It's basketball, but not as you know it

It took some time, but the long-anticipated review into basketball has been completed and presented to the basketball community.

It has been likened to the famous Crawford Report which brought about reform within football (then known as soccer.) That report was the catalyst for mass change and is essentially the reason why football is in such a commanding position today.

The basketball review rightly points out the huge disparity between the quality witnessed on the court and the support off the court. It also points out the huge participation and interest figures and how that, too, does not translate at the elite level.

Listed in the review are four key objectives for the next four years.

These include doubling player registrations to 500,000, an amicable target; being ranked by FIBA in the top three nations in the world, we’re already second so that can’t be too hard; and also reducing government funding to 25% or less.

But the big one is, obviously, the aim to become a “Top 3 recognized sport measured by viewers/attendees.”

Now there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, however that sort of status does not happen by accident.

With the review now out there in the open, what needs to be of high priority is securing the leadership that has been all too nonexistent over the years. That’s what will ensure that the sport’s lofty ambitions will materialize. It may cost a stack, but that leadership should be sourced from one of the football codes.

After all, if basketball wants to become a top three sport, it has to start acting like a top three sport. Frank Lowy knew this when he hired John O’Neill to lead football’s new direction. Basketball needs to do the same.

(The principle of acting like a top three sport must surely also extend to venues. Can you imagine a top three sport playing out of a venue the size of The Cage?)

One aspect of the review that will help, although it flies in the face of reducing government funding, is the call for more international games and further engagement with Asia.

You just need to look at football and the Socceroos to see the benefits of having a marketable national team, that’s a no-brainer. But engagement with Asia could prove more crucial.

Again, football has shown the way on this one. They receive more funding from the federal government than any other sport mainly because of the bridges they pave with our Asian neighbours. Basketball’s immense popularity in the most important of Asian neighbours, China, will help win over Kevin Rudd if the sport can get it right. (So far, he's not complaining.)

However football can only show the way on some aspects of reform.

Following the A-League’s model is not a sure-fire way to gain a foothold in the market. There are some good pointers, like having strong leadership and making moves in Asia, but there is more to football’s story than meets the eye.

First of all, in the past week there has been a suggestion that the NBL as a brand has been so tainted by the events of the most recent off-season that it must re-brand. Names being thrown around include “The Big League” and “Premier Basketball.”

The A-League did it, so what’s the big deal?

Basketball shouldn’t be so quick to jump the gun. The NSL brand was tainted by ethnic-based clubs and the detrimental effect it had in the stands.

People legitimately thought “I’m not going to the NSL because there is a good chance there will be ethnic violence.”

I doubt the phrase “I’m not going to the NBL because they’ve lost the Kings and Bullets and they have a history of poor management” comes up much outside of Sydney and Brisbane. You’ve also got to doubt whether “Premier Basketball” would change any perceptions for the better.

It’s the same deal with the one-team, one-city rule. Many proponents view that as a way forward.

Again, the A-League did it, so what’s the big deal?

The A-League did it because in cities where multiple teams existed the only way those sides were able to differentiate from each other was through the ethnicities they were attached to.

In basketball, cross-town rivalry is a healthy thing. It’s not something you’d want to lose. Although some of the early plans for the new competition suggest that, in spite of all the benefits, local rivalry might have to give way.

Thankfully, the jump from the NBL to the new league (whatever it may be called) will be bigger than most thought. It will not be a “cull” but rather an entirely new league. Existing NBL clubs will need to apply for a new license.

It may end up being a case of whoever has the money is in. At this stage, it is all mere speculation.

Another A-League trait that should be snubbed is the willingness to jump into bed with Fox. This blogger suspects the troubles over in Perth can be attributed to the low pay TV take-up rates out west.

Changes to the multi-channeling abilities of free-to-air networks that come into effect next year will provide a neat alternative. That appears to be the path netball has decided to go down.

Of course there is a lot of work still to be done. The review has provided the blueprint, now it is time to put that plan into action.

And it’s not as if the new governing body will have nothing to work with.

