Its Time for Another

Funnily enough I listen to the Pod for the bits between the ums. My son is in advertising and he watches TV programs for the ads. Each to his own.

Going to be a very interesting end of year this year. We are potentially going to be overflowing with cap space and there are no obvious key forwards available to trade in. Players creating cap space are obviously Brayshaw, likely BBB, probably T Mac and Tomlinson. There's going to be a lot of scope to throw a big contract at him, very heavily front ended for next season. If not there's still a real argument IMO to hold him to his contract next season while we are so much in the window and forego the difference between what Crows would offer this year in a trade and what we'd get for compo next season if he leaves as a free agent. Or maybe there will be a bidding war over there with Port and we'll get fair picks anyway.

Last year's Gather Round was a disaster. Flew back from Perth and then to Adelaide and proceeded to lose to Essendon 🤮 Clearly applying the learnings from that debacle.

Tell me they aren't his mother, girlfriend and best mate.

Incredible training innovation by the Dees. Leaving no blade of grass unturned to get an edge.

Wonderful news to hear McAdam is finally back in the main squad. Wonder if we'll finally see a return date in the injury reports instead of TBC. Also Melk although he will still be a while away you'd think. And Turner and Hunter back in. Injury list disappearing at the right end of the season. NO MAY!!! Bloody wimp. Take it like a man and get out there. Can't believe he didn't turn up. Ok Ok I'm not saying that to him at Florent. Well anywhere actually. Great news to hear it's only cracked ribs and not broken and no internal damage. Broken are a whole other ball game. Cracked are a shocker if you've ever been through it. Can't see them rushing him back for Crows but it is Steven May so who knows. Would be a great bonus if he's back by Lions game. And great news on Lever. But he's pretty heavily strapped.

I have a similar memory of him from a couple of years after that at the Western Oval. He kicked out from the dead centre of the ground, I don’t think there was even a centre circle in those days little own a centre square, it went through at post height. Longest kick I’ve ever seen. Of course it went through the points.

Doesn't make sense for this week however my guess is this is a long term view over the next three weeks. Next week's game against Port is now an 8 pointer. Then only a five day break to what becomes another danger game v Crows. You'd rather manage Petty's reintroduction against one of the bottom teams where any issues with subs should be manageable rather than leave it to the following week in such an important game against Port and then the Crows.

I was there too. 1987 Night Grand Final. It was a bloody miserable and freezing wet night. Robbie was injured and couldn't play and Essendon had their best team in. I was invited out by a friend who's bank manager had invited him to a box. I went out there expecting a loss but a free feed in heated luxury. We had to wear a suit and tie. We got out there and it wasn't a box it was just an area where the seats had a little divider around them. It was right next to the siren. It virtually parted your hair every time it went off. Absolutely froze to death and got soaked and it was bloody glorious. Also the first silver wear I ever saw. Ran onto the ground after the win for the presentation. Robbie was carried to the stage on the players shoulders to accept the trophy as Captain even though he hadn't played.

I also watched it from behind the goals at the opposite end to Buckenara's goal. Watched all those misses at that end coming towards me. Eishold, Tony Campbell who just had to handball to Robbie standing on his own in the goal square and instead blazed and missed, and someone else, maybe Yeates. Still a heart breaker.

Agree with you that the purpose of the northern academy's was to find players who wouldn't otherwise play AFL. Heeney is the poster boy for the success for this. Blakey and Mills who already played AFL in a junior club are not. But how you police that I don't know. Don't agree with you at all on COLA. I live in Sydney and there is a very clearly identifiable difference in COL up here compared to any other city in Australia. Especially compared to somewhere like Geelong who get a massive COL advantage. The whole COLA outrage and the Buddy deal was a scurrilous beat up by Eddie Everywhere. The COLA component of the salary cap was audited by the AFL every year. It was allocated per rata to each player on the list. There was no pooling of the money and giving it to just one player, Buddy. Swans and GWS will always run with a substantial disadvantage at. attracting players because of this disparity. It has had a significant effect on their trading since it was taken away.

Many memories seared into the brain from that place. The long long trip out on public transport. Especially as a kid. You could never ever find your car in the car park after a game. It took forever to leave once you found it. Went to the first ever World Series Cricket game out there. Me and I believe officially 172 other people including the mate I went with. The '87 Prelim is seared in the memory. Watched the ball in slow motion from the kickout to Buckenara's free kick which Robbie always maintained should never have been paid as the siren went before it got to him. Jimmy walking over the mark and the most heartbreaking moment of my life when Buckenara's kick went through the middle. The only time we were behind in the game was minutes after the final siren. It was unknowingly built in a rain belt so was nearly permanently wet out there when it was dry everywhere else.

I also saw a lot of Robbie including his first and last games and a lot in between. He definitely has some traits that remind me of Robbie. There's a certain drive and swivel from the hips, running style and the same ballet dancer poise and movement especially evading tacklers, burst of pace leaving contests, decision making and skills. There's plenty of Robbie there. He's taller and already quite a bit heavier not that it would be hard to be heavier than Robbie's 68kg. He l already looks to be a better defensive player than Robbie. Time will tell. If he gets to have a career half as good as Robbie's we have a star on our hands. Early signs are very promising.

