Game Day PF - Sydney Swans v. Port Adelaide 20 Sept 7:40 pm @ SCG

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Sitcom Treatment: "Benched"

Genre:
Black Comedy

Premise:

"Benched" is a brutally dark comedy about Sam Reid, a former AFL player who has completely derailed his life after retiring from the game. Sam, once revered on the field, has turned into a self absorbed, manipulative wreck who makes terrible decisions while chasing the fading glow of his past glory. His ego, unchecked and fragile, drives him deeper into a hole of chaos and destruction. Adding fuel to the fire is his equally flawed best friend Michael Talia, a former Sydney Swans player and notorious one gamer with a cocaine problem. Together, they form a volatile duo that’s as funny as it is tragic.

Main Characters:

Sam Reid (Protagonist):
Sam is a washed-up, egotistical ex-footy player, spiralling out of control post retirement. His selfish, short sighted decisions constantly hurt those around him. His desperate need to stay relevant in a world that’s moved on leads to increasingly catastrophic outcomes.

Michael Talia (Best Friend): A former AFL player, Michael Talia's career fizzled out after just one game due to injury and scandal. He now spends his days partying, feeding his drug addiction, and enabling Sam’s self destructive tendencies. Michael’s cocaine problem is a running theme, as he’s often trying to hide his habit with erratic behaviour that only amplifies Sam’s chaos.

Kim (Sam’s Ex-Wife): Sam’s practical ex wife, who is trying to raise their kids in the shadow of his increasingly toxic influence. She’s smart, fed up, and always prepared to put Sam in his place—although it rarely works.

Kev (Sam’s Shady Agent): Kev, Sam’s sleazy, past his prime agent, keeps dragging Sam into all kinds of questionable gigs, each one worse than the last. His dubious ethics fuel many of Sam’s downward spirals, though he’s just trying to survive in a world that’s forgotten them both.

Episode Structure:

Each episode sees Sam and Michael sinking deeper into bad decisions, driven by Sam’s ego and Michael’s drug fuelled antics. The comedy comes from the morally reprehensible situations they find themselves in, as they try (and fail) to cling to any semblance of their former glory.

Sample Episodes:

Episode 1 – "The Red Rooster Meltdown":

In this darkly hilarious episode, Sam and Michael head to Red Rooster after a long night of drinking and doing cocaine. Sam, still living in a delusional bubble where people should treat him like a hero, loses his mind when the teenage cashier doesn't recognise him and messes up his order. Sam causes a massive scene, berating the staff and demanding VIP treatment because he’s "AFL royalty." Michael, high as a kite, only makes things worse by trying to order an absurd amount of food while ranting about conspiracy theories. The episode ends with them being thrown out, but Sam continues to insist the world is against him, never realising he’s the problem.

Episode 2 – "Talia’s Return to Glory":
Michael, in a rare moment of clarity, decides he wants to make a comeback to the AFL and convinces Sam to help train him. However, the training regimen turns into an all night cocaine binge, and by the time Michael shows up for his tryout, he’s so wired that he passes out in the middle of the field. Sam’s reaction? Blame the coach for not seeing "true potential." This episode explores how deep Michael's addiction goes and how Sam's delusions prevent him from seeing the damage they cause.

Episode 3 – "Shift Happens":
In this episode, Sam Reid buys a Nissan Cube, believing he’s made a savvy purchase with his “new ride.” However, Sam’s complete lack of understanding about the basics of driving an automatic car leads to a series of increasingly absurd and dangerous situations. Sam, convinced that the D on the gear shift stands for “Day Mode” and N for “Night Mode,” refuses to listen to anyone’s advice, resulting in a catastrophic (and darkly hilarious) driving adventure.

Themes:

Moral Decay & Narcissism:
Sam’s refusal to accept his fall from grace drives much of the show’s comedy and tension. His descent into selfishness and delusion is reflected in Michael’s equally dark journey into addiction.

Toxic Friendship: The show explores how Sam and Michael’s friendship is a ticking time bomb, with each enabling the other’s worst habits. Their dynamic is both hilarious and tragic, as they’re clearly bad for each other but can’t seem to part ways.

The Destructive Nature of Ego: At the heart of the show is Sam’s enormous ego, which blinds him to his own flaws and constantly pushes him toward bad decisions. The humour comes from watching him refuse to change, even as the consequences become increasingly dire.
Bloody magnificent!
 

