Macca

There have been at least 15 instances of players being suspended this season where the perpetrator has not so much targeted the head or been negligent but more so just been really unlucky The Hunter suspension a standout and numerous sling tackles where the player being tackled not being hurt at all. Other bumps have connected to the head with very little impact but still carried with it, suspensions Fast forward to the Maynard hit and there was nothing innocuous about it. The hit was a clean hit and was negligent as well as being vicious, nasty, pointed and violent So that Maynard hit can't be compared to the numerous 1 & 2 match penalties handed out for what I would describe as perhaps a slight step up from incidental contact

Might have already been said but Carlton went out in straight sets in 1975 & 1976 And since the late 1960's I believe teams going out in straight sets has happened over 30 times

And duly wins the Feehan The horse is now in the sort of form that it showed as a 3yo

And we've grown accustomed to the new way of thinking re the penalties for offences pertaining to the head area Seemingly innocuous instances where the offender has done very little wrong along with no effect on the player being tackled or bumped are now readily accepted as carrying a suspension But in this instance it was far from innocuous ... the offender had obvious intent and the victim was knocked out cold It's at the higher end of the scale, not the lower end And again, the coaches are teaching players how to tackle with a duty of care and in many cases, instruction players to not bump (to avoid suspension) And here we are with Maynard slamming in to an unprotected player and it's somehow not deemed to be reportable? Someone might want to inform these dinosaurs that the times have already changed

Regardless of intent, the act of connecting with the head in many instances of the game is a reportable offence these days and carries with it a penalty Maynard could have avoided contact but even if it can be argued that he couldn't avoid slamming into Gus' head, he's still transgressed So a charge/shirt-front best describes the head high contact. Whether accidental or intentional makes no difference these days in many instances On top of all that, the outcome is severe In many areas of the game now, a player cannot accidently hit another player in the head and not expect to get suspended That's the modern game So ignore the dinosaurs and the footy code shared by many of the ex-players. They're completely out of touch The other important factor worth noting is that the AFL are in the midst of class actions involving head trauma. If they let Maynard walk, the repercussions creates even more legal ramifications Right now, in my view, those current class actions could easily cost the AFL a pretty penny. Do they want even more? I doubt it This time around, they will find a way to make sure Maynard gets a decent sentence (not the other way around as what has happened previously)

Yep, in 2021 we had 9 in line for AA honours Oliver, Petracca, Gawn, Lever & May achieved that status Viney, Langdon, Fritsch & Salem all went close This year Petracca only and Viney went close. Injuries have played a big part but not in all cases So to say the least, there's scope for a large improvement in the next (hopefully) 3 finals The positive is that at least we can invisage a number of our players having a big impact ... in many other seasons we simply didn't have the talent

There's word that Harmes hurt his hammy in the same hit-out where Turner did well as a forward The last 6 or 7 picked in the team need to do ok but our best 15 need to excel So debating the worth of the fringe is one thing but getting the best out of our best is what really matters So we could have Turner, Tomlinson or Laurie as the sub but it's six of one, half a dozen of the other

We're getting the gang back together again! Good luck you blokes 9 starters so far in the tipping comp (factoring in Gorg & myself) 12 once GtB, DZ & DS put their tips in And a reminder that newcomers are most welcome. 3 picks, 3 road winners, that's all there is to it 2 points up for grabs in week 1 And an interesting start to the season with the Jared Goff led Lions with an upset win at KC. +6.5 point outsiders too. A big win With Green Bay coming back to the field post Rodgers, the NFC North is up for grabs (as are most of the other divisions) Speaking of Rodgers, the whole J.E.T.S season will be a must watch MNF kicks off with the Bills at the Jets ... should be a cracker of a game The two 7mate games are Cinci @ Browns followed by Miami @ Chargers SNF - Dallas @ Giants (another classic match-up)

Yep, too many of our best are down on their best. To win big you normally need all your best being close to their best or at their best (2021 springs to mind) You're probably right about Turner up forward but he apparently played well as a forward in a hit-out recently Ordinarily there's be no consideration for such a left-field role but we are down to only one KPF due to injuries (T-Mac) ... and he is out of form We're in a spot of bother, DD and I'm not sure any of us have got any miracle solutions It's looking like Gawn will have to go forward again if Grundy comes in. Again, not ideal but what are our other choices?

