There are another lot of things that frustrate me with the one-dimensional tactics of RL these days… the Tigers a few years ago were the only team to inspire me somewhat. The game rarely breaks free from the set line of: retrieve kick, (hit-up, tackle, wrestle) x3, (a few passes, tackle, wrestle) x2, then kick… and it all starts again.

One thing we see regularly is teams being pinned back in their own 10m, trying to do one up hit-outs to reduce the risks in their own end, and the defence accordingly picking out these one-up runners. The 5/8 or HB then waits until about the 4th tackle to kick it down field whereby the wingers are back and they catch it at their 40m and are tackled on about halfway.

Two solutions: a) risk more passes for reward. Not my favourite option, but something has to give. Mix up the play a little bit, and you can throw in a hit-up/dummy half runner without the opposition predicting it. Or, b) Why wait until the 4th tackle to kick? There is always that slim chance of a line break, but if you’re talking about percentage plays, why not take one or two tackles, then hoof the ball downfield towards the touchline and make the FB run and retrieve it with no help. Umbrella him in and suddenly, in this form of play, you’re much more on the front foot. Of course, this would result in wingers going back much earlier in the count, but that opens up more field to play with.

Second issue: The scrums. There are two very simple solutions. Firstly, make the scrum feed absolutely straight. This way, the only way the attacking team will get the advantage is by making it a proper contested scrum, because only the hookers will be free to (do what they’re named to do) hook the ball. Second solution, take them out all together. I understand opening up the field a little more, but all that happens at the moment is the ball gets passed to a first receiver, and then hit-up.

Third issue: Most tries are coming from kicks. Very simple reason why this is happening: the wrestling at the tackle… and yes, a very simple solution. When a player is tackled, the referee calls “HELD”. The tacklers must then stand-up/roll off the tackled player immediately, so that he may play the ball. This will open the game up a lot more in attack, reduce our need to score from the kick, and perhaps make coaches consider teaching more 1 on 1 tackling… and hey, that might just solve this issues of ball security and 2 on 1 strips in the meantime?

That would apply if they had a creative move from their set-piece, but most of the time it’s nothing but: tap, hit-up runner straight at the line. Makes no sense doing that from 10m giving the defence line the opportunity to advance 5m in that time, as compared to doing it from 2m.

I too doubt we’ll ever see it, what has happened in the past has practically ensured that. The size of the overhaul would be monumental to create a sustainable model.

But, like I said, I do prefer the English model. Watching lower division soccer in the UK was much more enjoyable than watch NSW/QLD cup over here, the feeling of watching reserve teams just isn’t the same as watching a firsts team, no matter the division, and there was the feeling of connection from the bottom club teams to the top.

Maybe I should have highlighted more that I can’t see my suggestion happening anytime soon, and that for what I propose to work, the whole attitude would need to be changed. I do absolutely agree that fans would be lost, as does happen in the English Premier League (I am a big fan of the way english sports systems are set-up). The issue would be dampening this effect, and in turn highlighting the privilege of playing in the top tier.

Like I said, I don’t see it happening – the Australian sports culture is already established in certain ways that contradict promotion/relegation based systems. But I personally think we have an inferior system.

Getting more and more regular international appearances would do wonders for the game, but I still don’t like that we have the A League All Stars team… its just so American and tacky, and I know the alternative is a game where there is an obvious imbalance in talent, but I think that’s still the lesser of two evils.

Well, hypothetically a sports stadium + urban eating/shopping/bar precinct isn’t such a bad idea when it is adjacent to a university. Maybe run some shuttle buses from reservoir train station on game days, and make the drop off so patrons have to walk through the precinct to the stadium…

I know its a pipedream for now, but I’d like to think some Qatari or Arab can come along and blow a heap of cash on it.

Either way, there’s no way Heart can have any real identity when they play in the stadium that Victory use “when facing smaller opponents”

Actually there have been a few stories run about possible Geelong bids in the Advertiser. I’m not suggesting they might/might not get any attention once the team is established, but I don’t think they’d have any help to their cause with red and white stripes.

The problem with NSW cup is a majority of the team are the NRL clubs’ second teams, therefore obviously an inferior league. A true 2nd div (with or without pro/rele) needs to be made up of clubs’ first teams. It all needs a huge restructure.

To do this, is it too radical to suggest that we reduce the first division down to 14 teams? That’s with 26 rounds, one home, one away. Then a second division (where new clubs can enter) could have the same structure. Then the 3rd tier is the state leagues, who can earn promotion if they meet certain guidelines set out by the NRL.

This will increase the perception of the 2nd tier, allow for the sponsorship of the 2nd tier, and create excitement in the bottom half of the premiership about who might be relegated. If the NRL partners up with an airline, there’s no costs for travel. Certain TV time slots can be for the Premiership (Friday Night, Saturday Night, Sunday Arvo, Monday Night) and then others for the 2nd tier (Saturday Arvo, Sunday evening).

