With only three rounds left of the AFL 2010 Season , teams are playing for a place in the Finals .

Will the Sharks make the NRL Finals?

The top four teams , are assured of a Finals match.

The four teams below them , will jostle for a spot on the league ladder . The victors will secure a Finals Game.

Stellar performances, from all teams will occur , over the next few weeks .

All will give superhuman efforts .Some teams will make it to the finals ,some will not .

Collingwood , are posturing as a serious Grand Final threat. Geelong,  are hoping to secure another flag , St Kilda,  are again struggling valiantly towards the ultimate prize .

The Doggies, and Dockers appear to be finals players, with the Hawks , Demons , Swans , Blues and Kangaroos , the five teams , set to battle it out for a finals berth .

Whatever happens , fans will be there , in their football jumpers, jerseys, guernseys , to cheer their team.

Get ready for some heroic, grinding AFL football action .

Will Collingwood win the Flag?

All around the country on cold , weekend mornings , young kids are playing  AFL football, in local competitions and clinics  .

Parents ,often nursing hangovers , or lack of sleep , watch on, whilst their youngsters play .

Each kid is usually kitted out,  in their AFL,  football jumper , jersey , guernsey .

All 16 AFL teams are represented .

Obviously , parochial favouritism of local teams occurs , but generally each player has a liking , family history , or reason,  for supporting their team, and wearing the jumper .

Many , wear the number of a favourite player , on their back .

A kaleidoscope of colours , teams , allegiances in football jumpers, on a local scale .

AFL Football , is alive and well at grass roots level , as well as on the bigger stage.

Nic Natinui 's Number 9 for West Coast Eagles

Last Tuesday , 6 July 2010 , the Big V , took on the All Stars team in the annual ,  EJ Whitten Legends Game . It is a charity fundraiser match, with  proceeds going to fight Cancer , which killed EJ Whitten , the former Footscray great .

It was a close tussle , with the All Stars running out victors on the night , despite a couple of handy goals from former, Cats great , Sam Newman .

A record crowd of 25,347 AFL fans attended the Game , which was held at Etihad Stadium , with the roof closed .

It poses the question what team colours , football jumper , jersey, guernsey , did the supporters wear ?

Who wore number 9 Jumper?

AFL Football is cut throat . Results are demanded , for a teams success , and coaches are sacrificed, if they are not forthcoming . Just ask Terry Wallace , Dean Laidley, and most recently Mark Williams.

AFL is a high powered, elite sport .The coach and his support staff are ultimately accountable for the teams success , and must justify the vast sums , spent on achieving this .

Supporters , often oblivious to behind the scenes wrangling , also demand a high level of achievement from their club . They go to the footy, wearing their football jumper , jersey , guernsey , believing their team can win.

Power axed Coach

AFL Football, is a passionate game .

Just ask the Players, Coaches , Support Staff and Fans .

It can unite and divide. Family loyalties ,can even be tested, and friendship bonds breached.

At the conclusion of the match , after a great physical and mental contest ,there is usually only one winner , unless , extraordinary circumstances , deliver a rare draw.

Sometimes passions ignite ,and friendly banter , can turn ugly and vicious , both on and off the field.

Witness , Friday night’s fiery clash , between St Kilda defender Steven Baker,  and Geelong forward Steve Johnson. Baker , finished the night with stitches in a blackened and cut eye,  arguably delivered, by Johnson’s elbow to it .

Both are competitive , hard players , both niggle each other, on and off the field . It is their accepted ,style of play.

Fans enjoy the spectacle , many , attended the game in absymal weather conditions, in their football jumpers, jerseys, guernseys.

Fans don’t want to see, on field spats , carried on after the Game .

Leave it on the field , don’t turn it into a media circus , following the Match .

Another annoying , even predatory feature of Friday’s game, was the reaction of Geelong players , to the umpires decisions.

Significantly, the losing side’s players , argued vociferously with every decision.

