AFL TM Media Thread

[Dav]

Welcome to the AFL TM Media Thread.

In this thread, I'll be looking to add a touch of realism and immersion to the game by reporting on events, including selection, match results and list management. I'll be doing it from the perspective of an actual journalist/newspaper/website, to make it as realistic as possible.

I love this kind of thing and am willing to do most of the heavy lifting. I will pick out news where I see it, but if you have something you want a story made out of, just send it to me with the relevant details and I'll mock something up. If you want to post it yourself, go ahead - just please write it from the third person to keep in line with the rest of the posts.

Things I'll Look To Cover In This Thread
- match/round previews
- team selections/injuries
- results
- match/round reviews
- new coaching appointments
- the draft period
- trading of players
- delistings
- contract renewals
- random gossip (I won't make anything up about other clubs but other coaches are free to send in/post theirs)

I promise I'm a fairly good writer and won't butcher this. Hope you guys enjoy the addition!

 

[Dav]

As an addendum, I was wondering if coaches could send me a club logo or at least the club colours of their teams? Would help a lot. Cheers.

 

[Danoz]

It’s good even if it’s bad writing. Good to see another person with a high interest level.

 

[fightingfury_88]

Great stuff. Ballarat's logo and colours are in the team thread if you need it.

 

[sante]

Good stuff mate. Look forward to what you can do

 

[Dav]

Just because the round has already started, I'll commence this thread for real on Monday with some match reviews.

 

[Dav]

ROUND 9 MATCH REVIEWS
​

The AFLTM ladder looks to be settling at this point in the season, with just 6 games left to play. We saw two scoring records broken this round, with Gippsland's 963 and Melbourne's 1725 the lowest and highest scores of the season so far. The top three of Gold Coast, West Coast and St Kilda all won, continuing their battle and putting a buffer between themselves and 4th, whilst the winless clubs of 2018 - Gippsland and Northern - weren't able to break that streak. Here's the match reports in full.

MELBOURNE HIT TOP FOUR WITH RECORD-BREAKING WIN
Ballarat Dragons 1502 defeated by Melbourne 1725

Just a week after scoring a whopping 1676, Melbourne have posted the highest score of the season so far, defeating the Dragons 1725-1502 and moving into the top 4 of the competition. Melbourne had 8 players post scores of over 100 to Ballarat's 2, with Jake Lloyd the star with 163.

Ballarat's Tom Mitchell and Jack Macrae, the two highest scorers in the competition, posted 149 and 144 respectively to help the Dragons come within 250 points but fightingfury_88 's side was never a threat, with Melbourne bolstered by surprisingly strong performances from Jake Melksham (111) and Shaun McKernan (100). Jake Lloyd's 163 saw him collect best-on-ground honours, with Patrick Cripps (140) and David Zaharakis (133) not far behind.

Melbourne's win sees them go 6-3 and their record-breaking score now sees them become the highest scoring team in the competition, a very handy advantage with just one game separating 4th and 9th. Ballarat, meanwhile, have fallen further away from that finals-chasing pack, sitting in 10th with a disappointing 3-6 record at this point in the season. Melbourne will come back from the bye with a big game against 2nd placed St Kilda, whilst Ballarat have a chance to bounce back against the winless Gippsland Sharks.

Media Votes: 5 Jake Lloyd (Melb) , 4 Patrick Cripps (Melb), 3 Tom Mitchell (Ball), 2 David Zaharakis (Melb), 1 Jack Macrae (Ball)


WARTHOGS CRUISE TO VICTORY OVER HAPLESS SHARKS
Wagga Wagga Warthogs 1331 defeated Gippsland Sharks 963

A round that saw the season's highest score has also seen its lowest, with the winless Gippsland Sharks scoring just 963 and posing no threat to the now 6th-placed Wagga Wagga Warthogs. The Sharks had just one player notch a century and seven players score 50 or less, whilst the 'Jarrad Trio' - Harbrow, Witts and Waite - racked up 373 points between them to fire Wagga Wagga to their 6th consecutive victory of the season.

Gippsland were the heavy underdogs heading into the match and rarely posed a threat to the finals contenders, with Max Gawn's 105 and David Mundy's 93 the only noteworthy scores for the Sharks. Disappointing performances from the likes of Jordan Murdoch (49), Jack Graham (40) and Steven Motlop (21) just added to the Sharks' misery and they finished with 17 scorers due to the late withdrawal of Shane Biggs. The Warthogs, who in the end coasted to a modest score of 1331, were bolstered by the aforementioned 'Jarrad Trio', with Jarrod Harbrow top scoring with 129. It wasn't a particularly strong offensive performance from Wagga Wagga, but comfortably enough to take down the winless Sharks.

