Macca

Similar things have happened a stack of times in European soccer Starts off with a banana being thrown or an online racist attack ... player reacts and next thing the racist chants start up (another time) Which leads to those teams playing in front of empty stadiums. And that type of action works. Should have happened here ... sends a strong message So if Goodes turns a blind eye none of what transpired afterwards happens. But he was right to call out what was said And the public should have had more sense than to blame Goodes himself ... unless there was a strong element of racism involved of course. Gave the narrow-minded bigots an out in my opinion You and I are never going to agree on this matter so lets leave it there

There are a number of factors associated with racism that also need to be noted (and again, no survey is needed) That racism is mostly hidden (deliberately) ... a large majority aren't going to admit that they are racist. It's subtle but in the Goodes example, not hidden because the mob was at work (strength in numbers) Even the racism thrown at Goodes is denied by those who simply don't want to admit that it was a racist attack Ultimately, the extreme racists put hoods on their heads to disguise themselves. Why wear the hood otherwise? If we don't know by now what the actualities are we'll never know. Your own circle of friends, acquaintances & family will provide the answers for you In other words, we already know what the answers are. A survey isn't going to enlighten us. Besides which, do people answer the questions honestly? And what about those who steer clear? And do the non racists have a want for another survey so as they can say ... "See, I told you so, it says it in the survey" Say No To Racism

The racism has quietened down a lot when compared to the 70's & 80's but it still exists from time to time ... I'm an AFL member and prefer standing room and when it's crowded in there, that's where you can sometimes still hear it (muffled not loud and not identifiable) Things have improved a lot with greater education and better policing but the Adam Goodes booing was deplorable. Shameful in fact. And it wasn't that long ago. The mob at work. So instead of the odd jibe from the odd person it was 10,000 in unison We've come a long way but my view is that even though we've already got the info in front of us, we still get blinkered views such as 'One white parent' when describing an indigenous prospect (that was by a well known recruiter) King Kong & chimp references etc etc. I still see people making references to the indigenous players at their clubs somehow needing other indigenous players at the club as support or as mates ... why?

Do we need surveys about racism to tell us what we should already know? It's like having a survey about the common cold in my view. We already know what it is and what to do about it In a previous post I highlighted the disgusting behavior aimed at Adam Goodes And that happened 6 years ago The AFL should have taken action such as playing the games in front of empty stadiums (as they do with soccer in Europe) Send a strong & clear message By the way, I was saying that at the time So there's no paranoia ... just a realisation that action needs to happen. Not more surveys I have experienced and seen racist behavior on a constant basis for my entire life (and I'm no spring chicken) ... not as a victim but nonetheless, the indelible inprint of racism has been about forever (in my view)

Fair enough it's probably not a scam in that sense but in terms of changing the thinking with the results, I'm not so sure As an example ... the mob mentality surrounding Adam Goodes shows us how far we need to go before inherent racism is stamped out For all the work the AFL does, it failed spectacularly when it came to being able to handle the Adam Goodes situation Hounded out of the game and people wonder why he won't accept a hall of fame honour? If it was me I'd take the same stance. Accept the award and it's an admission that could easily satisfy those who hounded him out of the sport

Fair enough I'm suss about these sorts of surveys as a general rule. Are the results of these surveys going to change the mind of a narrow-minded racist? And there's a lot of them about Most people are set with their thinking and they won't be changing their minds in a hurry It's a slow burn eliminating racism ... going to take a while. Real affirmative action is required rather than asking people whether racism exists or not

This thread should be in the 'General Discussion' area of the site anyway

The debate on race often ends up the same way and if I was conducting a survey on race on a forum such as this one, I'd probably know where it would end up It's time for action not more surveys The sporting bodies need to lead the way with regards to racism and they should know what to do by now. Same as most people by now should know what the results of these surveys will tell us We need to stop talking about the problem and fix the problem By the way, I'm a staunch anti-racist and have been known to end a post with ... 'Say No To Racism'

