Diamond_Jim

Gawn and his midfield could have a look at Nik Nat's palming of the ball Masterclass so far

Another cheap wicket Wade needs a 50 at least

Haven't you heard.. he's a wheeler and dealer in the world of international soccer.

Being overseas at present it only just struck me that there is only one match this weekend in Melbourne. Is this a first for the first round of the finals.

a bit of an aside but do you think there is room for an FA cup series such as we now have in the A League? I suppose the downside is that unlike soccer where one goal which can come from "luck" makes upsets possible such upsets are far more unlikely to occur in Australian rules. Mind you even if the comp was only played among lower tier clubs the final would make a far more fitting memorial to Ted Whitten than what they played the other night.

1991 I think was the start. Went to watch WC play Carlton at Princes Park. Remarked to my companion how "developed" the WC players looked around the shoulders etc. Sure it could have been weight work but many of us will always suspect otherwise.

Men's basketball World Cup Australia play Lithuania tonight (Thursday) ...9:30pm AEST .. for top spot in their group

On the theme of splitting the pick I thought this comment from the Guardian wonderful,,,,, Archer seems to have done the bowling equivalent of splitting the atom,” suggests John. “A missile into the chops of Smith led to the unexpected yet ultra-capable Labuschagne coming straight into the team – so now there’s two of them out there on the field. Better hope they don’t take any more short balls in the grille! And, no, I’m not a physicist.”

Oh Warner................

No green top apparently. From cricinfo...... Pitch and conditions The Old Trafford pitch looked a bit cracked and largely free of grass, suggesting it should be a good batting pitch, and certainly one that the winning captain would be expected to bat first on. It is sufficiently dry that the sides might have considered a second spinner in different circumstances, but with Australia only naming one spin bowler in their touring party, Moeen Ali out of form, and Adil Rashid injured, the Test will largely be dominated by seam. The forecast is mixed for the five days, with conditions overcast at best for the most part. Friday in particular looks set to be threatened by rain. PS and for the third test in a row we bat first....

Odds on for a green top wicket with Archer in the English side. Will the English send us in again? As usual it will be a "big" first session If confidence is a big factor in sport the last test saw a massive swing.

I just edited my post as the formula is so discretionary.

Tomlinson is a free agent not an RFA but otherwise your post makes sense. The compo pick formula isn't the simplest. The compensation formula produces a points rating for players based on: 1. The new contract of the free agent; 2. The age of the free agent. Draft picks are allocated to clubs based on the net total points for free agents lost and gained during the transfer period. Draft picks will be allocated to one of five places: • 1st round • end of 1st round • 2nd round • end of 2nd round • 3rd round In applying the formula, an expert committee reviews the formula outcomes. The committee has the power to recommend alternative outcomes to GM – Football Operations where the formula produces a materially anomalous result. https://www.afl.com.au/afl-hq/the-afl-explained/free-agency

there was no one at VFL level he was keeping out in 2019.. same with Lewis. It was a relatively easy decision club wise to give him another season. The pay drop and contract term is probably the strongest message. Hopefully he does spend a fair time at Casey which means we have found his replacement

Time for Dave Warner to fire big time this test. Makes you wonder whether it's time for him to drop down the order to say 5 and use him in the Gilchrist fashion rather than as a bludgeoning opener. Liked the fact that Australia A had been playing long form games in English conditions during the World Cup but if the competition was anything like what Derbyshire served up it we may have to send over one of our Shield sides next time to give them the necessary practice.

Best quarter of football I have ever seen played by an MFC player. Travis J had incredible skill but... well we all know the but

be realistic Brayshaw at present would get you at best mid first rounder. Next year with no improvement, he's mid second rounder at best

what do you class as a godfather deal out of interest. I'm starting to think we could trade Brayshaw for a good pick (has to be first rounder albeit mid to late) which then gives us salary cap relief enabling a play for Tomlinson. With the pick we go best available midfielder. I suspect after signing Weideman, McDonald Brayshaw and now Frost each at more dollars than we would have budgeted for that our cap is tight. Sure you can play around with front ends and backends but we will need money for Oliver and Gawn just to mention a few.

Ohhhhh............. drinking that 2018 bathwater was so wonderful Now..............

I have a sinking feeling that KK will be gone. My suspicion is that medical advice will at best be equivocal and the club will correctly take the decision that the player's long term health should not be endangered. Looking back on it he was out for a lot longer than Brayshaw in a somewhat comparative situation to which you add his time out at the Suns. Could be wrong but the player's health has to come first. On a related note I simply see no reason to retain AVB if his contract can be voided/paid out. The risk /reward equation just does not stack up.

yep...hasn't worked well for North. Hopefully they believe the 2019 was an aberration line. ?

Pace or more importantly burst speed is so essential at AFL level. You can have the most sublime skills at junior level but if you get caught in a tackle or get caught flat footed while your opposition turns you that's the end. Hard decisions.

there's a lot of sense in that post. Length of contract term is probably what will sway a lot of clubs. I suspect he would be asking a two year minimum and the club that offers three will get him. I'd consider 2 years with a third year trigger of say 25 AFL goals.

good idea but the better ones come at a price. If we can land Langdon and Tomlinson plus use pick 3 and 20 on young players I for one will be very happy with the outcome of this trading period. I see no reason to trade for Langdon which will send Freo into apoplexy but we need to play tough if we are going to get out of this eternal rut the club seems to find itself in. If we need salary cap space I would consider trading Brayshaw butI live in hope we can see that late 2018 form again...boy was he good !!

The Bury situation is a good reminder of how the VFL was run before what we now call the AFL commission.It showed that clubs left to themselves couldn't run the proverbial chook raffle.Youngsters forget that even as recently as the '80's clubs like Collingwood were close to going broke. I was involved with some clubs on the periphery and serious questions were being asked by bankers as to how you could repossess a spectator stand. The good news is that none of the clubs are that bad anymore but with equalisation etc and AFL payments there is a new sherrif in town. Not too unlike the EU which many love to hate but without it Europe would be a mess. Mind you I've never understood the benefit of the single monetary union.