Have the two competitions complement each other, and you might find that attendances in the top tier go up, because crowds are grateful of being in the top tier, and struggling teams can rally for support to stay in the top tier.

Why does it need to be a merger? Why not just make Melb Heart, South Melb Heart? Build the identity up from giving them a geographical (and demographical) location. Let SMFC build their own merits in the NPL and if, hypothetically, down the track FFA decide that two South Melbourne teams is a good idea, then SMH and SMFC would be no different to ManU and Man City, Sheff Wed and Sheff Utd, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid or… hey, Melb Vic and Melb Heart.

Yeah, maybe they should look down the lines of what’s happened at St James’ Park with the french imports. It could be a good way to capture the Greek community without becoming ethnically tied. Once there is the initial support, then it’s only a matter of whether the club is competent enough to hold on to new supporters. With Fred and Marcel gone, that’s two regular import visas available, plus a marquee and you’ve got the possibility for three greek players in the roster. Of course, the players need to play good football.

In saying that, I can already see the anti-sockah headlines throwing back to NSL days.

In regards to the temporary seating behind the goals, look at http://stackedseats.com/. They look like little beauties, and based on some rough calculations, with the space available, there is the possibility for an additional 3000 seats at either end. The only issue would be the possible effects of the pressure on the running track, but I imagine we’re at an age of sophistication that there is a solution to prevent that. The other great thing about this is, depending on the opponent, they could be built accordingly to tickets sold, reducing costs for smaller games. The website estimates building at 63 man hours per 1500 seats (set up and pack up). For 6000 seats thats 252 hours… thats somewhere around $7000 in wages per transformation, and the seating could (hypothetically) be set up on the day and taken down overnight. Now from all reports I’ve heard, that will be a lot cheaper than the Hammers and the Olympic Stadium.

I can never imagine the Heart working in Geelong. It is a town painted blue and white. I agree it is definitely a potential market area, but if you are trying to capture the mainstream public in Geelong, it needs to resonate with the Cats AFL team.

It seems everybody is so paranoid about the resurgence of the NSL clubs (especially SMFC) that as soon as you put the words ‘South’ and ‘Melbourne’ together, everybody starts screaming anarchy and death.

I agree with you, but I don’t think there needs to be an association with Hellas. SMFC will continue to play during the winter and the fans can continue support in the winter, much like any WSW or SFC fan can support either team in the summer plus Syd Olympic, Marconi, etc. in the winter. However, while I don’t think there should be an official association, there are a few implicit things Heart could do to stimulate a new identity in the south/south-east. Somebody mentioned a pure white strip, but I think that would be stripping the heart out of the club (yes, terrible pun intended).

Instead, there could be some subtle changes to the kit that mesh the current kit with that of SMFC… just add in a little blue. Look towards something like the Stoke away kit (http://cdn.latestcasinobonuses.com/lcbcontent/newsimages/9890/thumb_main_stoke_city_bet_365.jpg) or the Atletico Madrid home kit (http://www.jerseysmark.com/html/upload/item_img/201208/11693/0134493879545ce5137AtleticoMadridHome.jpg).

As for Lakeside Stadium, I wonder what the costs of temporary seating behind the goals over the running tracks are. Carrara Stadium used to use them along the edges of the pitch, which went in front of the permanent grandstand being a few metres above ground. That would a) increase capacity, b) allow the hill areas behind those temporary stands to be ‘fan zone’, community type spaces, or just areas for kids to kick a ball, and c) bring the active fans much closer to the pitch, increasing atmosphere.

At the end of the day, the Heart does need an identidy. But it needs its own, not one adopted from an existing club. Get that right, and its not too late to salvage a passionate club with a lot of (…yes) Heart.

Let me begin:
“Dear Beardan,
Thank you for your utter graciousness. I know the difficulties that you must face trying to help the club who so ruthlessly shunned you for seven years before the almighty Wanderers gave you a true representative team. I see the masses trying to write off your comments as mere dribble, fuelled by hatred for such an evil club, but I see through that and notice the kind heart behind it all; just a football fan reaching out to fellow football fans…”

Now that your needs have been satisfied, come off your pedestal and listen to the well-thought comments that are repeatedly disproving your biased, inaccurate judgements based on nothing but your conjecture.

Captaincy doesn’t suit some players? ADP spent 11 years as captain of Juventus.

As for forwards not rushing back in defence, watch any EPL game of your choosing. Tell me when you see Tevez, Rooney, Ba, Adebayor etc. rushing back to help the defenders. Or just watch a Bris Roar game… watch Berisha. Your choice.

