• CSM

    CSM: Chapter 7.

    7. Trading: Part 1. About a week after the grand final, the SANFL (South Australian National Football League) had their grand final: Port Adelaide versus Norwood. Port Adelaide were the SANFL’s version of Collingwood, only successful.   They regularly got to grand finals and regularly won them, whether they were the favourites or the underdogs.  Nobody else came close to them for flags in the SANFL. I often wondered what that would be like.  If Collingwood were even below average – had converted only forty per cent of their grand final appearances – they’d still be miles ahead of any of their rivals.  Not so. Port, like Collingwood, wore black and…

  • CSM

    CSM: Chapter 6.

    6. Creating History. A quick recap (for those who might not be in the know) – in 1980, the ladder comprised a final five.  This involved the best finals system Australian Rules Football had ever seen, which worked like this: Week 1 1st gets the week-off – a rest, as a reward for finishing first. Qualifying Final: 2nd vs 3rd Elimination Final: 4th vs 5th.  The loser is eliminated from the finals race. Week 2 Second Semi Final: 1st plays the winner of the Qualifying Final.  The winner goes straight into the grand final.  If 1st won (and they usually had an advantage as a side coming off a week’s…