sue

Why the need for any spin at all? If the coach and club feel obliged to counter every rumour that floats from these pages or elsewhere (directly or in the manner you suggest) then it will be seen as very significant when they don't, making that particular situation worse. We have more players than 22 who need a go in the JLT. We could just as easily believe a story that Watts was not asked ot play because he was a lock for Round 1 and so no point playing in every JLT.

And even if Watts was in trouble, would the coaching staff necessarily tell any player other than Watts.

crew cut would be a shorter cut than waiting for it to grow out

Of course it may be real, but I'm tempted to risk banning net week by starting a rumour about a high-profile player and seeing how long before SEN or some other slack journos fly with it. BTW, for those who think his ommision in itself was suspicious, how about : I was told by a source close to the club that Watts was in such good shape that there seemed little point in putting him in the team ahead of some of the marginal players who we wanted to have a good look at in a real game. Seems a credible statement.

well said. Plus the fact that a business with an eye to the future and customer satisfaction does not reduce the quality of an established service and then hide behind the fact that it was announced (as if we spend all our time reading Fox/Telstra/AFL announcements) and in the small print. A business like sthat deserves to be whinged about.

I wonder how many of the 34, having got on with their lives, actually wish the "Justice" group would just shut up and go away.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water ... Essendon saga could see government inquiry as Greg Hunt is presented new information

Talk to eleisie

yes - all good though had to start play first and then do the rest. Wonder how long it will take them to plug it. Thanks again

so that's what the reality bus looks like

Yeah, may have been true for some in the past, but the competition these days for the same sort of viewers is not the free to air channels. Except for sport.

and if you don't?

I've never got Foxtel because I don't want anything they offer other than the AFL and refuse to pay for that unwanted product. I'd feel the same way if Coles forced me to buy grapes, plums and ham when I just wanted an apple. Now that people can get by other means much of the non-footy stuff that Foxtel offers, Foxtel is toast. So they are keeping the footy in a tight fist trying to milk the last cent they can. It looks like we won't get anything sensible out of the AFL until their current Foxtel and free-to-air contracts expire. Living outside Melbourne I can't get to games. I (and 2 other family members) pay Demons memberships which frankly is worthless to us (bar emotion), and now I'm expected to pay for some inflated Foxtel service or just watch endless GWS and Sydney games. P!ssed off with the AFL is too mild a word.

I agree. Also it's a very ugly look for the game. But as I understand it currently, as long as the player is behind the man on the mark, he is not in the protected zone. Simple to have a man-on-the-mark zone and no need for a 50m penalty or other silly penalty if entered - simply stopping play till he clears out will be penalty enough.

As someone who used airplay last year but could use a HDMI cable, I'd be grateful if you could please try this soon and let us know the result. Otherwise it's yo ho ho and a bottle of rum even if I have to wait a day or two. (I'm not paying to wait a day for a full screen version Mr AFL.)

Seems a bit silly. Are we so short of people that we can't have a real human on the mark to make sure the players aren't fooling themselves they got around the man on the mark.

While I'd hope this is true, it is possible that a bloke who continually has problems with media performances may lose confidence in other areas. I'm not saying this is or would be true of Viney or that he has media problems - haven't seen enough of him to judge. Just making the point that media performance is part of a captain's role these days and could affect other areas of activity for some personality types.

There are always grey areas in almost everything. But we very frequently see players throw themselves onto a pack on the ground apparently tackling one of their teamates or an oppo tackler when the other team has the ball and has been tackled. Clearly they are just trying to make a stoppage. Stacks on the mill (if kids still say that?). Easy to police. There is no justidication for a player doing this. First it is illegal to tackle an opponent who does not have the ball. Second it is illegal to receive a ball directly from the hands of a teammate - the ball must be handballed. A fear of giving away a free will keep them a pace away from the tackled player and his one or multiple tacklers. That will increase the chance the ball will come out and play will continue.

Even the worst umpire would be able to tell if a player throws himself onto the pack with no intention of getting the ball nor tackling the bloke who has the ball.

Given that, it would be good to see a statetment from the club explaining the rationale.

Many ball-ups occur after a player with (or not quite with) the ball, one or 2 guys tacking him and other players, usually on the side of the player with the ball jumping into the pack to tackle almost anyone. Presumably they do this to lessen the chance of a holding free being paid or the ball spilling out. If they paid a free kick when players blatantly tackle random people in the pack who do not ahve the ball, the game would open up.

It's easier to be relaxed about this trend if 80% of your family wasn't wiped out by a totalitarian regime. It will be much easier to do the full 100% these days. It is a good idea to keep a watch on those stones while enjoying life.

Oh yes we do realise it. We just fear any future totalitarian state will be so easy to run that it will make Nazi Germany look like amateur hour. Better to resist as much as possible, however ineffective it may seem.

Anyone know the stats on to what extent the injuries have dropped that the circle was implemented to prevent ?

gosh, a person who looks like their avatar.