Good piece. I’ve watched the Lions with a lot of excitement this year – their youngsters coming through have so much potential, but you’re right, that gap in the middle of the age profile is a hurdle they’re going to have to step over.

Really looking forward to seeing them in the future though – those youngsters look really promising.

It’s going to be a huge expression of irony when they finally crash, move south and become the Tassie Suns.

I’m really excited to watch more of the Lions over the next few years. You’re right, their youngsters just fill you with anticipation when watching them play. Can’t wait to see what they do next year.

lol… I did just notice that the part where I preface the Carey comment by pointing out I think he’s a tool got edited. 😛

But then, I was commenting to a friend the other day, about how the Tigers could win the next five flags in a row and there’d still be people out there making excuses, so I don’t pay a lot of attention to that commentary.

Absolutely, Paul. Having watched Dusty’s career unfold, both on and off field, that’s the biggest question I have, is whether he’d be the same man at another club that he is at Tigerland.

As funny as it might sound, being a Tigers supporter, this isn’t written from a point of view of desperate hope to keep Dusty at Richmond.

This time last year, I wrote on this very site that I was confident the Tigers could bounce back in 2017. That, too, was laughable – I was in a strong minority, even into the early stages of season 2017 that the Tigers could mix it with the top end of the ladder.

The year Hawthorn lost Buddy, they won the flag – so no, it’s not a clear cut comparison (well, not yet). However in 2015, Adelaide finished 7th, edging out the Dogs in the Elimination before a Hawthorn belting in the semi finals. Dangerfield’s presence in their midfield made a huge difference to their 2015 campaign, and there were definitely questions being asked as to whether the blokes he was leaving behind could take the step up without his presence. Don’t even bother trying to tell me that’s not truth. There were absolutely reports from both teams about how they’d be able to manage the following season without their star player, yet Adelaide climbed to fifth last year, and now a minor premiership, and Hawthorn went on two win the next two flags.

Dusty hasn’t carried the Tigers this year. He’s been fantastic, yes, but it’s on the back of a good whole-team performance that he’s been able to do so. He’s been so good, in part, thanks to the players around him. I don’t thin khe’ll get that same kind of back up at North if he ends up there, and I do think that the Tigers line up has enough strength to hold up in his absence as well.

I had very little doubt of the Tiges returning to play finals this year at the beginning of the season. However, if we win the flag this year it’s going to be an undeserved and unexpected one.

That’s not to say I don’t have faith – this season has shown that everyone is beatable on the day. The Tigers, right now, still have some holes in the line up. We need a second, reliable tall forward – not only to back Jack up but also to back up big Nank. If we get Griffo back, then fantastic, but I’m starting to worry on whether we can take him into the future…

The reality is to win a premiership, you need to be able to kick a winning score, as well as defend. This was the hole in both Ross Lyons’ premiership tilts: St Kilda and Freo both made grand finals on the back of being great defensive sides, but couldn’t kick the scores to win the big prize.

Our “premiership window” is open – but it’s only just open at the moment. If we progress forward from where we are right now, then the next few years are wide open for us, but 2017 as Tiger Time? I’m not selling off my Maurice Rioli club upgrade, but nor have I booked my flights for the end of September, either.

How dare you speak about Delta that way!

Grigg’s exploitation was great in that position last night, but it certainly wasn’t the only time that Collingwood demonstrated their own unfamiliarity with it, given there was a throw in that Nankervis took uncontested as no Magpie nominated for it.

What happened here doesn’t require a revisit of the rule, though. It just means that teams will need to make sure they’re paying attention to it. The rucks have to nominate, and it’s not a secret ballot – so as long as the players around them are paying attention, then there won’t be a problem.

I really don’t see money being the deciding factor behind Dusty’s decision. He’s not holding out til the end of the season to try and squeeze the $$$ – rather, it’s the direction of the team. A promising Tigers season will see him re-sign, another false dawn and he’ll chase a premiership. It’s Dimma and the rest of the playing group who will help him make this decision, not the salary cap.

I’ve been toying with the three-conference system for a while myself, Wayne. You’ve beaten me to the article, and added some complications in that I hadn’t included.

At the moment the league is kind of like a teenager after a growth spurt who hasn’t yet updated the wardrobe. The league’s jumped from the 12 teams that made a 22-round season work to 18, and is suddenly now realising that they screwed up in not also thinking about how it would fit into the season structure. However, I also am not sure that the size of the league is quite there to make a conference system work either, my gut says you’d want to expand to 20 or preferably 24 teams to reach this point.

What do you reckon… Tassie, Auckland, Wellington, Darwin… umm… Country Vic? And either a FNQ or FNWA team?

Nope. You don’t just drop someone for the sake of putting in a person who obviously doesn’t have the confidence of the selectors, the coach and the team. The whole claim here is ridiculous, and now it’s you who’s continuing to stoke a fire that should have been extinguished already.

Maxwell’s looking due to become this decade’s Andrew Symonds. Great talent, but ultimately his own worst enemy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s played his last in national colours – which isn’t a prediction, I will be just as unsurprised if/when he does make it back into the side, particularly in T20s, but he’s no longer an automatic selection just because he’s Glenn Maxwell, either.

