00:00:00
Speaker 1: We're a quarter of the way through the AFL Home and away season. It spent a heavy news cycle this week. I think both of us Josh team not to get too bogged down in that today. So it's a bit of a standalone episode. It's Code AFL Shows Footy Gripes edition. We're going to get on our soapbox and have a wing. We're going to use our platform to be negative about the game and the hopes that it can spark some positive change.

00:00:23
Speaker 2: What we want is to be angsty for good. You know, it's not all it's for a good reason.

00:00:28
Speaker 1: Other than our main grievance is that we don't have a third chair for the main body of this past.

00:00:33
Speaker 2: Disposed in this sort of one on one setup. This is our version of a bottle episode. Really, isn't that we're really taking it mano for our gripes.

00:00:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's sort of on the couch if they were both armchairs facing each other. On the arm chairs, Yes, on the chairs. On start on the rules. You wrote an interesting piece that's about to go online on Code Sports and The Herald's Sun about how the new rules have affected the game. You know that Greg Swan came in with the hope that it would speed the game up. One thing I wanted to point out, though, straight off the top, is we live in a world where your opponent can handle the ball into your shin and win a free kick under the Lasou rule, and I'm not really sure if that's what the new rule was brought in to do, so I'm a bit cranky about that.

00:01:12
Speaker 2: Josh, Yeah, I don't agree with the state of the lasso rule in terms of what we're paying at the moment. So I was always under the impression that it was a last disposal rule, but it's clearly a last touch if it's the boot or a handball rule, so that's essentially what it's become, and I don't think that's really fair. We're seeing a lot of instances where players are tackling each other, the ball falls from one of them and then hits a boot on the way out. Nobody really knows whose boot it is, and then we go up to the arc and spend three minutes trying to find out whose boot it is or Alex Neilbourn was widely praised for this a couple of weeks ago, and it was a smart play, But why does he get rewarded for handling the ball into someone's shin. I don't really understand that was on the fall that one, but I don't really understand why players are being encouraged to go into that which is not a football play anyway. So there's only been four point five Lasso free kicks per match so far this year, which is maybe a little bit leson an expect at only ten in total for the whole season have resulted in a score, so it's not really affecting the scoreboard that much, but it's just frustrating, and it's frustrating when it makes us go to the arc to look.

00:02:08
Speaker 1: At whose boot touch the ball that handble into the shin. That's meant to be a very low percentage play, like the odds of it ricocheting off out on the full are quite quite small. So then when you go to it being able to trickle out and getting that free kick, we're going to see that motion more and more. I think they'll really annoy fans if that Neil bull An incident keeps popping up in games, because that's not the way players should be playing. If we're trying to speed the game up, keep the ball and play.

00:02:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, And that is the one of the points of the rule is that it's supposed to make the game fast. So we saw on the weekend North Malan player Look mc donald tagled someone that walk when Adaban's a clear handball dealing. Semmons picked up the ball ready to kick it and start a North mail Want attack, and the umpire's conferred for a minute or so, holding up the play completely, which is just against the spirit of the rule. So I find it frustrating, But I mean I find arkindimension always frustrating, and it listens to the show.

00:02:55
Speaker 3: We'll know that.

00:02:56
Speaker 2: I think we've seen too many video re fews. That's one of my gripes. Agrees with me. He was off his rocker a little bit on the weekend about the ball going over the point post and we're looking at that now, in which we can never ever tell from the vision. We see why that's been changed, whatever decision it is. It's frustrating and it's just annoying, but it's good for Crypto dot comn which.

00:03:15
Speaker 1: It is it is. I've spoken to some conspiracy theorists in my inner circle who believe that the crypto dot com sponsorship of the review might be the reason that the goal umpires are so down on their confidence at the moment and sending things upstairs let's have a is a key grievance of mine. This Crypto dot Com partnership. We're in the final year. It's the fifth and last year of this deal. Don't think it's going to be renewed at this stage. Part of this deal with Crypto dot Com was an online marketplace called AFL Mint, which is still going. Never heard of it, he might remember. NFTs there are a big thing for about a month in twenty twenty one when this partnership started. I've had a look at the NFTs that are still available on the AFL website, and it's worth noting they keep rolling out new sets. You can get a Sam Grill n FT that's good on the mitt. You can get a Lachland car Michael nftn't he hasn't played a game yet. You can buy three Lachland Carmichael moments for ten dollars or five for twenty five dollars. But I wanted to run you through a few of the more obscure ones. There's a bit of a range on here, and this isn't financial advice. Please don't go investing in these products. That's my financial advice is in my capacity is a personal, non financially qualified advisor. Rourke wraps up D's danger Man. That is Rourke Smith in the twenty twenty one Grand Final tackling Christian Petrarca resulting in a ball up, and there are ten of those for sale for one dollar.

