hardtack

Not to mention his facts... if RB can point out one single post on here where I have called for the poster to be banned from this site, I will eat my virtual hat!

But I think they used a picture of Jack Trengove - are they trying to tell us something?

That article only serves to reinforce everything I have thought about Scully... he is an extremely focused and dedicated footballer who is putting his club's performance ahead of all else. The only reason that article you cite is given the by-line including the words "plays it cool" is because he didn't the press anything new and treated them with what was essentially, disdain (and rightly so). I have the feeling he will re-sign and I also believe that he is 100% within his rights not to sign until his current contract has run its course. He, unlike many on here, at least understands that he is going to be in a much better bargaining position in October than if he signs a new contract now, or even makes a public statement to the effect that he will be re-signing. I believe he wants to stay with the club (or rather, that he doesn't want to go to GWS) and that he wants to secure himself the best possible deal. Tom Scully is exactly what we need at the club; a player who lets nothing distract him from his immediate task.

Yes, but this throwing them to the ground with force is a relatively new approach... it had previously been a case of holding and turning the opponent while keeping your feet. It is nothing to do with the twisting and turning and the pace of the game... it is a conscious and deliberate effort being made to bring the opponent to ground with maximum force.

A guy named Lou Cypher just asked me if I could put him in touch with you... (he bore a remarkable resemblance to Robert de Niro) I agree with you, but I wasn't prepared to do that deal.

The sling tackle when applied with the force used by Trengove IS designed to hurt (perhaps "injure" is too strong a word?). And it cannot be argued that it was accidental as the decision to "sling" the opponent must be consciously made. Having said that, I have no problem with the sling tackle (I'm never likely to be on the receiving end), but if the AFL is serious about removing the root cause of many head/neck/shoulder injuries, then they should at least be serious about it and ban players for applying it regardless of the outcome resulting in an injury or not.

It all depends on what his personal values are. Call me lazy, but I really don't need to say much more as the previous two posters responded with pretty much what I would have said on your views anyway.

...every one of which can be refuted: ONCE IN A LIFE TIME CASH or ~ 7 million over 6 years - how much money does one person need? Whatever counter offer the Dees can bring to the table, he will still be rich and his value can only increase over the next 2 or 3 seasons, so why lock himself in to a 6 year contract? If he wanted to sign with the club he could have allready - his current contract is not completed until the end of season 2011, so why would he? The club wanted to negotiate with him earlier in the season but he has been putting them off - see previous rebuttal. Would you negotiate with your employer when you still have a few months to run on your current contract knowing that the financial environment of the business is changing? Even if you love your employer, you would probably still want to keep your cards close to your chest until you can get the best possible deal with them. He has been linked with a GWS "done deal" by many varied sources since the start of the season - varied sources as opposed to reliable sources. Draft concessions / player poaching could set up GWS for success, not dissimilar to MFC list? - move to GWS = one step forward, three steps back and no guarantees of success. Potential to forge a culture with a young list - break away from the percevied issues with MFC's leadership group / team culture (which he is rumoured to be unhappy with) - chance to positively influence the culture at his current club as opposed to going to a new club where there are no guarantees the culture would not be any better, and could conceivably be worse.

Would that be the birthday cake?

So in essence, the MRP and AFL are not really serious in their desire to reduce the risk of head and neck injuries. What they have done is the equivalent to legislating that being drunk and driving is ok, but if you hit someone then you might be in trouble if they are injured or killed.

No, as much as I hate to say it, if the AFL is genuinely concerned they will put Trengove out because despite the tackle not resulting in the player suffering any concussion and being able to immediately play on, the tackle was still what they consider to be a dangerous tackle. If they are serious about removing the risk of serious injuries (concussions) from such tackles, then the sling tackle needs to be taken out of the game completely. That doesn't mean I think it should be taken out, in fact I don't... I am just questioning the AFL's consistency on this issue.

