george_on_the_outer

Spot on..... Even this thread has been going since 2020, and for the older people on this site, it goes back even longer... At the "merger" rallies Brian Dixon said something along the lines of "we don't want second rate facilities like Glenferrie...we want the best in the league" That was now 30 years ago, and we still don't have anything! In recent times we have been told the Board has been investigating: A facility outside the MCG toward Jolimont station. Never going to fly because of local resident opposition ...ever. Yet time and effort was wasted. Car Park F at AAMI....still left us with substandard oval on Public land at Gosch's with shared facilities with Storm, Victory etc Car Park E at AAMI ...overlooked by Collingwoods facility, and an even smaller footprint...yeah that'll work! We were promised by the CEO at a sponsors event in 2022 that something would be definitely be announced by year end, but could't say anything yet because it was "commercial in confidence" 4 years later we have the same with Caulfied....can't say anything, even after redevelopment was touted in 2023!

Keeping with the sheep theme: An Australian was walking along a country road in New Zealand when he saw a farmer going at it with a sheep. The Aussie yelled, "You know, mate, back home, we shear those!" The New Zealander looked around frantically and said, "I'm not shearing her with no one!" But since this is a football site: One day, a man walks into an antique shop in London. Looking around, he notices a life-sized bronze sculpture of a cat in a dark corner. The sculpture is so intriguing, he decides he must buy it and asks the shopkeeper the price. "$12 for the cat, sir," the shopkeeper tells him, "and $100 for the story that goes with it." "I'll take the cat," says the man, "but you can keep the story." The transaction completed, the man leaves the store with the bronze cat under his arm. As he crosses the street in front of the store, two cats emerge from an alley and fall into step behind him. Nervously looking over his shoulder, he begins to walk faster, but every time he passes another alley, more cats come out and follow him. By the time he's walked two streets, at least a hundred cats are at his heels, and people are beginning to point and shout. He walks even faster, and soon breaks into a trot as multitudes of cats swarm from alleys, basements, and abandoned cars. Thousands of cats are now at his heels, and as he sees the river at the bottom of the hill, he panics and starts to run full pelt. No matter how fast he runs, the cats keep up, hissing insanely, now not just thousands, but millions. He looks up and sees that he is running towards the edge of the Thames, and the trail of cats is now several hundred yards long behind him. Making a mighty leap, he jumps onto a lamp post, grasping it with one arm while he hurls the bronze cat into the river. Clinging to the lamp post, he watches in amazement as the seething tide of cats surges over the banks into the river, where they drown. Amazed and almost dumbstruck, he makes his way back to the antique shop. "Ah, so you've come back for the story," says the shopkeeper. "No," says the man, "I was wondering if you had a bronze Collingwood fan?

..hope not. That role is for the Board and CEO. No idea what this is about….still can’t work out what Richardson is doing if this role is needed???

Especially when most of those assets are in a "Future Fund" that is NOT to be spent on training & Admin facilities.

And the only thing the sheep at the meeting were worried about was whether we were called Dee’s or some logo change. Spare me.

Nothing again. Same as when Pert got up in 2022 as promised something to announce by year end.

Thanks also Meggs. Great summary, and your fabulous insight into the team and the up and coming players. Hope to see you back next year especially as the AFLW competition becomes more and more interesting and part of our football life.

CJ had a medical type bandage below his knee on Wednesday, same today. It is the usual thing you see after an arthroscopy. However, before everyone gets too excited, he participated in full training that day, and did about half a session today. There was an awful lot of running, sprints and up and down the field in todays session, so perhaps he was told not to overdo it?

...we have 12 players who are over 29 this season. 10 of those will probably play in the first round and for most of the season. May, Melksham, TMac, Gawn, Viney, Salem, Langdon, Lever, Steele, Mihochek........ with Campbell & McAdam not in first 23. Average age of list is a rubbish statistic. As others have pointed out, every teams average is within a small range. And it is the same every year. The relevant stat is your best 23 age. Our situation is not pretty, as from the list above, most are key position players, all who played most of the games last year and we finished 14th. .... This is a rebuild and it will take a couple of seasons.

Yes....and a good number of people still insist we have adequate training facilities....

Agree. The one thing I took from today was about kicking the ball into the space where the receiver has to run, not directly to the receiver. It forces, for example, the forward to go to where the ball is delivered, not where they think they should lead to. And it forces the person with the ball to kick to the most advantageous location, because they have better vision of the defence. It is early days, but teaching players not to kick to a leading forward, but rather to the best position for that forward, takes time. When they have got the hang of it, then more defenders can be employed progressively until we get to match day reality.

Every side will play 2 rucks this year, because of 5 on the bench, and the change to ball ups. No nominating from 100m away, rucks will have to run a lot more than in the past.

Damning……. https://www.theage.com.au/national/afl-clubs-implicated-with-security-firm-linked-to-finks-bikie-gang-20251127-p5niuz.html

Absolutely guaranteed. “Look at how we have turned things around” . Not having these player and coach payments, and soft salary tax to bring the Goodwin contract into this year, will guarantee a better result next year. ….without doing a single thing.

The loss was $4.5 M ! To use the cover-up of a $200k "operating loss" is deceptive. When it seems the abnormals claimed are paying out football contracts. That's not abnormal.

...and it's not leased, and it is up and running today, not in 5 years time (maybe), and they will expand it, and their Board set up the funding process and sought supporter engagement a long time ago. Unlike the MFC who squandered a post Premiership opportunity to build for the future of the club.

Heath, Hore & Gillard…..wow. Without them we were toast. Great marking and goals to Wotherspoon. Really showed up the other forwards! Best move was Harris into ruck. Really stopped the rot in the middle and forced her into the action. Disgraceful umpiring no 9. At one centre bounce Adelaide were certain to get a 666 call with a late change, and he called the Adelaide winger into the centre square to avoid it happening…unbelievable!!!

We play 7 games against bottom 6 sides from last year........same as Carlton and Collingwood!!! AFL making sure their favourites are being looked after.

This is how "Enter Sandman" should be done......get the crowd involved....leave the team song to the end of a winning game.

...and sadly only one is still to be found flying......

At least Max knows, and obviously internally also given the delistings we have made, that we have failed to re-generate the list compared with Geelong. Sadly we still have the same basic problem for the coming year, our first 23 has too many players over the age of 29 who WILL play this year because we have no-one to replace them.

Thank goodness for Hore, Hanks, Fitzsimon, Gillard and Heath who got us over the line against a side that finished 12th. Once again we were shown to be vulnerable against pressure.

The whole game turned when the umpires failed to pay a mark to Kate Hore in the forward line. It just deflated everyone and probably would have put the game beyond reach for them, as they picked up the momentum. Not bothered about the frees or not, but honestly blow the whistle for a ball up when a rugby scrum is around the ball.

Why would you go to Waverly?. even temporarily. Hawthorn are still there You cannot train at night, because the locals won't allow lights Facilities are already at AAMI.....same as what the Hawks have at Waverley, so what's the advantage ....except when we get shunted during the Australian Open. Waverley has a single oval, same as Gosch's If you go to Waverley, might as well keep going to Casey.

Free kick count probably includes out of bounds and lassoo’s. ...and I wish Stinear would play Zanker up the ground or in the middle, to force her to get involved in the game. Looking for too many easy out the back kicks, and not going for the ball instead of trying to muscle her opponent as the first option.