Zach who?
Every year, at the end of the home-and-away season, the AFL’s All-Australian squad of 40 is announced. And every year, fans and media pundits…
Roar Guru
Joined February 2016
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Essendon fan, cricket fan. Not necessarily in that order.
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Every year, at the end of the home-and-away season, the AFL’s All-Australian squad of 40 is announced. And every year, fans and media pundits…
This was just meant to be a two-week gig, but AD only got home late yesterday and I've managed to wrangle a third round…
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After a disappointing 12 months of One Day cricket, culminating in an awful home series loss to England, Australia is in need of a…
Not strictly forced, but they’ve made the new stadium a condition of having a team.
The AFL should lead the way in proposing better-value, cheaper stadiums - without having to rely so much on the taxpayer
A walking distance stadium is a nice idea, but it shouldn’t be a requirement. It definitely wasn’t for GC or GWS.
The problem with the current location is that the ground would barely fit and there’s no room for parking. They also need to relocate the existing sewage works, the most recent cost estimate of which is rumoured at about $300m. If they are going to target a location adjacent to the city then they should be using the site of the TCA ground on the Domain, or even slightly further north at the Crossroads Ground. There would still be objections because the construction and parking would eat into the reserve , but the important part is that the ground and the space are already there, as well as direct accesses out onto the surrounding highways.
That said, there are also easy ways to address the transport issues with Bellerive Oval, like buses and ferries. And half the games would be played at York Park anyway, which is getting a $130m upgrade.
The AFL should lead the way in proposing better-value, cheaper stadiums - without having to rely so much on the taxpayer
I don’t think the edge stuff had anything to do with the Wright incident, though. Wright’s not a rough player, he’s a big lumbering guy who got himself into a bad situation and didn’t handle it well. It was clumsiness, not malice.
The incidents that should be drawing the most ire are Draper’s hit and Hind’s attempted elbow. Those are examples of taking the physicality too far and hopefully they’ve been quietly put in their place.
'The Essendon Edge': The Bombers are trying to fake it until they make it
“As any North Melbourne fan will tell you, it won’t be through anything the coach does, tactical dullard that he is.”
That ‘tactical dullard’ took an average North list to consecutive prelims, so he must have done something right.
Essendon’s problem is that they haven’t had anything resembling a successful culture in an age. Trying to encourage more physicality is just a part of showing this list that the bruise-free, unfit brand of footy they’ve played of late isn’t going to cut it. Whether or not they tell people that they’re trying to be physical is pretty irrelevant. In this media-saturated era we shoot people down when they don’t offer up insights about their club, and then shoot them down when they do.
'The Essendon Edge': The Bombers are trying to fake it until they make it
“At no point is Wright playing the ball”
This is just manifestly untrue. If you slow down the front on vision, he CLEARLY has his eyes on the ball, arms cupped below his chest to take the ball, as he goes to take off. The decision to brace for contact happens after he has already committed to the jump. I genuinely think he was oblivious until the last moment. Cunninham came more from the side than in front of him.
I don’t have an issue with an argument that says the should have been more aware of Cunningham, or that his reaction to protect himself put Cunningham in more danger than if he’d just kept his arms out. The problem I have is with comments like “you can’y just tuck the arm in and jump into the guy” because that’s not what happened. It’s the reverse. He went to jump and then tucked the arm in as a split second reaction. Again, if you want to ‘jump into a guy’ you don’t turn in the direction he did.
He’ll go for at least 3 weeks (unless he can get the impact downgraded from severe to high), as as much as I’m disappointed for him, I get it. The AFL wants players to do more to protect the head, and incidents that were fine a couple of years ago will no longer fly. I’m just sick of the character assassination. These suggestions that he lined Cunningham up or made a conscious decision to play the man defy all available evidence, not to mention Wright’s squeaky clean character.
Six Points: Papley's hypocrisy, Wright's Tribunal verdict the wrong call, and why are we retiring Pendlebury?
I don’t fundamentally disagree with that, I just think some of the claims about Wright’s actions are going too far. I accept that he will be out for at least a couple of weeks; more, if Essendon can’t get the impact downgraded from severe.
Six Points: Papley's hypocrisy, Wright's Tribunal verdict the wrong call, and why are we retiring Pendlebury?
