Mini-grand finals, Saints' Toby tamer, should Pies play Cox? Five burning questions for AFL Finals Week One
Having had our appetites successfully whetted by the bye weekend and the arrival of the AFLW season, all roads lead to the MCG on…
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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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Having had our appetites successfully whetted by the bye weekend and the arrival of the AFLW season, all roads lead to the MCG on…
18 teams has been cut down to eight, and after a week of waiting, the AFL finals series is now upon us. And while…
In case you missed it, a story about a local junior football competition changing its finals format has received a bit of attention this…
The AFL All-Australian team has been named for 2023 - and it might actually be the least controversial 22 selected in years. With 12…
It's the most packed Rising Star field ever. A host of young guns across all positions on the field, from dashing half-backs to powerful…
The 2023 AFL All-Australian squad of 44 is in, and all eyes now turn to Wednesday's Awards night, when the team will be named.…
It's finals time, baby! The last round of the 2023 home-and-away season might not have been as thrilling as 2022's finale, but there was…
Sometimes it doesn't matter how you win - just as long as you get it done. So it was for the Western Bulldogs on…
Let's get something straight before we begin: Collingwood have not played a more meaningless game than their crushing win over Essendon on Friday night.…
For some, the final round of the 2023 home-and-away season couldn't mean any less. For others, it's the most important of the entire year.…
If you're a regular reader of this column, chances are you know who I support, and if you're a footy fan of any kind…
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Adelaide were stone cold robbed. If you haven't seen the decision by the goal umpire…
If Brisbane can't win the premiership in 2023, they never will. Courtesy of a 24-point triumph over a battered Collingwood on Friday night, the…
It's officially retirement season in the AFL. Across the country, the next two weeks are going to see a glut of greats take their…
Two weeks to go, and if you could believe it, the race for the eight just got even tighter. Eight teams are still fighting…
We're at the stage of the season where every genuine premiership contender is having its weaknesses forensically analysed. Collingwood are no good at stoppages.…
Collingwood are unreal. After a week where the vultures began to circle, with the Brownlow Medal favourite and their most significant player in Nick…
Three rounds to go before finals - and surely the eight has never looked shakier this deep into a season! The top four are…
It seems like every week these days, the race for the eight gets turned completely on its head. Yet again, the top two in…
The Hawks don’t have the cattle to play it safe. It’s the most admirable thing about them, amid a long, long list of admirable…
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
You’re very much preaching to the choir on this Chris…
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?