It's A Grand Old Flag: [FFX]

[punterpupnroy]

Amazing story. Presentation wise it is terrific and the content itself is fantastic. One of the best stories on PC at the moment in my opinion.

PS.
Mate I love those tables of the Leading Goal Scorers and the Ladder. It would probably be a good idea to save a detailed-less or blank template of those tables. 'Coz they are very neat and look really good.

KUTGW!:happy

 

[blake]

Thanks very much for the feedback everyone.. especially Hooper and Punter, really gives me inspiration to continue.

Yes Punter, in answer to your question I did save both of the finished files as Photoshop files as well as .jpg so, for the next round I will have a template to work off and I will merely need to change the text.

Thanks so much for all the feedback again, it's really appreciated.

 

[Roofrom50]

Thanks very much for the feedback everyone.. especially Hooper and Punter, really gives me inspiration to continue.

Yes Punter, in answer to your question I did save both of the finished files as Photoshop files as well as .jpg so, for the next round I will have a template to work off and I will merely need to change the text.

Thanks so much for all the feedback again, it's really appreciated.

How did you make those mate. I have been inspired by your story so much, i tend to copy it a little with the quarter by quarter summaries.

 

[blake]

Yeah, I saw that you were doing a bit more of the quarter by quarter/half by half type thing, and it really looks good, I think it gives the viewer more to get into.

For the ladders and stats, I did pretty much everything myself. I created a blank Photoshop document (300 x 385) and then I went on to Google Images just to find a rough ladder template (so I knew what it looked like and what columns there were). Then, I put all the lines in in the appropriate places, all the teams, and all of the various information. It actually took quite a while to get everything centred perfectly, and to have all the lines working. Finally I just added in a Melbournefc avatar at 30% opacity in the background.

If you need help with anything, feel free to ask me about it. I'm happy to help.

 

[Roofrom50]

Yeah mate well it's one of the best stories on PC at the moment. And it's good to have all these AFL fans here to comment on it.
The graphics are sensational and the writing is quality. I hope to see more good work from you.

I will try and get some sort of ladder and stat's going as well, but keep up your good work mate, it's great to all of us

 

[OffCutters]

Mate, everything Roo and Punter said its true. Its probably one of the best story in PC. Seriously, Well done mate. Hope you dont mind, i`m gonna do the matches in my Richmond story half by half. Your story`s an inspiration mate :happy:happy

 

[blake]

Thursday 27 March, 2009​

As the Melbourne Demons prepare for their upcoming clash against Collingwood at the MCG, let's recap how some of the other matches went in the first round of the AFL season. The big round 1 clash was of course Geelong vs Hawthorn, and despite Geelong being slight favourites, it was Hawthorn picking up the 4 points. Another interesting game was the pre-season champions going down to a under-manned Fremantle side. The Western Bulldogs would have to be disappointed with their loss after performing so well all pre-season.

Round 1 - Match Reports

Richmond 20.9.129 def Carlton 14.7.91
Crowd: 29,802

Despite it being the very first match of the AFL season, neither side showed any signs of a lack of form. It was a fast-flowing, highly skilful match in which Richmond triumphed over a Carlton team who looked strong on paper but failed to deliver. Matthew Richardson was everywhere, kicking 5.3 as well as taking 14 marks around the ground. Nearly all of the Richmond players contributed and Carlton, despite posting a solid score of 14.7 were never really in the game, as Richmond led by 7 goals at halftime. Brendan Fevola fought hard for Carlton, kicking 5.1, but his efforts were in vain as his side went down at the G.

Hawthorn 11.20.86 def Geelong 10.7.67
Crowd: 34,051

Hawthorn would've been delighted after taking down pre-season favourites and 2007 premiers Geelong in a scrappy encounter. Lance Franklin could've made it a comfortable five to six goal win for the Hawks, however his accuracy was unbelievably poor and he kicked 1.6 in a poor effort. Brad Sewell and Shane Crawford were superb for the Hawks through the midfield, picking up 42 and 37 possessions respectively. The Geelong forwards were poor, however, with Andrew Mackie being the only multiple goal scorer for Geelong, kicking 2.

