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Joined December 2012
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Enrolled in a Masters of Journalism course and getting some experience. Twitter: @callampickering Email (for any job opportunities): callam.pickering@gmail.com
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Earlier in the week, the AFL announced the worst kept secret in Australian sports: Essendon would be charged with bringing the game into disrepute…
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Hello generic AFL supporter, we have never met but I was sitting nearby on Saturday afternoon. I loved the way you cheered the big…
On Thursday morning, the AFL and AFL Players Association (AFLPA) announced that the number of positive recreational drug tests increased significantly last year to…
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Through the first four rounds of the 2013 AFL season, scoring has increased significantly over the same period in 2012 and, if maintained, would…
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The NBA regular season is finally over and we can move our attention to the games that matter. The first round has a number…
James Hird in Perth with his back against the wall... should we really be surprised that something amazing happened? Following revelations that the Essendon…
You’re right and there is many occasions when you desperately want them to just kick it forward. Much better to turn it over 50m down the field.
But I notice a lot of those calls when players are quickly handballing between players and trying to work their way out of a jam. The players are talented so we should back them in to find an open teammate without blindly booting it.
My open-letter to AFL supporters
I’ve got to admit I’ll have a good laugh if I ever hear someone yell out ‘Go Loose!’ at a footy game!
There is certainly moments when the yell of ‘Ball’ is great but sometimes less is more.
My open-letter to AFL supporters
Thanks Cam.
Yep, the more teams zone the less logical ‘JUST KICK IT!’ becomes. Against the best teams blindly booting it forward results in it coming straight back at you.
My open-letter to AFL supporters
An even free kick count does not necessarily mean that a game was well umpired or evenly umpired. It’s a fallacy.
Surprisingly few free kicks on Saturday given the nature of the contest. Also a number of odd marking judgments to the detriment of both teams.
My open-letter to AFL supporters
That might be true but if he is your coach at least you know you will likely win more often than not.
Very, very good coach – even if I don’t necessarily enjoy watching his teams play (although Saints of ’09 were actually rather attacking and enjoyable to watch).
My open-letter to AFL supporters
Yep, I don’t like to say it but Foxtel is the way to go.
AFL Insiders was always good for a look at tactics and team strategies. Sometimes a bit dry though.
My open-letter to AFL supporters
What are the annoying / inaccurate things that football / soccer fans yell?
My open-letter to AFL supporters
Yep. So true.
Always amusing to listen to supporters of the opposing team when your team is dominating (which if you are a Hawks fan you would know only too well!).
My open-letter to AFL supporters
Even though I wrote it I’m guilty of a fair few myself.
My open-letter to AFL supporters
Yep, that’s how I justify speaking to my girlfriend about football in a patronising manner :p
My open-letter to AFL supporters
You would have to try pretty hard to find that insulting. It takes only a brief view of crowd sizes and television audiences to recognise that a majority of people in Western Sydney do not follow the NRL or A-League. But before you find that insulting, the same is also true of the AFL in Melbourne. I cannot think of a VFL/AFL or NRL game that was watched by half of the audience in their heartland, even GFs and SoO do not come close – and they are treated more as events which increases their audience.
While we might like to think that everyone cares about the major sporting codes the fact is that they do not. And that’s precisely the reason why I believe that all codes can exist and flourish within the Western Sydney area. One sport gaining a supporter does not mean that another sport is losing a supporter and the war mentality of some people in NSW is pretty silly when you think about it.
Why we should ease up on the Giants
Very big call given that he currently is not having the best debut season of players in the last two years. Toby Greene was better last season.
And that’s before you go into prior years. Barlow was a relevation when he debuted, thought he was mature aged. The debut seasons of Heppell, Selwood and Judd speak for themselves. Buckley was already dominant when he debuted in 1993 and there were a number of Essendon players who debuted that same year and were extremely important players in a premiership side.
Ben Hart was All-Australian in his debut year in 1991.
Are we witnessing the best debut season ever?
