Thank you Jawad. I expect it to be a major topic of discussion for at least a third of the season. Each round and different circuit is going to see the performance of the Commodore scrutinised, and as such the whole debate about potential advantages will arise. It hopefully will dissipate in time as teams like DJR Team Penske win races and perform etc. One thing that must be noted in that debate is that whilst as you rightly point out the Ford teams don’t traditionally do well at Clipsal their struggles were related more to set up and car balance then anything else. At various stages the Ford’s of McLachlan, Winterbottom and Mostert were matching the lap times of the leading Holden’s. For example as we know McLachlan was a major player in the Sunday race and every chance to win it if not for his tyre issue, and Mostert in the last stint on 6 lap older tyres was matching the leading cars lap times pound for pound. A tenth was all that seperated them here and there, sometimes he was a tenth up and sometimes a tenth down and on 6 lap older tyres that says something.

It is absolutely a shame Ford could not or wouldn’t provide the same commitment to the sport. And it is frustrating. Ford have made some ridiculous decisions regarding the sport in recent history. They should be wanting to ensure the blue oval remains represented in the sport, and not want to risk losing big names Roger Penske to another manufacturer in the sport. I don’t believe in the end Ford will be entirely lost to the sport however as I believe Tickford Racing will remain racing Ford’s. I think they have backed themselves into a corner ( and I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way) in that regard with the team launching Tickford as a business. It does not make commercial sense for them to run another manufacturer in the sport whilst having a business based around Ford performance. It is ridiculous as you will know that Ford could not commit to the offer provided by Ford dealers. Where they said they will financially support and back the teams running a Mustang if Ford matched the financial amount. To me that is the perfect deal, as it means they are not locked into covering the entire amount they only need provide half essentially. It will be interesting to see what happens in that regard. I know both teams are committed to trying to run the Mustang but they want Ford to assist them in that regard, as they are having trouble making the body fit on the chassis. I have heard that if they remain with Ford and can’t do the Mustang a Mondeo could be the direction they head in. Not sure how true that is, but I truly hope not. It has to be the Mustang. I think you are right the Ford’s will come on strong at Albert Park, and I think Tickford are going to be a real player this season. The only question is if they can do it on a consistent basis to take it to Red Bull and DJR Team Penske

It certainly will be interesting. I don’t think Honda is without blame, but I think it is unfair to place the entire blame on Honda. Rob Dennis was notoriously difficult to deal with and when Honda had to deal with him so to speak it would have been no easy task. At no stage where Honda given absolute creative freedom so to speak, they were told what they had to do and essentially had no real say in it. McLaren needed to let them do what they are the experts at doing, designing, building and developing an engine. I think what Honda have now is really going to benefit them and give them every opportunity to improve. Will Red Bull make the switch to Honda? That will be interesting to see, however I am not entirely sure it is the right move for them to make for a little while. They must be up the front and able to compete for championships etc, and it may be a couple more years of development before the Honda power unit is capable of that

Hopefully it will be up soon, having written it late last night I have realised however there is more I wanted to add and didn’t lol. Always the case. Your piece was a great read, and I think an accurate reflection.
You are correct off memory, I believe Holden teams etc did chuck up a fuss. Which seems to be a never ending circle in motorsport. But again something you can understand at times, even when it is well off the mark and an overreaction. Such as with the FGX. There was in all honesty no major advantage obtained by all Ford teams with that car, the rear wing changed as it needed to be to suit the FGX if you will but the aero limits were essentially where they needed to be. Tickford, formally Prodrive obviously simply did a great job with the set up and development of the cars. Reflected by the following year the Holden’s more then challenging of course. One thing I forgot to add to the article was the talk about the rear wing and the location of it on the new Commodore. People are questioning that, and that is not valid. It is in an identical position to where it was on the VF, only it appears to be much further out as we are dealing with a hatch now as opposed to a fully fledged sedan. The end plates are larger, and I believe the top is 30mm higher but aside from that no change. The Ford teams request to re-homologate their cars, and add composite roofs and bonnets seems unlikely. Given if this is not the final year in the championship for the FGX next year will be. I just hope that the season is not dominated with the talk about it. Yes there is an advantage of sorts there without question. That is a certainty, however the Falcons at various stages were on the money pace wise and could have beaten the Holden teams. The issue was more related to set up then anything else, DJR Team Penske on Saturday losing the balance of McLaughlin’s car. At certain tracks the new Commodore does have an advantage, but if the Falcon teams get their set ups right from the outset they can and will contend. The Holden teams will just have things a tiny bit easier in certain areas potentially.

