Perhaps a bigger question is “should sponsors be allowed to set agendas for the sponoree?
Perhaps future sponsor agreements should have a percentage tied to the $$$ amount of how much say/voting rights they get with each sponsorship. We shouldn’t leave these types of decisions to uneducated misinformed people who run the sport in question. We need the intelligent, business savvy people who run the big corporations like Qantas, Toyota, Crown, TAB, Carlton United Breweries etc to make these decions. After all, isnt that what sponsorship is all about?

Thoroughly agree Lucrative. The on course race attendance is no longer aimed at the racing pundit, it is squarely aimed at the social attendee and boy, does it show. I used to attend races in Perth 20-25 times a year but now only go to Railway Stakes, Perth Cup and only for a social gathering.

I find that with Perth Racing, their only solution is to increase the entry fee on these 2 days, bump up the food & drinks charges, move a few barrels around in a bar, change it’s name then band on about how new & improved racing here is. It is a shambles. The quality of the horses is diabolical and is run by one or two influental owners (Bob Peters) who dictate distances, prizemoney and events.

Entry fee for the Perth Cup is $38 dollars plus $10 for a racebook, $11 for a craft beer and just to watch the same old horses running around as an ordinary under quality Saturday meeting. Make the entry fee $10-15, include a free $5 bet with the racebook, keep the food & beer prices the same as any race day, go out and chase one or two great horses like they used to 15 or more years ago and all of a sudden, you will have a renewed interest. But nope, they will just do the same thing and be happy as Bob Peters wins another 5 races.

In days gone by, we had Kingston Town, Vo Rogue, etc racing here during a carnival and the track was packed. Now we have some Open horse that has won one Group 3 plodding race and promote that as an entry of a champion.

Great article by my fave footy writer. Any minute now, Ryan will be getting a knock on the door from the AFL that he is not towing the regime’s line and it could be detrimental to his life/career. Watch out for a horses head under your bedsheets courtesy of Don Gil.

What is the “season-long point totals developed by ‘Following Football’ from all the game-by-game evaluations” ??

Is it a website/blog?

I know I’m going to cop it but if I had a choice of who to have in my side on this year’s form, I would take Martin over Fyfe 100 times over for the simple fact that he is the very much better team player. Martin brings more of his team mates into the game whilst still doing the Martin type things. Fyfe plays like the individual he is. There are a number of players I would have ahead of Fyfe such as Selwood, Neale, Kennedy, Cotchin, Pendlebury, Bontempali simply for their team ethos. One player can win you the odd game but the team and better captain will win you a hell of a lot more.

It’s funny that Ryan is being lamblasted for saying “and even then the Crows only got over the line by six goals” yet when Collingwood were beaten by 43 points, everyone was telling us what a fantastic effort that was by Collingwood? Go figure.Hmmm.

As a diehard Tiger, I love to hear this but I am still wary. Yes, we havent played much so far but then again, nor have the FWCE save for Sydney (lost) and a flaky Geelong and have also been looked after in the draw yet they are being lauded. Both these sides are top 2 ATM and can only play what is put ahead of them. Still early days but Ryan is right in saying they are both in the window AT THIS TIME and based on current performance. Nothing more people so put away your pitchforks.

Bang! Got him right between the eyes. Good article Ryan tho I daresay a few will get their nose out of joint, it is right on the money.

Can anyone tell me what the actual game plan is of Collingwood? I honestly cannot say what it is other than it dont work and it is for a different era of football. But hey, who is complaining?> Seeing that inept display for Collingwood brings a good feeling from a very big majority of footy fans!!

Without too much bias, a big power ranking for me was the Tigers comeback after the Blues magnificent start. It was not too long ago my Tigers would have just given up the ghost and gone on to a 10 goal loss OR they caught up, hit the front for a brief minute or 2 then lost the game but patted themselves on the back for an honourable loss. This team just has that resolve thing in abundance now.