Is this person a true academic or did said person stumble across this survey and try their luck here There is a similar thread in the other sports section here on this site

Grinter involved with the wedgie? BT went on the rampage that day

Way more concerned about how we perform @West Coast, @Port, @Geelong & vs Bulldogs Split that lot 2 & 2 or go 3 &1 and that's a good/very good result. Go 4 & 0 against those 4 and the 'lid' will be nowhere to be seen Against the others we might have an off day or 2 but 1 off day is somewhat acceptable if we only lose 1 against the big 4. That would give the team a 19 & 3 record (at worst) and a top 2 position on the ladder We can speculate all we like but the club of course needs to look at the next match only ... apart from the scouting done on future games But losing to Collingwood will just never do!

You've got a better memory than me as all I can remember is that he had a very good game ... disposals in the mid 20's in a low scoring games points to him playing further afield though As previously stated, he looks more like an athlete than the traditional FF type. Do what you do, do well?

Weideman is up around half forward occasionally but it seems fleeting and not for a planned amount of time. Soon enough he's back near the goal square Brown tends to lead long (when he is in form) which can sometimes take him beyond the arc They are both played as stay-at-home forwards but I believe that Weideman has a better chance of being an influence further up the ground (but for allotted times, not permanently) I can't see both in the same team though ... it's one or the other but unfortunately Ben Brown can't really state his case properly right now. And I'm a big fan of competition within the ranks

The crux of my argument is the versatility factor rather than directly copying anything from the past ... (back in the day the tall FP, FF & CHF simply swapped roles from time to time in order to confuse the opposition) Smith often played a decoy FF apparently. Whatever works Most recognise that LJ & T-Mac are best suited in a roaming capacity but for whatever reason, Weideman has been pigeon-holed as a stay-at-home decoy type At least Ben Brown gets out beyond the 50 metre arc occasionally but I'm not advocating Brown in and Weideman out anyway (at all) My concern is that we just keep getting more of the same and then go with Brown where a similar thing could happen. Back to square one with the finals looming We could easily end up going into the finals without a settled deep forward but do we need a settled deep forward if all our tall forwards can play a variety of different roles within the forward line? (and further up the ground in a linking capacity) And of course Fritsch needs to fit in with that sort of system as well (along with the crumbers) I see it all as entirely do-able with every forward playing their part ... but if we're to win the big one we can't have a weak link Related: Chris Dawes' role was interesting in that 2010 premiership year won by the pies

The minute Roos put Hogan on the ball many of us were holding our breath but it worked straight off Weideman shouldn't be seen as a one trick pony ... not sure about having 3 permanent talls in the forward (along with LJ) but I like your thinking anyway What I'd like to see is for 10-15 minute allotments, 2 or 3 times a game, we see Weideman as a high half forward and a link to the forwards further afield. LJ or T-Mac could play deep in that time whilst the other playing a roaming role (as they both do now) Gets him into the game, his hands on the ball with a few cheap uncontested marks and then go from there As it stands, whenever he goes for a mark in the role that he plays it's nearly always in a contested situation. And all we hear are the supporters wanting him to 'clunk' marks. Rinse & repeat We want the bloke to develop we need to change things up ... or, leave him in that decoy sort of role for the rest of the season. I wouldn't drop him unless he goes completely missing

Your comments are valued The issue I have with Weideman is more the way he is used. I've always seen him as an athletic 3rd forward type but has he ever played that role? The reality is that he is often in and out of the side being played as a permanent stay-at-home forward (the No.1 or No.2 role) But I'm in a different camp ... he stays because the MC are seemingly asking him to play a role for team purposes. And if that role is being fulfilled in the MC's eyes, well and good. We don't get to see his athleticism enough but the team comes first

