should have followed the formula...

drats my tipping has taken a dive this week but who is to blame? me of course!!! i should have listened to my own advice, yes i said the crows were due for a win but of course i didn't tip them, lost that one, bad luck to me. melbourne saved me by one point by beating the bombers in what have must have been a thrilling finish. the last time i checked the score the bombers looked like they were going to explode into action...nah, nope and goodbye essendon i think your season has just self imploded. next week the crows and i expect back to back wins, if not adelaide then you are not going to make the eight. according to my formula they should lose but this time i think i can make an exception. but congrats to lovie for being tipper of the round and winning the 6 pack. (and yes i have claimed one myself to date compliments of big ivan's workplace!)
     huge win for the cats and a percentage boost. lions i think you will be unlikely to get anymore tips from me. bulldogs well they scored the upset of the round. i watched the last quarter and a half and have to give credit to the bullies for hanging in there. from what i saw the pies pressure was just not good enough. and of course we have them next week so warning guys... don't walk onto the adelaide oval and take these puppies lightly. and so now on to the much anticipated and talked up game of the round. determined port vs the highly expensive forward line of the swans outfit. yes they were missing tippett but polec was also exempt from our artillery. i was keeping in contact with the lady army representatives by text and phone during the course of the match. (which unfortunately did not quite fall our way) so what can i say viewers?
     the first quarter saw the swans get off to a blistering start although somewhat wasteful. ten shots at goal for two goals eight and one would have thought (if they were foolsih enough) that perhaps we had a repeat of the geelong match. but lo and behold that was not to be the case because the team kicked in and stemmed the onslaught into  a  12 point deficit. my communication at that point to our lady army representatives was that anything under 20 points and we would be in touch with the game. by half time it was down to seven...game on. at the end of the third quarter 15. from the tv most of the players stayed down where the action was. a lot of rugby type scrums which personally i do not like but that is the way the game seems to have gone. sydney had one goal in my mind and that was obviously to shut port down. the pressure from the beginning was intense and for those of us that were complaining about some of the mistakes and turn overs, close, contested, tight footy does that. defensive pressure is where it is at now folks whether you like it or not. but when port can gets it run and carry going and lock into their free flowing game with a like minded team well that is the footy that is exciting to watch and the footy i love and am passionate about...gee where is my footy journalists job??? hee, hee.
    the last quarter we just kept coming, some costly mistakes, missed set shots at goal and the stats should have given us the win but the scoreboard said no. clearances, inside 50's, stoppages and the list goes on but still the scoreboard said no. and for all of sydneys misses we actually ended the game with one more scoring shot. i did predict the game would come down to pressure and accuracy in front of goal. and although the after analysis provided a barrage of finger pointing ( we did lose hartlett which didn't help) it cannot come down to one player regardless of what some passionate fans must think. although if i was to consider anyone, perhaps pittard could do with a run in the sanfl. i have to confess to you pittard lovers i call him the clanger. however, to be fair, he is young, he is fast, he is a left footer which is handy to have but he doesn't always select the best option...just saying.
     so did i cry? did i jump up and down and throw the remote at the tv? did i use a few choice swear words? no, no and yes. some soft decisions regarding a few frees but hey let us put it all into perspective. seriously some expected us to get walloped. i didn't. i tipped them by 3. there was absolutely no disgrace in that defeat viewers. one learns more from failure than success and i personally believe this loss will be a pivotal lesson for our dynamic, talented side. port have nothing to prove. we are simply a genuine team that has put in the hard yards, the committment, developed the belief and harnessed the unity of young men who are bonded in holy footballness...lol ( i thought that was quite good). one game at a time folks. wait until finals before you jump on the premiership bandwagon but if you have already, kudos for your optimism! so on to round 14  which i am absolutely looking forward to because my little sista shall return and resume her rightful place in the lady army.
love FFFandF XXX
PS dear buddy it was just completely uneccessary for you to kick those lucky ass goals!!! 
PPS well done PASCOE your team won and i accept the loss graciously...lucky you are not a crows supporter!!! hee,hee,hee.