pitmaster

Whaaaaat? What game was that? I remember the Troy Broadbridge Memorial Game as a triumph over Essendon and I have checked the stats and memory serves me right: 15.13 103 to 8.9 57: Melbourne by almost eight goals. You're a serial whinger SK and I am glad to have caught you out. Now I'll read the rest of the thread to see who else did not buy in.

Thanks. That's very helpful. I think I've got it.

Can someone explain the umpiring blunder in the NRL GF to someone (me) who does not know the rules. Six again? And how it led to the game deciding try...

At 178cm you might be on to something. Prefer a little more height thanks.

Close. Former Fairfax shareholder.

Sorry, not really so. Fairfax shares no longer exist. Fairfax shareholders were reimbursed with something like one Nine share for three and a half Fairfax. Nine is running the show, as anyone who works there can attest.

Catch up. Nine bought them months ago. As for Hipwood, tease is almost all he has ever done, bar 10 minutes against us this year.

OK I can let some stuff pass by without comment...like the 'had ofs' instead of 'had haves' and 'loosing' for 'losing' but this is in a thread title. It should be 'Who BEARS the most blame?' Bear in this case is not an animal but a verb meaning 'to carry' or 'support'. 'Bare' makes no sense in this context unless the originator reckons whoever is most responsible should bare their [censored], but even then I don't think it works. As to the answer, the midfield and the forwards, for failing to connect and failing to convert inside 50s to genuine scoring opportunities, with a further burden of responsibility for whoever decided we did not need a goal kicking/kicking coach.

Take another look.

An interception with a gut run out of defence and no one able to run him down does not count as a spectacle in your world? OK. But it does for me. The problem with Frost is what happens next. And Jeremy? Brilliant mark followed by turnover. There. I've spelled it out for you.

This is looking increasingly like Jeremy Howe Mark II. An occasionally spectacular player with flawed skills has a strongish year, an ambitious manager and a hankering for a bigger payday. In Howe's case his manager basically talked him out of the club and the kid fell for the fairytale he could go play forward at Pie Park. Frosty also seems in thrall to his manager. He has not set any guidelines for his manager and seems to believe his own pr. If he stays I'll be ok with it. If he goes, I reckon it's because the club has a clear view of his relative worth, and I'll be ok with it, but a bit sorry for what is says about the game.

Go ahead and bag Goodwin all you like but to say he had no Plan B is total horse sh*t. If you took any notice this year - and you might be forgiven for ceasing to pay attention - you'd have seen that we changed our game style completely mid-season.The manic running, play on at all cost through the corridor (for which we did not have the skills to execute) was abandoned for a slower, more deliberative controlled play. If that is not a Plan B, what is?

If John Northey was still there he'd have hit on Mark Knight for the original, had it laminated and installed in the change rooms for the entire pre-season, and told the players about it every week. Corny tricks but some times they work.

I thought you were trolling so I opted not to bite.

You clearly weren't around when his career was derailed by injury.

Diversity deficit?

Sometimes reality is even better than dreams.

I don't think so. They win this and that's their whack and we can go back a little more towards normality. Once they have won a flag, like Brisbane, like Adelaide, the Weagles and Port, their favours cease. I thought GWS were terrific yesterday. Very hard at the contest and while the ball was greasy and mistakes were made their determination to put in a second, third, even fourth effort to regain the ball or pressure the Pies was sensational. It was very good finals football. They dominated the first half but did not get the reward. Collingwood, however, had no forwards and only looked threatening when they could get their slingshot happening. The Giants' pressure stopped them doing that more than a couple of times. They only got going once they could exploit Grundy's dominance. If GWS win it, they'll have played well and the bars and restaurants in Swan St, let alone the motorists parked there, can rest easier. Then we push back into a fairer competition. (I just wish the Suns are sent to Tassie.)

Grundy was great. GWS roved well to him early, however he dragged the Pies back into the contest in the final term.

I can't claim to be a beer expert although I do know I prefer lagers to ales. However can someone tell me what is that very fine aftertaste that comes with the Demon Brew. Is it hops? (I tried provoking a response above but no result. Is no-one else drinking the stuff?) A surprisingly good, distinctive beer.

Having listened to the entire interview what surprised me was that Frosty seemed not to have given his manager Anthony McConville much in the way of riding instructions. Only when prompted by Lyon did he indicate he had told McConville he'd prefer to stay but was waiting on an offer. Frosty seemed to be pretty passive and dare I say it, lukewarm about staying. It sounded more like a vague preference on account of the fact he had his mates at Melbourne. It makes me wonder how much influence managers' have: we could be looking at another Jeremy Howe situation where the manager talks the player out of his club by trying to build up his price. He nominated North and Hawthorn as clubs that had contacted McConville and added that another, a third club which he did not name, had made contact.

Exactly. I hope he knocks us back. Great when he is out there but that's not often enough and if the Pies struggle to keep him fit with their state of the art resources how will we go? Look, within a few weeks he might be thinking about having another tilt at a flag with the Pies after they lose the Big One by two points due to a last minute, appalling umpiring decision that gifts Jack Reiwoldt a goal. So he stays. I prefer the Langdon and Tomlinson rumours to this one but the upside of all three is that we are in gear and looking to make a difference to a group that failed comprehensively this year.

Ling is dreadful but Basil matches him with Du-whane Russell not far behind. Three complete hacks.

check your maths

You're absolutely right, but it also pained me to know that Hawthorn had Neitz and Yze there at one point when we were battling. It just seemed wrong that after their success they were picking the eyes out of our one-club champions to boost their own chances. Even the angry little man played a couple of years for us.