Macca

But we are not heading in that direction BM although I do agree with how you'd do it Where we are heading is a fingernail on the ball ... that will be how things are judged We can rally, stomp our feet and do whatever but like nearly every other large sporting organisation, the AFL are a law unto themselves and won't use common sense. And their pattern of behavior is easy to see. So the fingernail on the ball with state of the art technology involved is the future. My way of making the best of the situation is to turn away from the sport and at the same time have a greater interest in the MFC.

So am I disagreeing with you? No I just prefer to look at things from a different angle ... adding to the conversation without repeating what numerous others have already said. I'm also a realist, a practical thinker and my first port of call is logic. And logic tells me that the AFL are going to do whatever they like and are pathetic custodians. And I don't expect anything to change. To a point where I now barely watch the sport ... I've got better things to do. AFL isn't even on my radar and I'm only here because of the MFC. That's it. I go to our games (or watch on the telly) and sometimes the last 10 minutes of a few other games. So I'm probably ahead of you with my cynicism Rack-'Em. Years ahead in fact. And that is no knock on you either. You'll catch up with me eventually. Broaden your horizons and embrace some other sports is a good start. But you can do whatever you like.

So if a player barely gets a fingernail on the ball then it's touched off the boot? Only the best technology would show that up but how far do we go? A simple solution would be that touching the ball has no bearing. Otherwise, we're heading for millimetre adjudications once the best technology is used (if it ever happens) And what about if a player wears gloves and the ball only touches the fabric part of the gloves? Murky ground ahead.

My thoughts are not as far-fetched as what you might think Maysir. it's just an extension of what lengths players will go to to gain an advantage. For instance, did ypu know that putting vaseline on a cricket bat has the effect of nullifying hot spot? Not such a crazy idea hey. Speaking of which ... That whole Bradman, cricket stump, golf ball & water tank way of practising could be argued as worlds-best-practice. Anyone copied it? The whole idea might have looked quite ridiculous if he wasn't such a successful batsman.

Great point Wyl but if you had to put a substantial wager on whether the AFL will invest into that technology you'd be betting against it So we'll just have to live with anothet grey area spitting out mixed results (no consistency)

Yeah ... precisely as I outlned. I have run this past about 50 people in the last few years (since the technology appeared) and the reaction is always the same "I never thought of that, good point" (or words to that effect) These players only really do one thing in their lives and that is to train and play footy So if my idea hasn't crossed their minds I would be surprised. The sport is full if cheats and cheating so why not?

Yes and no. It is entirely possible to have a number of different outcomes depending on the action. You are still flinging back your fingers ar the right moment to smother the ball (if practised enough) The sport is full of cheats and cheating if you really analyse things

Not really ... quite a simple exercise in fact. Would take a bit of practice but like a lot of faking that goes on in footy, can be done. Not everyone can do what Selwood does with regards to accentuating high contact, but not everyone has to do it for it to be a problem It's like a 5% - 7% PED use in any sport ... the whole sport is therefore compromised becaise of that 5% -7% PED use.

Round the neck, holding the man, the push from behind have all been exploited.... all grey areas.

You go in for the smother with your fingers in an almost fist like position ... at the appropriate moment, flick your fingers back.

Touched off the boot can easily be exploited by a player attempting to smother the ball. Just flick your fingers back at the appropriate moment. Easy as pie. Who is to say it hasn't already happened. So we now have another grey area which will continue to be a grey area. Unless it's an obvious touched off the boot I'd pay it as a goal. But what is an obvious touched off the boot? Again, just another grey area without a definitive answer. Hot spot? Technology often brings its own issues. I don't trust the technology in cricket even though the graphics paint nice pictures. Especially ball tracking. I prefer the rub of the green alternative ... take the good with the bad and get on with it. You want perfection? You won't get it.

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Meanwhile the AFL turns a blind eye to PED use ... but the public doesn't care about PED use anymore (except when the Olympics or Cycling comes around) No votes to buy there. I'm not excusing Stephenson either ... more so highlighting the inconsistencies with regards to the integrity in the sport. A 10 week suspension for transgressing the rules with regards to gambling on the sport vs 1 urine test per year per player for PED use. Out of whack in my book.

We have to do something different though DW ... Petracca is the only one out of the 7 who plays forward (McDonald, Weideman, Hannan, Hunt, Spargo & Garlett being the others) who is getting to enough contests and therefore getting enough possessions. And when they do get it they butcher the ball. Our forwards just aren't doing anywhere near enough ... the eye test and stats confirn all that. And it has been a problem since round 1. If any of them got dropped would we be surprised? So Viney or Jones or Oliver playing forward couldn't do any worse in my opinion. We need players forward of the ball who can win the ball. With Rawlings taking over the forward line they might collectively get 1 more opportunity but I'd be making at least 2 changes to the forward line right now. Probably 3 changes and send a clear message.