Collingwood 17.10.112 def Adelaide 7.7.49
Crowd: 43,763

Adelaide went down to a rampaging Collingwood side at the MCG in a completely one-sided encounter. Collingwood looked unstoppable, and they dominated the play at all times. Adelaide were fortunate to score late in the last quarter, but it was all Collingwood for the rest of the match. Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury led the way for their team with a combined 74 disposals and 3 goals, whilst for Adelaide it was Nathan Bock working hard out of the backline with 26 touches. Collingwood had a host of different goal-kickers, with Medhurst booting 3, and Didak, Pendlebury, Cloke, Goldsack and Thomas all kicking 2, showing the depth they have through the midfield and forward line.

Brisbane 3.9.27 def by West Coast 16.8.104
Crowd: 22,491

Despite West Coast's poor odds for the premiership, they looked a far better side than that, as shown in the pre-season when they made the preliminary finals before losing to eventual premiers the Bulldogs by just 11 points. It seemed the Eagles were out to make a point in 2008, though, as they destroyed Brisbane at the Gabba. Daniel Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown were held goal-less in a superb effort from West Coast's defence, whilst for the Eagles it was Quinten Lynch kicking four goals. Chad Fletcher was brilliant with 31 disposals and 2 goals, whilst Dean Cox was also devastating, winning more hitouts than the entire Brisbane team put together, as well as having 24 possessions around the ground.

St. Kilda 11.12.78 def by Sydney 12.12.84
Crowd: 21,969

It was a five goal haul from small forward Amon Buchanan that set Sydney up for a thrilling win over St. Kilda, with St. Kilda clear favourites to win. The Saints almost came back to record a victory, but in the end Sydney held out. Nobody really was brilliant for the Saints, and although Fisher had 35 disposals as well as Dal Santo's 30, they were nearly all uncontested and they didn't have a huge impact in the game. For Sydney, it was former Crow Martin Mattner dominating with 40 touches, as well as Irish backman Tadhg Kennelly winning 36 disposals through the backline. Barry Hall was held goal-less but it didn't matter as Sydney picked up the 4 points.

Port Adelaide 10.6.66 def by Essendon 13.12.90
Crowd: 27,787

Essendon's 2009 list now looked very promising, as the young stars worked together to produce a superb win over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. Jay Nash and Alwyn Davey were excellent for the Bombers with 32 and 30 disposals respectively. Essendon didn't have a main goal-kicker, but their whole forward line contributed, with Lloyd and Lucas kicking two each and nine other players kicking one goal. For Port, Troy Chaplin was a stand-out in their backline, and he had an excellent game, winning 38 possessions. Warren Tredrea kicked 3 goals but in the end Port Adelaide went down by 24 points.

Fremantle 14.16.100 def Western Bulldogs 14.7.91
Crowd: 19,444

This was perhaps the biggest upset of the round as Fremantle scored a thrilling victory over pre-season champions the Western Bulldogs. Fremantle fought their guts out and the match hung in the balance for the entire last quarter until Ryan Murphy kicked a late goal to seal the deal for Fremantle. Matthew Pavlich was excellent, and despite his inaccuracy in which he kicked 3.4, he was still superb around the midfield, picking up 23 disposals. Daniel Giansiracusa contributed with a best on ground effort for the Bulldogs, as he had 27 disposals and kicked 4 goals, but it wasn't enough as his side went down to the Dockers.

After just one round of football, there are already 8 players out for the season and 17 players in total with injuries. Let's take a look at this season's casualties.

(COLL) Steele Sidebottom (season), osteitis pubis
(WB) Jason Akermanis (season), right acl knee
(COLL) Leon Davis (season), osteitis pubis
(CARL) Shaun Hampson (season), osteitis pubis
(BRIS) Joel Tippett (season), osteitis pubis
(GEEL) Brad Ottens (season), osteitis pubis
(BRIS) Josh Drummond (season), osteitis pubis
(KANG) Daniel Pratt (season), osteitis pubis
(HAW) Robert Campbell (round 21), osteitis pubis
(KANG) Lachlan Hansen (round 10), right knee cartilage
(ST.K) Luke Ball (round 4), right hamstring
(WB) Daniel Giansiracusa (round 4), right hamstring
(GEEL) Cameron Ling (round 4), right hamstring
(WCE) Brent Staker (round 3), left hamstring
(ADEL) Richard Douglas (round 3), left hamstring
(CARL) Alipate Carlile (round 3), left ankle
(ST.K) Nick Dal Santo (round 3), left corked thigh

