Diamond_Jim

Great post To me GWS play in the classic mode (call it old fashioned). Like Adelaide they are susceptible to a team that harasses them and forces them to the boundary line. Carlton showed that they can be closed down at Docklands last year if you want a great example of game plan beating talent. GWS need a small forward. Stevie J when he was on song added enormously to that team. They have two monster forwards in Cameron and Patton. Greene could probably play the role but he would be wasted up forward. The MFC game plan worries me simply because we press too hard which has the dual affect of crowding our own forward line and making us easy to score against on the rebound. If we have a winner in Lever that could make the game plan a lot better.

both good pints Dees but you could argue that there is merit in playing either of the two groups. The kids because it gives them a taste in a non pressure situation and the veterans as you in that it keeps their hopes alive. Let's hope it's all part of the club's plan to make sure we are still cherry ripe at season's end. I see that there are 4 practice matches so it will be interesting to see the mix for the next one on 10 March. Pity our last one is against frankston as I think that by then we will be in serious game mode. (Not to belittle Frankston but I would like to be up against a fully fledged AFL aligned side).

They have just finished a test series at home against India which was a very exciting series. If you think about it a Test series played at this time in Australia would not rate that well either. Not sure how you solve the problem that other than England most of the Test teams are in the Southern hemisphere and in India they like to play in their winter when it is a little cooler. Was in Kolkata last week ... 33 degrees every day at the end of winter !!

Is Winx still heading to Ascot later in the year? Good luck with your selections guys

Sorry of course it was Wearmouth with those long flowing locks. My mum actually taught Tony and Ray at Kindergarten level. I went through a lot of primary school in classes with their sister. The Shaw mum was a lovely lady.

Could not help but chuckle when I saw that today's JLT game between Hawks and Dogs is at Mars Stadium. Who needs Hong Kong and China when we are already taking the game to Mars !!

Just wondering what some would accept as a passable win loss ratio as the competition turns for the bye round. I have the figure at 7-4 but one could argue that on form we should be 8-3 with the Bombers game being the questionable one. Of course the world is an uncertain place but in reality our first half of the season is a soft draw by comparison to the second half (particularly four of the last five games). No room for second half of season fade outs etc and certainly no room for the... " they are young and tired" line. Goodwin and his team are paid big bucks to manage the team and he needs to do so in a manner that delivers success. I measure success as the final 8 with one or two finals wins. A premiership requires luck something our club has not had in large measure for over fifty years. These are the rounds: 1. Cats at MCG (loss) 2. Lions at Gabba (win) 3.Roos at MCG (win) 4.Hawks at MCG (win) 5.Tigers at MCG (loss) 6. Bombers at Docklands (win)? 7.Saints at Docklands (win) 8. Suns at Gabba (win) 9.Crows at Alice Springs (loss) 10. Bulldogs at Docklands (win) 11. Pies at MCG (win)

Boy some of you guys must have spent a rather disinterested time for the last 50 years if you had no interest beyond the MFC. Following MFC has taught me you have to have an interest in a second club. Mine changes from year to year. I can even admit to following Collingwood in the late 70's when they had Hafey as coach and Ronny Weideman etc were playing electric football. Also loved West Coast when they were at their top. Who could fail to get excited by the run and carry of that midfield of Cousins, etc (albeit what we now know they were juiced on). My second team these days is GWS ..simply because they are an experiment in building the perfect football team. As an AFL member it's no extra cost to watch these other games if they interest me. GWS v Carlton last year was a fascinating tactical battle played at a one third full Docklands. Easy seating and change your seats to follow the forward or back play as the mood takes you. That does not decrease my passion for the Dees but it does help pass what would otherwise be some rather disinterested seasons over the years. Hopefully the MFC delivers this year.

IIRC Collingwood did this a few years back after they had a lot of injuries to senior players. I like the VFL but it seems that it goes out of its way sometimes to increase its irrelevance. Two things I would suggest: Increase its budget and play a longer season. When the AFL team is playing interstate the VFL team should play a home game (how about scheduling the VFL game as a curtain raiser timing wise to the interstate game )

Strange..... Given that the first VFL game is not until after we have played our third AFL game you would think the fringe AFL players would be desperate for a chance to show their wares

Must have been done before Collingwood played last night

Losing to the cellar dweller North not once but twice was what killed our season. North only won 6 games for the season and was one game and percentage away from the wooden spoon. We also just fell in against Carlton and didn't exactly shine against the Lions and of course we lost to Freo. Have to toughen up this year. Our run home in 2018 is not easy so we had better be around 7-4 at the bye if want to be comfortable.

