Lucifers Hero

Apparently no decision has been made about the length of the season! http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-08-08/aflw-longer-season-still-a-possibility Given the facts in the post above this one it seemed the AFL and Ms Livingstone were well on the way to implementing their earlier plan. Thankfully we have the respected and strong voices of Daisy and Susan Alberti to lobby for what makes sense.

I too feel for Gaff for a number of reasons: He is genuinely heartbroken for the incident. He knows what it is like to be the victim. 2 years ago he was on the receiving end of a Jonas elbow to his head. It was in a marking contest but Gaff had no idea it was coming. Jonas got 6 weeks. Some argued it should have been 8. He now has 8 months to sweat it out before taking the field again and have a chance to redeem his reputation. Players play to participate in finals and hopefully win a premiership. Missing 2 to 4 finals is a bigger penalty than 8 home and away games. On DL we are especially emotional over this incdent because Andy is Gus' little bro and most are keenly interested in getting Gaff to our club. Any other two players from other clubs and I doubt it would have anywhere near as much attention. Gaff at the Dees? I think he fits the Goodwin type player of tough, competitive and humble. The way he has conducted himself in the aftermath of a very sad episode says a lot about his character. Edit: Thanks @MSFebeyfor adding the video of the Jonas/Gaff incident in post below. Gaff was out cold before he hit the ground and stayed there for a very long time. A player does not easily forget the damage a hit to the head can do. Gaff's remorse is especially compelling in the circumstances.

It was Ross Lyon that gave Gaff the 4 coaches votes!! http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-07/theres-no-winners-here-lyon-on-gaff-ban Lyon was clearly emotional in his press conf but didn't let that affect his judgement. Second best on the ground, he said so he got the 4 votes. Simpson on the other hand didn't give him a single vote - didn't rate Gaff's game/performance.

Again, that is true. I was referring to Gaff's reaction (none too happy with Simmo) and how it might affect his decision to stay or go.

Gaff's lawyers 'Great Gaffe' - Grace just said: "My submission is you should impose a penalty at the lower end of the range, which commences at three years... I mean three weeks." OOps, that is a serious freudian slip!!

That may be true but it probably won't endear Simmo to Gaff. So I was using it as an example to add to Mach5's hint that the way WCE have handled this would make Gaff more likely to leave.

Funny you should say that - At the hearing Gaff said "I felt sick ... i was shattered. I never intended for this to happen. It was a time on the bench where you gather your thoughts and I was heartbroken. The coach talked to me and tried to keep me focussed on the rest of the game. I was rattled. I said to him 'mate I'm rattled'. No compassion from Simmo for Brayshaw or Gaff which proabably wouldn't sit well with the Gaff camp either. Eagles had the game won, there was no need for Simmo to 're-focus' him.

Angus's side of the story. Paraphrasing: "...Gus's chin was cut open in the 2nd qtr vs GCs and had 5 staples put in and he was in a bit of pain...at the end when Trac tried to hug him he was trying to keep his sore chin away...then this weird 'chin kiss' dance happened..." From the 33.00 minute mark of podcast http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-07/podcast-emotional-angus-on-brother-gaff-hit Great courage from Gus to play on in pain and 5 staples in his chin - who would have known. As and aside, Gus hasn't told his much suffering mum about the staples. You have to feel for Mrs Brayshaw: Eldest son currently serving in Afghanistan, Gus all stapled up, Hamish's teammate Gaff belts youngest son Andrew behind the ball. As I said in another thread - Courage runs deep in the Brayshaw family.

I didn't have the same take of Gus' comments, tbh. But Gus was very strong on the penalty. Gus said: "I will be very upset if he gets less than 7 weeks, very upset." @ about the 10.00 minute mark of the podcast. Gus is clearly and rightly not happy. Edit: Gus also said that his brother, Andrew did not play golf with Gaff last week...

