It makes perfect sense to have all the good players playing for their teams come final time. However it opens the door for a bit of loving touch-up in the finals. And why not, if you can get away with it and your club can win the silver wear. It has been going on for years. It is not as if it is anything new and it is a good little top of resource for the AFL’s petty cash tin. We’re in hard times and desperate times require desperate measures.
The AFL always win out in the long term.

Carowhine Wilson may have said the AFL would be morally bankrupt if they chose to hold the GF anywhere else but Brisbane. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) Some of us have known for sometime, that the AFL are morally bankrupt when it comes to dollars. However, it all largely depends on whether they weight up the long term future of AFL footy in the northern states, having always been primarily RL. Would holding the Grand Final in Brisbane help the AFL secure more of the market and long term benefits ???

A leopard does not change it spots.

Speaking of Connor McKenna. Leaving bits out changes context. He arrived back in Australia, had a test and it was negative. He had a running nose etc. had a test and it was inconclusive and self isolated. Then had a test two days later it was positive and so he self isolated. Other media beat ups, the club knew about there were no secrets.

I know you have to get your click bait happening that’s how make your living but please try to keep to the facts it helps everyone.

If only the AFL could afford some more training for AFL Umpires and particularly, mentor them on the holding the ball rule which seems to change by team or day or both every five minutes. It is a blight on the game. How the players are supposed to know how and how by playing tippy, tippy, touch wood, its a ludicrous situation?

Further more, no one is allowed to criticise the umpires or have an opinion. Utterly ridiculous Gill. This is costing clubs and making the “competition” a real competition of unfairness. Do something about it please.

Are there more injuries this year because of the continual switching of grounds and different surfaces or; are we just hearing about every little thing more because of the teams in hubs? Certainly Essendon have had their fair share of injuries and the same players being injured after just coming back from injury. Whether this is sheer bad luck or this has something to do with the players recovery plans or it does has something to do with the grounds and the players sensitivity to injury. Who knows?

Tonight will be a big test for Essendon. They need to come to play and they certainly lacked that oomph against Adelaide last week. In fact they were extremely lucky to get away with that win. They need to hit the Gabba running to have any show. Go Bombers.

One thing which may change if the Grand Final for Aussie Rules is held outside of Melbourne, cov19 or not, it opens the door for it to happen again in the future. This is a win for al Aussie Rules fans all over Australia.

There were four young women. Throw them all into Bogga Road, they won’t make the same mistake again. They are ignorant and so self obsessed they wouldn’t have any idea what they’ve done an how serious it is. They will soon find out though.

It really doesn’t matter the size of the stadium, or how many seats they are, the AFL put up the price of tickets and those who want to be there will pay to go. The sponsors will pay which ever way it goes, the AFL will win.

How does anyone ever measure crooks or how crooked someone supposedly is??? As long as a very long stretchy piece of elastic.

I agree. However will those who make the decisions at the Bombers be brave enough to do something very different and perhaps out of the norm for them. Its time for change. We need to cut some of the dead wood. How Essendon go about their trading is something entirely and almost predictable.

Riddled with injuries but then again, so are many other clubs, the Bombers, could set themselves up for 2021 and 2022. The million dollar question is will they do it?

Stop arguing boys, its definately got to be Essington. Essendon is the genuine heart breaker of supporters.
We almost did everything we could to lose to Adelaide and still won. Go figure that one.
The footy gods must be laughing.

I agree with most of what you’ve said.

I want to comment on the standard of umpiring of the Essendon/Adelaide game. Even though I think Essendon probably had the rub of the green, which is unusual. I have to say I think the umpiring helped ruin the game. It was chaotic, lacked skilful application and Adelaide really deserved their first win. I am simply mystified as how Essendon held on to win. Adelaide definitely had the flow of the play in the last quarter but could not kick true in front of goal. That is what lost them the game. Truly it was a miserable game of footy. And; it won’t be the last we see of that type of game.

The AFL need to fix this problem with the holding the ball rule so that umpires can umpire with some degree of clearness of the rules and players can get back to playing.

The performance by Essendon was a blank. It was nothing less than a slaughter-fest by the Doggies. It seemed Essendon threw in the towel, came back again in the last quarter when the game was already lost. They did not go to play that day. Yes they have injuries, what team hasn’t?

Woosha’s coaching of the Bombers leaves many wordless. Why no tag on the Bont? The coaching team obviously did not do their homework on the Doggies or perhaps thought “we know.” They could have used any one of several players and tagged the Bont. On the other hand, Essendon’s good players were tagged and/or shut down. The action only really began in the last quarter when the game was well and truly lost.

