[Redlom Xof]

I know! Agree 100%. How can we be using up so much of our cap! It’s the AFLPA (AFL Players Association) EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement). It requires clubs to pay up to 95% of the Salary cap no matter what (or there abouts). It’s really fucking over clubs like Melbourne and Port Adelaide who have all this deadwood that they have to pay for.

That is such an obvious rule to benefit the bigger clubs. I'm sure a libertarian could link this into a politcal argument.

If Richmond can stop losing games by less than Goal and actually grind those out as wins, Richmond could easily be top 8. The Richmond list is the best I’ve seen in a long time too. It’s very good. Dustin Martin and Robin Nahas were two truly exceptional draft picks.

Yeah that really made our season look bad. We lost to most of the top 8 teams by less than 2 goals. Geelong, West Coast, North Melbourne, Fremantle and Adelaide.

Another interesting thing about our year was we beat both the top 2 teams, Sydney and Hawthorn. Beat the hawks by 60 points and Sydney by some good amount too.

But then we lose to Gold Coast and just won against GWS and draw against Port Adelaide. The bottom 3 sides of the compitition.

Richmond will be close to the top 4 next year. Usually when a side busts a "Hoodoo" they do it in spectacular fashion, like the pies did in 1990, or Sydney at the MCG this year. Richmond look to me like Collingwood did in '01, finished 9th a few more lucky wins and we would have made it... Next season we were playing on the last Saturday in September... So it's not like a team hasn't done it before.

I sincerly hope so colliric.

But I do understand others lack of optimism when it comes to this club, we're always just about to 'break through'.


A Richmond vs Collingwood grand final in 2013 would be epic.

[unbalanced zealot]

Port's Troy Chaplin may be going to Richmond. Considering Port's crap percentage this season - they should be trying to stock up in defence.

Actually Richmond's percentage was pretty good if I remember, not too far off Collingwood's, maybe just 5, 6 or 7 %? Which as the posts above mentioned, wasn't all accumulated by thrashing GC and GWS.

[Notorious B.i.G.]

I was at the GWS v Tigers game. It was the best GWS game I saw live all year.
They really had a shot. So yes, Richmond need to steady themselves.

Looks like Leon Cameron is going to GWS as assistant coach to Sheady with the expectation he will take over. So Port coach search is being narrowed down by people who don’t want the job!
Poor PA. They lost Primus in such a bad way. Bad season on the field. Then to lose a player via death. No-one wanting to coach. It’s going to be a hard year for PA next year. I feel for them.

I've been following the draft combine news this week. There are some guys over from the USA. This article is good, about a player who played NCAA Basketball.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/149066/default.aspx

[unbalanced zealot]

Port needs the AFL to buy out its licence from the SANFL and it needs to relocate its games from Football Park to Adelaide Oval.
Both these things should be happening in 2014. From there good things can happen, meanwhile 2013 will be another fucked up season.

[Notorious B.i.G.]

Port needs the AFL to buy out its licence from the SANFL and it needs to relocate its games from Football Park to Adelaide Oval.

But (and correct me if I'm wrong) Football Park is in Northern Adelaide, out towards where the ports are. Isn't the area Port Adelaides heart land?
I think a move away from Football Park (if the above is ture) will hurt PA. Moving to Adelaide Oval will be great for the Crows though.

[unbalanced zealot]

Actually it's in the (north a bit) West (from the CBD) in a suburb called West lakes which is more Crows territory than Ports.

It's actually not far geographically, but culturally it's way apart.

West Lakes is a 70s/80s suburbanite suburb for the new rich-ish with lakeside McMansions and a Westfield Mall. Port Adelaide itself is a hardcore working class area ... with bikies and Aboriginals, a different demographic completely. A lot of people in the northern suburbs (rather than north eastern) are Port supporters (a lot of public housing out that way).

Most Port supporters are working class types that are scattered all around the city. Crows are mostly the bland suburban Masterchef watching class living in the newly built suburbs.

Alberton is Port's HQ. Like the Port, an old area with old buildings and its own history.

From anywhere near Port Adelaide it would be a 15 minute express train ride direct to the city station a short walking distance from Adelaide Oval. To West Lakes it's a drive only with not much parking and would take longer in the end.

Map is a bit small but Football Park is to the west in a 'lake' looking area'.

http://www.cityimage.net/wp-content/upl ... aide_3.jpg

[unbalanced zealot]

OK season 2013 on the horizon ...

Who do you have for top 4?

If you are in Oz and are familar with recent commentary and/or have observations from the preseason, etc. could I put Freo as a top four contender. And how far have Geelong slipped?

[unbalanced zealot]

OK ... I'll go first.

Top 4 in no order are West Coast/Hawthorn/Freo and it should be Sydney but I'm not sure.

[colliric]

Didnt watch a second of the pre-season so going on Gut feeling

1. Hawthorn
2. Collingwood
3. Sydney
4. Carlton(the Malthouse effect)
5. Richmond
6. West Coast
7. Fremantle
8. Adelaide

Geelong to finish 9th. Essendon could feature anywhere, this years wildcarders. Melbourne won't win the Wooden spoon this year, possibly Port in my opinion. Don't care about the rest.