00:04:39
Speaker 2: I was a big fan of Rock Smith. I cannot remember him playing in a Grand Final, so that's one thing to remember at forever. Can you actually tell me before you're on the next one, what actually you're talking about?

00:04:47
Speaker 3: Like, what is this?

00:04:48
Speaker 1: It's like a twenty second clip from a game, like a little highlight reel, and you're meant to be given exclusive digital ownership of this highlight reel. And they manipulate the sk esity of these. So there are two hundred and twenty eight of these Rourke Smith wrapping up Petraka Cliffs in circulation and ten available. It does. Yeah, I'm not quite sure about how the economics of these work. I was looking through it. There's a lot of Melbourne afl W moments that are in the NFT marketplace. Money is goldrich Felis in defensive contest is during a home and away game. It's available for ninety nine cents. It looks like two hundred and twenty three people to purchase these, so they're going off in Ireland. Shout out to Shanaid for that moment, but it goes. It varies to as expensive as Joel Sellward's fairy Tale goal in the twenty twenty two Grand Final, which is available for twenty nine hundred dollars.

00:05:36
Speaker 3: Twenty nine hundred.

00:05:38
Speaker 1: Because they only released twenty of those mones. It's in the elite category of NFT, so I'm not sure what's going on there. It clearly didn't have the impact that they intended to, but the AFL is still part of a partnership that is selling these bizarre moments that you could just look up on YouTube and watch for free to have in your collection.

00:05:57
Speaker 2: That is a bizarre gripe. I don't really know what even to make of that at all.

00:06:01
Speaker 4: Ed.

00:06:02
Speaker 2: I feel like normally I'm more enlightened after I speak to you, but I'm not sure I've really gained anything out of being run through AFL mint.

00:06:09
Speaker 3: I'm not sure it matters. We were taken aback.

00:06:12
Speaker 2: I suppose in the journalistic fraternity this week when we had another Ross line attack on one of our fellow brethren over in Adelaide.

00:06:18
Speaker 1: We weren't surprised, but we were agreed.

00:06:21
Speaker 4: Yeah three who we plays for Brisbane? Yeah? Around us and to say and then did they play finals? Didn't play? Did play finals? Play finals that year?

00:06:48
Speaker 3: Okay? One final?

00:06:49
Speaker 4: Two songs? Two? Did they make a presime?

00:06:54
Speaker 3: I'm yeah.

00:06:56
Speaker 2: I don't think that's a gripe. I think Ross can be a little bit aggressive. You've been through a lot of Ross press conferences. What's your what's your worst riteing and how do you approach them?

00:07:03
Speaker 1: I've seen a lot more prickly Ross than Cudley Ross thinking my time so far at press conferences, and I do wish that someone had briefed me on what to expect. When I walked into my first ever Ross presser, probably early in the twenty twenty three season, I came in and I didn't I went in there without an agenda. I just wanted to ask him for his thoughts on a particular part of the game. I can't remember exactly what it was. I was immediately hit with the I don't know what do you think? And I just froze quick because I was not expecting to be put on the spot. One of my first press conference was just asking you coach for his thoughts on something. I didn't have my thoughts ready. I don't know what happened after that, but it was sort of a weird standoff where he was a staring at me for a while. I couldn't believe what I just heard I'd been questioned. I'm I'm not sure how I got out of that one, but I wanted to just shrink up and fall into a hole.