Sorry Ryan, no more room to name anything after Buddy at Optus Stadium. Everything is named after Nic Natanui. The Nic Nac toilets, the Nic Nac urinals, the Nic Nac boundary line etc etc

Ross Lyon is not as safe as many think. Freo have invested heavily in him which is why there has been little comment externally but there are many within that are starting to speak up particularly as he is LOATHE to play anyone but veterans. He has clashed heads with a few within the club behind doors and if they have another rubbish year, lookout come end of season.

My take is that Richmond is where they are by trust. Trust in their teammates to give 100%, trust in their teammates to back them up and trust in their teammates that an error can be redeemed. The Tigers may have 4 pillars of concrete in Cotchin, Martin, Reiwoldt and Rance but it is the trust of these 4 in their teammates which is then reciporacated back to them. They play a great brand of team football where one player covers for the next. It is great to watch.

@Paul D “The Lions have been playing consistent footy for years and I assure you it’s overrated.”

Thanks Paul D. You just made me spurt coffee all over my screen. Best comment to diffuse this argument!!

As the Brownlow has proven over the years just one quarter is enough for votes.

Ramsay played with my son at CWP amateurs and they both went on to Easy Perth WAFL development squad so I saw a lot of Ramsay as a teenage and his foot disposal was considered well above average. His decision making was also very good so it is surprising to see the many errors he is making now with his thought process and poor kicking. I’m wondering firstly if his injuries have affected his kicking adversely or if there are no repercussions when he or other Collingwood players make poor kicks at the game reviews.

How often in today’s very molly coddled society have we seen players not taken to task for their errors? Perhaps Buckley has become too close to the players and dont get told home truths that may upset them? There are far too many players at Collingwood that have woeful foot skills yet at some stage, were known for a higher level. You also have a team that includes Penlebury, Sidebottom & Elliott (and now Wells) that are amongst the elite kickers of AFL. Surely these guys could be passing on their expertise or is this something Bucks doesnt do?

In the end Buckley has proven he is an average coach at best and his style of play is about 4/5 years too old. It is far too slow and defensive and gives opposition teams time to set up zones and pressure the player which of course, makes them dispose of the ball quickly, often poorly. It can be changed. Look at Hardwick and Richmond but Buckley doesnt strike me as someone who will admit his way is no good and it cant be done mid season. So it would seem a lot more pain for Collingwood in 2017 which is a real shame, isnt it??

Good Friday racing at Ascot certainly was amazing. Every article has a larger crowd to justify the destruction of a long held tradition. In the West Australian on Saturday, it was 6000 on the Monday it was 7000 and now, someone in the RVL said it was 8000. By the end of the month, the crowd should be up to 40,000 and growing. As someone who went, I would hazard a good guess at around 5000 at the absolute most with about 1000 to 1500 kids under 12 enjoying all the free rides. Let’s not forget, it was free entry with a hell of a lot of free inducements to boost the crowd numbers to justify the event. The fields were worse than a city midweek and the punting was abysmal. Even the local pastime of looking at the beautiful off track fillies and over dressed mares was nothing to write home about. But in the interest of ensuring that all traditions are destroyed and every ounce of money can be extracted from Joe Public, everyone can keep increasing the crowd numbers and over reporting of a non event.

Thanks Ryan and a great article. I, like your compatriot Cameron, am a long suffering (and always hopeful but deluded) Tigers fan. Whilst I have been rapt with the 4-0 start, I am trying to keep a lid on it and take it one FLAG at a time 🙂 and acknowledge we have beaten three teams that were expected to finish below us as by many experts. The win against WCE was more impressive than people want to admit as the Tigers had control of the game from about the 15 min of the second quarter and were holding WCE before the rain came.

