Diamond_Jim

Bulldogs chairman was asked last year how much he would want to play in China... he said $1M.. (not sure if it was $1M plus expenses or all up.) Watch it though ... while the weather on Saturday is not too bad at 25... it is 36 tomorrow and the humidity can also be high. Frankly I'd play it during the split opening round thus getting over the weather issue and giving you a few days extra rest afterwards.

ET .. that's a fantastic idea..... All it needs is an email from the powers to be to the Chinese students in Melbourne and you will have 20k at the drop of a hat. Fly in some movers and shakers from the Big C and you will have the local corporates drooling Run a few lotteries or similar in China on their TV with free trip to Melbourne etc and we could be on a winner. Finally beam it back to China and have a big prize for picking who kicks the 8th goal. Can Demonland claim royalties as well for the idea !!

But surely it's a key opportunity to talk about the taking of AFLX to Hong Kong Mind you I have always preferred Cantonese food to Shanghainese !

That is one of the amazing things ... it's a Port money spinner but they wouldn't do it at the expense of one of their own home games. The AFL scheduling contrivance is mind boggling even if you agree with the revenue maximisation philosophy.

They even have a website .. worth a look to understand who in reality they are marketing to (think corporate) https://shanghai2018.com.au/ Seems that the actual spectators seats are at either end of the ground which explains why the wing located cameras show an almost deserted stadium. (Opening for a virtual crowd projection perhaps?) My search of the Shanghai Daily did not turn up anything on the big match.

Thought I'd start this thread early so we could participate in the build up to the big game in Shanghai. Hopefully the Reverend and others can come on and tell us about the build up in China's business capital. The stadium is known as Adelaide Arena at Jiangwan Stadium. Read a few weeks ago it was a sell out but then again last year it was a sell out and the TV coverage showed a lot of room around the ground. As it's AFL money subsidising the event it's worth a chat. (No business case as yet.) Last year they complained about the big blow out.... may be even worse this year.

Fritsch in the Lewis role or similar? Could make sense. Thanks for noticing it Saty.

Has a real feel of scapegoat here as others have mentioned. Not often you see an assistant coach moved on mid season. The press release talks of allowing other members of the coaching staff to have input into the game plan.. sorry that responsibility sits squarely with the head coach and head of Football.

I know it's stupid but Charlie's gone ... he was going for the pack... saw the umpire getting into his path and gently pushed the umpire out of the way. He almost certainly knew it was the umpire as can be deduced from the strength of the push... an opposition player would have got a forceful shove. His obligation there was to avoid the umpire .. but then again this was the rule last week and this week...play on !!

last year at Round 9 the Bulldogs and Freo were in the 8. Tiges were 7th with saints 9th. In 2016 the 8 was settled very early with only North going on its losing streak and just about falling out. it was probably the earliest it has occurred in recent years. (Just go to the AFL ladder site and you can search the ladder for the last several years at any time of that season.) Like your thinking though !!

Of course the conspiracy theorist in me says that no way will the AFL ruin Carlton's glory week.... (remember Cotchin) Now if it were the MFC ... well.....

agree... the thread was mainly to consider Lewis and Vince but as I said in my OP Nev is now 28 and not that many players go much beyond 30. Sure some do but they are the exception. He has another two seasons at least ... injuries aside... but as there are 3 players that are in the window it is not insensitive to have the conversation. Wanted more to look at what is coming through and whether the club is being pro active in identifying the talent from within.

Might be time to fit the umps with beepers like they have on trucks when reversing

Fair summary Drunk'n but it tends to support my view that there is certainly no one smashing it down back at present. Will follow the boys down back closely.

that is so good.... made my day... We could sing along as well:

Bulldogs after the Blues will not be a gimme ... I assume it is at our fortress... The Dome at Docklands. Boy ... imagine playing for 6 straight !!...... It's been a long time

Thinking of heading down to Frankston next Saturday for the game. The oval and surrounds look lovely.... a real classic stand etc. I see that it is the middle of downtown Frankston so I was wondering what parking was like of a Saturday afternoon.

