Diamond_Jim

Not many scenic games in the first 13 games but Coburg at their old ground just off Sydney Road on 1 June could be a pleasant afternoon out. 8 out of our first 13 at Casey. Hopefully not too much wind

They have just released more of the fixture. All games until Round 13 are fixed. Games after that are fixed as to who plays but time date and venue are TBD Non aligned clubs will play each other twice “In the VFL, the structure of the fixture has been tweaked to ensure there are more matches featuring two standalone clubs, who will also now play 10 home matches instead of nine. This will help to foster traditional rivalries and attract crowds for those clubs." https://www.zerohanger.com/2024-vfl-fixture-revealed-147440/

Yes.. others have reported that the price of digital memberships to AFL and NRL clubs went up by around $20-30 for the season. Looking forward to seeing the new product. Unfortunately the replays may be in the old format with reduced FPS. Hopefully not

Much more entertaining second half Fancy missing an extra point and effectively losing the game Taylor Swift count... 30 plus is my guess

Just goes to show if you don't take your chances...

Taylor Gating has been banned. For the uninitiated that is partying in the MCG surrounds without going to the concert

55 yard field goal. Don't watch much NFL these days but about what distance is considered a "gimme". Used to be 35-40 yards but that was a long time ago

Yep we need to go 4-2 or 3-3 at least. Less and we're playing catch up from around position 7-10 Last year we go off to a better start than I had hoped for so let's hope we can do 6-0

Thanks Ben Out off curiosity why are there no seats available on the mid level of the Northern Stand. Seems a massive area if that's the lighting and sound control area.

So our AFL season starts on 7 March and our first VFL match is 24 March (after 3 complete AFL matches) Glad to see the mickey mouse comp aka VFL continues. Add in the usual 3 byes and the wild card round just for fun

Well the last year of the Dragon was 2012 Make of that as you will

Looks like the Gabba redevelopment is dead in its present form. (Costs have escalated from the original estimate of $1 billion to 2.7 billion and rising) Haven't heard anything about Docklands being upgraded for a few years. Money is tight to say the least https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-09/gabba-redevelopment-2032-olympics-venue-what-next/103444034

Sounds like they're either bundling or wholesaling. It's the next round (Telstra's new product Hubbl is essentially a bundler). The real game changer if it ever comes will be worldwide rights. Region locking is fragmenting the world of streaming as is the number of would be players

Funnily enough the elite Praetorian Guard generally had 100 men per century. It was a cushy job and they were always well rewarded by "wise" emperors. Just ask Nero.

I did know that but another fun fact.. The Roman Century which was the fundamental unit of the Roman empire's army generally had only about 60 men. Perhaps that's reflective of our forward line and of course the Romans generally won because they fought as a team and were experts at outflanking the opposition

Download a speed test app (they're free) to whatever you are using to watch (STB or TV) and check the speed. You're looking for a speed of 20 or greater. I suspect as Daisycutter mentions you are having intermittent short drop outs on your wi fi and thus the buffering. You won't get the buffering on replays or streaming movies etc as they are loading your cache with the show often five minutes in advance. Live sport is about 20 seconds of cache at most so you will notice any drop out. The good thing is that this is relatively easily fixed with a new router and a mesh satellite near your TV https://www.jbhifi.com.au/collections/computers-tablets/mesh-routers I have one of the more expensive Orbi systems which is great but I see JB Hi Fi has a good deal on an Eero system for $480. This includes the router and two satellites. (Without boring you Mesh involves the router and the satellites continually "talking" to each other whereas extenders are simply the router to the extender. Think spider webs which are much stronger than a single strand) PS: Layzie makes some good points. I use an Apple TV box and they are great

Do you have NBN fibre to the premises OD. If you have fibre to the node NBN will now upgrade you for free with a relatively short waiting time (1-2 months). This combined with making sure you have a good wifi distribution at home will see the ring disappear. The best system of wi fi extension these days is "Mesh". Those F1 timeslots make following that sport challenging

Yes except that Tasmania wouldn't have got a look in at that time

Agree Mr Mumbai however everyone knows that the AFL is only a "good news" organisation. Out of interest had North taken the money and gone to the Gold Coast where would the team be located to even the numbers or would we be without Freo?

For those who thought inviting Tasmania to join the AFL was an intricate political game it's nothing by comparison to what the NRL will have to deal with if PNG asks to add a team. China influence anyone. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/nrl/why-png-s-nrl-bid-is-about-to-become-a-hot-topic-in-canberra-again-20240131-p5f1fy.html Marape will become the first PNG Prime Minister to address Australian parliament next Thursday. He is expected to raise the issue of funding for the bid from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which will be crucial if the NRL is to be persuaded to invest in the rugby league-mad nation. A $600 million investment over 10 years has been widely reported but is yet to be confirmed by the Labor government. While PNG’s enthusiasm for the game and potential as a talent nursery is obvious so, too, is the logistical challenge of having a team playing in Port Moresby. There are also longer-term queries around recruitment and player development. Violent riots that engulfed Port Moresby in early January, in which 22 people were killed, resulted in Marape declaring a state of emergency and intense criticism of his position.

Get ready for Hubbl in a couple of weeks (launch date 14 Feb) Not sure it delivers any benefit but it's the new Foxtel service to deliver Kayo and Binge. In reality it's designed to get you to put all your other subscriptions through it (Netflix, Disney etc). Bundling or "stacking" as it's often called is the new approach to maximising their $$$ returns. Other than one bill a month for all your streaming services it's unclear that it delivers much more. Perhaps a discount but no signs of that. The streaming industry is clearly in a state of flux with way too many players https://www.mediaweek.com.au/foxtels-hubbl-launch-binge-and-kayo-sports-accounts-moving-to-new-platform-in-february/

I could get mildly excited based on that review. Could he be the Will Ashcroft of 2024?

Foxtel just released its pricing for the traditional "box" set up as from 1 Feb 2024. It's a monthly charge of $70 plus $30 for the sports package. Some online posters are suggesting that Foxtel are setting up for another Kayo rise in 2025. Would you pay $50 per month for Sports via Kayo (4K .. 2 screens.. no password sharing {Netflix mode}) This comment was made by the Foxtel CEO on subscribers via the traditional box set up. Patrick Delaney, boss of Foxtel, in December to shareholders: "We haven't been running it for subscriber numbers for a long time. It, by and large, is older Australians that are wealthy... we'll continue to squeeze as much revenue out as possible"

Think you're right assuming they can show him a decent plan to improve the team across the board. He'll get $$ but what the West also offers is the outside dollars. Radio, newspaper and sponsorship opps adding another $200k plus a year. Bulldogs also have to deal with the JUH contract renewal saga

While not about the Kayo experience this article about where Craig Tiley is trying to take the AO from a spectator viewpoint gives you some idea of future stadium trends. (Like cruise ships it's all about the upsell) Spectators attending the Australian Open will soon be welcomed to Melbourne Park not by security personnel and bag checks but by a stream of push notifications about their seats and favourite food - which will be delivered to them by drone. That is Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley’s near-term vision for the “happy slam”, which under his stewardship has evolved from a tennis tournament to an entertainment destination where up to 40 per cent of visitors do not watch a game. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/burgers-by-drone-find-your-seat-by-phone-welcome-to-the-open-of-the-future-20240117-p5exzl.html