Yeah it is a chronic problem right throughout the club Dockett ... that's why I'm loathe to point the finger at any particular player. We have very few players operating at maximum output and if we were to analyse the whole season not one player comes to mind as a standout other than Gawn. The above is the reason why I believe we can finish off the season well (if we can get our act together)

Previously (last week) I mentioned here that because our year is almost certainly shot in terms of finals, playing Oliver forward with Jones/Viney rotating forward as well was worth a try. Petracca to play out of the middle for the rest of the year along with Brayshaw & Harmes. We could rotate all the above as well. They've all got talent so what have we got to lose by changing things up JD? TMac, Weid, Spargo & Garlett to take up somewhat lesser roles but I'm not sure all 4 of them deserve to be playing anyway. 2 of the 4 play and maybe blood a couple of the new additions (to fit in somewhere) We can experiment and still go all out for victories. In some ways we need to start planning for next year but that includes gaining momentum for next year.

A fully fit Viney can play a lot better ... he doesn't look fit to me which takes away his greatest asset (attack on the ball with the ability to break tackles) However, he needs to work on his decision making once in the clear. He is another keeper for mine but I doubt he would be put up for trade anyway.

Last Group 1 of the season at Eagle Farm on Saturday (Tatts Tiara Race 8 ) ... a good betting race too. In fact the 4 feature events (Races 6, 7, 8 & 9) are all good betting races by the looks of it. Go to Racenet.com for more details. And the first day of the Ascot carnival was raced overnight. 'Blue Point' won the feature sprint in impressive style and the connections (Godolphin/Charlie Appleby) may well be eyeing off the Everest in the Spring. The horse is a fine sprinter with an excellent record so it racing in the Everest would add a lot to the race Lord Glitters won the Queen Anne Stakes whilst Circus Maximus won the St James's' Palace Stakes. Replays can be found on youtube or Tab.com.au

We need a full time kicking coach - specifically with regards to the biomechanics. In terms of 'developing' the ability of our players to kick the ball properly and being able to kick to position, the club has failed massively. The kicking for goal is a symptom of a much greater problem. Our general field kicking is woeful. We can't hit targets therefore we turn the ball over which leads to losing games. No good having a myriad of assistants if we can't kick the footy to position. Horse before the cart and all that.

Pleased with the developments as it's what a lot of us were calling for. The right time too in the sense where we've got the 2nd half of the season to get our act together. Puts everyone on notice which was also necessary. There is a need to make sure all are working together as a team though and that's where Pert needs to be able to cast a discerning eye

If our forwards had any idea about forward play a lot of Brayshaw's kicks would find targets. Therefore Brayshaw's kicking efficiency percentage should look a lot better. And our forwards can't take a contested mark to save themselves either. Quick clearances from stoppages requires those playing downfield to play in front. That doesn't happen either. All coming under the banner of a midfield to forward line disconnect but the main issue is the dysfuntional forward line. It is as bad as I've ever seen it ... reminds of the Alves, Wells & Flower days where they had no one to kick it to. We had an all-star centreline but couldn't win games. So the Gawn, Oliver, Brayshaw & Harmes starting midfield is a beauty but wasted. In a nutshell, Brayshaw is a keeper. We do need to make some trades for some decent forwards though. Are there any KPF free agents available? Our needs are immediate.

The crux of the whole argument is the state of the game and the officiating of the game. Fix both those issues and it's problem solved (for the most part) However, that is easier said than done. The sport is harder to umpire than it ever was and the sport itself is often hard to watch as a spectacle anyway (for many) There is no other sport in the world where the umpires cop so much abuse - nothing comes close. And there has to be a reason for why that is. All the other umpires/referees in all the other sports can't just be way more competent. That argument doesn't make sense. The umpiring is never going to improve whilst we have so many grey areas in the game coupled with so much congestion. Making the umpires full time would help but if the grey areas and congestion remain, the problem remains. Which has all led to more fights in the crowd, more abuse, more frustration, more over-zealousness of security staff and then we try and remedy the situation with a band-aid approach. Make the sport more enjoyable to watch by ridding the game of the congestion & flooding and at the same time making the rules more defined for decision making by the umpires. Less players on the ground with minimum rotations for starters. A more open game is much much easier to officiate and at the same time, better to watch (for many) Supporters would still abuse umpires and be frustrated with umpiring decisions but that would be minimised. Or at least kept to a manageable level.

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A kicking coach more importantly ... cause & effect at play again DZ. Both with technique as in execution and also with the approach to the kick. At AFL level a player should be able to hit a target off 1 step who is 40 metres away. With velocity on the kick. So how many playees do we have on the list who can do that?

First there was Hal Todd with his occasional rants and then Bob Santamaria with 'Point of View' .... followed by Eric Pearce with his Epilogue. Now we've got deeluded as a kind of overview of the aforementioned. The quartet with their unabashed rhetoric that periodically makes sense.