hardtack

There are no surprises in that result... some Labor seats are in areas (such as the seat of Blaxland in Sydney's west), where religion would have had voters swinging towards the No vote. Many other Labor seats have large numbers of blue collar workers, who would possibly have also leant towards the No vote. I don't think this is an issue that can be looked at along party lines or even in terms of left and right; but if you want to use it as an excuse to bash the "lefties" go ahead, knock yourself out. Personally, I'm just glad that sense prevailed and the Yes vote won the day.

Yes, looking at those crowd figures, I'll have to retract my comments... maybe I've just switched off, but it seemed to me that there was far less build up in the media than I remember in past decades (I've lived here since 1979).

Consider it done!

Well, to be fair, I'm hardly in the league of the likes Saty... I get down to Melbourne on very rare occasions (unfortunately) and if they coincide with training sessions and I am not otherwise committed, I will drag myself and camera (and lens') along to get some shots. Don't expect any written reports though as my attention span is practically non existent these days. But thanks for your kind words anyway

Thanks D'land... I thought I read somewhere that the remainder of the players start on the 20th... but I also read someone's thought (bubble) that maybe Lever would be given extra grace as he played a finals campaign.

Yes, but I doubt that they are complaining OD... I saw Selwood interviewed on the sidelines during the game, and he didn't seem too upset about being selected despite his carried over injury... in fact he seemed rather disappointed that he couldn't take the field. I enjoyed yesterday's game as a spectacle and as I said, I think you'd probably find that there are less injuries to players from this than there are through non footy related injuries during the off season.

I'm going to be in Melbourne from Thursday, heading back to Sydney on Monday evening... so I will post some photos of both the Friday 17th and Monday 20th sessions to a Facebook album and put a link in here once done. Does anyone know if Jake Lever and Harley Balic will be training on either of those days? I'm hoping to get a jersey and have it signed for my son to help with the mental side of his knee reco recovery - I know he would dearly love to see Lever's autograph on there as he's already achieved the status of favourite Dees player

I'm with you on this Sue. This is the only opportunity the players get to pull on a jumper for "their country", so why not let them have their day in the sun? I would also be interested to know how many players have suffered injuries bad enough to affect their following year's season in comparison to the number of players who have injured themselves during the off season shooting hoops, jumping on trampolines etc, badly enough to affect their following year's season. None of the players seem to object to it... just the supporters who seem to think that they have a say in what the players get up to outside of the normal season.

The NRL has ALWAYS run a poor second to State of Origin; having said that, if anything, going by the amount of talk on the "street", the State of Origin has lost some of its popularity.

I'm completely indifferent. One or two average to good seasons are not enough to win back the attention of the AFL when it comes to the draw, and regardless of how we have been allocated games, if we are to be a grand final team, then we need to win games no matter when and where. If I have one complaint, that is that we Sydney based supporters have been shafted far too many times over the past decade or so - the AFL seeming to think that the ACT is just a leisurely drive down the road.

Yeah, just ask Essendon FC ?

I'm not sure what you are hoping to gain from this... I will answer that I Don't Know. Now perhaps you can answer the my question with a response from the same range you requested (yes, no, maybe, don't know): Do you think the fossil fuel industry and the scientists that they employ, manipulate data to suit their own ends? Note that if you answer with a 'No', I will expect to see some sort of supporting evidence from reputable sources (not from the industry, not from scientists employed by the industry, and not from known or reputed deniers or supporters of the industry)... and just to save you asking the question later, I'm sitting on the fence and saying Maybe... this being based on the fact that they probably stand to lose a lot more than the climate change proponents (much like the tobacco industry who had numerous scientists on their books in a vain effort to disprove any causal links between smoking and cancer).

Sorry, but you still haven’t explained what “their own ends” are... what do they, NASA and NOAA hope to gain from this supposed manipulation... and once you’ve explained that, let’s apply the same question to the fossil fuel industry and the scientists they employ.

Maybe first define what “their own ends” means? And then perhaps ask the same question of the fossil fuel industry and the scientists they employ to play down the impact of global warming.

Might depend on what OD has been drinking (literally on the turps?).

OD, these days I look at everything in terms of the cost of a cup of coffee. The GF Guarantee equates to about one and a half cups per week, or in my case having my son’s to cover as well, three cups. Weird I know, but somehow it helps me deal with the cost ?

Well, he will definitely have no injuries next year as he won’t be able to participate for 12 months from the date of the operation, meaning he will miss the entire 2018 season. Hopefully he will be good to go for the 2019 preseason, but he’s concerned that the jump in pace and physicality going from under 15s to under 17s may be a bridge too far.

Greg Parke, Flower, Farmer, Davey, and Jurrah

I think you SHOULD be having a go at the club here... without members the club would be in dire financial straits, so if they want to ensure members stay within the fold, then it is their responsibility to keep us informed of any changes that are going to affect us financially; particularly in the case where memberships are set up for automatic renewal. Christ, even the emails welcoming my son and I back mention absolutely nothing about the costs (a receipt would be nice) let alone the break up of costs!! How hard is it???

I phoned them DC and gave them an earful over the fact it was taken for granted that I would be happy to part with $458 as opposed to the $240 I parted with this year - plus my usual membership fees. I was offered a refund, but as I explained to the membership person on the other end of the line, they had put me in a very difficult position with regards to the promise I made to my son (and now I can add the fact that after round 1 it increases to $299 each). Now, if I opted out (took the refund) and then decided to opt back in later, it would be even more expensive. I suppose the price increase is the thing that really rankled me - I wouldn't have minded so much if I had a steady income, but I don't.

Seriously??? That's a 150% increase on the cost of the GF guarantee last year!!!! I was angry enough over the fact that they automatically renewed that guarantee that I paid $120 for earlier this year, with my membership, but now I'm absolutely seething!!

I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one Ding. The problem is, and this is my biggest issue, the GF guarantee fee is automatically charged with the membership renewal... I believe they should not have done that and that it should be something you opt into, rather than out of. If that had been the case, then I probably would have held off until later in the season. My son has been through a lot having had an arthroscopy at age 13 two years ago, and more recently a full knee reconstruction after reinjuring the knee in what was essentially his first game back this year; so I think he’s had enough disappointments for one so young. If we make the GF and I couldn’t get seats after promising him I would, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself (not to mention the personal disappointment after waiting 54 years to actually see us win a GF... could only listen on the radio back in ‘64).

Essentially it gives us admission to any Dees games played here in Sydney (or Canberra), the usual home games in Melbourne as well as a scarf, calendar etc. The problem is that there have been so few games here in the past decade or so and that a Canberra game involves a minimum of three hours driving in both directions and the added expense of accommodation.

It went from $80 in 2016 to $120 in 2017. The big jump to $229 is for 2018... I expressed my displeasure directly to the club over the phone... particularly as it was included in my automatic renewal! I expressed the thought that an extra such as the GF guarantee should be something you opt into rather than opt out of. I was pizzed off because I’m in a position where I can’t really afford $458 for mine and my son’s guarantee, but I have the dilemma that I can’t ask them to refund it as I had promised my son that we will go to the GF if the Dees get there.

I think you'll find that it balances absolutely nothing for us Sydney or Hobart based members who are essentially paying a lot of money to watch the games on TV.