Macca

I'd say there'd be approaches made either way It's a $1Million a year job usually with 3 years applied as the contract A big step up from the Assistant coach salary Plus, these blokes are ambitious

There's a fair bit of heresay that he's already got the job but I'm not so sure What if Skipworth or Enright present a compelling case?

In the meantime, any of the assistants need to be told 'yay or nay' by the end of August (according to the AFL) So those deadlines makes it difficult for the new coach to pick his own team (FD) Let's say it is Buckley ... wouldn't it be best if he brings his own crew with him? At least in part?

Frank Ponissi was interviewed on SEN today and he hinted that the appointment of the new MFC coach may not happen until late September Ponissi is the GM of football at the Melbourne Storm and is on the panel formed to find the new coach For those who don't know, other members of the panel include Brad Green, Steven Smith, Paul Guerra, Alan Richardson, Jobe Watson & Meahan Callaghan I don't believe that it's a lay down misère that Buckley is a shoe-in Buckley might be the most likely but there's a process in place which could take a bit of time

He and others are doing the culling. Richardson was part of the posse of 4 that delivered the news at Goodwin's house (before being tossed out) So first Goodwin, then Williams ... who's next? This reminds me of when Bailey was sacked along with Schwab getting an extension (as CEO) Same weekend I much preferred the PJ way of dealing with these matters. But alas, we don't have him anymore. More's the pity Our new CEO isn't on board for another month whilst the incumbent President (Smith) is corresponding via video conferences You couldn't make this stuff up

According to Google holding-in means attending practice but only training on the side or with injured players ... apparently it's done this way to avoid fines (?) Obviously with the contracts at play in the background Btw, the Bears beat the Bills 38 - 0 (!!) but Josh Allen and the other Bills starters didn't participate in the pre-season game

Fair enough, EH. Good points In my view, our biggest weakness is that we don't have any players (apart from Gawn) who can impose themselves on the game When crunch time arrives, we go missing ... and that trend started midway through 2024 To win games you need impact players and lots of them Even though the make-up of the current team isn't all that different to the 2021 Premiership team, the differences are quite stark For starters, the game has moved on sharply and our players either can't adapt or won't adapt And then there's the hunger for success which just isn't there It will take more than a simple reset. We need a whole lot of new players if we're to seriously challenge again 2 off seasons might do the trick in terms of being a finals contender as the list isn't bereft of talent like we were when Roos took the helm But to get what we want, we're going to have to give up a bit (in terms of ultimately strengthening the list) And if a few players end up requesting trades or if we facilitate a few players into moving, then we'll get the chance to revamp the list with draft picks (or players) coming back our way In a nutshell, the current list will be lucky to even compete for a finals spot next year (or beyond) Moving Goodwin on is only the first move (if we're being serious)

Yes we were pathetic and the loss also highlights that our issues run much deeper than just Goodwin Time might have been up for SG but what about everyone else? Every position in the FD needs to be looked at and as for the current list of players, there are holes everywhere ... especially in the area of difference makers or matchwinners We're down to one only - Gawn Whether we put players up for trade (strategically) or whether certain players ask to be traded is the question One thing is for sure, this current list is taking us nowhere. We lack basic skills, we're not motivated, the teamwork is poor and we give up too easily On Saturday, we were beaten in the first 5 minutes of the game The concern for me is if the Board and the current FD genuinely believe we're not far away, we're in all sorts of trouble We need a cleanout and an overhaul, Gonzo

The 'Review' that didn't review properly? It can't be assumed that any review is going to be accurate Any number of people telling other people what they want to hear. I'm a sceptic on that stuff, bub We actually need another review but will another review reveal anything? What we need is a board that knows precisely where the club is at (in all areas) Couldn't the sacking have been conducted within the confines of the club? Why did we feel compelled to have 4 individuals visit the coach's house in the evening to deliver the news? Couldn't it have waited for first thing in the morning in a professional environment? It's any wonder that Goodwin tossed them out. Amateur hour

Right now we are but is the board and the club thinking we are a contender with the individuals we have now? It seems to me that the Board was expecting success this season and when that didn't happen, they blamed the coach and then sacked him That's usually how it works but reality bites. Yesterday was living proof that the playing list has issues, left, right and centre Not only is there a distinct lack of talent but there's a complete disconnect on the field and our players look lost. We're clearly not good enough I watched the Crows/Pies game last night and there's no way we can compete at that level. We're a long way off Bringing in a new coach (alone) isn't going to fix our issues. An overhaul is needed and we need to surround the new coach with the right people And go hard at the trade table as we need some future stars. Our existing stars are now no better than B or B+ and even then it's inconsistent performances (or outcomes) They are on the wane It used to be that our stars would stand up in the last quarter (or 2nd halves) but now they are not noticable. We either keep losing the close ones or are outclassed We can't be expecting the 'messiah' coach

