Taber Talk is back for Week 3 of the AFL Finals. However, with Taber on special assignment, Dave O'Shea shall give us some very special celebrity comments and analysis.

Taber Talk is back for Week 3 of the AFL Finals. However, with Taber on special assignment, Dave O’Shea shall give us some very special celebrity comments and analysis.

Taber Talk is back for Week 3 of the AFL Finals.

However, with Taber on special assignment, the brilliant Dave O’Shea shall dazzle us with some very special celebrity comments and analysis. Like Taber, Dave is just as controversial – how about the acronym, WOTM which refers to the first two weeks of the Finals as “Waste of Time Matches”?? 

Hawthorn has been like a Vietnamese maid this year. It has cleaned up everything that has been put in front of them, except for one stain in the middle of the living room floor. That one stain is Geelong and the maid hasn’t been able to clean it up in 11 attempts.

Now the WOTM’s (Waste of Time Matches) are finished, the top four teams will now actually play for something that means something other than a week off. Last week saw Geelong and Sydney both play themselves back into form against two weaker teams. Port troubled Geelong until half time but the Cats found their range in the second half and ended up winning easily enough. In the other match, Sydney was far too good for Carlton, however, injuries to some key players could be very hurtful.

Hawthorn Vs Geelong, Friday Night, MCG

This rivalry has turned out to be one of the most amazing rivalries of all time. Since beating the Cats in the 2008 Grand Final, Hawthorn has gone on to lose the next 11 contests between the two teams. Quite amazing considering the dominance of the Hawks in the last two years.

Based on current form, the Hawks will win this game easily. Geelong has been down on form in previous weeks. They beat the Lions by only one point in the last regular season game. They then lost to Fremantle at home for the 3rd time in the last 48 matches and then last Friday night, they unconvincingly beat Port Adelaide.

Hawthorn on the other hand has been nothing short of brilliant. The Hawks are the best 4th quarter team in the AFL. They have played some stiff opposition in previous weeks such as the Swans, Collingwood and North Melbourne. The Hawks have come out on top in every one of these contests.

But this is finals football and anything can happen in the finals…

Key Questions:

  1. Does Geelong have the wood over Hawthorn?
  2. Can Hawthorn find a way to get over this curse and beat Geelong for the first time in 12 attempts?

Fremantle Vs Sydney, Saturday night, Patersons Stadium

This contest will see the team with the least recognized team song in Vietnam, Fremantle Dockers, take on the team with the most recognized song in Vietnam, Sydney Swans. Thanks to singer songwriter, Ryan Evans, the Vietnam Swans share the same tune as the Sydney Swans, all be it with different lyrics.

Freo has got better and better throughout the season and they are now playing their best football of the year. They now have all their players fit and healthy. Sydney on the other hand, has dropped off in recent weeks, especially against the good teams. They have lost to Geelong, Collingwood and Hawthorn twice in the last few weeks. Based on current form, the Dockers should win this one at home.

Ross Lyon has his chargers doing whatever it takes to stop the opposition from scoring. They bite, scratch, eye gouge, turkey slap and knee as soon as the opposition player gets the ball. They have about four players that actually play football. The rest of the team just stops the opposing team from playing football. Ryan Crowly hasn’t had his hand shaken after a match since 2010. He has been refused by the likes of Gary Ablet, Joel Selwood, Stevie J and Brent Harvey. He will make life hell for one of the Swanny players, but which one will it be?

This match will be tough for the Swans over in Perth especially with some key players going down with injury last week against the Blues. Tippett and Mitchell both suffered injuries last Saturday night. If their task of beating a Dockers team that makes it nearly impossible to score wasn’t hard enough already, the Swans will have to do it without their three best forwards. Goodes, Tippett and Reid will all miss the match due to injuries. In saying that, the Swans didn’t win the premiership last year by fluke.

Key questions:

  1. Can Sydney find a way to get through the Docker Defence?
  2. How will the Swans handle the more gruelling finals schedule and will they still be competitive with their mounting injury list?

My prediction: Hawthorn, Fremantle Grand Final.