Grapeviney

Nowhere else to put this and didn't want to start a new thread but disappointed to read that Fairfax have slashed editorial jobs to such an extent they didn't have a reporter at the SCG to cover the game. The match report which ran in The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald was written off the telly, a development that would have the old Sporting Globe team turning in their graves. Further evidence of Fairfax's decline was on show in The Age's coverage of the Caro Wilson saga yesterday, when they ran a story that had a quote from Caro. Except it wasn't Caro, it was the parody Twitter account in her name. Hilarious that no-one noticed given the account's handle is @caro_whine. Can't even correctly quote one of its own journos!

So, Richmond missed out.. guess they finished 9th again!

Agenda? What agenda? Abbott had a bit of scrap paper with 11 words on it: 'stop the boats, scrap the mining tax, scrap the carbon tax.' Yes he achieved those things, but only one of them - the boats - was a real accomplishment. The other two required nothing more than legislation in Parliament; hardly enough to base a term of Government on. Abbott had no reform agenda, no economic narrative (well not one that was coherent or consistent) and no plan for the country and the future. Big business knew it, the conservative commentators of the Murdoch press knew it, and his party knew it. Together with his flawed judgment and unwillingness to take counsel from anyone other than his chief-of-staff, it was a major reason why he was removed. Time to face facts, Wrecker; Abbott was a dud, just like the two who preceded him.

...ahem.. I'm guessing this is one bet you won't mind losing PD.

The forward structure / set-up falls to bits when Watts is in the ruck. Same thing happened last week. Too many occasions today when both Jack and Jesse were well up the ground, leaving just Dawes and the smalls near goal. If they're going to persist with Watts pinch-hitting in the ruck, then Jesse has to stay closer to goal during those times.

Diamond can't hear you right now - he got the same number of weeks which Oliver was supposed to miss through the fake injury.

If you've got a source for that, now would be a good time to produce it. If you're having a laugh, take a good look around the site, because you won't be able to access it shortly.

Congratulations, you've just won Brian Taylor Bingo!

Due to popular demand, I choo choo choose to rename the thread: All aboard the Oliver Express

Hardly got out of second gear and still cruised in by 10 goals - I'll take that any day of the week. If Peders had been there and Watts not forced to pinch-hit in the ruck, the margin would have been considerably more. In spite of the makeshift forward set-up, Jesse did really well to snag his five goals and assist in a number of others. His work rate and competitiveness is second-to-none and he's playing every bit as well as he did last year in my opinion.

Looks like everyone's getting in on the Leicester celebrations..

I know I'm in the minority here but I don't agree that the AFL should be obliged to schedule a bye for us post-NT. Sure, it'd be nice, but it's our choice to play there and I don't think we deserve favourable treatment because of it. The clubs that play us there - Port, Freo et al - have a much stronger case for it, as they are forced to make the trip because of us. It'd be a different story if we were playing there at the behest of the AFL, but we're not.

From the game day thread - thanks to dazzle for picking this up: Jay Clark ‏@ClarkyHeraldSun 2m2 minutes ago Simon Goodwin says he has "no doubt" Jesse Hogan will re-sign with Dees. Described Clayton Oliver as "something special" @triplemfooty

OK, it's time to preserve what's left of this once-great thread and resurrect the good vibes that permeated it at the beginning. All contract talk should go in the Jesse Hogan Panic Room, a new thread where you can convince yourself and others that's he's staying or going based on facial expressions, astrology & tarot card readings, conversations with taxi drivers and media beat-ups. Please leave this thread for footy talk and all non-contract-related discussion.

This is to place to speculate, extrapolate, read the tea leaves and explore your worst fears. Have fun.

On the panel, and they just showed a highlight reel straight out of the Jack Viney Made Me Cry Thread - all the best hits. Edit: and now Jack has just delivered the line of the night, during a discussion about rules that couples have around sex. Viney: "No rules, just an understanding that post-game I'm not the one doing most of the work."

Played 50 forgettable games as a junior, before a series of minor non-career-threatening finger injuries saw me give the game away in about the under 12's. Like others on here, spent a lot of time on the bench, and then resting in the forward pocket, which hadn't even been invented yet. Nonetheless, I did get my moment in the sun, when I managed a scrubber goal from about 10 metres out in the dying seconds of a game to level the scores just as the siren rang. It was the day after Gubby Allen's infamous last-minute kick across goal at the Whitten Oval, which was intercepted by Simon Beasley who goaled to get the Doggies home. I was carried off the ground by my delighted team-mates, who were chanting "Beasley, Beasley", which is a shame because that's not my name.

Keeping with the West Australian theme, if there's a vacant seat I imagine Troy Buswell will be sniffing around.

^^^ Thanks for the link, Macca, hadn't seen that. The dollars involved are just staggering, and it's easy to see how players in other top European leagues will be lured to the EPL if salaries jump commensurately to the value of the broadcast deal. Not sure what UEFA can do about it though..?

Thread is dead. Those whinging about other posters should make use of the ignore function and spare the rest of us from reading the same circular arguments week after week.

Appreciate the info LT, although I wish that people who worked at the club would be more discrete about what they know. We all complain about the spin which comes from coaches and players in post-match press conferences and the like, but there's a reason why they don't reveal the inner thoughts of the FD to supporters and the general public.

I'm partly to blame. For the 3rd time this season, I've tuned in late during a Spurs game only to see them concede a goal and either lose or draw. Woke at about 6.30am today, checked the score on my mobile, and debated whether I should watch the closing stages - sure enough, Hazard scored about 30 seconds after I turned on the telly. I only saw the end of the game but Spurs were playing feral football and there was a dust-up in the tunnel as the teams left the pitch. Well done to the Foxes - they are deserving winners after a very consistent season. City host Arsenal next weekend as the fight for Champions League spots continues, bearing in mind they also play Real on Thursday in the return match at the Bernabeu.

If the ball goes outside the circle at a centre bounce, the umpires call it back and throw it up again so one side isn't advantaged. Why not the same for boundary throw-ins? That half-arsed throw-in yesterday cost us a goal. It should have been called back. What if it had happened late in the game of a tight final?

It's tempting to see it that way (Jesse missed an easy one around the same time too) but it didn't affect the end result - we could have kicked 25 goals today, the Saints would have finished with 30.

I love it when the 'G is lit up like this. Fortress Melbourne: