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Yes.

Daisy writes and commentates so well. Have a read of this Age article http://www.canberratimes.com.au/afl Also, can we please combine the AFLW forum with this one rather than having a separate blog. Many of us are just as interested in reading and posting about the AFLW and would like to access all of the info in the one blog. I imagine that many of us go straight to this forum when we open Demonland. It took me a while to work out that there was a separate forum. We are all one team.

Even though Dec no longer plays for Casey, the family still wanted to support the club/players as we owe many thanks to the program. Mum contacted one of the staff members who suggest we sponsor a player, and for various reasons (financially stress, local boy who comes from our area etc.) we decided to sponsor Aloysio Ferreira. Aloysio had a great run in the backend of the season so we were more than happy to help him out. This morning he gave Mum a phone call to give his thanks, and mentioned that he and a few others will be participating in the Intra-club game tomorrow night. Should be good to see some of the gun Casey boys run along side the best of the best.

Frost moving back to the backline (where he should never have left) made both McDonald brothers much better. They aren't competing for spots.

Why do the media continue to call this the Supplements scandal? Why not refer to it as ORGANISED iLLEGAL DRUG TAKING FOR GAINING ADVANTAGE IN SPORT IT WAS NOT SUPPLEMENTS AND IT IS NOT A SAGA! It is drug taking and it was club sponsored.The media and AFL are trying to make it apppear less than it was and they continue to do so

Balmey would have won flags if Schwarz and Jakovich had not been cruelled by injury Pagan did nothing at Carlscum

Personally, I think Brayshaw has some of the outside mid traits and abilities we need. People are too quick to put him in the 'inside-mid' category but the kid has a good step on him and the smarts to find the pill. That coupled with his concussion history, I say give him licence to run and give options rather than battle it out at the stoppages.

Vince plays at his best when he tags and somehow manages to get over 30 possessions a game in the process, that's how I'd play him.

The competition for spots is refreshing. Weid v Pedo Oscar v Frost Garlett-Kent (when fit)-JKH, throw in Dion Johnstone Mids battling for position.

Absolutely. Still horribly underrated around these parts. To be fair, he has probably earned his spot ahead of Gus and even Oliver at this stage. He was the more consistent of the three last year and, while I don't mean to sell Oliver or Gus short, Stretch had a terrific second half to the year. It's a great conundrum to have, though.

Can I urge the men that crowd around the players to let the kids have clear access to their heroes. It's off putting to see grown men milling around and jostling to get up close and personal with the stars. They already have our hearts and minds (and money). It's all about brain washing the next generation. i've been several times and I wonder why on earth you would want a signature for except to sell it.

I notice that Ben McDevitt, Head of ASADA for the last three years, has announced he will not renew his contract when it comes up for renewal in May. I think we all owe McDevitt a huge debt in this saga. At the height of the pressure generated by Hird's and the AFL PR machines which tried to discredit WADA and ASADA in an effort to intimidate them into not prosecuting and appealing, McDevitt stood firm inspite of a quite spiteful personal campaign against him. I think very few people would have had the courage to stand up to this public (Hird's legal/PR team and his tame Press-pack), institutional (AFL) and beaucratic (Daniel Andrews, Tony Abbott) intimidation. In this there is no doubt McDevitt's experience as a senior investigator in the Federal police where he mostly worked on international crime stood him in very good stead. Let's hope he is replaced by someone with equal resolve, courage and integrity. We as supporters, and indeed the AFL and even Essendon (though no doubt they do not think so now) should thank him for his very distinguished service and wish him all the best in whatever he chooses to do next. We are very fortunate to have bureaucrats of such quality.

Gil - not only slimy but clueless and incompetent. Really - no idea what to do with it? Hasnt given it any thought? Hasn't had time to think about it? What has he been doing? Utter incompetence!!

Honestly what a load of [censored]. 22rounds Pull the last 5 out of a hat Bring in some actual equalization stuff like removing the minimum salary cap Its a competition not a bloody tv show.

