Rhino Richards

You should be. B) I agree.

Not at all. He owns 50% but runs the management of the whole outfit. You need to look at who actually controls NRL. Its News. Murdoch is going nowhere and if he does it all goes NRL collapses. I'm not surprised you dont see the logic. NSW is not as parochial as Victoria at all. NSW has league, RU, AFL and A league competing for air time. In Victoria neither league nor union get any oxygen. The cultural barriers are not huge as you think. NRL is seriously damaged brand in the community. They have alienated and offended women on mass. Their players exhibit at regular frequency all the social ills the make families revile and sponsors sick. I am not sure what there is to consolidate in Tasmania as AFL has won hands down. And ACT from pilot programs with the Kangaroos does not have the demographic. The NT has the highest per capita GOverment funding of any State. It also has the smallest economy. There is no economic upside in the NT has they are all AFL mad. Think about it. The AFL would not be able to get the TV rights it does without Foxtel being able to on buy a set number of games from either Ch 9 or the 7/10 group. The TV rights just dont work if Foxtel are not in the picture. I think you worry too much about the AFL without the facts.

We have had that proven in spades again. Now if only Australia A had won the toss and batted ....

Well done. You have missed the point on both the AFL and NRL. The AFL's move into GWS is about seeking to expand the game beyond the limited areas that it is in. They need to consolidate the game in Australia particularly given the damaged brand of NRL. And NRL have effectively disenfranchised 50% of the population with their off field antics. And for the record if you havent figure it out, News Corp "owns" NRL. If Murdoch pulls the pin it deflates in a second. And Murdoch already has a stake in AFL via Foxtel.

Its a pity you cant understand/comprehend/grasp anyone else's point of view while struggling to substantiate your own position. Edit: I just saw rpfc's posts and its right on the money. Enjoy the inertia breathing all that sand. B)

Gee, that must be popular during the locust plague in the country.

Your earlier note suggests otherwise. There was not a single point where we were at the financial edge. We have been there throughout. We have always had the power to make our own decisions. Too often MFC have made dumb ones. The AFL has not dictated a better draw based on the work of the Board/ At this point MFC is a 2nd ary consideration in the overall scheme of fixturing. Winning premierships with a sustained period of success based on a financially profitable business model with save us. Nothing else. The problem is you dont understand at all WYL. Whether it will be accepted time will tell. The AFL has learnt from the Brisbane Bears and Swans implementation that unless you make new entrants competitive and successful you wont develop interest. AFL is at saturation point in the Southern Australian states. When the AFL moved up the East Coast with Brisbane and Sydney, the AFL club memberships, attendances and TV audiences have increased substantially. So your concern does not hold water at all. MFC, WBFC and StKFC have all increased their memberships. And despite their best efforts to do otherwise, RFC have also maintained high membership. But your comment that GWS is not the right market, what is then? If the game is to survive, it needs to continue to grow. The debacle that is NRL has created a wonderful vacuum for other football codes. And if AFL is not prepared to commit to this mosr financial and populous demographic, other codes will. And I dont know why you continue to use a family member's view as dictating the mood, thoughts and views of greater Sydney. They dont and it only highlights how narrow your perspective is. You need to move through the superficial negatives you harbour on most innovations and think it through more.

And given there was more less than an hour to go to stumps anyway how many overs would Sth Africa have bowled in that time with 4 quicks and one second string spinner? They would struggle Think man...dont just parrot others. You just get found out...again and again. It would seem that the 4 Corners is your only viable source of information. You are surely jesting that you were aghast at a Pakistan official who blatantly lied down the camera. It could well have been an Indian official. You really have no perception of the problems of sub continent cricket beyond your stated racial generalisations.The problem has always been at the top and you didnt realise it! FFS. Hilditch's ivory tower must be an adjoining one to yours. Did you get on talkback after the I/V and rant there?

Just for your information, MFC has been technically insolvent for most of the past 30 years and have only been "saved" during that period by the AFL support. During this period MFC would not have been able to meet its commitments on its own without AFL support and at times guarantee. This position was the same for a number of clubs during this period as well eg St Kilda, Bulldogs and Richmond. And we are not out of the woods financially by any stretch. Your comments suggest otherwise. West Sydney and Gold Coast are the only plausible financially viable markets left in Australia with sufficient demographic to expand. Tassie is already won by AFL and the Northern Territory has no real economic base to justify an AFL club despite being a wonderful source of AFL footballers. I am not sure what other markets are right if GWS is wrong. Its more riskier that GC and Tassie but the upside is significantly and if they can generate sufficient TV and supporter appeal then it will valuable to the value of the TV rights. Gambling is not a race based issue but thanks for the generalisation. And for what its worth the majority of Indians have greater respect for the game than most non Indians. But that might clash with your generalisation. The logic of your post will be missed where it is needed most.

