Dappa Dan

As far as this match fixing thing goes, I reckon an individual cannot fix a match. If 6 or more senior players were all in cahoots then yes, perhaps that's possible. But even the best players in histoy couldn't stop the other 21 guys from trying. Also, if you're tanking a match, your coach will just bench you. Simple.

Ta, J.

If he tipped against us in that final and actually won a few bucks, then we're not going to hear the end of it. What kind of message would that send to the playing group and the league at large about how seriously he takes his footy? When your own players are making money off the team's failure there's something very wrong. That's all assuming the above scenario is in fact correct.

Please explain?

Just ran into Robbo tonight in Brighton, having dinner at the Dendy Deli with a beautiful blonde. An absolutely wonderfully nice guy, which is a surprise considering his profile and reputed "ego." He noticed my demons lanyard and immediately shot me a smile. I said good luck to him as I left and patted him on the shoulder (he was sitting) and nearly broke my hand at the wrist. He's carved out of some kind of granite. Proof positive that not ALL footballers are imbeciles. I hope I get another chance to run into him, I'll ask him more questions if I can next time. And it's no wonder his girlfriend (assumption) is such a stunner, he's a good looking man... Not that there's anything wrong with that....

Ta for that.

I see. That seems strange to me though. You'd think of all places in Australia to be ready to go for footy, Melbourne, along with Tassie would be the most likely. That's water restictions for you I guess.

Nasher (assuming it's you who runs the site), I was going to PM you about whether or not the site will be altered to return to the days of red & blue. But I thought it might go well opening a thread asking whether or not people want it changed, and what they want it changed to. Are there still plans to return to the design of a month or two ago?

As pointed out on demonology each year he lingers in the captaincy makes a Neitz-Brock succession more likely.

Self explanatory. http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&...rticleid=315327

Yeah, I didn't mean as heavy as carroll, I meant big as Carroll. But in proportion obviously. Also, there's no reason to suggest that if he bulks up and fills out that he'll lose pace. There's plenty of enormous guys out there that still have a lot of pace. Besides, it's not his sheer running power that makes him a good player. Some extra strength and weight will ONLY improve him as a player, not hinder him.

For what it's worth, I was playing in Sydney last year and there's a general perception that because of the added heat and lack of rain up there compared to Melbourne (a myth possibly) the grounds are harder. I wouldn't say it stops people from playing, but it certainly means they have to wear mouldeds instead of studs. Shinsplints hurt. So why would there be a lack of grounds to play on? Will the heat effect the pitches THAT badly will it?

In the words of Captain Jack Sparrow, "Not PROBABLE." Neitz was older than the Biz is now when he started last year, and he went on to have one of the better seasons of his career. Clarke wasn't supposed to play for the Crows last year because he was too old. Harvey, while in decline, is still winning games himself. Yes, players lose effectiveness, but don't count him out. You can't possibly know whether or not he's going to be an important part of the 22 this year. No-one can, not even the inner sanctum of the MFC match committee. The important thing is he's given an opportunity. That's why he's still on the list (that, and the beefy contract he signed).

Bigfooty is going to be over-run with repetitive anti-umpiring threads. Even demonland will probably suffer. In many ways, it may just be a long year. On the other hand, whatever changes there are in this regard, at least we can hope they'll apply to both ends of the ground. For every free Rivers or Holland give away, at least there'll be one for Neitz and co.... in theory.

http://emuse.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/13206 I don't usually post videos that aren't imagery to do with footy, but after stumbling across this, I found it stimulated a topical thought or two regarding our own game. Now, I realise there are big differences between ice-hockey and footy. They wear armour, there's no footy, only a puck that I assume moves more predictably, and from my limited understanding there are less stringent penalties for this "checking" that goes on. Also, when a skater knows he's being lined up there is less he can do as there's no studs in his footwear, or nice soft earth to dig them into. No traction = more spectacular hits. As the commentator rightly pointed out this element of their game is not necessarily an "artform." While I agree somewhat, I still can't escape the fact that the punishing aspect of both games is one of the things that draws me to it. I started playing again last year, and just like with any other footballer, there's nothing like kicking a hard-earned goal in a tight match. And if it's the winner, you'll likely remember it the rest of your life. Likewise, a saving mark in defence surrounded by opponents is pretty important too as you're saving a certain 6 points and possibly setting up more for your team. These plays would have more to do with actually WINNING a game, but for some reason I can't remember any of them. I've forgotten many of the happiest moments in my life, and some that I do remember have faded enough for me to doubt my memory's accuracy. As far as I'm concerned there are some feelings that are as vivid now as they were 10 years ago on the day. In every one of those cases I was completely polaxed by one player or another. It wasn't so much the pain, or the kick that I just got off that make those emoments special. It's the getting up. Call me a heathen, but the added ingredient of fear lifts footy beyond being just a skill game. I can recall EVERYTHING about these moments, right down to how much blood, where it was coming from and what I did to control it. And I don't mind saying, I remember all these things with pride. Any contact sport takes courage, and there are many different forms even in footy. The courage to gut-run, the courage to play with injury, the courage to take a risk that you may be punished for by team-mates or your coach (or us!), the courage to overcome the fear of embarrassment (I'd say a 100,000-person audience may get the heart racing), and even as Glen Archer says, the fear that your going to let down your team-mates can be overwhelming at times. He claims that this is his greatest fear, and since he was a kid he's never been able to sleep the night before a match because of it. I have little time for people who call Byron a sniper. The recent rule changes may do enough to suppress players' desire to bring danger into the game, and that, IMO, would be a tragedy. I play and watch footy BECAUSE it hurts. If it doesn't hurt you don't feel as though you've achieved as much. I fear for the path footy is taking these days. But then I'm not Robinson Crusoe. Sermon over.