It is the greatest Con of the modern world... and it is all going to plan

You make very good points DC. I remember in the 60's my conservative parents saying things like, they come here and live in their own communities. They refuse to learn English. They smell of garlic and they bring their troubles here. These are the Italian, Greeks and Slavs. Such ignorance still exists today, which is quite evident, so nothing much has changed in that regard. However, any reasonable reading of the Government's own and published statistics on Immigration clearly show that net migration has gone down in this country over the last 15 years and has an inverse relationship to the employment rate. Interestingly though, Governments of all colours struggle to balance budgets, due to an ageing population, an erosion of the tax base and a decline in productivity. Despite the urban myths, migration has made a huge contribution in this country to GDP and they manage to find work and pay tax. Go figure.

best way to beat pack congestion is to follow the lead of the bulldogs and just throw the ball out of the pack the instant you touch it

16 a side isn't a bad idea. You have to always have a few players forward or behind the ball. If a backline holds 3 back you need 2 to compete with them and same at the other end. So it will take players from around the ball. Players are too fit, too fast and kick too well for 18 on the ground. It's really a historical number and I'm glad they've changed it for AFLW. Incorrect disposal has to be looked at. Certainly I think the Dogs got away with so much throwing last year. It helped them win in congestion and therefore encouraged them to keep the ball in congestion around stoppages and forward of centre. In the back half they are actually a really nice ball movement team. Hawthorn beat congestion by raising the limits on what can be achieved in ball movement. They were so good at counter attacking from stoppages and turnovers that teams couldn't beat them by stacking numbers. The modern culture of Australian Rules demands we use the bench as an interchange not subs and I'm all for that. Certainly there should be a cap but it's an interchange and I think that's a fair thing. I want to see 22 play each week not 18 (or 16) plus a few spares. Overall I'd say why worry about this is Feb? Skills v congestion will be an endless battle at AFL level and it will ebb and flow.

Less players on the field is the answer. Fields haven't grown but players are exponentially fitter than 100 years ago. Fewer players also means defensive zones break down because the field is too big to cover

Do what the umps did in my u10's..... stop play, take possession of footy and kick it to the nearest player away from the congestion and call play on lol

This looks good, but is one tall player short in the back line. Most teams havd 3 players over 195cm playing as forwards and having Jetta, Hibberd, Hunt and Salem just makes the backline too short. Frost in, Salem to the bench, and we drop Pedo. It is all getting confusing because dropping Pedo means Frost has to take a duty in the ruck which is not optimum. As for Brayshaw, I am a huge fan and reckon he has more upside in 2017 than most on our list. His inside work is very good and he loves a tackle but it is his outside run and carry that sets him apart. Also, he is one player who can kick at full pace on both sides of his body. He compliments Oliver perfectly.

Both Ablett and Judd were also very explosive on the outside. Cripps aint that at all. Thats why Judd and Ablett were just the complete package. Speed, explosiveness, ability to win inside and outside ball and kick goals when rested up forward. Cripps is just a pure inside midfielder who has cleans hands in tight. My personal opinion is Cripps is so far off the Judd Ablett category its laughable. Judd and Ablett in their top peak were two of the best midfielders i have ever seen in my time watching football.

It was against the Hawks in our great win. Gunston swooped in to spoil and strolled forward for an easy goal. What made that worse was that there should have been a 50 metre penalty to us which would have put Brayshaw within easy range.

I think our society would be a better one without you in it. You are a disgusting human being Biffen.

Yep, the only difference now will be that Trump will impose a levy on the imports from Mexico and the poor who he has promised to help will be paying more as a result. Way to make America great again...not.

I think it was Macca who said of AVB that when he's up and running we usually win... I'm a fan and reckon he's our player most like and likely to follow the Swan's Kennedy's path and heights as a big bullocking mid who hunts the ball and player, hurts when he can both on body and the scoreboard.