After a 0-3 start, Wagga Wagga head into the first bye round with 6 consecutive victories, launching them into the middle of the finals congestion. They'll take on 13th placed Dragon Island after the break, another big chance to increase their winning run. Gippsland, meanwhile, are still locked in a battle for the wooden spoon with Northern Reds, searching for their first win of the season. Sharks coach Continstar will be optimistic about hosting Ballarat but will need to improve after gaining the ignominy of 2018's first sub-1000 score.

Media Votes: 5 Jarrod Harbrow (WWW), 4 Jarrod Witts (WWW), 3 Jarrad Waite (WWW), 2 Ollie Wines (WWW), 1 Max Gawn (Gipps)


WEST COAST SNEAK CLOSE WIN OVER THE HORNETS
Harbour City Hornets 1271 defeated by West Coast 1321

West Coast have recorded a narrow victory in a big clash between flag contenders, ensuring a two-game buffer between 3rd and 4th. The low-scoring affair had just 4 players score over 100 and the Hornets will be examining this game closely to see where they fell short.

Travis Boak and Nathan Jones, with 113 and 100, were the top scorers for West Coast but it was the work of some of the more unheralded players - such as Cam Ellis-Yolmen (96), Jordan Ridley (89) and Jy Simpkin (71) - that helped them get over the line. Harbour City had players in a similar range, including Isaac Heeney (105) and Isaac Smith (101), but fingers may be pointed at their bottom two, Harry Taylor and David Astbury, who scored just 47 compared to West Coast's bottom two scoring 81. Nonetheless, it was a great contest, befitting of two flag contenders, but ultimately only one team can walk away with the 4 points.

West Coast have now won their last 3 games and still have just 1 loss for the season, heading into the bye locked in a three horse race for the minor premiership. The Hornets are also locked in a battle, but a far more congested one, and they sit in 7th due to inferior points scored. 8th and 9th place are also breathing down their necks, a game behind, and their next game against 2nd placed St Kilda will be a huge test for their finals aspirations. West Coast meanwhile, comfortably in 3rd, will have a chance to cement that spot when they host 4th placed Melbourne.

Media Votes: 5 Travis Boak (WC), 4 Nathan Jones (WC), 3 Cam Ellis-Yolmen (WC), 2 Isaac Heeney (HCH), 1 Richard Douglas (WC)


YOUNG GUNS FIRE BEARS PAST SOUTHERNERS DESPITE DARLING DOMINANCE
Brisbane Bears 1407.5 defeat Dragon Island Southerners 1203

The Brisbane Bears are firmly in the hunt for a finals berth with a comprehensive victory over Dragon Island, retaining their 9th place on the ladder and giving themselves a 2 game buffer over 10th. Jack Darling's best-on-ground heroics for the Southerners wasn't enough to stop them from sliding into 13th, despite the bookies giving them every chance to come away with a win from this tie.

It was Brisbane's young brigade that did most of the heavy lifting, with Tom Phillips (121), Tom Langdon (116), Matthew Scharenberg (98) and James Harmes (91) - all aged 22 or 23 - instrumental in the Bear's 5th win of the season. The prolific Steele Sidebottom chipped in with a strong 110 and Jack Crisp could have added further misery to the Southerners if it weren't for a positional penalty that slashed his score to 59.5. Jack Darling played a lone hand in his side's loss, scoring a massive 151, but it was Dragon Island's swathe of players scoring less than 50 - seven, to be exact - that ultimately let them down. Brisbane, in comparison, had just one player score less than 50, with Jacob Hopper's 43 only occuring due to another positional penalty.

Brisbane's strong victory - hindered by two positional penalties - sets them up well for a tilt at the finals heading into the first bye, and also gives them confidence that they can comfortably deal with the weaker teams in the competition after close struggles with 15th placed Gippsland and 10th placed Ballarat in recent weeks. The losing side, Dragon Island, have missed out on a key opportunity to move into finals contention, instead falling to 13th. They are now 2 games behind 8th placed Western Vulture with 6 games to go, and will need a big turnaround to make up lost ground. They won't be overly confident after the bye against Wagga Wagga, whilst Brisbane can potentially continue their run to finals against 5th placed Geelong.

