buff. Do your own homework.
Anyway, you get four points for an interstate win and two points for a win at an away venue that IS NOT played at the venue you consider your home ground. I don’t care if it’s not your home game – you’re still at the ground you play your home games. The Road Warrior Ladder Nazi isn’t concerned with your feelings – just facts.
Tasmania is considered a home game for Hawthorn. You choose to play your home games there – you cop it. Same with GWS and Canberra – if it’s your choice, you wear it.
Now that my belligerence is out of the way, let’s get to business.
THE ROAD WARRIOR LADDER AFTER ROUND EIGHT
1 – BRISBANE – 12 PTS (132-POINT DIFFERENTIAL IN ROAD WINS)
2 – WESTERN BULLDOGS – 10 PTS (69… DUDE)
3 – CARLTON – 8 PTS (118)
4 – SYDNEY – 8 PTS (93)
5 – MELBOURNE – 8 PTS (68)
6 – PORT ADELAIDE – 8 PTS (9)
7 – COLLINGWOOD – 8 PTS (7)
8 – GWS – 6 PTS (3)
9 – GEELONG – 4 PTS (47)
10 – RICHMOND – 4 PTS (32)
11 – ESSENDON – 4 PTS (27)
12 – GOLD CAST – 4 PTS – (24)
13 – FREMANTLE – 4 PTS (10)
14 – ADELAIDE – 4 PTS (3)
15 – NORTH MELBOURNE – 4PTS (1)
16-18 – ST KILDA, HAWTHORN, WEST COAST – NO POINTS AS YET
By virtue of their big win at Marvel over the Blues, the Lions claim outright top spot. To have chalked up three interstate wins to this point of the season is an outstanding return for the Brisbane boys, who now have a couple of games at the Gabba before heading t Adelaide.
The Dogs moved into second place with their win over GWS and with three wins in a row over the last little bit, they have turned their slow start to the season around pretty quickly. How good was Bont, by the way?
UPCOMING FOUR-POINT GAMES
GOLD COAST would be smelling blood, heading to Optus to take on the Eagles
FREMANTLE head to Sydney to try to kill off the Swans
PORT ADELAIDE head to Tassie and face North Melbourne… they’d be feeling pretty good about that.
ESSENDON fly into the Gabba to face the Lions, and will try to win without a backline.
ST KILDA head to Adelaide Oval to take n the Crows.
And GWS grace the MCG with their presence to face the Pies.
NO TWO-POINT CROSSTOWN GAMES THIS WEEK
No two-pointers this week.
ODD FOOTNOTE OF THE WEEK
With the Daicos boys tearing up the AFL, it is probably a good time to remember just how good their father was.
Some of you may not be old enough to remember Peter Daicos at his best. Hell, my memory of him as a midfielder that ran forward and hit the scoreboard is hazy, but once age started to catch up with him, I have vivid memories of him moving to play deep forward and causing complete and utter carnage.
With that low centre of gravity and hips that contradicted Shakira by telling lies to so many defenders, he would zig when zagging seemed the preferred option, only to double back, kick around the body and slot goals like he was shelling peas… which I’m told is easy, but I have never tried it, myself.
I remember him kicking the lazy 13 goals against Brisbane and poor old Jon Gastev one day… it was one of those days when Daicos started pulling all the tricks out of the bag. And the Lions wished he’d put a few back in!
The father of Nick and Josh, he was also the father of the dribble kick around the corner, being the first to regularly use it to slot home goals from difficult angles. Ahead of his time, that man.
Like this content? I know this is an easy one – a low-effort column I produce each week, but if you feel so inclined, you could buy me a coffee – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
Or you could join the Mongrel movement and become part of our family with a membership. Of course, you can’t live with us and just go to the fridge whenever you like, but you’d be more like the second cousin, who I wave to and get bumped from your invite list when you have t make cuts. I’m okay with that.
