Macca

We've got too many tall forwards on the list ... a couple/few are surplus to needs and will spend most, if not all of their time at Casey The game has changed dramatically and the long bomb is fast becoming a thing of the past ... so what is needed are small/medium type forwards who can create space and mids who can hit the scoreboard (see Brisbane) So drafting 2 non talls forwards was the right move Mihocek & JVR will be our mainstays and there won't be a 3rd. In fact, if we play a 2nd ruck, JVR could miss out and we go with medium/smalls (predominantly)

Latrelle is 182cm not 170cm as has been widely reported If he improves his marking capabilities, he could become a medium sized forward along with terrific ground skills Much like his cousin, quite versatile. The quintessential project player We live in hope

A rugged customer with good skills & awareness, rebounding from defence What's not to like!!

IIRC, Kozzie was a real bolter and right up until draft day, wasn't rated in the top 25. Many here and in the media called the pick a reach. Got it horribly wrong But with Latrelle, whilst starting out as a pick in the mid to late 20's, he ended up being touted as a top 15 pick Anyway, Taylor knows more than most so if we're ever going to trust anyone, it's JT By the way, I wouldn't be calling Kolt or Laurie a bust just yet. Laurie has been starved of opportunities whilst Kolt was drafted as a mid/forward and is yet to receive quality minutes in the midfield All our new additions need time to develop (3-4 years, not some tiny sample size)

So Scotland are through to the WC after an absence of 28 years! Wales & Ireland through to playoffs

@Gorgoroth @Clintosaurus @Go the Biff @Dr. Gonzo @titan_uranus @ElDiablo14 @BDA @layzie @Dee Zephyr Leaderboard Tipping Comp 24 - Clintosaurus, layzie, Macca 23 - Go the Biff 22 - BDA 19 - Dee Zephyr, Gorgoroth 17 - ElDiablo14, titan_uranus 13 - Dr. Gonzo

Leaderboard Tipping Comp 24 - Clintosaurus, layzie, Macca 23 - Go the Biff 22 - BDA 19 - Dee Zephyr, Gorgoroth 17 - ElDiablo14, titan_uranus 13 - Dr. Gonzo

According to the stats, Australia holds every highest wicket partnership in Tests vs England (1st through to 10th) Meanwhile, with Hazlewood & Cummins both out of the 1st test, the Aussies are going to have to bat well to keep England at bay And if Weatherald doesn't get the nod to open, here's how our batting order might look ... Khawaja Labuschagne Green Smith Head Webster Carey Starc Lyon Boland Doggett If Weatherald plays, Webster might miss out with Green to bat at no.6 I favour the latter combination but Webster hasn't done a lot wrong

Ravens, 49ers, Texans

@Gorgoroth @Clintosaurus @Dr. Gonzo tips, gentlemen!

More WC highlights ... World Cup Qualifiers - Highlights (Europe) 10 Matches played overnight World Cup Standings (Europe)

As a follow on to the excellent Ch10 doco on the 2006 Socceroos, here's a short doco on the 1974 Socceroos (The Pioneers)

World Cup Qualifiers (Saturday Morning) - All the Goals (6 Matches) In action tomorrow morning and in contention for a WC berth - Spain, Scotland, Denmark, Switzerland, Turkey, Belgium, Wales, Austria, Bosnia, Romania

NFL Week 11 Previews (15 Videos Approx 8 Minutes each)

EPL - 8th, 9th & 10th November (10 Games - All the Goals) World Cup Qualifiers (Europe) All the Goals - 8 Thursday Night Games

Yeah the AFL has a top 10 but the CL has a top 24!

There's some huge match-ups this week with a lot riding on the results of those matches Headline acts ... Tampa @ Buffalo Seattle @ Rams Chiefs @ Denver Lions @ Eagles Chargers @ Jags And then there's vital games for Chicago, the Packers, Steelers, 49ers, Ravens and the Pats On paper at least, the best week of games we've seen this season

At least the weekends won't be ruined early! (One only Thurssay or Friday prime time game)

Wow! That's ruthless!

