Adam The God

I think if anything we'll only get more games as we rise on FTA. But I have FOXTEL and can't stand the commercial broadcasters, so less games on FTA suits me.

Sorry, but who does Grimes come in for? He's not fast enough for the pressing half forward role and isn't a goal kicker. There isn't a spot for him.

Good post. The inexperienced players aren't the problem at our club, it's the senior players. Naturally, much of our inconsistency will be down to the inexperience on our list, but also the up and down form of players with experience who should be doing a whole lot better.

Jeremy?

Hawthorn, the great family club. Yeah, right.

Frawley leaving made our Petracca/Brayshaw decision a whole lot easier and allowed us to set up our midfield for the next decade. I'm sure we can find a role player that can develop within our system and game style.

I actually think both would have stayed had we showed we wanted them. I'm glad we didn't want either, although Frawley would be handy now.

You're just taking the [censored] on here these days aren't you?

I don't mind Vanders, but he's vastly overrated on these boards. He's a big body whose game is based around physicality. I know he's still young in a games experience sense, but I'd never say he's classy or that he has a particularly strong footy IQ. I'd be replacing Vanders with Kennedy, who is more suited to our new game style than Vanders, who lacks pace and polish.

Time to bloody bury our soft underbelly on the big stage.

That was a poor error inside defensive 50, but he earned the goal back straight away. He needs more awareness at times, but that will come with more experience. Tyson has flown under the radar a bit this year, due to all our younger high draft picks. A ball magnet. Imagine for a moment a midfield of: Viney, Tyson, Prestia, Oliver. In two years, probably the best midfield in the league. Thank you very much.

Aside from the Port game, he's been really consistent. One of my favourites and well on the way to becoming an A grader. Just needs to string some games together without injury.

I wonder if this will shut a few up? He's doing fine and let him keep developing in the 1's.

I rate Spencer. I reckon he's a decent back up, but as always, Ernest, each to their own.

We didn't...

Come home, Dion. Despite what some say, we do very much need your services. They were always being held together by aging stars. I thought they'd stay in the middle of the pack for another season, but it seems they might be going down sooner. I think it's hilarious. They need draft picks to build their ordinary list. Like St Kilda, Carlton's team is being held together be their older players, with very little coming through below that. Cripps and Weitering. Maybe Curnow in time. Anyone else? The higher they finish, the less likely they are to ever get anywhere with their current list. They need at least another year or two in the bottom 4 to get picks. Their spine is rubbish and their midfield is old. They're going nowhere. Bolton's structures and coaching are wallpapering their deficiencies for the moment, but they will be in big trouble if it continues.

No way Frost goes out...

Yeah, I can't understand it myself. Perhaps they thought Dunn and Garland were better defensive options at the start of the season, but have now adapted and changed tact?

Spot on. Agree on all fronts there. I posted somewhere yesterday that Hunt is a more defensively capable version of Lumumba and in their premiership year, Collingwood gave to him off half back at almost every opportunity. Hunt is a far better defender than Lumumba though. Some of his spoils this year have been terrific. I do find it strange that the FD resisted for so many weeks to throw Frost back. He looked more comfortable back there than up forward. He made some errors, but also initiated a number of fine spoils and offered rebound from defence. He was a little excitable on a couple of occasions, which led to turn overs by foot, but he'll eradicate these with more experience and instruction from the FD.

That's how Tony got in the last time and one of the major reasons for it. Rupert was using his News Corp muscle to protect his billions tied up in FOXTEL. Rupert is a conservative, but he's happy to bat for either side of politics if it suits his business interests.

As someone who works in the industry, I believe live sport will simply transition on to mobile, transient devices. There will still be a need for commentary teams to commentate games. You'll just be able to watch it by streaming it on a streaming provider's device. The AFL distribution deal is linked to the continuing financial success of the game itself, so I doubt they'll self-distribute off their website and charge AFL fans to watch it. That could signal the long term death of the game (then again they are amateurs in so many different ways the AFL), but instead I think they'll sell the rights to a new sporting streaming provider. FOXTEL will die and is dying a slow death and is trying to transition itself across mobile devices, hence FOXTEL GO, but its medium is inherently flawed and outdated. Whoever manages to start the first sporting streaming service in this country will make billions and billions of dollars. As FOXTEL are seeing with the EPL rights though, if you lose the rights, your entire platform fails. So in effect, your entire business plan is contingent on winning the rights, otherwise you're stuffed for the term of that deal. The flimsiness of this model could well be the reason why it hasn't happened quite yet. If I had more money though or was Rupert Murdoch, that's where I'd be putting it. Interesting times ahead, but there'll always be a need for commentators. It's more entertaining, particularly if the commentators are half decent.

To be fair, he's been far more consistent than Kent and Harmes. Anyway, hope he's back to his early season form next week. Definite inclusion by the sounds of it.

You're probably right, TU, but that's what I'd do.

I wouldn't mind these changes. It's Harmes or Kent out for Kennedy IMO. At least Spencer could take second ruck, provide a tall target to kick to and is quicker and more agile than Dawes.

I'd say they either don't believe he'll go close to breaking even (which is a problem for Dawes long-term if so) or that they felt that first game back, wet conditions, his body needed a week playing a simple forward role. If that was the thinking, we'll see Dawes rucking next week.