AFL 2011

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Footy season's starting again, and I for one am interested to see how the Gold Coast experiment works out. The NAB Cup's on now, and despite some pointless rules and a "3 matches in one night" for the first round, there should also be some talented youngsters getting a run against some top opposition.

Also, is anyone interested in an EWB AFL Dream Team comp this year? I'll create a league for us if enough people are interested.

[Noah]

Gold Coast should do well, I don't hold nearly as much hope for GWS being a success though.

[Ace]

i've got Dream Team, H4PM. I'd love to join an EWB league.

Also, very impressed with the Bombers under Hird so far. I don't think it'll last in regular season, but I'm hopeful of at least a top 10 finish this year

[Lineker]

I haven't followed footy at all since I left Oz last June - what prospects do the Swans have this year?

[Hornswoggle4PM]

I reckon they look great, was thinking earlier that if one team was to have surprisingly good shot at the flag, it could be them. Grundy, Pyke, White, Jack, Rohan, Dennis-Lane and Jetta all seem to progressing well for them, so they seem good for the future.

And yeah, don't expect much from GWS, at least not until they get a few big names and/or any interest in New South Wales.

EDIT: Just created the DT league. League code:

844089

. I've set it up so that once you're a member, you can invite others to join.

Edited February 26, 2011 by Hornswoggle4PM

[Ace]

I dunno about the Swans. They've just switched Coaches, which could hamper them, as they try and get used to Longmire's style after the decade long Roos Run.

That being said, they'll easily make the finals again, unless they get too many injuries.

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Footy to start in three days, still 14 spots open in the EWB Dream Team comp if anyone else wants to join.

[Sandars]

I dunno about the Swans. They've just switched Coaches, which could hamper them, as they try and get used to Longmire's style after the decade long Roos Run.

That being said, they'll easily make the finals again, unless they get too many injuries.

Horse (John Longmire) has been at the Swans for so long, he's probably forgotten everything he learnt from Pagan (a good thing), let alone have his own coaching style.... More of the same from the Swans.

Footy to start in three days, still 14 spots open in the EWB Dream Team comp if anyone else wants to join.

Ugh, Dream Team/SuperCoach blows... A simple tipping comp would've been better:p

Anywho...

2011 Ladder after Rnd 24:

Collingwood

St. Kilda

Hawthorn

W. Bulldogs

Fremantle

Carlton

Sydney

Melbourne

-----

Essendon

West Coast

Nth. Melbourne

Geelong (controversial)

Adelaide

Gold Coast

Brisbane

Richmond

Pt. Adelaide

[Lineker]

What the fuck happened to the Cats?

[Hornswoggle4PM]

We lost Gazza to the Gold Coast, our coach defected to the Bombers and we only made a prelim final last year, so some people have decided that we're done for now.

Still have a pretty good team overall, but I'd rule out a Grand Final unless Enright, Corey and Ling recover some of their best form.

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Cats 1 point down at 3/4 time, lucky it's been a low-scoring match or else we'd be gone. Selwood carried off early and has a bad concussion, but on the positive side Mitch Duncan has 2 of our 4 goals.

EDIT: Won it by one point after Dasher Milburn kicked a goal with 19 seconds left!

Edited March 25, 2011 by Hornswoggle4PM

[Noah]

Hunt isn't ready for AFL, says Carey

14:41 AEST Wed Mar 30 2011

Retired AFL star Wayne Carey says Karmichael Hunt has not done enough to justify his AFL debut.

Former rugby league star Hunt and his Gold Coast team will play their first games for AFL premiership

points this Saturday night against Carlton at the `Gabba.

"Karmichael Hunt, if it was anyone else, he wouldn't be getting a game," Carey told the Back Page Lead

website."I don't think he's done enough, I haven't seen him get any more than 15 possessions, albeit I

haven't seen all of their (pre-season) games."

Carey is one of the greatest players in AFL history and captained North Melbourne to two premierships

in the 1990s.

Hunt has given the fledgling Gold Coast team a massive publicity boost by switching football codes.

Edited March 31, 2011 by Chris Sandow

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Hunt's looking good at the moment aside from being unfit by AFL standards, but the rest of the Suns looked like no match for the Blues in the first quarter. Improved in the second though, and I'll call it now; Charlie Dixon to be the new Richo-style cult hero.

[Noah]

K got an 'F' for AFL debut: McKenna

Laine Clark 16:36 AEST Sun Apr 3 2011

The report card came out soon after Karmichael Hunt's AFL debut - "K" got an "F".

All eyes were on Hunt as the code hopper made a little history - along with the Gold Coast Suns - at the Gabba on Saturday night.

And Suns coach Guy McKenna reluctantly stated the obvious after the Suns' disastrous 119-point loss to Carlton.

"We have a very simple formula after the game, whether they are satisfactory or unsatisfactory," McKenna said."I thought maybe

(Hunt was satisfactory), but it (was decided)... it went against him - he wasn't satisfactory.But there a lot of senior players who

weren't satisfactory.But in the moment when he was there he looked okay - he certainly wasn't our worst player, that's for sure."