I think you’re absolutely correct. I’m absolutely convinced that the first week bye ended up a hindrance to GWS and Geelong, who essentially played one game in a month, between the end of the regular season and their preliminary finals appearances.

My vision is that if the AFL decide this is going to keep happening after next year as well, we’ll continue to see more teams take the “long route” through to the premiership. I just can’t see how the ‘week off’ for the two top-4 winners in week one can enable them to take the same momentum into the preliminaries that their opponents will carry.

Agree with you pretty much completely. The saturation is too much – and the style of play is far too different to translate from T20 to Test, even with ODIs there in the middle. Warner managed it, yes, but with a lot of growing up required in the meantime. For him, though, how many players are sitting out in the cold because their T20 value doesn’t scale up the same way?

I’d rather a 125-135k swing master than a 4-pronged straight pace attack like we have now. Any day of the week I’d take that.

I do think that it’s a part of the problem, yes. I probably didn’t make that clear enough in the article itself.

I admit I didn’t go and check the stats on any of them, and was running from memory. I guess we’re sort of blurring the lines between “all-rounder” and the good old “part-timer” label. It’s a lot easier to be a part-time bowler than it is to be a part-time batsman.

Still – Steve Waugh’s average there is on par with where Marsh’s bowling average is at. Which probably hurts Marsh’s case more than it helps anything…

“Mini Marsh is a 25 year old who is still being given games based on … potential.”

That’s the thing. He does have the potential to be a good performer for the Australian team, if he can be used effectively. Although, as I reflect on it a bit more, the reality is that Australia needs a sixth batsman more than they need a fifth bowler right now. Marsh wouldn’t force out Starc, Siddle or Hazlewood on bowling ability, so he does need to be able to perform with the bat to justify his place in the existing side – and I’m not convinced that he’s got the skills to do that.

I also feel like the Australian selectors are trying to use a one-day style lineup in test matches, and it’s just not working as well as it could.

The batsmen I mentioned were a lot more useful with the ball than Lee, Warne, Gillespie – and probably Starc ever were with the bat. Johnson I’ll give you, but he did get the all-rounder tag thrown on him a few times in his career. He’s probably the best example for where I’d put Mitch Marsh, though, too (at least in the batting lineup).

Absolutely. Like I said – pitches in Australia the past few years have been a disgrace. It’s just that I do have moments watching our quicks these days, and wondering what they’re trying to achieve.

I agree with you on Test cricket, not so much on T20.

…Ish, anyway.

My experience has been that, in general, Test Cricket is only enjoyable when you understand the game a bit more. T20 is the movie version of the book – it’s quick, entertaining, and kind of stays basically along the same plot as the novel, but when you sit down and take your time to read the whole book, then you get a much deeper insight into everything that’s going on.

Part of the reason, though, that I think T20 is so popular is because we’ve got this focus on the batsman and nothing to the bowler anymore. Hell, the way they play it these days, just stick a Jugs at the end of the pitch and give the fielding team an extra man to chase it down. Our pitches the past few seasons have been a disgrace – no character at all, which again just serves the batsmen.

I mean, crikey – you don’t see this kind of thing anymore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGBS-HwG55s

I also wonder, though, whether it’s also a part of the bowler mentality these days. I’ve asked the same question of T20 – you land 6 balls on the batsman’s toes and he’s not slashing that anywhere. Even in test cricket, though, there seems to be a much bigger focus on that “just outside off” line, with the hope of getting an edge, rather than anything else much…

“Arrogant little ungrateful jerk who shows off his rotten school results, punches people in pubs, abuses other players and generally acts like a thug.”

I remember similar-style words being used to describe a new face on the Aus scene around 20 years ago. Trying to remember his name.. Richard… Ricardo… Ricky something or other?

The best news I’ve heard in the leadup to this season is that Brayshaw won’t be heard… Now if he would disappear from all media.

Probably thinking along the same lines as I hate pies… There is, in a sense, a “Division 2” – which is the VFL/NEAFL/WAFL/SANFL… Every AFL team has a ‘seconds’ team competing in one of these leagues, so adding an additional “Second Division” doesn’t really work by the model that you’re proposing here.

You’d essentially have to look at nationalising the seconds leagues that are already established – creating an AFL Development league or something like that, which would then, possibly, have the room to fit in some of those other sides – Tassie, NZ, Canberra, Darwin, etcetera. I wouldn’t really see that happening, though, either…

It is definitely a privilege to play at the G, I don’t think anyone’s denying that. However I think there’s merit to the idea of a genuine “home ground advantage,” too. Aurora is a fair fortress for the Hawks, North’s done similarly with Bellerive, Geelong has Kardinia, and even the Bulldogs have taken to showing their strength at Etihad during their revival in the past two seasons.

It’s certainly a long way from being the driving factor behind the Tigers’ problems, but I wouldn’t dismiss the idea of it becoming a strong advantage if (when) it happens.

Gale came out earlier this year with the suggestion to turn Punt Road into a 40,000 seat stadium. Would be great to see it come to fruition, I think.