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Sitcom Treatment: "Benched"

Genre:
Black Comedy

Premise:

"Benched" is a brutally dark comedy about Sam Reid, a former AFL player who has completely derailed his life after retiring from the game. Sam, once revered on the field, has turned into a self absorbed, manipulative wreck who makes terrible decisions while chasing the fading glow of his past glory. His ego, unchecked and fragile, drives him deeper into a hole of chaos and destruction. Adding fuel to the fire is his equally flawed best friend Michael Talia, a former Sydney Swans player and notorious one gamer with a cocaine problem. Together, they form a volatile duo that’s as funny as it is tragic.

Main Characters:

Sam Reid (Protagonist):
Sam is a washed-up, egotistical ex-footy player, spiralling out of control post retirement. His selfish, short sighted decisions constantly hurt those around him. His desperate need to stay relevant in a world that’s moved on leads to increasingly catastrophic outcomes.

Michael Talia (Best Friend): A former AFL player, Michael Talia's career fizzled out after just one game due to injury and scandal. He now spends his days partying, feeding his drug addiction, and enabling Sam’s self destructive tendencies. Michael’s cocaine problem is a running theme, as he’s often trying to hide his habit with erratic behaviour that only amplifies Sam’s chaos.

Kim (Sam’s Ex-Wife): Sam’s practical ex wife, who is trying to raise their kids in the shadow of his increasingly toxic influence. She’s smart, fed up, and always prepared to put Sam in his place—although it rarely works.

Kev (Sam’s Shady Agent): Kev, Sam’s sleazy, past his prime agent, keeps dragging Sam into all kinds of questionable gigs, each one worse than the last. His dubious ethics fuel many of Sam’s downward spirals, though he’s just trying to survive in a world that’s forgotten them both.

Episode Structure:

Each episode sees Sam and Michael sinking deeper into bad decisions, driven by Sam’s ego and Michael’s drug fuelled antics. The comedy comes from the morally reprehensible situations they find themselves in, as they try (and fail) to cling to any semblance of their former glory.

Sample Episodes:

Episode 1 – "The Red Rooster Meltdown":

In this darkly hilarious episode, Sam and Michael head to Red Rooster after a long night of drinking and doing cocaine. Sam, still living in a delusional bubble where people should treat him like a hero, loses his mind when the teenage cashier doesn't recognise him and messes up his order. Sam causes a massive scene, berating the staff and demanding VIP treatment because he’s "AFL royalty." Michael, high as a kite, only makes things worse by trying to order an absurd amount of food while ranting about conspiracy theories. The episode ends with them being thrown out, but Sam continues to insist the world is against him, never realising he’s the problem.

Episode 2 – "Talia’s Return to Glory":
Michael, in a rare moment of clarity, decides he wants to make a comeback to the AFL and convinces Sam to help train him. However, the training regimen turns into an all night cocaine binge, and by the time Michael shows up for his tryout, he’s so wired that he passes out in the middle of the field. Sam’s reaction? Blame the coach for not seeing "true potential." This episode explores how deep Michael's addiction goes and how Sam's delusions prevent him from seeing the damage they cause.

Episode 3 – "Shift Happens":
In this episode, Sam Reid buys a Nissan Cube, believing he’s made a savvy purchase with his “new ride.” However, Sam’s complete lack of understanding about the basics of driving an automatic car leads to a series of increasingly absurd and dangerous situations. Sam, convinced that the D on the gear shift stands for “Day Mode” and N for “Night Mode,” refuses to listen to anyone’s advice, resulting in a catastrophic (and darkly hilarious) driving adventure.

Themes:

Moral Decay & Narcissism:
Sam’s refusal to accept his fall from grace drives much of the show’s comedy and tension. His descent into selfishness and delusion is reflected in Michael’s equally dark journey into addiction.

Toxic Friendship: The show explores how Sam and Michael’s friendship is a ticking time bomb, with each enabling the other’s worst habits. Their dynamic is both hilarious and tragic, as they’re clearly bad for each other but can’t seem to part ways.

The Destructive Nature of Ego: At the heart of the show is Sam’s enormous ego, which blinds him to his own flaws and constantly pushes him toward bad decisions. The humour comes from watching him refuse to change, even as the consequences become increasingly dire.
Would love to have a recurring theme in each episode of his interactions with various retail workers.
 
