Macca

All the draftees tried their best ... but that's the vagaries of drafting Since that time we've done extra well It's a bit like betting on the horses!

And a pick around the 20 mark might deliver players such as Tapscott, Blease, Maric or Strauss (for a proven player like Brayshaw) Hope you enjoy that little flashback, folks! haha

Picks 10-12 could deliver a player like Lucas Cook, Gysberts, Weideman or Clark Busts are a part of drafting and need to be factored in. Doing so (factoring in the busts) is good business practice In a general sense draft picks are severely overrated ... and the points system adds fuel to the fire If it comes to it I'd want a pick around the 6-8 mark for Brayshaw And that pick has a 50% chance of being a bust anyway That's the truth and that's what the data tells us (historically)

If we lost Brayshaw to free agency then we could get as little as pick 19 (or worse) in return in compensation But there is a good chance that his management (the same as Luke Jackson's) is eyeing off a bigger salary if LJ departs In the meantime, he's quite entitled to test the market to see what he's possibly worth That's pro sports

@layzie@Clintosaurus @WERRIDEE @Vipercrunch Good match-up on 9GemHD tonight Eels (6th) vs Broncos (5th) ... at the new Commbank Stadium in Parramatta

The Buddy contract comparison is a trifle misleading as well He'd almost certainly command a much bigger salary these days. The new upcoming salary cap will be a lot more compared to 10 years ago. Probably a $15Million contract rather than $10Million back in 2013 (in my view) Also, Buddy was a free agent so there was no trade ... if it was a trade then Hawthorn would have rightfully demanded a lot more than the paltry compensation that they received (pick 19?) Back then (if they were able to trade Franklin) they might have been asking for 2 top 10 picks and a good player in a trade (as a minimum)

I agree but Jackson has enormous potential and a huge upside His game against the Lions just a few weeks ago gave us a glimpse on how good he can be If it comes to it the club should take the stance that we are selling a star ... and you never sell yourself short

He could be elite and if the offer is true, that's what they'll be investing in Personally, I believe he could be great player as he has all the basic requirements. So we might be losing a real talent, regardless Marking the bloke down is a natural tendency especially if we know he is leaving. We won't want him to be exceptional in those circumstances But it's my belief that he is not necessarily gone anyway. Freo still have to come to the party. If not, we'll reach a stalemate

I'm predicting a stalemate unless they can somehow come up with the currency And it is looking like LJ might be on the move especially if the money offer is close to the truth ... it's a life changing amount if true (and everyone has a price) But we can play hardball and just on that, the 2 clubs might have an in principle deal on the table ... if Freo can come up with what we want, they get him And our ambit claim might be quite substantial But I'm speculating of course because in reality I know diddly squat!!

It's a good point you make ... the trade needs to in some ways match the dollars in the new contract elsewhere (if it all goes that way) And if it's a huge amount then the value in dollar terms should equal a similar value in picks and players An example at the lower end of the scale might be something like a 3rd or 4th round pick for a player being offered a 2 year deal elsewhere on below average money It's mere speculation but what would fair compensation be for a former no.3 pick who might be getting offered $10.5Million over 8 years elsewhere?

Eddie never makes any sense when he goes into supporter mode Tries to justify his alarmist comments with more alarmist conclusions He's a walking contradiction I'm not sure I've ever met a reasonably minded Collingwood supporter though. They are all a law unto themselves with chips on their shoulders the size of Mars

As a perfect lead in to the Commonwealth Games, Eleanor Patterson has just won the High Jump Gold medal at the World Championships ... a fantastic achievement!! n.b. The 1 hour packaged highlights of the Athletics World Championships are being shown daily on SBS Demand Here are the highlights of the Womens High Jump event

I can't think of anyone either ... but the only staging for high contact way back when was generally ducking the head and back in the day, at all levels, that practice was frowned upon and those who ducked their heads were generally pinged for holding the ball Most of the other staging was for holding the man with players regularly having their arms outstretched (flapping) to accentuate the contact (every now and again Clarrie does it and it always looks comical! ... and it never works!) Diving forward after being tackled from behind was also practised a fair bit as was accentuating a push in the back in marking contests But the game was much more open decades ago so the umps had a far greater chance to differentiate what was authentic and what wasn't authentic Nowadays, there are a myriad of players around numerous contests so the sport is now indinitely more difficult to adjudicate correctly There's cause & effect at play here and the first thing I'd do is reduce the amount of players on the field to 16 a side. And slash the interchange numbers by at least half Make the game more open and free flowing and then it's way easier for the umpires ... and the umpires should be full time as well (part time umpires in a fully professional league doesn't make sense) But the umpires aren't at fault with all the staging for high contact that goes on ... it's a rules of the game issue (AFL)

