Dr. Gonzo

I can't believe anyone cares about the name, of all the things ...

Hopefully they do it again this offseason, was a great insight despite the detractors

I guess we have different definitions of A graders.

Back when teams had around 15-20 tackles a game.

Fritsch will never be an A grader

I love Weid and think he is developing nicely but I would take Brown over him every day of the week for 2021. That said I think they will play well in the same forwardline together with LJ playing a roaming role pushing up across half forward/wing If anyone's position is in danger in the forwardline it would be Fritsch for mine. I would prefer a Brown/Weid/LJ forwardline over Weid/LJ/Fritsch.

Exactly especially considering the quality of the competition. Geelong is playing off in the GF this weekend FFS!

Exactly. The core of the team was the same but two years later they had a flag, a prelim finish and 8 AA's.

That was in the mid 80s and is the reason they admitted west coast and Brisbane at $4 million each. Realistically though while being "technically" insolvent the majority of clubs were not in danger of being wound up. Media rights boomed in the two and a half decades following which would have happened regardless of whether the AFL gave lucrative fixtures to Carlton, Essendon, Collingwood or not Two clubs can make an argument for turning things around financially without AFL assistance - the Hawks and the Bulldogs. The Hawks did so on the back of two eras of success (70s/80s and 2008-15), selling games to Tassie and mega pokies deals. The Dogs did it on the back of 2016 and some favourable financial deals with the local council. Even then it is uncertain whether the Dogs off field success is sustainable. I guess Geelong could be put in that bracket too however the same applies, a prolonged era of success and favourable financial deals with local cou cold and state and federal government's (due to having marginal electorates).

How many did they have in 2016?

The last "strike" is shacking up with a lady after returning from Qld while meant to be in quarantine. I wouldn't hang him on that.

I can't see a private ownership model resurfacing in the AFL after the debacle that happened the first time around. There are obvious downsides to this model as well (owners picking up teams and relocating them on a whim, teams being stuck with inept owners giving the members no power to influence the running of the club etc) Look at my team in the NFL, the New York Jets. They are absolutely pathetic at the moment and have been for much of the last decade. Most of that comes down to ownership making bad decisions again and again yet the owners will not sell as it is a proven money-spinner for them. Hell some owners don't even care if their team can win championships as long as they can rake in the revenue from the TV rights and reserved seat sales.

The NFL has a revenue sharing model, because they realise the strength of the competition is dependent on the strength of all clubs. The AFL instead pursues policies that favour the bigger clubs (eg with the fixture) but they don't then spread the revenue gained from that around. This has led to the widening gap between rich and poor over the last 25 years.

Because of the private ownership model. The franchises are privately owned "for profit" organisations and the NFL commissioner (Goodell) is there to serve their interests. The AFL is unique in that they play a dual role - governors of the competition (the AFL) as well as governors of the code (Australian Football or Australian Rules), the latter role which was usurped from the ANFC in the early 90s.

There is no legal aspect. What you are referring to is perfectly legal, I do the same thing with my NFL gamepass subscription and save about $150 a year.

Exactly. Their trying to get into the schools and getting kids playing footy instead of league. They give out free tickets so the kids get their parents to bring them along to games. It's a bold long term strategy and one I agree with. Sydney and Brisbane are the two major markets for advertiser's next to Melbourne, they don't care about Perth, Adelaide, Tassie or Darwin. Its the best way of ensuring the long term viability of the code financially as well as opening up development opportunities for talent in those areas which will ultimately increase the player pool and benefit everyone. That's not to say it should be at the expense of Tassie, I'd love to see a Tassie side in the AFL. But there's no reason both things can't happen.

I'd add Vandenberg Smith and this year Melksham to that list

Different voting systems though

Oliver polled stronger than I expected, good on him it's a change from prior years where he goes under the radar. 2 in the top 10 and Max not far behind it's a great core of a midfield, hopefully we take full advantage next year. We should be looking to emulate the West Coast teams of the mid 00's with their powerful engine room.

I'm surprised Oliver polled in the Tigers and Lions games. Lions game in particular, I would've had Viney ahead of him.

They need to reduce the number of players on the field, I've been thinking that for around 10 years now. It's the only thing that will open the game up.

It depends on results. If we don't make finals next year he should be gone. If we finish top 4 and make it to the Prelims or better he should stay. It's not about length of tenure it's about performance.

It's not about being offensive so much as being lame

I assume he is the one who made comments about some of our players being uncoachable that were attributed to one of our coaches earlier this season. If so I'm glad he's being moved on because it is up to the coach to get the best out of his players. He has had a Rolls Royce midfield to work with and yet we were getting regularly beaten in clearances throughout the year. Time for fresh blood.

It's a tricky one, there is something to be said for backing your system in and drilling it in to your players over a number of years until it "clicks" and becomes second nature and the team becomes a formidable unit. There also needs to come a time where the coach has to make moves if things aren't working because you just need to win. The big issue I see is he has little support in the coaches box. He's had Richardson, McCartney etc but I'm talking about the line coaches who have been poor throughout his tenure. We need to invest in the coaching staff and turnover all of our assistants (it should have been done post-2018 in my opinion) and he also needs to start making moves on game day before things get out of hand. The players need to take accountability for this as well as I think our onfield leadership is poor but how much of that is a reflection of the coaching staff (assistants and development coaches in particular?) Either way we will know by mid next year. Goodwin has shown during his tenure he isn't scared to try things, he has actually been quite innovative in some of the tactics he has implemented. My big knock on him is he can get the team to a position where they can destroy bottom sides but can't compete against top sides. He needs the team to get off to a flyer next year and we also need to take some scalps otherwise his coaching career will be over.