There have been positive signs all over the NBL in the first couple of weeks. The expected increase in competitiveness has been truly evident; in round two, four out of the six games saw the underdog get up.

Crowds in Townsville, Adelaide and Perth have hit the 4,000 mark. The Dragons will join them in a couple of weeks with the local derby and Cairns have nudged the figure. New South Wales and Southeast Queensland remain the biggest concerns, but change is still on the way in these markets.

Regardless, the review has set out a number of important goals. Getting the next few years right will be absolutely critical, but so far – with the sport united in the quest for a new direction – things are on the right track.

With the right leadership and attention to detail, basketball in Australia can go a long way.

Well, that wasn't what I was talking about...

Yesterday the Cats seemingly abandoned all hope of forging a dynasty and in the process handed that exact opportunity on a platter to Hawthorn. It was enough to make any optimistic Geelong fan re-think what they had to say in the week leading up to the game.

“The Hawks’ severe lack of high-pressure September experience must surely work against them,” I wrote.

And it did. However Geelong’s usually-reliable ability to capitalize on opponent’s shortcomings was nonexistent.

“Whilst there is no such thing as an easy premiership, Geelong will have to earn their stripes in the next couple of years.”

And they did have to. Did nobody pass this on to them?

“When people look back in the annals of history at this Geelong team, they will judge them on one thing and one thing only: premierships.”

And they will. Again, did nobody pass this on?

“Another note you can take from this time last year is the fact you can bet the house on Geelong bringing their A-game come that last Saturday in September.”

And this is where my plan falls apart. Hence the reason this next quote didn't add up.

“Cats by 50.”

Yeah, about that…

Put simply, Geelong did not play like Geelong. Cameron Ling even labelled it “unGeelong-like.”

They weren’t moving the ball well. They weren’t kicking straight. The fringe players didn’t stand up. The magic was missing.

Even when they were in control early on, it was not the same dominant Geelong we had seen all season. They looked fragile.

Had they played “Geelong-like” then none of this would’ve happened. They would be back-to-back premiers. The “handbaggers” tag would be dead for good. Heck, they might’ve even won by 50!

What makes this loss particularly hard to swallow is that it doesn’t get any easier from here. Hawthorn is only going to get better. Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and St Kilda are all looking for big trade weeks.

And the all-conquering Geelong is no longer unbeatable. The shine has been taken off.

As for the Hawks, they have every right to be a happy team. Massive kudos has to go to what the likes of Ian Dicker and Jason Dunstall did to build that team.

They were always destined for a premiership, and it arrived earlier than most expected. Alastair Clarkson made reference to the fact Geelong was one of the main sides they looked at when they began to re-build.

It’s scary to think Hawthorn right now is somewhere in between where Geelong was in ’04 and ’05.

If they can continue to take their opportunities like they did yesterday, then many more premierships may be headed their way in the not-too-distant future.

I dare say they could build a dynasty.

But Geelong’s so-called “dynasty” looked to have died a slow and painful death at the MCG yesterday. Only something truly special next year will be able to revive it.

Post-match, Cats coach Mark Thompson had a clear and simple message for his players to digest.

“I basically told them it was a wasted opportunity,” he said.

Yep, it seems everyone looks like an expert after the game.

World's worst: the AFL's ticketing shame

The AFL has laughed in the face of “the people’s game” all the way to the bank with its ticket distribution scheme for this weekend’s grand final.

For the second year in a row, more than half of Geelong’s members were denied a ticket. This year Hawthorn fans have experienced the anguish, too. The only alternative out there is the array of corporate hospitality packages, costing in the vicinity of $1,500.

It’s pretty hard to stomach. I know first-hand because I am a paid-up Geelong member who looks consigned to the idiot box this weekend.

Were the AFL’s corporatization of the grand final justified, maybe I would just accept it.

But it isn’t. For the everyday fan, the grand final has unnecessarily become the least accessible sporting event of its kind in the world.

No venue at the 2006 FIFA World Cup had a capacity of 100,000. Neither does Wembley, home to the FA Cup final. Same for this year’s Super Bowl host.

