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The Roar

Tim Miller

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Joined October 2016

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I love cricket so much I once had a dream I was timed out. It was the worst nightmare I've ever had. I also support the Western Bulldogs, which, much like dressing like clowns on the street and scaring people, was weird and depressing for a very long time, briefly became amazing in late 2016 and then swiftly went back to being weird and depressing. I also occasionally tweet about things at @timejmiller.

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AFL Rising Star Power Rankings: Every nominee rated from 1-24 - is it Sheezel's to lose in the best crop of young guns ever?

Yeah that’s fair. I’ll say this about headlines: the goal is to try and get people interested enough to read it. Sometimes that might mean a bit of hyperbole but with so much content around you’ve sort of got to buy into it a bit to stand out.

Footy Fix: If you're not terrified about your team facing the Hawks yet... you should be

Build of Kouta and the brain of Hird. I’m buying all the stocks.

Footy Fix: If you're not terrified about your team facing the Hawks yet... you should be

Oh yeah, the Pies will be fine. Daicos injury is a bad one but one more win locks up the minor premiership and gives them a flagging Port in the first week. Imagine adding him to a prelim final line-up…

Footy Fix: If you're not terrified about your team facing the Hawks yet... you should be

More of an expert than me at this point 😂

Six Points: Port's concussion farce, an all time MCG classic, and a day of upsets flips the season on its head

Hi Peter, can I add this comment to my CV? 😂 😊

Footy Fix: ANOTHER Magpie magic act sinks the Power - here's how Collingwood pulled off their greatest heist yet

Love what Cuningham and Fogarty have put together in particular as pressure smalls over the last four weeks. No coincidence that the lift has come with these two recalled.

Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo

I wrote last week that North will be fine and stick by that. They gutted the list before time in 2016 by getting rid of Boomer Harvey and co. which set them back for a long time, and they’ve had one properly failed rebuild with the David Noble tenure.

LDU’s properly close to being a top-20 player – just needs a clean run with injuries in my view – and Sheezel/Wardlaw are only going to get better.

They might be 2013 Melbourne now, but the Dees built pretty solidly after that. It’s going to be a long haul but no one’s bad forever.

Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo

There’s pros and cons to both, but my view is the travel factor isn’t as big an issue as it’s purported to be. Victorian teams get to sleep in their own beds etc. when they play Geelong in Geelong and still no one wins down there.

For me home ground advantage is more to do with a) knowing the ground/state and tailoring a game plan to it (i.e. GMHBA is thin, the SCG is small, warmer conditions in Perth/Brisbane), and b) having a hugely one-sided crowd, which has a demonstrable impact on umpiring decisions (noise of affirmation) and maybe even gives a second wind to the home team’s players.

Melbourne don’t get that when they play, say, Carlton at the MCG, but West Coast do when they play anyone at home (and are somewhat good).

For me that outweighs the travel issue considerably, but can acknowledge the argument the other way.

Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo

Also doesn’t help that success in 2021 got the Dogs raided for talent a bit. That year guys like Patrick Lipinski and Lewis Young were constantly banging down the door but only getting semi-regular games. Both’d be locks in the best 22 now.

Six Points: Defending Josh Rachele, the Blues' unsung hero, and why the Dogs would be mad to sack Bevo

Thanks for the kind words, Skip!

Footy Fix: Seven minutes, four goals, all heart - how Melbourne pulled off 2023's biggest heist

I can’t have this argument that says the solution is jumbling around the entire batting order for Warner to make way – particularly as, across the WTC final and the start of the Ashes, Green has averaged below 20 with the bat and 45 with the ball.

If the best solution is to dump Warner and open with someone who has NEVER opened in first-class cricket, be it Green or Labuschagne, then that’s no solution at all IMO.

COMMENT: Australia left it too late to fix Warner problem - we're stuck with him for the series

“Warner was dropped by a sitter on 20”.

You could make that argument of Mitch Marsh at Headingley too, yet there are still people adamant he should bat at 5 and Head open in place of Warner.

I would also argue it’s disingenuous to say the pitch at Lord’s was a ‘road’ for Warner – the first morning that ball was moving around corners and he batted extremely well.