Its a very unattractive feature of the modern game, which intimidates umpires,  and draws their attention away , from the game being played. Surely , the umpires decision is sacrosanct, and the AFL tribunal , is there to uphold any breaches,  of fair play .

A loser should accept the ump’s decision, and be gracious in defeat. It’s an inspirational feature,  of our great game .

Don’t make fans regret , wearing their jumper , jersey, guernsey .

Saints jumper , jersey , guernsey

There is a lot of AFL,  supporter gear ,  available .

Fans can wear, not only, jumpers, jerseys, guernseys, but also tops , caps , scarfs and beanies.

These are made in team colours , and display sport logos, mascots , and sponsors.

AFL Fans purchase, and wear them.

Football jumpers, jerseys and guernseys , are incredibly popular supporter gear, that fans wear , to AFL Games.

Will this other supporter gear , ever replace the football jumper , jersey , guernsey , in popularity for match day attire ?

Football Jumpers Fly

The AFL competition,  are having a split round of matches this weekend .

Five games are being played, 2 interstate, and 3,  in Melbourne .

The other three games , will be played next weekend .

Its called a mid season break.

One angst ridden fan,  was heard to mutter, “  how will I go the whole weekend ,without watching the Saints “!  The’re not even on TV.

A game was played , on friday night in Melbourne,  with another on saturday night , and one today .

Fans , will either go to the matches in their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys , or watch the games on TV.

Many , will watch from the comfort of their lounge room , and many , will wear their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys , even,  if not at the match.

Nic Naitanui ' s Jumper will play today

The modern , AFL game, is fast , exciting , and thrilling.

Fans, watching their team , witness the lead changing many times ,in a closely contested match . Many seemingly , lost games , are retrieved by a teams doggedness , and their players superior athleticism .

Those , that can run the fastest, for the longest , are often the victors .

Last night,  it appeared the Hawks,  would walk away from the match , with a certain victory .

This conclusion discounted the fast finishing , young and fit,  Bombers squad, who almost snatched victory , from the Hawks in the closing minutes of the Game.

Fans , dressed in their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys were treated to a lively night’s entertainment .

They were engrossed in the last quarter,  watching the Bombers fight back .

No certainties in the modern game , only that each week,  fans will go to watch footy matches .

They will do so wearing their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys .

Hawks won

The Australian Socceroos, were soundly defeated by Germany, 4 -0 in their opening round game , of the World Cup .

The Socceroos, minus Harry Kewell, who was selected on the bench, received a further blow when striker , Tim Cahill, was sent off, in the second half with a red card .

Sleepy fans , ( many got up at 4.30am EST to watch the game ),outplayed Socceroos team members , and befuddled coaches and managers alike, are dismayed .

Some poor decisions were made , in hindsight .

Not the least of which , was the style , of the Australian , team jumper , jersey , guernsey .

Fair enough , have the Australian Coat of Arms , but the footy jumper , jersey , guernsey , was a bit on the drab side .

Why, weren’t they playing in a colourful, streamlined , beautifully crafted , piece of apparel , like the modern day , AFL football jumper ?

I blame their lack of success on the jumper !

An AFL Football Jumper

Friday Night Football celebrated its 25th anniversary last night .

Almost 44,000 fans turned out , on a wintry Melbourne night,  to watch North Melb Kangaroos beat the Carlton Blues.

It was an appropriate tribute to Bob Ansett , former North Melbourne Football Club Committee Member , who was instrumental in establishing AFL, friday night games .

Originally established to get more fans to the game , specifically office workers after work , friday night games evoke memories for players , coaches, fans, and club administration alike.

Fans will always go to Games wearing their football jumpers, jerseys, guernseys , whatever night of the week they are played

The main difference between last night’s game, and those of 25 years ago,is that fans watched the Roos demolish the Blues in the comfort of Etihad Stadium , with comfortable seats , under a roof closed against the wet, cold , dark , winter night .

25 years of Blues