What has been even better than the 4-0 is the way we have played. Like you say, we are now back to football that people and in particular, Tigers fans, want to watch. The football we played over the past 2 years was a club killer. It was boring, criss cross and easy to pick apart which is why we were bundled out 3 elimination finals so easily. Now it is fast, tackling and more direct. Why Damian Hardwick and his highly paid team of experts couldnt see the folly in this last year is anyone’s guess. As long as the coach and players can stay the course on this new style then there is hope for finals once again. Walkaway with 3-2 over next 5 weeks and I think we will be there. Even 2-3 as long as our percentage doesn’t suffer by getting a belting or two, which is highly likely playing Crows & GWS away, there is still a chance.

At this time last year, most Tigers had given the season up already and it wasnt due to the 1-3 record but the same style of play that had failed us. This year, it is new and once again gives Cameron & I hope……..until our beating hearts are ripped out of our dead lifeless bodies as we now come to expect as Tigers supporters!!

Excellent points Milo and like you, I have a bit of hated respect for what Carlton has done this year. They bit the bullet and stayed hard at the trade table and it has worked. We never seem to do that. We throw in a good hand whenever someone else bluffs us. Again, I must lay this at the feet of Hardwick. He is the man at the top. He is the one who sets the tone, the eventual plan, the motivation and he should be the one telling the recruiters what he wants. If he is not and Richardson/Hartley & co recruit what they feel then again, he needs to go as he doesnt have the control. If he is the one giving the orders then he has made far too many bung decisions such as Corey Ellis and Lennon as first round picks. Sure, I would have drafted them but NOT as first rounders.

Dont get me wrong, I am more than pleased with what Hardwick has done. He took a complete rabble and turned them into a competitive team but as we have seen over the past 3 years, he has probably taken them as far as he can. Time he was moved on but of course, thanks to Peggy and Gale, it will cost us $1.5M. However, if we dont make a move and IMHO, we wont as we are too scared of what the media will say, then we have lost a window of opportunity for at least another 5-7 years.

I hate articles like this. You can see the problems, we the supporters can see the issues and most of the football media can see them but for some strange reason, Hardwick and his band of merry men cant. I have been to matches where the crowd is screaming the voices off to move the ball quicker yet we continue to chip and retain, chip and retain whilst the opposition run their numbers back to plug the holes that Jack may run into. North Melbourne are the masters at taking advantage of us and that is why they have won 8 of the last 10 games. We are now playing an outdated brand of football. I recall 3 years ago, my father saying how much he enjoyed watching the Tigers but now, he gets up to make a nice bland cup of tea like our style. Personally, I think Hardwick and his cronies, including the list managers and recruiters have run their race but have now set us back 5 years at least. I would hate for us to trade off Deledio at seasons end for two reason. First, becausl I am selfish and feel that he is so crucial to our future but secondly, I have no confidence that even if we got two prize picks in trade for him, that we have any idea on who to pick and less idea on how to develop them. Our recruiting seems to always be 172 to 177 cm tall in the weight range of 72 to 76 kg who supposedly have great foot skills IF ( and its a big IF) they can hold of the ball.

Yep, a well written and researched article but I bloody hate it!!

Most of the young people I talk to seem scared of punting on horses as they don’t understand what all the terms, technical data and jargon means. Younger generations gravitate towards sports betting as they have a ton of info to hand that they can research then comprehend. There should be a website that tells them what a lugging bit does, what the purpose of a shadow roll is or what an on bias track rating is. There is so much jargon confined to the experienced racegoer that the newbies just cant understand. With the current generation, it is all about info and more of it. All of the above ideas in recent comments are what younger people yearn for. Get this out to them and bang, you create the interest.

Why do we have such a large cash prize for two year olds? This makes trainers or more likely owners, push these young immature horses many who have had 5/6 starts in a very short period of time to come up for the Slipper. It is a ludicrous situation and it is this that causes Slipper place getters to fail as an older horse. Nothing to do with a hoodoo. They should reduce the prizemoney substantially then use the savings to boost some of the 3 year old races