Diamond_Jim

You have to wonder if it's all about increasing the average spend per attendee. The seating is fine and other than increasing non male toilet facilities the essentials all seem adequate

Masks required in the indoor elements of stadiums approved for over 30k people. The other news is that isolation for close contacts is being considered for general removal. Would help on the player availability issue.

Reading yesterday that both at Docklands and MCG the corporate catering is done by a global catering giant. Amazing it's not a local activity but perhaps there are back room synergies. (Frozen raspberries anyone?)

There are very few 100k seat stadiums in the world. They are all sub standard by comparison to the 50-60k "new" stadiums. Can you make a 100k premium standard stadium pay. I have no idea but it would be a world first Perhaps we could do it instead of the Commonwealth Games 😎

I've now taken to watching 360 and on the Couch leading up to the GF. Highly enjoyable. The post GF versions of these shows were a little disappointing as they concentrated on celebrations (understandable) rather than analysis. The Perth MMM commentary with Dennis Commetti remains my favourite video soundtrack

heard some discussion on radio this morning that highlights that covid will once again impact fringe players badly. It was about travelling squad sizes. Instead of taking away 22 players plus 3 emergemcies it may now require 22 players and say 9 emergencies. There goes any chance that week for match practice for the 9 emergencies. A similar issue for holding back players if the VFL team plays locally on a Saturday afternoon and your AFL match is Saturday night or Sunday. Of course if the AFL does no testing the positive numbers will drop off massively

Accuracy from set shots is definitely an easy improvement area. All we need is a 10-20% improvement and we add 60 plus goals for the season. Fritsch going from 22:24 in 2020 to 59:24 is a perfect example.

"The event that no one else wants." Kind of speaks for itself

Docklands is an out of date stadium permanently crippled by the sale of free premium seating in the form of the Medallion Club. Wimbledon did the same thing by guaranteeing debenture holders free centre court seats many years ago. Luckily it was able to increase revenue by building extra show courts. The best thing for Docklands would be knock it down and build a modern 40-50k seat stadium but even that is compromised by the over development of the surrounding concourse

Watching the last 6 odd games and the finals Petty grew in confidence each week. Tomlinson will have to play well to match him

Jack Darling denied medical exemption from vaccine by AFL https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/no-vax-eagle-jack-darling-sought-medical-exemption-to-jab-20220215-p59whw.html The Darling application went to the AFL’s chief medical officer, Dr Michael Makdissi, and head legal counsel, Andrew Dillon, who rejected it. The AFL relies on expert medical opinion in forming its view on vaccines and cases such as Darling’s. Darling has a four-year contract that AFL industry sources say is worth close to $750,000 a season. Should he remain unvaccinated and unable to train or play with West Coast, he is certain to be placed on the inactive list, which would see him paid a quarter of his base salary for the year. He has been training away from the club.

is there one with K rock commentary thanks

Have seen many people with dogs at VFL matches including those at Casey. Not sure if AFL sanctioned matches have different rules

but was it worse than the Geelong loss ? sure they were gone by q1 but the MFC v Geelong end margin was a few points higher MFC v Cats..125 v 42 Dogs v Port 116 v 45

yep it was what kept us poor MFC supporters alive years ago.... But now... no way

Thought I'd watch the Dogs v Port Prelim I had almost forgotten that we were fish and chip wrappers by Monday. Footy is a funny game

In my season rewatch I reached the prelim final last night. Unlike most games where I watch one quarter an evening this one I watched in one sitting. It is arguably the most comprehensive performance of the season. Other than missing a few gettable goals in the second? quarter it was near faultless. The GF was special and no one will forget that 35 odd minutes of domination but I think this game was the pinnacle performance wise. Obvious kudos to Max but the performances by Brown, Spargo, Petty ANB..the list goes.... on are what should stand us in good stead in the coming season.

The news coming out of overseas is that Son of Omicron aka BA2 is more virulent than Omicron and will fast become the dominant strain. The more concerning element is that having had the initial Omicron offers little if any immunity to BA2. If that holds true the opening round should see us deep in the covid mist. https://www.science.org/content/article/sudden-rise-more-transmissible-form-omicron-catches-scientists-surprise If there's good news it's that this variant causes much the same degree of illness as the original Omicron.

It's so obviously a TV play designed to maximise eyeballs in the run up to the next round of media negotiations. Thursday, Friday and Monday nights will become the norm with Thursday and Monday only available on pay TV and not necessarily the same platform. 60k will be a good crowd. Will it bring out the theatre goers and the corporates. I doubt it. The build up will be lost in the covid mist along with the general excitement that goes through al clubs and supporters in the first round.

Problem for North is that their only major asset is the buildings at Arden Street. I expect that the ground itself is council/crown owned. Most other clubs are building significant asset bases (mainly future funds) aside from the training facilities.

In those heady days of the 70's when the live VFA telecast was a must watch each Sunday afternoon Fred Cook was enormous. VFA crowds often exceeded some of the VFL crowds of the day.

The head of Bunnings and the senior management team are also leaving the West Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott’s decision to move with his senior corporate executives from Perth to the Eastern states is akin to Prince Harry moving his family out of the UK. Wesfarmers is the closest thing to royalty that Western Australia has. The 108-year-old company is the largest in the state, its head office is a part of Perth skyline and its tentacles spread throughout the broader community in the arts, philanthropy and Indigenous education. Scott’s decision to abandon his perch in Perth for the duration of the COVID imprisonment and move to Melbourne is partly pragmatic but comes with a large dollop of political motivation to pressure West Australia’s McGowan government, whose decision to keep the border closed to outsiders indefinitely has been roundly criticised by those outside the state. https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/rob-scott-s-cross-border-pilgrimage-a-nice-piece-of-pandemic-theatre-20220131-p59smg.html

For the next few months. He has said that it is not possible to fulfil his various roles eg Chair of Qantas from WA

Godyer is leaving WA and heading East. Bye WA

There were a few nervous bankers around in those days. Who would be the first to take possession of a grandstand or two. Saved by the commission and the sale of licences interstate. It was close for several clubs.