Throw in Petracca I'm not sure there was in 2016 but this year there should be. Gus looks to have made good strides with his fitness and hopefully this calf injury clears up. If that's the case he'll contribute as a half forward, on ball and probably rotate to a wing. Clarry didn't look in great knick when he came back but seems to have tightened up and if he's improved enough to get his time on ground up over 70% he'll be in the team for sure. Tracc isn't the fittest guy around just yet but this time last year he was in rehab for his foot injury after his knee recovery. We'll need him more as a forward and he won't be ready for big midfield minutes but he should be fitter and have a bigger match fitness base this year. I'm sure there's times when his work rate drops off but around the ball his defensive work was really strong in year 1. I hope he steps that up. All 3 need to be developed the right way - manage their bodies, focus on developing attacking and defensive games etc but they should be able to play in the same side.

Would love that team Rd1

Just make the number of interchanges 20 so the players have to rest on the ground in a pocket etc. Simple

wouldn't consider either, andrew prefer to keep reducing number of interchanges per game or per quarter until it bites hard

Yep, out of the three Cripps is clearly the "type" we need least, but even just as a player I'd have both Bont and Kelly before him.

As obvious as it seems, wouldn't this be the fairest way to carry out the fixture, whilst also satisfying the league and club's desire for a 22 round season?? Rounds 1-17: every team plays each other once. Rounds 18-22: literally draw them from a hat. (leave it entirely to chance; some years you'll do well, some years not so well)

Don't worry. We shall overcomb.

Interesting theory... On a related note I have always thought that the idea of the player coming on being able to immediately engage in the game is unfair. The player with the ball is entitled to assume he is only playing against the players on the ground and not one who suddenly emerges off the interchange bench. Bit like it is considered unsportsmanlike to move a fielder in cricket while the bowler is running in to bowl. Perhaps interchange players could be required to wait until there was a stoppage.

All Migration. Net Migration Numbers.

Don't like this conference idea one bit, it stinks too much of NBA/ NFL franchise stuff , may as well throw in a halftime show , lots of fireworks, motorbikes cheerleaders and be done with it ! Seriously don't see what is so broken with the current system, yes it's not perfectly fair , but fixturing never will be will TVs rights and money driving blockbuster fixtures . At least however with the current model you know exactly who you're playing and when way back in October. And club success is rewarded with prime time fixturing (I.e Friday nights) If they really want to make it fair then limit the season to 17 but that's not enough footy too much meddling going on, just leave it alone, bring on Rd 1and bounce the friggin ball already, go dees !

It's not rocket surgery, people. Top 6 will play each other only for a top 4 position (guaranteed top 8 finish) Middle 6 will play each other only for 7th and 8th positions Bottom 6 will play each other only for most likely the number 1 draft pick (or something like this)

So it would be great if you could be seventh on the ladder after seventeen rounds... then only play the teams below you for the last six rounds, storm into the top four or even top two. Doesn't seem right... or am I missing something??

i think the argument would make more sense if it wasn't just a flat no/yes muslim immigration discussion i think an appreciable % of people would be satisfied with a smaller more targeted figure allowing for a easier and smoother integration path. after all successful integration is the end goal. we don't want to create societies, you see elsewhere, where we have ethnic ghettos because we overstress the system too rapidly if the argument stays a black and white one we just argue in circles. immigration has been very successful in australia embracing many cultures with a high level of integration over a number of generations. that doesn't mean that you can just keep cranking it up (either in total or by ethnic group) without affecting the social fabric at some point. each migrating ethnic group has their own difficulties settling in, adapting and ultimately integrating. there is no one size fits all process for all ethnicities. that's why a slowly, slowly approach can have merit. but what would i know

The coaches and the sports performace people are to blame Last year I saw Jessie Hogan kick the first goal of a game at the 40sec mark and then came off for a rest......Really???? At one stage the entire midfield was interchanged after a goal.....One of them had only been on the ground for a minute Years ago players could play a whole game and rest in pockets. Soon players will limit their possessions so they can stay on the ground and play the game they love. It's really a simple game stuffed up by high performance gurus.

