Cannot wait to hear what David King has to say

2 minutes ago, praha said:

They have a much better list than we did back then. AA ruckman, a few good forwards, and some genuine close-to-A-grader midfielders. The problem is there is a huge gap after that filled with average VFL players.

I think Clarkson might be done though. This has real "Pagan at Carlton" stench about it.

Yeah their list is IMO incomparable with our 2012-13 list.

We had guys like Terlich and Matt Jones at the top of our B&F. They have an AA full forward, an AA-quality ruckman, a future AA player in Sheezel, and good enough talent in Curtis, Zurhaar, LDU, Simpkin, O'Sullivan, McKercher and Powell.

They've had an odd season. Started 1-5 with some horrible losses. Then had an 8-game stretch where they won three games, drew with Brisbane, pushed Collingwood for 3 quarters and lost to Port, Essendon and Fremantle by under 10 points. Then have lost their last 5 games by no fewer than 31 points, including losses by 85 and 101.

It’s hard to believe how bad North are going right now.

North traded out their first round pick, currently pick 2, for pick 27 (Matt Whitlock) and Richmond's 2025 2nd round pick (currently 21 but likely to be 27+ by the time academy players are taken).

Can confirm Port’s succession plan is still on track

😂😂

10 minutes ago, Random Task said:

North traded out their first round pick, currently pick 2, for pick 27 (Matt Whitlock) and Richmond's 2025 2nd round pick (currently 21 but likely to be 27+ by the time academy players are taken).

i had to look it up to believe it. What the heck is North doing and why on earth didn't we entertain an offer like this. All we had to do was give up a second round pick from last year and this year for pick 2.I mean WTAF!

This year of footy continues to be a shocker. They should have put a pin in 8 sides a month ago and just had a play off for 8th, and then started the finals in July.

The AFL should be horrified. What a dud season.

ANB genuinely a chance now to win flag #2

GWS/Adelaide Grand Final would be great and would dictate if I would watch. If both get knocked out before or in the Prelim, that’ll be me done for the rest of the season.

Can’t stand to think about the Dogs, Brisbane Pies, Cats or even Fremantle making another GF.

With Geelong leading North 142-29, a subbed-out Patrick Dangerfield is scoffing a kebab on the bench. 👍

3 hours ago, Clintosaurus said:

Derwayne referred to us as the SS Minnow about Nibbler going to the Fairstar

It’s a bit rough and unprofessional of him; but he’s not wrong.

58 minutes ago, The heart beats true said:

This year of footy continues to be a shocker. They should have put a pin in 8 sides a month ago and just had a play off for 8th, and then started the finals in July.

The AFL should be horrified. What a dud season.

I reckon they are mortified. I have a feeling that attendances this year may have actually gone backwards - i havent really seen it talked about at all this year. But aside from the big spectacles (Anzac, Queens birthday), i don't think there would be many games over 60 thousand in any state.

I also think viewership would be dwindling as the cost of kayo is going up and there are no Saturday games on FTA.

Add in the horrendous form of umpires and the many games where it has cost teams, inconsistency of MRO and the many issues around what is suspendable, footy act etc.

When you then add in that the majority of Victorian teams are on the wrong side of the ladder - 6 in total and not one of those teams look like anywhere near having a genuine chance of contending in the next 4-5 years (3 of the 6 being powerhouses), then adding another team in Tassie....

Its no surprise they bought in Greg Swann mid year. That shows the seriousness of their bad performance.

4 hours ago, Ollie fan said:

Surely a great coach like McRae couldn't go out in straight sets!!! Any coach who allows that, no matter how well their team performed during the season, must be a complete dud, with a thread on the fan site dedicated to how they have to go...

Well now let me see if thats happened before.... Wait a minute.....!

If this hasn’t been the worst round of football since 1897 can you please let me know which round topped this disaster?

4 hours ago, Clintosaurus said:

Derwayne referred to us as the SS Minnow about Nibbler going to the Fairstar

I heard that from Dwayne too and I thought it was more than a fair call.

7 hours ago, DubDee said:

Any chance we can get rid of this nonsense Rivalry round??

been a [censored] show so far

Rivalry Round? More like Rout and Rooted Round.

5 hours ago, GS_1905 said:

I reckon they are mortified. I have a feeling that attendances this year may have actually gone backwards - i havent really seen it talked about at all this year. But aside from the big spectacles (Anzac, Queens birthday), i don't think there would be many games over 60 thousand in any state.

I also think viewership would be dwindling as the cost of kayo is going up and there are no Saturday games on FTA.

Add in the horrendous form of umpires and the many games where it has cost teams, inconsistency of MRO and the many issues around what is suspendable, footy act etc.

