The first official 2012 AFL thread

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Just ONE BEHIND to Brisbane in the whole third quarter. Horrible. Where the hell is the team that played the first quarter?
 
If there's one extremely good quality, perhaps elite quality about Carlton, it's their endurance. They (specifically the midfield) wear teams down to a nub by the time the 4th quarter rolls around. On swampy nights like tonight, it's especially relevant.
 
I'm starting to wonder if Melbourne's going to have a worse season than Gold Coast.
 
Axver said:
I remember when Etihad/Telstra Doma/Colonial/Docklands/justfuckingstickwithaname opened, but I don't remember how they determined which teams got it as their home ground and which got the MCG. How'd that happen?

Stadium deals. The clubs just made deals with the stadiums to play home games there. Back when Death Valley first opened, it was just Essendon, StK and Footscray. All three clubs had recently fucked off their suburban grounds. Essendon were at the G for 10 years or so, STK were at Waverley for about 10 years, and Footscray had stopped hosting matches at the Western Oval only about two years previously.

They still all have deals to play there, while Carlton and North Melbourne signed their own deals in the years to come to make it 5 co-tenants.

Carlton needed something new after they "outgrew" Princes Park.

North Melbourne used to call the MCG home. But they were too wee for it, and after years of not really being from anywhere, and tinkering with relocation, they needed a deal and Docklands was sufficient enough.

Collingwood just outgrew Vic Park and could justify an MCG deal due to their huge support base.

Hawthorn only signed a deal with the 'G after their old home at Waverley Park was prematurely demolished.

Richmond and Melbourne have been at the MCG for decades. It was geographically sensible (especially for Richmond who's old ground is a 3 minute walk from the MCG) and outgrew their suburban grounds years ago. The Demons have always kind of called the MCG home.

Mind you, you still get weird arse circumstances where Richmond or Collingwood will "host" a match at Docklands, for reasons unknown. Sometimes the MCG may even be free on the day!
 
Cool, thanks for that inte. I'm a bit surprised Essendon signed a deal with Etihad, since with their huge fanbase I'd have figured the 'G would be a go.

Given the whole "home ground" thing is just meaningless for Melbourne teams now, it seems to me it'd be far more sensible to schedule games at the MCG, Etihad, and Princes Park on the basis of the game's likely attendance. No need to waste the MCG or Etihad on North Melbourne vs Port, while obviously the combinations within Collingwood vs Carlton vs Essendon vs Richmond call for the 'G.
 
So Brisbane scored more in the first quarter than in the entire rest of the game. That was just a total drubbing. And at home too!

Carlton generally looked clinical. If they'd kept focus at a couple of points in the final quarter rather than going for clever shots that didn't work, the margin could've been even higher, over 100.

The game next week against Collingwood should be a classic.
 
No footy on today sucks. I see Hamish McIntosh mentioned how he would like to see North playing on Good Friday....If they want to set a crowd for record lows ;)

The NRL play, so I can't see why the AFL shouldn't.
 
Yeah, why on earth isn't there a game today?* A public holiday would be a great chance to get a nice, sizeable crowd.



*Rhetorical. I know the answer is because it's a sop to outdated religious-based traditions.
 
I dunno if the NRL matches on tonight are Blockbusters, because I don't follow the league too much....but the AFL don't necessarily have to do it the blockbuster way. Just schedule a game for fucks suck and be done with it.
 
I can go with that, especially when ANZAC Day's on a bloody Wednesday.
 
Bah, have to watch the Essendon game on delay.

Very curious how Sydney vs Freo goes.
 
Lovett-Murray is a liability. Dempsey's been impressive, just nailed a great goal on the run.
 
Way to make me look like an asshole, Freo.

This is going to be a long, long season for Axver.
 
Bombers win surprisingly comfortably in the end. Axver shall be having a sigh of relief now.
 
They outplayed Port for basically the whole game, but the kicking needs a whole lot of work. Two back to back matches characterized by crippling inaccuracy.
 
And the fact that just about every time Port made a foray into their F50, they had a legitimate chance of scoring save for the second half of the last quarter. And especially when Port don't have any real forwards (bar Schulz) to speak of, it's worrying.
 
Oh man, that was way too tense, but a handy win in the end. We blew way too many opportunities, too little reward for so many entries into our forward fifty, but when we had a bunch of injuries and a depleted bench, there were some truly sensational individual efforts to not only save the game, but seal it nicely. Fletcher played like a man ten years his younger; such a champion.

Not sure yet whether to say Port are really back on their feet, or if the closeness of that game can be chalked down to the hoodoo the Bombers have had against them recently. I kind of get the feeling this season might be like the last - Essendon strong enough to stay ahead of the bottom nine or ten teams, but struggling to knock off many of the top teams, at least with any consistency. I'm definitely worried that last year's constant stream of injuries is showing no signs of abating this year, which will hobble us more than anything else.

And oh god, you lot see what's happening to Melbourne at the hands of the Eagles? :lol:

PS Curse my confidence in Freo; I should've stuck with my original Sydney pick!
 
Which game?

Because if you mean the Bombers game, I found it pretty exciting, edge-of-your-seat stuff! Obvious bias I know, but still.

74-26 to West Coast at half time; can they make it 100+ by the end?
 
Eagles are going to be ruling the ladder beating up on these losers. And they've got GWS to contend with next week!
 
I should've said in my last post "100+ margin" ... and they're closing in on it!

Hahaha, GWS next week? Their percentage is going to be wonderful.
 
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