Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Similar to what I'm suggesting above, I think free agency has wrecked equalisation and the salary cap. I see two solutions, which may be viewed as somewhat radical: Limit / equalise the number of players able to be signed on as free agents per club over a rolling time period of say 5 - 10 years. Allow clubs to trade players against their will. The AFLPA needs a clip behind the ears. The notion of free agency and restriction of trade shouldn't really apply to sporting codes the same way as they do regular employment. How long much longer will people tolerate the unevenness in the competition before they start giving up on following it? Forming of the VFL/AFL commission and having it create an enviroment where any team could succeed, was viewed by many to be a cornerstone of the sucess of the Aussie rules code in Australia for a number of years, but I think that ethos is significant floundering with each successive CEO that views running the premier league and code as a whole as a business more than a sport. ...rant over ... for today!

Incidentally, I read a recent Fox Footy season preview/ladder prediction (yeah, I know about the 50th such article of the off-season so far) and it made the comment to the effect that we'd gone heavy on the draft, as due to not being one of the bigger clubs, we wouldn't be able to attract qualuty players until we'd showed we had a significant base of players/performance to do so. Pretty much an admission that free agency and equalisation measures aren't working / don't mix. Anyone can be critical of the player contracts we handed out in retrospect, but I really think that needs to be balanced by the issue that we aren't really on an even playing field, with some of the big clubs far more able to attract and retain either for unders or with the aid of out of cap payments. My view is that our department made the right calls at the time and that other factors (Gus, Trac severe injuries) and player management issues wrecked what could otherwise have been a golden era. Just think of the backlash if our stars had have walked elsewhere in 2022/2023.

Was thinking that too. Maybe some of our players might find themselves as being on some board of directors as well? (I guess part of that could include share offerings as bonus/incentives - the possibilities are endless).

Early days, but what about Mihocek and Steel? They look like good pick-ups. Also surely it's also other football department minds like Alan Richardson etc that contribute to uncontracted and traded player selection?

And incriminate himself? Pfft like that's going to happen.

We just need to start paying in farms like Geelong do.

Also noting that Chandler is in the side ahead of Jeffo - ouch!!

In case anyone wants to know more about the lush surrounds of Nar Nar Goon:

Didn't Max have a similar scare in a few preseason's and was back playing again fairly early in the season, if not Rd 1? I'm thinking that Max's timing may have been much earlier in preseason compared to Luker and I know probably all injuries are different, but it gives me hope that Luker will be available to debut, start building his game and impacting for the team sometime in the first half of the season, rather than another wasted year on the sidelines. Until then, I'm pretty confident we have some good forward options in JVR, Mihocek, Fritta, Melksham and Co. Mihocek in particular looks like he could provide us with a great goal kicking avenue deep in attack.

Agreed, although we have plenty of key back depth, I'm not sure that we have many back there that could provide the same niggle factor as AJ and that might be an advantage against some key forwards that might be susceptible to being thrown off their game in this way. Would rely on AJ also being sufficiently accountable as a defender. Could also provide some ruck coverage in defence if we're not playing T Mac. In summary, don't think he'd be my first choice defensive option, but worth evaluating there in case we think it's called for in the circumstances.

There seems to be a bit of a naritive that this is St Kilda's game to loose. I don't buy it. We were like what 40 points up at 3/4 time in our last outing against them, with a team that wasn't playing as cohesively as we look to be at the moment. If we get in that position against them again, they aren't coming back from it.

There was also one against Brisbane in 2023 where the lights went out in the last quarter as well. Thinking that was storm driven as well: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.afl.com.au/news/887706/lights-out-brisbane-lions-ko-max-gawn-less-melbourne-demons-in-the-dark/amp

Agreed. To me, it's not so much his being available for Rd 1 that matters, it's more about him getting a break and oppertunity to debut at AFL and build his game further and hopefully develop as a potent forward option for us, to eventually take over from guys like Melksham and Mihocek. This injury has the potential to disrupt that to either a minor or significant extent. If he's not available for Rd 1, so be it, but my main concern is that it doesn't become season ending or take a massive chunk out of his season.

No worries mate and thanks for your clarification. My wife and partner of nearly 20 years passed away from suicide around 5 years ago now, so your initial post was somewhat jarring, but I agree with the sentiment within the further context you explained. As I think you appreciate depression can often be a deeply rooted beast.

I see your other post Goffy and know you generally to be a well meaning, thoughtful person, but without further context, explanation or qualification, the above is a truly horrible statement.

What's the bloody reason they introduced it in the first place? Wasn't it enough, just to change from a bounce to a ball up? It's like every year someone who works for the AFL says "What's a new rule that I can make that will be hard for players to adapt to, is completely unnecessary and will infururiate supporters?" 🤔😈

Honestly, I think the AFL should just stop making the Brownlow the flagship players award. Let it die and start promoting and use a countdown system for the Coaches Association award. The coaches have a much better nouce for recognising the better contributors and match impact for both their own players and the opposition. Let the umpires focus on getting umpiring decisions right and not think about who's playing well or not. They should be as agnostic as possible to individual player performances. I actually wounder if some of their thoughts on player performances and star players bias a bunch of their decisions. Couldn't have been any more evident than on Kings Birthday last year.

Give me Tony Lockett, Gavin Waganeen, Malcolm Blight. Give the umpires some ability to recognise quality performances in parts of the ground other than on ballers.

Actually don't mind the commentary team we've drawn. Dixon can be mildly annoying at times, but the others I don't mind at all. I often find Brad Johnson provides some of the most sensible, down to earth and non-sensationist special comments going around. Glad we didn't draw Dunstal who comes across as an arrogant [censored] and with Channel 7 out of the picture for practice matches that Brian Taylor is nowhere in sight or ear shot.

True, but if he can hit targets inside 50 as reliably as Spargo did, to the point he was pretty much best in the league at it, then maybe kicking more than 35m isn't so important. Charlie might have had some limitations, but I'll always regard him as an important part of our rebuild and premiership.

Matthews looks like a ripper. Similar replacement for Spargo with his tenacious tackling, but also looks like he has more tricks as well.

Kossie finally held onto one last year! I reckon he'll take a few more this season too.

I would too, but listening to Troy Chapman's post game interview on the website, I suspect that the coaching team is backing Jeffo at this point. Chapman talks of Kentfield making a bit of a claim for that 5th bench spot after his performance against North. I also can't see that they would play both Kentfield and Heath as forward/rucks, so I'm suspecting that it will take another game of respectively good and poor/mid performances from Kentfield and Jeffo, for Kentfield to get a gig ahead of Jeffo. Not 100% that I agree with this, but it's how I'm reading the situation at the moment. I do also sense that there's something to work with in Jeffo and that he'll be given oppertunites to establish himself.

Yep, yet another case of punish the outcome, not the dangerous action.

And as much as I love to watch him, I don't think Charlie Cameron is A Grade any more, neither Zorko. I'd have Zac Baily and Cam Rayner as A Grade though.