Macca

Considering that the clubs generally pick their teams on a Tuesday with a proviso on 1 or 2 being fit enough to play, not getting the teams until the day before is an unnecessary delay If anything, we could get the weekend teams as early as a Wednesday evening. If there are a few late changes so what? We've had that scenario for decades anyway (late changes) The rest of it all is just ducks & drakes with the AFL kowtowing to the coaches (again) You have to wonder who actually runs the sport these days

The layout of the stadium was set before the AFL wanted to be part of it (which happened very late) Originally the stadium was to be for soccer, league & union and the AFL was going to stay at Waverley ... and those sports are usually not conducted in the early to mid afternoon - therefore no issue with the sun The moveable seats became a redundant idea once the AFL came aboard

The Sunday arvo free-to-air slot is more of a probability (but that is so much better than the early Sunday or late arvo Saturday slots on cable (or streaming) A pointer might be our R4 & R5 games - Cats & Hawks Ch7 3pm Sunday slots. A proving ground? My bet is 1 prime time & 2 Sunday arvo free-to-air games in the R7 - R12 allotments but we might get 2 prime time games That would make it 8 FTA games out of 13 if we ink in the QB clash. And that's a good result if augers well

Brisbane winning tonight increases the chances of our game against them being a FTA game ... of course the game is at Alice Springs but last year the game was played in the evening Agree with the rest of your assessment ... Ch7 do like putting up Carlton games so you never know. I heard somewhere that they might announce 2-4 rounds only ... makes sense in terms of the Covid situations & maximising audiences That sort of thinking is here to stay I believe which won't please those who like to plan in advance

What a great start to the weekend Pies lose!

Best Bet Caulfield R2 No.4 Agreeable $3.30 (Win)

I am way less concerned about crowd sizes during Covid - the actual effects & residual effects of Covid will continue on for this season and next (especially re the walk-ups) So those monitoring crowds will need to temper their expectations and take a more realistic approach. The 21k we got for round 1 doesn't look too shabby when we look at all the other crowd numbers for the other games North 13k, Sydney 20k, Bulldogs 21k etc etc ... the big match-ups has seen a big drop in numbers as well Crowds are down right across the board so the new 60k is more like 45k or 50k But prime-time free-to-air is a way different story ... we've got a chance to state our case so in my opinion, we need to win well (and impress) in order to give ourselves a good chance at getting a few prime time TV in the next block of games The value in securing these games is invaluable ... sponsorship, corporate dollar, membership and gaining new supporters and more exposure is front & centre

Might be a blessing in disguise (the delay) We've got another game (against GWS) to stake a claim for prime-time TV slots. Win & win well and the Ch7 execs could deal us a good hand Included in the 6 round block (R7 - R12) are match-ups against a rejuvenated Sydney, a backs to the wall Lions and a well performed Bulldogs outfit ... all likely candidates for FTA Lose against the Giants and we'll blow our chances. So there's a lot to play for

Replays from Golden Slipper Day

Yes! I had a very busy weekend (but not a fruitful one on the punt!) but will post up some replays soon enough Haven't seen any of the Sydney or Melbourne races yet but there were some obvious highlights amongst the 5 x Group 1's that were held

Cameron will probably read them the riot act though ... I can see that happening behind closed doors. He has that right as the coach Maybe a more than subtle message via his press conference tonight. Embarrass them in public? He may feel that he has nothing to lose GWS have been quite pathetic tonight

The Melbourne media tend to leave them alone (are they even a story?) and they are up in Sydney anyway - out of sight, out of mind And does the Sydney media get stuck into them? It's a Rugby League stronghold up there and I'm not sure GWS 'sells' in the media up there anyway I just see them as a commodity and a company store who are a means to an end and not much else. They are definitely a 'feeder' team but I could care less I suppose they are needed for commercial purposes but I see them as sapping tens of millions out of the system (and the footy media never talks about that either ... towing the line?)

Anyway, it's great to have attacking footy back again ... I can't get enough of it at the moment. What you're brought up on sticks, ds This keeps up and the dashing wingmen/half backers and high flying forwards will return to the game

Yeah I do actually I've got no sympathy for a bunch of frontrunners. They had their chances (especially in the first half) and blew it And I couldn't care less about a few umpiring decisions ... to be fair Brisbane were gifted a few decisions their way in the first half. Did you watch the game closely? Truth is you are blinkered with your hatred of Geelong What's with the J instead of the G when spelling Geelong? And if we want to take it further than that they (Brisbane) along with numerous other clubs get their fair share of home town decisions on an ongoing basis That's how sport works in case you were wondering. And it will never change. Wanting it to change won't make it change But good luck with all that angst. The sensible people worked it all out decades ago ... you missed the boat "The first half's of footy games are irrelevant" (Wyl)

Very impressive ... we were slick, hungry & we backed each other up throughout. The new man on the mark rule might suit us too. We looked good and the forward line functioned quite well in terms of scoring shots and opportunities at goal What was most noticeable was the enthusiasm for the contest. And we ran hard all night and made position well. I saw a lot of players put their bodies on the line The next block of free-to-air games are to be released on Monday and we might even snag a couple of prime time games after that performance tonight R8 vs Sydney, R9 vs Carlton, R11 at Bulldogs (Docklands) & R12 vs Brisbane are possibities I reckon we get at least 2 evening games out of those 4.

