Opinion Non-Crows AFL 4: The Centre Cannot Hold

[WetCrow1991]

There were some good wins against quality side. It's just we choose to play when we wanted to and were in most games we lost.

Yeah, both seasons we had good wins against Sydney. My main problem is given the context of 2016/2017 and the fact that we were obviously still having a go at a flag in 2018 and 2019, our seasons were shit.

Plenty of games, especially in 2018 we had the opposition practically handing us the win and we just couldn't take it.

 

[Bay62]

Is Aliir Aliir the reason Port will continue to fail?

I know he was an All Australian defender but hear me out.

Aliir Aliir was at his best when Port's midfield were able to flat track bully teams, forcing them wide and to blind kick down the line allowing Aliir an easy run and jump intercept mark. But....without doubt I can see why Sydney traded him. He is horrible, one on one, one of the worst in Ports 22. So much so, I think he is a weak link. The Western Bulldogs didn't have to complete a rocket science degree to figure out a way through Ports defence in that Preliminary final. They identified Aliir as a massive defensive one on one weakness and resolved to kick it to his man as much as possible. Yes he had injuries, but Carlton exposed him badly again on the weekend and honestly, unless he changes position out of defence, switch forward maybe, I think he will fade into a depth player pretty quick. Port don't have the midfield dominance anymore which means teams will get a better run at moving it forward which will expose Aliir.

On the Couch had footage showing how he was all at sea in a one on one situation. Got lost and couldn’t impact a contest

They also had damning footage of Essendon players just walking while Freo players were running off with the ball. Holy cow it was embarrassing how little effort they put in

 

[Thetrader15]

And I’ll relate a personal experience- was at a junior game last year to watch one of the grands play - I thought the 2 boys umpiring did a damned good job, so after the game when they were walking away I went after them to give them a compliment.

As I got close 2 blokes got out of nearby car and got between us. It was the 2 Dads. I said it was ok just wanted to compliment them and encourage them to keep going.

Sad that Dads said they are basically there as security. That’s where we are at though

Great that you went to give the encouragement, thanks for doing that.

 

[baldandbroke]

Don’t they get 7-8k per game?

That much? Well I stand corrected. Assuming the best do more than 20 games over a season, with bonuses for finals ... that adds up to a pretty decent number.

 

[Thetrader15]

Is Aliir Aliir the reason Port will continue to fail?

I know he was an All Australian defender but hear me out.

Aliir Aliir was at his best when Port's midfield were able to flat track bully teams, forcing them wide and to blind kick down the line allowing Aliir an easy run and jump intercept mark. But....without doubt I can see why Sydney traded him. He is horrible, one on one, one of the worst in Ports 22. So much so, I think he is a weak link. The Western Bulldogs didn't have to complete a rocket science degree to figure out a way through Ports defence in that Preliminary final. They identified Aliir as a massive defensive one on one weakness and resolved to kick it to his man as much as possible. Yes he had injuries, but Carlton exposed him badly again on the weekend and honestly, unless he changes position out of defence, switch forward maybe, I think he will fade into a depth player pretty quick. Port don't have the midfield dominance anymore which means teams will get a better run at moving it forward which will expose Aliir.

You know they've lost 3 games when he wasn't even playing?

He's not the problem, but coming back after 3 weeks off, he was clearly underdone.

 

[FR0GGY]

That much? Well I stand corrected. Assuming the best do more than 20 games over a season, with bonuses for finals ... that adds up to a pretty decent number.

I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that number before.
Certainly nothing to sneeze at if it’s around that.

 

[Punchy Bassett]

That much? Well I stand corrected. Assuming the best do more than 20 games over a season, with bonuses for finals ... that adds up to a pretty decent number.

Embarrassing they earn that much.

 

[FR0GGY]

Embarrassing they earn that much.

Receive?

 

[Bay62]

You know they've lost 3 games when he wasn't even playing?

He's not the problem, but coming back after 3 weeks off, he was clearly underdone.

This is true, but Port are also looking at him and making the same mistake they’ve made many times before - that he’s the final “missing piece” who will get them to a flag

Even when he’s fit and during, other teams have worked him out

He’s not the savior they think he is, and Ken’s a very naughty boy

 

[lincsPJ]

Embarrassing they earn that much.

$150k isn't an embarrassing figure to umpire games in a squillion dollar industry. the problems run much deeper than umpire's pay.
how many nights a week do you you think they run (all year long)?
they have reviews of games.
meetings with rules committees and the league.
plus train twice (it used to be twice) a week during the season.

 

[adelaidecrows]

The afl is even cracking down on its sponsors for umpire abuse.

On SM-N981B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[adelaidecrows]

You know they've lost 3 games when he wasn't even playing?

He's not the problem, but coming back after 3 weeks off, he was clearly underdone.

Oh he is. His intercept marking best in the league. His one on one, horrendous. Always has been. Was exposed several times in his all Australian year when they got flogged by several teams. Trust me, this isn't a two match isolated incident.

On SM-N981B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[ams4crows]

I hope a player just does the "macerana" when he doesn't like the decision, you can't call "dancing" umpire dissent. But in doing the macerana you can put your arms out, cross them over, put them behind your head and hands on hips. All ways to show frustration.

