BDA

1. Clarry – figure out how to harness his full potential and get him working in tandem with the rest of the midfield unit and we’re well on our way 2. BB – kicks the goals. If he can win the Coleman we finish top 4 3. Weid – takes his marks and contributes 35-45 goals 4. Trac – aim for Dusty level 5. Melks – somehow rekindle 2018 form and provide the supply to BB/Weid Honorable mention: Lever – freed up to assume intercept role. Hoping for a Top 5 B&F placing Fritsch – finds his kicking boots Brayshaw – 2018 version please

I originally thought there must be a middle ground whereby a controlled border approach with some crossings allowed could be established. Tourism has been badly impacted so why not try to keep that and similar sectors afloat? Once Victoria reached zero transmission and life returned to normal (or at least a lot closer to normal) I changed my mind. I enjoyed having my liberties back and would prefer to keep them.

Agree in principle but I’d send Qld to NSW. The Lions had a big home field advantage last year so not fair they get the same advantage 2 years in a row. Perhaps the QLD restrictions preclude this (Gladys and Anastasia having been butting heads for months). And if i'm not mistaken I don;t think Port or the Crows had to hub anywhere last year either so sending them to WA seems fair.

He’s going to be a brute. Hopefully we can develop his skills to match the physique. If we do he’ll be a serious weapon.

Knee still heavily bandaged. Hopefully just a precaution.

In his interview Ben Brown said the deck was immaculate and the gym facilities top notch. Covid or no covid I think the team should be training in Casey.

Fraser Rosman must have forged his birth cert! He looks 28 rather than 18.

Great to see him in the colors. Listened to his interview. Articulate and well spoken. He’ll be in our leadership group for sure.

I've been schooled. Thank you.

beat me to it.

Sorry old dee to be a pedant. The correct biblical quote is "The love of money is the root of all evil" Your welcome.

That bit wasn't self evident to me. The rest is spot on.

I was able to spend more time with the kids which has been a real silver lining. In all other respects its been a year to forget. Hopefully the Dees can finally get their act together in 2021 and who knows maybe land that elusive flag.

Nothing wrong with backing in hard work and effort but surely thats the base level expectation of an AFL footballer. And especially a $700k a year footballer! I hope his foot heals and he can make a contribution when needed but he is not best 22 and I don’t want him getting in the way of the younger players like Petty and Jackson who need game time. I don’t want to see him pushing Weid out of the team either. We’ll have injuries so he’ll get game time but I’m not holding out hope that he’ll return to 2018 levels or even close. If he can cover for injuries and play half decent footy in the process that’s the extent of my expectations as far as TMac goes. Who knows, if he plays well enough when he gets his opportunities he might be able to sign a contract with another club next year and we can get his wage off the books.

As captain of the ship he has final say on game plan, selection and in game switches. The coaching group will provide input but it’s his call ultimately. Why do people say he doesn’t listen? There isn’t a shred of evidence to support this. If he doesn’t listen then Pert has just wasted his time adding Yze and Williams to the ticket. If the review had revealed this in Goodwin then he would have been out the door already. The more I think of it the Freo game will be the perfect barometer of whether the off-field changes have made a difference. If our midfield functions properly and our delivery to our forwards is reasonable we should win. If not, Freo will beat us. Their team isn’t as mature as ours but they are better coached. They won’t fear us. There can be no honorable defeat, no positives or “learnings” to be had. Lose and the jungle drums will start to beat loudly.

A few of the high draft selections since 2000. Fair to say didn’t go as planned and goes a long way to explaining the paucity of options when discussing our best midfielder this century. Thankfully our recruitment has improved recently with Oliver, Petracca and Brayshaw. The less said about pick 4 the better. 1 – Tom Scully (2009) 2 – Jack Trengove (2009) 4 – Cale Morton (2007), Jimmy Toumpas (2012) 11 – Jordan Gysberts (2009) 13 –Matthew Bate (2004) 16 –Scott Thompson (2000) 17 – Sam Blease (2008) 19 –James Strauss (2008)

Top 3: 1. Clayton Oliver (and he can get even better) 2. Daylight 3. Jones (3 bluey's and almost 300 games)

The terms of specific contracts are not required to be disclosed in the financial statements. There are good reasons, from a commercial perspective, why this is the case.

