The 2013 AFL Thread Not Under ASADA Investigation

[cobl04]

Won't ever happen.

 

[Axver]

It sounded like some of the club's supporters were achieving pretty good traction with their proposal to return the name to Footscray a while ago but all seems to have fallen quiet on that front. As it stands, they're just a nickname with a geographical term tacked on that you can't say independently. They could've at least called themselves Western Suburbs or Western Melbourne.

 

[intedomine]

I actually think it will happen. Footscray was everywhere at the most recent home game thr I went to, and Dimattina's ticket a few years ago had immense support.

Most of these rebranding attempts in sport fall in a heap eventually. Directors eventually realise that selling off a sporting club's heritage in favour of a broader target market actually compromises a club's most unique selling point, it's historical identity.

This is a particularly concerning issue to me at the moment with what is happening to Cardiff City currently in the English (and Welsh) Premier League.

 

[cobl04]

I'd like to see it as Footscray too, but it's certainly not changing while Simon Garlick is in the role.

 

[Axver]

What a thrilling first quarter! Hawthorn should be blowing Collingwood away but the Pies just keep coming.

 

[Axver]

Ugh, horrid goal referral. Duryea quite clearly knocked the ball through Collingwood's goal ahead of the Pies kicker, and the straight-on video footage was conclusive, but it goes to umpire's call and the goal is awarded to Collingwood. Bullshit.

The AFL referrals are even worse than the cricket ones. The angles are primitive and there isn't even the other range of technology that cricket has. I'm a big supporter of referrals in both sports but they seriously need some work - cricket it's more to do with the people watching the footage and making snicko available; AFL it's the whole system that needs investment.

 

[Axver]

Good game, good big win to Hawthorn, nice to see the goals piled on against Collingwood. When the Hawks' attack comes together, it might as well be unstoppable. If you had a team with Hawthorn's attack, Freo's defence, and Sydney's culture, it would be just about invincible.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

"Sydney's culture"

It's been dead ever since Tippett lumbered his money hungry ass to them.

 

[Axver]

Meanwhile, according to everybody not blinded by anti-Tippettism...

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Hardly blinded, the hate is warranted.

With that said, he wasn't 100% the problem in the saga.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I suppose I should worship the man, because telling your former teammates you're leaving through text on the other side of the country without saying it to them face-to-face is an admirable thing to do. Not to mention, "oh I'm such a Queenslander it's my home bla bla bla."

You don't have to be a fucking Crows supporter to know he's a piece of work.

 

[intedomine]

I don't think recruiting a talented forward is of any detriment to Swans' culture.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

It's not that he's a talented forward that's the problem.

 

[Axver]

Richmond pile on 8.2 50 against Carlton's 3.2 20 in the first quarter alone. Massive quarter and really thrilling stuff to watch. Is that Travis sighing and throwing his hands up in despair that I can hear?

 

[cobl04]

Sounds like a ripping game. And it looks like that beautiful inconsistency that plagues our great game continues on.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Carlton win, something which I'm surprised about but a cool result nonetheless.

Unsurprisingly Gold Coast are flopping big time in the last to Port.

 

[intedomine]

Couldn't attend the game today, but looking at the stats, it is alarming that Cotch and Dusty only had 24 touches between them.

Not the performance to be expected of a player demanding more than $500,000 a year, Dusty. Lift your game and re sign or you're just another Travis Joke and Spuddy Franklin.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I wouldn't be surprised if he was part of a trade.

 

[intedomine]

Rumour has it that he and Mark Williams (as coach) are headed to the MCC Demons. Would be a stupid loss, but we have the other emerging midfield talent in Conca, Ellis and Vlastuin.

 

[Axver]

What the blithering fuck was that effort after quarter time, Richmond? Horrid result. Can't fathom how they blew that. In the first quarter, this was a team steamrollering into the finals; the rest of the game was the sad effort of a team that wouldn't get past the first week. I really hope it's the former Richmond rather than the latter that shows up in September.

This has also nauseatingly kept Carlton in the hunt for eighth. Fuck off.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

It seems like a similar sort of result to when we lost to Brisbane at the Gabba last year, blew them apart in the first quarter but then politely let them get the win afterwards.

 

[Alisaura]

Time for another stupid question from me - why can't the AFL leave all that ASADA stuff and charging people and everything for the off-season? What's the point of putting everyone through that in mid-season?

Looks like GC made a pretty good accounting of themselves... unfortunately Essendon can't say the same.

 

[Axver]

Because they want penalties applied before finals, in case Essendon are docked competition points this year and it affects the make-up of the eight.

Though the way we're playing right now, we're just going to be pointlessly making up the numbers even if we do make the eight. All this bollocks has finally taken its toll, at the worst time.

 

[LemonMelon]

Cool win, but unless Essendon loses points, it won't make any difference. I firmly believe we cannot beat Port on the road, and they remain two ahead of us either way. We were in this exact same position last year and fell short. A thrashing of Essendon similar to last season's, followed a stumble in Adelaide is my prediction. Last year we couldn't even beat St. Kilda with the season on the line, now we have to beat a competitive side.

I'm honestly not shocked that we won. Richmond is still getting used to positive expectations and teams with their backs to the wall can make some noise. Too little too late though, in all likelihood.

 

[Alisaura]

Mick got a nice birthday present anyway!

 

[Axver]

Wow, absolute shit-kicking out in the West by Geelong. Apparently that was West Coast's lowest score at Subiaco ever. I figured Geelong would win but I never expected it to be such a domination.

Meanwhile, thanks to a decent final quarter, GWS managed to make their scoreline against Brisbane look like just a walloping rather than a massive walloping.

 

[LemonMelon]

If only they'd fired Voss sooner! This season could have been saved!

 

[cobl04]

One of the reasons for our sustained domination is our midfielders' abilities to kick goals.

Selwood's kicked eight in two weeks and has six Brownlow votes.

 

[cobl04]

Cool win, but unless Essendon loses points, it won't make any difference. I firmly believe we cannot beat Port on the road, and they remain two ahead of us either way. We were in this exact same position last year and fell short. A thrashing of Essendon similar to last season's, followed a stumble in Adelaide is my prediction. Last year we couldn't even beat St. Kilda with the season on the line, now we have to beat a competitive side.

I'm honestly not shocked that we won. Richmond is still getting used to positive expectations and teams with their backs to the wall can make some noise. Too little too late though, in all likelihood.

Port had to lose today.

I'm very frustrated that Essendon will make finals and on current form go right out, while Carlton, North and Adelaide will miss.

 

[Axver]

On our current form I keep forgetting we're even finals-bound.

That said, North in particular really only have themselves to blame that they aren't in the mix. If they'd kept their shit together in the final five minutes of numerous games, they'd be sitting about fifth or sixth right now and Brad Scott's life expectancy would be about five or six years longer.