Non-Lions discussion 2023

[Toffee Lion]

One could argue the better teams have lost the first 2 games and would’ve won with any semblance of structure forward of the ball.

Hopefully we're poor tomorrow.

 

[jonnobackpocket]

How’s that non deliberate call- disgrace

 

[Viceregal]

I said on the open game thread on the main board that if the Swans thought they were screwed by the umps in the 201GF, just wait until tonight against one of the VFL's favourite clubs - it was a given they'd get looked after.

Thus the old requirement to win beyond the margin of umpiring!

 

[Elixuh]

The umpiring was a disgrace tonight, but am kinda glad Carlton won. They will give the Dees a much better test. Put that Sydney team up against the Dees defence and they're no chance.

 

[p4p1]

Personally I think Maynard should get off. He is literally jumping up as high as he can to smother the ball, then when he misses, while in the air he braces for contact.

Incidental Contact for me. Free kick and that's it.

I don't want people missing games for an accident like that...

But people are getting rubbed out for accidents now most weeks. So why is this one different?

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

McKay looked like he didn't know where he was or what he was doing in the circle in the rooms. Needs to be in hospital

 

[Gadzorks]

I don't want to play Carlton.

They are full of belief, and that's dangerous.

Plus I reckon voss has a picture of the lions on the wall with a big fat bullseye on it.

Every ounce of his ability to lead and galvanize will be poured into that team when we play them. Will be a spicy rivalry on his behalf.

 

[Elixuh]

I don't want to play Carlton.

They are full of belief, and that's dangerous.

Plus I reckon voss has a picture of the lions on the wall with a big fat bullseye on it.

Every ounce of his ability to lead and galvanize will be poured into that team when we play them. Will be a spicy rivalry on his behalf.

Their entire structure collapsed tonight and they only won because of a mix of umpiring and luck. Sydney just didn't capitalise on all the horrendous turnovers. If Carlton blind kick like they did tonight, teams like us and Collingwood will score every time.

 

[p4p1]

I thought it was standard practice to play the finals under a different set of rules to the main season ... I've always thought that was dodgy but I thought it was standard practice to basically let the game flow as much as they can aka put the whistle away.

Which I’ve always found ridiculous tbh. Either enforce the rules all year or don’t. Can’t be changing interpretations based on the time of year.

 

[Gadzorks]

Their entire structure collapsed tonight and they only won because of a mix of umpiring and luck. Sydney just didn't capitalise on all the horrendous turnovers. If Carlton blind kick like they did tonight, teams like us and Collingwood will score every time.

Goal kicking yips by Sydney won Carlton the game.

Just in general I'm nervous of the blues. So much passion making it to finals after so long absent.

Voss might just be their fagan.

Or they could be calling for his head again by round two next year.

 

[rye]

carlton are pretty average. i would much rather have the prospect of facing them than gws at home

 

[Sanchez365]

Blues entire game plan all night was kick high long down the wings and hope Curnow / McKay / De Koning would mark, which their talls did a good job of making succeed. But do that against Melbourne and Lever and May will just pick you off all night.

 

[Elixuh]

Blues spent a lot of mental energy tonight.

If they win next week they will have used up even more.

A Carlton PF could be a drubbing

 

[Warwick]

That’s the beauty of finishing top 4 and winning week 1. You can sit back and let other teams knock out those banana skins.

Just need to win week 1…

 

[Section 5]

First two finals games.
The teams that got a good start won
The teams that kicked badly lost

 

[AFLQLD]

I think we are rapidly entering a brave new world and the AFL has found itself in an interesting and unpleasant situation with the Maynard incident. It might be emblematic of the conflict between two opposing viewpoints that the AFL has to somehow balance but probably can’t. They really have to play to two audiences - the “let-them-play”, “footy-accidents-happen” attitude as well as the “concussions-ruin-lives”, “CTE-kills” attitude.

Both arguably valid if isolated just in their own context, but the AFL has to live in the real world of medical specialists and lawyers so will eventually need to go with being tough on any decisions that lead to avoidable head contact that has the potential to cause serious injury. There is too much medical and legal quicksand ahead otherwise and players need to be protected.

Illegal play is clear cut. (Van Rooyen on McStay) Accidents that are genuinely outside a player’s control are unavoidable. But when a player makes a decision and that decision plays out to cause injury…things get interesting and controversial. And I have a sense that decision-making is going to be at the heart of how many incidents are reviewed in the future.

Maynard’s decision to leave the ground whilst running straight at a player will, I think, be where the arguments centre. Not the action, but the decision. The reason is that the AFL and players know damn well they can’t ignore the laws of physics - once Maynard left the ground at that speed and trajectory some sort of collision was highly likely. However Maynard could have chosen a different decision rather than the one he did. The AFL might well argue Maynard is an experienced player who could have reasonably predicted this outcome once he decided to jump with forward momentum towards Brayshaw. People will say that he was just doing a typical football action that went wrong, but in this day and age I doubt that will be a justifiable defence much longer. If you decide on an action, you become responsible for the outcome of the decision, not the outcome of the action.

I think we are increasingly seeing this subtle shift that puts the onus on the player to make decisions that are true to the competitive nature of the game whilst exercising an implied duty of care toward other players, knowing that their decisions play out in the physical world in ways that may cause unintended injury. But that doesn’t change the fact that the player made the decision. That is a difficult obligation in the heat of battle but I am not sure whether, long-term, the AFL has any choice in this.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[MacMum]

Cmon Saints, please win this.....

 

[Nathan Barley]

Saints the worst team to make the 8 this year

 

[Ceebee]

GWS looking amazing .

 

[Nathan Barley]

Saints can't defend the bigger ground

 

[irel]

Saints the worst team to make the 8 this year

They played their grand final in Rd24.

 

[Elixuh]

Saints win the ball and have no one to kick to lol

AA Wilkie getting exposed big time when all the saints players don’t have time to flood back

 

[Viceregal]

I am sure I remember some extremely cocky saints fans during our last game telling us they were going to take us down in the finals ... pity

 

[RU_]

Don’t know if I’d want to play the Giants this year.. not afraid of playing away and pretty dangerous.

Saints have found a little bit of a gear here, but not expecting it to continue.

 

[Warwick]

It scares me when teams go on runs like the Giants. We tend to find it difficult to stem the flow at times.

Port have that ability to pile on multiple goals in a short space of time - we have to stay switched on.