Tis the season of peace on earth and goodwill to all men Have a happy xmas Gentlemen

Its like the stock market or property market. There will be a downturn but difficult to predict exactly when but we will eventually be proven right. They’ve gone all in for 2021 so I expect them to play finals. 2022 and beyond and I reckon even the most optimistic Geelong supporter will be worried.

The club finances are precarious given the uncertainty of Covid so I don’t want discounts or special offers for the members although I understand the sentiment behind your suggestion. The best way this club can repay the loyalty of supporters is to start winning games of footy, deliver consistent performances and start beating some of the top teams. Fulfill the potential we can all see. Do that and the members will be more than happy.

Our draw has been kind and gives us the opportunity to create some momentum, get wins on the board early. Freo, St Kilda, GWS and Hawks are must wins if we’re to have a crack at the Top 4. Win one of Geelong or Richmond and we’re 5-1 and well on track for the double-chance. Drop Geelong and Richmond and one other and its 3-3 and its just more of the same, inconsistent, mediocrity. Anything less than 3 wins after 6 rounds and I’ll be calling for heads to roll. BB, Yze and Chocco are great additions and I reckon will give the group a real spur. Another pre-season with Burgess as well so I’m genuinely confident and think this group can deliver.

If we’re to have a good season then we have to beat Freo at the G. Simple as that. Freo are a young, developing, well coached team and will be dangerous. They will play well I’m sure. But we’re more experienced and have the better players. If Yze can get our midfield functioning, winning the lion’s share of clearances and with some reasonable delivery I50 we have the fire power to win well. I expect us to win. If we lose then the jungle drums will start beating loudly.

Summary of a HUN article detailing AFL club losses. Sydney had a loss of $6.1m which is pretty severe and we're next at $2.9m. Not sure why St Kilda managed a loss of $1m. I would have thought they are comparable to us in terms of size and scale. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St Kilda has announced an almost $1 million loss for the last financial year. The net loss of $963,106 follows the devastating financial impact of COVID-19 and comes despite the Saints’ record-breaking membership of 48,775. The club’s overall debt increased by about $1.7 million, in part because of the decision to defer the first instalment of 2021 membership subscriptions. Melbourne also announced an operating loss of $2.9 million for the year, but eliminated its debt and retained almost $1.7 million in cash reserves to remain an “unassisted” AFL club. The financial hit owed to a dramatic $17.9 million decline in revenue as a result of COVID-19. Sydney has recorded a $6.1 million loss because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Swans chairman Andrew Pridham says it could have been worse. The Swans have revealed the “severe impact” on the club’s bottom line, citing the absence of home matches at the SCG and crowds for the 2020 season contributing to more than half of the big loss for the financial year. The Swans’ membership of 48,322 was well down from 61,912 the previous year while the club reduced operating expenses by 38 per cent in an attempt to “ensure the club’s survival”. Sydney wasn’t the only club hit hard, with Collingwood announcing a net operating loss of $1.8 million and Geelong posting a $2.6 million loss. Earlier this month Richmond revealed it took $10 million in JobKeeper funds before declaring a small profit, well down on the profit of over $4 million in the previous two seasons.

It’s not unusual for key position forwards to bulk up. I’ve heard commentators advising Weiderman to hit the gym and get bigger. The extra bulk helps when crashing the pack, outbodying opponents or protecting the drop zone. I think TMac’s problems started with his foot injury. If the foot is ok then he might be able to get back to a reasonable level of performance. Fingers crossed.