rjay

You're probably right...but I haven't been overly impressed with Fullarton forward or in the ruck. As it stands he (Fullarton) may be injured anyway.

He (Tommo) did play some time in the ruck at GWS...so maybe he is the better choice.

Missed the last 2 with injury, so probably doubtful.

Doubt it...from what I've seen he struggles in the ruck.

I'm with you on the full time professional umpire call, not sure it would make a lot of difference. They should however have a full time professional training base & administration facility that would be HQ for the entire umpiring fraternity. The umpiring biz seems like old school clubland and could be brought into current times. ...and work does need to be done on congestion. The coaches should have little to no say in rules & interpretations because as we all know...there is no interest like self interest. Cutting interchange has been a no brainer for a while now. Cutting the time to dispose of the ball to pay a free kick or ball up. The epidemic of incorrect disposal could also be tightened up. Just a few things... Left of field & not so popular, bounce the ball rather than throw it up. The unpredictability always made it harder to set up around a ball up & meant the ball moved out of the area quicker. Not married to that one but worth thinking about...we play with an oval ball & it's unpredictability makes the game more interesting. If we want more certainty then using a round ball is the go.

I'm convinced he's not a ruckman...

...and he had every right to be. A decision made with poor guesswork. An absolute howler.

At the moment if Max went down then JVR & Petty would be our best options. Maybe a refreshed Tommy Mac with Tommo coming back in. I wouldn't like to see that at all, Tommy has become to important to the defence. ...but the above shows the hole in our list. Looking at Fullerton in the VFL on the weekend & he just inspires no confidence. He looked lost in the ruck contests, totally outplayed. I'm not sure why we picked him up, maybe more for forward coverage. Verrall is the better bet but still a way off. We weren't going to be able to keep Grundy 'picket' as I think even though subsidised he was taking too much cap space. Lets hope we have someone targeted.

Scott is a great coach, was a better than average footballer, not a bad bloke in person. ...but the whining in his press conferences and disrespect to opponents is not doing him any favours.

Sydney getting a good run from the umps...

Good to hear Sando going for the Cats...love his analysis but his tips are more often wrong.

I thought the time to move was at the end of last season... Great player.

Seems to be par for course in these situations. The Rioli situation dragged on for nearly 2 years. For whatever reason I don't know but as you say unfair.

Yes, our mids need to be at their best. We're competing against 2 other contenders & it's one of our strengths. As for clearances, the Cats were belted in the first half but comfortably ahead on the scoreboard. ...an interesting 2 weeks in a long season coming up.

Whatever is old is new again. In the old VFL days what Pickett did was called striking & he could have expected 2 to 4 weeks.

It's a long season "SWYL'...don't get too hung up on one game.

I think Willie Rioli's case took 18 months to get to a resolution. Then his 2 year penalty was backdated to reflect his time in limbo. Looks like we might be a player down for a while yet.

The rugby codes will end up as pro touch football I reckon, I just can't see them lasting too much longer. A good question re soccer...my soccer mad mate tells me the header has been on dangerous ground for a while now. The ball is a lot lighter and waterproof now so there is not the damage that was done to many past players...however he says they still get tiny concussions each time they head the ball...so maybe that part of the game will have to go. Remember these games have been around for only a very short time in the scheme of things, a couple of hundred years give or take. Everything evolves...

Boxing is in big trouble... NRL along with AFL will end up non contact, it's just a matter of time. 10, 20, 100 years.. Will all go the way of the Coliseum & the Gladiators. It really doesn't matter, we've had a good run with it, enjoyed the game & may or may not be around for the final demise.

I think there is going to be no choice and contact sports worldwide are in trouble here. It will end up a no contact sport. I can't see any other option.

Maybe make an adjustment to the front on contact rule that already exists...

I think you've got to do something but I'm not sure how you enforce it.

Elliot Yeo is back in form...

My problem is with players running recklessly back with the flight of the ball. It used to be a mark of courage but honestly it's just plain stupid. I can remember doing it twice when I was playing. One I got away with, a spectator who used to be a VFL captain was on the boundary side it happened and said basically what were you thinking. The 2nd time I wasn't as lucky and got a chest full of busted ribs. Yes, what Greene did was illegal in football terms but if he had of followed through with the marking attempt we might had had a terrible situation. Players need to be protected from themselves.

Absolutely it's true...In a marking contest like that he's in his rights to raise his knee. That wouldn't be good.