00:07:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's clearly a tactic from Ross because as the journalist, you asked the question, but you're expecting them to answer it, and then you're thinking of the next question to ask. But when they bounce it back to you, you're not ready for that. You're thinking about it, I'm gonna Kim about something in the third quarter, and then he immediately says, well what do you think? And then you often the defense is or nobody cares what I think? But is that the right strategy with Rus at the moment, because they even ready killed that on the weekend.

00:08:10
Speaker 1: Ye, and some people do care what we think. As well, which is why we have a platform. So it's tricky.

00:08:15
Speaker 3: You don't want to everybody watching and listening loves.

00:08:17
Speaker 1: What we think. You don't want to completely degrade your opinion. Let's workshop this quickly. Okay, I'll be Ross Lyne. You're you're a journalist at the Sint Kilda West Coast game. Since Kilda's just lost by fifteen points, probably won't happen on the weekend, but let's just say for the sake of the workshop that that has happened. What are you starting with?

00:08:36
Speaker 2: Well, the traditional with the Ross line press comments is to start with the what did you think about that?

00:08:40
Speaker 1: Mate?

00:08:40
Speaker 2: And then you get a good six minutes of monologue from Russ.

00:08:44
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:08:44
Speaker 1: So Ross will have written down some stats on his piece of paper. He goes through the match stats and then writes down a few notes. He'll now take this first question and he'll read from his notes in a two to five minute monologue on what he wants to say about the game. So you know, look, well leaven Groundbale gets to six in the forward fifty. You know there's no magic potion for this stuff where we're under no illusions, but there's a bit of growth and he just kind of continues on that for two or three minutes. How then do you try and get the question answered that you originally wanted to ask.

00:09:14
Speaker 2: Well, that's the hard part because then he'll often say I've already answered that, and he'll go in his own direction. And if they lose to West Coast, they'd be two and five on the season. So you'd be reasonable, I think, to say, what's your concerned with this season? Where you're headed this season? You're two and five? Are you worried about the season?

00:09:30
Speaker 3: And that's where you can also get into trouble.

00:09:32
Speaker 1: I do think Sekulda has improved a little bit this season, so that's not that's not a grievance that I'm that I'm marrying at this time. But it is a strange mentality that he's taking into these press conferences when it is the place for the coaches to speak to the fans. We're really just there to be the intermediary and allow the coaches to deliver the message that they want to their fans, and I think sometimes he does forget that that that's him speaking to Sint Kilda supporters rather than just addressing the journalists.

00:09:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, but as the president says, if you asked you good questions, you get stupid answers.

00:10:01
Speaker 1: You do. We're not going to get stupid answers from Corey Mabillio. We're going to bring him in for a moment. We're going to stop our winging and try and pick up spirits for a moment, and we'll shift some furniture around and get Corey in from Champion Data to have his say ahead of Round seven. For those watching, the Code AFL team has just put on an interior design masterclass to fit Corey Mabilio into the studio. Great to have you with us, Corey from Champion Data, and congratulations on some sample size.

00:10:33
Speaker 5: Yes, no, I'm so happy Monday morning all rocked into the office will pump.

00:10:37
Speaker 1: But now that thanks for having me back on. You've had your eye on the Western Bulldogs this week. Luke Beveridge loves being back to the wall. I think some of his best coaching in the last few years has come when he's had to spin some magnets to account for injuries or keep players being out of form. What do you think he needs to do to keep the Bulldog season on the rails.

00:10:55
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think the defensive profile has been well spoken about, Like everyone's across that they've been quite poor defensively and haven't.

00:11:03
Speaker 3: Improved, still struggling.

00:11:05
Speaker 5: Still struggling, So seventeenth for winning a defensive fifty contest should be well in the positive for that measure. You know they're breaking even if not losing that on average this year scores per inside fifty against their thirteenth. Last year there were eleventh, So no real major improvements. They're kind of the aspect of their game that hasn't necessarily been spoken about is their territory profile and just what they're doing in their forward half, And I think largely this is due to how they're defending their opposition this year. They're allowing them to chain up the ground, concede uncontested marks, and hopefully get numbers back behind the ball. So this year they're eleventh for inside fifty differential. Last year they'll number one in the competition. Winning a forward half intercept, they're seventeenth scoring from a forward half intercept, they're thirteenth this year.

00:11:50
Speaker 1: This year, so I.