I have written on the homologation debate if you will, which I think should be up shortly.
Looking to simplify what it all means from a technical aspect. The debate is centred around how the Holden’s are achieving their weight, given they had to be made of all composite materials. Other then the drivers door which I believe may be steel. As a consequence Triple 8 for example have needed to place lead to add weight to the car to achieve minimum weight, which of course they place down low. Giving the Commodore a lower centre of gravity to the Falcon’s, as with the Falcons the bulk of the weight is up high. So from a race car perspective to use Adelaide as an example those cars will be naturally better suited to turns 1,2,3 and 8.

As you wrote the Falcons essentially had an up and down weekend across the board, but that was due more to set up then anything else. As at various stages of the weekend the majority of Falcons had pace, good enough to match the new Commodore. Without the tyre deflating Scott McLaughlin was every chance to win that race, and Chaz Mostert on 6 Lap older tyres was matching the leaders pound for pound in lap times for the final stint. A tenth here and there was all that separated them. Walkinshaw Andretti United started well, but in reality we should expect nothing less. It had to be no surprise they performed well as they always tend to there. It is what comes next that is the question. They have upgrades coming on line for the Grand Prix so that will be interesting, however by their own admission this is going to take time and we should be conservative as far as expectations are concerned for this year.
In terms of the racing whilst Holden fans will call the Ford teams sooks, and whilst the Ford fans will scream the Holden teams have an unfair advantage it must be kept in perspective. If the shoe were on the other foot the Holden teams lead by Triple 8 would be doing the same, this is a game where inches count. You can’t blame the Ford teams for chucking up a little bit of a stink if they do, as it does from a technical aspect I can say first hand provide an advantage. However that should not detract from the praise Triple 8 especially deserve on the incredible job they have done. To not only build and supply parts for 14 Commodore’s they also found the time to develop theirs and have them ready for race 1. But based on the first weekend the Falcons can compete certainly, however at certain tracks finding that set up may be more difficult for them.

An interesting viewpoint. It takes alot to develop these power units, and whilst we should be seeing some form of progress in reality they never were going to be a front runner at this stage. Honda need time to develop their package, and in Formula 1 that is an extremely long and arduous process. It seems like McLaren walked into this arrangement with unrealistic expectations, so they are the creator of this as much as anyone. The political battles if you will behind closed doors don’t help matters. Ron Dennis was notoriously difficult to deal with at times, knew what he was doing but was not the easiest man to get along with and it will be interesting to see if the new McLaren leadership can steady the ship and get things on the right course. I do wonder however is Sauber are the perfect fit. Can they deliver their end if the deal came to fruition?

It will be interesting. I don’t think it is quite a forgone conclusion Raikkonen is in his last year at Ferrari. I personally wouldn’t be surprised either way. Sainz and Grosjean would be the most logical options and only option. Ferrari as you rightly pointed out don’t sign rookies traditionally and that is generally for good reason on their part. Nothing against any young up and coming driver, but they expect to compete for the constructors championship and drivers championship and a rookie doesn’t often fit those expectations understandably. Ferrari are under the most pressure they have been under for a very long time, perhaps ever. It is the very reason why those capable of being front runners are all Ferrari will look at, as that is all they can afford to look at. They need to perform and perform quickly. They don’t have the time to develop a young driver in one of their cars. An unfortunate part of being the biggest team and most successful team in the sport.

The Hawks struggles could be due to any number of factors. How extensive they will be, and for how long it is hard to know. It will be interesting to see if we learn the reasons why Clarko is still so optimistic. One thing that is fair to suggest is that the questions of Mitchell and Lewis leaving massively hurting the clubs culture is over the top. It would hurt on field naturally. But the culture? Or as some have suggested causing Clarkson to lose the senior players is over the top and not the case. Cultures at footy clubs are set and sustained by more then a couple of individuals, and the core group remains the same. Guys like Hodge, Roughead, Burgoyne etc are more then capable of sustaining the culture. The fact of the matter is when sides have such struggles people go in search for reasons as to why, and find all sorts of reasons. I have spoken to someone whom i know who works at another AFL club, and is involved in the footy department and he describes those suggestions as being the difference between being a supporter and being involved at club level. As supporters or in the media people can find a million reasons as to the cause, it is often as simple as 2+2=4 to them. Where it extends deeper then that. He said if it were factual then god help 17 other clubs, as it happens. 2 players leaving as good as they are will not hurt the club with culture, will not cause the coach to lose the players. That only happens if they were lied to and they weren’t. So if that speculation which he considers ridiculous had any truth to it he said be realistic, that says more about the players then it does the coach or football department and not in a good way. Lets be realistic if players were that unhappy, if the culture was massively effected do we really think players like Luke Bruest would have signed a long term contract extension? Not likely.

