Diamond_Jim

Relocation of the GCS to Tasmania is the way to go but other than a few million a year I cannot see anyone down there interested in ownership. Back in the late eighties some teams played with public ownership (share listings etc) but it didn't really work out. One of the problems is that in an insolvency the licence reverts to the AFL so the actual asset values held by the clubs is limited. Relocation of GCS to Tasmania would also put pressure on North's existence

did we win against Freo last week? If not this is close to a coach killer match !!

can remember when Neitz and Schwarz debuted. The club knew they had two very special players. What a shame they never achieved that elusive flag.

The argument between NRL and Channel 9 heats up: https://au.yahoo.com/sports/nrl-2020-channel-nine-stunning-attack-mismanagement-015505242.html The game’s administrators are expected to announce plans to recommence a shortened 15-round season as early as May 21, however Channel Nine are considering that a breach of contract. Nine’s chief executive Hugh Marks has reportedly told the NRL they want to renegotiate the game’s $1.8 billion broadcast deal, launching an extraordinary broadside on the code.

Not sure what to read into this but if I was channel 9 I would be rethinking my weekly payment.... Channel Nine has launched a scathing broadside at the NRL over the league’s plans to restart a shortened competition as early as 21 May, claiming the broadcast rights holder has not been consulted on the proposal and accusing the NRL of squandering millions of dollars over a number of years. In a strongly-worded statement, the national broadcaster criticised the NRL’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, which forced the 2020 season to be put on hold after just two rounds and plunged the game into financial crisis. “At Nine we had hoped to work with the NRL on a solution to the issues facing rugby league in 2020, brought on so starkly by Covid-19,” a Channel Nine statement read. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/09/nrl-2020-season-restart-decision

masks not required here by law but social custom almost demands you wear one. Easily ordered 50 online but hell they're hot to wear on the equator . Week four of the lockdown about to start and no real sign of it being lifted. My State of three million only has one hundred cases. Biggest danger is that with little traffic many drive like maniacs as the speed limit is as fast as you can go !!! Somewhat amusing that the model state of Singapore is suffering outbreaks amongst its migrant worker population who live in very small and cramped accomodation. Usually there would be ten to a room with the other ten out working their shift. They would then swap over but with the construction closed there are now twenty to a room. The West has never really understood how Asia and the Middle East is so dependent upon cheap migrant labour.

wasn't that our own Max commenting on his missed goal that would have won us the game against Geelong

Some good news from Taiwan ?? https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2020/04/08/taiwanese-team-finds-key-antibodies-in-covid-19-patients

Aaron Davey redefined football with his defensive tackling in the forward line. He probably had more influence on the modern game than any other. While this does not make him the best he was probably the most influential. Cannot see how Nathan Jones gets a mention and while I love Gawn he is playing in a time where his style is less than crucial. Maybe Jeff White was better in his own way but the game was so different.

you have to laugh sometimes... Just saw an article in the Age where some medico is calling for a halting of burn offs during the non fire season as the smoke haze can lead to respiratory problems which might put pressures on hospitals during the pandemic. To think... three months ago we were ringed by bushfires such that the Indian chai wallahs I met all thought the whole of Australia had burnt down and then there were floods and now this.

unfortunately that is where the arguments will come. How do you manage it when you have the chattering classes screaming that even one death is one death too many not to mention populist State leaders all with their NIMBY agenda. Other than mass testing which is months off there is no easy way out of this. How long until we see breakdowns in the world supply chains of items that while not essential to our everyday survival provide us with our basic utilities etc. Think for example some item at a power station that is sourced from France who in turn sources parts from five other countries. The supply chain assumes you can fly one to Oz in 48 hours and we carry one spare. The list goes on. I keep watching China daily. If it can come out of it we should be okay but if it goes the other way ... ah well who knows...I certainly don't. Here they have closed the breweries as they are not deemed essential services !! Spirits disappeared from the shops weeks ago. Life is tough !!!!