00:11:52
Speaker 5: Think obviously largely due to how they're defending their opposition, But there are a couple of magnets which I think are worth exploring in the back half of this year to see, you know, what they can do and pose a threat and ask questions of their opposition.

00:12:07
Speaker 3: What are you moving around there?

00:12:09
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think the number one is Bonton Pali, So I'm not saying removing.

00:12:13
Speaker 3: Tell me you keep him in the center bounds. I need the super coach points.

00:12:15
Speaker 1: Hundred percent, So keep him.

00:12:16
Speaker 5: Give him his center bounce minutes plus twenty nine clearances when he's in there, minus eight when he's out of a center bounce this year, So I'm not saying remove his center bounce time, but i'd like center bounce forward, you know, forty fifty percent game time as a forward. It's around that twenty percent mark this year because what we've seen since the start of last year, the Doggies have scored a goal fifty percent of the time he's been targeted inside fifty comfortably number one in the competition. And I think it's more taking a lesser load off Norton. So when Darcy wasn't in the side last year, they were the number one scoring offense in the competition, but they were playing differently. That territory profile isn't the same as as last year to what it is this year. So to say that's just going to drag and drop, I think is wrong. They're playing a different way. So, like I said, ask questions of the opposition, get him forward, take a bit of pressure off Norton, take some pressure off of Croft, hopefully Weightment returns into that team. And the other one is Bailey Dale. So look he's going okay. His game against Gelong was was actually quite good. But in the previous two seasons he's been a top ten rated player in the competition. This year sits just outside thee hundred and we've seen him tinker with his magnet this year wing forward. Just is it worth exploring him more in that forward half the ground the back end of twenty twenty nineteen, Sorry, he went ballistic and gave him something different in that in that forward half. So I think, like behind the ball is personnel. That's an off season issue, but I think in season you may as well explore what you.

00:13:47
Speaker 1: Have that would be interesting if they threw Baily Dale Ford. It was twenty one goals in ten games in twenty nineteen. I just looked at that yesterday. Well, one thing with him though, is he had the knee injury in the preseason. He did pretty well to get up for the opening round, and you wonder if that still affects him, Josh, because Ed Richards as well has looked like he's labored a bit the last couple of weeks getting to the line to play. I feel like that's said to get these guys a clean bill of health.

00:14:08
Speaker 3: They need a lot of clean bills of health.

00:14:09
Speaker 2: Bond Fellas another one who looks like a Jardi's knee on the weekend, so he'll be a test to play this weekend. Maybe it needs a bit of time wresting for though. That could be a key move.

00:14:17
Speaker 1: He looks sore at training. We'll see how he goes for Thursday night against the Swans. Now the d's four two start flying lighting up the MSG on Sunday afternoons.

00:14:26
Speaker 2: He just came into the office this week jigging after he was there on Sunday after.

00:14:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, we should add that to our list. Agreevances great. Great to have some maras chancing at the g but just the one tune the whole time every time after a Melbourne goal, the same jingle start to get a little bit grading. I think they need to introduce three or four next year potentially, but I love the idea and it was great to have free entry for the the unherralded stars. Yes, but leading the way from Melbourne this season, can you can you go through a few names that people might be surprised by who are really having an impact.

00:14:57
Speaker 5: Yeah, we'll play a bit of a game off the back of this, but I think we put him on radar after the Saint Kilda win. You know they're going to be attractive to watch. I think as a Melbourne fan there's a clear identity regime on the King new regime. You know, they're aggressive with their ball movement, they're exciting. Four wins at the G I think you want to tune into Melbourne games now. But it's a couple of these players, and three in particular where you know they've been in the system for long enough now and I think King is really starting to get the best out of him. So first one is Kaye Chandler. Where would you think he rates among forwards in the competition this year?

00:15:31
Speaker 3: The chin among forwards sixties maybe sixties.

00:15:37
Speaker 5: Thirties, thirties, So this year we've got him as the number six rated forward in the competitionin you look at the second half on Sunday against Brisbane, four hundred meters gained ten score involvements, two goals. That's never been done much just in just in the half. It's never been done by a Melbourne player on record, got the eight coaches votes. I think he's been really important and he's improved his ball winning. He's up around that fifteen to sixteen disposal. Mark Ford presidence has been really good, ability to work, contest to contest, So a big tick this year. This one, I will preface it with Hoyney has been on this guy. He put him on Watch two two or so weeks ago. Is Harvey Langford? Where is he among wingmen in the competition?