It's always about the money but if you've got great systems, structures & standards the money will flow as a matter of course So the custodians wait for the proverbial to hit the fan before acting? Bad governance

It's 360° game so the rules are always going to be exploited ... we may be just witnessing the tip of the iceberg Need better custodians

The custodians can't just stand idly by and only concentrate on the money and the revenues And many of the numerous rule changes over the years (and implications) have been good for the game (and that includes coming down hard on the KB (and others) in staging for free kicks Of course we are going to complain ... that's what any individual might do when something is obviously wrong Let the game evolve? Into what?

Back in the day if you played for frees you rarely got them and then ran the risk of never getting a free kick for the game The umps frowned upon the stagers and rightfully so

Wouldn't matter if the umpires were full time in this instance, Gonzo ... the infringements themselves are painted grey It's like diving in soccer ... partially fixed with retrospective penalties or on the spot via VAR Not totally fixed but it's miles better Re footy ... even with retrospective bans the players are still going to milk contact from time to time But they've at least got to try and fix things as it's getting worse (the milking of high contact frees) They've ignored the issue for too long

Not harsh in terms of a detterent We ping players for 10 weeks for having a $10 bet on footy And the encroachment area in terms of players giving away 50m is a good rule in the sense that players do not want to encroach They get caught out occasionsally but thems the breaks The abuse/dissent rule is workable now once the rulings didn't include frivolous indiscretions So they can get it right (or close enough to right) once they (the AFL) thinks things through

The new ruling is a good step in the right direction but another large grey area has been created The umpires have zero chance of getting every high contact infringement adjudication judged correctly ... no chance So what we will be left with are inconsistent outcomes with regards to the umpiring decisions made ... and that will be no fault on the umpires (at all) We could ping players for shrugging their arms up or dropping their body/knees but again, it's impossible to judge these types of actions correctly (in real time) The only way to fix the problem is to ping the stagers retrospectively and start handing out 3 match suspensions Otherwise, the problem will stay and the angst will continue on By the way, the ruling is 15 years too late but the league hasn't gone far enough, regardless

We flicked the switch half-way through the 3rd quarter and kicked 7 unanswered goals ... with Kossie getting us back in the game with 2 beauties and then sealing the deal with 2 more that in turn, finished Port off. A fantastic individual performance but the team lifted as it needed to (as well) Reminiscent of the finals last year and the game against Brisbane a few weeks ago Not for the whole game but for 30 minutes, we played some great footy Our best is really good (still) so it's a matter of reproducing our best when needed. And 13 & 4 is a good return (so far) Tough 5 weeks coming up but that's a good thing. We'll be well tested and we'll prepared for September We should be able to defeat the Bulldogs & Carlton but we'll need to have a decent plan against the Pies. Freo & Lions away are difficult but a total of 3 wins from 5 should secure a top 4 spot and probably a top 2 spot. 4 from 5 and we are set for a big September

Yes I'll be tuning in TD ... depending on what time the events are held, I'll watch live or record and watch after work. Not as full on as the Olympics but a keen observer, nonetheless! Am watching the World Athletics Championships right now (in condensed form) as a prelude to the Comm Games ... got the schedule from the official site (the Worlds are being held in Oregon, USA) and then watching the events on youtube once they're posted Competition started on Friday and the Championships are in full mode now But can we beat England (in the Comm Games) from an overall perspective? The Swimming events will be keenly contested and of course, the Track & Field events holds centre stage These Games are ultra important in terms of the athletes having continuous competition for their overall careers. Just like the various World Championships are important ... with the pinnacle being the Olympics of course

Well worth watching a replay, layz As a general rule I'm not a replay person (there's too much live sport around!) but I'd watch the Origin replay

It was a great match both in terms of immense skill and physicality And I don't believe anyone watching needed to be a fan of rugby league to enjoy the match. Just an epic contest

Epic battle tonight! Nearly all of the players played the full 80 minutes too ... they must be exhausted Credit to QLD. Well deserved victory