Little Goffy

A wog? But surely if you are using the term yourself, that means you don't mind it. I'm glad that's settled.

Gawn's hard work around the ground to get to dozens of contests every game that gets us out of a tight spot or opens up an opportunity is far too valuable to sacrifice for his merely 'good' forward work. Plus, he is actually a terrific ruckman. He creates more scoring shots from a ruck role than he would if his job was nothing else but forward! Having said that, I'm sure he'll be rotated forward a bit more than he might have been, just to keep things a little unpredictable up there.

It could be a nice, small rule change that opens up play just a little without causing any disruption at all. It has just the specific problem of over-riding coach's demands which will have been drilled into players from about 8 years old so it would be appropriate to have plenty of consultation, a good lead-in time for clubs to train the new habit, and a fairly generous interpretation in initial implementation. Zero from three. Good to see the Imperial office maintaining their batting average.

Can anyone explain why Angus Brayshaw is now permanently 23cm above the surface of the Earth? Is this a product of new high altitude training or has he spent too much time on the low-G treadmill? It's gonna mess with his GPS data for sure.

My brother once joked that all he had to do was get a lot fitter and a lot more skilled, play a few good games in a row and get a brief promotion up a grade, then be called up another level to cover an injury, and he might just get match-up briefly on a retired AFL player who is just having a bit of fun to keep fit now. Which basically means you've played AFL level. Even completely as a joke, it is a connection. It's the idea that the AFL-level is the elite pinnacle of something, but that 'something' is the same basic notion as what everyone is doing. It's more than just a sterile, distant product with a huge gap between spectator and 'performer' that starts being unbreachable in your early teens.

"But now, each club has a boys coach who doubles as the girls coach. It’s a full-time dual role that makes it impossible for both programs to operate concurrently at full capacity. " Well, that's just idiotic. It basically means that on a club-by-club basis the decision of which group gets more attention will be entirely down to the personal attitude of the dual coach. Meanwhile, focusing on the boys comes with massive incentive because a successful boy gets literally 20 times the future pay, visibility and connections. A club/coach which did try to commit equal effort regardless of gender would be placed at a huge disadvantage for future reputation, recruiting, mentorship networks, and industry connections. I think this is a rare moment where both supporters of the women's game and those who see it is a side-show novelty can agree that this is bad policy. The living embodiment of corporate window-dressing that actually has the opposite effect to it's claims because of the overall corporate structure. Meanwhile, the part about private schools... that's been a drift for a long time and to actively make the problem worse is a disaster. Imagine a future where even the dream of playing elite football relies on having rich parents. Imagine kids having to face that fact when they are still kids. Since it's creation as such, the AFL Corporation has continually become more like an ancient Ziggurat Temple administration. More and more revenue is centralised because the High Priests tell us only they have the authority to use it. More and more the actual football community which generated that revenue is expected to then be grateful when it is granted some of it's own money back.

Invited at the last minute to come train with the club after we just lost two players of his type for some of the early season when he is also versatile and able to provide support for another role we lack depth in... clearly we have wildly overplayed our hand here. Worth a closer look, and that is all what the club is doing at this point. Personally, I'm surprisingly unconcerned about our forward line. I'd rather give Kaine Baldwin a try on our list just in case the athletic package comes together again after the repeat injuries. What happened to his drafting? He was a 'big thing' before the injuries. Does anyone know if he is simply cooked?

If you don't understand what this thread is about, you are on the right thread.

While footballers aren't the tip of the spear as far as vaccine rollout goes, you'd expect that for the economic/social significance compared to just a couple of thousand jabs required they would be in the fairly early rounds. Of course, we're still waiting to see exactly what community-level protection the various vaccines offer. One strange case came up in Germany recently where multiple people at an aged care facility tested positive despite having been vaccinated. On the one hand, it was a little worrying, on the other hand, pre-vaccine the same circumstances would have meant the entire care centre infected and dozens of people dead. It did appear that even in this incident the vaccines a) provided really effective suppression of transmission, and b) eliminated symptoms to the point where Covid was only detected due to routine screening! It is reasonable to expect that by very early in the season the AFL clubs will be generally vaccinated and highly safe. The only way I can see Covid seriously derailing the season again is if the Demons are top of the ladder by August and a new mutant COVID-MFCSS strain breaks out.

The recent Sydney outbreak had the merciful benefit of beginning in the inbred coves... ahh... northern beaches area. By quirks of geography and sociology it is almost as separate to the rest of Sydney as Geelong to Melbourne. Maybe even moreso considering the number of Geelong-Melbourne commuters. The location of this outbreak in Melbourne was a real bastard; fairly central with numerous connections, as well as an unknown period of potential infectiousness. It's kind of similar to the 'pizza shop guy' in Adelaide who got the whole state closed down simply because if he had actually been working shifts at that time there could have been 40+ people infected before anyone even knew about it. That said, knowing people who have worked in the quarantine hotels I am staggered at the gaps in process and reporting that still exist. Then again, I'm still pre-occupied by little details like the hotel quarantine staff are still getting the same old 21.58 an hour as they did before their every slip-up could cost a billion dollars. Not to mention, you know, every reception greeting and room service drop-off is now an unpleasant and dangerous experience. In the circumstances the 5-day lockdown is probably the right call because constraining this outbreak might just be enough to get us to the point of vaccine-based control without having any further major outbreaks. Shouldn't have been necessary though.

