Macca

You're right t_u The broadcasters pour in the Billions and without that revenue the game wouldn't survive. Especially last year where the bulk of the revenue came via the broadcast rights So they get to have a very big say, like it or lump it. Personally, I don't have a problem with the broadcast partners having their 2 cents worth As you indicated, more goals means more advertising space and more revenue for the broadcasters And we footy fans need the broadcasters to make good profits. Big time sport lives in a commercial world. No question But the by-product of a lot more scoring almost certainly means way less congestion coupled with a faster, more open style of footy - the way footy was played in the 70's, 80's, 90's and right up until about 5 years ago So are we just going back to how footy was played for over 4 decades? Looks like it to me With rapid-fire attacks we'll see the backmen under a lot more pressure without the luxury of their teammates flooding back on a constant basis. Something I also don't have a problem with. My wish is not necessarily more scoring though ... one of my favourite games from the past was the 1990 Elimination final where we beat Hawthorn ... 10.13 to 8.16

You may be right but our best chance remains if we move the ball into our forward line at rapid speed coupled with our forwards playing their role properly Even just being a visible target helps enormously so our forwards need to play in front as a minimum standard. Footy basics 101

We have to assume that our game on Saturday night will be played at high speed much like last nights game (especially at Docklands - fast deck) Ratten likes to coach that way anyway ... we need to match them and better them

A lot depends on T-Mac but if we make him a stationary target up forward we are asking for trouble ... he needs a roaming commission even if that means he gets as far out as the wing (on occasions) Fritsch needs to continue to stand up whilst LJ, Gawn & Petracca (as well as the smalls) need to play their roles We won't win games against the good teams unless our forward line functions well. And quick ball movement into our forward line is paramount

Cats are a bit vulnerable too ... Lions tomorrow night with Danger & Cameron out and then they are up against the plucky Hawks and a hungry Demons outfit (or at least we had better be hungry!)

They could lengthen the kick for a legal mark to be paid (20 metres?) but I'll wear teams icing the game for now willmoy as long as the attacking nature remains for the greater part of the games. I suppose an argument could be mounted that the team leading by 3 or 4 goals has earned the right to ice the game but I am with you in principle. The custodians of the AFL should always be ahead of the game and be looking to always improve the spectacle. Rugby League has that type of thinking and that M.O. works for that sport (especially with Peter V'landys running the show up there)

My memory is of the later years rather than the earlier stint ... he played under Ridley & Skilton but I was a bit young to be able to evaluate his worth from that time (although his disposal stats read well from those earlier years '73 - '75) Interesting that Carl missed 15 games through injury in '79 & '80 and we did not win any of those games ... No Ditterich, no Melbourne was very much the thinking (and the actuality) His last game against Collingwood ... 14 disposals, 9 hitouts & 8 TKO's.

Carl was compelling to listen to last night. I was hanging on every word. Great theatre much like when he played the game. A powerful personality was Carl Certainly a different type of player but when he played with our team our players walked taller My one regret is not seeing him play in that last game of 1980. I know people who did though and from all accounts, he created havoc amongst the filth. They were going down like 9 pins He dished it out but copped it as well. But that was footy back then. Laurie Fowler claimed that Carl was his best coach and Laurie was coached by both Hafey & Barassi. W/L record aside, we didn't have anywhere near enough talent back then.

Ben could be a real handful if the forward lines remain as open as what we've seen tonight Is he still 5 or 6 weeks off or is it more or less than that time frame? As it stands I'd have Gawn & LJ rotating deep forward with T-Mac roaming far and wide We need to stretch opposition defences with our height (that evaluation is based on the attacking footy becoming the norm with less congested forward lines)

The Pies have enough talented players to feature in the finals ... they're not a flag threat but they've got about the same chance of playing finals as what we have One could argue that they have a better forward line and we break even in the midfield. We might have a better backline Carlton lack composure & poise ... 8-9 wins max

I totally disagree though 'Betters' ... I did not see it (the first half) as a training drill in any way shape or form I see the game tonight as a return to the way footy was once played You are half right though ... I am still fuming and angry about the dross that has been served up in the last 5 years or so. You watch the ratings and crowds soar if we keep seeing footy like we're seeing tonight. Covid got the viewers back but ultimately the game needs to entertain the masses

And where's all the kicking backwards and time wasting tactics? Another blight on the sport that might be a thing of the past Anti-football and bloody boring No fights in the crowd either is my guess ... the eyes are glued to the actual game One simple man on the mark rule changes things for the better ... who would have thought? Teams are compelled to attack otherwise they lose

If you don't like it turn it off then (I'll bet you don't!) As previously stated, you've become accustomed to congested footy so much that now you miss it. We humans are like that! We are creatures of habit And it is not bruise-free either ... fast attacking footy was the norm for decades and it was never classed as bruise-free in that time. You play in front of your man in a game like this and you can still get thumped in the back of the head (repeatedly) No room for the faint-hearted out there even though the congested garbage is at a minimum

I don't how you lot kept watching the boundary hugging negative garbage that was served up for 5+ years. Scramble ball with a million stoppages. Ugh Anti-football and you kept watching? Easily pleased or just plain addicted These threads on the other games are getting a stack more traffic than in previous years. Usually full of people moaning incessantly about umpiring decisions And it's not about the extra goals either ... attacking footy slam dunks congested boundary hugging rubbish every day of the week Enjoy!