Sure, but the percentage of members who attend is still quite small I reckon most members are happy to plough their money into clubs but attending? That's the point of difference

Another AFL decree ... You, the people, must observe this match as a blockbuster. No more questions. Attend! "But it's 13th vs 14th?" Remember the 10. The Top 10

Pro sports brings it's own issues ... once the money rolls in, everything is for sale. It's inevitable As previously stated, my issue is with the crowded nature of the sport with all the congestion & stoppages. The AFL are trying to fix it but there's is a band-aid approach I vote with my feet and my eyes and I know plenty who are the same. The AFL needs the neutrals to watch the games live or on TV & devices. Without the neutrals watching, the sport is in trouble So it's not the die-hards or the rusted on types, it's those who can swing any which way Another example are the high membership numbers and the very low percentage of members who attend games. If you do the maths, up to 70% to 80% are often stay-aways. For most, if not all the clubs It's a weird question, but how do we get the majority of members to attend games?

The final straw for me in terms of AFL integrity was when Cripps got off A blatant shirt-front (king hit) and yet they told us that he got off because of a loop-hole in the rules? But they never explained what the actual loop-hole was? Ditto for Maynard Hundreds of prior incidents where the same thing occured resulted in suspensions, yet not for Cripps or Maynard? Where was the loop-hole for those 100's of incidents? They just make it up to suit themselves For me, unless it's a good game, I just switch off

Not to a great degree as far as I can work out. But the 2025 NRL GF set a benchmark in terms of eyes on the sport. I posted up a link to that ratings win by the NRL a couple of pages back And V'landys is shouting from the rooftops about the NRL nudging ahead State of Origin is another huge winner for the NRL so it's no surprise that the AFL are revisiting that area The media in Melbourne ignore such subject matter (heads in the sand) but it's my belief that the AFL would have to be at least a bit concerned Thus, the constant push from the AFL to ease congestion, have less stoppages and keep the ball in play ... by contrast, the NRL is almost constantly in play the ball mode, especially once the 6 extra tackles came into vogue The NRL 2025 GF was almost non-stop yet in the AFL, it's not unusual to see 80 - 100 stoppages in any given game So it's not a world market so to come 2nd in a small market (especially if the margin increases) is a worry I hope people here aren't misreading where my allegiance lies, as I want the AFL to kick the NRL's butt And competition is a healthy situation especially if the AFL & the NRL are up for the fight If you want the exact information, you're going to have to do a lot of research going back and looking at the ratings over the last 10 years Most footy fans have close to zero interest in such matters and will often just default to "I love my footy and I hate the NRL" ... my comments are not directed at those people I'm looking at this whole situation following the money trail Worst case scenario is that the AFL fall behind the NRL by 20%+ which in turn, would have an effect on whether Ch7 would want a sport that keeps running a poor 2nd Right now, I reckon the margin might be 6% or 7% but that margin is growing If the NRL can start making inroads in the United States (Las Vegas, Miami etc), where does that leave the AFL? So the wildcard round is about the money and being in full competitive mode (in my view) Did Dillon talk about 2 more teams having a chance at the premiership? No (and there's your answer as to why 9th & 10th are now playing finals)

The AFL starting becoming Coca Cola-like decades ago. i.e. It's all about the money The strange move was leaving a weekend free prior to the finals from 2016 onwards And because the Bulldogs had that fairytale win in 2016, most went along with the bye weekend as a consequence But I always thought we were giving the NRL a free hit. And now that the NRL has gained ground and in fact, is starting to out-rate the AFL, hey presto, no more weekend bye The AFL is a business and this is a business move. Not sure anyone genuinely believes the move is to give more teams a chance at the flag. It's all about the money, not just for the 2 extra finals but to keep the supporters engaged in the 4th part of the season proper And also, to make sure that the AFL is in true competition mode against the NRL The AFL vs the NRL is not a talking point but it should be V'landys is out to win the battle