Outsized in defence, Hunt also looked lost as he tried to adjust to the pace of the game.

But as McKenna said, Hunt was "no orphan".

In a team boasting 12 debutants, only ex-Brisbane Lions midfielder Michael Rischitelli and former Kangaroo Dan Harris

-in his 150th game- could have left a shellshocked Gabba with their head held high.

Young forward Charlie Dixon - who kicked the Suns' first goal - showed promise as did Harley Bennell (17 possessions, one goal),

No.1 draft pick David Swallow (17 touches) and Brandon Matera (14 touches, one goal).

Even superstar Gary Ablett looked like a mere mortal after failing to play a pre-season game due to injury, but still collected 23 touches.

"I probably expected better but you've got to weigh that up," McKenna said of the Suns debut. "Even the leaders got swarmed at times

largely due to Carlton's pressure. For Gary, Bocky (Nathan Bock) and even Campbell Brown, they are going to have kids spinning their

wheels alongside them. For them to be expected to play like Gaz at Geelong, Bocky at Adelaide, they just don't have that consistency

around them. So we can't expect them to be superstars for us from day one. Let's not expect too much from not only our young kids but

our leaders as well."

At least Ablett will never forget his first game as captain.

"It was hard at the start, I wasn't quite up to the pace," Ablett said. "I went out there and said a few things to the boys at the start of the game, but you are not going to be a successful side unless you have 22 leaders out there. We had so many playing their first game and they are definitely going to get a lot out of that. We will sit down and review the game and go through some areas we need to fix up - there's definitely plenty of them - but the more games these guys play the better."

Still McKenna could find some positives.

"It looked bad on the scoreboard, but throughout the course of the game there was some exciting parts where the boys were able to play our style of football and it looked good," he said. "And we know over time it is going to get better and better and better."

Hawks use sub rule to effect

Roger Vaughan 21:37 AEST Sun Apr 3 2011

As AFL clubs nervously feel their way through the controversial new substitution rule, Hawthorn gave a lesson on how well it can work.

Early in the third term of Sunday's match against Melbourne, still trailing by two goals, they brought off ruckman Brent Renouf for sub

Jordan Lewis.

Renouf had a slight shoulder injury, but could have kept playing.

While it was a risk activating the sub voluntarily with nearly a half to play, Lewis' introduction gave Hawthorn more run through the

midfield.

Also, David Hale and Jarryd Roughead combined well in the ruck as they smashed Melbourne in the second half to win by 45 points.

"Certainly it helped having another runner, the real twitchiness of that is you know when you activate your sub five minutes into the third

quarter like we did, (then) you get another injury," said coach Alastair Clarkson. "It was like, `well, we've got a fresh guy, let's get him on

- we're not controlling the game and let's see if we get a change'. Now is that the reason for the change? I know Lewis had a reasonable

impact in the last 40-50 minutes of the game ... that was good, but Hale and Roughy, when they competed in the ruck, were really good

for us. Certainly they made contributions, all three of those players."

I figured I'd post those, seeing as everyone is curious as to how the Suns wll fare and Harmichale is important with regards to that.

Also the sub rule is a talking point and I thought that article might be of interest.

Edited April 3, 2011 by Chris Sandow

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Yeah, I'm just glad to see activity here.

It just hit me today why Hunt is looking so good yet getting shit heaped on him from everywhere. Although there's the obvious points - he's a natural athlete but doesn't have the technique or stamina for AFL level just yet - he is trying incredibly hard and probably has as many one percenters and spoils as anyone else who's new to the AFL has. I'm not saying he'll ever be great or writing him off either, but he has got skill and he looks to be improving. The "full-body cramp" in the last quarter today doesn't particularly mean that he can't play at the top level either, Josh Hunt cramped badly in the 3rd term during round 1 and he's been playing at AFL level consistently for at least 7 or 8 years now.

The sub idea has its pros and cons, and as with every new change, it has its fair share of detractors, One interesting suggestion put forward earlier this year was that clubs could play one ruckman in the first half and then sub him off for the other. But since nobody really wants their one fresh player to be a big immobile guy, everybody's now looking for guys like Paddy Ryder who can do some ruckwork but also fill in a key position well. I guess it's fair to say that guys like Mark Blake and Seaby could well have played their last game.

[Noah]

Another win for the Hawks, albeit it did get hairy at the end there.

'Swoggle what do you think of the odds on The Suns not winning a game this season?

[Hornswoggle4PM]

They'll probably win one or two near the end. They really should beat Brisbane or the Kangas after their poor start. Would've thrown Port in there too but if Rodan, Westhoff and Motlop can keep up their form from the Showdown the Power could be OK.

Cats v Hawks this week, probably a battle for 2nd on the ladder. Should be a good match, Scarlett, Taylor and others shutting down Buddy, Cyril and Roughead is a must.

[Noah]

Geelong always make me nervous.

Hope they bring their grand final '08 kicking boots.

[Hornswoggle4PM]

Grrr..... Mooney's been playing down back and in the ruck to give Menzel, Duncan, Christensen and Stokes space, so Ottens is our only real problem unless we just snap shots from all over the 50.

[Noah]

Lol Port.