Media Votes: 5 Jack Darling (DI), 4 Tom Phillips (BB), 3 Tom Langdon (BB), 2 Steele Sidebottom (BB), 1 Matthew Scharenberg (BB)


GALLANT STINGRAYS FALL TO NARROW DEFEAT AGAINST TITANS
Safety Bay Stingrays 1368 defeated by St Kilda Titans 1469.5

For the St Kilda Titans, this is just another 4 points towards a potential minor premiership, ensuring they keep in touch with fellow table-toppers Gold Coast and West Coast. For Safety Bay, it was a promising display, falling by a touch over 100 points, and the Stingrays certainly took the game to the Titans despite sitting in 14th before the game.

The top tier of players were the difference for St Kilda, with eight players scoring over 90 to Safety Bay's four, including a stirring 114 from Ed Langdon and centuries to Andrew Gaff, Dylan Shiel and Scott Pendlebury. Late inclusion Mark LeCras scored 93, and the main disappointment was 63 from Dan Hannebery, but overall it was a strong all-round performance from the Titans. The Stingrays, meanwhile, were led by Liam Shiels (122) and Orazio Fantasia (107), making up for a disappointing 73 from superstar Dustin Martin. Safety Bay's bottom 5 players were above average, but it was that top tier that let them down in the relatively close loss.

The Titans continue to march towards the finals, still locked in that enthralling battle for the minor premiership. Now with an 8-1 record, they will be looking to continue their strong form after the break when they come up against 7th placed Harbour City. Safety Bay meanwhile will be sick of honourable losses, and have an excellent opportunity to win their 3rd game of the season in week 11 when they host the 3-6 Adelaide Lions.

Media Votes: 5 Ed Langdon (StK), 4 Liam Shiels (SBS), 3 Dylan Shiel (StK), 2 Andrew Gaff (StK), 1 Scott Pendlebury (StK)


GEELONG COMFORTABLE VICTORS OVER THUNDER
NT Thunder 1271 defeated by Geelong 1564.5

Defending premiers Geelong put on a clinic against the lowly NT Thunder, with an impressive 7 centurions in the line up. Led by Brodie Grundy and - surprisingly - Tom Cutler, GeeCat 's side bounced back from last week's loss with a 293.5 point win and will give the two-time premiership coach a lot of confidence as they look to make up ground with the leading pack.

It was a comprehensive team performance for Geelong, with seven players scoring over 100 - Brodie Grundy, Tom Cutler, Joel Selwood, Lance Franklin, Mitch Duncan, Patrick Dangerfield and Jack Sinclair. Grundy's 135 sees him collects the media votes, whilst a further six players scored between 85 and 100, leaving no one in doubt as to the superior of the two sides. Thunder meanwhile saw just two centurions in Jack Steele and Toby McLean, with disappointing performances from the likes of Gary Ablett and Patrick Ryder seeing them slip away and fail to build on last week's win.

Prior to this clash, Geelong had lost 2 of their last 3 and fallen behind the leading trio but this emphatic win could be a turning point in their bid to become the first team to win three AFLTM premierships in a row since West Coast in 2011, and they'll be confident of defeating Brisbane after the break. NT Thunder meanwhile have now lost their first game under the Thunder moniker, and coach kdavva74 will be hoping they can turn things around against 8th placed Western Vultures in a fortnight's time.

Media Votes: 5 Brodie Grundy (Geel), 4 Tom Cutler (Geel), 3 Joel Selwood (Geel), 2 Lance Franklin (Geel), 1 Mitch Duncan (Geel)


ADELAIDE LIONS DO IT EASY AGAINST NORTHERN REDS
Northern Reds 1024 defeated by Adelaide Lions 1307.5

The Northern Reds 2018 season continues to go from worse to worse, losing their 9th game on the trot to the Adelaide Lions, who jump into 13th as a result. The Reds had just 16 scoring players, and to add insult to injury, yielded 25 points from Joel Hamling and Alex Fasolo combined for a team total of 1024 - only narrowly missing out on the crown of 2018's lowest team score. Meanwhile, Adelaide Lions broke their two-game losing streak without putting up a particularly strong score, and have at least kept themselves within distance of a finals berth.

