Little Goffy

Are there really people suggesting that the way to avoid being harassed in the street is to not walk on the street? How tedious. One thing I do like about the banner is that it includes abuse directed at all players, not just Demon players. Always important, because a scary number of people seem to need reminding that basic human decency is a fact of how you treat people when you don't get what you want or when they aren't on your side, not how chirpy and friendly you are so long as every opinion and activity is as you like it. A scary number, but actually not a big number. Those people aren't normal, just loud.

Oh, how about that, there's a controversy about the MRP and in particular the inconsistencies of the underqualified AFL appointment, and whaddaya know, within a day the 'totally neutral, independent news portal' afl.com.au comes up with an article explaining to us all how we are simply mistaken in our perceptions and 'crackdown on striking including jumper punches' wasn't really a thing in the first place. Oh, and it is the umpires problem anyway, they should be awarding free kicks. Because obviously, umpires have cameras everywhere, all the time in the world to consider the case, and can easily observe every behind-the play 1/4-second jab. Unlike the match review which is in no position to adjudicate, obviously. Just another layer of stink added to the foul odour of the AFL executive culture.

If happning, I'm assuming this is not a like-for-like change and that we're more likey to see some variety of Hunt, Fritsch and Salem spending the time in defence while Sparrow becomes a bit of extra grunt-weight. I trust Salem to take responisibilty in defence, I trust Fritsch to make a fist of it anywhere he's sent, and I, uh, hold onto lingering hope that Hunt can get back to his sabre-slashing finest any moment now.

I'm still trying to figure out what Fasolo was suspended for.

Can anyone tell me which of the following is Fremantle's attitude to player welfare issues? a ) Player welfare doesn't matter b ) Player welfare matters, but it is not our responsibility c ) Player welfare is a useful excuse to use later, since we are going to fail anyway, because we are Fremantle d ) We're here for a good time, not a september time!

Great summary Dees-in-October, and yeah, I'd go along with a lot of the assessments. I was particularly pleased to see Cordner really step up and be a clear best 22 type. There's just something about the way she goes about it (even last year when she was often a bit iffy) that makes you think she really appreciates football. Not just because of the name, either! I wonder if Lauren Pearce though would actually count as most improved? I guess it depends on how you compare going from" not-quite-right to good' against going from "good to outstanding". Other rate Lily Mithen's season higher than I do, but I think paradoxically that is because I rate Mithen herself at a very high level. So I end up feeling slightly disappointed by anything less than stardom! Karen Paxman reminds me of Arjuna from the BBC production of the Mahabarata, just does everything a little more calmly, a little better. Player I'm most looking forward to watching next season is Cunningham, I just feel like there's something brewing there as confidence grows. Agree on Zanker's goal over Newman's. Newman plays football in a way that makes me happy to be around it, but that Zanker goal is a gem and particularly outstanding in a competition where the fine skills development still needs time. Oh, hang on, Zanker gave us two beauties if I remember right - the kick from right on the boundary in the pocket against the Dogs, and also there was a great snap from congestion about 40 out.

Adelaide certainly have done interesting things with the picks they got from us, gaining Darcy Fogarty, and then packagin our 2019 pick with their 2019 pick in exchange for Carlton's 2019 pick. It'll be a long time before we know how well they've done out of all their hardball and sometimes eccentric trades. Not sure Melbourne can be blamed if Calrton turn out to have stuffed it up their trade, though! As for Lever being, as I said 'in a good season a realistic contender for All-australia', well, he was the top intercept defender in the game in 2017, and Lever's 2017 matched or bettered every statisical line of Alex Rance's AA 2018. So even if you quite fairly think stats are a weak indicator, it would just be silly to imagine Lever isn't capable of operating at 'All-Australian possibility' level. As for Freo, well, if their trading history is going to a benchmark, I'd hate to see what a "worst-real-results-in-the-history-of-the-league-delivered-constantly-for-20-years" would look like!

Am I mistaken in my impression that at this time four of back six could, in a good personal season, realistically contend for All-Australian selection? May, Lever, Jetta, Hibberd. Not exactly a leadership vacuum either. I really don't see any value to getting crabby that a couple of our 'outs' are doing well, given the tranformation achieved by the great reshuffle of recent seasons.

Well, they went in super high risk in the hope of getting an early lead and momentum. Backfired, to say the least. Unfortunate to drop heads but such is life.

Almost exactly my thoughts. AFL House is probably upset there aren't any insignia recognising Wakanda.

Whaaaaaaaaat? I'm trying, I'm really trying, but I cannot see how Britain leaving the EU is at all related to AFL clubs wearing silly novelty sponsor outfits in exchange for money. I mean, I have little to no respect for our fearless leaders, but to sugges they would do massively stupid self-destructive things for no reason other than a panic urge to appease racists, that is just not the Australian way.

"Breaking My Baggy Green Heart" By Ben Parsons Hmm. I guess Ben doesn't see AFL as a 'premium' sport. Or Integrity and inclusiveness as part of the AFL's brand. Or maybe he is just a pathetic weather vane, whichever way the marketing money is blowing? I note that he is based in Gold Coast and his company is an "entertainment management agency". Definitely with a close hand on the pulse of Australian football culture. Consider how much he talks about his media credentials, you'd think he get some decent graphic design for his events showreel, and maybe adjust the music volume so you can clearly hear the people talking during the endorsements. Ahh, it is so satisfying when a little digging quickly confirms a contemptible first impression of someone. Ben Parsons has no credentials to speak on this subject, he's a wafting odour in a meeting..