Lol here is an image of Wright taking off on his launch foot. Eyes on the ball. forearms in front preparing for a chest mark. If Cunningham hadn’t been there he was in a perfect position to take it.
https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/432214634_10163822328272846_6888950266869099236_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=1fKmoGlErQ8AX8uFyY4&_nc_ht=scontent-syd2-1.xx&oh=00_AfBLCt8lhrRFCsIoBYlNF7IuA1zhvFuilAMmX1eSeZK2Gw&oe=6605613A
Wright learns fate as massive hit on Swan sent directly to Tribunal
Laughably incorrect.
Wright learns fate as massive hit on Swan sent directly to Tribunal
Thank you for a more rational take on the Wright incident. All these people saying he chose to bump, or didn’t intend to mark the ball. It’s ludicrous. Wright will get a holiday because he’s clumsy, not because there was any malice involved.
The only part I tend to disagree with is that the impact was definitely ‘severe’ That’s the absolute worst grading it can be given. So where does the MRO then go if Wright had actually dropped his left shoulder (rather than turning chest-on) and breaks Cunningham’s jaw? I think there’s at least a reasonable argument for the Bombers that the impact level was high, not severe, which in my view should be reserved for the worst of incidents.
Six Points: Papley's hypocrisy, Wright's Tribunal verdict the wrong call, and why are we retiring Pendlebury?
There is danger colliding with any opponent at speed. And bracing to protect yourself isn’t a thought-out decision. There’s no time to analyse it, let alone sum up the opponent’s height and weight.
Six Points: Papley's hypocrisy, Wright's Tribunal verdict the wrong call, and why are we retiring Pendlebury?
Powell-Pepper’s problem was that he approached the contest intending to bump. He might not have meant to collect his opponent high, but it wasn’t about self-preservation. That said, it looks like Wright will end up with a similar punishment.
Also, Wright sought Cunningham and Longmire out immediately after the game to apologise. The guy is a kitten (often to the frustration of Bomber fans). He doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body.
Six Points: Papley's hypocrisy, Wright's Tribunal verdict the wrong call, and why are we retiring Pendlebury?
“He was not remotely positioning himself to take a mark…”
Sorry, but this is completely incorrect. If you look at the front on replay you can see Wright’s eyes are 100% on the ball as he goes to take off, with his arms starting to cup in front of him to take a chest mark. His intent the entire time to that point was the ball.
He made the wrong call to brace instead of keeping his arms out, but it’s a split second, instinctive thing. He had no intent to bump as he approached the contest, and even turned his chest towards Cunningham in the end, rather than his leading shoulder, which could have caused a far more serious impact.
Six Points: Papley's hypocrisy, Wright's Tribunal verdict the wrong call, and why are we retiring Pendlebury?
Not at all Macca. If you freeze frame the front on shot when he’s pushing off to jump, his eyes are on the ball and his hands in front as if he’s preparing to take a chest mark (which is why they weren’t raised). It’s only after he’s started his jump that he ended up bracing for contact, in the split second before impact.
You’ll also notice that he turns his chest *towards* Cunningham, rather than turning away and offering his leading shoulder. He could have made that much nastier. It was clumsy and he’ll get a holiday because of the current climate around concussions, but there was no malice in this.
Wright learns fate as massive hit on Swan sent directly to Tribunal
I agree that Sicily should have been fined for the kick, not suspended (medium impact, lol), and I agree that players need to be able to stand up for themselves when being targetted. But how they do it still matters. As dumb as the kick was, I was more concerned that when McGrath came in to bump him – an act that occurs dozens of times every weekend between players – Sicily dropped low and lifted him, dumping him into the turf. Setting aside whether or not McGrath deserved it (he probably did), between the dump and the kick his response was pretty braindead.
Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history
I mostly agree, but I’d also add that the first session partnership of 61 between Smith and Khawaja was much more important than it initially looked. When the team totals in each of the other 3 innings were sub-200, getting through the new ball like that was a big boost. The next highest opening stand in the game was 15. I imagine Green was much happier going in after lunch, rather than 20 minutes into the match.
Test Mortem: Aussie aura living rent free in Kiwi minds, Marnus officially in a form slump, DRS needs review
I don’t necessarily disagree with all of your points, but I think you’re underplaying his efforts in India. The first 3 pitches they served up there were exceptionally difficult for batting – only once did a team score more than 270 – and he managed to scratch out at least one meaningful contribution in each game, to be our second leading runscorer behind Khawaja. I suspect if we’d been served up better decks, he would have got more value for his grind.