00:16:18
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:16:18
Speaker 2: I was a little bit concerned with him at the start of the year that he should be playing inn the ball, I think a little bit more inside, but he's really developed on that wing and is doing pretty good job.

00:16:27
Speaker 3: He can't be better than Dempsy though, so four.

00:16:29
Speaker 1: Or five he's like a fast Jordan Lewis. Yeah, I'd say for a fast Jordan Lewis.

00:16:34
Speaker 5: Yeah, we've got him as number one this year. De Yeah of Dempsey was number three in the competition last year among wingmen. Among wingmen, so I must say, like I said, Hoyne put him on watch. His ability to go deeper and take his opposition to full forward essentially has been evident this year. Six hundred and fifty meters gained against Brisbane this crossed the match, three goals, two goal assists. He's been you know, he's running power was obviously quite strong. I think that that Oli Dempsey mold has been dragged and dropped and Langford's the beneficiary of it with Melbourne this year. The other one is Harry Sharp. Where would you think he's among forwards this year.

00:17:13
Speaker 2: I was shocked when I reported last year that he won a three year deal when coming to Melbourne and he really hadn't done much to start his career in a new club last year, obviously a victim of a different game style.

00:17:21
Speaker 3: He looks so much freer now.

00:17:24
Speaker 2: He'd have to be pretty up there, I think, especially among improvers.

00:17:27
Speaker 5: Yeah, so we've got him as just outside the top twenty forwards this year, twenty three of all forwards in the competition this year. So I think he's the one who's benefited from probably the sub rule being removed and how Melbourne are playing, so we know he just breaks two K records or three K records for final. He's running powers really evident. I think in well fourth quarters this year's forty percent of his rating points have been won in fourth quarters. It's a big number. So he's been in the system for long enough. Now, you know, I kind of look at Chandler and Sharp and I think of Dempsey and Myers. Obviously those players have got the runs on the board, but King coming from from Geelong just tinkering with some magnets. Obviously Langford and Dempsey's a dead ringer the way that deck they're trying to explore that matchup.

00:18:13
Speaker 2: And yeah, I find with Sharp in particularly, he reminds me a lot of Alex Neil Bullen back in his Melbourne day's running between the arcs helping it and defense and being the one that kicks him inside fifty off and we're getting on the end of it.

00:18:23
Speaker 3: I think he's really slotted into that role really well.

00:18:25
Speaker 5: The other one who's obviously been in the comp for a while and now is Jack Steele and we've got him as the twenty six rated player in the game this year. Last year to eighty nine, so okay, we know what he brings to the cold face clearances. He's applied the third most tackles by Melbourne player after round six on record, they're getting a lot out of him, all winning, averaging his third most disposals in a season. So that's been a big tick for Stephen King and the new regime. And like I said at the start of this chat, I think they're a fun team to watch, you know. I actually really look forward to watching him week on week. The defensive stuff I think is back end of twenty six problem into next year. Not too worried about it. I think, you know, they can hang their hat on who they are as a football club.

00:19:09
Speaker 1: Some positive signs for Melbourne there that they might get walloped every three or four weeks, but they're very fun the rest of the time. So it's excellent to get some insight from you there, Corey. Thanks very much for coming in and joining us.

00:19:19
Speaker 3: You've got a gripe for us, Carey on the way out, No I'm not no, no, too much.

00:19:26
Speaker 1: Isn't allowed.

00:19:27
Speaker 3: We'll cut that bit out.

00:19:28
Speaker 1: We love it. Thanks for having me. Okay, time to get back to our winging Josh, do you have a rape about the AFL fixture.