You're wrong You've just become accustomed to congested garbage (like many others) What do you want? ... 6 goals vs 5 goals for a whole match with a million stoppages and no ball movement I'd rather eat a ****t sandwich that watch scramble-ball

Entertaining game This new/old/new footy will have me watching wall-to-wall

Value Bet Saturday Bendigo R3 Mo.7 Matao Ma 7.50/2.40

The MC would want to win every game that we contest and if we can get all or most of our best players on the field (and firing) then any game is a potential win But in my view our biggest weak point is not having a functioning forward line often enough ... so the MC needs to come up with a forward line that can help us win games. Certainly against the teams where we've got a relatively good chance of winning Right now if T-Mac, Gawn and/or LJ aren't influential up forward, we're going to be up against it. Our medium talls and smalls up forward wouldn't be able to get us over the line against the best teams and even against the lesser lights it's a big ask without the Key bigs up forward firing But all the best teams can have an off day so that's a factor as well. We're going to need to win 3-4 games against the top 8 teams as we can't be expected to win all the games against lesser opposition (the teams below the top echelon generally have more 'off' days) I'd rather look at the number 8 as the magic number ... i.e. a maximum of 8 losses only 14 wins and we'll play finals ... 16 will get a team a top 4 spot but we're a ways off being that good

Hindsight tells us that we would have better off spending 4 x $10k on 4 players from other clubs (Laurie Fowler types?) Even $10k was a lot of money in the early 70's ... that sort of money would have just about bought you a house back then! Diamond Jim wasn't really the problem though ... we were very much an amateur club in the midst of league entering the professional age. For instance, teams like North Melbourne seemed to have never ending cash reserves (to bring in ready made talent) And hearing that Jim Cardwell was still our chief recruiter in 1975 only reinforces to me how poor our zones were ... its hard to go from the best ever (arguably) to an also-ran without sound reasoning

I remember the figure as being $38k for Tilbrook and $62k for Big Carl But the actual details would be difficult to ascertain D17 The Wells transfer fee (midway through 1980) was rumoured to be in the region of $200k - did the club need the dosh to pay for the homecoming of RDB? Wellsy picked up 48 disposals in his last game for the Demons and in his first game for Carlton (2 weeks later) he picked up 31 disposals (against Melbourne) Ugh!

MD's last major target was none other than Steven May So perhaps we should be looking at the positives (opposite outcomes lol) So we could point MD towards an out of form player like Harmes in order to get James back into top form!

A lot of our players have technical issues with their actions ... we should have had a biomechanics expert down at the club over a decade ago On top of that not many want to take on the big sticks (they'd rather hand it off) So a lack of confidence intensifies the issue. And that in turn sends a clear message to the opposition And many here have being saying as such (here) for a decade or more. Not that the club would take any notice of what those on a fans site would say but can't they have thought of it themselves? One of the most important aspects for a footballer is his ability to kick well under pressure (either perceived pressure or actual pressure) Hit targets or turn the ball over ... miss an easy shot for goal (choke) and you hand the ball back to the opposition (an 11 point turn around can often result) Do that against the good sides and you lose the game We will not beat the best sides until we sort out our poor kicking skills It's terrific that we defeated Freo but the club needs to look at the bigger picture and become a lot more professional with regards to our disposal issues

The footy has been terrific & easy on the eye. Managed to watch 2 full games and the 2nd half of 2 others The new rule (man on the mark) has changed the way the coaches are framing their game plans (far more attacking) ... the carrot has been tangled and teams are responding Of course it is early doors but we're already seeing a better balance ... decades ago most I knew and spoke to thought that 24 - 30 goals in a game was about the right number I initially thought that having the man on the mark standing still sounded quite silly but it seems to be working with regards to less of a defensive intent by the coaches Good Key forwards can have a bigger impact as a consequence (if there are lots more 'Faster' attacking forays) We need to get a fit & firing Ben Brown into our team asap

I often wonder why KPD's don't poll votes to any sort of degree in the Brownlow Hardeman was a great player who came 2nd in a Brownlow once but never finished higher than 3rd in the B&F Steven May might poll well though as he really does stand out in a dominant way. But no chance of winning if we go on history Backmen don't figure in the media awards either and it's possibly the same with B&F's (so it's not just the umpires who fail to recognise) Matt Scarlett was an astonishingly great player but did he ever figure in any awards? (of any description) Other greats such as Dench & Southby and others were often ignored with the votes The positive is that we haven't been able to have this sort of conversation very often with regards to one of our own players

They are just frustrated and who can blame them But hey, it's all just harmless banter anyway ... our words doesn't change things either Here's some positive stuff ... if T-Mac fires up again and we produce another marking forward next week (Gawn? LJ?) we'll beat the Saints and remain in the top 4 Make it happen MFC!!!