Collingwood VS Carlton Semi, Preliminary OR Grand Final(... In my Dreams or is it Nightmares?)... They'll build it up as Eddie/Buckley VS Mick...

[unbalanced zealot]

Richmond above West Coast is the only part in your 8 I don't see coming to pass.
But like you, I didn't watch any pre-season.

As a Port supporter I don't think they'll take the woodenspoon, but I also think GWS and Gold Coast will likely start to climb.

At this stage - just gut feelings tho.

[colliric]

Richmond above West Coast is the only part in your 8 I don't see coming to pass.
But like you, I didn't watch any pre-season.

As a Port supporter I don't think they'll take the woodenspoon, but I also think GWS and Gold Coast will likely start to climb.

At this stage - just gut feelings tho.

Essendon could go as far as the last Saturday in September(or is it first saturday in October now? I forget!), or have their entire season ruined by the findings of that inquiry.... So even though my gut says they will in the top 8(even close to the very top, tonights performance was good), I haven't put them officially on my list and probably won't even place them anywhere because frankly they'll possibly finish anywhere(both on performance, and also possibly due to circumstances beyond their control), could even be disqualified like the Storm were(and they would have gone close to winning the Premiership that year)!

Is it possible they could be punished midseason? When do the findings come back?

I think this is going to be the first time in years Collingwood, Essendon, Carlton and Richmond could all make the 8, unless Essendon is DQ'd, Malthouse doesn't have much impact in his first season, and Richmond take their traditional 9th spot. Collingwood will be there definatly.

[unbalanced zealot]

I'd like Richmond to make the 8 and win a final or two for the good of the game. A lot of Tigers supporters out there who have been waiting.

[unbalanced zealot]

Ok then. Carlton v Richmond. This'll be interesting.

[unbalanced zealot]

Sunday afternoon round 1. Pt Power top of the table, Collingwood bottom


Team P W L D F A % Pts
1. Port Adelaide 1 1 0 0 133 54 246.30 4
2. Bulldogs 1 1 0 0 127 59 215.25 4
3. Essendon 1 1 0 0 117 82 142.68 4
4. Sydney 1 1 0 0 106 76 139.47 4
5. Fremantle 1 1 0 0 108 80 135.00 4
6. Gold Coast 1 1 0 0 90 77 116.88 4
7. Richmond 1 1 0 0 106 101 104.95 4
8. Carlton 1 0 1 0 101 106 95.28 0
9. St. Kilda 1 0 1 0 77 90 85.56 0
10. West Coast 1 0 1 0 80 108 74.07 0
11. GWS 1 0 1 0 76 106 71.70 0
12. Adelaide 1 0 1 0 82 117 70.09 0
13. Brisbane 1 0 1 0 59 127 46.46 0
14. Melbourne 1 0 1 0 54 133 40.60 0
15. Geelong 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0
15. Kangaroos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0
15. Hawthorn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0
15. Collingwood 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0

[colliric]

Great win against North... And good on North for not lying down either, the last few minutes were fantastic.

[unbalanced zealot]

Richmond now 2 from 2 !

[colliric]

Richmond now 2 from 2 !

Not that impressive when you consider it's Carlton(Pretty much in the same boat) and an on the slide St Kilda...

St Kilda on the other hand have lost to Gold Coast and Richmond.... which is(traditionally given it's "Richmond") a pretty damn shocking start to the year. Not a good sign of things to come.

In fact Richmond took too long to finish St Kilda off, they were playing good enough to have the game over at 3/4 time(heck I thought they were totally outclassing the Saints in the first but couldn't put it on the Scoreboard as much as they should have) and the Saints looked terrible all night, but Richmond clearly struggled with tiredness early in the second quarter, midway through the third and early into the fourth.

I still think Richmond will finish 5th though, they've got a good side, but perhaps they just need to pace things a bit better... they could have thrashed St Kilda by 10 goals last night if they had of been more effective. They were kicking bags of goals, and then suddenly going impotent, and then when the saints got a whiff again the tiges kicked another bag of goals, got tired again, let the saints get close again and then kicked another bag. Inconsistent!

Saints were flattered by the scoreline, they were terrible, really terrible. Finally back to the Cellar dwelling where they traditionally came from? That was Wooden Spoon crap it was.

If St Kilda lose next week and go three in a row against GC, Richmond and the Giants, they can probably book their September holidays and start figuring out what they'll do with their high draft pick for next season. I'd tip Melbourne to win, based on St Kilda's performance last night.

P.S. Choco is the real reason why Richmond have a real shot at the finals this year. They have a good Coaching Team for once.

[unbalanced zealot]

Watched the Freo, Bombers game last night ... can get it on Australia Network on my cable service. Good game to say the least.

[colliric]

Watched the Freo, Bombers game last night ... can get it on Australia Network on my cable service. Good game to say the least.

...Between two terrible sides neither of which I now believe will make the 8.

Oh and Carlton won't either.

Richmond could be 4th, Collingwood 3rd(Premiers tip still), Geelong 2nd, Hawthorn 1st.

[unbalanced zealot]

... Between two terrible sides neither of which I now believe will make the 8.

That's interesting. I'll have to watch a few more games from this season, but I think both will be in the second half of the 8. Early days tho.