Kooga release two tiers of jersey, the ‘pro’ jersey and the ‘supporters’ jersey. The supporters one is made of cotton and has a proper collar, making it much more like a traditional rugby jersey. With the trend of rugby jerseys, I can’t see the collar making a reappearance, so it looks like the two tiers will be the compromise going forward

I’ll tell you a little story about the Springboks when they were under Nike sponsorship early this century:

They were due to come out to Australia and a mate of mine owned a footy store in Sydney. He decided that he would contact Nike in Australia to import some Boks jerseys to sell. The Nike contact said, “there are none.” So, my mate arranged a meeting with the contact. After a short meeting, it was established that Nike had only sponsored the Boks as promotional activity to increase brand awareness about Nike boots, runners etc. – they didn’t care about Springbok apparel sales. The deal had to be done via a slightly illegitimate path hidden from Nike hierarchy.

The issue with international companies is that they care much less about smaller Australian markets. Why should Adidas worry about an Australian team when they own the contract to all NBA apparel, sold worldwide. When they had the contract for Cricket Australia, trying to get orders in to the matchday venues on time was appalling. Likewise, I know Sydney FC had to order a minimum of 15,000 jerseys when they sold out.

On the other hand, smaller, Aus based companies have a ‘small’ contract like the Wallabies much higher on their priorities. As such, all my work with KooGa has been much easier. The only issue I have with them is I know their work at grassroots has gotten progressively worse (and more expensive) as they have gotten bigger. Canterbury I haven’t had any issues with, both at professional and grassroots.

The best thing about the rule is that it gives clear boundaries for the players to work around, simple as that. Simple boundaries = players adapting and soon enough there will be no news on this rule whatsoever. When the thugs get their heads around the fact there is no more shoulder charge and stop doing it for the sake of ‘it’s a part of rugby league’, there will be no more news on that ruling either.

In that same breath, you could argue that one player punching somebody, while not injuring them, does not deserve punishment. Whether or not it makes an impact on the game, it is a foul act and is punishable. The same must happen for the obstruction rule. Some of the calls I’ve seen this weekend I don’t think really impacted the play – both the Sharks and the Warriors had obstructions called when if the defender wanted to, he could have made the tackle. The fact is, the ball carrier is not supposed to run behind one of his own players. This is the most clear-cut the rule will get and will cause the least controversy. In Origin, would you rather a rule that might seem excessive, but everyone knows why it was called,or would you prefer a rule that polarises opinion so that half the crowd have no idea how the referee came to that conclusion?

My only issue is that this will make it easier for the defence to shut out games, making the attack rely more and more on kicks. The solution for that is simple: reduce times in the ruck. Make the defenders roll away as soon as the tackle is completed – the priority should lie with the attacking team playing the ball, not the markers getting into position. This will also tire players quicker, resulting in more attack. If you don’t agree with me, re-watch a game from say, 1992. The flow of the attack in the games is far more compelling, despite the inferior skill sets compared to those of today. And that is coming from somebody that wasn’t even born to see those games live.

It would be interesting to know if any teams have implemented breathalyser tests before training, like they do in the mines at the start of the day. Failed test = no training/suspension/fine + counselling … or something along those lines. Possible three strikes and you’re out policy. I know it seems strict, but with numbers like that, plus alcohol related stories being a regular in the sport sections, perhaps it is something that needs more looking at than the illicit drugs in sport.

Then again, drinking is something embedded in Australian culture so I doubt anything will ever be resolved.

Yes, those big clubs dominating the league were what I referred to as the “stagnation” of the league. That is the biggest concern and the reason why I believe that currently the salary cap is the best model – we need to stimulate the competition as best we can as to keep the league fresh in its infant stages. I do believe though that eventually, in the best interests of garnering worldwide interest in the league, we will need to remove the salary caps to allow our bigger teams to prosper on the world scale. That luxury tax in baseball is interesting, I don’t know much about it… is that a viable option?

I think that claiming the European competition will lose its status as the premier club competition in football is like claiming that the NBA will lose its status as the premier basketball competition by the same fashion. Now China is highest ranked of the Asian nations at No. 11. Japan is highest Asian FIFA nation at No. 26. Now I don’t see clubs from either country’s leagues being mentioned alongside the Miami Heats and the Barcelonas of this world, let alone the depth behind them to challenge the superiority of their respective leagues. Finance does not necessarily equate to quality.

Is the Financial Fair Play system not possibly something to look at as compared to the current salary caps and floors? My concern would be that it would create some stagnation in the competition, but the FFA could ‘prop’ up some clubs by helping fund marquees and guest stints to shake it up.

Geelong Advertiser will publish any stories related to Geelong, no matter the reality of the possibility.

Also, the Heart would never succeed out there. Geelong is a blue and white town, moving the Heart out there would be just as stupid as Cricket Australia making the Brisbane Heat a teal colour in the BBL… who in their right mind thought QLDers would take to the idea of having their domestic team’s colours change from Maroon to a colour somewhat resembling blue?

Heart would have more luck as South Melbourne Heart, and I think that says something.

Fancy going and living in Post_hoc ‘s world, joining me in creating our own club totally debt funded, drawing out all revenue as it comes in and then just liquidating our (non-existent) assets, before claiming insolvency and winding the business up like nothing happened? Seems like a good short-term investment to me.