The basis of the argument is having versatile players who can play a variety of roles. We've already got T-Mac & LJ playing these roles so why not Weideman? (that question isn't directed at you) The problem I possibly foresee is the MC losing patience with Sam and we go through the same process with Ben Brown (which may or may not work) So we're playing finals (unless we fall off a cliff) so the sooner we get our forward line settled, the better (in my view) Meanwhile, the debate about Weideman's output will go on ad nauseum I'll say it again that we need to get Sam more involved in the game but if the MC are happy with him playing a sort of decoy role, well and good. If so, they need to stick with him

Good point Luther I'm sure it's been done at other times but that Essendon era and the Lions era (which you pointed out) led to the ultimate success However, I reckon we'll just see more of the same with LJ & T-Mac doing the roaming with Sam as the stay-at-home (possibly rotated in and out of the side with Ben Brown ... as time goes on) So, we've got the depleted Pies & the frontrunning Bombers next up. Is there time for some minor experimentation? ha ha

Rotating 3 bigs within a forward line is nothing new anyway ... Although I didn't see it, Essendon employed that system during the 60's Using 3 of Fordham, Noonan, Blethyn & Fraser at various times to great effect. 2 flags & runners up. Coleman & Clarke were the coaches in that era The coach of Geelong at the time (Peter Pianto) employed the forward press during games (learnt from his soccer background) So a lot of what we see has been done before (albeit in a non professional era) So could Weideman play further out from goal on occasions? Absolutely he could and I reckon he needs to. But if the MC keep him in his current role as a stay-at-home I hope they don't lose patience too quickly As I see it he's doing about as well as he can do given his talent levels

Personally, I'd prefer it if we set Sam up to be the best footballer that he can be but ... I understand the MC having him in a role that best suits the team Just because we've got Ben Brown waiting in the wings doesn't mean that he's the default option. Although it looks that way doesn't it? What I'd like to see is Weideman playing so well that Ben Brown doesn't get a look in And I don't dislike Ben Brown either ... quite the contrary, I believe he's got a lot to offer if he can rediscover his best form

But it's not about what you or I want or like ... I'm already in agreement on what actually works for the team and so does the MC by the looks of it My suggestion of Weideman working his way up the field and getting involved in the game is for Sam's benefit. Otherwise, unless he improves in the role that he currently has, he might find himself out of the team From the point of view of Sam the footballer, he needs more scope to his game. At the moment his game is one dimensional He's doing 'ok' and I've still got him in the team but I'd like him to improve his football

I'd like to see Weideman used differently rather than predominantly deep forward. Multiple leads even if he ends up on the wing sometimes (Jackson, T-Mac and/or Gawn can all drift forward if that happens) He needs to get his hands on the ball and get some cheap uncontested marks. Get him into the play Or perhaps the MC prefer him to play the role that he's got so they can use T-Mac, LJ & Gawn the way they're being used. If that's the case then is his role an issue? You have to be a really talented player to excel in the role that's he got so there's that as well. He doesn't have the ability of a Lynch or Cameron type So my preference aside, I reckon the MC won't be changing things up as I suspect that the they are prepared to persevere with Weideman in the role that he's got

That's a big call considering that the GF is just under 4 months away. What if we come out of lockdown in a week or 2 and not have a reoccurrence? I wouldn't rule anything out despite being gloomy about the general governance. Outbreaks are a ticking time bomb ... anywhere Mistakes have been made but with the poor quarantine adherence, QLD could be next, not Victoria Is Cochrane still dirty that the GF has gone back to its traditional time-slot?

Yes, a bad pun/Freudian slip? Truth is the govenments can commandeer buildings in times of crises. They did so early on in Victoria with the first or 2nd lockdown And for goodness sakes, why are we putting healthy people in the same buildings as Covid cases? Right next door? You couldn't make that stuff up

That's politics for you ... appoint people who side with their views I just can't take any of them seriously We could eventually end up with a change of government in Victoria but what change would we see? We need to stop importing the disease. And in the meantime, get vaccinated and get the quarantine conditions ship-shape Do all that (and more) and we've got a chance