The Lions had six players score between 106 and 96, with Darcy Byrne-Jones the unlikely hero in the win. Rory Laird (101) and Adam Treloar (96) - arguably the side's two most important players - put down strong scores, but despite the win, Roylion should be disappointed with the performances of Clayton Oliver (72) and Michael Hibberd (36). For the Reds, Aaron Hall (115) and Dyson Heppell (113) had sterling individual performances, earning themselves media votes despite the result, but after Stefan Martin's 96 the scores dwindle away including two scores of zero.

Adelaide's win has seen them rise above Dragon Island to 12th, and two games behind 8th placed Western. Optimistically, this means the finals window is still ajar, so for such a pedestrian win, it has big repercussions. They'll get another opportunity to bridge that gap after the bye when they take on 14th placed Safety Bay. Meanwhile, Northern Reds' winless season continues, reaching a new low of 1024, and they will not be looking forward to taking on top of the table Gold Coast in a fortnight's time. Their clash with their wooden spoon competitors, Gippsland Sharks, also winless, does not arrive until the penultimate game of the season - that cannot come quickly enough.

Media Votes: 5 Darcy Byrnes-Jones (Adel), 4 Aaron Hall (Reds), 3 Dyson Heppell (Reds), 2 Rory Laird (Adel), 1 Angus Brayshaw (Adel)


DEVILS MAKE IT FOUR IN A ROW
Gold Coast Devils 1567 defeat Western Vultures 1259

The Devils are the current favourites for the AFLTM flag and for good reason, winning their fourth game in a row in comfortable fashion over the Western Vultures. Six centuries ensured a Gold Coast victory whilst the Vultures will be ruing the unenviable position of having the best interchange score of the round.

Gold Coast's elite players came to the fray, with Dayne Zorko (134) narrowly edging Jeremy Howe (132) for best-on-ground honours. Jack Viney's return from a long injury lay off was promising, scoring 64, whilst only one player - Majak Daw - registered less than 50. The Vultures had three players score 100 or more in Sam Powell-Pepper, Jack Steven and Hugh Greenwood, but it was the ten scoring less than 65 that was their undoing. Four bench players scored over that amount, in an unfortunate selection blunder, but it wouldn't have made a huge difference on the outcome of this match.

Heading into the bye, the Gold Coast Devils are the current competition leaders and premiership favourites, sitting with an 8-1 record and the second most total points in the league. They'll return from their week off to face bottom-placed Northern Reds, in what will probably be the most one-sided contest so far this season, and coach sausageroll will be confident his side can go on to challenge once more for the AFLTM Premiership. The Vultures meanwhile sit in the precarious position of 8th, just one game behind 4th, and will want to bounce back against NT Thunder in order to maintain that finals position.

Media Votes: 5 Dayne Zorko (GC), 4 Jeremy Howe (GC), 3 Tom McDonald (GC), 2 Bryce Gibbs (GC), 1 Elliot Yeo (GC)

LADDER


​

 

[fightingfury_88]

Great stuff. Looking forward to more of these throughout the season.

 

[Dav]

AFLTM CONSIDERING MID-SEASON DRAFT PERIOD
​

Reports coming out of AFLTM HQ suggest that the league is exploring the possibility of a mid-season draft and trading period, to be held over the 3 week bye in Weeks 12, 13 and 14. The move is thought to be due to the current gulf between the best and worst lists in the competition, with teams such as Northern Reds and Gippsland Sharks failing to put a win on the board.​

These ideas are not new and have been raised in the past to no success, and this time seems no different. An AFLTM website poll had around 60% of respondents saying they did not want any draft or trade period mid-season, and Dragon Island coach Danoz has publicly stated he is 'highly unlikely to participate' in such a venture. NT Thunder coach kdavva74 was similarly hesitant, but unsurprisingly, Gippsland's Continstar was supportive of the move. He was, however, self aware enough to note that his position was down to poor list management from the Sharks.

Going forward, it looks like we won't be seeing a mid-season draft period, at least in 2018, but going forward would it be a good idea? Feel free to discuss in the comments below.

 

[sausageroll]

Great stuff mate. Quality

 

[sausageroll]

As an addendum, I was wondering if coaches could send me a club logo or at least the club colours of their teams? Would help a lot. Cheers.

I have a major team logo on my team thread

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/gold-coast-devils-2018.1126584/

...and I have another logo I use for team selection, which can be found in any match thread.

