Nasher

TMac will never set foot in the backline ever again.

There’s no way he gets off lightly. I’m fully on board with the protected species conspiracy theory, but not for head punches, out of play, when serious damage was done. The AFL will (hopefully) be well aware of the backlash it will get if it is soft on the player in this case.

I probably wouldn’t in your shoes either to be honest. In retrospect it’s impossible to know how one would react. I can see your point of view and the one I put forward now.

“Sexton’s Mo” would totally be my username if I were a GCS supporter. Brilliant.

You were making some sense until the last paragraph. Last time I checked, tackling was an instrument of the game and punching was not.

I love my brothers dearly but I don’t think someone punching them is any worse a crime than if that same person had punched someone unknown to me. If I could move on from a mate punching a random, I could also move on from a random punching a mate. In my eyes the Bugg and Gaff punches are equal, even if I pretend it’s me and my brother in place of the Brayshaw boys. I also reckon I’d be able to pretty easily push it aside enough to be professionally civil with the player. There’s no requirement for Gaff and Brayshaw to be best mates if they become teammates. I accept my perspective isn’t universal though and that most people are a lot better at hanging on to grudges than me. Anyway I hope I’m not seen as endorsing the punch. I’m definitely not. It was a reprehensible act.

Angus seems to manage just fine with Bugg as a teammate.

There's no way they'll pick Hunt. First game back in the VFL after most of the season out. Far too risky given what is at stake. He's not flash or popular but Wagner has been playing all season and is primed IMO. I'll be surprised if he's not selected to replace Smith.

5 thrillers, 3 smackings and... whatever happened in the St. Kilda and Bulldogs game. I'm not joking when I say I have absolutely no idea in what the result of that game was (nor do I have any interest). What a round of footy.

Can only speak for myself but: Milkshake is obviously best 22 and JKH is the least good player in that general position. It's not an axing per se - more just an 'edging out' My changes are two direct like for likes. I'm certainly far from sold on it and would consider a non-like-for-like change (e.g. in Melk, out Smith) change and a shuffle of positions, but generally I think like-for-like is the best way to go to avoid too many disruptions If Milkshake isn't ready, JKH stays in

Just a human psychology thing I reckon - the bar went through the roof in the first quarter and was completely unreachable after that. Everyone was ready for the next thrill which didn't come. Almost like a come-down/withdrawals. Hopefully most can see the reality now that the emotion has passed!

96 point win - tough crowd!

In: Wagner, Melksham Out: Smith(inj.), Kennedy-Harris

Hard to beat that first quarter. Everything after that almost felt disappointing... almost. Great win though. We all would have loved another 9-1 quarter but the fact that we built on it then blew it open again in the last was pleasing. You can’t expect to be allowed to do as you will for an entire game. Feel a little bit for Gold Coast. With the experience discrepancy, on paper an annihilation was always on the cards, despite the concerns of the MFCSS sufferers. Teams full of kids fall away at the end of seasons, we’ve all seen it ourselves. Can’t wait for Sydney next week now.

Thought the same thing! Come on boy, the crowd are primed and ready, put one through!

I reckon you could have just stopped at your first line mate

4th with 131%

Meh. I suppose 9-1 will have to do.

Even though I’m super-confident, I still feel sick with nerves. Stupid body. A nice 10 goal to 0 first quarter should be enough to settle them so I can relax and enjoy the rest of the game.

He’s been a handy stop-gap for gaps we no longer need stopped. I respect and thank Pedersen for his efforts and contributions over the years, and I love how he seems to enjoy the success of others even when he’s not part of it, but I reckon a few get a bit carried away with how good he is/was as a player.

Fans =/= Players. I reserve the right to disrespect the opposition all I like. It has absolutely no effect on the outcome other than my own mood if I’m wrong. They’re crap and we should smash them.

Actually it’s a bit less conceivable than I thought. West Coast are two games ahead of us, I thought they were only one. Obviously my scenario had us beating them (and therefore passing them) but they’d need to drop one of their other games as well to not still finish 2nd. Given their other games are Freo, Port and Brisbane that seems a long shot.

We could conceivably be playing GWS for a top 2 spot in round 23.

How good has this round of footy been? Damn.

Only early days in the Showdown but so far it’s 4/4 awesome games this week. The AFL are full of it with this horse crap about the “spectacle”.