The high scoring free scoring Swans ... Bizzaro World

Ha ha ha ha ha! You take a tunnel-visioned opinion to new heights The red mist comes over you like no other So it doesn't matter how a team performs in the first half???? ... that makes zero sense It's a sporting contest that lasts 120 minutes ... what happens in the last minute is connected to the other 119 minutes But not according to Wyl the professor of twisted logic You never cease to amaze! Don't ever change ... we need the laughs

You're dreaming again Wyl (like I've always said, it's ok to dream but it's not ok to be a dreamer) And I'm not conceding anything ... perhaps I just have a different outlook than those baying for blood over a few questionable decisions. And perhaps you could stand apart from the mob occasionally instead of taking the safe option of going along with the crowd (I won't hold my breath) I'm also a big picture person ... we will be sent down to Geelong as long as we're viewed as an insignificant club And Brisbane robbed themselves by not turning up in the first half ... one could argue that the pretender Lions got what they deserved (they certainly didn't deserve to win) You're letting your anti Geelong bias get in the way of an intelligent discussion. #BathwaterBrisbane

Plan what Wyl? We get told what to do because we're an insignificant club in the eyes of the AFL 1 finals appearance in 14 years with a mostly chequered history prior to that isn't going to win any favours The club only has itself to blame whilst us downtrodden and success-starved members & supporters have to cop it in the eye (we're mere spectators when you boil it all down) But the natives are restless this time around ... if we don't perform there will be major changes in my view. The patience is running thin We need to turn up every week with no exceptions ... do that and the wheel will turn from the AFL's point of view (albeit slowly)

So if Brisbane had have played like a 'Supposed' top 4 team there is no way they would have trailed by 3 or 4 goals for most of the game Therefore, they wouldn't have been playing catch up and are probably in front by a winning margin close to siren time in the last quarter The Cats weren't much better but they really didn't have a lot of opposition in the first half The above describes how the game was won and lost in a general sense I haven't seen one person here praise the Lions first half but plenty of lambasted their efforts Control what you can control otherwise you're asking for trouble Neither team are a flag threat and if we can't beat both sides we're not much chop either

Well there is close to zero emotion with me and I rarely if ever talk through my hip pocket so one umpiring decision means absolutely nothing. Besides which, there were more than a dozen questionable decisions made last night (due to any number of factors) Fact is that Brisbane didn't turn up and that's why they lost. Do you reckon any of the Lions players or coaches are concerned with one howler at the end of the game? If they are they're in the wrong game Try looking at the big picture and then you'll see it my way. If I was a Lions supporter I'd be thinking my team has got ahead of itself ... and there would be zero excuses. Swans kicked 23 goals against them last week and then they start like that against Geelong ... pathetic Lets just agree to disagree ... we obviously view sport differently and that isn't going to change I see what you see (poor umpiring decisions) but have a different evaluation from an overall point of view. All teams are on the receiving end of questionable decisions and all the teams are beneficiaries of poor decisions. Teams need to be above all that ... be the best team and a few howlers won't matter That is how I view it ... try it sometime, you might find that all that angst you and others display is futile anyway But if you prefer to howl at the moon, go right ahead - won't bother me I skim past those sort of posts

Great to have Viney back in. Gives the team the ruggedness & grunt required out of the stoppages At other times having Melksham & Hibberd as emergencies would raise eyebrows but from year to year, the pecking order changes ... and that might have the desired effect of motivating both players to establish themselves in the seniors again We may not be far off having some genuine depth with the last 6 players picked in the team And with the higher scoring that is becoming more common, we might need 14 or 15 goals in order to win the match against the Saints Collingwood displaying their multiple leads from their forwards is something we need to do as well. Our forwards need to present to the midfielders constantly - another numbers game/percentage play that needs to happen

The other thing is, is it such a bad result for us that Brisbane lost? If we're to feature in the finals we not only have to play well ourselves but we need teams above us to fall away. And the Cats will be lucky to get past the Hawks next week and then they meet us. The Lions next 2 ... Pies & Doggies. No guaranteed win there All things considered, tonight's result could work in our favour

It was a poor decision but the result of a game is decided over 120 minutes (or whatever it is these days) I counted at least 12 questionable decisions by the umpires but also noted numerous poor decisions by the players themselves. 50+ poor decisions by players on both sides .. wrong options taken left, right & centre That includes a soft approach by a stack of Lions players in the first half. 2nd to the ball, playing from behind etc etc. If you were the coach (Fagan) you'd be ropable. Scott shouldn't be too pleased either ... when Brisbane finally got their act together the Cats went to pieces If we're fair dinkum (and finals bound) we need to be able to defeat both Geelong & Brisbane (based on what we witnessed tonight)

It wasn't a great standard tonight. Neither team took on the corridor enough. Both teams played cute. Neither team can finish top 4 if that's what they're going to serve up. Dangerfield & Cameron might make a difference but Fagan has some work on his hands with Brisbane