Yet all these events managed to service more everyday fans and less “corporates” by percentage than the AFL grand final.

FIFA provided 9.64% of tickets to each of the competing teams at each World Cup match in 2006. An additional 36.22% were made available – at standard prices – via the online ticket ballot.

More than half the crowd at the FA Cup final derives from the competing clubs; each of whom receive 27.78% of available tickets.

Even the so-called beacon of commercialization in sport, the Super Bowl, manages to dish out 17.5% of tickets to each of the competing teams.

You would like to think the AFL, which loves to put itself in line with global trends, would be on par with these major events.

Far from it.

A paltry 11.5% of grand final tickets go to each competing team.

Oh, and did I mention that the other major leagues in America have “playoff priority” for season ticket holders? Or that last year UEFA gave 17,000 seats to each club competing in the Champions League final?

Did I mention that every other major grand final in the country has tickets – at standard prices – available to the general public and, more importantly, all members?

The AFL is in a league of its own when it comes to cutting up the grand final pie.

Adding to the ticketing dismay is the fact the league worked so hard to get scalping outlawed, when in fact the biggest scalpers appear to be the AFL and the clubs it hands 16,000 tickets to.

I can buy a ticket to Geelong’s grand final brunch for $225 and, if I were only lucky enough, score a ticket in the ballot for $161. So why is it that, after missing out on the ballot, I go to buy both of them as a package through an official AFL agency and it costs $1,200?

Why is it that after being given tickets by the AFL, most clubs hand them straight back again to be part of the “Centre Square” rort?

All I want to do is see my team play in a grand final. I, clearly, do not have a spare $1,200 lying around.

So much for “the people’s game.”

Best Off Ground is blogging daily during grand final week. Yeah…

As rivals close in, the juggernaut will be tested

Forget all the quirky stats Champion Data might throw at you, when people look back in the annals of history at this Geelong team, they will judge them on one thing and one thing only: premierships.

Of course they’re one of the best sides to have played the game. Nobody can doubt that.

But they are yet to reach Brisbane Lions 2001-2003 territory. Right now they start to look good when pitted mano a mano against Essendon at the turn of the millennium.

And we all know what sets those two sides apart: premierships.

The current crop of Cats has the ability to keep producing good footy for a few years yet. With the superb recruiting of Stephen Wells, which has unearthed Joel Selwood and Harry Taylor in the last two years alone, their dominance may well last into the next decade.

Although that's something that is expected to be tested more and more as time goes by. To date, few quality challengers have emerged. Last year seemed to exemplify this lack of competition.

On grand final day, Port Adelaide was clearly a class below. Their awkward mix of youth and experience meant they were lucky to get as far as they did.

The other sides touted as contenders pre-season, notably St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and Fremantle, all managed to drop out of the eight.

The seasoned Sydney and West Coast sides conveniently dropped off the pace. The other finalists weren’t quite at the right stage of development to mount a challenge.

This year, both St Kilda and the Bulldogs, whilst competitive, have been playing catch-up. Again, old stayers were hanging around. Again, sides that just weren’t ready helped make up the numbers.

The emergence of the Hawks has no doubt been a sight for sore eyes.

The jury is still out as to whether they’re able to be competitive on the biggest stage, for this year at least, but their ability to win the premiership one day is unquestionable.

Much like Geelong, Hawthorn has been built to win a premiership. Whether it is this year, next year or in two years, it will happen.

And the list of potential challengers may not end there. Collingwood is looking to take a gamble or two during the off-season. Names like Cousins and Kerr have been bandied around. It is very much a “watch this space” proposition for the time being, but if they can make some strong changes, they’ll be up there.

Western Bulldogs are looking to rectify their long-standing height problems. Although it does reek of Fremantle’s moves in the wake of their preliminary final visit in 2006, the addition of Barry Hall (who they’re reportedly talking to) would definitely give them a lift.

Whilst there is no such thing as an easy premiership, Geelong will have to earn their stripes in the next couple of years.

