Macca

7Mate are covering all the playoff games Bill Barnwell's Bracket Prediction & Previews NFL Wild Card Weekend Game Picks (43 minutes)

Yep, same Even the games involving Pittsburgh & Green Bay could be close because as we know, a punt or kick return, fumble or interception can lead to 7 or 8 points in rapid time That's what makes the sport so interesting and why we see so many underdog victories And we grow accustomed to the pace of the game with all the time-outs & other breaks in the games. An acquired taste but the sport can be quite addictive

Who is to say they were ever giving us the correct weight anyway(?) Paul Callery was a terrific footballer who gave his all but he was 5'4" (162cm) Did they tell us the truth back in the day? Height doesn't make any difference if you're good enough but some of the heights given out these days are highly questionable

@titan_uranus @Go the Biff @DeeSpencer @JV7 @Clintosaurus @DemonDave @BDA @layzie If partaking in the post-season tipping comp, the games start tomorrow from 8.00am We've got 4 starters so far so it should be a goer. A post towards the top of this thread explains how it all works

The first game of senior cricket I ever played was at Yarra Park no.1 oval (the same area floated as a training venue for the MFC) And there was a large tree on the ground at wide mid-on. So fielding under the tree was a prized spot (shade) Needless to say, the cricket ball ended up hitting that tree on countless occasions. Go figure

Or a shot of brandy at 3/4 time (especially on cold days) When I played cricket we put forward the tea break so we could listen to the Caulfield Cup Those were the days

We would probably match a certain amount but we'd have limits And Adelaide's limit might be a great deal higher Besides which, I'm not convinced that Petty is going anywhere anyway. A lot has to happen (or not happen) for him to go The Crows could go cold on the idea, there's injuries to factor in and Petty might re-sign and/or extend soon enough anyway My argument centres on the 'go home factor' and how it's overrated and overplayed So if Harrison strikes his best form I'd pay him the big bucks but not an exorbitant amount An example of that is Scully. We were never going to give him $6Million over 6 years and we certainly weren't going to give him $2Million in his first year of a new contract Ironically, we turned Scully into Hogan and later on we turned Hogan into May & Sparrow (and both those 2 helped us win a flag)

To me it's often about the money when a player wants to go. Not always but when we hear about the size of a contract on offer, you can't help but think it is about the money And it's not just about the overall contract, the big enticer is the first year amount on those sorts of deals. A signing on bonus per se Life changing amounts of money and we shouldn't be thinking that Adelaide haven't offered Harrison a big amount in his first year. Let's face it, if you want to secure a player that you believe is a game-changing player, it's what you would do (big, upfront $$$'s) So there are a stack of players who we know left for the big bucks (Judd, Buddy, Ablett, Scully the list goes on) With standout players, the go-home factor is used as bait but it's not the big bait. The money is

It's funny how we never heard of Petty wanting to go home in all the time he's been with us. Crickets Until ... an offer comes from Adelaide (a very large offer from all reports)

He'll get a lot more money at Adelaide To entice a player whilst that player has 2 years left on a contract, you have to offer bigger $$$'s. The go-home factor is a ruse (or an add-on) But we of course can match it but in the case of Jackson, we weren't going to match it as the amount was too high ($8Million plus) Again, the first we heard about about Jackson "wanting to go home" was after the offer from Freo was declared

Here's 2 examples of how an offer could have been put forward Hi Harrison, how would you like to come home to SA to play your footy? We'll see if we can put together $450k per year for you as well. Have a nice day Or ... Hi Harrison We've got a nice juicy contract for you to sign anytime you like. The contract amounts to $8Million dollars over 7 years and we'll pay you $1.5Million dollars in your first year And guess what? You get to come home to SA as well

You can believe what you like The same stuff was peddled about Jackson whilst people conveniently put aside the $8Million contract that was on the table

