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Joined February 2016
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Adrian loves to settle into an elevated seat looking down on the wing and regularly commutes between Docklands and the MCG. You can follow him on twitter at @adrian_poly where he complains too much about how bad footy is on TV. He likes to rank things.
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After the zombie season that was 2020 and the shocker of a year that went with it, it’s amazing how much comfort normal can…
For all the weirdness that was footy in 2020, here we are in a familiar place, with the seemingly indestructible Tigers ready to unveil…
If there’s been a more bizarre lead-in to an AFL season, then I can’t remember it. The games are due to kick off in…
Stirling started things off with 50-41 on Monday, and Josh had the numbers to back up players 40-31, and now it’s my turn as…
On Thursday, women’s footy champ Daisy Pearce said on SEN Radio that she thought “Dustin Martin is the best player to have ever played…
Past performance is no guarantee of future results, but if history is any guide, at least one of 2019’s bottom-six teams will play finals…
If five years ago you had suggested Richmond would one day be mentioned in the same sentence as the great dynasties of the AFL…
Not even the most broken, pessimistic Melbourne fan could have seen 2019 coming. A preliminary final appearance was followed up by a 5-17 season…
“No, we don’t owe anyone anything, mate, they’re professional footballers with contracts.” Those words were spoken by a list manager involved in the Joe…
Through good luck and good management, Geelong have played finals in 12 of the past 13 seasons. It’s a ridiculous run of excellence that…
You couldn’t blame St Kilda’s list-building team if they threw their arms in the air out of frustration after the Suns were handed an…
For the eighth year in a row we have a Victorian team taking on a non-Victorian team in a grand final. The Eagles snapped…
Back in 2015, as the Giants were coming good, you couldn’t throw a shoe without hitting someone in the footy community who was fearfully…
Injures and idiocy have done their best to spoil what shaped as the more interesting of the two preliminary finals. Just when the Giants’…
It’s tough to convince yourself this one will be a contest. The Tigers have been rolling for a few months now – unsurprisingly since…
In a lopsided first finals round, these sides were at least involved in games that were somewhat compelling. The Lions looked every bit the…
Semi-final round is always a bit strange. One team coming off a win, the other a loss. The higher-ranked side playing host on the…
This is about as good a match-up as you can ask for in the bottom half of the eight. They’re evenly matched and it’s…
It might not be the best match-up of the round, but Cats-Magpies is certainly the biggest. It’s got almost everything you want from a…
September is always a bittersweet time of the year. The year’s best month of footy kicks off tonight – the best teams playing in…
Dogs lost to Melbourne, St Kilda and Brisbane last year. Beat every five of the other seven finalists. Not saying I think they’re top-4, but there is definitely scope for improvement.
AFL Preview series: Geelong Cats
Spot on. I think the Vic bias is overplayed for the most part, but LeCras consistently flies under the radar. Having said that 50 spots do fill up fast.
The Roar's Top 50 AFL players: 31-40
I don’t think he’s a dud or anything. These lists are obviously subjective. It’s more that I’d have the other two higher. I think Parker is Sydney’s second-best player and Bontempelli is the Dogs’ best. I’m fine with Rockliff in the 30s. I like him as a player; like that he has a bit of an edge about him too.
The Roar's Top 50 AFL players: 31-40
Great, you’ve got the Dogs in your top four. Go to hell, you sick, twisted, monster.
AFL Preview series: Geelong Cats
Rockliff is a good player, but I reckon fantasy footy has elevated his reputation more than his play. I don’t think he’s in the same class as Bontempelli or Parker.
The Roar's Top 50 AFL players: 31-40
No Roughead in the top 10 was criminal. No Roughead in the top 20 is a war crime.
The Roar's Top 50 AFL Players: 11-20
Will reserve judgment until seeing the rest of the list, but interesting Ablett gets a free pass on 2015, but no Joel Selwood in the top-10.
No Roughead is criminal.
The Roar's Top 50 AFL players: 1-10
A good piece Ryan, I too have concerns about the Swans this year. It could be similar to what we saw from the Cats in 2015.
Buddy’s contract needs to be looked at as the long-term investment that it is – much like Tom Boyd’s with the Dogs. The Swans have gambled that he’ll deliver in his prime years and that any time at the end will be less damaging because of the rise in the salary cap. The Dogs are willing to pay overs (way over) in the early year(s) of Boyd’s deal in the hope he’ll come good and his salary will be more reasonable as the cap rises. Both are going to have years where their output doesn’t match their salary, but that’s the price you pay to poach a key forward.
