Dr. Gonzo

Clearly MFC holding him back so they can debut him Queens B'day Jack Watts style.

How's Gawn tracking? Haven't seen him in NAB but didn't think he was injured??

TO be honest I doubt the Hawks game will have any effect whatsoever. Most people wouldn't even know a games on let alone the result and even if we get flogged its a bit "out of sight out of mind" due to no media coverage. Only the few hundred diehards on places like Demonland would really know or care about it.

Have we ever hit 30K before round 1 (2011?)

This all sounds eerily familiar...

2007 - Geelong - Port 2008 - Hawthorn - Geelong 2009 - Geelong - St. Kilda 2010 - Collingwood - St. Kilda 2011 - Geelong - Collingwood 2012 - Sydney - Hawthorn 2013 - Hawthorn - Fremantle

I hope you're right about Gil, something doesn't sit right with me about him. Has the look of a "salesman" in the worst sense of the word, to slick for his own good. Cook would be fantastic but I don't know if he has the will to take on the position. Main thing is we need someone who has the will to see through the equalisation policies and make the competition fairer for all.

Bruce - was BOG first 3 weeks and early Brownlow favourite then was driven into the ground by a Guerra tackle in the opening minutes, did his shoulder and never really regained that form for the rest of his career.

I haven;t really heard any targets in particular other than the 37K which you are correct is what Jackson said we are expecting; however in the absence of any other information I take the "aim" and "expectation" of 37K to be one and the same. Either way my point was more about what I think our targets should be - with a good showing early in the season I don't see why we couldn't tap into a couple of extra thousand to push us up to that 40K mark giving us a solid base to aim for 50K in the next couple of years.

Wacthed the replay this morning as was out watching Dave Chappelle last night (great show BTW!) - I was pretty satisfied overall with the way they played, Geelong was taking it a little easy (bringing Selwood off first quarter) but we are definitely developing and have improved our midfield significantly since last year with the additions of Cross, Vince, Tyson & Michie. Our problems come down to over-possessing the ball (one or two too many possessions getting us into trouble) and skill errors causing turnovers resulting in goals. Clean these up which will happen with time and experience as well as dropping the likes of Nicho, Byrnes, Bail and we'll start to get the results sooner than some might think.

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to have membership sign up tents outside the ground after the games if we win? People may be more willing to sign up after a win and they may have also had a couple and be more likely to part with their money. I think it could be a decent idea especially outside the MCC Gate 2 at the G trying to convert non-members to become joint MCC/MFC or even GA MFC members.

It's just a fundraiser idea for those who can afford it and I think it's a good idea even though I can't afford to partake this year.

She clearly is in the pocket of the AFL or at least has a "special" relationship with them. I also think it is a disgrace that the media in general and her in particular went so hard after Melbourne when it was clear several clubs before us had done the same (most notable Carlton but also Collingwood - possibly on two occasions - amongst others).

It does significantly change the perception though and influences the public/media pressure on the AFL to hand down a punishment. I don't know whether it was done purposefully or she had just failed to double-check her facts but each sin is as bad as the other in her profession. Overall I do like Wilson - she does report on many things others won't and clearly has people high up in the AFL leaking her info however I don't like the fact that she editorialises her reports with emotional hyperbole ("pathetic and disgusting") and seems reluctant to divulge any info that may paint her Tigers in a bad light. I also don't like the fact she will mount arguments based on facts that she refuses to discuss and expects people to take her word on certain things, something she does often on Footy Classified and on 3AW in particular.

Our target should be 40K this year and 50K next year. Not impossible with decent on-field performances. Need to set stretch targets instead of aiming for 37K, stretch it to 40K this year so we can build on that foundation next year and aim for 50K which is the minimum of where we really need to be.

Relax....we've got this.

Might as well shut the site down then

Seriously?

And Milne no longer there either.

The thing is that often those "B" games end up being better from a neutral perspective than the ones involving the "blockbuster" clubs. However Channel 7/the AFL go the "safe" option and fixture the bigger clubs in prime time/FTA slots as they have the larger supporter bases and due to the fixture being finalised in October it is impossible to say which matches will be the best ones the following year. The other issue is that the ratings figures do not seem to support the notion that Carl/Coll/Ess games in prime time/FTA draw bigger ratings but what it does give these clubs is exposure on a much larger scale to be able to grow/reinforce their supporter base and sell sponsorship at a much higher cost. The AFL needs to put in the effort to provide Channel 7 with the evidence that scheduling the same clubs each week does nothing to improve their ratings and may actually hinder them in the long run as 1) neutral supporters get "blockbuster fatigue" and sick of watching the same teams each week and 2) it is in their best interests to promote a healthy competition and the "Any Given Sunday" mentality of the NFL so that viewers will want to watch games regardless of who is playing due to the nature of the contest. They should also be told none-too-subtly that no-one gives a stuff about which players girlfriend is dating which other player, who the WAGs in the stands are and the contrived puns of the commentary team and would prefer genuine commentary and analysis. They are clearly doing this to appeal to the female demographic but it just makes them sound stupid and out of touch and the majority of females I know watch the footy for the game and not for all the other rubbish. The other issue in regards to this equalisation strategy is that it is not "tax" as the rich clubs would prefer to frame it but rather "compensation" due to years of getting shafted by league decisions.

If it meant a fair draw instead of an unequal FIXture then yes, absolutely.

2002 we had Robbo and Bizzell playing CHF/CHB respectively. You don't win flags with two undersized good honest players in those key positions. We would have been shown up by the Pies or Brisbane big time (even though we did get that win against the Lion that year at the Gabba).

Being able to do it every week would make him a star.

Too one dimensional, could be a very good option up forward but definitely not "star" material.

My dad also signed up again this year for the first time in 4 or 5 years.