No offence intended, but I notice you live in Terrigal which is hardly the heartland of Sydney - and I would hardly think that being a barrista necessarily qualifies you as being in a position of having your finger on the pulse of sporting trends in the city of Sydney. I live in the inner west, right in the middle of the Canterbury bulldogs territory, and I can assure you, there is also a solid AFL following - this is gleaned by talking to fellow parents at the local schools my sons attend and generally mixing with people living in the area. I have also worked with a number of people who have played in Sydney based AFL leagues in their younger days. I also base my observations of having lived in the area for the past 3 decades and having seen the steady growth of AFL here over that time since the Swans arrived. Sure there were plenty who jumped on the bandwagon when the Swans were doing well, and jumped off just as quickly when they weren't... but lets face it, where are the Dees supporters in Melbourne when we aren't doing well? Are you telling me attendances don't jump when we are performing well and don't drop off when we are going badly? My point is that the Bandwagon is not the exclusive domain of NSW based AFL supporters and I don't see it as being an impediment to the growth of AFL here by the addition of a second Sydney based team.

And I think that what you are failing to understand is that there are many passionate AFL followers in Sydney. I really do not like this "band wagon" term, as it all has to start somewhere. Who were the first Richmond supporters, or the first Carlton supporters etc? They were the people that lived in those areas... where they just band wagon jumpers? I don't think so. And it is no different for new clubs forming in new AFL territories. Another benefit for those of us in Sydney that follow other clubs (obviously the Dees in my case), more clubs here means more opportunities to see our clubs in action. Not directed at you Mac7, but these comments about more clubs meaning less chance for the Dees to take home the silverware are absolute defeatist rubbish. If we are good enough it will make no difference and if anything, it will make the taste of success sweeter. An expanded competition hasn't stopped Geelong or Collingwood or Carlton etc from doing well. I've been waiting for as long as the other "veterans" on this site and I have absolutely no qualms about us having to prove ourselves in an expanded competition; particularly when we have what I think is our best looking and most balanced group of players in a long long time.

Well, I'm one of those bourgeois elitist pigs who have Foxtel... so I'm looking forward to the kick-off at 7:40pm :-)

Tell that to the crowds who turned out for the ticker tape parade following the Swans premiership win in 2005 (the NRL premier has never been given such a reception). Tell that to the Lord Mayor who presented the Swans team with the key to the city and who had the Swans flag flown on top of the Harbour Bridge for the week following the win. Agree with a lot of your sentiments, but that is just uninformed.

I live in Sydney and feel almost exactly the opposite; as it would seem, do the NRL.

You are right about everyone, myself included, taking umbrage at the way in which this has been gone about; but unfortunately, right from the original post's "I do hope to see this blight on our game FAIL.Hopefully quickly enough to rechannel the resources to deserving clubs/states." (note the reference to "more deserving states), this thread has been full of comments wishing the move into Sydney's west is a massive failure.

I'll second that Webber. As I was reading this thread I was thinking much the same as you (although I must admit xenophobia didn't really cross my mind). This is an Australian game, and the last I looked, Sydney is a part of Australia. There has always been an AFL presence here and the competition has been particularly strong (by Sydney standards) in the Western suburbs. Yes, the AFL has gone about setting up these new franchises very poorly, but I think it's ridiculous to wish failure on expansion into Sydney's NRL heartland.

I knew I would get asked that question... this is Kevin Bacon.

Well, if it means anything, Kevin Bacon himself told me Scully is staying.

RIP... a very sad day indeed.

DemonsHQ are on here and just recently were encouraging people to complete a survey about online forum usage etc (maybe they were aware of these figures?). I would love to see them have more of a presence here where they could float ideas with a view to getting "true" supporter feedback and where questions and suggestions could be put directly to them... perhaps set up a dedicated forum here, where the Casey forum previously existed?

I wouldn't say that was a backflip at all... from what I can recall, that is pretty much what he said on "On the Couch", up to the point where he was asked whether Dees supporters should feel optimistic. Just another case of a journo attempting to take a silk purse and make it into a sow's ear.

And that blackflip was? - or did I miss something?

Wouldn't matter which ground it's played on over there... still have to deal with a stadium full of Deliverance rejects.