The 2017 Aussie Rules Grand Final will take place thisafternoon between the Lions and the Swans. True fans will believe we have gone mad, because they know the Grand Finalis still some days off. What they don'tknow is that it IS an Aussie Rules Grand Final, but of a different league. The 2017 ARFLI men’s Grand Final takes place on Saturday at2pm at the Mardyke Arena, Cork City between the hosts Leeside Lions and SouthDublin Swans. That's the Grand Final ofthe Australian Rules Football League of Ireland. After the Lions topped the standings theygained the right to have a home final and the Swans joined them last week afterdefeating both Belfast Redbacks and Galway Magpies in the semi-final round. The Swans are the clear favorites, indeedthey have won every Grand Final since 2010.
At the recent AFL International Cup where the Irish Warriorscruelly missed the Grand Final with a controversial after the siren goal, theLions had seven players in the Warriors squad and many more talented playersdid not travel to Australia this year. Interest in Aussie Rules Football has beengrowing worldwide, even in places where there are no cricket grounds in need ofhosting a Winter sport. Many players ofIrish Football have gone on to play professional Aussie Rules in Australia, andinterest is growing in the sport itself, even in the Emerald Isle. Meanwhile, back in Australia, the AFL Grand Final preparationcontinues, with some unfortunate surprises for our favorite teams. The Geelong Cats, one win away from the 2017AFL Grand Final, ended the dream run of Sydney, smashing them by 59 at the MelbourneCricket Grounds on Friday night. Geelong was ruthless in a game many expectedthem to lose, bursting out of the gates after Sydney kicked the first goal ofthe game. They went into the first breakwith a slim lead over the Swans, but broke the game open in the second quarter,kicking six goals to Sydney’s one, heading into half time with a 36-point lead. Patrick Dangerfield was outstanding for theCats, booting four first-half goals, while also picking up 26 touches. DanHannebery was the best for the Swans with 27 touches, whilst Kieran Jack had 23touches and a goal. Geelong now willtravel to Adelaide, where they will face the Crows in the preliminary final.All eyes will be on Patrick Dangerfield, who will be facing his old club for aspot in the 2017 AFL Grand Final. Tonight's game is a clash of the titans, with the GreaterWestern Sydney Giants travelling to theSpotless Stadium to take on West Coast Eagles, who will have farther totravel. The match should provide someexciting action, with GWS a clear favorite, as well as benefitting from the"home crowd." Let's hear itfor Perth! In the NCAA, in college football, one of the top games of theyear is being contested this afternoon in Southern California. The University of Texas Longhorns travelthere to meet the University of Southern California Trojans, the first timethese two top programs have met since their game in 2005, which settled thequestion of that year's national title. The Longhorns can announce "we're back," a question many havebeen asking, as they have struggled for several seasons, ever since theirhubris destroyed the old Big 12 conference. Are they really back under the direction of their new coach, TomHerman? USC had quite a run at the endof 2016, their performance today can prove that that was no fluke. A team best known to readers of this spacefor their prowess in Water Polo, actually is a national player inFootball. We can all hope for a gamehalf as good as the last time these storied teams played. This is the time of year when the Major League Baseballpennant races heat up, and fans watch the games with great interests, and watchthe standings with almost greater interest. The Washington Nationals have to be one of the strongest teams in baseballright now, and were the first team in the National League to have that little xappear next to their team name in the standings, for they have clinched theirdivision. Congratulations Nats! (Do fans really go by Nat Nation?) They were one of the earliest teams to haveever clinched a division, and are currently 21 games ahead of theFlorida Marlins. The Los AngelesDodgers, in the National League, have clinched at least a playoff berth, ridinghigh as they are, 9.5 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The annual slugfest in the National League Central Divisioncontinues, as per usual, but rather than the three top teams slugging the ballsinto the outfield, they are slugging each other, as per usual. The Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and St.Louis Cardinals are all within 4 games of each other, last year's WorldChampions Chicago Cubs leading the division. In the American League, last year's runner ups, the Cleveland Indians,are 13.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the central division, and haveclinched a playoff berth, at least. Inthe West, the Houston Astros are well ahead of the California Angels, who withthe Seattle Mariners are 14 games back. The normal death match continues this year in the Eastern Division, withthe Boston Red Sox leading the New York Yankees by 3 games. Courage boys, there's still time. Just enough. Today's Dodger's vs. Nats game appears to be the one to watch. -- Posted By Rex to SR at 9/15/2017 10:00:00 PM -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "omnisport" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/omnisport. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
