Gawndy the Great

How was that not holding the ball against the Dogs…

I reckon I have seen half a dozen arms up from the Dogs. No free. Just waiting for the unlucky Crows player to get a reversal or 50 go against him.

Well for what its worth, i don't think we need him down back given the depth and better options we have in J Smith and Tommo. I disagree regarding the agility. The main attribute you require on the wing is not agility - its endurance. With TMac he has the added benefit in being able to take a contested mark and play a defensive role (if he is on the defensive wing). However, JJ is probably doing the role well enough to hold it and tbh it makes more sense in his development given where he is in his career and as stated the most likely outcome is Dunstan, J Smith coming in to fill in the Viney/Lever roles. The question is whether BBB comes in and then who goes out as a result.

I think J Smith comes in and will take one of Riewoldt or Lynch which will free up Petty to take on Levers role. He is just ahead of Tommo based on athleticism but Tommo is definitely an alternative option. TMac could move into the wing which will allow JJ to rotate through the middle and cover Viney leaving Weid and BBB in the forward line. But I think the more likely scenario is Dunstan in for Viney as a straight swap and TMac/Weid for BBB.

Goody pulling a Beveredge?

The 300k pa will solve the 6000 umpire shortage if development pathways were to exist. Let the cream float to the top. Better way to attract umpires than the arms up nonsense Not sold on the idea of umpiring zones but not against it either. I think the solution is still missing some form of technology in the game. Just need to look at how Tennis evolved overnight with linesman and Hawkeye tech.

I think BBB / Weed are more a like than either player is compared to TMac. Having both BBB/Weed in the same team in my view probably diminishes our forward line structure as TMac is more athletic and fitter and gives us a bit more impetus in the forward defensive setup. He also has a bit more skill with the ground ball and is able to setup goals as well as score himself. Using a golfing analogy, If BBB / Weid were the Driver, TMac would be the 3 wood. Unless you Phil Mickelson at the Masters, you wouldn't carry two drivers in your bag.

The real stat relating to frees, which isn't measured as far as i know are scores as a result of a free. 3/7 GWS goals on the weekend came from frees/50m penalties. Also the Carlton practice game had about 4-5 Carlton goals as a result of dissent alone. Add in the winning margin and i reckon there will be a game every 2-3 rounds where you would have a story to tell about umpires influence on a game. Its a bigger problem than the media and the AFL let on.

Poor fella. Navicular stress factures can be life-long injuries ala Viney, James Hird and also career ending like Trengrove. Its not the injury you want at any age let alone at the start of your AFL career. Lets hope that he is properly rested, allowing the injury to properly heal. I wonder whether research has uncovered any new treatment and prevention measures given the prominence of this type of injury in all forms of sport.

Seriously is anybody surprised at this verdict ? Just pathetic.

Should have been a darker blue sky to avoid any potential similarities to the Doggies. Not a bad design, but not our best either. Personally i would have had either the eagle or boomerang. Not both.

Was writing a paper for work regarding upcoming technology trends and how to pivot towards these and it occurred to me that in the not too distant future we will probably have done away with human umpires and have the game fully officiated by AI. I think one of these will solve any issues with player dissent. 😄

Remember it was Hunt that got injured and made way for Bowey and couldn't get his spot back last year and we all were a bit worried as Hunt was playing quite well in the backline and we had all discussed how he may have finally settled on a suitable position. May, Lever & Petty are our starting talls. Tommo is the next best in line but form and/or opposition forward structures can get him back in the squad. I think Tommo is probably better one-on-one than Petty, but Petty is all round a better defender and is able to read the game a little better. Bowey, Salem, Rivers are our starting med / smalls. With Hunt , J Smith next in line. Both Hunt and J Smith are versatile and can play small - tall Bench is then out of these 3 plus Hibberd with Brayshaw also potentially pinch hitting. As i said, form and opposition structures can dictate the final side, but i think that 6 is probably our best team we can field. Boy have we got some quality depth. May is probably the only key player we can least afford to lose, but J Smith / Tommo can fill the void, probably just not as well. I think this will probably be Hibberd's final year and I wouldn't be surprised if one of Tommo / Hunt / J Smith actually request a trade at EOY given the competition for defensive slots.

Hunts weapon is his explosive pace off HB. Given our current game plan focuses heavily on defensive transition and scores from D50 he gives us an alternate scoring pathway to Bowey/ Salem who use kicking. not saying he is best 22 but food for thought.

The arms out isn’t disrespectful - it’s an accepted non verbal form of questioning. The ‘respect’ dissent angle is an absolute joke.Stamp down on umpire abuse - no problem on that - but this latest infatuation with arms out is a bit over the top.

This is quality.

I am happy with the spotlight on the umpires because it has been atrocious for the last few years. The AFL needs to do a major overhaul in this area including the MRO, AFL tribunal and invest more in technology and it’s place in helping umpires officiate the game. I support the idea of It turning into a full time profession supported with a proper academy for the up and coming. When they are subject to similar standards and expectations (and not a PT weekend job) there will be a noticeable improvement in the consistent and fair adjudication. I even have a purpose statement ready for the new dept… ‘We are irrelevant and should not be noticed’. Achieve that and we can stop this debate once and for all.

Those who say we haven’t beaten anyone yet, should be weary - we are just warming up.

They will will run out of puff by mid season and will scrape into the 8. It takes a few seasons to build the endurance we have.

Fun fact: 3 of 7 GWS goals were from frees. 2 were quite controversial ones too. You could argue the 50m penalty against Harmes if there was a bigger crowd😂

I don’t personally mind the rule. After watching Under 10s play you can see afl behaviour trickles down. Children at that age are very impressionable and so you want to set a good example for them. But as with most, in here it’s the inconsistency and interpretation of this and many other rules that ruin it. we seem to be on the opposite side of the ruling in most cases. There is a pattern developing and I think we just need to get used to the idea that we are going to get the short stick again this year.

We are not a powerhouse club. When you don’t win a GF for almost 60 years, what do you expect? It will take some sustained success to get us where we belong. Not going to change overnight, but it is changing that I can guarantee you.

And let’s not forget the pandemic and school holidays. probably everyone’s last chance to enjoy some warm weather and get away before winter sets in.

I thought Trac looked ok not sure y’all getting the looked injured . He was jumping for marks and exploding out of stoppages. I think he’ll be ok.

With a % diff that will count as an additional game