sue

Yeah that ruined my footy career too. (Pre contacts)

Because there is no one else perhaps. Or maybe we will spring a surprise.

That was the striking thing about that video. Clearly under direction by the coach. How can the umps allow that. I hope the club released the video.

What extra does he get if he loses an appeal? If his career is likely to be sunk with 4 games missed in this truncated season, maybe it's worth a punt to try to get back earlier. Especially since there seems to be some support in the media that the 4 weeks is too harsh and out of line with previous decisions. (I leave aside the question of whoud he be selected in any case.)

Hah. No such thing in the AFL, they just change to rules.

AFLitis is a cruel disease Binman, but things will look better in the morning.

I'd have put this in a general umpiring thread, but couldn't find one. Another rule -not-of-the-week is players in the so-called protected zone. Being ignored at the moment (eg. Frisch's mark at 4:50 in Q1) Personally I think that is a good thing - so many have been paid where the offender would have had no effect on the play. But watch the umps pull one out at a critical moment to the despair of half the supporters (actually probably far less than half).

I don't see a problem with complaining in public if you have brought it up with the AFL and nothing changes. It's not just Gawn, but anything Gawn-related. As I and others have mentione elsewhere another standard tactic used to curb Gawn's dominance is to start tackling our mid-field players before the ball arrives. Happens all the time and rarely is a free paid.

I agree it should be stamped out even for far less aggressive actions than AVB's. But the hypocrisy of the commentators is sickening. I'm not so much referring to what they did in the past (you could forgive that if they have seen the light), but the fact anytime niggles start increasing they get so excited. Like a bunch of schoolboys shouting 'fight fight'.

Tackling our receivers at bounces before the ball comes to them seems to be a standard tactic against us to counter Gawn's dominance but a free is only rarely paid. The club should take this up with the AFL.

There is far less shepherding these days by all clubs. Instead players are trying to move to a position to get involved in a handball chain and only rarely shepherding instead. I'm not sure we are worse than others though it's only when watching MFC matches that I scream out "FCS shepherd".

Kicking skills of both teams pretty woeful

So flaming obvious. Indicate to the 'small' players that the next tap is going wide and belt it. Instead he taps it to a player about to be tackled (or often, already tackled before the ball arrives) who then passes it to someone else also under pressure. Mix it up FCS.

Perhaps the club was misled by how well we played in some matches that Hogan missed.

Let's just hope he is right and the deficiencies are fixed asap.