Little Goffy

I was about to comment about Pickett looking ripped and then got to the pictures of Rivers. Body transformation stuff. Bowey also doing the Dustin Fletcher style sinewy muscle, so presumably we can expect another 30+ years of good football from him.

Our 'actually playing' finals teams were 26.5-ish years old. Collingwood's actual team age in their final against us was over 28yrs, so that table is clearly whole-list. So does that favour us or not? I think the only important points about a team's age are how much is to be gained as young players develop, and how much might be lost as older players slow down or retire. At the older end, we have a confusing mix of elite (May, Gawn, Viney) and many more expendable and relatively easily replaced role players. Amongst our younger players there is a promising set already playing AFL level and doing it well, but who clearly have room for more improvement which could see them become elite. Van Rooyen beign the poster boy. Additionally, we've actually got a very substantial crop of very young draftees coming into the system. My summary would be we have a very good growth potential from our younger end and only a couple of very specific vulnerabilities due to age. They are high-impact vulnerabilities, though.

It went something along the lines of “Everyone is a monster to someone. Since you are so convinced that I am yours. I will be it.” But really, my grandad allegedly played reserves for the Demons between the wars. Allegedly. Oh, so, so, very very allegedly.

Fingers crossed I still might have a chance of getting some leftover obstructed view nosebleed seats by the time I figure out if I can afford tickets at all!

So is this training report glowing because Picket Fence was in a good mood, or is Picket Fence in a good mood because of the training?

You have to get them ordered by the club doctor.

Excellent. I was terribly disappointed with the last quarter or so of our women's season after such an incredible early dominance, but I still look to the next season with us being the most likely side to take another premiership. Knowing we have some absolute top shelf players and characters stable in our leadership is immensely valuable.

This is in danger of becoming the new 'death ride' thread. To date, Reid's career at the Eagles has been week one hamstring awareness and week two heavily iced corked thigh. I think it is time someone return the off-brand voodoo doll they ordered from Temu.

If anything goes wrong with McDonald or Brown would an early retirement be an option which would open a mid-season draft slot for Sam Van?

Reflecting on Jordon's role at Sydney - he'll be a reliable presence in a midfield that already has quite a bit of flair and power. In a way it is the exact reverse of his scenario at Melbourne where he was 'just another' solid midfield player in a team that was in need of some dynamism. That perspective has been shown in our recruiting and drafting choices, too.

Mooney did at least take the ground, long enough to be hip-and-shouldered by Koutafides and sold a dummy by Silvagni. Brushed shoulders with the greats, he did. Oh, and gave away a free kick. So, technically, you could say Jordon had a better game than Mooney. Heh, there's a funny coincidence; both Byron and Kysaiah Pickett played in an early-career premiership alongside a player who got no disposals in the game. Also coincidental - Pickett's 2-kick 2-handball game in the winning 2004 prelim final is exactly the same as Pickett's 2-kick 2-handball stats from the winning 2021 grand final. Now, a better coincidence would be 'winning a Norm Smith medal in a win over the reigning premiers after your club has been knocked out of finals two seasons in a row despite top-4 finishes.'

We've got an odd demographic chart at the moment - we only have two each of 23yr and 22yr olds (Chandler, Sparrow, Pickett and Rivers, so all inside our best 22 for season 2023). Younger than that and to be noticed you have to be an immediate early-career star, of which there would only be two or three entering the game each year.

Youtube recommendations clearly caused by following this thread took me to an amateur solo alto saxophone cover of the Pet Shop Boys song 'It's a sin' with no backing sound, performed in a student-looking bedroom. Absolutely nothing about it worked. A low point in my musical journey and I will hold this against you all for a long time.

Things like this are so exasperating I just shrug and keep an eye open for the starter pistol of proletarian revolution. Now that'd be an entertaining Olympic event! How would you keep score, though?

Koltyn Tholstrop about to bring us in a new platinum sponsor:

Hamstring ungoodness. Anyway, it is probably career ending, for both him and the entire West Coast Eagles football club.

I've found over the years that in some ways economics is eerily similar to certain earth sciences and their management - the issue is not so much about 'more vs less' as about 'best place and time'. If the cold is in the fridge and the heat is in the oven, all is well. Actually, probably the main thing the two areas have in common is the sheer prevalence of analogies.

The old 'everybody put your money in the bank and pay for the privilege, because mattresses are spontaneously combusting' routine.

That's my favourite part. In balance sheet terms, our debt is currently earning us a profit because the 'real' value of the dollars we will eventually have to repay is going down by more than the interest we are paying on the amount! It's like "2020 Dollars" are a foreign currency that is tanking compared to the value of 2023... 2024... 2030 dollars. Unfortunately, one think I think everyone in the thread is agreed on is that right now no government wants to be seen throwing new money around loosely without a very clear result to ribbon-cut.

Interesting to see this kind of political strategy appearing on football forums. It's kind of like sealioning... maybe could be called 'wolf-crying'. THERE'S A WOLF! No, there isn't. THERE'S A WOLF! No, there isn't. THERE'S A WOLF! No, there isn't. THERE'S A WOLF! No, there isn't. THERE'S A WOLF! No, there isn't. WELL, IF THERE'S NO WOLF, EXPLAIN WHY EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT WOLVES? WOLF COVER UP! WE KNOW THE TRUTH! THERE'S A WOLF!

First point; no, they are reporting to end of financial year 2022. Second point; what is your point? I mean, are you arguing that the Stage 3 tax cuts are the reason it might be difficult for AFL-level football clubs to lobby for venue funding?

https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/CG_DEBT_GDP@GDD/CHN/FRA/DEU/ITA/JPN/GBR/USA/AUS In Australia's case it is not so much eyeballs as just balls-balls.

McQualter recruited as an experienced assistant coach known for a dynamic, unpredictable attacking set up which makes the most of medium-sized players. McAdam, Billings, Windsor and Tholstrup added to the list. The 'less talk, show me the change' part of me is pleased.

That place is going to be a real head-scratcher for archeologists a thousand years from now. "It appears to be some sort of temple, where each of the priests is allocated a farm in the surrounding countryside. Every four years dignitaries from the nearby metropolis travelled here to deliver tribute. We still cannot determine the basis for this worship as there is absolutely nothing of note in the area. All other local structures have long since rotted or rusted; only this approximately elliptical edifice of titanium and gold alloy remains."

There is a particular wave front at Esperance allegedly famous among surfers, and known as 'the cyclops'. Between that home town detail and the sunnies and being a bit of a beast, I think we might have a name.