Trouble with this being 'about the young fans' is that it isn't an optinoal extra special outfit for the kids, it is the required, compulsory, team uniform. "We are trying to increase our reach to kids, so all patrons at the MCG will be required to only consume Happy Meals and Kinder Surprises (except Jack Watts who will be given Wizz Fizz and then pilloried for it)" I don't know how to react to this news except with the traditional remedy of mockery and ridicule. We could play along and point out that (according to Marvel) Thor's homeworld was completely destroyed by a giant red Demon... Or... that the Bulldogs better watch out because if Gil snaps his fingers, half the clubs in Victoria will disappear and you can bet the Bulldogs will be found to be surplus... Or... that when the Avengers want to look serious they wear Melbourne guernseys... Or... a bunch of Demon supporters can turn up to our first game there wearing X-Men outfits... But really, a deafening, disinterested silence is probably the way to go. F' it. I dunno. The single instance itself is just too stupid to care more than being momentarily irritated.

Coincidentally, Jones' contract is up at the end of this year. I wonder how much of a paycut he'll be taking. I'd imagine the club will be big winners fromt he sun-costs-fallacy here, where Jones is absolutely determined to make good on all the sacrifices and hardship he's already been through, and as a result does the team thing even more intensely. Hmm, and I can't help wondering where we might find a reasonably young, say 22-23 year old, strong midfielder to replace Jones when he retires in a couple of years, y'know, post-premiership?

Jones must have had some seriously good mates at Melbourne!

Sigh. I hate the stupid off the ball bumps and sniping, but this was a 20-times-a-game shephard that just happend to hit awkwardly. I don't see how a near-stationary player turning their body to receive the contact of someone running right at them (even if the opponent was just running stupidly rather than intentionally) can be a suspension offence.

Damn that was a frustrating first three quarters. To totally dominate and get not much of anything in the first, and then get clawed away at for the rest, that's not what anyone is looking for. Too much trouble being decisive and making good connections once the packs form. And, yeah, the eternal goal accuracy problem. Really want to crush them in the final quarter, remind everyone that we deserve the finals spot.

Is it just a glitch on the afl site stats, or am I right observing that we have only used 23 players (including JKH who was gone early and Harmes who didn't make it to half time) while Brisbane have used all 26 possible under JLT rules? Frost, Petty and Wagner were all out there for Casey earlier, weren't they?

Coincidentally, I've just come across some old footage of the 1996 AFL draft camp. You can even see the standard vertical jump tests starting from 27.25. But meanwhile, seriously, we've got two gun midfielders swearing off sugar except for the energy drinks and lollies associated with games. I doubt they'd do much more than a couple of eccys once a year, on a non-training weekend in November. But the Ben Cousins, Chris Mainwaring legacy has to be that we all learn the lesson that drug use is compartentalised. You can be the consummate professional football player, lawyer, statutory urban planner, parliamentary staffer, or whatever, but switch into the different environment and the 'other normal' has a party. Most drug users and even many outright addicts are 'high functioning', able to get on with life more or less normally, so long as their cash flow keeps up. To toss them in a ditch the moment there's a slip, especially when you're subjecting an individual to significant extra scrutiny, is absurd, and the most likely effect is to immediately send the user into a rapid downward spiral. Just to be clear, I'm under no illusions about the damage drugs do and I think the current approach to drugs in society is an idiotic near-random mix of 'too soft' and 'too hard' right alongside eachother, with 'not enough resources' the loudest message everywhere. And I guess it wasn't just for fun that I linked to a Prodigy performance.

Hmm, what's the rest of their tall defender group like? Hurley, Hartley, Ambrose, Francis. Only Hartley is is a 'true' tall among them, at 198cm, after that you're down to 193cm. Whether Hooker misses outright or is simply underdone, it is looking like a good day for having Gawn and Preuss rotating forward. Bodes well for two towers on field together, given that their rucks are Bellchambers (respectable enough but hardly intimidating, anyone got news on his progress from shoulder surgery?) and Zach Clarke who hasn't played an AFL game for two years.

The ultimate plan - a night grand final, played in Sydney, so that people are leaving the stadium as the lock-out laws come into effect. Flippant yes, but also does kind of bring up one of the problems with a night grand final. No families get to be part of the after-game celebrations, which would start at 11pm. Even watching at home, it'll be "ok, that's done, time for bed kids'. Good luck a) getting the kids to sleep and b) building intergenerational passion.

Every year they wheel out the 'we will be making a decision about this' story. Every year they 'respond to feedback' and keep the day grand final 'for now'. The whole thing is an exercise in undermining the perceived continuity and legitimacy of the day grand final, by creating a sense that it is a year-by-year decision. Put this together with enough cherry-picking of daft online polls, and soon enough it'll feel normal that this is a debatable topic rather than the open-and-shut 'everyone who really cares either way, prefers day' reality. They have already made their decision, they are just working on the tactics to out-maneuver public opinion. It's a lot like the rigged 'pilot programs' and railroaded 'consultation processes' that governments keep using for thought-bubble projects they long ago decided they wanted no matter what the evidence tells them. Odious scumbags.

Perfect example what we've managed to assemble in our midfield. Has some outstanding attributes (kicking, vision, facial hair regeneration rate) but in no way is limited to that. It is a rare and valuable thing, to have a player be described as silk but also be described as someone it is unpleasant to be tackled by.

Well, now we have to grit out teeth and cheer for North, who have Adelaide NOW, and are also still to play Fremantle. We are basically one straight kick behind Adelaide on percentage, and well ahead of Freo. We will have our own bite at Adelaide in the final round, which could well decide which team plays finals. ... Still can't quite process the absurdity of there being a clear top-4, noticably a cut above the rest, but no matter what comes, only two of them will play finals. Next time Gil, get off the phone to the Minister and put some thought into football.

Anyone wondering about the 16 hour fast just needs to consider the times involved. Clearly it is all about ensuring Viney doesn't turn into a Gremlin.