They’ve still got tricks up their sleave – the “Tomahawk” has been hiding away in the VFL all year and All-Australian Matthew Egan will be a deadly addition down back should he stay injury-free – so it is unlikely their list will begin to stagnate any time soon.

But perhaps the main concern is the risk of becoming complacent. Were that risk to eventuate, Geelong’s credentials of being “the greatest team of all” would be seriously harmed.

After all, great teams are judged by one thing and one thing only: premierships.

Best Off Ground is blogging daily during grand final week. -- Insert funny, topic-related sentence here --.

A final nine? You've got to be joking!

Perhaps the biggest irony in the debate over whether the AFL or NRL system works better is that, for this year at least, only the latter has been able to produce tight contests, unpredictable results and compulsive viewing.

What the AFL supporters like to hang their hat on is that the top teams are rewarded for their good seasons through double chances and (in some cases more than one) home ground advantage.

And usually, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of reward.

But the dull, lifeless finals series that has been produced as a result is rather concerning. Before the AFL begins to consider any final nine concepts, something Andrew Demetriou was hyping up only a few weeks ago, it should take a good hard look at the current system.

The poor crowds in Adelaide and Sydney in the first week can be largely attributed to the fact qualifying finals only rate when a young, re-building side at long last breaks their finals drought. Fans of old stayers on the decline have all been there, done that. No point in forking out exorbitant amounts again.

Week two seemed like little more than two battles to decide who will be flogged in the next battle in week three, against Geelong and Hawthorn.

And now here we are – Geelong and Hawthorn in the grand final. Is there anybody who didn’t see that coming?

Meanwhile, the NRL witnesses the eight-placed New Zealand Warriors topple the minor premiers Melbourne Storm. And then they advance to the preliminaries, too.

Last weekend saw another Storm classic, with the Brisbane Broncos dropping it at the death. And their series is only half-way through!

Comparisons aside, the AFL system has lost a lot of its polish this year. One would hope that the influx of two extra teams would help retain competitiveness come September.

Err, wait, this is the AFL we're talking about. Cue the Footy Show's cash register sound bite...

The AFL would hope the influx of two extra teams would bring in more money.

Instead of taking the logical route, they want a final nine, with an extra weekend (ka-ching!) and two more matches (ka-ching!)

The complicated system would also give the team finishing first as many as two weeks off. One team contesting the grand final will get the preliminary final weekend off. As Geelong demonstrated on Friday night, even the best can get jitters in that environment.

This re-hashed version of the status quo would only serve to prolong what is already a tired set-up. Fans have shown they are willing to stay at home during the first week of finals.

Imagine what it would be like if your team finished second was only playing for the right to play the team that finished first for the right to play another team for a grand final spot and a week off.

Confused?

Spare a thought for those lowly-ranked sides. If you finish ninth, you’ve got to beat the fourth-placed team one week, a top three side the next, another top three side after that and then, and only then, line up in a preliminary final.

With the odds stacked so fiercely against you, would you even bother turning up?

Sorry, Andrew Demetriou, a final nine – no matter which way you put it – is as out of order as those pesky envelopes at the Brownlow last night.

Best Off Ground is blogging daily during grand final week. But seriously, anybody got tickets? Email thesubstitute-at-live.com.au if you do…

Nice tickets, if you can get 'em

“Did we get tickets?” I rapidly typed. I had been here before.

For some reason me and grand finals don’t seem to get along all that well. The first grand final involving “my team” came in the magical summer of 2006/’07, when Melbourne Victory come of age.

I was there at the successful semi final second leg and basically swore at that moment two weeks later, I’d be back watching the grand final.

My normally-reliable dad was charged with the responsibility of buying tickets when I was at school. To this day I don’t know why, but it was a responsibility he didn’t live up to. The game was sold out in 30 minutes.

I learned a valuable lesson that day: grand finals are worth wagging school for. I’m still waiting for the opportunity to apply that logic.

Then came Geelong’s magical run in 2007. Of course I wanted to be there, too. Although any chance of seeing the 44-year drought broken was destroyed by virtue of geography.

