Webber

Once again, the umpires are embarrassing the game. Shocking inconsistencies.

Good point. They’d have to play home games in Alice Springs I guess for that reason (maybe March-April games in Darwin). Their summer season might work well for players looking to be picked up for AFL team.

Increase to 20 with a team from NT. Just as much a footy heartland as Tasmania. Will obviously need to be bank-rolled by the AFL, but this should be their responsibility as much as anything profit-based. Then form 2 conferences of 10 teams, whence each team plays home and away within their conference (18 games per team per conference) ending in a final four each conference. That’s 180 total games per year across the two conferences, compared to 176 as currently stands. Then come up with some funky way to hybridise the finals by mixing the conferences, e.g. 1 v 4 from opposing conferences, 2 v 3, etc (same as current). Pop in a couple of staggered bye-rounds for all teams - perfect chance to pause and reset for injury and fatigue, and reinstate State of Origin. Done properly. That’s all I got. More games, but a less relentless season to ease cumulative loads on players, and the fascinating intrigue of how the best from each conference will match against each other. Just dunno quite how you create the conferences. The obvious one is Victorian teams one conference, rest of Australia the other (meaning only they have the burden of travel of course = a problem). Would also spice up the interstate rivalry (in a nice way!). All equalisation measures remain. Ok, bring the dismissals….

Of course, everyone’s beatable, they’re just the hardest to beat. If it stays that way through September, the flag is theirs.

I’ve been watching footy all my 5 decades, and this is the best last quarter team I’ve ever seen. By a galaxy. They are also currently the best team in the AFL, it’s unarguable. And I hate it.

Yep. Game over now.

Exactly right. If you spend enough time in forward 50, with scoreboard relief (what Adelaide haven’t achieved enough), they start taking higher risks, but vigilance and trying to meet their pressure is everything. This quarter will be fascinating. Only 3 straight kicks down, knowing they’ve won 9 games of 11 coming from behind in the last quarter. Adelaide know this too!

Collingwood’s belief in desperation blended with outright attacking speed is phenomenal. It’s just frightening for opposing teams when they bring it, and the belief gets stronger. I hate to say it, really HATE it, but they are irresistible at their best.

It’s amazing how expert you are at blustering a narrative that opposes what’s otherwise widely understood. Lachie Hunter has NEVER been a line-breaker in the way everyone understands it - by straight-line foot speed. Of course he’s a creative playmaker by brain speed. That however is a different ability. He is also an EXCEPTIONALLY efficient user by the metric of hitting targets and not turning the ball over. However, you believe there’s another version - your “real” version. Not sure why you think contrary hyperbole helps your arguments, because it actually does the opposite.

He never broke the lines, was always an accumulator on connection and smart play-maker. Still is. Most of those 6 kicks last night WERE effective. And the sun still rises in the east.

Some weird stuff on here, like ‘if Chandler keeps playing like that, he’s a lock’. He’s been outstanding in every game this year. A remarkable little unit, beautiful skills, gutsy, great mark….who knew?! If he’s not a ‘lock’ now, he never will be. And he is not a Spargo replacement. They played together before Spargs was concussed. Spargo will not be relegated to Casey. He’s best 22. Also the odd concern that JVR and Schache only kicked 2 goals between them. We kicked 22 goals, have the best percentage in the league, and the highest ‘points for’. Great win, particularly off the 5 day break. The team’s beginning to hum I reckon, and who isn’t loving the evolution of Max and Brodie?

Not sure there’s another player on our list who has made so much out of his available talents. Extraordinary worker well-rewarded, and having a great season. Love watching him go about it.

Great pod as usual boys. Enjoyed the new intros, suitably daggy but in the best way! I reckon that unless Tmac and BBB start maximising contests up forward, allowing the smalls to do their best work, Harry Petty stays forward. He’ll have a 3-5 goal game soon (he’s very close), and the discussion will change. Disco Turner will be the next addition to the tall defender team.

Sidebottom for mine.

I reckon Jake Stringer was that kid in the school playground who absolutely hogged the ball and didn’t understand why everybody else thought that was a problem.

Yep. Last night was laughably, distressingly bad. And the AFL continue to do way too little about it. An extra umpire isn’t the answer. Full-time professional umpires, paid accordingly, selected for decision-making clarity and ability to adjudicate impartially under pressure, then further educated and experienced as only full-time employees can be, then we might get somewhere.

Trac’s set shot routine is transformed. Walks straight, holds the ball straight, 3 steps in, 4th the kick with STRAIGHT momentum, no leaning back on it. Seems simple, and it is!

Completely justified in fact. No advantage that I could see to either team, there was just simply no consistency. I use the cliché reluctantly, but the adjudicating out there was a raffle. For evidence, just look at the centre bounce ‘call backs’ alone. It’s an embarrassment to the game.

Good win. Scrappy kind of game in many parts. A shocking display of umpiring (again makes a mockery of our professional game). Everyone contributed. Go Dees.

Yep. But at least it had (I reckon) a vein of self-aware ridiculousness about its content, WJ. Not so much Murdoch’s nonsense.

JJ is from Yarrawonga. Kade Chandler from SA.

Thanks @In Harmes Way. So it’s official. Horse’s mouth and all that. No excuse for ANYONE on here, or ANYWHERE (just wait for the commentators to stuff up his name) to use the “OO”. It’s “OY”. OY…..OY….OY…..OY….OY. Not OO!!! (Expecting your support @Demonstone). Nickname, I’m going with “VAN ROY-BOY”. Maybe just “ROY-BOY”. (Absolutely aware of the allusions to old Fitzroy, but as they’re no longer an AFL entity, so be it).

Top stuff, Andy and binman. That the MFC are making staff/players available for pod interviews says much about Demonland being observed, and in a good way! Selwyn’s detailed responses to your excellent questions were as I had hoped, offering perspective and objectivity to things that often otherwise lead to supporter conniptions, i.e. it’s an incredibly tough game and season, everyone’s on the same page and doing the absolute best they can, but luck plays an enormous part. Well done too to binman on your stealth approach to the loading question…..set up and spike!

Best possible outcome from that incident (excluding no injury at all)….no ACL, no medial meniscus, no joint surface trauma. No legacy either once it’s healed. He’ll be good as new, ready to hoist the Cup (assuming the rest of the team can atone for last night, and play like we know they can). Rehab is straightforward, and lucky for Max, he loves cycling. 👍🏻

Haha. Happy to say there’s a reason radiologists exist, QD.