Amazing quantum leap right there. Islam does not fit in. If what you said weren't so egregious, it would almost be funny. So the mosques which have existed in the northern suburbs of Melbourne since the 60' s have always been a source of unrest and disharmony? So the likes of Ahmed Fahour - despite his inflated salary - , MP, Ed Husic, sports agent, Khoder Nasser, the late John Ilhan - founder of Crazy John's, Australian Navy Captain Mona Shindy, Bachar Houli, refugee and cricketer Fawad Ahmed, Usman Khawaja, Waleed Aly, comedian Nazeem Hussain and our own Adem Yze are all raving and ranting radical Muslims are they?

To answer the opening poster, if Melksham plays a single game ahead of Oliver or Brayshaw I would be bitterly disappointed. Ditto for Petracca and Stretch as well.

The answer to me is quite simple. Firstly the umps need to umpire the game as per the rules. Pay frees for holding the ball and don't let players just drop it at will, and pay frees for the obvious throws we see in every game. Doing this will mean the players will need to spread faster and wider and the ball will move on and results in less congestion. Strangly the AFL seem to have loosened the 'interpretation' on these rules and now allow players to drop the ball at will and the AFL will say it is better for the game because it keeps the ball moving. It does the bloody opposite you bunch of half wits. Doing this would also tire the players faster as they would need to be running and spreading far more that they are now. Secondly the interchange needs to be capped at a lower point that it is. Somewhere around 40 may well be right, each player can then basically have two breaks at some point during the game.

Against that, remember the game in his first season in which he set up Garlett for two break away goals in about 3 minutes, and the game against Geelong (I think) in which he took a fine intercept mark/pick up off half back, bullocked through the midfield then delivered it nicely into the forward line. In short, I think he has good vision. He's a natural footballer. Last season he just looked knackered (presumably due to concussions), which probably affected his decisioning and ability to execute cleanly etc.

Parrk!!! Frost gotta be better than Oscar at CHB!

Trump had nothing to do with Ford's plans, and they'll still be building cars in Mexico. No jobs were gained, and none were going to be lost (deal with unions).

We traded pick 2 for Tyson and another pick + steak knives each way. We did not trade Kelly for Tyson & Salem in the 2013 draft. The comparison is moot, we may have picked Scharenberg & Freeman a massive loss or we may have picked Bontompelli & Cripps massive win. We will never know. I think both clubs would be happy, particularly not picking Scharenberg, Freeman or Aish.

Why? The Right talks about The Welfare State and people leaching off hand outs etc. Trump is a person, despite all the money that was handed to him by his own father, who lived off government grants. He was in the right place at the right time. NYC was crumbling and the State of NY had to allow him to buy up random lots of land as the banks would no longer lend to the State. He was a leach and made his personal fortune (money that wasn't purely his father's) by sneaking in and being granted the biggest tax break in NY's history. And how do you propose he stimulates the US economy? * By keeping Ford in the country? So there are jobs there, but what happens when Ford hike the price of their vehicles to cover having to pay American labor costs? Americans then have to pay more for American made vehicles. Something the ever widening underclass can ill afford. * What happens if he goes to war? The economy always takes a hit during a war, but the private sector booms with private contracts dealt out to military contractors. So maybe. Hardly going to help Middle America who are looking to him for answers though. * Building a wall? Jobs. Pffh. They don't need a wall. The border security on the southern border is close to impregnable. He actually doesn't have any solutions to any problems. He just plays on peoples fears and outside of the wall, banning Muslims and forcing Ford to stay, he actually has no plan for the future of the US. Not for its economy anyway. As for draining the swamp? He continues to put GOP and corporate cronies in top positions of power. He knows he can't drain the swamp, nor does he want to. He just used it to get into power. See video above in post #36.