I was off to America for six months right before the finals kicked off. I was watching Geelong cream the Kangaroos in round 21 one day and off to the other side of the world the next.

As if to epitomize my disastrous connection with grand finals, there was nowhere to watch the big game, either. Triple M’s call via the AFL website was the only way I could follow along.

So yeah, me and grand finals – not a good mix.

I had hoped this year would be different. I got myself registered in the member’s ballot, so that was a good start. I was in the country, so that certainly helped.

As a sign of good faith to the football gods, I even continued to don my Geelong guernsey well after the final siren on Friday night – I’m still wearing it now.

But the odds provided little optimism.

The MCG has a capacity of 100,000 and could therefore easily fit every member from both clubs. But when you factor in the MCC members, AFL members, Medallion Club members, each of the 16 AFL clubs and what the AFL refers to as “entitlements” and “contractual obligations,” that figure gets slashed.

So when filtered down, each competing club gets a paltry 11,500 tickets for its members.

Geelong has 36,850 members. That means less than a third of Geelong’s members can get in through the ballot.

Then throw in the priority handed down to Social Club and September members and the odds are almost nonexistent.

What gets one particularly aggravated is that so many of the tickets allocated to clubs get passed on to corporate hospitality agents who combine them with a pre-game brunch and sell them at a premium price (out of reach from the everyday fan.)

Clubs don’t use them as something to pass on to major sponsors, as you would like to expect, they use them as part of a greedy grand final day cash-grab.

And why do Medallion Club members deserve tickets, anyway?

Telstra Dome is happy – their members get in. The MCG is happy – their members get in. The AFL is happy – their members get in.

The most passionate supporters aren’t happy – because the real members don’t get in.

Which meant the result of the member's ballot came as no real surprise.

“No we missed out,” read the reply. I had been here before.

Best Off Ground is blogging daily during grand final week. No matter how unsuccessful his quest for tickets may be.

GF will be epic, but is Hawthorn really a chance?

Before I go on my now-annual tirade of why Geelong is destined for a premiership and why their opponents aren’t capable of matching them, I have two disclaimers:

1. I am an avid Cats fan.

2. In spite of disclaimer #1, last year I tipped a 114-point victory to the Cats.

For the record, they won by 119. But as far as I can recall, none of the so-called “experts” in the media were outlandish enough to suggest the greatest grand final victory of all time.

I was. And I was right. So unlike most issues written about on this blog, I have some credibility on the subject of grand final tipping.

And with my small dose of head-wobbling out the way, let’s take a look at Saturday’s game.

The Cats and Hawks were undoubtedly the best two teams of the year, both are clearly deserving of their places. Geelong has gone oh-so-close to perfection, only held back by the solitary aberration against Collingwood.

Hawthorn have risen to the challenge and continued to grow into the force we’d all anticipated they would become. Buddy Franklin has had a breakthrough year, Stuart Dew has become the off-season recruit of the year and the team’s overall development has exceeded expectations.

Unfortunately, having the best two teams in the comp facing off on grand final day doesn’t always translate into a good contest. Last year’s one-sided affair is testament to that.

So don’t let Hawthorn’s polished performance against St Kilda fool you, don’t let it paint the picture that they are “ready.” Too many people last year succumbed to that symptom in talking up Port Adelaide’s chances. Preliminary final form does not translate into grand final glory.

Of course, if the Hawks were the real deal, a preliminary final win would only serve to enhance their flag credentials. But I am a sceptic.

The Hawks’ severe lack of high-pressure September experience must surely work against them. Prior to this year, this crop of Hawks had just two finals games under their belt. This year, the only finals games they’ve played in have been blow-outs.

Perhaps they needed to play the Western Bulldogs last night, who would've given them a run for their money, and not St Kilda, who let them run riot.

Another note you can take from this time last year is the fact you can bet the house on Geelong bringing their A-game come that last Saturday in September.

This is the day their season builds toward, and with the experience of ’07 (an experience only one Hawthorn player has) you can be rest assured the Cats will be at their best.

The Hawks are a different proposition; they are a young side who’ve been built to win a premiership. And it seems fait accompli that they will.

