Insightful Media Coverage

THE A5

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 26, 2020
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Dylan82 thoughts?


Sorta funny how even with the rolling mauls JK's been such an elite leader up forward for a decade. They talk about about the game did not suiting Boyd/Patton but the game never stays still you either sink or swim. This sorta makes you appreciate JK's endurance and work rate even more.
 
Really, it's been obvious for years hasn't it?


It's a simple fix, give Norf and Bulldogs exclusivity to the game in Melbourne and don't schedule any other games that day in the city.

However that doesn't mean you can't host another game in another city in a different time slot.

Just say for example Crows V Sydney in a late afternoon game in Adelaide which leads into Norf Vs the Bulldogs in the night time slot.

Everyone still wins.
 

Selurs

Team Captain
Feb 21, 2008
459
441
In the bank's house
AFL Club
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Not to sound too freo-apologist here, but their Len Hall game is only one year younger than that other one between two teams that have won 1 flag between them in the last 20 years. Why coulnd't they have played the night before Anzac day? Somehow the league has found a way to hand a useless rabble like Melbourne a second marquee game. They even noted in recent times that it makes the fixtures easier to reconcile as the four teams just do a swapsie the week after if they end up playing mid-week. The Freo game was just sitting there, but nope, all 23 demons members needed to be pandered to first. Rubbish. How about letting Freo play Anzac night, then? Nah, that would "lessen the importance" of that other boring game between two teams that aren't likely to feature in September.

Why the major public holidays can't have one game in Melbourne and one game elsewhere is just mind boggling. If the melborunites don't want to acknowledge the other games exist, just match them up between non-Vic teams. On that note - why, after two years of playing Port vs Eagles on Good Friday, are we still playing Port this weekend, but now on Saturday? Why Adelaide vs Gold Coast instead? Very odd. I've said it before but Travis Auld is the worst thing to happen to this league in a very long time. Hopefully someone in Switzerland offers him a big contract to run a "reputable" bank soon, and he'll go away and let someone else do the fixtures.
 
Mar 21, 2017
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65319F97-64F0-47A1-9157-873AC3614D95.jpeg

Great little snippet from the Mongrel Punt after the Port game
 

BlueandGoldforever

Cancelled
Apr 10, 2008
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Not to sound too freo-apologist here, but their Len Hall game is only one year younger than that other one between two teams that have won 1 flag between them in the last 20 years. Why coulnd't they have played the night before Anzac day? Somehow the league has found a way to hand a useless rabble like Melbourne a second marquee game. They even noted in recent times that it makes the fixtures easier to reconcile as the four teams just do a swapsie the week after if they end up playing mid-week. The Freo game was just sitting there, but nope, all 23 demons members needed to be pandered to first. Rubbish. How about letting Freo play Anzac night, then? Nah, that would "lessen the importance" of that other boring game between two teams that aren't likely to feature in September.

Why the major public holidays can't have one game in Melbourne and one game elsewhere is just mind boggling. If the melborunites don't want to acknowledge the other games exist, just match them up between non-Vic teams. On that note - why, after two years of playing Port vs Eagles on Good Friday, are we still playing Port this weekend, but now on Saturday? Why Adelaide vs Gold Coast instead? Very odd. I've said it before but Travis Auld is the worst thing to happen to this league in a very long time. Hopefully someone in Switzerland offers him a big contract to run a "reputable" bank soon, and he'll go away and let someone else do the fixtures.

Good post. Travis Auld is so out of his depth it is not funny. He is absolutely clueless.
 

southcoast

Premiership Player
Sep 25, 2006
3,241
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southcoast
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Not to sound too freo-apologist here, but their Len Hall game is only one year younger than that other one between two teams that have won 1 flag between them in the last 20 years. Why coulnd't they have played the night before Anzac day? Somehow the league has found a way to hand a useless rabble like Melbourne a second marquee game. They even noted in recent times that it makes the fixtures easier to reconcile as the four teams just do a swapsie the week after if they end up playing mid-week. The Freo game was just sitting there, but nope, all 23 demons members needed to be pandered to first. Rubbish. How about letting Freo play Anzac night, then? Nah, that would "lessen the importance" of that other boring game between two teams that aren't likely to feature in September.

Why the major public holidays can't have one game in Melbourne and one game elsewhere is just mind boggling. If the melborunites don't want to acknowledge the other games exist, just match them up between non-Vic teams. On that note - why, after two years of playing Port vs Eagles on Good Friday, are we still playing Port this weekend, but now on Saturday? Why Adelaide vs Gold Coast instead? Very odd. I've said it before but Travis Auld is the worst thing to happen to this league in a very long time. Hopefully someone in Switzerland offers him a big contract to run a "reputable" bank soon, and he'll go away and let someone else do the fixtures.

Adding to your point of view.

I cannot understand why there cannot be two Friday night games. Particularly when daylight saving is a happening thing.

Melbourne/Sydney game - maybe a slightly earlier start then second game in Adelaide or Perth.
 
Barrett rates us apparently:



Nic Naitanui is in sublime form, the best of his already outstanding career. Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass have opened 2021 in blistering style in the backline, Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling equally impactful up forward, Oscar Allen (though quiet against the Power, and nursing a shoulder complaint) is looming as a genuine star, and Tim Kelly is finally looking as though he is in sync with the Eagles' midfield systems.

Then there is Liam Ryan, whose 58-match highlight reel already ranks alongside some of the game's all-time great showmen.


He's right. The key players are clicking into place. If we can overcome the loss of Shuey (again) and the indefinite absence of Yeo, then we are well placed for finals. Next weekend though will tell us whether we are the real thing - we simply must do over the Saints, undermanned midfield or not.
 
