Slartibartfast

Any news on Clarrie?

Did they delay team changes? Do we know this as fact or just surmising?

I think there would be ongoing detailed discussion on this very point, from the umpires and the AFL but we probably won't find common ground on that. Old has addressed the other point I was going to make. I agree that the AFL should probably provide more facilities to the umps and pay them more. I remember reading an article last year about the conditions umpires face and thinking it was pretty disgraceful but I can't really remember the details. I guess my point is media focus would be counter-productive. There have to be better ways.

I hear comment on umpiring decisions by commentators all the time. I see it on OTC and I imagine there is comment on 360 but I don't watch that. I would imagine those involved in umpiring get council from independent people all the time - past umpires, past players and those involved at club level. They would seek it because it is in everyone's best interest to get better. Have you ever watched a game sure there were horribly incorrect decisions only to see you were wrong on the replay? I have, countless times. The Kossie HTB in front of the members one example. I'm not suggesting there aren't mistakes, I'm not suggesting we shouldn't try and get better umpires but I don't think continual media review is the way to go. I think our game is so much better since player abuse of umpires has been largely eliminated, I'm very cognizant of the difficulty of attracting umpires to the profession. I don't think aggressive media review of umpires would help.

What do you think the umps do at training during the week?

And what would it achieve if there was a pile on in the media? Country football is struggling to get umpires, abusive behaviour being the reason. Media pile on will just hinder the effort to get more involved. You very well know that it’s an impossible game to umpire. Neutral observers will debate decisions having had the benefit of multiple replays. The umps have to make a decision in a split second. I stopped sitting with some mates because the majority of their focus was umpire related. They hate victim hood but at the footy any game we lose by less than 20 points is always because of the umps. We’ve got a great game but one of the characterises is that the rules require interpretation and are very had to apply. And our game is so much better when it is the focus and not the umps. The umps don’t make mistakes on purpose just as players don’t. If we supported them rather than vilified them we might attract a greater pool from which to choose from and that might result in a greater depth of umpires and a better result for all concerned. So I’d suggest we give the umpire bashing a rest for the good of the game.

Because nobody take you seriously?😀

Lucky he didn't coach us to three flags then.

CAC got rid of Millar and Wallace, employed Dimma and Blair Hartley and the rest is history. He was part of their success. As for passing on Eddie, so did every other club as Eddie was taken as a rookie. JT passed on McKay and Curnow for Weideman so I suppose you'll never value him.😀

I see the Aussie tall poppy syndrome is in full swing. What a fantastic coach and what a wonderful legacy he will leave at Richmond. It is never as simple as one man but he was front and centre of the Tigers success along with our very own Craig Cameron amongst others. The teams we hate are pivotal to our game and without them footy wouldn’t be what it is. Hardwick added spice and interest to our game. He also reshaped it when he won his first flag with a game plan many in the competition followed. His pressers were great viewing as he put the journo’s in their place and he often said what needed to be said. And like Ian Chappell he’s going out on his own term, at least for now. Well done Dimma, some footy fans may rejoice at todays news but the footy world will recognise and appreciate what you have achieved and I only hope Goodwin can do the same.

Just like Steven May. We'll find out soon enough. Thanks very much Kev for your time and efforts to report back. Much appreciated.

So you know something about footy as well. Who would have thought.

I agree with everything you’ve said other than his endurance which is elite if the preseason running is anything to go by where he is in the top group with Nibbler. As for not playing well last week I think that is rot. 17 possessions at 88% efficiency (second behind McVee) and only 67% game time tells a different story. I agree that his issue is being a generalist and I think he’ll do very well elsewhere. After this years draft he will most likely fall further down the pecking order. I’d like to keep him but I’m resigned to him leaving. The rise of McVee and Chandler has probably signed his papers.

Grange is Penfold’s😀😀

The only ones celebrating harder than us are the lawyers who’s picnic is full of caviar and Grange.

The thread title is a little off-putting.

Well they were one kick off a GF last year and currently sit on the top of the ladder despite both of their first choice rucks injured for much of the period. They've been blessed with three outstanding FS's but to me, from the outside, they seem to have recovered from a terrible situation very quickly. I like DS posts. He says a lot of stuff that I shake my head at but he also makes a lot of points I wouldn't have considered. IMO that's a lot better than reading the same groupthink sort of stuff that is often posted here (I'm not suggesting you are one, I also like your posts). But he gets attacked unnecessarily in my view.

Or perhaps not born. 😀

It relates back to 1990 when everyone’s favourite footy manager,the great Peter Rohde, and the unheralded Tony Campbell pantsed them in consecutive weeks in R22 and the the finals to keep them from winning a flag they thought was rightfully theirs. I love that they hate us. It’s for all the right reasons and they can do f all about it.

He’s 25 years old and has played 70+ games of AFL footy. What is one more game going to tell us? And what do you say to the bloke you leave out who is best 22 but is not picked because you want to see him play his 74 game? Also, don’t flirt with a game of footy. It could be a top 4 spot.

I’m taking a different tack. I’ll be cheering LJ. He helped win us a flag and then sacrificed himself by going to Fremantle and delivering us a promising KPF and a first and second round draft pick for this year. And to garnish the deal he’s not exactly helping their cause is he? What more could we ask of him? Having said all that it’s a long year and I note the significant egg that has been plastered on certain posters faces with the “What they’re saying” threads from the Brisbane and Essendon games. What I don’t get is the angst LJ is getting for leaving whilst at the same time being derided as an ordinary player. It’s a win win for us, let’s thank him for that and cheer!

Well eight of the Gather round games have been sold out so there seems to be significant enthusiasm for the round. AFL not as stupid as you thought.

The money made from the Gather round allows the AFL to provide more support for the players and social causes. You can nit pick all you like, the big picture is the competition, the players, the clubs are better off for having more money.

Thanks heavens Gil's still making money for the AFL. If not for AFL support and the money they'd made through these evil "money making idea's" we'd be gone years ago and COVID would have decimated the competition. Many more club staff would have been without a jobs, players wouldn't have been paid and would have looked for other professions, the public wouldn't have had footy as Dan put us into home detention for months on end and as a result many more of us would have suffered mental illness. Footy survived because the AFL looked for "money-making ideas" and were financially robust enough to maintain the game in the most challenging of circumstances. We will receive (reportedly) $500,000 to $800,000 for the Gather round. Maybe some of the phyio's and other player support staff that lost their job during COVID will find their way back into the industry and if it isn't them then others who provide support for our players will take their place. What on earth is wrong with making money? Without it the game dies. The Gather round provides an extra meaningful game of footy rather than a meaningless practice game. It will provide Adelaide with a fantastic economic boost to business still struggling after COVID, it will make the AFL stronger which makes the whole competition stronger. Make money Gil, that's what I say. Who knows when the next pandemic is going to hit or some other circumstance beyond the AFL's control descends upon us. The prospect of a financially struggling AFL and its impacts are too depressing to think about.

Yep, and we gave up pick 3 to get it. Jacko really is a distant memory for many. Soory Demonstrative, I meant to quote Agent99