But as it stands, stack their list next to Geelong’s and the balance will be tipped in the Cats’ favour, no matter which way you look at it.

The parallels between the Hawks and Port Adelaide are strong and hard to ignore. Perhaps the only difference is that this is Hawthorn, the side built to win a premiership. They are not Port Adelaide, the oddly-comprised balance of youth and experience that happened to be in the right place at the right time.

It’d be hard to see this one going over 100 points.

Another concept bandied around in the wake of last night’s victory has been what I call the “reverse ’89.” Basically, it sees the roles of the 1989 grand final (where Gary Ablett Snr and his Cats stood up to the elite Hawks, only to lose by a goal) swapped.

When you’ve got someone like Buddy Franklin to fill the role of Ablett, you can’t help but get caught up in the romance of the idea.

The parallel, much like the one with Port Adelaide, seems to check out. The Hawks are on the rise, much like the Cats of ’89, and the Cats are the ones to beat, much like the standout Hawks of ’89.

But romance aside, it is hard to see Hawthorn bridging the gap. At least not to the extent that the Gary Ablett and his army did.

So which will it be – an ’07-esque blow-out or a reverse ’89?

Somewhere in between the two sounds about right. Cats by 50.

Best Off Ground will be blogging daily during grand final week. Except maybe Saturday, he's expected to be somewhere over the moon on Saturday.

What's the story, fallen Glory?

We’re just four rounds into this year’s A-League and already the Perth Glory fans are back to experiencing some all-too-familiar emotions.

Frustration, hopelessness, despair, just to name a few.

3 down, 87 more to go.

In spite of their competitiveness and the fact they’ve dropped games they really should’ve won, the Glory sit on the bottom of the ladder with one, solitary point.

This week, the club has come out and announced a wide-spread internal review, with David Mitchell (and no doubt some players too) being put under the spotlight.

“In the last couple of games we’ve done well enough and it has been a bit of a hard luck story… this is probably a bit of a reality check,” Mitchell said.

“Today could have been a massive wake up call.”

But the review is only this week’s solution.

A week ago it was no different. With an extra week off to re-build, they plucked Stuart McLaren out of the Queensland state league to help organize the defence.

On the weekend, they leaked three goals.

Sounds organized, doesn’t it?

If history is anything to go by, this week’s news isn’t much to get excited over. Glory fans know all too well that this back-and-forth dwindling is not an uncommon sight at Member’s Equity.

If anything, the internal review has come as too little, too late. Their season may already be dead.

Such a drastic post-mortem was something that should’ve really come after last year’s calamity of a season.

Owners have come and gone. Coaches have come and gone. But finally, at the end of last season, they had the opportunity to jump from one season to another with consistency in both areas.

With reviews the new flavour of the month in Aussie sports, their ability to become a catalyst for change is undoubtable. Perth seems to like the concept, and their chance to put things in order was there during the off-season.

Instead, the the likes of Colosimo, Bertos, Celeski and Prentice were lost to rival clubs. Some questionable recruits were brought in.

The opportunity to restore order to the once-powerhouse was there. And yet here we are.

Too little, too late.

In presumably unrelated A-League news, Melbourne Victory on Friday night survived a key test on their road to redemption.

Last season was a disaster; a stark contrast to their premiership-championship double in season two.

This season they’ve come out of the blocks nice and fast. On Friday, they were without Lopez and, after an accusation of spitting, they lost Fabiano early too.

However after a year of trying to shake the “No Fred, No Victory” tag, they seemed to stack up nicely.

Despite being a man down, they took the chocolates. A reasonably dominant second half was able to turn things around and the Victory has deservingly broken free as the sole leader at the top of the A-League table.

No surprise there, really. Given the furore on the back of last year’s calamity of a season, some off-season soul-searching took place at MVFC.

“Today could’ve been a massive wake-up call,” said Mitchell.

Today Victory is first.

Today Glory is last.

A wake-up call was needed long ago.

