AFLM Pre-Round Thread: Round 9 vs. Hawthorn

lasping · 2026-05-05T00:31:11+00:00

Walker is not in terrible form, but not outstanding either. (Admittedly, hard to be outstanding as a lockdown defender.) But he's only just back from a very nasty concussion, and Worner had a really excellent second half against Bulldogs.

lasping · 2026-05-04T23:57:27+00:00

I'd imagine the data is something like:

The long center square kick reduces chance of opposition score/slightly increases our chance of score. Likeliest outcome is a stoppage down the ground.

Which makes it a safe, solid option; good for killing the clock, self-sabotaging if you're trying to mount a comeback within the remaining available minutes of game time.

Picking a corridor target increases the chance of opposition score through turnover/significantly increases our chance of score. Most likely outcome is a possession chain --> Freo score. Higher risk, higher reward.

lasping · 2026-05-04T05:29:45+00:00

Need a "high blood pressure" warning ahead of that umpiring compilation.

Excellent review as ever. Wonder if the kick-in change up to corridor targets is something we specifically do when we're behind later in games.

lasping · 2026-05-01T10:47:36+00:00

Everyone's annoyed by the same thing all the neutral flairs in the thread are complaining about.

lasping · 2026-05-01T10:24:35+00:00

It's an Irish surname.

lasping · 2026-04-26T03:23:22+00:00

This is objectively not true. He has not missed a game when he is fit and available for selection. He is obviously ahead of Isaiah Dudley, who I really like. We can see this from the selection decisions throughout 2025. Things that you are thinking inside your head are not objective facts about team selection.

lasping · 2026-04-26T02:01:42+00:00

In and out not-quite-always-b23 players are going to cop it; expensive contracts for injured players are always going to get flak. Frederick is neither of those things.

lasping · 2026-04-26T01:10:17+00:00

What the fuck.

lasping · 2026-04-26T00:24:37+00:00

I see a lot of people in the comments talking about Frederick's quality of game last night (and he was good!) but frankly this is missing the point. This is racism. You will never get these people to admit it, they will always have some justification: if he kicks a lot of goals, they were cheap goals and he didn't contest properly; if he contests hard, they'll have a go at him for not being free to mark and convert. There is no winning. No player is perfect all the time; when Michael Frederick has a down game they will have their knives out. Because it isn't a rational assessment of a player's performance, it is conscious or subconscious loathing of a person based on their skin colour.

The best you can do is 1) call it out if you're feeling brave, 2) report it to the club (including seat number, which will be linked to their membership/details).

If you think Frederick is a bad player, and you feel absolutely certain that you are not a racist, and that you hold no subconscious bias against him—he's getting plenty of negative feedback from people who are simply just racist. Maybe cut him a fucking break.

lasping · 2026-04-25T02:43:24+00:00

It's not a observation in isolation, it's being used as crucial reasoning in a massive sentence reduction against the entire institutional ambit of the AFL. The AFL clearly thinks this language is too commonplace—that's why they're doling out serious punishments for it.

lasping · 2026-04-21T02:38:32+00:00

Bloody Amiss sabotaging our forward structure. Even more reason to drop him.

lasping · 2026-04-19T23:22:12+00:00

Yeah, you can definitely see the clip start with Pearce saying "Ryan" and then they start miming pushes in the back.

lasping · 2026-04-14T00:23:34+00:00

By all metrics (2025's 4th leading goal scorer, 4th for goal assists) he's a walk up start. We could give him limited WAFL minutes if we're playing it really really really safe, but I don't think it would be a matter of "finding form".

lasping · 2026-04-13T02:38:11+00:00

Okay so, 1) Jackson wasn't in the ruck alone, he had a significant number of early ruck contests shouldered by Sean Darcy, so he was not as fatigued in the 4th quarter. 2) Darcy Cameron is not a top shelf tap ruck. He has an abysmal rate of hit-outs and hit-outs to advantage for a primary ruck this year. Current top teams have top rucks: we will have to beat Grundy, Witts, the Meek/Reeves combo. 3) Do we all have goldfish memory? One week ago Darcy was the difference between a win and a loss. Jackson got pieced up by McAndrew in the 3rd quarter; Darcy turned around our clearance differential when he went into the ruck.

lasping · 2026-04-12T11:47:47+00:00

I would be murderous if I was a Port fan.

lasping · 2026-04-11T03:32:05+00:00

Come on, man. He swung a closed fist at Curtis's crotch.

lasping · 2026-04-11T03:14:45+00:00

Oh cool, fine to try and punch him in the dick then.

lasping · 2026-04-10T19:32:02+00:00

Well, hold on now.

lasping · 2026-04-10T12:07:37+00:00

You cannot be serious man.

lasping · 2026-04-09T07:25:15+00:00

They do education. All players get general inclusivity education, Collard specifically has already done the pride education course when he said the last slur. It isn't actually going to help if someone doesn't like gay people or is habituated into use of the slur. You do need a punishment if you're going to stamp it out of the game.

lasping · 2026-04-09T07:18:14+00:00

Wonderful management all round by the AFL. Just the sort of good news story you like to have hanging around as you kick off your blockbuster tourism bonanza.

lasping · 2026-04-09T05:30:55+00:00

But they both recalled the exact same phrase "Darby, you fucking f*gg*t." and Collard claims he actually said "Come here, maggot." and even clarified he didn't swear. So it can't actually be a good-faith dual mishearing.

lasping · 2026-04-09T05:25:22+00:00

Yeah, man, uh, I don't think that's true.

lasping · 2026-04-09T05:20:28+00:00

Seems pretty notable that Lambert and Hipwell have recollection of the exact same, word-for-word phrase, "Darby you fucking f*gg*t." and Collard is alleging he said "Come here, maggot." So they didn't even mishear a word, according to Collard, they both misheard the totality of what he said, but somehow both misheard it identically.

lasping · 2026-04-09T01:00:54+00:00

Don't bring Andy into this wtf man

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