titan_uranus

According to this article, it's never happened before - all 11 teams to go 11-0 prior to this year's Steelers won their division.

Bears, Browns, Bills

Browns can easily take the division - if they beat the Jets and the Steelers lose this week vs the Colts, that final Week 17 game will be for the division. Wonder if a club's ever started 11-0 and failed to win the division.

2013. They have the longest finals drought outside of Gold Coast. On their website they've said they had an average free-to-air audience in 2020 of nearly 600,000. No idea what that figure is for us but will be the reason they get two Thursday nights to open the year. There is no fairness, though, in them only having 5 interstate trips and the remaining 17 games all in Melbourne.

In addition to these, some other quirks: We still haven't played Essendon twice in a season since 2005. We still haven't played Brisbane twice in a season since 2013. We still haven't played GWS at Giants Stadium since 2014. We haven't played West Coast at the MCG since 2014. Our MCG home game against Adelaide ends a run of only 1 of our last 10 games against them being at the MCG Next year's home game against Carlton is our first since 2017 and only our second since 2011 (we are currently on a streak of 1-10 H-A). Next year is the first non-COVID year we haven't played St Kilda twice since 2014.

Interstate trips: Hawthorn - 9 (but four are home games in Launceston) North - 9 (but four are home games in Hobart) (plus Geelong) Melbourne - 7 (but one is Alice Springs) (plus Geelong) St Kilda - 7 (including a home game in Cairns) (plus Geelong) Essendon - 6 (plus Geelong) Richmond - 6 Geelong - 6 Bulldogs - 6 (plus Geelong) Carlton - 5 Collingwood - 5 Compared to the original 2020 fixture (i.e. before COVID hit, the one released in October 2019), the only changes to this distribution are North having one extra game in Hobart, St Kilda and the Dogs having one extra interstate game, and Essendon getting sent down the highway.

Agree, but subject to timeslots. We don't know what our timeslots will be for Rounds 7-23, so we don't know if we're going to get, say, a stack of prime time or blockbuster games, family-friendly Sat/Sun arvo games, or the dreaded Sunday 1.10pm or twilight games.

So the double up games are against Geelong, Bulldogs, GWs, Hawthorn and Adelaide. Can't complain about that. 10 MCG home games including Geelong, Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn and the Dogs (the other four are Fremantle, Sydney, GWS and Adelaide). Those six home games are a pretty good spread (no North or St Kilda) and we retain home game for ANZAC Eve and Queen's Birthday. On the flipside, one of only four clubs to not get a Thursday or Friday night game in the opening six rounds (the other three are Fremantle, Hawthorn and North Melbourne). We're clearly not attractive at the moment, but a solid start to the year will change that given the floating schedule. 12 MCG games altogether. Would like one or two more, but clearly we're not that attractive to be hosted by opposition sides. Away to Essendon - that means we're now on a 2-15 H-A streak against them. First game at the MCG vs Adelaide since 2016 and second since 2012. We haven't played Fremantle in Perth since 2015. Meanwhile we haven't avoided playing West Coast in Perth since 2015.

Well, I said we needed to be chasing sub-250. We've certainly achieved that. Incredibly good bowling. Sad to see Shami injured - not just as it may rob the series of another good player, but also because it ruins what was likely to be a massive record-setting innings. Still, I think I heard that's the first ever Test innings in which all 11 batsmen batted and none of them reached single fingers.

I can't see us winning this without bowling India out for 200-odd. Chasing 250+ on a wearing wicket with night-time swing and Ashwin's spin is going to be too hard for us I fear. The quicker we can move on from the Burns/Wade combo to any two of Warner, Pucovski and Harris (who should have played over Burns), the better.

Bills, Seahawks, Chiefs

For those who like playing this game, there's a photo of Laurie in today's training gallery where he looks to be wearing a jumper with a "1" as the first number? 16, maybe?

Packers, Titans, Saints

Tough week! Going to go Saints, Raiders, Colts.

Ah yes, another opportunity for the usual suspects to do the whole "actions speak louder than words" thing. There aren't any actions we can implement right now that aren't susceptible to criticism. Even with many of our players doing early pre-season fitness work, I'm sure plenty will argue that training means nothing until game day. What's funny about this article is that amongst the obvious fluff is an acceptance from Gawn that we look back on 2018 and consider that a fail. So for those who think the players think it's all going to happen because 2018 happened, this article actually helps you see that's not really what the players think. Yes, the rest is guff, and yes, we all want to see us perform in 2021. But given that's not currently an option, just let the articles roll around and accept them for what they are.

Dolphins, Browns, Seahawks

Happy for Lockhart. M Brown I guess is cheap insurance. Surprised re: Bedford and Chandler.

Just announced. Five Demons sign on for 2021 Bedford and Jordon stay senior, Lockhart promoted to senior list, Chandler and M Brown stay rookies.

I'm neither misrepresenting nor misunderstanding. The AFL wants players to stop running so that there are fewer players at each contest. I get it. I'm just not convinced that it will work. There remains the risk that reduced rotations will only serve to put a premium on runners, with coaches backing in fitter players over skilful ones, and the result being barely any different. There remains the risk that players who have been conditioned for years, if not decades, to run both ways, go full pelt, and leave nothing on the field, will continue to do so (no matter what their coaches say), and find themselves more fatigued than normal. None of it's a certainty, but it's a risk, and that's why I don't view Dangerfield's comments as a conspiracy theory/vendetta but rather just the voice of concern from the playing group.

I agree with the importance of fitness. I don't agree with your comment that "less rotations will see the better players excel in the latter stages of the game". Your comment would be more accurate if it said "less rotations will see the fitter players excel in the latter stages of the game". We have had many discussions on here about the club drafting players who are fit and athletic but not necessarily good football players. This could very well increase that trend: clubs will want players who can run out games, even if they can't kick. As to Dangerfield's comments, the issue the overarching playing group has is that they are being asked to produce high quality exciting football when the AFL has openly stated the goal of these rule changes is to make them fatigued. It's a genuine concern that isn't necessarily motivated by some sort of personal vendetta he has.

Does there always have to be a conspiracy theory? Maybe, instead, he's just doing his job as the president of the AFLPA and representing the majority of players who are concerned about the AFL wanting them to be fatigued/exhausted in matches and the potential for injuries to increase on the back of that.

I reckon the AFL's got this very, very wrong. I suspect most people will want to do anything but sit at home and watch football on a Sunday-Wednesday night next year. If we can get out and about, we'll want to. The success of footy on weeknights in 2020 was wholly abnormal and I don't think will be repeated. And the rolling fixture thing is ridiculous. Start with clubs. How are we supposed to manage training loads or plan for our season if we don't know when/where/who we'll be playing? Fans get shafted too, not being able to plan any more in advance than a month. A floating final month, maybe (with defined match ups and grounds already locked in, just timeslots to sort.out). Not this.

Peak Lewis Jetta would be a great get, but then again peak Lewis Jetta wouldn't have just been delisted. Unfortunately he's past his prime.

There's an opportunity cost associated with every good player. Anyone on a high salary or who cost high draft picks (whether as a draftee or in a trade) can have the same argument made: sure, they're good, but who knows what we could have done with that money/pick. It's a pointless exercise.

Steelers, Dolphins, Packers