Reminds me slightly wistfully of what it looked like might happen with our mix of flexbile forwards who could shift around, as well as mids who could play forward or attack effectively from the midfield role. We had half a dozen mids average half a goal a game in 2018, and then all the loose forwards like Nibbler, Hannan and Melksham. Our 2018 was exactly the 'mesmerising, constantly mutating attacks' this article was talking about. Worth noting that the group of mids there were kicking goals at a rate comparable to Richmond's 2019 fleet of small forwards, as well as being near-full-time mids. Also worth noting that our recent drafts have added an awful lot of very dynamic mutli-role players who can cause that kind of trouble up forward and maybe restore that impossible-to-cover whack-a-mole party of 2018. It's been noted that the new guys are all on the short side, but it is worth remembering that we actually have a fairly tall midfield group as it is so the balance isn't too strange.

When T$ retired, the mods decided to return this thread of B$ to the main board.

That's a whole lot of potassium. Don't go swimming for a while!

In his defence, he was playing on a pretty rough wicket. Indeed, Vietnam has managed significantly less famine, less political murder, less poverty and less disaster than pretty much any other SE Asian nation. And I say that not as if I think the country has some kind of clean slate - I am well aware of the Montagnard persecutions both present and historical, as well as the incredibly callous, almost Haig-like ruthlessness of Vietnamese war planning, the mass 're-education' programs and refugee 'pushing' as well as the general chaotic mismanagement in the initial post-war period. I just don't like the silly sweeping claims, is all.

And as they say, "football was the winner." Also the Demons. Definitely the Demons.

"Paxman has been having a pretty shaky game by her standards..." was what I was thinking moments ago.

Well, we're not playing against the bottom team, that much is clear. Really looking to weather this storm and kick away from them again. Currently a bit rattled and clumsy.

Unselfish, too. Huge asset.

Gee, Cunnginham is beginning to look like it is all coming together.

Well, I haven't seen a family member in a tick over 13 months so the 'G isn't high on the list. On the other hand, get some good vaccine coverage that successfully suppressed spread as well as controls symptoms in individuals and we're really in business and it is very easy to imagine the whole family getting a good screech going at the 'G. Dear Science, Please save us. Regards, Everyone.

I'm going to make the observation that this thread has descending into uselessness and ask that the mods close it.

I was going to say, Robertson is a bit unlucky to miss out on a forward spot but you can also see why.

Both Long and Winmar were booed, but as it was just part of the orchestral arrangement of foul abuse they copped it didn't stand out so much. I guess it counts as progress that the more explicit material is no longer accepted and booing was the remaining option. I wonder if Aboriginal people would be content to see 25 years of change amount to reaching the point where the King Kong idiocy is the club president's contribution from the tip of the social iceberg, compared to the predecessor; "As long as they conduct themselves like white people, well, off the field, everyone will admire and respect them … As long as they conduct themselves like human beings, they will be all right. That’s the key." (Collingwood president Allan Mcalister responds to criticism of Collingwood fans abusing Nicky Winmar.)

Poor Sam. Talk about doing it the hard way. But he'll be cherry ripe for finals which we all know is when he plays his best footy. Sigh. This and BB setback surely sets Tom to the forward line for the near future. Jackson will definitely be getting games in the circumstances and I can see Gawn being used forward more often to at least demand a defender on him. Meanwhile, M Brown surely will be called upon to be the Pederson successor he was obviously recruited to be. Could be a very interesting stimulus for the coaches, forcing them to innovate with options like Petty and of course Rosman's big athletic contribution may be called on just to keep getting to contest after contest and hope the squadron of smart speedy little guys can work magic from the fall of the ball. It does also add a wink and nudge in favour of the 'mysteriously' overlooked Kaine Baldwin. Even if he just spends a season on minimum pay being scrutinized while giving Casey an additional tall option. Because we don't want the 2s playing without any talls at all! It sucks that it happened but we could learn a lot about a few players while we wait for BB and then Weid to return.

I'm going to go early with a little crystal ball tip. About six months from now there will be a reality/documentary series of Eddie visiting all kinds of marginalised people and having very sincere conversations with them and showing how much he cares and listens. There will be some kind of catchy title about change and redemption, and then Eddie will be officially rehabilitated. Possibly even reinstated as the great defender of the little people that he always imagined himself to be. Also very likely to be part of Crown's attempt to regain its gaming licence. (haa haa haa, it's been a big week for $rseholes.)