Macca

Aussies not impressive but Uzbekistan did play well and they are not a bad team. But both teams didn't test out the opposition goalkeepers. Oz lucky to receive a penalty So next up is a round of 16 match against the best 3rd place getter from group A, C or D. So either Palestine or Indonesia at this stage

Aussies final group match vs Uzbekistan (Ch10 from 9.50pm) A draw means we top the group but a win means a probable match-up against a 3rd placegetter from another group (in a round of 16 match)

49ers should win, by rights, but if luck plays a decent part, the Lions can win. As you mentioned, if the Lions aggressive play calling works, Detroit are a real show And if the best version of KC turns up, they can beat the Ravens. Then there's the Taylor Swift factor (whatever that is)

We play 4 Thursday evening games and 1 Wednesday evening game within the first 15 rounds (2 away games @ Sydney and @Adelaide) If it was possible to start the games at 6.30pm the timeslot might fit better. As previously stated, I'm neither here or there on Thursday night games but we'll no doubt get used to it Most of the oldies here were brought up on 6 Saturday* arvo games where the only deviation were the 'split rounds!!' And if you played footy you could only go to a few games per year The timeslot that hasn't been exploited is Sunday evening. What's the bet that's next? *Standing in the outer you'd often here a question along the lines of ... "Who's E & F?" Great days all the same

Thursday evening footy has effectively replaced the Saturday afternoon fixture (albeit on delay) which was covered by Ch7 for years So we're getting about the same amount of FTA footy

Hundreds of thousands of TV viewers and those that attend the games is what really matters, DZ There's a high demand but it's not everyone's cup of tea

I can take it or leave it but it's here to stay Ch7, cable & streaming are forking out $Billions to the AFL so like it or not, they get to call the shots (at least in part) And if it wasn't for all the 5 day breaks that would be created, I reckon we'd have Monday night footy as well But that might happen in the future anyway. I wouldn't rule anything out especially with so much invested money

Next week's games Mon 7.00am Kansas City @ Baltimore (-3.5) Mon 10.30am Detroit @ San Francisco (-7.0)

How about everyone else?

Updated

If Brown is fit and firing he could probably handle a few rucking contests in the F50 but JVR is a much better option A lot depends on whether Fullarton measures up and whether we go with 2 or 3 tall forwards At this stage, I don't see Brown taking the place of JVR. They either both play alongside Petty or Brown misses out. And again, we need to see if Fullarton makes the grade (and the fitness of Petty is a factor) In my view, If we need a bona-fide 2nd ruck it's either Fullarton or JVR and in that situation, we'll probably need to play 3 tall forwards (otherwise it's 2 with one having to do the relief rucking) And the club probably needs to start 'managing' Gawn as he gets older thus the probable need for a bona-fide 2nd ruck

Hit outs do matter when the taps are to advantage and one team has the large majority of taps to advantage (say 16 to 4) Who wouldn't want first use of the ball an extra dozen times? But the 2nd ruck is there often just to neutralise with a minimal amount of ruck contests The issue however might be Gawn and how much time he can spend on the ball as he gets older. So, if we require a 2nd ruck needed for a decent amount of ruck duals, Brown is not the answer. As it stands, it's a big ask just for Brown to be fit and available If one of our tall forwards (JVR?) is required as the 2nd ruck, we may well play 3 tall forwards so as to not leave ourselves short up forward when the 2nd ruck is required. When not rucking, does Gawn go to the bench more so than up forward? Every player needs to be productive these days so hopefully Fullarton puts his hand up

Leaderboard Post Season Tipping Comp 16 - BDA 15 - Go the Biff, DemonDave 13 - Gorgoroth 11 - JV7, Clintosaurus 9 - Dee Zephyr 8 - Macca, titan_uranus 6 - layzie 3 - Dr.Gonzo 2 - DeeSpencer

If they had have picked Petracca, who might we have picked? Remembering that Hogan was at the club so we might not have picked McCartin. There again, we may well have drafted him to accompany Hogan But Watts & Dawes were at the club as was T-Mac but Tom hasn't ventured forward as yet, that happened in 2017 De Goey went at pick #5 in that draft so it could gave been him (along with Brayshaw) Jarrod Pickett went at pick 4 to the Giants and ended up being a bust (but we only know that in hindsight of course) Nevertheless, it was a real sliding doors moment

Trouble is that we have quite a few that can play half back (Rivers, Salem, McVee, Bowey & Brayshaw) And right now, we may be a class mid down to start the season. Can any of those HB's play as mids? Possibly Rivers & McVee but it's a big step up in terms of endurance and the ability to do so (play as a mid) Where as we know Brayshaw can play the role of a mid. The key is for either Brayshaw to release a fellow mid or being the release player himself. For that to happen we need better schemes from centre-bounces or stoppages But Brayshaw can play as a holding mid or defensive mid. From memory, a couple of times he played that role was against Adelaide & Brisbane. And he played very well on both occasions He was like a rock at the back end of the square And he was the release player when king hit by the filth thug. In the year when he finished 3rd in the Brownlow, he was often the release mid, dashing forward We're actually quite blessed that he can play so many roles

Turns out that website within that link above 'Prepare Like A Pro' was founded by none other than Jack McLean who just happens to be the MFC strength & conditioning coach He doesn't offer any concrete evidence that players have exceeded 20k's in a game but he does reference that distance in his blog "... with some exceptional athletes surpassing the 20 Kilometre mark" But all that aside, is AFL footy at the top level the hardest endurance ball sport of all? Soccer has a squad mentality and the NFL has a roster of 50+ players that can be called upon anytime Maybe Rugby League? Now that's a brutal sport. Union as well but they don't play that many consecutive games in their comps I'm amazed that players can run so far in the AFL in a full-on contact sport and back it up every week My opinion on 5 day breaks has changed too. Over a long season, a couple of 5 day breaks could tip a player over the edge in terms of soft tissue injuries. So Saturday to Thursday could be problematical despite our thirst for football on that day It's any wonder that the push for more rotations is prevalent

So the 49ers get a visit from either Detroit or Tampa next week. Should win but there are no guarantees in this sport. However, whatever rust the 49ers might have had is now out of their system And I reckon the Ravens won't have it all their way no matter who they play. KC & the Bills are more than capable

As for Jordan Love, his 2nd half was forgettable and he might have a few sleepless nights mulling over what could have been. Loads of potential but he's not that good (yet) First year as a starter so it's still too early to tell where he might progress to Still, you often learn more from a loss and GB need to keep working on areas not involving the QB passing the ball To be a true contender we need a top-level running game (Jones needs help) and the run-defence needs to be top-notch as well. Currently the Packers are 15th in rushing yards and 28th in rush defence (The McCaffrey TD was scored too easily in my opinion) But to make the playoffs and win a playoff game and then run the 49ers close was a grand effort for such a young team

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So Love tries the Brett Favre special and it's game over. Could have thrown the ball away but no risk, no reward Put up a great effort did the Packers but the 49ers just a bit too good on the night

Credit to Purdy there ... marched his team down the field with a TD as a result Both teams have missed a field goal attempt so an even score there

I just knew we'd miss that FG attempt. Errors creeping in for both teams

Jones gets into the backfield with a great run. Need to take advantage

Packers get the ball back after the 49ers fail to capitalise ... 9:37 to play