Macca

Not sure that Hardwick is out of pocket either ... gets paid out for this year you'd imagine and then gets to walk into another job next season at $1Million per season Remembering that a sacked coach only gets paid out 6 months severance So he effectively gets at least 4 months paid leave (about $350k) and walks into more millions down the track

We should appeal

The issue was always going to be that all the different sporting comps would be broken up between any number of different streaming or cable services And now that scenario has been ramped up especially if one is a soccer fan

They are going to lose a number of subscribers Footy & League are their strongholds though so they may not be too concerned

So more importantly, what soccer will Foxtel & Kayo cover looking ahead? I don't have either but do have Optus Sports

There's a bit of a tradition of clubs holding to integrity in the last few games I've even heard Jose talk about playing out the year in a proper manner But with a big final coming up we might still rest a few

It seems we've left our best to last ... watched our game against Leeds and we looked mighty dangerous on the counter attack Up against Fiorentina in the Conference league final so a chance for some silverware at long last. Won't be easy Thursday June 8th 5.00am

I'm a week ahead! Last weekend of EPL games next weekend the FA Cup 4th June & CL Final 11th June

Well that ended quickly Man City win the title after the Gunners run out of steam at the pointy end of the season So can City win the treble? ... The Title, FA Cup & Champions League? We'll soon find out as the FA Cup Final is on next weekend and the CL final is on the weekend after CL places for next season seem to be finalised (Liverpool will need a number of things to happen to gain a spot) so the real interest is which 2 teams out of Everton, Leeds or Leicester will be relegated

Demons lose but at least your horse won ... and it won well too I was on it in a double with Redeimer (up in Sydney) Got about 7-1 for the pair

Competing for the ball is now reportable (apparently) Accidents happen and that should just be a high contact free kick and that's the end of it

lol this thread

'ol mate Geraint Thomas is a narrow leader after Evenepoel withdrew with Covid. A few others have got Covid as well from the Quickstep team Not much time between the top 10-15 so anyone could win ... Roglic is 2 seconds behind and Geogheghan Hart 5 seconds behind. Aussie Jack Haig 3 minutes behind In the mountains Thursday thru Sunday so it's about to heat up

Can't stand MC Shifty as a outhouse rat

If down the track one of our more high profile players is cited for a similar type of tackle and the next game is a final or even a GF, would we appeal? I'd say no doubt we would, especially if it's an Oliver, Petracca or a Gawn So why not appeal now to see how far we can stretch things? A test case so to speak I understand that we aren't appealing but I would have appealed if only to see what the result would be So in other words you take up the fight knowing that you'll probably lose but ... you live to fight another day

Yep, T-Mac is next in line and he can play the role (lead up CHF) that Petty was playing Brown is more a deep forward (JVR's role) and Schache is there in reserve for one of the ruckman

If this sort of thing carries a penalty of missing games then sooner or later a lesser offence will carry a suspension After that, an even lesser offense will be the next focus But one thing is for sure, the name players won't be cited, it will be the sacrificial lamb lesser lights I suppose in a way, players like Petracca, Gawn or Oliver probably won't be cited so there is some upside You and DS made very good points with regards to Day contributing to the sling and it needs a sharp eye to notice such things

Well picked up DS because with the full vision it looks damning for Sparrow So if Day contributes to the sling (as you've said) then not so damning I must say I do like the aggressive nature of Sparrow's tackle. Old school and he creates a presence for himself That same type of tackle isn't always going to end up with the players head hitting the ground. His arms weren't pinned so he's got his arms to protect himself

We know that All the more reason to take up the fight We should be complaining about the inconsistencies through the media Other clubs do

If the AFL were authentic, they'd make an example of the high profile players, not the lesser lights But the Sparrow action is a football action in my view anyway Just like JVR ruling, cite them all or don't cite them at all In their endeavour to clean things up in terms of head trauma, there is no clear pathway. The road ahead is murky (to say the least) Unless the sport is reinvented (AFLX)

Probably because the umpires might have seen the incident as a football action only HQ are running scared but when will it stop? It's a collision sport and an aggressive sport so to me, actual transgressions are easy to spot Actions like a punch, elbow, or shoulder targeting the head area is obvious. Most of the rest of it is vague and highly questionable So is a player like Dangerfield going to miss a GF for a similar incident to the Sparrow one? Zero chance

Every now and again players are going to hit their heads on the ground as the result of a tackle So how do we differentiate? The same tackle more often than not will not result in a player hitting their head on the ground So if we punish the action alone, numerous players should be cited for the actual action, not the result e.g. the Kozzie incident is now punishable for the action alone But that's a shirt-front type action An aggressive tackle? Happens frequently in every game Can of worms

So what would be your attitude if it was Oliver, Gawn or Petracca on the eve of a GF? Players should not miss games for incidents like this. A fine is sufficient

The value of Sparrow is irrelevant to this thread in terms of whether he is guilty or not He's one of our players and we should go into bat for him as if it's Oliver and a GF berth at stake As for the incident, both players were moving at decent speed and it just looked like a normal tackle given those circumstances It's not as if Sparrow pinned him and then drove his head into the ground. Accidents happen and football actions should not be punished

@Diamond_Jim @Dee Zephyr @Grapeviney @layzie @roy11 @Winners at last @Jibroni @Jumping Jack Clennett @Sir Why You Little @loges @Pates Great news re the starting time for the FA Cup ... (finally) back to 3pm (Midnight AEST) June 3rd The first time since 2011 that the time-honoured FA Cup will be played at that time Back in the day we used to have FA Cup parties (or get togethers) As the game time gradually crept out to 2.30am, that changed But what a match-up! Man Utd vs Man City See y'all here on the night!! The Demons are playing Carlton the day before (Friday night)