 

[Dav]

PLAYER OF THE ROUND: WEEK 11

Jake Lloyd (Melbourne) - 163
​

Melbourne have continued their charge to September with a big win over the Ballarat Dragons, posting a league-high 1725, and at the forefront was Jake Lloyd. Named on a half back flank, the 24 year old racked up 163 points to be named best on ground, picking up 5 media votes and likely the full votes for the league best and fairest as well.

Lloyd has had an exemplary season, scoring 903 in the first nine rounds and becoming one of the best half back flankers in the AFLTM. If he can keep this form up, not only will Melbourne continue to be a force to be reckoned with, Lloyd may just book a spot in the 2018 All-Australian side.

 

[peterss]

kdavva74 Any chance you can work on these for me make them into Stingrays instead of Scorpions.....Thats all that needs doing for the logo IMO

Let me know mate cheers.

 

[Dav]

View attachment 501590 View attachment 501591

kdavva74 Any chance you can work on these for me make them into Stingrays instead of Scorpions.....Thats all that needs doing for the logo IMO

Let me know mate cheers.

I'm not the best at graphics but I'll give it a go.

 

[Dav]

TOP 3 THINGS WE LEARNT ABOUT ROUND 9
​

#1. Melbourne are a genuine premiership threat

loopy_cam 's team have scored 3401 points in the last 2 weeks, in a competition where 1500 is a good weekly score. They blew a very competitive Ballarat Dragons off the park to push themselves into 4th and are now the highest scoring team in the competition. Their backline in particular are firing on all cylinders and last season's League B&F, Zach Merrett, is finally hitting his stride. They come up against 3rd placed West Coast after the bye. Top 3 teams, be afraid.

#2. Sharks and Reds streak to continue

The bottom teams of the competition, the Gippsland Sharks and Northern Reds, suffered again this week, losing with low scores and taking their winless streaks to 9 games. Gippsland's 963 is the lowest score of the competition so far, and the Reds' 1024 wasn't far off. There's no doubt these teams will improve, but I don't think they'll improve enough to challenge the other sides. They play eachother in Round 18. That will almost certainly be the match to decide the wooden spoon.

#3. Ballarat are the best team outside the 8

There's some good signs out at the Dragons. They lost this week to a massive Melbourne score, but their score of 1502 was the 4th best of any team in the round. They boast the two best players in the competition in Jack Macrae and Tom Mitchell and their season total score is 6th in the comp, despite their ladder position of 10th. If they can string some decent form together, I think they have the best bet of bridging the current gulf between 4th to 9th and 10th and 14th.

 

[ShaunDuggan]

This is epic. Well done.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Wowee. Unbelievable stuff, well done mate.

 

[Woefully Inept]

Here's our new logo - you've inspired our team to get one

I do look forward to contributing to this though!

 

[Dav]

Here's our new logo - you've inspired our team to get one

I do look forward to contributing to this though!

View attachment 503623

Cheers mate, and thanks to everyone else who posted theirs or directed me to them. When I get home I'll convert them all into tidy 300x300px images. fightingfury_88 , would you be interested in these for official posts?

 

[Dav]

NT THUNDER COACH CALLS FOR REBUILD
​

The veterans of NT Thunder, formerly the Launceston Plovers, will be looking nervously over their shoulder after coach kdavva74 announced to journalists today that the club would be looking to rebuild over the next few seasons. The Thunder currently sit in 11th and look unlikely to make finals this season, with kdavva74 admitting that they were a way off the top teams in the competition.

"It's not an ideal situation at the moment, but we have belief that we can continue to be competitive this season and then go hard in the trade period. We've got good leaders around the club and some real gun youngsters so there's no reason for our fans to be alarmed."

The Thunder have a number of experienced players - including Hayden Ballantyne, Travis Varcoe and Matt Rosa - coming out of contract at the end of this season, with many experts expecting a large turnover in playing personnel. Whether or not it can power the Thunder to premiership contention in the next few years remains to be seen.

 

[sante]

Don’t want to post crap in here but if anyone wants to make the Vultures a logo I’d love that

 

[Dav]

Don’t want to post crap in here but if anyone wants to make the Vultures a logo I’d love that

I'll try and remember to do yours and peterss tonight.

 

[Dav]

peterss

 

[Dav]

Another one for you fightingfury_88

 

[knobby]

This is great loving your passion for the game, my logo below


HARBOUR CITY HORNETS FC