Chook

For a game between Geelong and Hawthorn, you guys seem to be turning it into a problem with Melbourne. Is that part of our "culture" too?

This is how I'd coach. You don't win a game of football unless you kick goals, no matter how many possessions your forwards have up the ground. It's fair to say my father and eye don't always see eye to eye on this, though.

Does Hurley play for Melbourne? If not, I'm not too concerned about him unless we're playing his team this week.

Actually, I think everyone in this thread loves that. Only one person started this thread, but we're all participating in it, which I think is great. Nobody's forcing you to "take on" anyone. We're not ganging up on you. We just all happen to have similar opinions, even though they're different from yours. As an aside, do you think it's wrong for the NRL to play a game on Good Friday? EDIT: WYL - that's not cool. Harrison's free to believe what he wants. Why would you assume you know why he believes in the existence of God? And religion won't be the downfall of the human race; extremism will be. The Bible has facts about good ways to live your life with others. It may or may not explain why we're here, but it does provide a great way of bringing people together in support of one another (but only when those people are sensible enough to see when dogged belief is dangerous). I may agree with you about Good Friday footy, but I don't agree with your disrespect for Christians' relationships with God.

It appears we may have gone a little early on Essendon. Their run is key, and it will be the same when we play the Pies on QB.

I knew Essendon would get smashed the minute they decided to put Hill, Ryder and Bellchambers in the same team. The way to beat the Pies is tackling pressure (McKenzie highly important here) and a mobile forward-line (Jurrah, Petterd, Wonaeamirri, Bennell very important here). Winning the clearances is also going to be massive, and so the Jamar/Martin combo is going to be huge for us.

Don't tell others what to do. That's the point of what I'm trying to say. I think you may be missing that, and if pity is your reaction to a person doing nothing on their weekend off work, then perhaps you need to look a little harder for a sensible response. And as for Little Goffy, were you offended by the movie Angels and Demons? Religion is part of our culture, and belongs to no-one. How is using the concept of the battle between good and evil so that money can be raised for charity and people can have a good time "cheapening" anything? The day is sacred to some people, but not to others. Regarding the "just as bad as" quote, what you and Harrisonrules are both doing is forcing your beliefs on others. You may view religion as something sacred that must be respected at all times. I view it as a part of human culture that can be responsible for a lot of positive things for individuals and society. I'm supporting a day where people can be happy for a few hours raising money for a great charity. This just happens to tap into one aspect of culture that a few people believe they "possess."

I don't think there are any. That's the point. If there was a movement from members of the Jedi Order to have an annual Star Wars Day or whatever, would you consider it if enough people followed the "religion?" I wouldn't. Religious groups shouldn't be able to determine what the rest of society does on any level, at any time. Not to mention the fact that public holidays now have an entirely secular meaning anyway. It might be called the Easter weekend, but I don't change what I do for these couple of days every year. I get my days off work, but that's only because the people in charge have decided to schedule a series of work-free days during this period. If those days didn't exist, I wouldn't cry foul because in the grand scheme of things, they don't really matter to me.

That's all well and good, but what about all the other religions' holy days that are not observed by the AFL?

I disagree. His job is to make it more difficult for the opponents to move forward (ie towards their own goal), when they have the ball. This is pretty much the same as any defender's role. The only difference is which part of the ground he's doing it in. Does all defence only occur in the back fifty? Back half? Defensive goal-square. It's all just semantics.

Of course, but the press is irrelevant when your backs are getting marks taken on them left and right.

I don't rate his defensive capabilities at all, though his kicking is pretty good. I'm of the opinion that a setup with him and Jared Rivers in the same team would be very bad for us. Riv needs to be able to drift off his man, but he can't do that if other players aren't good one on on. Not sure where else Strauss could go in this case. Maybe on a wing, although I'm not too sure.

Athiests who get offended by other people's harmless religious beliefs (or God forbid its' symbols) are just as bad as religious people who hate gays or want to ban the teaching of Evolution. Religion is part of human culture. Don't fight it. Just live with it. Use a Good Friday Demons-Saits blockbuster to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital. Sell Easter eggs. Whatever. The variety of people's beliefs, and the ability to share in them from time to time, is part of what makes a Multicultural society great. Footy on Good Friday is something that should happen.

I agree with you. Blockbusters don't need to be "earned" if they are well-marketed and have a good theme. Good Friday: Demons vs Saints would be a good-natured homage to the Easter period. No-one would be offended and it would easily develop a niche in the year's events. I'm for it.

On a similar topic, whose idea was it to give the Anzac Day bye to the Club which lost the greatest number of players to the War?

Unfortunately, we're the only Club that cares about the Queen's Birthday "blockbuster." Apparently it's our "Grand Final," even though I thought the Grand Final was our Grand Final.

I heard Lynden Dunn was sighted having a cuddle with his two-week old son prior to our game against the Swans. The fact that young Emmet is so quick to travel to the 'G to watch his dad must mean he bleeds red n' blue. Future captain right there. Also, I should get a prize if this actually occurs.

Honestly, I don't see us winning this one. I don't even think our players will turn up.

I'd go for Paul Roos as coach in a second. I like Dean Bailey, but I like Paul Roos more.

You know that silky-slick chain of handballs through the midfield followed by a kick down the throat of Liam Jurrah, which makes you go "Jeez, where the hell has that been all day?" That's our game plan in action. "Why don't we see it more often?" I here you ask. Because we're young, that's all. Intensity comes with maturity, and skills come with time. Put the two together and you have the ability to reliably hit your game-plan.

I thought his marking today was top-notch. Was murdered a couple of times without getting a free-kick, too. Sure he missed a couple, but two of them were posters, and almost all of his kicks were in about the tenth row. Not in super form, but whatever, he'll come good. Or not. He is the wrong side of thirty - and we all know how quickly things can go downhill at that age.

I thought you were making a witty stab at the Consumerist, sponsor-driven nature of modern sports . . . until you ruined that by admitting your ignorance. Oh well. As for the game, I haven't been too impressed with Colin Garland over the past couple of weeks. I would make the following changes: IN: Madonald, Petterd OUT: Garland, Dunn But that's unlikely to happen. Besides, it may just be a little poor patch for Judy. He could even be out of it in two weeks time anyway.

And if we had actually played well.

I felt like his disposal efficiency in the first half was woeful. I'm obviously one out and loved his second half. I just thought his first was poor, and for that reason, he shouldn't be getting all these 4 votes.

Disagree on Rivers. He's actually been our best defender two weeks in a row now. His disposal is much better than it has been, and as long as he plays on the slowest forward, he's great one-one-one. Poor on the lead, but we have the defensive versatility to work around that.