We need a major overhaul, Betters If we were to evaluate each individual within the FD (including Goodwin) then there's no success stories that I can see (in the last 2 seasons at least) Reality is that we've gone backwards since Yze departed (was he not 'coaching' the team from upstairs?) The GM (Richardson) oversees it all yet he gets to keep his $500k+ per year job? He should have been dismissed before Goodwin I said it back in early April, when things go bad it's never one persons fault Clear the decks, drain the Swamp and make Melbourne great again! And if it is Buckley, I want him to have every chance to be a successful coach Give him the same FD (and playing list) and I can't see it working

Jones is the root cause of our midfield issues (being the midfield coach) Blaming Gawn for grabbing the ball at ruck contests is blaming the A-End of the problem. When was the last time we had a clean clearance where a mid is released but not under pressure? And therefore, be in a position to deliver it forward to a leading target? We have no schemes, no playbook, no science, we just hack it forward like a bunch of unskilled hacks And our forward line is a shambles As for Chaplin. He's in charge of our overall offense! Massive Fail Bassett has failed as well as our defence has gone backwards Mark Williams is just a Cheerleader and our GM just hides away and stays out of sight. Jobs for the boys Our list manager (Lamb) hands out the money & contracts like confetti Taylor should stick to the draft only as the experienced players that he has brought in have offered nothing in the last 4 or 5 years Lord knows what he saw in Schache or Billings ... oh that's right, they were formally high draft picks that Taylor couldn't let go of Stick to what you're good at, JT Drain the Swamp The new coach needs a new list and a new FD

I wouldn't take the 'so close' remark too seriously. Remembering that Goodwin had just been sacked Upon his dismissal, the late Dean Bailey (RIP) remarked that we had a premiership list. The comments are almost like a fail-safe move But the reality is that we need to overhaul the list and overhaul the FD In my view, unless we act in these 2 areas we can or could get even worse no matter who the new coach might be The ladder doesn't lie nor does the W/L record We look good on paper only We're slow, we lack basic skills and we aren't going hard enough at the ball or the contest We have no marking presence up forward and our mids just blaze away indiscriminately Issues everywhere but if we take affirmative action, we can march up the ladder But if the club actually believes we're not far away, we're in trouble

Norm Smith started out as the coach of Fitzroy

Dexter is back! (Dexter Resurrection) And getting rave reviews New season 6 episodes in

Partnership with Stan. Nine Entertainment owns Stan Earlier this year we got the CL Final and the Europa Final on Ch9 as well Good games too ... starts off with Villa vs Newcastle then Man City vs Spurs

EPL live on Ch9 next Saturday 9.30pm Also, another 2 live games on 23rd Aug & 30th Aug (both 9.30pm)

Stan acquiring the rights to the EPL means a number of games will be shown live on Ch9 (Stan & the 9 Network are broadcasting partners with Stan being owned by Nine Entertainment) So beginning next Sat (16th) the 9.30pm game between Aston Villa & Newcastle will be shown live on Ch9 I believe that we'll get at least 2 more Saturday 9.30pm fixtures to follow 23rd August 9.30pm Man City vs Spurs 30th August 9.30pm Chelsea vs Fulham

Storm up 12-2 and they rarely lose from that sort of position Need to keep winning to gain a home QF

The Pies 2nd to the ball all night Hawks have been very good but Collingwood putrid

Money? If he can get an extra $100k+ per year elsewhere on a longer contract, why not hold out? He's seen plenty of others at the club get nice, big fat contracts so why not get in for his chop

They'll hold the trophy at Lords, you'd imagine (the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy) But India denying England the trophy was an achievement in itself Decades ago we would sometimes get a 6th Test and when the Ashes were up for grabs, the 6th Test might have been played at The Oval ... sometimes even with a 6th day added (stand corrected on that one) But a 2-2 result seems a very fair result, all things considered A nice lead in to the Ashes which is just over 3 months away Soon enough, I reckon the big 3 Nations might play home and away over a 3 year cycle (instead of 4 years) A 2 and a half year gap seems a tad long especially when it involves the Ashes

That's how I framed the appraisal In terms of available talent, to be in the position we are in, is putrid Previously, in seasons where we barely won any games, we had very few, if any, top players This season a number of our players have underperformed, for whatever reason But Gawn, Bowey, Chin, Rivers, Turner, Pickett, T-Mac & Melk have been decent to very good. Lindsay & Langford nice debut seasons But May, Lever, Petty, Salem, Langdon, Fritsch, Viney, Petracca, Oliver, Sparrow, JVR & McVee have had forgettable seasons by their own standards Windsor & Kolt 2nd year blues? Of course, if we can bounce back next year, 2025 might be forgotten much like 2019 has been largely forgotten because of the flag in 2021 That's my view, at least

It certainly was I've never watched a series not involving Australia, so intensely Quality cricket all round although the pitches were a bit too batsmen friendly (but just a slight knock as overall, the cricket was great) Having said all that, the Oval pitch was a sporting one

Siraj finishes them off so India tie the series and therefore retain the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Great series with a fantastic finalè Apparently the smallest margin for an India test victory (6 runs)