There was under an hour to go to stumps. It was a maximum 13 overs to go. Nobody improves by being plain dumb. Its pity both captains took the decision to call a draw early. It really does make a farce of your cricket judgement. Antyway back on planet earth... The Tassie pitch was a corker to bowl on. Green top overcast skies and perfect English conditions. They let Australia off the hook midway. Could be expanded to a triple album..... Is it anywhere near your galaxy? For someone who only just found out about the extent of cricket corruption on 4 Corners a couple of weeks I doubt whether your well informed on any aspect of cricket on or off the field to make any rational or informed judgement on the professional life of a cricketer..

Agree with all that Old. Its why I think that Bail could be a LT option there.

False bravado has never been a good camouflage for rank stupidity. I wonder how 10 other hopeful cricketers would feel with a ignorant ra ra merchant as a captain, particularly one that spouts garbage like you always bat when you win the toss. A smarter leader would recognise that its victory enough to have survived against a world class attack on a difficult wicket for 130 overs with a long tail than risk it all on a reckless slog for an unlikely and improbable victory.

Ugh Ugh. Never let the facts or a profouind lack of knowledge invade a rant. They were indeed on the home straight but its a bit like the Melbourne Cup, they were on the first time around the track with a long way to go. I think even Steve Price would switch to commercial and cut the line saying "We've got one" if you plied your logic there.

Because self interest of individual clubs was passed in mid 1990's to a centralised body to alleviate and avoid some of the irrelevant Club based self interested and inbred claptrap that hampers the broader competition. If we had that sort of mentality then the Australian rules would have been a regionalised, partisan and dysfunctional unprofitable splinter organisation that would have been overrun by other football and sporting codes. Its one of the root problems of the NRL.

Bob's right about the hyperbole.

Difficult wicket. The scoreboard flattered them given the dropped catches. The South African attack is very competent with Steyn and Kallis. The strategy is high risk and particularly given the necessarily psychological about face to try to survive 130 overs with a score of 450+ starting the previous day. After the current pair and Akmal they had a long inexperienced tail who lost 5-12 in the first innings in short time Its equivalent to punting your house on a long shot at the races. They were more at risk of losing than winning from the position they were in. Do try to think about things more. Its becoming embarrassing Basil.

The Prosecution has no further questions, your Honour.

I dont think anyone will have Bartrum on their list. They may have Bartram though. There have been many worse players that have an AFL medallion around the neck than your comment on Bartram. Atm he is very much a candidate for the small defender role unless we develop better options (either Bail or draft/trade) or Bartram does improve on his 2010 vintage.

Its not 20/20 cricket. They had to score at over 8 an over. The two sixes reflect that the sting had gone out of the game from both sides late in the piece. And again the facts elude you as both captains agreed to call a draw. The Pakistanis are susceptible to be called "cheats" for any change of behaviour. And had they gone kamakazi at the end talkback "know alls" like you would be at them for tossing a game. You really dont have much to back up some really naive comments do you Basil?

More like a soft pat with a Kleenex table napkin. B)

Great effort by NZ in India. I dont think the gap between No 1 and No 6 has been as close as this in 40 years. Is Jacques Kallis the greatest all rounder since Gary Sobers? I cant think of a player with a more imposing one day record. The only thing that detracts from Gayle's wonderful achievement is the likelihood the Sri Lankas have produced another South Asian pancake pitch. The other thought is that with Murali gone they dont have any bowlers. How many years did you say you have been watching cricket? Pakistan were chasing 450 on a 4th innings pitch where there was turn and bounce and the Springboks dropped 4 crucial catches which flattered the scoreboard. On an uneven wicket where they had scored at 3.4 an over, they should suddenly start swinging the bat at around 8.5 an over to go an win. It would be exactly that sort of behaviour that would suggest they were on take. Here is what Cricinfo wrote in their Bulletin (and yes what would they know as they were actually there?? ) It soon became clear that a draw would be regarded as a victory in itself, however, as both Younis and Misbah settled into stubborn defence. With the match meandering towards a draw, Younis helped himself to two more sixes off Botha before both captains decided to call the game off minutes into the final hour. So given the herculean effort to survive for 100+ overs on a difficult 5 day pitch and that both Captain called the game a draw, its the Pakistanis who are at fault. As always you are entitled to your opinion WYL. But FMD you do say thoroughly ridiculous comments that reflect neither an understanding of the matter or even a basic awareness of the facts you comment on. And like always you get exposed for the empty noise you repeatedly type. This long thread almost contains enough of your blinding gaffes to put out a double CD of hits (or was that misses ).

If you are short of coin then there clearly is an excuse. That's the spirit that will bring rushing back to the Club with full apology.

Maybe you will read that thread better than you have done here. None of those comments have been made here and certainly no knives. I guess you maybe the type that could be ruffled by comments that might vere from "he's pumped for the season", "its his first pre season in x years" and "he/they is/are training the house down".

Players like Judd and Ablett take you to the ball and always put themselves in the best positions. Players who "tag" such players need to be able to fight for and win the contest football and use it well in traffic. The days of sitting on elite midfield players all game to quiet them have evolved. Bartram might have run with Harvey but would have scorched MFC in the midfield with disposal. Bartram would have been on another fast player down back so who takes that player? Harvey did show up Jones's lack of speed.

Get a blog if you dont want a response to silly statements aired on a forum.