AS MUCH as I hate to admit it, I have felt for a while that Mad Monday celebrations - and possibly end-of-season footy trips - are destined to disappear from our game in the next few years.
This first week in September almost every year we see stories in the paper or on the internet about embarrassing Mad Monday incidents - and, with each one, the end of traditional celebrations is drawing closer.
I don't condone any bad, or antisocial behaviour. I can see where the powers that be in the game are coming from. The bad publicity that clubs receive and the tarnished image the game gets from these incidents are unwanted, and with the AFL's head honchos really driving the point they want a good, clean image for the game, I understand they would want to see the end of Mad Monday. But I think it would be a shame to see it end because they are some of the best times you can have. It's very, very rare you get to sit down with everyone in your team at the same time, but this is one of those rare opportunities to do that and celebrate a long, hard year. It's the one day of the year when guys can let their hair down.
Of course, you have got to do it the right way, and at the Swans, we try to do it the right way as a footy club so we don't get any bad press. The guys respect the community, we look for places that are shut down to the public, like hiring a pub or a club and keeping the day to ourselves. And if the guys go out afterwards, they certainly know what's required. If every club does that, we won't all be tarnished - but unfortunately that's not the way it is.
But we're not ready for a Mad, or Mild, Monday just yet. We're still quietly confident we can have a say in what happens in the finals.
A few people have said the AFL should start engraving the premiership cup with Geelong's name right now and, while they have been very good all year, I certainly don't think it's a one-horse race. In fact, I'm tipping St Kilda to upset them on Sunday.
The Saints are in great form, all their players are going well and they have a strong forward line.
While Geelong have cruised along on top, I think there could be a few danger teams for them, such as St Kilda, Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs at their best - even Collingwood are capable of doing anything when they are switched on. As for us, I think - like we have proved in the past - if we are on, we can match it with most sides. Even Geelong. When we were out of form a few weeks ago, they blew us out of the water for a couple of 15-minute periods, where they kicked seven or eight goals.
But for the rest of the game, we matched them - and I think that reinforces to us we can do it if we put our minds to it. However, if it's not there for 100 minutes, teams as good as Geelong will blow you away. It's black and white for us: we've got to be right on the money from minute one to minute 100. If there are any self-doubts, with our ageing list, and a couple of injuries, that would be happening now, but we're quietly confident we can produce. We just need everyone to play well at once.
We got a lot out of last week's performance against Brisbane. The pressure and the tackling were back, and so were all the things that have been pretty ordinary for the past two months or so. There's still a lot more room for improvement, but it was pleasing that the tight, one-on-one brand of footy was back again, and that's what has got us success for the past six years.
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