COMMENT: Australia left it too late to fix Warner problem - we're stuck with him for the series

Warner made a 60 literally one Test ago – he had a shocker at Headingley but I wouldn’t say he’s going ‘terribly’ for an opener in English conditions.

I’m a big fan of Renshaw and the time to pick him was at the end of the home summer, or failing that the tour of India when Warner got injured and there was a vacancy at the top of the order.

In any case, it’s Harris who got picked as the backup batter in the squad – you couldn’t possibly have Renshaw vault over him on the basis of no first-class cricket since the tour started.

COMMENT: Australia left it too late to fix Warner problem - we're stuck with him for the series

I don’t think the Warner problem has been particularly big until the last 12 months or so. Was injured and a key absence for the start of the 2020/21 India series and we had 0 replacements for him (Matt Wade opened in a couple Tests), then made a hundred and a 90 to start the 21/22 Ashes.

Really only when he was poor in Sri Lanka and then ordinary again to start last summer against the Windies/South Africa is when it became clear there was an issue.

Still far too slow a reaction from the selectors in any case.

COMMENT: Australia left it too late to fix Warner problem - we're stuck with him for the series

Thanks to everyone who flagged the issue with the tipping competition. A temporary fix has been put in place – if you head to this page – https://www.theroar.com.au/tipping/?comp=16 – and where it says ‘Select a Round’ go manually to Round 16, you’ll be able to enter tips there. Apologies for the inconvenience, should be smooth sailing for the rest of the season.

The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions Round 16: Huzzah, the byes are done!

I honestly think it’s pot luck. No one knew West Coast would be this bad before the season started.

The fixture just is what it is – some years your team will get a good run, other years it’ll be a struggle. Unless we go to a Premier League-style 34-game season where every team plays every other team home and away, which ain’t happening, it’s always going to be slanted, but at the end of the day, if your team’s good enough they’ll usually do well regardless.

Six Points: Cram the Crows condescending, Bucks, Swans weren't that good, and the rule change AFL must make

Bucksball

Six Points: Cram the Crows condescending, Bucks, Swans weren't that good, and the rule change AFL must make

It’s a bit of a cheap shot by me but I think a lot of the talking from Essendon and Carlton over my memory as a footy fan has been around being entitled to success rather than having any understanding about how to obtain it in the modern day, and we can see it from the way both teams have pretty blindly thrown money at ‘star’ players (e.g. Zac Williams, Adam Saad x2, Jake Stringer, Devon Smith, Dylan Shiel et. al) without much thought into how they fit within their structure.

Particularly given where Carlton are at this year, I think displays like Sunday night’s ring of premiership cups – which copped a roasting all around – just enhance that problem.

Six Points: Sicily and Butler did nothing wrong, ridiculous Weightman pile-on, and calling out abysmal commentary

I reckon he’ll be this year’s Bontempelli – by year’s end he’ll be acknowledged as having had the best year but they’ll give the award to a Sheezel or an Ashcroft who were consistently excellent from the get-go.

Footy Fix: This simple, U10s gameplan sparked the Suns' greatest ever performance

Was a great win and deserved an honourable mention in the list – but remember that game being an absolute scrap, sort of like their wins over Sydney. Can’t ever remember the Suns looking as slick as they did Saturday night.

Footy Fix: This simple, U10s gameplan sparked the Suns' greatest ever performance

I’m just happy tipping them in a 50/50 didn’t blow up in my face like it usually does…

Footy Fix: This simple, U10s gameplan sparked the Suns' greatest ever performance

I find this criticism very weird because this is the second-shortest of these pieces I’ve done all year!

Footy Fix: This simple, U10s gameplan sparked the Suns' greatest ever performance

Yeah this piece sort of took on a life of its own! Lot of things I wanted to unpack but yeah, future Footy Fixes won’t be anywhere near this long. 😂

Footy Fix: Mitchell's masterpiece! How 2023's finest coaching performance set up famous Hawthorn win

This is a very late response in every sense of the word, but thanks so much for this kind message. Do always try to provide stuff with my AFL writing other media doesn’t really touch on, so it’s really meaningful when it gets appreciated by people who take the time and effort to read it. 😊

Footy Fix: 278 seconds and six moments to turn nine years of Dreamtime despair into Don delirium

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