New NBL season is far from set in stone

If last season’s epic grand final series between the Tigers and Kings was the calm before the storm, perhaps now we’re in the eye of it – that part where everything appears business as usual, with the noticeable exception of those things the storm has managed to take away.

Indeed, the storm has hit. It took the Kings, Bullets and Slingers with it.

Indeed, it will return – the eye doesn’t equal the end.

But right now, the NBL is soldiering on and the notion that at any moment the league could be forced onto its last legs has disappeared, for the time being.

Come Saturday night, when the new season tips off in Cairns, we will finally get to see what this new-look NBL looks like on the court and brush aside the off-court calamities of months gone by.

And with the way things are shaping up, that mightn’t be too hard.

In an era where the points cap is being pushed to its utter limits, this season is looking surprisingly competitive.

The Ebi Ere defection has clearly marked the Tigers as the team to beat.

Even Dragons coach Brian Goorjian today concurred: “I don’t see any one in the league near that and I think they are going to have to fall on their own sword or stumble somewhere along the line (not to win it this season.)”

However in spite of the club’s stacked roster, a Tigers championship is far from set in stone.

With the smaller talent pool this year (as a result of the loss of Sydney, Brisbane and Singapore) making more sides more competitive and the fact most sides will bring their A-game when facing the defending champs, a runaway lead at the top of the ladder is not to be expected.

Similarly, the chances of an in-form side toppling them in the playoffs shouldn’t be written off either.

And there is no shortage of teams putting their hands up to do that.

The Dragons, who have compensated the loss of Ere with the signing of Tremmell Darden (who by many reports is actually a step up from Ere) have long been suspected of being the real challengers. Two wins over the Tigers in (admittedly preseason) matches did nothing to convince otherwise.

The Perth Wildcats, who were oh-so-close to making a GF appearance last year, have improved on their roster by signing the likes of Darnell Hinson and Ben Knight.

With a new and improved final six format approved for playoffs this year, a few roughies could easily mount a challenge, too.

For mine, a rejuvenated 36ers have the potential to become that team. There is a lot to like about their off-season moves. New coach Scott Ninnis has brought Luke Schenscher home from Europe and Jacob Holmes home from the Dragons.

However the North Queensland sides, as usual, will put in a strong showing also. Many fancy the Taipans as semi finalists.

CJ Bruton’s arrival at the Breakers makes back-to-back playoff spots for the Kiwis a real possibility.

There is more to this season than just the “dream team” Melbourne Tigers. The list of contenders runs deep.

Perhaps the smaller talent pool may be enough to make up for the Tigers’ willingness to open the cheque book.

Whatever happens, take a good look.

Come season’s end, the storm will return – who knows what damage will be caused this time.

Ere joins Tigers under a cloud of scepticism

Ever since Ebi Ere touched down in the land of the delta blues, we’ve had to ponder whether or not we would see him back in Melbourne this year. Turns out we will – just not as a Dragon. The cross-town rival Melbourne Tigers have poached him.

It’s not as though Dragons fans need any added incentive to hate the Tigers, but Ere’s signing makes them that little bit more hate-able. Not because they stole Ebi Ere. Because Ebi Ere plays for them.

For the two-time NBL championship winner to land at the Tigers, of all the teams he could've gone to, was disappointing indeed.

But he was, at the time of signing, a free agent. He was free to seek out the best deal. It is safe to assume that the Tigers had the money. It is also safe to assume the Dragons were content with his understudy, Tremmell Darden, anyway.

What is aggravating about the whole situation, however, is how it got to this stage. How Ere became a free agent in the first place.

Ere was one of the biggest signings the Dragons had managed to pull off. Such was his star quality that he went off to Memphis to play Summer League with the Grizzlies. Before too long, the Griz were – supposedly – interested in signing him themselves. The Dragons, not wanting to stand in the way of a man’s NBA dreams, released him.

“He wanted to have a shot at the NBA and we were happy for him to do that. We said we’d still like him to come, but it seems he was just mucking around,” chairman Mark Cowan said this week.

“Mucking around” summed it up perfectly.

