Diamond_Jim

In one word .....Kochie... he did a great deal

you bet DZ.... to some extent it's funded by the Federal Government as part of a trade delegation. The Chinese funding comes from a billionaire Chinese property developer who has very very large agricultural holdings in Australia. The AFL also contributes. Gill quoted a figure of around A$4M .. not sure if that was the total cost or the AFL contribution. Peter Gordon said a year or two back that he would want a million dollars (cannot remember if that was plus expenses) to use a home game of the Bulldogs to play in China. Interesting that the Suns gave up as they are effectively an AFL run/funded club. Not a great move by the Saints just like ours in the NT. You take the money but you lose exposure in your home market. BTW anyone who thinks it's about increasing the viewing numbers in China doesn't understand the strategy. It's all about providing a corporate platform to engage Chinese government and business interests. I'm not against it but I would like to see a lot more transparent discussion about the business model. After all AFL money is "our money" in the sense that each dollar they spend lessens the dollars available for lower tier competitions, facilities etc.

The article below suggests the next two weeks: "THE AFL premiership won’t be decided later this month, but we will learn major clues as to who will contend for it. For two straight seasons the team that finished 13th the previous year has gone on to make the Grand Final - first Richmond, and then Collingwood. We’re not saying the Western Bulldogs are guaranteed to be playing off in the flag decider in 2019. But that unique statistical quirk does underline the importance of the weighted fixture. So what is the weighted fixture exactly, and what impact does it have?" https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-fixture-2019-how-weighted-fixture-helped-collingwood-north-melbourne-in-2018-and-who-it-will-impact-most-in-2019/news-story/d61d171a77108a94459b7f31d3efb9f8?nk=34fd14988ab099a0a18aab69e413ab5d-1540258246

He was played by Bell. And next time put in the fall post for context.

Great Derby game between Victory and City. Excellent debut from Honda... controversial penalty and the usual spills and thrills... 2 (City)-1 (Victory) Crowd 40K at Docklands

brilliant run by the riderless horse in the second at Caulfield Couldn't help but be impressed by the way he kicked back in the straight to come again on the line

For that to work you have to decide which of the other Melbourne clubs will make the trip down the highway. I see Carlton played at Kardinia Park this year so they are not available as a "new lamb". Leaves the likes of Richmond, Essendon, Collingwood and Hawthorn as candidates. Understand Geelong had 9 home games at Kardinia Park in 2018 so getting them to play us at "home" at the MCG would be unlikely. The Melbourne based clubs they played at Kardinia Park were us , Carlton and North. Interesting to note that other than a loss to the Swans and that 2 point win over the MFC the winning margin for the other games was in the main over 50 plus points. Perhaps the way to get them would be to design a so called blockbuster... City v Country perhaps (someone already has that... think it's Essendon.) Frankly I'd prefer to just see the Cats wither at their boutique stadium and be denied the MCG games altogether. One less competitor in the metropolitan area for MFC.

that wouldn't help the bank balance but ladder wise would be a great outcome. The home games if they were to eventuate would almost certainly be in NT

The A League kicked off last night. There's one game free to air each week on Saturday night.. Channel 1. Tonight is the Melbourne Derby from Docklands between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City. Kick off is 7:50pm. It sees the debut of Keisuke Honda for Victory. Honda is/was arguably one of the top 10 players out of Asia and Japan's best player. For those who dismiss the game ...Try it.. you may enjoy it... the rest of the world does

will await the fixture. Who we play in the NT is very important. If it's GCS and Freo we can pencil in two wins. If it's Brisbane and Port not so sure. As we saw from last year every game is important when it comes to final positions.

why would you play that game in "dead" television spot

they ran that rumour last year.. didn't happen It was the Pies who were anxious to maximise the gate Not sure the Pies are too worried about who they play in the opening round next year as long as it's a home game for them

must say I tend to agree. I suppose our problem is that the list is comparatively shallow in that there were at best 3-4 players at VFL level that in 2018 pushed for senior selection. After the big delist 2019 may be different.

very interesting... worth a thread of its own over the off season perhaps History says no... play your best 22 etc

Was not his best hour by any stretch. Could we have done better. Probably not. The cards were marked from the moment Bell came on the scene. The trade scenarios are worked months if not more in advance. Bell entering at the last hour disrupted the flow. A pity.. Hogan's trade had the power to consolidate a dynasty but it was not to be. Structurally May improves the team but having someone like Hogan surplus to requirements comes along rarely and we didn't really profit from it. As they say que sera etc and onwards to 2019

PS: Apparently the twist is that if he never plays for the Hawks then nothing goes into the salary cap Fascinating

reality sucks..........

can I make it 400 !! PS YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

there is a formula . When the AFL accepts that the player has a career ending injury (not just getting old) the club can pay a lump sum to settle the remaining contract obligation. The lump sum receives favourable treatment for salary cap purposes. (Not sure of the precise details).

All quiet on the salary front for Hogan... could there yet be a twist in this tale

come on... he's a fourth rounder have a look at the Scully deal if you want a baseline

KK is pick 50 plus so please don't include him in the trade talk. Like Kent he's a simple peripheral trade Might make some feel better but it's not a factor

ah... there's often a catch wonder who's paying the salary?

the Kelly case worries me a little in that it could be an instance of a player going for the money. Sure there is the go home factor but there is no doubt that the WCE offer for 2019 will be more than his Cat's contract. I applaud players following the money as they have very limited careers but perhaps there has to be some limits. Now if Kelly came out and said any overs for 2019 would be donated to an indigenous charity then my skepticism would be abated somewhat.

well argued Hemingway but personal services contracts have rarely been enforced in any industry as no one wants a disgruntled employee. What is done is that you have them stand out of the industry for 6-12 months but even that is fraught with difficulties. You could have an AFL imposed condition that you must stand out for half a season. Any longer and it would almost certainly get struck down as unenforceable. Even half a season might be too long. Of course the AFL likes the movement of players.. it's the clubs who hate it.