Well, by the time we get there we'll have a lot more more than 70,000 members and amongst those numbers, there are any number of horse racing enthusiasts and keen punters. Or people who like a flutter now and again And there are many like you but you only represent a percentage, not all Yes, problem gambling exists but those types often have personality disorders (I've known a few) and if wasn't the horses it would be some other form of gambling. Or the grog or drugs or whatever And as I've said to you before rjay, being a passionate supporter of a footy club is a gamble. We put our whole emotional energy into it and when we lose, we often act like problem gamblers. Blaming everything in sight (umpires = jockeys) And it's a financial investment as well being a keen footy fan, let's not forget that. And we don't like doing our money *Sack the coach* *Get rid of that player, he's useless* etc etc

Yeah I knew that but I can't see how things haven't progressed this far unless we were dealing with a club (MRC) that has opened up their arms to us Put it this way, if there was any hostility involved, why would our club & Pert be so excited about the venture? In my opinion, the MRC want us to come in, it's not necessarily us being desperate to get there. Could be that we found each other and there is a terrific opportunity for both clubs

Yeah I know that story but I don't particularly believe it. There's a lot of spin in footy and money talks

Might be a while before we see any of the details dp (unless they get leaked haha) But what stands out to me is how much space there is inside the racecourse itself. I've been to the Caulfield races a stack of times but to be honest, never looked inside the actual course very often as I was too busy trying to back a winner! And it's important to know the MRC's stance with all this too. They are sitting on a goldmine at Sandown as they own that course outright and the land is worth a fortune I read recently that selling part of Sandown is a bit costly so it's all or nothing. And it won't be nothing So if or when they sell it completely they'll be cashed up to improve the Caulfield & Mornington courses (but mainly Caulfield initially) Further to that they want to build a proper 2nd course inside the existing course and that might be an all-weather course Why? So as to pick up the slack for all the Sandown midweek racing that Sandown holds now. Lights could be constructed as well so they can hold a host of night meetings So they've got some plans of their own There are now a lot of unused buildings and stables now that Caulfield is no longer a training facility so I suppose that's where we come into the picture (in that previously posted image, the area from the 2000m mark to the 1600m mark) So it could be a nice, cosy relationship where both clubs win The MRC does need bigger crowds and a larger membership as Flemington is still ultra popular and Moonee Valley will be hot competition once they finish the do-over there If we end up there I've got no doubt the MRC will be eyeing off our 70,000 members (might be 90,000 or more by the time we take up residence!)

That's a good idea If we're confident that he's going to be good-to-go, tack on the extra dollars pertaining to the existing contract with the proviso that he extends Of course, our salary cap might be close to being full for 2023 so the breakdown of the extra $$$'s for the 2 years could be added to the 2025 component of his existing contract As you said, there will be freed up salary cap space at the end of 2024 So Harrison gets the unexpected extra $$$'s and we get to keep our man, long term It's just reconstructing a contract which will probably become common-practice as the years go on He's worth it, in my view But it looks to me like Adelaide might have offered him a very big contract and that might include a big component in the first year of a deal (effectively, a signing on bonus similar to what T$ got) And as long as we keep strengthening our talent, year by year, we're going to be in this type of situation again & again. Comes with the territory

I don't buy into the go home factor, I believe in the money But I'm with you, if he becomes a game-changer on a regular basis, pay him the big bucks* and match the Crows offer (unless that offer is astronomical and it becomes a murky situation) Ultimately, I see him as a replacement for May at full back as Petty is only 24 and has another 9-10 years of footy ahead *That could happen as early as half way through 2024 if he fully recovers from his injury and starts firing again

I'd like to see Kozzie play (on average) a third of his game time as a midfielder (from memory, his game against the Crows used as a midfielder for half the game was outstanding) And he's looked good at other times in the middle but more so the centre bounces where he can use his elusiveness and speed But not too much as we obviously need him up forward as well Swapping with Petracca as what used to happen back in the day (ruck rover/ rover type swapping roles to the half forward flank or pocket) So Petracca to play a 3rd of the games up forward used in conjunction with Kozzie A 65/35 split but their roles up forward to be slightly different. It should be remembered that in 2019, Petracca was our best forward who averaged 19 possessions as a high half forward (albeit in a disastrous season in terms of wins) Where as Kozzie is a dangerous small forward who can kick 2 or 3 goals in a hurry I also believe that lots of early touches does wonders for Kozzie's confidence. So we need to get the ball in his hands early

