rpfc

Once the AFL takes over Etihad in 10 years time - some of these issues disappear. And the facilities at Etihad can be stripped out and improved surely? I don't see the desperate need tbh.

A couple thoughts: 1. Schwarta deserved that line about accuracy. Whether it is seen as playful from Hogan or dismissiveness - how David can call a few stuttered kicks at goal in the PS a 'disgrace' is beyond me, especially when he has a season of very straight kicking under his belt. 2. This talk of 8 or 10 year contracts is farcical. This bloke will be in the top 20 players in the game for a decade and I know $1m seems like a lot of money now, and it is, but the game is growing so quickly that in a ten year contract Hogan will be over paid for a season, rightly paid for two seasons and underpaid for the rest of the ridiculously long contract that many of you think he can't turn down. The cap was approx. $7.2m (with Additional Service Agreements) in 2007 and in 2016 is $11.3m. That has taken a $720k contract from 10% to 6.3% of the cap 10 seasons later. That discrepancy will any get more exponential in the future as the cap jumps a few million dollars in 2017 and rises more and more every year.

Can we cool the talk of 'dynasties' until we actually do something more than win 7 games in a season?

I get the point of the thread but there are no winners or losers in March (well, early March)... But there are a few that have taken their chance, a few that have put their names out there, a few with emphatic question marks, and a few starting behind a lot of names. Watts, Oliver, Bugg, and Kennedy took their chance. Wagner, Hunt, and Frost put their names out there. Garland and Grimes continue to do things that veterans are not expected to do. (Grimes over committing and asking for a moving 'switch' that led to a goal, Garland not 'meeting the footy' and getting beaten again leading to a goal) You accept it from the kids, but not from 9+ year vets. Petracca, I assume, will be asked to win his position with form through the VFL and starts behind where he should be. Dawes and Trengove are in a similar position, in what could be their final opportunity to play in the AFL.

I think the key with the rotations limit is to have as many mids as possible that can 'rest' back or forward. Vince across HB, AvB across HF for example. Mids: Gawn, Jones, Vince (B), AvB (F), Bugg (B), Tyson, Viney, Brayshaw (F), M Jones (B), Harmes (F), Kennedy (F), Oliver (F) Backs: McDonald, Dunn, Garland, Salem, Jetta Fwds: Hogan, Pedersen (R), Garlett, Kent, Watts. Emer: Grimes, Frost, Lumumba

The 'airborne' indication removes the old excuse 'I was just competing for the ball' (this is for when it is on the ground of course) as keeping two feet on the ground would be a prerequisite for winning a ball on the ground and disposing of it adequately.

I have noted this a few times in the past to, what I assume are, glazed looks from some of you on here: Confidence in marking the footy. I bring it up as Hogan just had the biggest example of I have ever seen of an elite marker of the footy to show an abject inability to hold the football kicked in his direction. This lack of confidence leads to 'hard hands' and little trust to mark it in your fingers; it can lead a player to try and 'brick it down' by deadening the ball with your palm and 'two-grabbing' everything in sight. And this leads me to Dawes - the person in question that I have noted in the past with little confidence in his marking. It comes and goes, and Hogan will get it back as soon as Round 1 I would say. But it is a part of the reason why, if Dawes can get back on the park (yes a big 'if' OD), then Dawes can give a great deal more than he gave in 2015.

Yeah, one can't expect him to be AVB. Big chance to play HBF though for us, we don't have an abundance of good kicks coming off the backline. If Salem gets injured...

Jeez, he looks good... Very exciting next few years for our midfield but more immediately - he is a big chance for GWS.

I guess someone got him a mirror...

Ok, sure, but 'latent potential irrespective' aside - we can discuss the team we play possibly losing its FF...

GWS at the G... Ess at the G... NM at Bellerive... Coll at the G... Rich at the G... What a great opportunity to play some half-decent teams that give us the opportunity to test ourselves but also get off to a good start. We could win all of them or be 2 and 3... Then we play two games (StK at Shittihad and the Suns away) that we should win but invariably do not - this will either drag us back down or propel us forward as... ...we play the WB, PA, Haw, Coll on QB, and Sydney (with only BL as respite) to Round 13 and the bye. If we are to play finals we would have to at least 5 and 2 when we play WB...and beat two of the above (assuming the Lions are a win as well) and be 8 and 5. The back 9 looks hazardous - we would need our confidence up to survive it.

Yes, we used the new rules to our advantage and were ahead of the curve. That felt strange to type...

If they are the best leaders of that group right now - then that is the measure. I groan when I see LGs that have "potential leaders" included.

Yeah, so a win is a win last week but not this week. Progress I guess...

I don't really believe in forward flanks of old - I think he will end up playing that extra wing role from the HFF. He is competing with a few there though; Kent, Watts, Petracca, etc. none of those play exactly the same but their role will be similar.

1. 2 years is 1 year? Ok, then. How do you argue with that? 2. Hearsay. And what targets were those? Coz they wouldn't have been stratospheric if we 'hit them'... 3. Hearsay that they listened to deals. Hearsay that they 'strung us along'. 4. The salary cap will (in my estimation) jump $3m. That is how big the TV money increase can easily handle. Hogan's 2015 was a taste of what he can bring, and if you think that a million a year is a good deal for him for his peak years (and there will be plenty) then you are not reading the tea leaves properly. He is worth ~10% of the cap right now (that is $1m btw), if he stays being worth 10% in 5 years that would mean he should be paid $1.7m. To sign a (crazy) long term deal is not in his best interest.

Some of your neuroses are showing again people. If we want to keep players of his ilk then acting like he will leave will not help. He has 2 years left FCS. Some of you are so effing embarrassing... Start winning some games and offer him his rightful amount and he will stick around to play with the talent we have surrounded him, and he has bonded, with. PS. I have talked about this previously but the AFL salary cap is about to have the biggest jump in history - FYI. Read into that what you will, or just continue to hand-wring.

I don't see BBs posts. Mainly because of reasons like what you are referring to - getting paid a commensurate wage and playing in a winning team is accusing someone of being a mercenary? Good lord.

Well, there you go - the path to empathy; treat all posters you disagree with as you would your half-cut self...

But you can retract a scrubber. Scrubber - Yes. Simpleton - No. And while I look forward to the snide - isn't it easier to understand where mo64 is coming from when you were once there?

So Hogan will stick around because he likes coffee? I get the 'travel with a bad back' reason but the things that will keep him around are money and winning.

$$$ is what I make of that.

...extended a couple years ago.

Jeez, what happened here? Can we just agree that picket doesn't have the necessary qualifications to post here and move on? As for Pearce and Cowan: this will be commonplace in a few years and I am all for it. And if you don't think women have to earn their way in the footy industry - you are kidding yourself.