My reading is that 'High' means where a player is hit ie above the shoulders. Whereas Low/Medium/Severe refers to extent of damage. So Bugg was Intentional/High/Medium. Gaff is charged with Intentional/High/Severe; a more serious offence. We know there are two rules when it comes to suspensions, one for the 'stars and one for everyone else. I agree less than 8 weeks is wrong on so many levels. Edit: you are correct No 10. The severity rating is Low/Medium/High/Severe. Bugg was rated as 'High'. My bad. We are on the same page thinking Gaff offence was worse than Bugg's so should get a higher penalty.

No wonder Daisy calls the proposed comp a 'gimmick': "... the reason behind the players’ outcry is that all 10 clubs were approached with the proposed seven-week home and away fixture, asking for requests as to whom they would like to play". https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/the-reason-behind-the-outcry-from-aflw-players-and-the-impending-2019-fixture/news-story/3d340c1e660dbbc870188922e0be31c8 Seriously! Asking clubs who they would like to play! They will say Collingwood to give their sponsors the widest broadcast coverage. Or, nominate struggling teams to enhance chances of making the final. Talk about open to manipulation. If a self-selected fixture isn't 'gimmicky' I don't know what is. What bothers me is that there is a 14 person committee to consider the fixture and other AFLW issues but the two 'faces' of AFLW and its two strongest voices are not on said committee. The two are Daisy Pearce and Susan Alberti. They have been involved since the beginning, the driving forces behind the creation of AFLW. I would go so far to say that without them AFLW would not exist. The 14 person committee is lessened for not having Pearce and Alberti on it.

Given that Bugg got 6 weeks (reduced from 7 for pleading guilty) for "intentional, medium impact" and Gaff is charged with the more serious "intentional, severe impact" Gaff must get more than 6/7 weeks or it makes a mockery of the whole system. As WCE are set to challenge and if Gaff is found guilty as charged he should not be given any penalty discount. The Bugg discount was for pleading guilty not for showing remorse (which he did in spades), nor for a good MRP record. The AFL is carrying on about the 'Look of the Game'. It doesn't look too good when a kid goes off the field with his face punched in. If they really care about the 'look' and the impact of the Gaff incident on junior football then they cannot allow a reduced penalty. If the penalty is less than 8 weeks the AFL should appeal.

Would just like to highlight this game to be played vs Sydney on Sunday. All the game day details: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/Team/match-day-information Summary: Family Festival from 11.00 am Field of Women - 1.00 pm, where everyone is invited to go onto the center of the MCG. First Bounce - 3.20 pm For those who haven't had a chance to go onto the MCG it is quite an experience, more so it being for a good cause. Last time I went it was quite moving. Special jumper will be worn by mfc players: Its a game Jim Stynes hugely backed along with Raylene Boyle, long before he fell ill. https://www.bcna.org.au/news-events/events/field-of-women-2018/ Its a great cause and its great that mfc is participating again.

Oliver does it again! 10/10 from the coaches. MELBOURNE v GOLD COAST 10 Clayton Oliver (MELB) 6 Angus Brayshaw (MELB) 6 Jesse Hogan (MELB) 4 James Harmes (MELB) 2 Alex Sexton (GCFC) 2 Christian Salem (MELB) and he is 4th overall. Round 20 leaderboard 86 Tom Mitchell (HAW) 80 Max Gawn (MELB) 78 Patrick Cripps (CARL) 72 Clayton Oliver (MELB) 65 Andrew Gaff (WCE) 64 Brodie Grundy (COLL) 64 Shaun Higgins (NMFC) 60 Lachie Whitfield (GWS) 59 Nat Fyfe (FRE) 59 Dyson Heppell (ESS) It is a joy to watch Clarrie play.

Wouldn't it be ironic (or poetic justice) if Andy's older brother Hamish debuts for Eagles to replace Gaff!

After the horrid picture of the aftermath it is good to see a smile on the young fella (taken while he was in the ambulance). Courage runs deep in the Brayshaw family.

Following on @MSFebeypoint on injuries. The scary team is Hawthorn. Grant Birchall Knee 2-4 weeks Harry Jones Shoulder Indefinite Ben McEvoy Cheekbone 3 weeks James Sicily Wrist 4 weeks They will have Birchall, McEvoy and Sicily back for finals. Virtually a full list and certainly all their top 30 to choose from. Hawks are the real wild card in the finals. They will have everything going for them: Master coach, healthy list, hardened finals campaigners. Beware the Hawks come September!!