‘Target testing’ has the advantage of allowing the AFL to monitor whether the behaviour of ‘at risk’ players has changed. Given the ‘medical model’ the AFL uses, ‘target testing’ is pretty important to the whole system working.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
Three strikes remains but players will only be allowed to self-report on one occasion throughout their careers.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
In theory a trial by jury would be a good idea, with the jury comprised of a random selection of players not involved in the case. But in practice it would not work in the AFL, since there is a convention to never rat out another player. That convention would end up applying to the entire jury.
Had Goddard been a coma for three days and then woken up for the tribunal hearing he still would have said that he didn’t feel a thing. And then the jury would be required to use that evidence to form a decision.
As a system it would result in almost every player getting off.
Tribunal denies the human right of trial by jury
Sounds hilarious 🙂
Though I suspect our politicians are much more socially conservative than their Italian counterparts.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
It might be deemed soft but it is also more consistent with the medical treatment of drug abuse, which is surely a better way to structure a drug policy than an autocratic no tolerance stance. The ‘War on Drugs’ in the US hasn’t exactly been a success.
Given the strong connection between mental health issues and illicit drug use a more tolerant drug testing regime is likely to lead to better long-term results.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
First, I have read your entire post and I have no idea what part of my post you consider rubbish. You state what I said is rubbish and then talk about something else entirely for several paragraphs.
Second, I have no issue with the notion that AFL players are not ‘normal’ members of society. For mine, their higher disposable incomes would point to an increased likelihood to take illicit drugs, all else equal.
Third, an increase off a tiny base will create a large percentage change but not be particularly meaningful. The absolute number of positive tests is more relevant in this case and it is obviously a fairly low number.
Fourth, the Essendon situation is a completely different issue to these drug tests and not relevant to discussion at hand. Essendon will be punished if found guility but that is the matter of an investigation, which should be allowed to run its course.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
Would explain a lot of what I hear out of Canberra.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
While drug use can be fun in moderation, there is obviously some broader social effects and costs that should be discounted.
I think we all recognise that recreational drug use does little to improve performance, so it should not taint any matches or premierships won. Still it is preferable for players to not be drug users given it is a potentially slippery slope.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
I’d be amazed if only 26 players used illicit drugs in the last 12 months, given the age demographics and disposable income of AFL players. If you told me that only 26 players used illicit drugs I would consider that a fantastic result given drug use in the broader community.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
I’d say a little of column A and a little of column B.
More testing should result in more positive samples, all else equal. The AFL also seems to have improved the quality of their testing.
And then you have the issue of greater drug use, which for mine is difficult to estimate although apparently drug use has increased significantly in the broader community over the last year. Finally, there is the natural volatility with the testing – given the largely random nature of tests.
If they bring in more targetted testing then I suspect the rate of positive samples will increase again.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
It’s mostly because studies have shown that there is better ways to handle illicit drug use than jail (or in football’s case suspension).
Drug addiction is widely viewed as a medical issue and the best approach to tackling the issue is treatment rather than punishment. Drug use is connected with a range of social issues, often coming down to issues of mental health such as depression. Obviously there is also times where it simply reflects stupidity or ignorance, I suspect that there is a fair bit of that given the age demographics and disposable income of AFL players.
The three strike program provides the opportunity to treat the problem rather than exposing the individual player. In most cases I suspect this is preferable to the hard-handed approach. Use Ben Cousins as an example, he was a drug addict. Treatment was the only way to solve his problems.
Positive drug tests on the rise in AFL
Well the easiest way to learn more is to simply watch the contest closely. I try to occasionally watch what is happening up the field and behind play to get a field for what everyone else is doing. If there’s something unusual going on I try to work out why a player is doing that and that can provide some insight. Obviously though everyone won’t do that.
In Sydney, they often (not sure whether they still do) show the rules on the big screen so that everyone understands whats going on, I’m sure that helps too. Foxtel also have some great shows on football tactics such as AFL Insider which make things easier.
My open-letter to AFL supporters