Nasher

Have you seen the photo of May? They have a ranking for “unreasonable contact to the face, careless conduct, high/extreme impact, high contact”. If this situation doesn’t meet that definition, what situation would, in your view? A player flying for the mark with arms outstretched is an expected action in the game. I wouldn’t penalise that for the same reason we don’t penalise (other than a free) when defenders accidentally punch players in the head when attempting a spoil. It’s mal-execution of a normal skill in the sport. What normal football skill involves flinging one’s elbow backwards at head height? I didn’t see any other head high reverse elbows fling about in this match, or any of others. Did you? Whether the MRP should assess actual outcome or not is irrelevant. The fact is they do, so we can only judge Hawkins on what the rules are, not what they should be in your opinion.

My assessment is just from looking up the MRP’s chart for assessing incidents. I am not angry or emotional about it, and I’ve got nothing against Hawkins. I accept it was an accident, but that’s not the question. I don’t believe there is room in our game for players having bones in their faces broken in regulation contests. If it was a head-on collision we were talking about, I might agree with you. But I can’t see how swinging an elbow backwards like that is any less than “careless” (per the MRP’s chart), and surely the impact is at least “high”, if not extreme, given the injury. Which part do you disagree with? My view wouldn’t change, irrespective of which players or clubs were involved.

Indeed. I don’t doubt it was accidental, but as you said, it was careless, which to me implies avoidable, and the injury appears to have been severe. I think Hawkins should be facing suspension. Edit: according to the MRP guidelines, it would fall under the “unreasonable contact to the face” offence, graded “careless”, impact “severe” (or at the very least “high”), contact “high” (as opposed to body), which carries a penalty of 3+ weeks, or 2 if it gets graded as high instead of severe.

How would either of them have known? They were at the G, May was in hospital and Lever in particular up to that point had been a bit preoccupied with something else. I doubt they had anything more than guesswork or third hand information to go off. Goodwin certainly didn’t know with certainty in the press conference.

Let’s put TMac in defence. While we’re there, let’s bring back OMac and Frosty and we can go back to the trifecta of miskicks, brainfarts and spoiling each other. It’s not going to happen.

Loved the moment in the last when Lever was by himself in the D50 with a wave of Geelong players on the way in. Had started chasing the player about to get out the back, but at the last second went towards the ball carrier instead. Got there just in the nick of time, with the help of dud bounce by the carrier, and held the ball up before the cavalry arrived. Saved an absolutely certain goal and got a massive cheer from the crowd, and me at home.

Hehe. Selwood didn’t even bother to argue with the umpire on that one. Just sigh and put the hands up.

I too was ropable about our most polished yet of four consecutive wins.

Yep, this was out of Goodwin’s presser. Was asked if TMac would move back and the answer was just “nup”.

A bag blew across the ground in the third quarter and it offered more than Dahlhaus did. ?

Broken eye socket, Uncle Bitters. He’s definitely gone for a few weeks.

Hey mate, we won and we’re 4-0. It’s not a dream, I know it’s hard to believe. There’s no way there was 6 droppable players. Out: May In: Petty

We could be 22 and 0 we still won't have beaten anyone - all the teams have been teams below us on the ladder. It's only an argument that defeatists and people who want to bring us down a peg make. It doesn't make any sense. Just ignore it.

Yep. Politely asked the ump what the free was for, no arguing, just reminding his teammates to keep their cool. It was great stuff.

I know this one! Lock in b, "the player who will be overlooked for Harry Petty" please.

TMac has been back to good again. Getting involved up the ground and using the ball well. Still not back to 2018 Plugger version, but definitely worth his spot in the team at present.

I don't take them off until at least a day after the match, thanks

Yep, you don't need to convince me. Still game day so I've still got my Red and Blue goggles on. Hang him!!

He got an elbow to the face from Hawkins at full force as Hawkins tried to get the ball away. Think it was just an accident, but given the injury you could argue it was reckless. He looked a mess.

I'd say yes. It's blowing a gale and slippery and we're burying them. I think the inaccuracy in front of goal is forgivable under the conditions too.

A bit late to the party here but geez hearing “insufficient intent” makes me cringe. It sounds like when someone writing an essay has wanted to sound more sophisticated, so they’ve gone nuts with the thesaurus. One of my wife’s uni lecturers called that “w**king on the page”.

He said in his interview with Harford and co recently that when he aims right, he misses to the right. I expect that if there was an easy and obvious fix to his goal kicking, he’d have easily and obviously fixed it ages ago.

Yes, something is wrong - a divide by zero error; exactly what I said.

Indeed - his time at MFC was covered in the article. My wife is a social worker and frequently sees this in childhood abuse victims who develop in to self-abusing adult; even when they try to set themselves on the right path, they come unstuck at every and any setback, because they don’t have the required resilience due to the trauma. Invariably they end up in trouble with the law, and from there the only mechanism society has to deal with them is punishment. At no stage is the root problem ever addressed. And society in general is just unforgiving and has no understanding of how a traumatised mind works. Often the person will be seen as a monster. I didn’t follow VFL in the 80s and I can’t remember Owen as a player, but this story was gutting. I truly hope he is finally on a path towards peace and surrounding himself with people who can help him. I hope the player’s association do everything they can to help. I also hope St Kilda investigate and rescind Albert Briggs life membership if they haven’t already. Contributing to the destruction of one life (that we know of) cancels out any good he did and then some.

How often is it the deciding factor for 23 year olds? If I’m a financially astute 23 year old, I know I can use that income for the basis of an investment portfolio to set me up for life whether I’m in 500k or 700k. If I’m a financially irresponsible 23 year old, both incomes will afford me a pretty enjoyable party lifestyle - in fact, more money than I can spend unless I’m in to hard drugs or the punt. The incremental difference between pretty good and very good isn’t that much in either case.