Yeah, that's a good point, Gonzo So Oliver & Viney are the mainstays with Sparrow, Jordon (if recalled), Kozzie, Petracca himself, Rivers (?) ANB & maybe even Salem to share the midfield duties (or in some cases running through the middle) Along with Langdon & Hunter on the wings

Someone like Ray Chamberlain would be fantastic in the role. Completely impartial, fair and a well balanced person with zero bias In fact, more of the umpires need to be kept on within the AFL ... and we need more women involved especially on the Commission The boys club element and favouritism that goes on needs to be halted Up until this bold and correct move by Laura Kane, the MRO has been a complete joke and a farce

We don't often make any more than 3 changes but 2 are forced for next week for starters Agree on Jordon & Grundy Maybe Turner coming in as a forward could be a left field move but T-Mac would have to make way you'd imagine (if Grundy comes in for JVR allowing Gawn to have a few stints forward) Hibberd will probably stay and Spargo could replace Chandler. Tomlinson or Turner as the sub with Laurie out of the 23? One thing is for sure, all our best players need to play at their best if we're to beat Carlton So Gawn, Petracca, Langdon, Hunter, May, Lever, Rivers, Salem, Oliver, Viney, McVee, Bowey, ANB, Pickett & Sparrow all have to play well next Friday (I've got Petracca playing well as a forward) If that happens, we win We've got the talent and we've got the class. We just need to perform from the get-go

, We also need to find a midfield combo (without Gus) that allows us to play Petracca forward periodically I favour a more medium sized on-the-move forward line with ideally, forward 50 entries that hit targets with lowered eyes Kicking long just for territories sake is a waste of time given our current personell Yze & Stafford need to come up with a more scientific approach ... our current method lacks intelligence and is lazy

We are going to have to change things up in the forward line if we're going to win next week The real issue is personell and that's something we can't fix this season Our forward 50 entries are more often than not boundary side or with the use of the long bomb - neither works I'm reminded that in the 2021 GF more than around half our inside 50's came from the boots of Salem & Petracca with 30-40 metre bullet kicks What's happened to that strategy? Spargo kicks well into the 50 so I can see him being recalled And our forwards need to be on the move leading every which way I can see a few late night meetings for the MC

Players and coaching is at fault if we're slow out the blocks

No, we're winning the flag against a filth team that doesn't include Maynard And guess what? Gus makes it back into the GF winning team whilst Maynard watches on The above is a true story

T-Mac's mobility was not up to scratch last night but with JVR out, he'll stay in the team by default. Not ideal but his aerobic capacity at least aids him later in the game (as you mentioned) I'd say Gawn will have to have stints forward next week. It's lucky we've got another ruckman in Grundy to step in. Turner or Tomlinson could come in to help out forward or back Injuries and now ko's and suspensions have cruelled our season Brayshaw out takes 25 mostly efficient possessions from the overall team output. He'll be missed terribly Somehow, we're going to have to patch together a functioning forward line

My Kingdom for a KPF

It usually spells trouble for the perpetrator. They are saying 3+ with all the criteria (severe impact etc) That's according to Tom Browne so don't quote me (haha)

I agree with everything you've said there, Ouch So if we ignore the 'fake-arms-in-the-air-smother', Maynard just basically took Brayshaw out with a charge. Used to be called a shirt-front It was not a footy act and too many have bought into the bs smother story. Because that's all it is ... a story

Specifically the first quarter? We were rattled and let them get away. Effectively, that was enough but we nearly caught them And they missed 3 very gettable shots in the first quarter As for the rest of the game, we just blazed away with not enough purpose

Yeah people here are going to vent and they're angry because Gus being taken out changed the course of the game We were effectively a top player down and we were rattled. Now, we should have been able to deal with what happened but we were like rabbits in the headlights for a good part of the 1st quarter ... and effectively, we lost the game there and then The old Collingwood tradition of starting a fight and then banging on 5 goals while the other mob are distracted worked So let the punters vent, layz

It's called doing the right thing, layz Whether it helps us or not is irrelevant. As a supporter of the sport, we can't have players taken out in an irresponsible way

I've got a Collingwood mate who can be biased but when pressed, is brutally honest He's saying Maynard is as guilty as sin and 3-4 weeks but the MRO will let him walk free Ok, a tiny sample size but I reckon many share his view (but not publicly)

4-5 weeks and it sends a message Gets out of hand and then even those who are supporting Maynard now will change their minds