Bugg actually got a lot more than 6 weeks - he has played only 3 games since and it seems he is unlikely to play for us again. Maybe the Mills incident dented his confidence. Maybe the club's NDH policy has sidelined him. Gaff is a much better player than Bugg so not sure if mfc would apply the same NDH policy. I would like to think we are consistent. Given last year's delist/trade decisions and this year's (non) selection decisions there is every indication mfc still values the NDH policy. Notwithstanding how distressing this is for everyone involved, I doubt if it would affect the club's decision on Gaff. It seems more of an aberration than a character flaw.

Very true. For what is facing us: Sydney are playing with a lot of their players injured and are inconsistent. WCE are not playing well and without Kennedy, Nic Nat and Gaff will struggle. GWS have big outs in Greene and Dawson. Not sure when HWSNBN retruns. We should get Hibberd and Melksham back in coming weeks and I think we have good replacements for Smith. We certainly miss Viney and Lever but we have learnt to play and importantly learnt to win without them. So on the injury front we are doing ok vs our last 3 opponents. Probably, better than most other teams in the finals race. The bye after rnd 23 should give everyone a chance to freshen up so the injury landscape will look quite different for the finals. Fingers crossed for no more major injuries for us.

Five bob each way, L36??

State of Play: Of the top 8 teams only Tigers don't have an 8 pt game Among 2-8 who are all on 12 or 12.5 wins, 15 of their 21 games are 8-point games!!! A bonanza for the AFL and broadcasters. Outside the 8 are Cats and Roos who have the easiest run home. Cats will make it?. Not so sure about the Roos as Bulldogs and Adel will challenge them. Due to their low % they only need to drop one game to miss the finals. Ess and Crows are out of the running for finals but expect them, Lions and Bulldogs to have a big say in who makes the 8. They are all playing well but inconsistent. Get them on an 'on' day and it could mean dropping out of contention. Who will drop out of the 8? Anyone's guess! The most vulnerable are Power and Sydney (difficult run and lower %). Its amazing to say this but a team on 14 wins might still not make it. How even can it get! Spots 2 to 10 on the ladder will go right down to the wire! Top 4 up for grabs! Nail biting stuff. Hopefully, we get one of those top 4. Failing that spots 5 or 6 as would love to have a final in Melbourne. That would draw out a lot of closet Demon supporters. A home final would be fabulous for the club. Yes, I know. One week at a time but gee its hard not to get really excited!!

So many things to like about how we played this game. Something that stood out was the composure in front of goal, especially in the first quarter. A number of times a player could have snapped for goal, instead they looked for a player in a better position - at one stage Petracca kicked the ball about 25m back out of the goal square. Nearly every time a player looked for someone else it resulted in a goal. Hence the 9.3 at qtr time. It looked as if this was a very deliberate plan on how to play today - almost a 'test run' of a modification to our game plan: Don't snap, stop and look! Huge learning curve for players. It worked very well. Very unselfish play by the team.

Why on earth did Jones fight Oliver for the ball just then. Oliver was off if Jones let it go, instead Jones gets caught HTB!!!

And 2 years after McCartney left they became a rabble again in 2017. Still are. Not necessarily the coaches - Club culture, I reckon. Coaches come and go. Culture just hangs around. Along the way there was a two year hiatus when they managed to fluke a premiership.

Good to see Goodwin is embracing some of the more 'sensitive' approaches to player performance and well being. A page out of the Roos/Tammy and more recently Hardwick play book perhaps but I'm rapt that he is shifting a little from that uber competitive, tough at all costs approach. Both work side by side and a much more balanced style of player management. It shows how much he is learning and that he can be flexible. It makes him a better coach. The article behind the tweet https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/brayshaw-knows-all-about-taking-risks-20180803-p4zvdt.html includes some neat anecdotes from and about Gus.