rjay

It's all part of the mix 'Rocky'... As PJ noted when he arrived, we're in the business of football & I'm sure it's not lost on the club that on field performance is the priority. Things like this give us a bit of profile & after years of being the ugly step sister it's time we stepped out of the shadows & weren't afraid of being relevant in the football world. Who cares what others think. Don't be scared of the exposure, revel in it. Having a strong brand draws sponsors, players & fans.

The League's memo to the clubs said that since the introduction of the 'designated ruck' rule in 2017 the time it had taken for umpires to throw the ball up at around-the-ground stoppages and throw the ball in from the boundary had increased. "From round nine onwards, the field umpires will no longer tell players, 'I am backing out this way'. Instead, they will identify the designated rucks and then throw the ball up," the memo said. Here's a bit of a clue Dill & Steve... You think the designated ruck rule might have something to do with the increase in time. Forget designating and leave it to the players, if more that one goes up in the ruck pay a free. ...by the way in all my time playing, coaching and watching football I've never seen an umpire run forward after throwing the ball up. I reckon the players might have had an idea of which way the ump was headed.

Lol, not a supporter (life as a footy fan waiting for the elusive flag would have been much easier if I was) but was lucky enough to be able to use the gym facilities down at Glenferrie oval back in the day. Also used to take a lot of the drills they used back to local footy where I did a bit of coaching. The Jeans teams were well drilled and there was much to learn watching them train, not much has changed.

A couple of things you can guarantee will happen this morning. The first is the AFL will wash it's hands by saying the tribunal is an independent body....sure. The next is they will gauge the public reaction on social media & talk back radio...so far it's not very positive & I can't see the independence thing fooling anyone. It's what happens from then that I'm not so sure about...will they appeal the decision? They should. If they do the independent body will be told to at least give E Curnow a week to appease the fans.

Used to watch Hawthorn train in the 80's under Jeans... One of the drills they did was to block for a teammate taking the mark by raising hands and keeping the opponent out of the contest. They've been at it for decades. Even Lewis said on 360 tonight they trained to block when he was at Hawthorn...

It wasn't friendly contact it was the contact of an arrogant dh, the body language was I'm better than you stop bothering me. Were as it should be respect for the position, even if you don't like the umpire. Bad luck, he's the man in charge. It goes down the line 'Dub' and unfortunately manifests itself in much more serious situations but you've obviously not played or coached serious football at the lower level. I can tell you now that umpire friends of mine are furious.

The fuss to me apart from the inconsistency is the message it sends. E. Curnow wasn't incidental contact, he looked at and put his hand on the umpires chest and pushed him. The AFL are supposed to be custodians of the game but the message this sends to the lower levels is not good. I've seen enough to know that players down the line don't have a filter and what was deemed minor in this case will be amplified and some poor umpire will get pushed around somewhere this weekend. ...and unless the AFL appeal they will be at fault.

The only common sense rule in the case is 'you just can't do it'... I've been involved in games where umpires have been assaulted at lower levels (more than one) 'DubDee' and it's just not on. There are no shades of grey, you touch an umpire and you're gone.

One club got a good CEO, board and the right people around them. They believed in the path they set and were not put off by discontent from their fan base. The other took a little while longer to learn the lesson. Culture is set by those in charge, ours was toxic for a reason and it wasn't because of the fans or those on an internet forum.

Wouldn't they all love to go back to the days of PJ and Knights, then reset from there. Ego's at big clubs (any club really, ours is also a case in point) cause trouble if not kept in check...

Thank goodness he was stubborn in playing Oscar last year 'steve'. We get that you're now left with Dom as your whipping boy but everything will work out in the fullness of time. I'm sure Goodwin has a plan & I doubt it has much to do with the experiment you mention.

Thank goodness he was stubborn in playing Oscar last year 'steve'. We get that you're now left with Dom as your whipping boy but everything will work out in the fullness of time. I'm sure Goodwin has a plan & I doubt it has much to do with the experiment you mention.

After the Hawkins incident I would give them both a week just for being dumb...surely they couldn't be that stupid, could they?

Williams got 9 weeks for a similar push. Ed will probably only get a week...

No, he doesn't and he's not. His chance will come but not at the expense of Weid who has been playing forward ruck. With Weed it's made us a more balanced and dangerous unit not having to run Tommy as the relief ruck and has also allowed big Max some rest time. I think Bull is more likely to get a spot on a wing in future games as he has played some midfield time at Casey.

I think Spargo will go back down, he's had a taste but got run over a few times and couldn't stick the tackle. No problems there, he's shown a bit and will learn from the experience and come back a better player. Viney a definite in and maybe Jeffy but not sure who the other out would be. Definitely not Weideman, he gives us so much flexibility and has done well as a back up ruck.

Always think of him as the Molly Meldrum of footy myself... AFL360 is the new Countdown... Maybe the herald sun footy section is the new GoSet..

Sorry 'Bombay', agree with 'big red' on this. Plus will add that Pedders is not an AFL level forward, his best work has been as a running ruck and his ruck work as a relief early in the season was uncompetitive. His ability to at least create a contest had gone off. It's Weideman's spot now and his to lose. Only injury will see Pedders back this year.

He'll be here 'bb'... He's not having a great run of form at the moment but I think he will turn it around. He has what we need and he's not going anywhere.

I don't think Hunt's been quite the same since the Adelaide game where he knocked himself out last year. He hasn't got his mojo back...

Why not???? September isn't that far off.

Not that it has stopped us in the past but it appears we are debating and forming opinions on a situation where there is absolutely no clarity about the issues involved in the case. There are no specifics to discuss and there may never be... People seem to be holding an entrenched position before any facts have come out. Interesting...

Pretty sure he has the successor already with him or about to be with him...reckon you're right 'Mach', will come from within. He's always talked of a succession plan for his job as we did with the coaching.

I think Goodwin explains it pretty well... ...and let me add 'daisy' that there is less pressure in the VFL. Yes he can still get injured (lets hope he doesn't) but if he gets a bit sore they can put him away for the day. We can't afford that at AFL level. He can get some touch and match fitness and be primed for the Blues.

I think there is good reason to run Viney on limited minutes at Casey to get some match fitness. Unlike Tommy, he hasn't played a competitive game since last season & may open himself up to soft tissue injury for example. It's probably more likely we run him in at AFL level but there are good reasons why we might not despite the views expressed above.