The Sydney Swans' million-dollar question
“a feat he (Buddy) almost accomplished in 2014 in what was clearly his best season”. Whoah. Easy there Ryan!
The Sydney Swans' million-dollar question
OK, a few things.
Apart from the sterility of the stadium, Etihad is an exceptional place to watch football. The seats on level two provide the best viewing imaginable.
The location is excellent. There are loads of public-transport options. Why anyone would drive to and park at the ground is beyond me, but there are plenty of reasonable (less than $15) parking options in Docklands, the old railyards, and the CBD, all within 15 minutes walk of the stadium.
Between Medallion Club, Centre Wing (or whatever they’re calling it now), the AFL Members wing, and home-team supporters’ reserved seats there are a whole lot of seats that simply aren’t for sale on game day. So I’d guess anything north of 42,000 is close to “sold out”.
Attendance figures, like anything else, need context. For example, the Bulldogs (admittedly not a huge drawing team) played 10 home games at Etihad for an average crowd of 24,882. Not great, not terrible, but here are the teams the Dogs hosted at Etihad in those games: Collingwood (great),Carlton and St Kilda (cool), Melbourne (OK), and Brisbane, West Coast, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Fremantle and GWS.
The AFL's Etihad Stadium dilemma: Renovate or detonate?
OK, I’ll bite.
Given Essendon is missing almost all of their best players for one season, there’s not much point in analysing the current state of their list until we know what they’ll look like next year.
I don’t have the numbers at hand, but i’d guess it’s less than one year difference between the average age of Carlton and Gold Coast.
Of course, Gold Coast have a core of really good young players to build around, which the Blues, as yet, do not.
I didn’t think my piece was particularly critical of Carlton and I wasn’t being selective in my stats. The fact is, players have usually peaked by 25, so to have so many over-25s on the list of a bad team puts the Blues in an interesting and difficult spot.
That’ll do for me. If you didn’t like the piece, so be it.
Carlton's blues: An age old problem
You seem to be itching for a fight Macca. Yes, I do realise those things. I mentioned them in a piece I wrote a week ago: “They are the 10th oldest and 12th most experienced list in the competition, numbers that would suggest a mid-table team, not one coming off a wooden spoon.”
Carlton's blues: An age old problem
It’s a collection of people without affiliation outside the site and without a united agenda sharing their thoughts on footy. Not surprising that a lot of us will have an opinion on the Blues.
I think they’re an interesting team – at least in early March – given the unusual situation they’re in with an older list and a new coach at the beginning of a rebuild.
I wasn’t trying to torture anyone, and while it’s not in my best interests to say this, if you’re bored by Carlton articles, it’s pretty easy to ignore them.
Carlton's blues: An age old problem
No. I think it will just be a consequence of getting more young players onto the list and into the best-22, which quite clearly should be the goal.
Carlton's blues: An age old problem
If they surge up the ladder in 2017 then they’re doomed for another decade. If they’re taking this rebuild seriously, then they’ll be bad and spend the next two seasons (at least) getting the list in shape.
Carlton's blues: An age old problem
That’s not accurate. They have 15 players over 26 and 22 under 23.
Carlton's blues: An age old problem
I wouldn’t read anything at all into the NAB Challenge loss to Essendon.
Carlton's blues: An age old problem
Shiel is an excellent ball user. It’s what gives him the edge of Treloar for me.
The best young player in the AFL is...
Players’ reputations are definitely enhanced by playing in premierships – sometimes too much. It’s tricky in the current landscape to separate the two, because the Hawks won so young.
The best young player in the AFL is...
Sure does seem to be a lot of great players in those premiership teams though.
The best young player in the AFL is...
All of those guys you’ve mentioned are bad AFL players (maybe not Corr). And none of them is expected to be the No.1 key defender on a team that’s going to be swamped by entries most weeks.
2016 AFL preview series: Essendon Bombers
That back six is atrocious. Baguley the only one who’s an average AFL player. Gleeson could get there.
You say “Mitch Brown is back in the big leagues after a strong year at VFL level, and will perform soundly down back.” That’s a lot of confidence in a 25yo key defender who was playing VFL last season.
2016 AFL preview series: Essendon Bombers
14th probably too low, but they’re coming off a ninth-placed season and have already lost two important players – granted Lobbe is a nice replacement for Ryder. I think Port’s top-end talent distracts from a so-so list.
AFL Preview series: Geelong Cats