So, it was definitely an exciting first round, with quite a few upsets, such as Melbourne's victory over the Kangaroos, Hawthorn beating Geelong, Fremantle knocking off pre-season champs the Western Bulldogs, and even Sydney playing superbly to knock off St. Kilda at Etihad Stadium. The next match will not be so easy for the Demons, however, as they come up against a very confident Collingwood lineup, who smashed Adelaide very convincingly. Let's take a look at the teams and the betting odds, courtesy of FFX Betting.

Adelaide vs St. Kilda (AAMI)
Adelaide: $2.10
St. Kilda: $1.60

Collingwood vs Melbourne (MCG)
Collingwood: $1.40
Melbourne: $2.70

Geelong vs Richmond (SS)
Geelong: $1.50
Richmond: $2.20

Carlton vs Brisbane (ES)
Carlton: $1.40
Brisbane: $2.70

Sydney vs Hawthorn (SCG)
Sydney: $1.70
Hawthorn: $2.00

Essendon vs Fremantle (ES)
Essendon: $1.80
Fremantle: $1.80

Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne (MCG)
Bulldogs: $1.60
North Melbourne: $2.10

West Coast vs Port Adelaide (S)
West Coast: $1.60
Port Adelaide: $2.10​

Thanks to FFX Betting for those odds - and now, let's take a look at the teams selected for the upcoming clash on Saturday at the MCG.

Round 2: Collingwood Magpies vs Melbourne Demons

F Leigh Brown - Travis Cloke - Paul Medhurst
B Matthew Warnock - Colin Garland - James Frawley

HF Dale Thomas - Anthony Rocca - Anthony Corrie
HB Kyle Cheney - Jared Rivers -Matthew Whelan

C Scott Pendlebury - Tarkyn Lockyer - Ben Johnson
C Colin Sylvia - Cameron Bruce - James McDonald

HB Shane O'Bree - Nick Maxwell - Heath Shaw
HF Brad Green - Matthew Bate - Aaron Davey

B Shannon Cox - Harry O'Brien - Marty Clarke
F Jack Watts - Paul Johnson - Russell Robertson

R Josh Fraser - Dane Swan - Alan Didak
R Mark Jamar - Nathan Jones - Brock McLean

Interchange: John McCarthy - Tyson Goldsack - Ben Reid - Nathan A Brown
Interchange: Brent Moloney - Cale Morton - Clint Bartram - Ricky Petterd

Collingwood
In: Ben Reid
Out: Simon Prestigiacomo (Dropped)

Melbourne
In: No changes
Out: No changes

 

[OffCutters]

*mumbling about st.kilda losing to sydney* nah loving the presentation mate, FFX betting is surely gonna take over sportsbet

 

[Roofrom50]

I like the idea of FFXBET Good quality update mate, the Crows sucked a quality Collingwood outfit.

 

[hedger_14]

well its a great presentation. i would do it for my one but i dont have photoshop and i cannot be bothered paying alot of money for it.

 

[punterpupnroy]

Looking forward to the next update with much anticipation mate. I love the fact that there are heaps of AFL fans here on Planet Cricket now. It is turning into Planet Footy!

 

[blake]

Sorry fellas. I had written up a half of the Melbourne vs Collingwood game, but then my computer promptly decided to restart, so I have nothing.

I might do one later.. I am taking a break from stories. This is definitely still going, but can't say when the next update will be, I don't particularly feel like doing it again after I lost the file.

 

[Roofrom50]

that's a real shame. This story was going good guns

 

[blake]

Roo - I have decided, I will do the Melbourne vs Collingwood match tomorrow. I should post the four quarters up through the day.

So, get ready for that update.

 

[Roofrom50]

well i'd be sure to look out for that update sometime tomorrow then