Interesting to look at who we play twice this year: They are ; St KIlda, Gold Coast, Geelong, Crows and Bulldogs Other than GCS , none of those teams are pushovers.

You've got to admire a guy with the name "Harry Himmelberg" .... such beautiful symetry

Interesting Brodie is beating the GWS ruck, Simpson 24-9 but Collingwood can't get their hands on the ball. Thought Collingwood had one of the AFL's leading midfields

GWS starting to brush off the rust... 4 goals so far this quarter and some good running play

The problem is that the stronger kids in junior football will start to imitate the play. The old "don't argue" was revered but in reality was rarely used. Martin has turned it into an artform and personally I don't like it.

I am an AFL member. For the MCG I like the third level in the Southern Stand. It's open so if it rains there is a problem but viewing wise it is great. The second level is under cover but I like the openness of the third level. Even the first half of level 4 is pretty good. Do you know anyone who is an AFL member. They can buy a large number of guest tickets and the member does not need to accompany you. Whether they can do it for the dreamtime game is hard to say. That is one of the marquee games at the 'G. Essendon also have one of the highest numbers of pre reserved seatholders of the Melbourne clubs assuming it's an Essendon home game. Etihad it is of course level 2 or the absolute front of level 3. Level 2 is hard to get as it is Medallion club mainly. The real trouble you will face is that the tickets are released in blocks and in simple terms they sell fence to back in one section before they release the next section. Good luck ...sounds like great fun

Was reading on Big Footy that Freo were practising how to tackle Dustin Martin. The theory is that if you tackle low the push off technique used by Martin goes into the tackler's face and thus attracts a free kick. Not sure what it does to the strength of the tackle itself but it will be interesting to see how the umpires react. On a related note can someone explain exactly what Gawn was getting free kicked for in his ruck duels. This time last year I along with many others was excited by the prospects of what Gawn as a dominant ruckman could deliver. His early season injury put rest to that excitement and then his return was dogged by the umpires frequently awarding free kicks against him. cheers

I assume the rating for Essendon is based on the theory that because of their recruiting they will be better than last year. Personally I thought they over performed last year... just as we under performed. Stop Daniher and you stop Essendon in all probability.

I had that thought as well and you are probably right. Of course if they are big enough and the traditional cable TV (ie local providers) fall away the monolith becomes a "price maker" rather than a price taker and the AFL will have to take a much reduced price to get onto the system. More likely that the sports will get into direct marketing and the monolith will never get off the ground but who knows.

You can fly to Asia for that amount ....Australian airfares are way too high. On the other hand by comparison to what thy used to charge us that's a bargain. Now all you have to do is to find some accommodation under $200 a night ! Enjoy yourself ... a nice 10 goal first quarter would be good and then outscore them by around 2 goals each quarter for the rest of the match. Somehow I doubt that will happen. The low clubs always think they have a chance against us ... and we always seem to give it to them.

Remember the policy of no TV unless the GF was a sell out. One year Channel 7 had to buy a swag of tickets so it could show the game. If you think about it the VFA were the ones who blazed the trail with their FTA live matches every Sunday. Fascinating to try and predict the future of sports broadcasting. Ten years ago would we have imagined that Netflix would have the reach that it has today. Perhaps there will be a Netflix that emerges in the Sports market ie.one company..... all the sport you can watch for $20 a month.

Interesting... Most are in the ballpark but Port (2-8) and Essendon are rated too highly and perhaps Bulldogs (7-12) and West Coast (8-12) are under rated. I'd have both these clubs at 6-10. In the case of Port and Essendon.. I would also rank them at 6-10. One of Port's problem is that it will probably lose to Adelaide which means two less wins for the season. Just saw Moonshadow's post .... seems we are in agreement that Bulldogs and West Coast are under rated.

Interesting vibe on the board these days. Starting to feel like 1987 where a lot of players that had been okay to that time started to have a real impact. The Febey brothers come to mind as a good example. Hopefully this is Salem's year. No doubt he has the talent.