I copied this wonderful post from Vogon Poetry on this week's Casey Game. Interesting that JKH was named in the backline but appears to have played forward. Anyway I have bolded those who have formed part of our discussion so far. Would be interesting to follow this group of players through the reminder of the season with a view as to who might get the prize. From Vogon Poetry I ventured to Casey yesterday against my better judgement because when you get a chance to see 17 Demons running around and the weather is good the lure is just too strong. Here's how I thought our blokes went. As always when making these comments remember that the ground is big and it's very hard to see exactly what's happening on the other side. There was a slight breeze blowing to the forward pocket at the northern end so that's where I stood. Jack Viney: First clearance of the match and first kick was just great to see. He was harder and faster around the stoppages than everyone else and did a lot of the grunt stuff. Looked in good touch and was generally very clean and kicked the ball well when he got the opportunity. But he was heavily tagged for 3 quarters so he didn't find much space. I'd be stunned if he wasn't back next week. Billy Stretch: I was a huge fan but was frustrated by his lack of improvement but yesterday I saw another side of Billy because instead of playing wing he played on ball, centre square and inside mid as well as outside. And he did it very well. He found the ball regularly, he had clean hands and pretty good decision making. Initially he found his kicks and handballs smothered but as the game went on and he got his confidence he got better and better. He's not as small as you might think and he's starting to use his body well in contested situations. Finished with a lovely goal and was one of, if not, the best on the ground. It is hard to see where he fits into the team though but will remain with us or in the AFL system based on yesterdays performace. His challange is to back it up. Promising signs but a way to go. Frost: Played a solid game with some good contested marking at times and a bit of dash and continued to do what he does. He's a tweener at the moment, probably a bit too good for VFL but not good enough for AFL. Still prone to silly mistakes like letting the ball go over the back of packs when he's last up but was a good contributor on the day. Pedersen: Full of fumbles I thought in the first half and not much of a contributor but stuck at it and played better as the game went on. A great mark in the second quarter and a good contributor. He played KPF and relief ruck. JKH: Played mainly forward and didn't really get into the game much. Kicked the first goal of the match and I thought he might be in for a good one but faded and whilst he was far from poor he wasn't a major contributor. It's hard to see where he goes from here. Harley Balic: He's an interesting player and one that if and when he plays senior footy for us will do it competently. Played mainly high forward and was very clean with the ball, found it well and kicked it well. Is capable above his head and knows where to run to provide options and find space. It was his first game back for a while and he'd be pretty pleased with it. It's hard to see where he fits in and will need some injuries to get a chance you'd think but when he plays he may well make it hard for whoever he replaces to get back in. I like him and think at present he's a terrific 23 to 30 player on the list but he might improve significantly over time. One to watch. Jayden Hunt: Poor old Jayden. Looks bereft of confidence and really struggled to find the ball and get involved. He just needs to start to try and enjoy his footy again and concentrate on the basics. We all know what he can do but he didn't do it yesterday. Tomas Bugg: I'm not a fan but there's no doubt he can play at this level. Started quite slowly but fought his way into the game and then really dominated it for a period where he kicked 3 goals quickly. They were at the other end to me so I can't really judge them but he was a good contributor in the typical Buggy way. It's really nice to see he's left the fake toughness behind and is just playing footy. Oscar Baker: Played wing and did it well. I've seen him three time now live and yesterday was the best of them. In the past the major knock is a lack of composure and an inability to see options and take them. But yesterday was much better and he used the ball quite well. He runs hard and takes the game on and has clean hands. He goes hard for the ball too. My view is he's still a long way from senior selection but moving in the right direction. He certainly has some great attributes and he's great to watch and improving. Harrison Petty: I love this kid and that's what he is, a kid. He reads the play really well, he reads the ball in the air really well and he's got sure hands above his head. And when he gets it he has good vision and executes really well. He was far from dominant yesterday but you can just tell he knows how to play footy and is a great prospect. Two more preseasons I reckon and we'll all be happy. Jeff Garlett: It's hard to appreciate how quick he is unless you see it close hand. And it's hard to understand how he can see options in a sea of players as quickly as he does. But he does and was a clear cut above this level yesterday although he didn't get a lot of it. He applied pressure and provided options yesterday as well as spending some time on ball. Reality is he's a cut above Spargo at the moment (no criticism of Spargo) so I guess his selection will come down to how he's playing his role and whether Goody wants him back. But he will get back and he is in our best 22 when he's going. Dion Johnstone: I think he's struggling at the moment and he played mainly back yesterday in what for me was a new role for him (I can't remember where he played against Richmond when I last saw him). He's tough and he has a go but he's struggling to find the ball and get involved. Hope he picks up but at the moment he's miles away. Josh Wagner: Solid and hard at it and a very good VFL player who did his bit yesterday in a very good team effort. But he won't be pressing for a call up given yesterday's performance and that of the seniors. Joel Smith: He's getting back if he isn't back already. I loved his game yesterday. He was involved, he was clean, he did things faster than almost everyone else, he ran well and he provided options and got into space as well as being strong in the air. His kicking is a weakness but I'd be very surprised if he doesn't press very hard for a game in the next month or so on that form. He's great to watch. Tim Smith: I've watched Tim over a long period now and although he's played some good games I've never thought he had AFL attributes - until yesterday. He was fantastic I thought. Strong in the air, strong on the ground and found plenty of it. He's not called Bull for nothing and for the first time yesterday I thought he really could play AFL footy. Great game. Dec Keilty: He played a really solid strong game without dominating. I didn't see him make a mistake and he took some solid marks. He was one of our three talls who, against good opposition, played their role well. Lachlin Filipovic: I like this kid. He had to play against Ceglar who is a good near quality AFL ruckman and would replace McEvoy very competently. Flipper did well in the ruck but struggled around the ground and in the air against a much more mature player. But he does get involved and he has surprisingly good skills for a ruckman of his height and appears to make pretty good decisions. I'd be amazed if he's not retained as a long term development project because he's showing good attributes. The game was a pretty fierce contest yesterday and Casey were relentless in their pressure and tackling and it was a genuine 4 quarter effort. The Hawks always threatened as they have very good system and use it well by foot but Casey just fought so hard all day that they finally wore them down to kick away to what appears to be a comfortable win but wasn't. Good fun yesterday and great to see the spirit and effort of all the players.