It should be but the AFL won't give up. I could see spectatorless games being played from August (assuming things don't go pear shaped generally). They will try to limit travel so we may see some form of hubbing but Tasmania... no way The logical hubs are one interstate where all the non Melbourne clubs would be based and then one in Melbourne. That would give you seven rounds before the interstate hub had exhausted itself. You could then move four of the Melbourne teams to the interstate hub and 4 of the interstate teams could come to Melbourne giving you another 4 or 5 rounds. By this stage you are almost at the end of October and have played 12 rounds. The 17 round season would be possible but other than possibly the finals series it would all be spectatorless which would be considered by many as pointless.Another issue is would the media companies still pay big dollars for such a compromised season.. PS: I don't think it's possible before August because public sentiment will not countenance contact sport at a time of "distance isolation" and even if we see relaxed restrictions the distancing policy has another few months minimum to go.

Kennett with his insistence on remaining in the world of pokies and white anting the AFL's deal for Norf to play more games in Tasmania a few years back is certainly not the AFL Commission's poster child. A dose of humble pie caused by a few years of bottom four finishes would be nice I think.

2020 is GONE

A donation scheme based on success with players donating a percentage of their salary inverse to the on field success. (18th and the players keep 20% moving up to you keep 100% if we win the flag.) Hell if we had that in place over the last fifty years we'd be the richest club going around ! ?

so it is a big fail by the coaching staff as their teaching failed to be followed by players when under pressure. We had almost the first twenty minutes of that game with forward dominance and could not meaningfully convert. They went up and kicked four quick goals...game over.

so true and a good balance to the entitlement based claim by the clubs that members should not dare to ask for money back. Sure the players will give the fans a special salute or similar but the corporates if anything will get stronger simply because there will be less of them for a while. As an aside I worked for a large professional firm. We had seats for the tennis from the time Rod Laver opened. First year they were behind the server and around twenty rows back. Fast forward ten years and a few economic corrections and we were second row from the front as the former high flyers faded from the scene..

with the soft salary cap likely to be reduced by a big number we may need to rely on less to improve our skills. Will be interesting to see which areas are cut and how.

The WA Premier mentioned a period of up to six months before they open their borders again. Makes a 2020 season seem very unlikely. I also noticed talk about co-locating say 6-8 teams in one place such as the NT to play spectator free matches but would the appetite be there for months of isolation from family not to mention hotel living for such a long time. Isolation is going be with us all for the rest of 2020 to some degree. Where I am there are far few cases than in Australia but businesses other than the five or six areas listed as essential have now been closed for three weeks, going out for exercise will see you arrested and there's not much sign of it ending on the next review date of April 14. The only way out that I see in the next few months is mass testing and the indicators are that this is at least two months if not more away and of course the golden vaccine sometime in 2021. What was a novel experience a few weeks ago is starting to become a global norm. Keep safe and happy if you can. Go Dees

Different times and sports when WSC was introduced plus perhaps most importantly one day cricket was at the time a proven hit in the UK albeit ignored by Cricket Australia. The revolution was also in the form of TV coverage and of course player payments. I would like to see a version of AFLX played at lower levels so we can see if it works as a game. If they then want to add the razamatazz later .. fine ...but it needs to be proven as a game. Think Rugby sevens as a model. I would like to see the game improved for TV at AFL level with multiple choice of camera angles plus viewer controlled commentary. I would like to see an MCG where, as in the old days, you could move vantage points during a game rather than be herded into allocated areas even if the crowd is only 30,000.

Was thinking about this weekend's game that isn't. My belief is that we would have lost to GWS and would be going into this game 0-2. With a possibly wet MCG the Freo game would be a slog. Do we win and if so what is the margin I say we win by 14 points and limp on.

We can only dream of having a comp as strong as the EPL .Not only are most continuing to pay all staff full wages the stronger clubs are paying match day staff (ticket collectors etc) for missed matches. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/02/pay-cuts-furlough-or-deferrals-what-are-the-premier-league-clubs-doing

Very surprised to hear that Adelaide are not in the group. The SANFL who own the licence must have been taking out a fair amount of the profits. In the 2018-2019 year for example they were debt free and had a cash operating profit of over $3M https://www.afc.com.au/news/236376/club-financial-results

Looks to be located near my favourite grass verge. Great place to sit and watch the game around the 50 metre mark. The outer wing is a bit of a dogs breakfast with rather soulless concrete terraces but if they leave the gate open over there it is a pleasant walk through the wetlands at halftime. With the Blues and Hawks dropping their alliances I cannot see the VFL being played this year. NRL has axed its womens comps (they only had four teams.)

sorry ...what is the development