 

[flashcrow]

I hope a player just does the "macerana" when he doesn't like the decision, you can't call "dancing" umpire dissent. But in doing the macerana you can put your arms out, cross them over, put them behind your head and hands on hips. All ways to show frustration.

Maybe stadium management could arrange theme songs for different stages of the game, like American baseball.
Macerana could be for 50 Metre penalties. Torn could be for when port have a goal kicked against them. I'm sure there are more...

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

If a player doesn't get a free kick and waves their arms around as though saying "I was held" do they get a free against?

 

[rocket18]

If a player doesn't get a free kick and waves their arms around as though saying "I was held" do they get a free against?

Careful mate, Robbie Gray nearly fainted reading that.

 

[Geoffa32]

Is crossing your arms and staring allowed?

On SM-A325F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Mr MysteryGuest]

‘Exactly the opposite effect’: Long-time AFL umpire says dissent crackdown adds to pressure

Former long-time AFL umpire Darren Goldspink believes the league’s crackdown this year on disrespect shown to umpires is having the opposite effect of its desired intent.

www.theage.com.au

 

[FR0GGY]

‘Exactly the opposite effect’: Long-time AFL umpire says dissent crackdown adds to pressure

Former long-time AFL umpire Darren Goldspink believes the league’s crackdown this year on disrespect shown to umpires is having the opposite effect of its desired intent.

www.theage.com.au

No shit, the average human can see that.

 

[Bay62]

The poor buggers in the Sack Hinkley thread on the Port board have basically exhausted all the things they can say about how crap he is and why he should go, and while they wait for the next game - hoping for a WC win to put more pressure on him but worried that WC might be so compromised atm that Port can’t help but win - all they have left is to make jokes and memes about Ken and Koch.

They’re past bitterness, past despair, past hope, resigned to the fact it won’t happen soon but still wanting it to, just waiting for whatever sh** the footy gods will dump on them next…their posts are genuinely quite funny to read

 

[Mutineer]

Hutchy and CrapMedia geting rissoled can only be a good thing....

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...s-story/20762d65e9f0825dd2ba2d19d68fdf20Craig Hutchison’s reign as the radio rights kingmaker is coming to an end.The AFL is going over the final details of a new radio broadcast rights agreement with a restructuring of Hutchison’s Sports Entertainment Network role looming as the main change.

Craig Hutchison’s reign as the radio rights kingmaker is coming to an end.
The AFL is going over the final details of a new radio broadcast rights agreement with a restructuring of Hutchison’s Sports Entertainment Network role looming as the main change.
In a piece of genius negotiating back in 2016, Hutchison became the umbrella rights-holder which meant he oversaw various programming and match-day calling agreements with all AFL broadcasters across Australia.


It was a bold and gutsy move — the overall radio rights deal doubled from $5m to about $10m for six years — but it enabled Hutchison to get better advertising deals with companies such as McDonald’s as he was able to push them not just across SEN but rival stations as well.

Games broadcast through SEN’S AFL Nation then appeared in interstate markets on 5AA in Adelaide and 6PR in Perth.
However, Hutchison’s power base is set to be eroded with Nine Radio boss Tom Malone, whose company took over the ownership of 3AW in 2019, keen to take back control of their own destination.

At the top of the list is taking back the popular drive show and rebranding it under the Wide World of Sports banner.

Malone also wants to do his own syndication, which was Hutchison’s great jewel in the crown of the 2016 deal.

While the SEN boss will still play a key role in the AFL radio world and continue syndicating to his expanding empire of stations around the country, the new rights deal will have a different look to the previous blockbuster deal.

Triple M, K-Rock and the ABC are all expected to remain as AFL broadcast partners.

 

[FR0GGY]

Why do we not have a permanent Thursday night slot by now?

 

[StonesThrow]

It’s a bit more involved than this.

This syndrome is, in fact, a raging epidemic in a lot of modern organizations and government bureaucracies.

Someone who conducted their career in a particular fashion, slowly but surely abandons principles and views they were widely known to hold, at a pace commensurate with their rise to executive leadership roles.

By the time they’re a head honcho there’s nothing left but a shell, they’ve sold out everything they once believed in, in favour of hivemind handjobs.

This is a modern syndrome and Gen Xs are the culprits… they’re now the ones taking over these positions and ******* everything up.

Brad Scott is merely a poster child for this. This is a bloke who was a known tough-guy and antagonist on the field, he played in a team regarded as probably the hardest of the modern era — they took no prisoners and they spared nobody.

He’s the last bloke you’d expect to continue down the path of neutering the game.

But he’ll do it.

He’ll actively push for the game to become a floppy, flaccid shadow of itself.

Don’t expect anything less.

You should start a podcast bro

 

[ams4crows]

Why do we not have a permanent Thursday night slot by now?

Because it gets to cold, it's only ever the first 6 or so weeks of the season

 

[FR0GGY]

Because it gets to cold, it's only ever the first 6 or so weeks of the season

Too cold? Are Thursday nights colder than weekend nights?