binman

Plough Wallace was onto this a couple of weeks back on SEN. Gave the AFL a right spray. His solution was for the AFL to admit their mistake and have cross over semis - ie the team that finishes top on each conference plays the team that finished second in the other. Seems logical, easy to do, fair and would require no logistical changes. As he pointed out the conference B teams would still get their chance to make the GF - and would do if good enough. But in all likelihood neither would win, leaving the A sides to play off. Either way the GF has the two top sides. Simples.

Going into comedy apparently

True nuff. But as Buttifant notes the impact of interrupted preseasons is not just related to recovery and fitness, but also to understanding game plan and implementing new strategies (eg because players can't participate in drills and simulations). On measuring or assessing the impact during the season it is very hard to do - certainly from where we sit. Every year we find out post season that players who appeared to be out of form were in fact carrying niggles they had all season(Jones wit his neck being a good example) or never got to 'full fitness'.

All well and good. Except for the fact that accepted wisdom of experts is that individual players who have interrupted pre season rarely ever get to optimal fitness and teams that have a high number of players in rehab during the off season invariably feel that impact though the season, including the back half. Sam McClure interviews 'sports science guru' David Buttifant about this vert topic. Interesting stuff: https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=331320

Nope, sorry Sue they're useless. Besides they have made a formal announcement with a media release.

The club is preparing their advertisement for tomorrow's daily broadsheet (perhaps in the announcements pages - they are still deciding), considering an advertisement in the Truth and is working up a post for MySpace.

Yes, well, no surprise really. Unfortunately. I'd be none too impressed if i was the jaguar exec in charge of the sponsorship deal or their comms department. Ask yourself. Did i use Demonland to keep updated about this announcement or the MFC website? If the answer is the former then that tells you all you need to know about where our comms is at as a club. If you answered the latter you probably don't know we have new BOJ sponsor.

Is that what he is doin? If so defenders get away with that all the time

Doesn't look like a free under the rule change (which is really a return to a previous rule) where player can use their hands to hold an opponent under the ball. As long as they dont push them forward. And even if, in that shot petty did push it would be sideways, which would likely be ok. Will be a very tricky free to call I would have thought. Great for tmac, who uses his hands a lot to grapple and push in marking contests.

I can't work out how to provide a link but i heard Kate Roffey being interviewed on RSN this morning. Kate is the director of the Western Melbourne soccer team bid that was successful (which is awesome as i live in the west and my daughter plays soccer so clubs in the area will def benefit. I will def adopt them as my team). Impressive. Fascinating interview, which covers a lot of ground. One element relevant to the discussion of a meeting space for fans is the bids focus n building their own stadium and 'activating' it as part of the strategy to build their fan base and create meaningful connection with their team. Well worth a listen and the dees yarra park plans get a mention. Link to website is here and you the stream is on the right hand side of the landing page: https://www.rsn.net.au/

He mentioned East Melbourne cricket club. Not quite sure if that is existing club or an extinct one he thought we could help revive.

Good post STMJ. I think there is little doubt we will be impacted by the number of players we have who have had interrupted preseasons. History tells us as much. The question is how much (Note: to be clear i'm not suggesting you think otherwise - i'm sure you agree and were just being conciliatory) Of course a mitigating factor will be that most in rehab have been able to keep their fitness levels up, but any disruption hurts to some degree and the issue we have is so many players are having some interruptions. An issue for the dees is the 'Melbourne way' ie goody's way places a huge emphasis on fitness but also high intensity, high impact football that will expose any deficit cause by interrupted preparations. With so few player's rehabbing last year we were able to make a fast start. But one huge positive (and at the risk of jinxing them) is unlike last year Tmac and Viney both seem to have had uninterrupted preseasons thus far. If that continues we will have both ready and raring to go round 1, which will go along way to offset the high impact of the number of players who have had interrupted preseasons

My understanding is omac is rehabbing from back pain. From carrying the backline for the last two years.

I disagree. As I have said a number of times the idea would be a bar, restaurant type space that would be a natural spot for dees fans but open to all. Such a set up would make a fortune if done right. Income helps set up the club and contributes to on field success. But such a space would also have the benefit of being a natural meeting spot and hub for the faithful. Even for away games. I would travel in from altona for a great sport with good atmosphere and plenty of other dees fans for interstate games. Think of the ecmc final. I went to Perth but dees mates, after much humming and aching landed on the sporting globe in Richmond. A place I'm not a huge fan off. But a mfc pub would have been the ideal and it would of been having. Think also of the power of seeing the dees crowds grow and the feeling of having so many members. A shared space would fuel that and help build our membership. Create a dees army. All good and tranlatabke to on field success.

no flacking way

Me. The whole finals things took its toll. Just recovering.

