Diamond_Jim

The way Peter Gordon explained it is that it is designed to give the lower clubs a better chance of getting a good player. He likened it to basketball where with one draft pick you can get a star player and because there are only five players on court you can dramatically change your success rate. Out of interest are there father/son and academy picks etc in the US sporting system?

On my way to Casey Fields (shades of Elysium Fields perhaps) for the first time. Looking forward to partaking of the mythical egg and bacon roll. Go Demons

They continue to talk up Essendon but they are 8-12 at best. Could never understand the hype but not to worry they will get the prime time games again next year

I am kind of used to having 3 or 4 rows to myself... would be weird to actually have to sit near someone

But according to Gil it's good for the competition........... "AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has been concerned about the time it takes clubs to rebuild from the bottom and of the impact of free agency and trading on lower teams. He mentioned that the English Premier League had lost television rights revenue in the last deal, in making the argument to CEOs that the poor teams could drag down the financial health of the competition."

The conspiracy theorist in me suggests that it is a way to soften up the objectors to the priority picks. In other words accept our discretion or we'll adopt the nuclear option. Marvellous how one can change the "norm".

MFCSS says to me the moment we even look like challenging for the pointy end of the ladder they look at changing the rules: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-floats-radical-draft-changes-20180823-p4zzf7.html "Under the first model - which is unlikely to be in place even for 2019, though it has not been ruled out - the top 10 picks would remain in the current format of reverse ladder order, with selections 1-10 going to non-finalists. The eighth-placed team would receive pick 11, then the bottom side would receive pick 12, the seventh team would receive pick 13 and the 17th side pick 14. Under this "alternating" model, the order of selections (after No.11) would continue to alternate - pick 15 to the sixth side, pick 16 to the 16th club - until pick 23, when the 12th placed side would have the choice, rather than the losing grand finalist. Teams that finished 11th, 10th and 9th would follow (picks 24, 25 and 26). The top two sides would end up with picks 27 and 28."

no...not performance enhancing... like the Saad energy drink ... different rules

Peter Gordon on ABC: Drug was banned on match day only... Defence may be that it was not taken within 24 hours of playing

Loved his highlights clip... especially the shot of the cars parked around the boundary. I am starting to think you need three or more designated ruck rookie positions. These rookies are tied to the club within reason but are then farmed out to non aligned or next tier clubs for their development. I'm sure we can come up with a set of rules to make it work. If not I am lost as to how you develop ruckmen. Remember there is some discussion about getting rid of the reserve competitions we know as the VFL.

after the last fifty odd years you have got to enjoy it while you can

Out of interest who do the Giants usually rebound through. In the case of Sydney it was Aliir whereas against the Eagles it is Mc Govern who before being moved forward was manned by Melksham. Lobb is quite important to them in that strong down the line marking set up. Richmond has showed that a side like GWS and Adelaide can be relatively easily beaten by driving them very wide and owning the corridor. We seem to rely upon the switch which is reflective of our high press that leaves the opposite side of the ground free. Would love to see some alternative tactics adopted if only for a short while on Sunday.

Perhaps that is why Confucius' mate always had a bucket of sand handy

Good idea but they are few and very far between and as I mentioned we will only attract the journeyman VFL level player. Perhaps look at who rucks for the non aligned VFL clubs and the SANFL equivalents etc and then see what you can find. Rucks as a specialist position will die a natural death in the next 10 years unless a revolutionary approach is taken to their development. Bradtke has about a 1 in 5 chance of making it... (that's about average for the whole of the AFL and probably even less for a ruckman.)

Hard enough these days for a team to carry one ruck let alone two. Anybody remotely good would be looking for a number 1 spot or at the very least a club where you had a chance of challenging for number 1. Good example is North with Goldstein slowing down. As earlier posters have mentioned we need to pick a couple of KPP's and teach them ruck skills and rely upon those people as back ups. If they are in the best 22 all the better but perhaps they could be at VFL level on the cusp. Weideman is an obvious candidate but he will not stay post 2019 unless he sees a future.

I thought God was on our side at Waverley when the hot northerly turned and we kicked with the win for three quarters. Alas we all know what happened in the end. An eerie silence with people wandering the car park talking in hushed whispering tones. '87 was something very special.

This year' is anyone's really. Sure, Richmond are favourities but they are only 5-10% in front of the pack. They are very gettable. Is it our turn... who knows... there's some big holes on our game plan when it comes to playing in the major league as we all know and whatever they are we've got a week to fix em. A few weeks of straight kicking may deliver the holy grail........... here's hoping.

Thanks for bumping this. I have been in the air for the last few days and would have missed it. So special .... just wonderful

It is signed by Weg (William Ellis Green)... a famous cartoonist who drew most of the football posters. The original drawings by Weg are quite collectible I understand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ellis_Green

Garlett and perhaps Bugg will be playing for a finals spot and who knows we could see Hunt and Joel Smith. Weather looks good at 17 and light winds ... maybe the perfect day for the famous egg and bacon roll.

Out of interest.... Have we ever played at the Sydney Showgrounds? I can recall playing GWS at Manuka but cannot say I can recall a Showgrounds game. Mind you GWS v MFC matches were never big on FTA.

must say that is what I thought but I have problems with tomorrow sometimes let alone ten days time ?

Years ago I was listening to the pre match talk back on 3 AW and a guy rang in (this was the days of Harry Beitzel and Tommy Lahiff) and suggested that players should have their own water bottles. In those days players drank straight from a big plastic bottle. Harry and Tommy nearly fell off the phone at the "stupidity of the suggestion". Hygiene wasn't a big thing in the early 80's. What a difference a few years makes

why do you say that?

If it's Sydney it'll be at the Showgrounds. Holds about 30k at most. Bulldogs played a final there in 2016. Lots of complaints about not enough tickets for Bulldogs fans in an effort to get it moved to either SCG or ANZ stadium but as I recall everyone from the Bulldogs who wanted to go got a ticket in the end. Mind you there may be more Orange People these days