The Bulldogs don’t come anywhere close to receiving the advantages and benefits GWS have. The Giants have had a greater salary cap then other sides, next year being the first year they will be on an equal footing in that regard to the rest of the competition. Which the AFL has acknowledged they may lose players oncw that comes into effect. The Bulldogs have been given financial assistance to survive and that is the difference. They aren’t given advantages at the draft, they haven’t been given advantages regarding their list period. Sides like the Bulldogs have had to do it the hard way so there is no comparison. That is why what Geelong and Hawthorn have achieved is far greater then say what the Swans have as a good portion of what the Swans have achieved is thanks to the AFL. Geelong and Hawthorn don’t receive those same handouts.

I don’t think it is necessarily rightly so that the current board is coming under fire. Yes of course we all will agree that Richmond’s season this year can only be described as a disaster, and the board has undoubtedly made a couple of errors here and there but for the most part this current board can be credited with creating stability the likes of which the club had forgotten existed.

I will be honest i am not a Richmond supporter, but i have a soft spot for the club as family members are mad Richmond supporters, and my grandparents who adored the Richmond footy club so i always want to see them do well. As i have just recently written that is why the events of yesterday left me so frustrated. Not because this Focus on footy group is challenging necessarily, as that happens. But rather because the more i heard them speak yesterday the more clear it became that this group are not the right group to take the club forward. Their intentions for the football department are not feasible. For those who watched On The Couch last night and Talking Footy and heard more of what the plan would be should be flabbergasted

I think if Red Bull certainly are close to surpassing Ferrari if they have not already. At the moment it would seem if they do not surpass them this season it seems highly probable it will happen next season. There are I feel more reasons for him to stay then there is for him to leave, unless of course Mercedes as you say were to come knocking. At Red Bull he can see the light at the end of the tunnel, he can see the direction and that they continue to make progress. Where Ferrari it seems made progress and yet now that progress has stalled. Long term for the world championship he is better staying where he is, the simple fact is Ferrari will always give Vettel priority and it would be extremely difficult to win championships with that being the case. Where at Red Bull he can retain the lead driver stattus and have the best opportunities to succeed.

Great article, really enjoyable to read. As a Hawks supporter i am not concerned about the wins decreasing during the season, i think that is due to a combination of the adversity the club has faced during each of the last 2 seasons and the competition getting closer. Last season it was more a shakey start that progressively improved as the season progressed. One factor in that would have to be the shorter preseason. It is also something that Clarko wouldn’t be majorly concerned about. For the club it is about simply making the top 4 ans starting the finals assault from there. I think the depth is still quite good, and the list is still in a good position. There are still 25-26 players at the club that can all play and make an impact, then there is 8-10 youngsters Clarko said we have yet to see much of bit many we should see alot more of this year. As we all know clubs can’t remain at the top forever, the era will end at some point. But i think we are still perfectly positioned to be able to be a major contender this season. On Fox Footy’s round the table recently they all believed Hawthorn still had the best list. I think West Coast should be a major player again this year, and a dark horse would be Richmond if they can consistently play their best footy. But i am not certain if West Coast and Hawthorn bring the scoreboard potency they did last season there will be to many teams able to have bridged that gap. It will be an interesting season that is for sure.

If you have watched Rioli closley enough then you would know he is far from over-rated, that what you see on the field is not soley attributed to the side that he is in. For if he were in a side with far less talent you would see alot more of him. He is an apsolute superstar. Why? Because you do not see to many players in the AFL that are capable of doing what he can. So much weight is put on the quantity of possessions he gets, when in all reality that is what is over-rated. A superstar these days is defined soley by the quantity of possessions they get, yet the question is rarely asked about the impact those possessions have. Rioli has such an impact on the ground that his 15 possessions often are said to be as good as 30, and they are. Because his 15 possessions can be match defining and often they are. The things he does with the ball in hand is apsolutely incredible to watch. Then the other aspect is what he does, the impact that he has when he does not have possession of the ball. The pressure he applies, all the tap ons etc. If everything he did went on the stat sheets you would struggle to find another player that matches what he does. I always encourage people when they attend a Hawthorn game to spend a period of time watching him when he is not in possession, watch where he goes, the space he creates, the pressure he applies. Watch every opposition player in his vicinity, and the pressure they feel when he is around them. Then you will get a true indication of everything he does, and the value he has, and why so many consider him to be an apsolute superstar. Because with Rioli it is extremely shallow to simply talk about the lack of possessions he gets, and not acknowledge not only the impact he has with those possessions, but what he does with the ball not in hand.