May 2, 2006
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He's right. The key players are clicking into place. If we can overcome the loss of Shuey (again) and the indefinite absence of Yeo, then we are well placed for finals. Next weekend though will tell us whether we are the real thing - we simply must do over the Saints, undermanned midfield or not.
Yeah.

As much as we like to take the piss out of Barrett, our finishing positions the last 2 seasons have justified his comments.

Hopefully this season we justify his comments this time.
 

Tugga27

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 19, 2017
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Good to see Shannon get some love from the HS.


2. SHANNON HURN


Hand up. I thought the veteran backman’s career had come to the tipping point at the end of last season. The Eagles maintained the faith and Hurn and not for the first time in his career — has rewarded that faith. In his first three games of 2021, he has returned 31, 25, and 26 disposals and in a season where precise kicking has soared to critical advantage, Hurn has gone at more than 90 per cent efficiency in each of his three games. The cynics will argue most of them are the controlled ball coming out of the Eagles’ defence, but the objective remains to get the ball from Point A to Point B. Just ask St Kilda and North Melbourne of that objective. Hurn is 34 in September and in two games time will become the games-record holder at the Eagles and in 11 games will play his 300th game.
 

WCE_phil

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 14, 2009
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perth
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As much as it was a great win on the weekend and we dominated the first half. Everything clicked for us for one. Two, shuey dominated which led to an equal midfield spread.

You can't count on everything going right and being at home. The game to me actually showed me that i still firmly believe we can't compete against the top sides without Yeo and Shuey. We just have to get them fit if we are to be a shot this year and we have to finish top 2. Can we lose less than 3 more games before getting a fully fit shuey and yeo back on the park because if not I don't think we're near it.
 

Tugga27

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 19, 2017
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As much as it was a great win on the weekend and we dominated the first half. Everything clicked for us for one. Two, shuey dominated which led to an equal midfield spread.

You can't count on everything going right and being at home. The game to me actually showed me that i still firmly believe we can't compete against the top sides without Yeo and Shuey. We just have to get them fit if we are to be a shot this year and we have to finish top 2. Can we lose less than 3 more games before getting a fully fit shuey and yeo back on the park because if not I don't think we're near it.
I find this a strange comment.
We just smashed the top side.
I still think we win without Shuey.

And if not for a brain fart by Cripps, we probably would've beaten the Bulldogs away without Yeo and Shuey.

Our best is as good as anyone's.
 

WCE_phil

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 14, 2009
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I find this a strange comment.
We just smashed the top side.
I still think we win without Shuey.

And if not for a brain fart by Cripps, we probably would've beaten the Bulldogs away without Yeo and Shuey.

Our best is as good as anyone's.

Go watch that first half again. Shuey is what allowed the midfield to spread the load. We don't have close to that first half without him and I think in a finals game without having that spread across the midfield we can't be effective against the top sides. The other thing I will say about the first half is the team was on fire. The little football god things were all going our way with some of the marks, shots on goal etc. etc.

Also yes, we should have won against the bulldogs. However with how dominant the dogs were in the first half they should have put a 5-6 goal lead on us at half time and basically had the game iced. It really was the dogs poor kicking for goal and poor last kicks into their forward 50 in the first half that kept us in the game to that point along with the massive efforts in the clearances by Nicnat and Sheed.

Now I could be wrong and I have been wrong before but the no Vardy influence could have played a huge part in allowing us to effectively play an extra midfielder.

Lastly on the game, a lot of the ball port won, even in the first half way due to our players over committing and going to ground. First rule of the contest is never go to ground. You go to ground, you are out of the contest. There were a lot of players guilty of this but Cole in particular stands out. There is such a thing as trying too hard. If you can't impact the first contest then make sure you're on your feet and able to affect the second.
 

Tugga27

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 19, 2017
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Go watch that first half again. Shuey is what allowed the midfield to spread the load. We don't have close to that first half without him and I think in a finals game without having that spread across the midfield we can't be effective against the top sides. The other thing I will say about the first half is the team was on fire. The little football god things were all going our way with some of the marks, shots on goal etc. etc.

Also yes, we should have won against the bulldogs. However with how dominant the dogs were in the first half they should have put a 5-6 goal lead on us at half time and basically had the game iced. It really was the dogs poor kicking for goal and poor last kicks into their forward 50 in the first half that kept us in the game to that point along with the massive efforts in the clearances by Nicnat and Sheed.

Now I could be wrong and I have been wrong before but the no Vardy influence could have played a huge part in allowing us to effectively play an extra midfielder.

Lastly on the game, a lot of the ball port won, even in the first half way due to our players over committing and going to ground. First rule of the contest is never go to ground. You go to ground, you are out of the contest. There were a lot of players guilty of this but Cole in particular stands out. There is such a thing as trying too hard. If you can't impact the first contest then make sure you're on your feet and able to affect the second.
Are you saying that if Shuey didn't play we wouldn't have won?
 

Rowan18

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 20, 2018
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If we are around the mark (top4-6) by round 18-20 and we have a fit Yeo, Shuey and Rioli to have 1 or 2 games before finals that would be massive.
Shuey either gets on top of his hammy before the bye or I think he is cooked. I suspect the answer is actually to manage him to protect his hammies, his days of playing on-ball for a full game should be numbered.

Yeo should by back around the bye. We will have to see how much power he has lost though, often it takes players a while back from OP to get their strength right.
 
Mar 21, 2017
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Luke Hodge: offering some insight into what it’s like to play against Tom Hawkins

BT: ‘There is a pigeon in the centre circle that will be fearing for its life right now’
 
gotta win
gotta win away from wa
gotta win in vic
gotta win in vic v good side
gotta win in vic v good side in finals
gotta win at mcg v a mcg side in a GF

GOTTA WIN

MAYNARD WAS BLOCKED!!!!!!!!
 
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