Its almost summer . The " Grannie " is over , and fans are either jubiliant or disappointed , by their AFL Team' s , 2011 , Seasons performance .

demons improved

carlton got close

The AFL trade period is on, new coaches have been appointed , and assistant coaches are being re - shuffled . The Rugby World Cup Finals continue in New Zealand , and the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival , has commenced. Cricket is on the not too distant horizon , as are the various  Yacht Races.

It begs the question , does the football jumper , jersey , guernsey , go on summer holidays ? For most fans the answer is no . It will be given an airing at other sporting fixtures , and is a popular piece of favourite apparel, seen gracing beaches , bbqs and other social functions during the " off season ".

baby lions jumper for summer

Saints have new Coach

A slightly bedraggled looking, Collingwood Magpies , footy jumper , was even spotted at yesterdays Caulfield Cup . Has it been doing the rounds since 1st October ? or was it pinched from the St Vinnies donation bag , outside the Malthouse Mansion ?

Tell that to the army of Hawks fans this morning . All , wearing their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys , spent last night riveted on the edge of their seats , watching the Finals match between the Hawks and Magpies . The Hawks ferocious onslaught , on Collingwood , continued relentlessly all night . They outplayed , out-tackled and out - manoeuvred the Pies , in front off a spellbound audience , of footy fans . It was a magical game that Hawthorn deserved to win . Such is the fickle nature of footy , that a late snap at goal by a reject from another club , Luke Ball , saw the Pies run out victors .

wce eagles new jumper

wce eagles second final

Emotions boiled over . Jeff Kennett didn't get to don the striped jacket , whilst Eddie and his boys jumped for joy . Hawks coach , Clarkson , punched the roof of the coaches box at ground level , whilst Mick , behind glass , squeezed out a reluctant tear . Collingwood, get to play in another Grand Final , whilst Hawthorn can only ponder what could've been .

The Magpies have been exposed ,  and however wins out of today's Preliminary Final , be it the Cats , or Eagles , will be more confident they can topple the Pies machine , and create their own Finals history .

This weekend is the last round of the 2011 AFL Home and Away Season .

Saints + win

white carlton jumper

The top eight teams are decided , now all that remains is for the various placings, in the eight , to be finalised .

Can Collingwood continue their unbeaten record , or will Geelong , reeling from last weekends surprise defeat , cause an upset victory at friday night footy ? Hawthorn , currently third on the ladder , is poised to steal second spot if they defeat the Suns , or they could be tipped down to fourth spot if they lose and the Eagles win .

Tigers in 2012 ?

wce to fly ?

Carlton and Essendon, will hold fifth and eighth spot respectively , as Essendon have a bye this week and Carlton will retain fifth spot , win, lose , or draw. St Kilda and Sydney have tough games , with the Saints playing the Blues , and the Swans playing the Lions . Their spots in the eight could be reversed , but both are up for a hard finals campaign .

The rest of the teams in the competition will play their last game for the year , with a mixture of pride and regret , and will look foward to a holiday break , followed by a frantic trading period , then training for a 2012 campaign .

Its a bittersweet weekend for many fans , and all will be watching , to cheer their teams to victory , wearing their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys .

Swans in finals

Vintage Demons

It was a weekend of great footy . Bottom side , Port Power , almost beat the top eight team , the Bombers , an emotional Swans side , defeated the Cats in Geelong , and the Saints thrashed the Kangaroos .

demons win

Interstate battles , saw the Tigers win against the Crows , the Eagles just hold off the brave young Lions , and Collingwood thrash Freo in the West . Hawthorn , comfortably beat the Bulldogs , and Carlton had a rest. Melbourne , with ailing club legend , Jim Stynes, looking on , beat the Suns at the MCG .

Fans , wearing their footy jumpers , were treated to some first class entertainment , with more to come in the upcoming ,

Hawks 7 , Buddy 5

AFL Finals Series .

St Kilda Saints and Sydney Swans played Round 2 of their NAB Cup Match on Saturday night 27 February at Etihad Stadium Melbourne .In front of a crowd of 11,000 fans the Saints snatched victory from the Swans by one point .

red not white

The Saints whose colours are red , white and black wore mainly black with one red panel and one white on the front of their guernsey , jumper , jersey . The Swans whose colours are white and red wore mainly white with a red v on the front of their guernsey , jumper , jersey .Red shorts and traditional red and white striped socks completed the Swans outfit. The Saints also wore their traditional red , white and black striped socks with black shorts.
The contrast in the two dominant colours was marked . White versus Black . No mistakes were made by players , fans and TV and Radio Broadcasters . Saints fans may have felt the umpires were still colour blind as a greater number of free kicks were awarded Sydney's way. Excitement peaked when Justin Koschitzke's jumper was ripped from his body and  a replacement had to be quickly found .

same logo

The distinctive strips added to the evening' s enjoyment and the Game was easy to watch .Swans exciting new recruit , Lewis Jetta's fluorescent footy boots were also easily seen .
Is this the way teams will dress for night and day footy games if their is any similarity of their teams colours?Time will tell but in the meantime ardent fans and collectors alike are coveting the new style jerseys guernseys jumpers.

Its summer and as the long hot days draw to a close with the sound of cicadas chirping their nightly cacophony a feeling of serenity and relaxation blankets the continent .Idyllic holidays stretch ahead and the beach / country retreat / holiday destination beckons . The frantic work time rush of start times and late finishes are temporarily forgotten as employees everywhere unwind and chill to indulge in that extra glass of wine , read that long ago purchased novel or enjoy a sumptuous barbecue . Its summer time and the living is easy .Has to be the best time of year as beautiful days and relaxed nights gladden our souls and recharge our batteries . Sit back , relax and enjoy because this precious interlude is all too brief .The summer weather offers an ideal opportunity for footy fans everywhere to get out in their footy jumpers . Particularly suitable to warm days and long hot nights are the popular modern style of sleeveless polyester guernseys .Buy one now and wear it in so it will be ready to go with the first bounce of the sherrin come April , round 1 of the afl fixture at the "G".

grab yourself a new footy jumper