Aus in Engerland

I think it can be anything on an individual basis. There are certainly cases where someone just wants to go home. Lycett to Port. Where he played as a junior and went for less money than the Saints were offering. Danger could have got more elsewhere but wanted to go home. Some just go anywhere for the most coin. Some just want more opportunity, anywhere, and others need a new start and a reset (Vardy after 7 injury years at Geelong). But excluding specific individual factors such as this it is a good question. What makes specific clubs a destination? I think it is the combination of success (why Hawks keep getting big names for less), the best coach in the comp (Hawks again), facilities, medical and support staff, reputation for post career support, the chance to play in front of the biggest crowds and so on. As valid a question as What makes a Destination Club? is, the question What makes a club a non-destination club? is just as important. Why does no-one want to play for GC or the Saints? Why did 10 players leave Brisbane over the 2012-2013 era? Why are Carlton still rubbish after getting top 5 pick after top 5 pick for 20 years?

A lot of 'leaning towards' and 'it is believed' and 'apparently' and 'nothing confirmed but' in that. Sounds like a bit of a press beat-up to me. Making something up to fill in the time.

Exactly. Every club has to play a game style suited to who they have. I can see Richmond changing how they play forward with both Lynch and Jack R together. They were forced to play a one tall/many mosquito game plan because that's what they had. And as to the comment on Gawn... Every club has players, who even if not their best (not saying Gawn isn't up there), are their most important for structure or because they are just one of a kind. I don't think that any club has a player who is more important to their game than Gawn is to MFC. If he had gone down long term towards the end of the year, MFC probably wouldn't have played finals. He is that important and as you say, need another tall/ruck.

You have to be absolutely joking. They have a home ground advantage, but so has everyone. They have the worst travel burden of any team. They have to win away from home to finish top 4. They have to finish top 2 to get the 2 home finals. And even if they make the GF they have to play it away from home at a ground they are lucky to see twice a year. (Once in 2017, twice in 2018) Compare that to Collingwood who play 15-18 times in Melbourne, 12-15 of those at the G. They rarely travel, get to stack up easy home ground wins and then get a home GF if they make it. Talk about a rigged to succeed competition. There is a reason that until 2018, the last 5 Grand Finals all had an MCG home team vs. an interstate one, and every time the home team won.

Yes. They mentioned it in the commentary at one point. The commentary said something like 'Collingwood have only once before kicked the first five goals in a GF. And it didn't end well that time'. I think it may have been 1939.

I'll disagree. Because those names don't change. The 'Gabba (other than being in suburb Woolongabba) has been known as that for decades. And will always be in Woolongabba. Waverley and Burswood are easy to find suburbs and unlikely to be renamed. Changing stadium names from year to year is rubbish.

WC did even batter against Port. Were behind all game and kicked a goal with 40 seconds to go then another after the siren to win it. Time in front graphic read... Port Adelaide 80:00, WCE 0:00. Now that was a moment of hilarity from the host broadcaster.

Absolutely. It has become a blight on the game. And the way some teams abuse it! I think Sydney have been the worst for over a decade. It's meant to be run on/pass message/run off/get new message/repeat. The Sydney runners are regularly on there 5+ minutes at a time. They are clearly coaching and should be banned from doing so. The idea of only after a goal, run on/pass message/run off is a good one.

I'm with Pates on this. Hate Eddie, Bucks as a player was correctly known as FIGJAM but like many he has matured. His consoling of the clearly devastated banner team was nothing short of excellent. He surely had better things to do with his time right then, but he did the right thing. I'll give credit where credit is due - well done Bucks. As we all know, the banner team are all volunteers who do it for the love of the game and having two great banners for teams to run through is part of the whole 'great game' thing. To have it go wrong like that on GF day is actually horrible and I felt really sorry for them.

Boy did that astral phenomena change the world. The totally unthinkable happened. LUKE Ryan, who plays for Fremantle, was playing for WC. That Mr Whispering is just cosmic madness. If he dropped the mark it was deliberate and designed to cause WC to lose. Now LIAM Ryan, that's a different kettle of fish!

Yes it was a terrible time slot. Friday night would have been better but Richmond as minor premiers got that one and the extra day off. The AFL should have had the flexibility to realize a week earlier that the winner in Perth would have to travel either home or to the GF and Richmond or Collingwood would only have to walk across the road and didn't really need the extra day rest. It should have been Friday night in Perth and Saturday at the G at the same time and atmosphere as the GF. Apparently Saturday night was considered but was rejected as that would have meant Melbourne staying in Perth overnight or travelling on a body disruptive post midnight number. Having a 1630ish finish allowed an evening flight back landing before midnight.

I'm with Jim. It's just advertising and the name doesn't reflect which ground it is. And it changes all the time. Subiaco oval is that ground in Subiaco, The SCG that one in Sydney and Kardinia Park is that ground in Geelong. If you told me you'd been to a game at Baytec Stadium I'd say Where? Or Simonds? Or Skilled? Or GMHBA? Or Shell? Note - all those are names for Kardinia Park. I'm happy to call the new Perth Stadium either Burswood or Perth. Everyone will know what I'm talking about.

Exactly what I was thinking. He continually argues and comes across as a gobby little whiney shiite. If I was an umpire I would be less than well disposed towards him and be more likely to give votes to someone else. Congrats to Angus Brayshaw. Plays a style that looks good. Doesn't argue. Could be one of those players that polls well year after year, the way Adam Goodes did. I think Gawn did about as well as a ruckman can do these days. Again, congrats. He had a good year and was a deserved AA and ruckman of the year.

Firstly, I have to confess that I am in the enemy camp, but am a lover of good football and joined to comment on a few things. 1. Having read a few topics on here I am generally impressed with the level of knowledge and discussion here. All clubs, even mine, has some idiots as supporters. Some, such as Collingwood, Essendon, Fremantle, and Port seem to have nothing else, but it is what it is. Here it is good that most can construct a proper sentence with nouns and verbs in an English manner. Unlike the ferals at dockerland who struggle with anything resembling English. 2. Your list is not as bad as some have said. You have some good young guys who are only going to get better. Your list is in better shape than the Saints who have hovered around about the same draft positions as Melbourne. You are a few elites short of top level but are not far off. Your list age profile is better than that at Hawthorn and Geelong. I would call you as probable top 8 and possible top 4 in 2019 and will put in an early call of good chance top 4 in 2020. 3. You play a brand of football that is more enjoyable to watch than most. Entertaining, high scoring but with a decent defensive side. You'll win more than you lose with this style. 4. A couple of areas I will raise some level of exception to. a. Booing. All clubs do it and the new stadium is a sound trap. When Malthouse arrived at the WC one of his biggest problems was to turn around the supporters from being too nice and clapping opposition good play to being more like Victorian supporters. We learnt from you guys how to boo. Booing is also not always what it seems. There were complaints last week of WC booing an injured Collingwood player as he left the ground. Not true. They were booing the replay of the collision where Yeo was taken out below the knees but the free went to the Pies. A free kick to Yeo in 203 of the 204 games at that point of 2018. I lived in Melbourne in the late 80's/early 90's and the crowds at Vic Park and Windy Hill make the current WC crowd look like Chardonnay swilling picnickers. b. Some have complained of the level of travel you have done. When compared to Stayathomewood that is a valid whinge. But against the most traveled team in the competition? 5. I think 3 of the 4 prelim teams actually overachieved this year. Most pundits had the Pies as bottom 4, WC as bottom 4 (Robert Walls as spoon) and Melbourne as hanging around the 7-10 mark. So on reflection, a good season to build on. No need to make wholesale changes, but certainly a tweak here and there wouldn't hurt.