sue

Well at least it is very less likely. If someone bobs up in the final 7 matches (or even less) and kicks 10 goals in every match, presumably they'd win it. But unless in every week thus far, the player had just missed out on the weekly award, you'd have to say he hasn't been noticed much compared to earlier nominees who have continued to perform.

True. In the usual desperate PR effort to have an exciting news item every week, the AFL makes a nonsense of such an award.

Interesting article: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/11/culture-club-hawthorn-highlight-importance-of-innovation-in-the-afl

ditto

I guess the TV didn't show the entire crowd/members wing, but it looked a bit like there were more C'wood supporters than GWS there.

Yes pity, as they say in a multicultural round, οι διαιτητές είναι χάλια

Roos has some solid views on this: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-07-07/no-midseason-tours-for-rival-players-at-melbourne-roos

Yes, but we know it is not in reality.

I'm guessing that the schedule was agreed before the axe fell?

Couldn't care about the game, but what a pleasure to watch jumpers which are completely different. So often you have to look twice to be sure what team a player is on in a long shot.

While there may be case like that, on average it will work to favour top teams.

That sounds like a recipe for loading weaker teams long term with players who by definition are worse than those in the top teams. How can you be so relaxed about that?

I agree I'd prefer that to the stoppage which results from picking it up. But it's not just confined to MFC players. I assume coaches instruct them to pick it up and generate a stoppage which the coach thinks the team has a better chance of controlling than a random kick of the ground. Looking at a kick forward off the ground, if that goes to the opposition it can leave everyone out of position with the ball sailing over the pack of players. If it goes to your own team they have to turn around to go forward and are thus more easily tackled. I'm not saying which is the right thing, but if coaches think so who am I to argue.

Salem update: Return edges closer for ill Demon Christian Salem

The degree of my panic is proportional to what is intended. If it is just a glorified way of bringing in some extra rookies and promoting some from the VFL or trading AFL-listed players who haven't had a game for say 50 weeks, then my panic meter would be on low. If it is we lose N Jones mid-season and get a first round draft pick or even an AA player in exchange, then I won't panic. I'll just lose all interest in AFL.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-06-23/midseason-draft-on-the-table-as-afl-clubs-brainstorm-ideas I can only just handle players coming and going over the summer break, but this would test loyal feelings for a playing group by supporters to the limit. Where will this madness end - weekly list changes?

For once I think we can say that optimist and realist are not mutually exclusive attributes of Demon supporters.

Regardless of the arguments for the need for expansion or propping them up forever, the reason why I can't stand GWS is that they are endlessly stuffed down our throats in NSW. Yeah, I can see why, but I don;t have to like knowing that they will always be on TV, that they will always be talked up and that this will never stop. Well, I guess it may someday in 2040 when they have more than a handful of supporters.

From the article in the Age: Sad to think that getting off on an obscure point of law would ease the stigma with some people. But it would go further and be used to prove them innocent and hapless victims.

Agree. I think some of us won't believe there is real improvement until we win a flag. I'm sure we have improved. But I don't think any of us can be sure that we will continue to improve to the point of getting into the top four or winning a flag. We can hope with varying degrees of confidence. I see no reason to despair at this stage.

Good of you to back pedal, but your attack on 'lefties' above is way off the mark. Where do you think support for gay rights in the Christian West came from originally, the Tories? Ha! People forget that when many of us were young, even teetering into old age, being gay was illegal in western Christian countries. These lefties you accuse of hypocrisy were ridiculed for their support of gay and other minority rights. The usual response from conservatives was "Just those bloody commies trying to subvert society again". And where do you find the most atheists who have no truck with conservative religions of any stripe, and medieval versions of them in particular? But just because lefties aren't prepared to jettison hard-won human rights as readily as some others, we hear this sort of rubbish from the right. I know of no leftie who isn't totally appalled at the upsurge of medieval interpretations of Islam. This pretence that "you won't hear a word from the left" is just garbage to support right wing politics in general. I'm off back to the football.

After 13 pages I'm still amazed that those who defend Eddie and co by referring to similar comments made by a few Demonland posters in the past (or random voters about Shorten & Turnbull) cannot see the world of difference between Presidents of footy clubs on radio and comments made privately or on an anonymous forum. Edit to add: And in case it is not clear, I'm not defending either party. Just pointing out that people in Eddie's position have more responsibility to raise themselves from the gutter.

SWYL, even if some Demonland posters made similar comments and even if they were not banned by the mods at the time, that is not the same as a public figure like McGuire making such remarks on a radio station. An anonymous poster behaving badly on this forum is no excuse for Eddy who as a public figure has a tad more responsibility to act properly. Don't you agree?

Yes I do. Which one of them played so well last week that you would have replaced anyone and be confident that they were in better shape than the player they replaced? All very well to be wise after the event, but did you notice which team Casey beat and under what conditions compared to today's game.

This week we'll rememebr to kick it off the ground and the umpires will remember the rules unfortunately. MFCSS