The AFL Thread Watching the Bombers Fly Up

[intedomine]

My biggest regret this year was booking a flight overseas on the morning after Grand Final day. Richmond aren't supposed to make Grand Finals!!!

My celebrations were somewhat tempered as a result, and I ended up just watching the game cooped up at home, the match bookended by various odds and ends that I needed to sort out before my flight.

I did manage to wander down Swan St at about midnight and the place was absolutely rocking. The whole street shut down, with all sorts of shenanigans going on. Spent a few hours catching up with mates but managed to sneak 2 hours sleep in before heading to the airport.

Still can't believe it all happened. I'm shattered I missed the after party with the Killers, AND the PuntRoad event on the Sunday. Feel like I've missed out on experiencing the whole Occassion to its full potential.

That said, it's a marvellous achievement. A year to treasure. The comparisons with the Bulldogs are doing my head in, and there have seen some terrible scribes out there lambasting us as being the "worst premiership team ever" and "bad for football" because we didn't finish first. If you are of the latter opinion, you should really be pushing hard to delete finals football as that is essentially what you are advocating for - a first past the post scenario.

Look at our season, week by week, and you will see how good we actually are. 25 games and only 3 genuinely poor losses. We are the best team in the league. That's what Saturday was all about, to find out who that team actually is.

I'll forever have mad love for all 22 players on the park. ?[emoji169]

And Hardwick. I feel deeply, deeply embarrassed that I called for his head so incessantly 12 months ago. The bloke is a genius.

 

[Axver]

I was waiting for you to chime in, inte! You're going to be buzzing for weeks.

I was actually commenting because I watched the game (granted I had no idea what was going on).

As for crow-eaters... that's like calling yourself the London Laughingstock (assuming you're familiar with the eating crow idiom)... I'm now left more confused by that name than I was before.

I felt that Adelaide were the better team in the first quarter, but then Richmond composed themselves and the Crows fell off hard. They haven't played that badly since they lost to Melbourne in round eight. But whatever Vlad says about it reflecting a team in deep crisis or whatever, it was an anomalous performance. What got me is that Eddie Betts, one of the most exciting players in the game who kicks these goals you have to see to believe, went almost completely missing.

I just looked up the crow-eater thing because, yeah, it's weird. It seems it's somewhat lost to the mists of time but all origin stories I've found suggest it is a literal nickname, referring to early colonial South Australians eating crows out of either necessity or desire.

The other well-known peculiar nickname is Western Australians as "sandgropers", which is either from the insect or a reference to the 1890s gold rush out in Kalgoorlie.

 

[cobl04]

I don't care how good he is, he just wrote:



Consecutive paragraphs. It's a straight-up contradiction. "From the wilderness" describes distance and obscurity, the exact opposite of "bigger, as the club is bigger".

Can’t agree with your takes. You’re taking it far too literally. Coming from the wilderness is referring to the club’s immediate previous history: Richmond finished 13th and were belted by 113 points in the last round last year. That can comfortably stand with “bigger, as the club is bigger”. It’s completely true, the Tigers are bigger than the Dogs, and they came from the wilderness to win it this year.

And then:



Please fuck off. I'm sure he thinks he's clever for that line, but it's just stupid.

He can be too clever by half at times, sure. But I like that line.

Bullshit. No Victorian club represents their area more than the Doggies. The passion of the west, the forever neglected west, against the rest of the world is something to behold. Richmond have for very long been trodden down too, but holy shit why is this guy playing off struggletown against struggletown - and then reaching the conclusion that somehow the Dogs' fanbase is more disparate and dispersed?




Let's celebrate this amazing 2017 premiership without demeaning how good 2016 was.

Fair.

And I agree about the comparisons, let’s celebrate both, but it’s hard not to compare them for their obvious similarities: decades-long premiership droughts, success-starved supporters, underdogs up against heavyweights (Sydney, Adelaide).

If you want to read an article that is actually, objectively bad, read this heap of shit. Richmond’s win was great for Tiger fans but troubling for the AFL

 

[cobl04]

clear some space so i can send you another PM, inte

 

[Vlad n U 2]

And I agree about the comparisons, let’s celebrate both, but it’s hard not to compare them for their obvious similarities: decades-long premiership droughts, success-starved supporters, underdogs up against heavyweights (Sydney, Adelaide).

If you want to read an article that is actually, objectively bad, read this heap of shit. Richmond’s win was great for Tiger fans but troubling for the AFL

lol we're not even objectively close to being a heavyweight.

 

[Axver]

If you want to read an article that is actually, objectively bad, read this heap of shit. Richmond’s win was great for Tiger fans but troubling for the AFL

This is a complete sack of shit that should never have been published.

 

[intedomine]

I've cleared some space.

Baum is usually brilliant. Always been a fan. We did really come from the wilderness though. We were 13th last season and even that was extremely flattering. We only had two genuinely acceptable performances.

 

[cobl04]

Dustin's 2017: B&F, Brownlow, Norm Smith, Premiership, Leigh Matthews Award (AFLPA), Gary Ayres Award (Finals B&F), AFLCA Player of the Year, All-Australian, plus there was a widely disseminated picture of a female conquest from some time on Saturday or Sunday. Not bad.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Jake Lever can go and get fucked.