Great post. Quite a lot of enjotment there for a guy who was only 7 at the time and knew about as much abot footballs as his own balls. Thanks for painting the picture.

This is true.

Good post RR. I tell you what though, I've heard a lot about Colm Begley from the lions. Apparently he's a freak. If the rumours and gossip is true from my sources, he'll be a 250-gamer, and star. Time will tell.

Me too.

Hmm. Bugger. Still, it's good it won't trouble him for that long.

Fair 'nuff. I will say this though. I realise Robbo's year was only hampered (not ended) by his injury troubles, but I thought he was more serviceable than people give him credit for. He averaged nearly 2 goals a game, which is more than can be said for some other supposedly top-line goal-kickers. With Neitz occupying so much space he's always found it tricky finding room. You only need to look as far as 2006 for what he does when Neitz is suppressed. We had one of the better attacks last year, and he was our second-best goal-kicker. Like I say, I'm not as cranky with him as some. Having said that, I reckon I agree with much of what you said there. One of the things that annoys me about him is best described when you compare him to Bruce. "Before2Long" put it best when he said that when Bruce goes up for a mark, he takes them enough of the time for him to win over the space of the whole match, but when he doesn't take one, he keeps his feet and recovers well to reclaim the spoils and run on in better space than his opponent. Robbo is the opposite of this. We all love how much he tries but he'd be a far more effective player if he just kept his feet. Also, when he's on the deck with the ball, he has a nasty habit of exploding out of a group of tacklers hollywood style and handballing blindly to where he thinks a team-mate might be, instead of just looking and handballing. Yeah, Robbo's problems aren't so bad when he's kicking 3-4 goals every second week. But if Neitz has a 60+ year, or better even, I fear Robbo may have to change his game to become less of a goal-kicker, more of a flanker. The first step would be to trim down as much as possible, which it seems he has done.

Good idea DH. And wuss, Weetra 2nd?!! Do you know something we don't? 1. Newton. Already flagged by ND. All he has to do is kick a few in the NAB and he's as good as selected. 2. Frawley. Same as Newton. Could be number one, but it depends on what gaps need filling. 3. Petterd. Has impressed early. A running defender with courage and poise is exactly the tonic we need from a backline with many small defenders with minor but exploitable faults (Bell's decision making, Ward's kick, Brown's unaccountability). 4. Buckley. Only because he's ben on the list for longer than some of the others and isn't a rookie. Early on ND said he was looking forward to giving him a go. Hasn't been lazy in the off season either. 5. Hughes. A fraction ahead of Neaves as the most likely rookie. Can fulfill a lot of roles. Plenty of talent in many different skill sets, just a bit small. 6. Neaves. Will play eventually, but he's pretty much only a ruckman. Not a CHF/ruckman like 426, who pretty much waited 4 years. Having said that, if PJ does another shoulder (touch wood) it's come on down Shane! 7. Hayes. We're not exactly blessed with mercurial small crumbing forwards after Davey and Byron. If we have another double hamstring blow, you'd think, if there was room, Hayes might get a go after Hughes. 8. Garland. Only if all the other forwards miss for one reason or another. Stranger things have happened. Look at Bartram. If he impresses enough, why not? He's had some senior experience and done some damage. 9. Weetra. Not enormously likely in 2006. Most have said he's a speculative investment. That means 2008. 10. Neville. Is saved from last spot only because he's listed, not rookied. Nothing against him, but he's up against it. SO many small defender/wingmen before him who are relegated at the moment. 11. Bode. Will need a heeeeuge turnaround or he's gaaaaaawn.

I heard about Trav's toe on demonology, but there was some debate as to whether it's true. Some say that's what he said, others say there was no plaster. It'd better not be on his right foot, I'll say that much. We don't want him to do a Green and suddenly become a shocking kick for a season.

Correct. For 2007 at least. I think it was a small operation on his elbow or shoulder from memory. He said to various fans that it was minor surgery and that the sling would be removed quickly, and that was the case. But unfortunately he wasn't with the main group for a long while there, and was in recovery for what seemed like an eternity, along with Moloney, Bartram, PJ, Whelan and others at various times. On the positive side, I've heard PJ and Moloney are almost back to their best. If Colin has followed in their footsteps perhaps we may see him at least play unhindered, even if he hasn't had time to develop any lasting changes to his game.

And has done for what seems like an eternity. I can't remember a time when I wrote down our best 22 and haven't started with "B: Whelan...." Agreed on Rivers. I'd suggest he will certainly end up at some stage being a true CHB, but it'll only happen when he becomes the size of Carroll. His close checking is among the best in the AFL. If ND, or whoever is coaching us for the next ten years, wishes it he could be played like the next Fletcher, taking the second tall. I'd advocate that at this early stage, assuming we always have a Chopper in the team.