00:19:41
Speaker 2: My grape is less with the fixture itself, from all with the people that are upset over the fixture out which I'm sorry there'll be a lot of people probably shaking their head to this, but I'm not really understood. I'm not really sure what the uproar was about the double Friday night double headers that people were upset about. I understand the theory that GDOS and Sydney want to grow the game and all that sort of stuff, But the GWS Sydney game was on it free to air in Sydney, so they didn't miss out on that market. And when you lose a game from Saturday and it goes on to Friday night, that means we're missing a double up on a Saturday when people are less likely to watch anyway. So I don't really understand what's gone wrong there. I don't mind the double headers on Friday. I think it allows you to watch one game and then catch the end of another one, which is what we do on Saturdays anyway. So I don't really understand what the upset nature is.

00:20:24
Speaker 1: I'm surprised they haven't thought about it that way, But you're right, there's going to be a double up there either way.

00:20:28
Speaker 2: The traditionally we have two Saturday night games. Yeah, those The tradition is we have two on there. That's how it was Round one, there were two Friday night games. That was when we had nine games that week. Two Saturday night games, so we had nine games that week. So if you're just moving one of the double ups there to a Friday night, then that's fine with me.

00:20:45
Speaker 1: Absolutely, I'm happy with that. I actually agree with you. I don't have a gripe with your grut.

00:20:49
Speaker 3: What about you?

00:20:49
Speaker 2: You're at the MCG on Sunday. Melbourne is just living the dream on those Sunday I was at the G at the moment. Can we capitalize more on that?

00:20:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're not there very often on a Sunday. Coming up, We've got eight more games at the MCG this year. I think only one of them at the moment is scheduled for a Sunday afternoon. That would have been great just to no one knew that they were going to go this well, but to lock in Sunday afternoon as a weekly ritual for some fans that'd take that over Thursday night games. Or Friday night games. Maybe you don't need to get an equal share of Thursday. We'll try and have an equitable share of Thursday and Friday night games for some of these teams, because if they can create a weekly routine with their fans, it can be so special and we've seen that with Demon supporters. I do have a problem with the complete disdain for Tasmania's an Zac Day Observance Act nineteen twenty nine. What was going on there Hawthorne Gold Coast in lon Seston slated for twelve to fifteen pm when legally it wouldn't have been allowed to start until twelve thirty pm. So if the ball had been bounced at twelve to fifteen it was in the violation of this Tasmanian law. Who would have been held criminally reliable?

00:21:51
Speaker 3: I guess the fixture man is Josh Bowler at AFL.

00:21:54
Speaker 1: Josh Bowler is the one who goes to Lon Seston Reception prison. The maximum security prison.

00:21:58
Speaker 3: Is what happens if you break this rule.

00:22:02
Speaker 1: I did check it's it's to a maximum for four hundred dollars fine would have been the would have been the penalty rather than a prison sentence.

00:22:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, Okay, well, hopefully that wouldn't come out of Josh Bowler's pay. That could probably come out of Andrew Dillons. They could probably afford it a little bit more. It is unusual. I don't think the AFL has ever run into this. The thing with this means so that it's pushed back this game by fifteen minutes, and they've pushed back the ANZAC Day game slightly as well. So they moved it forward last year to help Channel seven essentially get out of these games in the afternoon before the news or just into the news because they're running over every single time. But now with the ANZAC Day one, we're probably going to miss the medal ceremony if we run in over time. So that means we miss the annual Darcy Moore victory speech that he gives every time they win, which everybody praises.

00:22:43
Speaker 1: Afterwards, the annual eloquent speech, We're going to.

00:22:46
Speaker 2: Miss either a Nick Dakos speech or the zoomed in camera of Nick Dakos being upset that again he's been ignored for a medal, which I think everybody would enjoy that. So you're not going to see that on seven. So I put to you, Ed that for seven it would be worth a forty thousand dollar fine to make the most of their lead into the news is going to be the most watched home and away game probably of the year. It's probably going to lead into potentially the most watched game into a news of the year. So I think that that five minutes that they've lost now is worth forty thousand dollars to them. So they should have just forked over a check to the AFL and said stuff the end, zac Da Lauren Tasmania.

00:23:19
Speaker 1: You know how much money we're talking about, right, Like forty thousand dollars. That's thirteen thousand of the NFT mills makes most of fifty mental penalty on the AFL mint website. That's a lot of money.

00:23:29
Speaker 3: Not bad, Not bad from you, Ed.

