Diamond_Jim

This will be another compromise that will be shown within ten years to be a mediocre move at best. Simply put the power clubs have already or will soon be moving to another level.

Didn't think that goal review that went against the cats was so clear. Hopeless camera angle. I would have thought it to be umpire's call at best.

Will be interesting to see how they play the Kelly trade. He's a good player.

That's being a bit hard on chooks perhaps. Last night's game was boring. Turned the sound down and read the cricket rain updates in the Guardian for entertainment

Have no difficulty with Geelong playing their home finals at KP as long as they play ALL their home games at KP.

the whole jumper thing is a farce. The likes of Liverpool can play in grey,blue etc as well as their traditional red but.....

Good advertisment for compulsory clash jumpers. Okay in the close ups but the moment the cameras zoom out they are almost identical. And I can't stand Bruce the fawner. You think that Pendlebury was Black Caviar.

Interesting article here on Paine. The author makes the point that we have been swayed by the success of Gilchrist who was an outlier whereas Paine's test average sits rather well with other Australian wicket keepers. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/sep/05/australia-tim-paine-peeling-tons-valuable-ashes-asset "Australia cricket followers were spoiled by Adam Gilchrist, who was on another statistical planet with his 17 Test centuries and an average that for most of his career topped 50. Since then every wicketkeeper is expected to match the best batsmen and plenty of batsmen around the world have been pushed into keeping wicket. But look at the history and that is not how it works. Put Gilchrist aside and the next best average for an Australia wicketkeeper is Brad Haddin’s 32.98. Paine sits one run behind him. They are the only two to average more than 30. For a long time keepers did not even average more than 20. Ian Healy and Rod Marsh may have combined for seven centuries but they took 215 Tests to do so, while both averaged less than 28. Those five plus the Bradman-era Bert Oldfield are the only Australia keepers to make more than a thousand runs."

Best session for Australia,,, yes on reflection we had the luck A double hundred for Smith and a possible 100 for Paine and then England two wickets down at stumps. Goes some way to softening the memory of that last test. Heading for a draw unless the Australian bowlers can pull off something special. Imagine if the openers had done their job with say a 90 stand

must say it was poetic justice..... mind you there was a lot of applause Need another 50 at least before the next wicket Hard to understand the extra time rules in England

Bye bye Wade what a dumb shot

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