Sadly for their long standing starving supporters it seems, there is no glory on the horizon for the once mighty dons.

And furthermore, what about when footy is played in greasy conditions?
If the AFL are so worried about collisions and hits to the head, its OHS mate. Then lets go with OHS and when its wet or the conditions are greasy, everyone has to wear a helmet.

That’s of course if the AFL is serious about head injuries and concussion.
I don’t think they are but they have to be seen (the optics are important) to be doing the right thing to elevate the danger, whether it happens or not.

The whole tribunal system is need of an overhaul and really the hypocrisy of the game is crazy. When one thinks the players are expected to play to win, they are expected to hunt and get the ball, they are expected to stop their opponent and interfere with their progress. Then when they do exactly that, they are hauled up to the tribunal.

The inconsistency in the decision making process is ridiculous. The AFL have a ton of evidence and precedents. The INTENT is created the by the AFL and the clubs – what are taggers for??? Players are meant to do whatever they have to do to interfere with their opponent but not get caught out. Therein lies the whole problem. Players don’t where their stand or where the line is, the ground rules keep changing. The public are confused and frustrated by the craziness of the decisions.

Get off your hands AFL and fix the problem which you have created.

Connor McKenna, since returning from Ireland has had about probably by now about ten tests. One test last week was irregular and then gave a positive reading. The next test was negative and he has been tested again since and has not had a positive reading again. TPTB think he may have had the virus when in Ireland and by the time he arrived back in Australia was over it. But really who knows. This virus has proved to be different in so many ways to other viruses known to the world’s best scientists. So Connor and James Stewart and now in isolation and they will continue to be monitored and tested. None of the other Essendon players have tested positive period.

We need to come next week and the one after and thrash both Melbourne and Carlton and prove
we are a cut above where we were last year. Fingers crossed it can happen. Miracles!

I agree with you and I did not expect to feel the way I felt. I was really disappointed. Probably not on my own and it is only the second game of the season with lots of interruptions and not a clear playing field. If the AFL did not need the money from the Broadcasters, I wonder if they would have bothered with 2020 at all?

Its early days however some of us called it, that the players would go hell for leather, more scrapping particularly after half time as they got tired. High scores I don’t think that is going to happen unless its a COMPLETE WALK OVER.

Thought Collingwood got the break early and then backed off. Richmond on the hand played catch up and were lucky to miss out another five minutes and they’ve had won the game because they had most of the flow. Collingwood went into defending too early and were lucky to come away with a draw.

I watched the game but if this is what it is this season I’ll watch my own team, not interested in the others.

Majak work your magic, we are cheering for you.

I disagree, shorter quarters will mean that players will go hell for leather in the shorter time frame. I don’t know if the scores will be higher but why do you think the AFL is considering extending the bench with six spares. Could it be because the AFL expect players to go hell for leather and there may be more injuries? This is all about protecting the game and the sponsors not necessarily out of duty of care to the players. Let’s wait and see what unfolds. I think you are way off base Charlie.

Its not about which code is better or best, it is simply admiring both men and women who play the game and their special qualities because that is the gift they bring to it. And long they they live.

Essendon should let Joe Daniher do whatever he wants to do now. It is rumoured he is injured again, I hope that’s all it is.

Joe hasn’t played any footy in a couple of years. Playing the blame game is never a good idea no one ever really wins even if you get the chocolates. If he is out again this year he walks anyway, if he is fit enough to play. The game of Aussies Rules is a brutal game, good luck Joe which ever way it works out.

And; I agree it could have been the trade of the year for the Bombers, they let it slip through their fingers because they failed to see what they were looking at.

And neither does Trump. If people cannot see this guy is on the spectrum they are blind.
There are some things he is good at and there are other things he needs people around him. He cracks jokes which most others don’t get and take seriously. I am glad he is not the PM of Australia but remember this, people get what they vote for or at least some do. The US voters had, had, enough of the Clintons, the Bushes, the Obama’s- they voted for Trump and this is what they have. Maybe they should have put him into Treasury because he knows how to make money or he employs people who do.
The world we knew as strange is getting stranger and perhaps, some of it will free some of us up and we will wake up because the majority have been asleep for years and maybe as a result of cv, we might stop thinking purely about selves and think about others too and about the environment and the animals in it.
And bringing back footy will keep people in their lounge rooms hopefully.

It was good enough for Chris Scott to take no pay from Geelong this year. To help out everyone else. That’s a good example of leadership by someone who is prepared to forfeit something for the greater good.