00:23:32
Speaker 1: Mick mcgwon Our Herald's sun AFL analyst who got a piece coming out you can read on Code Sports and the Herald's some website about whose flag hopes have been extinguished. And I don't want to give any spoilers, but Josh, is there anyone that.

00:23:44
Speaker 3: Out of the running?

00:23:45
Speaker 2: Would you say Richmond' out of the running? Okay, yeah, Okay, that's a shock there from Mick mcglon. But from my vantage point, I think Richmond is a line through Essen and you've got a line through Impossible to see Carlson winning the flag from here, So they put a line through them. West Coaster out automat for their gws. Maybe I'll keep them in put I'll lay their out. That's five. I think the Western Bulldogs are out despite them sitting seventh, even with the Sam Darcy injury. As we heard from Corey only moments ago, their defensive profile as a serious concern. They haven't fixed the one issue that cost him the finals last year, and now they're going to be missing probably not their second best player for the rest of the year. So I can't see them winning the flag. Now those are my main ones. I'd be extremely surprised if Melbourne won the flag. Collingwood's teetering, sin Kildo, I'd probably have out, but any surprises for the teams you're putting a line through.

00:24:32
Speaker 1: I wouldn't put a line through the Dogs just yet, agree with most of yours. The Grand Finals played at the mcg so I am leaving Melbourne in the equation if they if they can get on Sunday. It's not the Sunday Avo, which is a bit of a shame for them. But how long is the season going to drag on for these teams? If once we get to twenty four games per club and an international trip somewhere in the middle of that, because the AFL is expanding, that's going to be a real drag if we do get that fixturely.

00:24:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, good reporting from John ralphin Bloo mcfhal this week on CODES thought it's about the changes when Chassi comes in. Then it's probably likely we go to a twenty four game season, which just feels long. It feels long to me. Twenty three games is too many. I think twenty four is even longer. Potentially we can throw an an international trip, as the boys reported there. We're always putting our hands up for any kind of junker junket we can get on ed So where would you like to go if put Adelaide and sin Kilda decided to go overseas again?

00:25:23
Speaker 1: I didn't want it to be put Adelaide sink Kilda the game I wanted to watch. I was thinking something a bit more rogue, like Fremantle Gold Coast and I want it played in Barbados. I'd like to go to the Carryer.

00:25:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, I'm on board with that.

00:25:33
Speaker 1: Carabban junket would be fantastic. Bit of a cost for the AFL. You got to get there out of Miami, so Overrun needs one of those US visas to get through.

00:25:41
Speaker 3: Delete Alyse search his street chess.

00:25:43
Speaker 1: That some players might get blocked. See, but that adds a bit of drama. It adds a bit of texture to the international trip if not all the players can get across, or they have to be sort of they have to get there around the US, so they kind of have to go by boat or something or fly out of London. So there's a few different elements. If we can get that kind of junket, what do you.

00:25:59
Speaker 2: Prepa, I would love to go to Dublin. I think we can pull it off. But I saw this week the robot race in Beijing. I wonder if we could filter in a robots versus players kind of game in Beijing. I think that would be interesting. I think the robots are potential. I think they've got some class.

00:26:14
Speaker 3: They're a bit.

00:26:15
Speaker 2: Stilted in their gameplay, a little bit simon Goodwin ESQ so they need to be freed up by a new coach like a Stephen King. But they got potential, so I think that could be a potential path through a twentieth team.

00:26:24
Speaker 1: This reminds me of a niche AFL official novel that came out about twenty years ago when I was back in I was Kick called Crunch Time by Boy Kick on where the AFL mascots had to play a team of robots basically for their survival. So you can look that book up. It's probably available in your local library.

00:26:39
Speaker 2: Can you get it off off ALFL Mint. There's no NFTs on that suchame I'm not interested.

00:26:44
Speaker 1: Then. Thank you very much for joining us ahead of Round seven. Please don't go buying any AFL NFTs off off the AFL mint marketplace you if you can, but I mean, ultimately it's up to you. It's been great to have you with us for our Footy Gripes edition of the Code AFL Show. You can follow all our coverage of the lead up to Round seven and the matches on the Code Sports and Heralds home website