COMMENT: Horrendously out of form or not, Australia would be mad to ditch Marnus now
The problem with the ‘if you take out’ argument is that you need to apply it to any other batter you’re comparing him to. The reality is that almost all batters score more runs against weaker teams and at home. If you pick apart Kane Williamson’s record you’ll probably see something along those lines, yet he’s acknowledged as elite. The ones who consistently perform strongly against the best opponents in the toughest conditions are as rare as hens’ teeth.
Marnus averages 40 in India, 39 in England and 50 in Sri Lanka (albeit the latter is from only 3 innings). Since Clarke’s retirement, is there an Auatralian whose name isn’t Steve Smith who has comparable numbers? In fact, ignoring his single innings so far in NZ, he really only has underwhelming away averages in Pakistan (34) and the UAE, and that UAE series was in 2018 before he had really got his career underway. He’s yet to tour RSA, WI or Bangladesh, due mainly to COVID and selective scheduling.
Also, while I’m not a big fan of the ‘eye test’ when it comes to cricketers, from what I’ve seen of his dismissals he’s getting himself out a lot, rather than routinely being found out technically by good deliveries. That suggests his issue is one of confidence and a scrambled mindset, rather than his actual ability being significantly lower than initially thought.
I agree that there has to be a limit to the faith the selectors show in him, but gee, any replacement would want to grab the opportunity quickly.
COMMENT: Horrendously out of form or not, Australia would be mad to ditch Marnus now
You could say that, but you’d be wrong.
COMMENT: Horrendously out of form or not, Australia would be mad to ditch Marnus now
Starc, Hazlewood, Smith and Cummins didn’t play for NSW because they are in NZ, initally playing T20s and now preparing for the first test on Thursday.
Round 8 Sheffield Shield wrap – Who's putting their hand up for an Aussie Test spot?
Warne had 13 Shield wickets to his name on his test debut. McGrath around 30. No hard and fast rule should ever prevent obvious talent from being selected, especially if there isn’t another dominant candidate at the time. (And for the sake of accuracy it was 22 wickets, since he debuted the previous season.)
Why Starc should be first to make way if selectors opt to regenerate ageing Test team’s legendary bowling attack
Now you’re just making things up. He has at least one 4-for in each of his previous two Shield seasons. Across those two seasons (having missed some games due to test and A game selection) he’s taken 21 Wickets at 21, at an economy under 3rpo and a strike rate around 45.
And he wasn’t expensive in Nagpur. He took 7/124 off a mammoth 47 overs, with an economy rate of just 2.6. He bowled almost as many overs as Lyon, who only took 1 wicket. So clearly not anyone would have had the same result.
I’m going to assume you’re just making this argument because you think Rocchiccioli (who I also rate highly) should be ahead of him, despite having fewer FC wickets at a significantly worse average and strike rate, and also never having taken a 5-for in the Shield.
Why Starc should be first to make way if selectors opt to regenerate ageing Test team’s legendary bowling attack
Okay, I hadn’t heard that comment from him. I’m a bit doubtful he has it in him to go for 2 more years in tests. We’ve already seen his speeds start to drop a little. Hope I’m wrong though.
Why Starc should be first to make way if selectors opt to regenerate ageing Test team’s legendary bowling attack
#couplegoals
Heartbreak for Healy as she matches Mitch's 99 in Australia's day of dominance over Proteas
They certainly shouldn’t be. Fitness-permitting, all 3 quicks should be lining up next summer.
I’m not sure a 2-test tour of SL will look incredibly tempting to Starc if he’s contemplating retirement at that point, though. And given the low-key nature of the matches, the selectors might see it as a good opportunity to blood someone like Morris.
Why Starc should be first to make way if selectors opt to regenerate ageing Test team’s legendary bowling attack
It’s not really near Salmanca Place, which is on the other side of the harbour. It would overshadow the historic jam factory buildings along Evans St but they aren’t really a hub of activity anyway. There are good reasons why the current proposal shouldn’t go ahead, but protecting Salmanca Place isn’t really one of them.
The AFL should lead the way in proposing better-value, cheaper stadiums - without having to rely so much on the taxpayer