Posted the following on the training thread but this thread is more appropriate I reckon the MRC will welcome us with open arms. We'll be seen as a partner in a win/win situation Just an opinion mind you and a gut feeling but I reckon the MRC will see us coming in as a way of growing their own membership and a chance to make $$$'s on non race days For the MFC, we'll get exactly what we want in terms of training grounds & indoor facilities for the players. As well as buildings for the admin The supporters would get a great view of training and/or practice games from the existing stands and any new stands (Western end of the course?) *See image below* So the building near the winning post (white roof) is the main grandstand. If you were at the races, the back straight is a fair way away but the 2 training grounds would be a lot closer than that As for the 2 ovals, one might run alongside the home straight (n.b. the home straight isn't pointed directly West (so no Sun issues) The other oval more towards the back straight (?) A lot of the existing buildings and stables from about the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark were formerly used for training horse but Caulfield is no longer a training facility. The horses are brought in on race days and there are heaps of stables behind the main grandstand for use on racedays So our building requirements could be put up anywhere from the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark ... incorporating a grandstand (?) The oval at the top (Glen Huntly Park) will give you an idea of the space available elsewhere (specifically inside the actual racecourse) ... you could fit 3 or 4 ovals inside the actual racecourse Again, the above is just a personal opinion not based on any data or info. I certainly don't have any inside knowledge. Others may see things way differently Here's the image of the course ...

But was it a fiasco? We needed a 2nd ruckman and Grundy was that ruckman. So, in the end he moved on but we got back what we spent on him terms of the trade Sydney gave us pick 46 which we used to get Fullarton (another ruckman who might actually be able to play as a forward/ruck, something that Grundy couldn't do) We're probably better off in terms of a means to an end Plus, we also received Sydney's 2024 2nd round pick which we used to pick up McAdam So nothing ventured, nothing gained and Grundy was not the reason we did not win the flag So in terms of being cost effective, I reckon we broke even and if McAdam and/or Fullarton turn up trumps, we'll win out on the deal Time will tell As for the salary cap cost, that's for the bean-counters and Fullarton & McAdam combined would probably cost around about the same amount as Grundy The media made a big deal of it but who cares what they think

*See image below* So the building near the winning post (white roof) is the main grandstand. If you were at the races, the back straight is a fair way away but the 2 training grounds would be a lot closer than that As for the 2 ovals, one might run alongside the home straight (n.b. the home straight isn't pointed directly West (so no Sun issues) The other oval more towards the back straight (?) A lot of the existing buildings and stables from about the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark were formerly used for training horse but Caulfield is no longer a training facility. The horses are brought in on race days and there are heaps of stables behind the main grandstand for use on racedays So our building requirements could be put up anywhere from the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark ... incorporating a grandstand (?) The oval at the top (Glen Huntly Park) will give you an idea of the space available elsewhere (specifically inside the actual racecourse) ... you could fit 3 or 4 ovals inside the actual racecourse Again, the above is just a personal opinion not based on any data or info. I certainly don't have any inside knowledge. Others may see things way differently Here's the image of the course Further down is a video of a horse well worth following (gamble responsibly)

I reckon the MRC will welcome us with open arms. We'll be seen as a partner in a win/win situation Just an opinion mind you and a gut feeling but I reckon the MRC will see us coming in as a way of growing their own membership and a chance to make $$$$'s on non race days For the MFC, we'll get exactly what we want in terms of training grounds & indoor facilities for the players. As well as buildings for the admin The supporters would get a great view of training and/or practice games from the existing stands and any new stands (Western end of the course?) I'll post up an image of the course directly as to how I see the configuration

Bill Belichick sacked! Well, a parting of the ways with Bill being paid out but from all reports, Belichick didn't want to leave Apparently he was to be paid $24Million for next season. Who walks away from that sort of money? The question is will he land somewhere else at the age of 71? I'd say yes as there will be at least one team that will want him

Ok, I'll kick things off Cleveland (1-6) @ Houston Miami @ KC (1-6) Pittsburgh @ Buffalo (7-12) Green Bay @ Dallas (7-12) LA Rams (1-6) @ Detroit Philadelphia (1-6) @ Tampa Bay