 

[intedomine]

Seething over lever leaving

 

[cobl04]

haha

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Jake Leaver amirite!

Apparently he was going to do a 'decision' interview with BT. Took a punt on him when other clubs wouldn't because of his knee, goes on about how much he wants to be a one-club player and then pisses off after 3 years. Played like he didn't want to be there the past month too.

 

[cobl04]

That's pretty disappointing.

I'm not thrilled about our strategy either. We've thrown the kitchen sink out to win a premiership in this window, and we're bringing in Ablett, and jettisoning really good players seemingly for the sake of it. Caddy gone after we barely gave him a shot and I dare say we'll see six or seven players leave over the next couple of weeks.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

He spent at least half of the year saying that he would re-sign, 'all we're working on is an AFC contract', 'waiting until the CBA is finalised', 'I have no interest in going anywhere else' - it's a completely different story to certain other players who never feigned that they were going to stay. He's already back in Melbourne, didn't even bother fronting up to his teammates at the end of season lunch!

As for your mob Cobbler, I think a desire to get Ablett indicates one last shot at premiership glory before the rebuild - you do need to get some higher picks in to be honest.

 

[cobl04]

Yes it absolutely does but it's fucking stupid and near-sighted, goes against years and years of consistent recruitment strategies and won't hold us in good stead for the future.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

There's a bit of an understanding that BT had been initiating contact with Victorian clubs on Lever's father's behalf ... if true this is a very bad look for BT and the Levers.

 

[cobl04]

Not a great look, but BT is heavily involved with the Calder Cannons and the Riddell Football Club, who play in the Riddell District footy league, home to Lever's original club Romsey, so I could see that amounting to BT exchanging a few numbers.

 

[cobl04]

but then on the other hand...... didn't all Crows fans rejoice when Bryce Gibbs wanted to come home? same as Lever?

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Eh, but the circumstances really aren't the same. Much of it has to do with the player's conduct in the way they leave the club - which is what rubs us the wrong way. Lever's is more akin to Gunston 6 years ago.

As far as I know, Gibbs continued to play good football for Carlton after the trade didn't eventuate, and he hasn't announced a TV interview on his 'decision'. And it hadn't threatened to derail the club like Lever's situation has and did.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Oh dear.

[TWEET]915472677606875136[/TWEET]

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Now Cameron's leaving us for Queensland.

Fuck, my club is allergic to good news of any kind. It just doesn't stop coming. It's hard supporting them.

 

[cobl04]

That's been on the cards for a long while.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Half a year, maybe, but still sucks. This sort of thing is hurting the club and it doesn't help that much of the football media are unsympathetic to us.

 

[cobl04]

Trigg resigns

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Vic media going with the whole 'Lever didn't finish in the top 10 of the B&F, it was rigged!' conspiracy theory. It's amazing how hard they're trying to make Lever look like a hard done by young boy. Typical.

 

[cobl04]

Adelaide gets Gibbs. For pick 10, pick 16, pretty wicked for Carlton

 

[Vlad n U 2]

It's way overs and I feel bittersweet about it, but we had to take a risk and Gibbs immediately improves our midfield strength. I guess we still have two firsts and a likely early second in next year's much stronger draft ...

 

[Axver]

Very happy with Essendon's trade period: Smith, Saad, and Stringer should all enhance the team. Stringer better get his shit together as a person though. At least we got him cheaply thanks to the Dogs trashing his value.

And great that Gaz will finish his career back in Geelong rather than staying at the Suns and retiring on such a dull note.

 

[cobl04]

If you ever complain about Lever again I'm going to cut your testicles off.

Anyway. What a fucking insane last hour. I have absolutely no idea why they insist on dragging this out over two weeks given 90% of the deals get done in the last hour.

So happy we've got Ablett back

Summary.....

ADELAIDE
IN Pk12, Pk39, Gibbs, Gibson
OUT Lever, Wigg, Pk16, Cameron

BRISBANE
IN Pk18, Hodge, Cameron, Pk25, Pk40
OUT Rockliff, Pk12, Scache

CARLTON
IN Pk10, Lobbe, Kennedy, Lang
OUT Gibbs, Pk28, Pk58

ESSENDON
IN Smith, Pk24 Saad, Stringer
OUT Pk11, Pk25, Pk30

FREMANTLE
IN Pk40, Pk66, Wilson, Pk2, Matera
OUT Weller, Balic, Crozier, Pk41

GEELONG
IN Ablett, Pk24
OUT Pk19, Lang, Motlop

GOLD COAST
IN Weller, Wigg, Young, Pk41, Pk19
OUT Saad, Matera, Ablett, Pk24

GWS
IN Pk28, Pk57, Pk11
OUT Smith, Wilson, Kennedy, Pk24

HAWTHORN
IN Impey
OUT Pk33

MELBOURNE
IN Balic, Pk31, Lever
OUT Watts, Pk66, Pk10

PORT
IN Rockliff, Pk33, Motlop, Watts
OUT Trengove, Impey, Ah Chee, Pk31, Lobbe, Young

BULLDOGS
IN Trengove, Crozier, Pk30, Scache
OUT Stringer, Pk40

Biggest winners for mine are Port, Freo, Carlton and Essendon. Biggest losers Adelaide.

 

[kabigon]

Good it's over. My eyes just glaze over for these two weeks until there's a final list.