FEARLESS 2022: Round 12 – Not so easy to flick the Dimmer Switch…and it may not be the answer anyway.

 

Subject: FEARLESS 2022 Round 12 – Not so easy to flick the Dimmer Switch…and it may not be the answer anyway.

 

Hi all, we’re catching up slowly…

 

Damian Hardwick suggests increasing the soft cap…which loosely translates into spending that AFL clubs undertake that is not on player payments. Whatever it was in dollar terms financially got drastically reduced due to Covid and the very real financial pressures of a pandemic. Many people were lost to the AFL industry – this is well documented.

 

Easier said than done. Yes physios, doctors, sports psychologists, development coaches, player welfare managers and trainers etc are all important in a footy club scenario. However we’re all highly aware of the photo of the Essendon Coaches Box that circulated a couple of years ago where there was 25 laptops…not anything dissimilar to any other club at the time. My mind wanders back to the days when North won a Premiership with a Senior Coach and An Assistant Coach..Denis Pagan and Tony Elshaug and the year was 1999. vastly different scenarios…what is the way forward? Is footy overcoached? Interesting questions that emerge..

 

Into this backdrop comes the Tassie question..can the AFL/Tassie afford another/a club? For fixturing purposes, can it afford another two clubs…? A 20 team competition, rather than a 19 team AFL. Lets say the Tassie Devils and the Northern Territory Buffaloes. The romance of the Tassie team is well embraced by many in the footy industry. The same could be said for the Territory. No other region will want a team after that. By the end of this year we will know where the AFL and its clubs sit on this question.

 

I would suggest that question comes first, second and third.  Nail the direction of the AFL for the next decade. The soft cap increase will come later, if at all. It’s a question of not overcommitting clubs in a manner that befits a club-based arms race to get better and more cutting edge.

 

 

 

2022 FEARLESS Rd 12. Ole Frothies May… again, the drinking doesn’t help his cause…

 

BYE: Carlton Essendon GWS Port Adelaide Richmond and St.Kilda

 

Equal parts finals preview and danger game, the Western Bulldogs hosted local rivals Geelong at Marvel on Friday Night. Young dog Flopsy Weightman displayed fair diving skills which earnt him the wrath of the footy world. The Cats seemed to have the Dogs’ measure for most of the night, courtesy of a fast start that had the Cats leading by 33pts at the qtr time break. From there the Dogs scored 9.5 to 5.9…so close and yet so far. Cats by 13pts in a quality Friday Night game that had no raining Cats or Dogs. Cameron 6!

 

The AFL Multinationals Cup took place on Saturday arvo as Adelaide hosted West Coast at the Adelaide Oval. The words annus horribilis has rarely ben used to describe the Eagles, however 2022 had seen the West Coast borrow the term of the British Monarchy. The Crows have shown glimpses of future promise in 2022, by contrast. Rory Laird 33 and a multi pronged forward arc of McAdam, Fogarty and Tex kicking 3 each, the Crows were never headed, a 33pt win that could’ve been worse. Eagles fought it out well.

 

North Melbourne started out very well in favourite son Jed Anderson’s first home game in his hometown of Darwin. TIO Stadiumon Saturday twilight and leading by 17pts at the 1^st change, the Roos were playing with purpose. A 7.7 to 0.0 2^nd qtr by the Suns proved their collective improvement, led by Shoulders Rowell, Budarick and young gun Touk Touk. A 62pt win by Gold Coast showed their maturity and where North needed to get to in seasons ahead. 34 scoring shots to 12, a fair gulf as was 81 to 36 inside 50s. Ouch!

 

Stung by their first loss in ages, Melbourne hosted the Sydney Swans in a finals preview at the MCG on Saturday Night. A lethargic start by the Swans evident as he Dees skipped away to a 20pt qtr time lead. 2.1 to 5.4 in the 2^nd and the Swans came roaring back into the game, taking a 2pt lead at the half. Sam Reid and Logan McDonald were relishing the absence of the Bud, finishing with 3pts. The 2^nd half was a belter for the tv audience and the crowd. Swans with greater forward efficiency home by 12pts. Dees lose 2 in a row.

 

For a game that was expected to be reasonably even but not really a finals preview, Hawthorn played Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday. Both sides had shown promising signs in 2022, freed up largely from finals-related expectations. Young Daicos 36 and Tom Mitchell 32 won the stats count and Hawk tall Lewis kicked 4. However Darcy Cameron in the ruck led the Magpie charge (19 HO and 26 stats) while Jordan de Goey continued his fine year, alongside Pendles, Sidey and new chum Lipinski. Pies by 4pts in a belter!

 

The game of the round however was Fremantle and Brisbane at Optus Stadium on Sunday twilight. Potentially a Grand Final preview, it lived up to its promise, with both sides showing their wares and improvements of 2022. A cracker from start to finish with the Dockers prevailing after the Lions looked set. Brisbane held the lead in the first half only but threatened to take it a couple of times in the 2^nd half. A 14pt Freo win testament to defensive setup. Freo’s Banfield 4, Lobb, Freddy 3, Lions Bailey 4, Cameron 3

 

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