Michael whilst you are correct that as soon as the game started there was little the coaches could really do to impact that game. But it is what Clarko did prior to the grand final, his plan, direction and so on from the pre season that laid the foundation for them to do as they did in that game.

He has found himself in the VFL again, because like last year he is not going to come straight back into the side because both Hale and Ceglar are putting in better performances.

Yes to replace Hale, because including Pittonet there are 4 ruckmen in total on the list. Hale retires and that becomes 3, which is a problem if you have injuries.

Pittonet was not mentioned because there will be a requirement to replace Hale. Which young ruckmen take a while to develop, it is more then likely going to be no sooner then next season that he starts getting a couple of games here and there to introduce him to AFL level. Rarely do you see top 4 premiership contending sides play a second year ruckman as the number 1 or 2 ruckman. Which Pittonet will be in his second year next season.

But again the main point is yes they did draft Pittonet, but should Hale retire as is expected that leaves 3 ruckman on the list instead of 4. So they will need to cover that.

I am a fan of motorsport. The 3 series I watch mainly are V8 supercars, Nascar and Formula 1. Whilst I do enjoy Formula 1 the other 2 are more enjoyable in many respects because there is a far better quality of racing. The reality is when there is a 5 to 6 second gap between 2 cars and they call it a good race, that is a little difficult to comprehend at times. Because Nascar for example there is passing all the time. You can at some point in the race be last and still win. There is Jimmie Johnson for example, a few races ago he spun out ended up at the back of the back and still won the race. That is enthralling and what racing should be about.

The AFL is not interested at this stage if giving the Tasmanian people their own team. They will be behind closed doors hoping the Hawthorn and North Melbourne arrangements continue for a while yet. Because whilst it doesn’t entirely stop the noise from Tasmania for their own team, they would feel it somewhat satisfies Tasmanian people. They have spoken about population and all the other reasons as to why they have elected nit to give Tasmania their own team at the time. But there can be little doubt the primary reason was because the AFL was anxious to increase their presence in NSW ans QLD, wanting to own those markets as well. Because of the huge investments they have made any hope of a Tasmanian team is probably at least a decade off.

I am not sure he needs to consider walking away from Formula 1 at this stage. It was always going to be a development year with the new engine. If he signed with McLaren expecting anything less then a tough season that is entirely on him and a huge mistake. He has been in the sport long enough to know how it works, how long it takes to develop an engine. If this McLaren/Honda partnership is going to work it is more a 2 to 3 year proposition. This year can only be used to gauge the improvement that is made, which is not only going to be in the form of race results.

I agree with what you have written. The supplements saga has taken its toll. But aside from that if we judge it purely on football irrespective of the win loss ratio he has to his name at present it hasn’t worked. From the moment Hird took over there has been fantastic patches, where they are playing some great footy. But consistently that falls off and they struggle. There are huge gaps in the side, a forward line that is still lacking the required potency, a defence that without a couple of players including a guy in his 40s is terrible. There are players on the list that aren’t working yet are still there. They resort to the likes of Chapman, Goddard and Cooney to come in and make a difference. Cooney and Chapman are close to retirement, with Chapman not providing much on a consistent basis. The reality is the entire time Hird has been there this club has not managed to get closer to being able to win a premiership. Bomber Thompson had 12 months at the helm and in 12 months he was more productive. Teaching the players the right ways, but been a season only it was all meaningless because the club goes back to Hird’s way. Regardless of how culpable you hold Hird in the supplements saga from a pure football prospective there has been little progress.

There was some fantastic recruiting done during those periods by the Hawks. All clubs experience hit and miss moments when it comes to the draft, what is the defining aspect of it all is whether the hits outweigh the misses or the misses hurt a great deal. For the Hawks the great picks outweigh the bad. The biggest one for mine however was the decision to go for Mitch Thorp ahead of Joel Selwood.

Thank you Tim. I noticed the mistake last night, thought i had corrected it but obviously i didn’t. Im trying to take a win off them lol. I agree the Adelaide game carries great significance, we have to be able to win that game. What it means as far as ladder position, but also i think it is important to continue to build momentum. The thing that also works in the teams favour is the great percentage, which can later in the season be worth its weight in gold.