When you then add in that the majority of Victorian teams are on the wrong side of the ladder - 6 in total and not one of those teams look like anywhere near having a genuine chance of contending in the next 4-5 years (3 of the 6 being powerhouses), then adding another team in Tassie....

Its no surprise they bought in Greg Swann mid year. That shows the seriousness of their bad performance.

I think there's just a structural problem of there being too many teams now.

They probably need to bring it back to 12 or 14 teams long term.

Maybe even two divisions?

I hate the idea of it and the ramifications of it for us but dead set the league is a dogs breakfast.

They're not helping either that the VFL / probably the second tier comp in the nation is really poorly managed as well.

I think you're almost at the point of having to build a good second tier comp to then feed the premier league but the AFL is not interested in building the game up and investing in the game itself.

It has the stench of ARU about it right now.

Anyways, good old Cats and Pies forever. They know how to run the game

8 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

If this hasn’t been the worst round of football since 1897 can you please let me know which round topped this disaster?

I wondered, too, BBP.

In the 7 completed games, the average margin is 67.86 points.

From afltables, the greatest average margin for a round was 77.33 points, in Round 21, 1986, but only 6 games were played. The greatest for 7 games is 69.14. We're ahead of the 8-games record (66.88). The tables go down to 20th-worst (63.83) with no 9-game entrant. With Collingwood playing Richmond, and who knows what will happen in 'that other game', I reckon Round 20, 2025 has the 9-gamer in the bag!

If the round gives 77.33 a push, I hope we're on the right end of it!!!! (proudly, we contributed well to the current record - an 85-point demolition of North)

Edited July 26Jul 26 by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

10 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

So far this round Hawthorn’s 24pt win over Carlton is the closest result, the rest of the games being hugely one-sided affairs. I daresay Collingwood will keep the pattern going tomorrow. Terrible viewing for neutrals.

And yet many think a 19th & 20th team is sustainable in this competition, it’s only going to get worse.

21 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Still on GWS… last night they had a blank banner. This was a dig at Sydney who complained about their banner when they played earlier this season. The Swans said GWS had crossed the line…

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Love it. Like yesteryear, when you wrote what you wanted. I’d have doubled down this time. A blank run through is just conceding defeat.

9 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Love it. Like yesteryear, when you wrote what you wanted. I’d have doubled down this time. A blank run through is just conceding defeat.

Back in the day the AFL (VFL) didn’t have a say in what can and can’t be on a banner. The individual clubs monitored banner content. They still do, but they do so in line with the rules set by the AFL. GWS push the envelope regularly, and personally I love it 😄

11 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

With Geelong leading North 142-29, a subbed-out Patrick Dangerfield is scoffing a kebab on the bench. 👍

Sheesh, sounds like he was doner for the evening.

I'm actually saddened by where the game is at. But brace yourselves. The game is in a perilous state and it may have a way to fall. Farcical draft and academy arrangements added to free agency that disadvantages those clubs who need it.

The steak knives though, is the fourth estate.

We have a mostly sponsored football media that is happy to relentlessly beat up on smaller clubs but not hold the AFL to account. Of course, this probably has a fair bit to do with a desperation to be AFL accredited, but it's not journalism. It's copywriting.

Quite noticeably, when the St Kilda President, Andrew Bassat, spoke up, I was astounded to read and listen to the blow back from the media. Including the public broadcaster (yes, I'm old). It was akin to listening to spokestwit Karoline Leavitt's defence of Trump which invariably seeks to target those who would challenge clear absurdities.

We're now fed a diet of Daily Mail journalism from Kane Cornes and the like. Ask the average punter and they'll tell you "he's telling it like it is" No he isn't, and no they're not. They are cherry picking dramas to give the appearance of standing up for the rank and file supporter.

I'm told memberships are thriving etc. etc.

But those of us, probably all of us on Demonland, know that there's a stench.

12 hours ago, DubDee said:

Any chance we can get rid of this nonsense Rivalry round??

been a [censored] show so far

Another proof that the AFL's interest in the actual game is nothing compared to $. A fair draw is essential for a proper competition, but with all the special matches (including ours on someone else's kings birthday) a 'rivalry' round is the last nail in the coffin. Amusing how some of the rivaries are invented just to fill the round.

12 hours ago, dees189227 said:

Cannot wait to hear what David King has to say

Who

Those doubting North/Clarkson have short memories.

He is our Roos. Spent the first 3 years building the core list of mids while getting better use from the already established players. And brought in experienced players to shore up critical roles and support the new kids.

It was 5 years after Roos started that we made and won finals with Goodwin at the helm. It was another 3 years before we won a flag.

Clarkson probably had a better off-field FD staff at Hawks than now at North but he hasn't forgotten how to coach.

Give them time. They might contend before we do again.

Edited July 27Jul 27 by Lucifers Hero