Ebi Ere did not, as he suggested he would, stay in Memphis and chase his NBA ambitions. He didn’t even make it to training camp.

In fact, the whole Memphis back story sounded fishy from the instant it came to the spotlight. Reading what the fans over there have been saying – mainly through the fantastic 3 Shades of Blue blog – never once did the notion of Ere signing on make an appearance.

Plenty of talk about Iranian centre Hamed Haddadi (who has signed.) Plenty of talk about possible power forward recruits (who the club are still seeking.) No talk about Ebi Ere.

To add to the scepticism, Ere’s Summer League campaign didn’t set the world on fire, either. He was, by and large, there to make up the numbers.

Of course I wasn’t a fly on the wall at the FedExForum (yes – that is apparently one word) but I have to doubt the Griz would give him false hope, force him to ditch his current club and then dump him before training camp.

Funnily enough, once Ere’s NBA dreaming came to an abrupt halt, he did another back flip. He did not, as he suggested he would, turn to Europe as his back-up option. He’d been preaching from the CJ Bruton gospel on that one.

The conclusion to draw here is that Ere has played the Dragons for a fool.

The jury’s out as to whether he’s earned those extra dollars at The Cage, but he’s definitely earned the extra boos he will cop at Hisense.

October 18 – mark it in your diary, Ebi.

Buddy's hundred and other September musings

The people have spoken.

The pitch invasion lives on. Security guards are no match for one small intricate aspect of the soul of footy: running out on the pitch when a player reaches the 100-goal milestone.

Buddy Love did it. Fev almost matched it. What a game, and pitch invasion, it was. The AFL will be well-advised to shut up next time – next year, if you believe the hype.

Whilst round 22 was mostly full of dead rubbers, it did help shape the finals picture. St Kilda got lucky. I dare say that they one of the luckiest top four sides ever.

But that won't stop them from winning a grand final.

Don’t forget that St Kilda was, for the best part of the decade, considered to be the mirror of Geelong in terms of development.

The Saints and Cats grew up together, in a way. Although you got the feeling that St Kilda was the twin that was born first and were always that little bit further ahead in everything.

They beat the Cats in the Wizard Cup. They made back-to-back preliminary finals when Geelong managed just one. Geelong fell off the pace in ’06 whilst the Saints were up there again.

Of course last year was supposed to end all that. St Kilda bombing out whilst Geelong won the premiership had the potential to do that.

But with a top four finish, the Saints have the opportunity to show us that they’re still up there. Show us that they still have some life in them. (And give that Robert Harvey kid a good send-off too.)

Their position right now is the envy of many other clubs. Collingwood, no doubt, included.

If the Saints are the luckiest top four side ever, the Pies are the unluckiest eight-placed side ever. They’re definitely top four-worthy and the victory over Geelong demonstrated their class. It does send a good message to all those who doubt an eight-team finals system.

And you never know, Collingwood may do to the AFL finals what the Golden State Warriors did to the NBA playoffs a year ago. (They were eighth; they beat first.)

Speaking of never knowing, predicting the old stayers (this year being Adelaide and Sydney) is always tough. You want to give them more credit than a first round exit, but when they front up against the likes of Collingwood and North Melbourne respectively, that’s hard to do.

I’ve never been a fan of finals tipping anyway.

Up the top end, the Hawks and Bulldogs contest on Friday night should be a cracker. The Bulldogs could cause an upset, their finals experience dates back two more years than Hawthorn’s and after missing September action last year, they’ll be hungry.

This game is another prime example of why I’m not a fan of finals tipping. I wouldn’t be surprised if it went either way.

More likely than not though, if you believe the experts, a Geelong-Hawthorn grand final looks inevitable.

Which, if you believe a 16-year-old blogger, may end up resembling the ’07 GF rather than the ’89 GF.

The Hawks are up there but not quite there yet. Another strong year and they’ll be ready to challenge. An inspired run from a Western Bulldogs, St Kilda or Collingwood may provide a closer encounter.

But then again, maybe we are just witnessing the prequel to a much bigger battle.

Too many questions, so few answers. Yep, sounds like September to me.