I trust the club to make the right call. They have all the information and of course will have assessed all options and then come up with their preferred option. Their call is yara park. Good enough for me.

Makes you wonder then why savvy, switched on operators like Glen Bartlett and Peter Jackson, after presumably considering all of the facts and relevant considerations, decided yara park was their preferred option. Not.

A couple of points. I didn't mention a social club. I said a bar owned by the mfc. In use all the time. Did you ever go to the old Hilton pub (directly opposite jolimont)? Game days it was packed to the rafters before and after demons games. Just as the cricketers arms is on any game day. A decent bar one train station to the city would always do well, particularly in a a practically dry area. Secondly, a purpose built space would include all the bells and whistles and we would make income from the office space. And one oval is enough. As the tigers, pies etch have shown. I'll bet players don't want to drive to outer woop woop eirher.

Why? Because yarra park is a brilliant idea. One oval is fine for Pete's sake (no issue for th Magpies it would seem) and having our gym, medical stuff, recovery, footy department and admin all in one place will be awesome. Not to mention a space for fans and members. A MFC owned bar above jolimont station would make a fortune - and not just from dees fans. It would be packed every time there was any event at the G. A natural meting place. We would also have a place for the demon shop. The Hawks are going to Dingley, which is not all that far from their current base and there is much to play out in terms of the viability of the project. The Bombers facility might be great but it is miles from anywhere and has costed an arm and a leg. it also does nothing in terms of a base for their fans. I got the election call right OD and i reckon i'll be right on Yarra park.It. Will. happen.

Are you related per chance?

Wrong on 2 of 3 counts OD (pardon the pun). Well more accurate to say wrong on the second and i disagree with the first I think the project will happen. Labor will win this election easily and will not have to rely on the Greens to form government. Odds are not everything - and really they simply reflect polling - but currently labor are 1.14 to win the election. That is seriously short. Shorter than Winx. For context they were 1.70 two weeks ago, and 1.20 yesterday. But the more interesting market is for the likelihood of a majority government being formed. Two weeks ago it was basically even money. it is now 1.40. This is a refection of the fact The Greens have had a horror two weeks. Could not have been worse for them. And for those dismissing the odds as meaningless, i'd say two things. Seriously big money is now bet on elections. And there is very little emotion involved. Secondly whilst polling has been been sketchy in recent times i think that might be a blip and are likely to be pretty accurate this year - particularly with so many votes having already been cast.

I don't understand why posters are suggesting the proposal is dead and buried simply because labor have said they won't 'support' the proposal. This statement is meaningless. A clever clogs way of not risking any votes in marginal electorates. Firstly, i might be wrong, but it is my understanding the CoM has planning authority for yarra park, not the State government. I assume the state gov could somehow take control in the way they have with fishermen's bend but why would they? Secondly, and of most significance, positions change and if lying is the first language of footy, well then it is the only language of politics. I mean please would anyone seriously be surprised if a government (of any persuasion) made such statement and then did the opposite, particularly a wishy washy statement statement such as 'not support' (as opposed to a more definitive - 'we will ensure it does no proceed' - which would still not rule out a change of heart). There are any number of examples, but a topical one is the safe injecting rooms in Richmond. Labor unequivocally opposed them prior to the last election and hey presto 3 years later opens one and starts building a proper facility. Thankfully i might add. And by the by what a peanut Guy is for saying he will close it in his first week if elected - despite its evident success in reducing fatal and non fatal overdoses and demand on paramedics and ambos. What sort of policy decision is that? Peanut

My understating it can be chromecast and apple played (is that a thing) and there is no contract. Similar to Netflix and Spotify. Whose model no doubt depends on people simply not ever bothering to stop it. it is tempting for the footy i have to say, in so far as i usually go to the pub to watch interstate games that are not on free to air and if you add together pub priced drinks, the occasional bet on the pub tab and perhaps a meal, i'm not getting much change from $70.

Yep. Top 4 is pass mark. That said a lot has to go right and not much wrong to achieve it.