Mazer Rackham

16.8 These guys are deadeye sharpshooters

Did anyone see Peter McKenna out there? He was wearing no 31 and had a funny haircut.

Didn't Steven May give away a free kick doing exactly this? 18.5 MARKING CONTESTS 18.5.1 Spirit and Intention The Player whose sole objective is to contest or spoil a Mark shall be permitted to do so. 18.5.2 Free Kicks - Marking Contests A field Umpire shall award a Free Kick in a Marking contest against a Player where the Player: (a) holds or blocks an opposition Player; (b) unduly pushes or bumps an opposition Player; (c) deliberately interferes with the arms of an opposition Player; (d) makes contact to an opposition Player from front-on and whose sole objective is not to contest or spoil a Mark; or (e) makes an unrealistic attempt to contest or spoil a Mark which interferes with an opposition Player. 18.5.3 Permitted Contact Incidental contact in a Marking contest will be permitted if the Player’s sole objective is to contest or spoil a Mark.

Pretend you're seeing Yul Brynner in The King and I. Tough exterior with a heart of gold.

When Free Kick Hawthorn meet Man's Umpire's Best Friend, worlds collide.

feedback? fiddlestick? flack? flask? freak? fieldwork ....... that must be it

Here's another clue for you all ... the walrus was Paul

AFL House. The phone rings. Gil McLachlan answers. "Yep." Voice at other end: "It's Gary Pert, Gil." GM: "Yep." GP: "About the Viney thing, Gil. I--" GM: "Just going over next year's draw. Two away games in Perth, 2 in Adelaide, 2 in Sydney, 2 in Brisbane, 1 in Geelong, 2 in Tassie, home games in NT, and a home game against Port in China. Of course nothing's set in concrete yet." GP: *gulp* "Yeah, well, we wouldn't want to cop a draw like that. But on the Viney thing--" GM: "How's the weather down there in Hobart, anyway? It's beautiful here in Melbourne today." GP: "But I'm not in Hobart. I'm here in Melbourne too." GM: "Let's keep it that way, eh? Was there anything else?" GP: *sigh* "No, Gil."

The AFL so-called reporters and commentators are too cosy in their privileged bubble. Too beholden to the AFL who can withdraw their media passes in a flash. Someone of the stature of a Patrick Smith, beyond the reach of the AFL's punishment department, could shine a light on it, as he did in the horse racing game, but he's retired. The only other one I can think of who's prepared to rock the boat is Greg Baum, but he doesn't do it often enough.

Well they can't eat their cake and still have it. They either want a team, or they want to sabotage "their" team before it even starts. If they can't sort out this parochiality ... "big in Biddleonia" comes to mind ... then too bad. National competition trumps backyard turf wars. I think their pedigree in Aussie Rules means they deserve a team, but only if another club (apart from MFC of course!) relocates, and only if they don't spoil their party with their dung flinging.

Well, no wonder the TV didn't show it. I wondered why those two were smoking ciggies after the match.

If it's under his neck, the Weagle has one hell of a long bendy forearm. If it's over his neck, Sparrow's has a neck with the thickness of a shoelace. Some optical illusion at work. We'll have to let it go and be content with the 4 points.

The official Match Pre-Review Officer, Brian Taylor, believed there was no case to answer. So under the protocols in place, the MRO was not required to do anything.

Yes, there are new umpires coming through to replace Margetts and Razor Ray.

Brian Cook of Geelong is a very very very good operator, and has done enormous things for WCE and Geelong. Future AFL CEO unless he sees it as a demotion. Not sure how WB did it, but being in an area that ticks every box imaginable -- multi-cultural, changing demographics, historically underprivileged -- makes it a lay-down misere compared to what we're working with: zero starting point, public land, bugger-all land, trees, NIMBYs, etc.

"... he will be retiring following this Sunday’s Round 22 match between Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles to be played at Optus Stadium in Perth" Words that must strike terror into the collective heart of the Freo footy club.

Umpires Director! Bwa ha ha ha ha !

Two frees to an opposition club is two too many. That's how you know the umps have got it in for you. Turns out they're all in it, and they've all got it in for the Eagles. What is left for a decent man but to show his strong feelings by booing? As Nelson Mandela said, "Let freedom reign. The sun never set on-- OH COME ON YOU MAGGOT! HE DROPPED IT! HE [censored] DROPPED IT! TOUCHED! IN THE BACK! NOT FIFTEEN! DELIBERATE!! BOOOOOOOO!!!!! .... um, challenge their very humanity. Or something."

I agree with your theme, but it's hard to shut down a game when umpires are awarding momentum-boosting series of frees to the opposition. Happened in the Adelaide game and happened in this WCE game.

Oh, thank god you're all right! I was worried.

The funny thing about Pricholls is that every club's supporters are convinced he has a personal vendetta against their club. That's how bad he is. (Although I wasn't laughing last night!) It takes a special kind of awful to be so consistently bad.

Welcome to Demonland! However ... sorry, but the user name "old dee" is already taken. Please change your user name to avoid confusion: the real "old dee" has a markedly different style to you.

Not sure I agree with that ...

Umpire Pricholls was out on the ground which automatically makes that impossible