MadAsHell

The kid was about 30 seconds away from being fixed half way through last year. Was playing his break out game v St Kilda at Etihad with 26 touches and a couple of goals. He had the ball on a string in the third term. Then with less then a minute to go, he let his man Montagna drift forward and kick a goal to win the game. Any confidence the Toump would have built disappeared and the rest is history.

Agree with your point about funding Macca, and hopefully this is something that will get addressed into the future. However i still see these games so far as an underachievement by the Australian team as a whole, despite some great performances. The AOC themselves are the ones that have come out and claimed that we were on track for a total of 37 medals, 13 of which were to be gold with their restructure of funding since London. Well we're currently a total of 8 medals off pace, 5 of which are gold. And the areas i think we've fallen away in are the team sports, swimming and on the cycling track. I've still enjoyed these games, don't get me wrong, but it is disappointing to see we've fallen further back since London despite the Russians fielding a weaker team these games. Hopefully that this has happened 2 games in a row now, the proper funding measures can be put in place to help us get more competitive. I don't expect us to get back to Sydney/Athens level straight away, but i'd like to think geting back to Bejing 08 levels isn't unrealistic.

If we were to replicate our last two wins over Carlton & Geelong over the next fortnight, eg defeat Carlton 81-58 & Geelong 113-89, it would leave us with a percentage of approx 106.86. North would then likely try and reduce their match to a low scoring scrap, but even if GWS won 70-60, that would be enough to dip North's percentage below ours. Key is to win tomorrow as comfortably as possible though to try and make it a non issue.

Great effort from Esposito. Came from nowhere! Channel 7 hadn't even mentioned her at the start of their nightly coverage as a medal chance. Shame about the Boomers catching what seemed like a bit of stage fright. I hope they can bounce back for bronze, but it will be tough.

Great effort by Tallent. Feel sorry for him also however, as he really deserved to cross that line first however given everything that has happened with him. Meanwhile we stunk it up in the BMX. Buchanan seems to have a touch of the Emily Seebohm's about her and can't get it done at Olympic level, bombing out in her semi. While in the mens Dean was never in it and Willoghby seemed to miss his start and was always playing catch up. I've given up hope of getting to the 9 gold medal mark, and accept for the 3rd games in a row we've gone backwards. This despite measures being put in place after London to arrest this issue. But as you posted earlier Macca, hopefully they'll look into their own national lottery funding system to stop us falling back to Seoul 88 results compared to the Barcelona 92 results we're seeing now. Still i keep my fingers crossed for the Boomers, mens K4 1000 and Alana Boyd to produce some miracles!

Please not us........

They may have to!

Yes Dennis, West Coast back in the premiership race! That is of course until they loose to Adelaide next week, and then loose an elimination final to the Dogs at Sh|tihad Stadium!

This is music to yours and my ears Macca!

What's up with the Subiaco surface tonight? Three ruckman injuring their kner on the one night is a bit coincidental.

Lewis can have an extra werk off before the finals.

If anyone were to ever win it from 8th, this would be the year!

Hawthorn blacking out the cameras in the change rooms. Watch channel 7 get the AFL to issue Hawthorn with a please explain.

Ceglar seems to have done his knee. There goes the Hawks structure and no Roughead to play the pinch hit 2nd ruck. 4 peat over!

Yep. Bottom line is it's complicated. But unless Hawthorn were to loose to the filth next week, then they wont miss top 4. This on the proviso that we beat the handbaggers and the fact the West Coke & Radelaide have to play eachother with West Coke likely loosing.

Johndemons is right swyl. If GWS winning over North is to put them into 4th, it will be at the expense of the handbaggers, not Hawthorn. They're assured top 4, just a question of whether they're top 2 or not.

Good on Gold Coast for making that type of play i say. Freo would have to seriously consider it. Would allow them to probably land McCarthy, Lobb, Brad Hill and probably still have a 1st Round Pick to use.

But doesn't the package always deliver? BT & Darcy have been shoving that down our throats all year........

I'm reasonably optimistic about our chances in the BMX & Mens 50km walk Macca. Haven't given up hope on us getting to that 9 gold medal mark. And as you said, the big one is 8am in the morning with Boomers v Serbia. For mine this is the biggest game in Australian Basketball history. Win this and they're guaranteed Australia's first ever medal in men's basketball. Loose, and they face a bronze medal match against a tougher opponent in the USA or Spain. Big opportunity for them!

100% agree DC. They need to get back to each of the grounds having their own unique traits. Sydney & Adelaide used to turn sideways by days 4 & 5, the Melbourne pitch usef to die as the match went on and stay really low. Hobart was usually the flattest of the wickets, while Perth & Brisbane always had extra bounce and pace. How they can get back to producing these types of wickets with drop in's I don't know? But it needs to be looked at. The OX on radio the other day (tounge in cheek) suggested that they do away with the centre of excellence in Canberra and open up two campuses. One in Humpty Doo NT, to replicate the conditions of the subcontinent with dust pitches, and one on King Island Tasmania to replicate the UK.

And with Vickery, we'll still have no back up for Gawn if he goes down.

We have Hogan, Watts, Weideman and Hulett who has had a very good debut VFL season. Don't see where Black fits in? He'd be better off somewhere like Essendon or even Hawthorn given their uncertainty with Roughead.

So your talking something more along the lines of Ben Lennon & a future 2nd round pick?

http://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/australia-must-pick-spinspecialist-batsmen-and-bowlers-for-subcontintental-tours-writes-ben-dorries/news-story/d19cb23bd7d413174e0047f79639f938 I'm glad to see this has finally been raised in the media.

Couple more silver medals in the sailing overnight, as they continue their strong form. Gets Australia to 27 medals with the same amount of gold, but more silver then we had in Barcelona 92'. So they've avoided tge worst games in 28 years tag.