Can all of you please use the Sack Horse thread as a melt containment bay tonight?
I am so over Horse and our club in general being judged solely on our GF record.
We stole a flag from Hawthorn in 2012 when they were the best side for the year. They then repaid the favour in 2014.
We had the flag unjustly stolen from us in 2016 by 3 arseholes in white.
We simply were not ready in 2022. All the media were amazed with what we had done in 2022 leading up to the GF and they were all saying that 2023/24 should be our peak time. We were like bunnies caught in the headlights on that day.
Kids playing against men. However, up to that day we showed what a brilliant team we could be and the first half of this year was vindication of that.
It would be disappointing if we were not to win it this year but the reality is there is so little between teams these days. It's simply a case of who plays better on the day.
Personally, I believe Brisbane has the best 23 of the sides remaining. That doesn't mean they are the best side but man for man they have the best 23.
At the end of the day, supporters from about 12 other clubs would love to have been Swan supporters over the past 20 years.
 
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Will be sitting in my living room alone watching it while Mrs Zevon the Giants supporter is out on a girls night. I’ll be at the pub with you in spirit mate
I'll be with Mrs. Bandicoot watching from the loungeroom. The missus will be cheering just as loud as me.
 
I am so over Horse and our club in general being judged solely on our GF record.
We stole a flag from Hawthorn in 2012 when they were the best side for the year. They then repaid the favour in 2014.
We had the flag unjustly stolen from us in 2016 by 3 arseholes in white.
We simply were not ready in 2022. All the media were amazed with what we had done in 2022 leading up to the GF and they were all saying that 2023/24 should be our peak time. We were like bunnies caught in the headlights on that day.
Kids playing against men. However, up to that day we showed what a brilliant team we could be and the first half of this year was vindication of that.
It would be disappointing if we were not to win it this year but the reality is there is so little between teams these days. It's simply a case of who plays better on the day.
Personally, I believe Brisbane has the best 23 of the sides remaining. That doesn't mean they are the best side but man for man they have the best 23.
I think part of this wider footy public narrative comes on the back of two very large GF losses. Had Horse gone 2 and 2 in GFs, without the major drubbings, he would be hailed as one of the great coaches of the modern AFL era.
 
I've asked chatGPT for the scoreline at the end of the first quarter.

3.2 (20) to 2.3 (15) in favor of the Swans.

I'll be back, going to ask for the lotto numbers. I'll let you know how I go
Apologies to anyone who liked this post.

When I asked what the half time score would be, I got this:

"A possible halftime scoreline might be around 7.4 (46) for the Swans and 5.6 (36) for the Power"

Still a little too close for my liking, but I'll take it. But when I asked what players were likely to step up in the premiership quarter I got this:

Screenshot_20240920_135007_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
I was just reading the port board and then suddenly 'never tear us apart' started playing on spotify. I'm not sure if that's an omen, and if it is, if it's a good one or a bad one. probably bad
If I can offer my interpretation. Port were begging not to be torn apart. They've already conceded in my humble opinion.

Either that or AI surveillance of humans has just gone to another level.
 

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Not what I'm hearing. Some were, but largely all the remaining Qantas flights were full

I say it as I always do you are brainless travelling a day before
 
So stressed - I just can't get to a place of confidence of winning this game. I mean every game, bar the Port loss, I knew we'd be in it and more than a chance to win by our second half performances, but this game feels like a coin toss.

Logically we are a different team with Paps, Rampe, Melican and Parker all in. Francis and Ladhams being out is like saving 4 goals on its own, JMac's best is better than what we have seen from Adams this year and Corey warner doesn't add much to the team yet IMO . Given the ins, the home ground and the week off, it's hard to see a reason why we shouldn't be confident in a win. Hopefully our record against Port and the stinging loss this year will focus the coaching staff and team to address our weaknesses against them, but the doubt is there.

Heart says swans by 36, head says geez I hope we just win 1 point or otherwise
The positive is we had 2 weeks to review the footage and come up with a plan B. And as you said, the personnel at our disposal are all upgrades on those thay went out. A fair bit of extra experience in the side compared to that match. And our form line has reversed from that period.

I'm quietly optimistic and get the sense that Port will go in with confidence, but when the results fail to match their expectations and they fall behind, I think they might capitulate and we'll return the favour from our last encounter.

Swans by plenty... please.
 
I live in Melbourne and this morning I walked to the shops and saw Swans flags outside a Party Supply store. Two stores down a guy wearing a Swans scarf went into the store. A little further down the street there was a lady wearing a Swans scarf 🙂. I was going to wear my Swans cap but I didn't want to jinx us!
 

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Game Day PF - Sydney Swans v. Port Adelaide 20 Sept 7:40 pm @ SCG

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