Probably managed to get business class on the way back. It's good to see that the testing regime works

watched North live a couple of weeks ago against Port. Certainly the North supporters holler for a free kick to Brown every time he doesn't mark it. In the main they weren't given but I take your point. He is a big unit and I think his style lends itself to the free kick. Luckily Oscar had his measure a few weeks ago.

good idea.. he does not seem to be progressing in his current position. Could it also be a last chance trial for JKH? Of course Jetta is the youngest of the three amigos so hopefully he has another two years at least left in him.

When starting this thread my idea was to prompt discussion around the inevitability that there is two spots coming up for grabs in the senior team. No one at VFL level is exactly smashing the door down to lay claim to either of these places.

Interesting ... need to ponder on that

Of our back 6 Lewis is or will soon be 32, Vince 33 and Jetta 28. All performing well and deserving of their spot at present. Logic says one or more will be "slowing down" soon either this year or next. This post is about what is coming through at VFL level. Backlines at VFL level don't get much publicity and of course the modern game means that positions blur. The two obvious candidates are Wagner and Hunt. Wagner has been tried as we all know and equally he is often the first to be dropped. Hunt has to rediscover his mojo and there is perhaps a question over whether his game style is consistent with the modern game plan. Oskar Baker is a prime candidate and is coming along. Wondering if posters think there are other players who should be trialled down back... (I would like to think that Billy Stretch might be a candidate but logic is against it.) Alternatively, is it an eventuality for which we should be trading at years end.

Looking like an almost perfect day for Footy next Sunday 16 degrees maximum with light winds and 0.4mm of rain (30-40% chance). Strangely similar to that day against the Hawks recently....... (oh Hell !)