Act of Parliament sounds like a big deal but really isn’t. He could have requested the Queen to remove them. She tells the PM in her weekly meetings. He does the very minor paper work. No politicians are going to oppose it. Would go straight through Parliament in 5 minutes. If that’s what’s required. No need for personal insults. R don’t want to be compared to Piers Morgan on any level thanks. 😬

Blakey actually had 3 teams he could go to. Might not happen again. His father played over 100 games for Roos and Lions and he grew up in Sydney and went the whole way through the Sydney Academy from the earliest age. That happened because his father was an Assistant at the Swans for that whole period. If he had moved to another team in a different State he wouldn't have stayed at the Academy and wouldn't have been eligible for them.

Like your thinking. Had forgotten about Spalding but Windsor's far too smooth moving to be referenced to him. And he was a deserter anyway. John Wayne and Duke Ellington. He's already looking like a bit of a figuritive gun slinger so maybe Wayne. And he moves like a dancer dancing to music so could possibly get away with Duke Ellington not that you'd want to try to dance to his music.

It's my least favourite. The only current well known Royal Windsor who is a Duke is Harry. I don't think that's a worthy reference for him. I would have preferred Prince. Here's some trivia about the current British Royal family's surnames. For those interested read on. The rest, read no further. The last actual Duke of Windsor was King Edward VIII who abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson and who was a Nazi supporter. The Queen banned the use of the title Duke of Windsor throughout her reign. Of course Windsor is a made up name. The Royal surname Windsor is actually made up. All the European Royals are inbred. The current Royal family originally had a Germain background and up until 1917 their surname was Saxe-Coburg Gotha. Because of the anti German sentiment in WWI they changed it to Windsor. Prince Phillip's surname which would normally have followed on to his children and Grand Children etc was Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. When he married the Queen he was pressured to change to his mother's surname Mountbatten also because of anti German sentiment this time after WW2. He was originally named Philippos Andreou. Phillip was very upset that his children would not have his surname as they were only to have the surname Windsor but in 1960 he had a Royal decree enacted so his children's surname would be Mountbatten Windsor. Harry and Meaghan while rejecting their roles in the Royal family ostensibly primarily because of the public scrutiny have insisted on keeping their Royal titles Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Surely if you wanted to avoid the Royal scrutiny the first thing you would do is drop the Royal title. Bizarrely in the context of surnames they have given their children the surname Sussex not either of their actual surnames but still a surname linked to their Royal titles. Go figure. But I digress. Caleb is already a star after two games. He deserves an equivalent nickname to the player he most reminds me of....Robbie but Calebby doesn't work. So bring on Prince.

@Kev Martin and @WalkingCivilWar what sort of training did McAdam do. Does he look like he's progressing.

Not as soft as you think. Last 6 games from round 19 are: Freo Perth Giants MCG Dogs Marvel Port MCG Suns Up there Pies MCG And round 16 Lions up there

Don't know if you mean made up by me or him. I just said that for me personally from a list progression point of view Howes was the player I most wanted to see develop and get a game this year and what a great game he had. And last year it was Laurie. He didn't really have to comment on Laurie in that context so don't think it was made up. Hopefully by the end of the year it won't be a debate point and he'll had a great season.

I generally don't post about conversations I've had with people in the inner sanctum out of respect to them and their privacy. And I've already mercilessly invaded this person's privacy but KITP's comments have pushed me over the edge. On Sunday I was having a swim at Bondi. As I was walking in to the surf who should be walking out but Goody and his partner. I didn't realise it was him at first. He smiled at me thinking I'd recognised him which I hadn't at that point. Once I did I said Sorry Goody I'm a Dees supporter. I bet you thought you could have a swim in Sydney and not be bothered by anyone. He and his partner laughed. He was very friendly and stopped to chat for a minute. In relation to Laurie he said something to the effect that he's going to be alright. He just has to believe in himself which he will. That's not it exactly but as close as I can remember. He also said Jeez you're a good looking Rooster and sooo intelligent. I didn't realise we had such good looking intelligent supporters around. They must all be up here in Sydney. That's not it exactly but as close as I can remember. Or then again maybe not.........memory's so bad these days.

He was the player I most wanted to see debut this year for the progression of the list. I wasn't so sure after his pre season form. Wow what a great debut in a tough game, in a tough role under the pump. Here are his team rankings in some key stats. 1st intercept possessions 9 5th equal contested possessions 9 6th disposal efficiency 82.4% 6th equal most tackles 3 8th equal most disposals. 17 11th Uncontested possessions 9 12th most metres gained 224 20th game time. (Take into account Laurie was subbed off, Bowey went off injured, Billings was only the sub)

I think you'd be confident in saying many of the predictions about us are based on the pre season issues and thinking we won't be able to play football anymore. Blues game showed not only are we still an elite drilled unite but our system is even better. Plus hopefully our injury woes will be well behind us within the next 4-6 weeks but they might cause us a shaky start in the first 6 weeks which could leave us outside the 4 for a while. Thus opening game is sooo important. I haven't seen anyone in the press comment on the fact that we flogged Collingwood and Carlton in the finals in every statistic except unfortunately the final one of a winning score. All we need to do is fix that final part of the system and we should be serious contenders and on the basis of the Carlton game there's a lot of improvement already. IT's prediction. If we get through the first 6 weeks at say 4-2 we'll finish top 2 and will be hard to stop from there. I have a wedding to go to on Grand Final day. I've already told She Who Must Be Obeyed I'm not going to miss finally seeing a Dees Premiership live for that wedding.

Frankly my dear I couldn't give a damn what Maynard thinks about anything. I have a strong view about the reckless intent of that incident. I'm not going to discuss it any further.

I'd say we'll be getting nothing for Agnus. Unlikely to get much for Angus as well. Maynard should be held responsible but of course wasn't.