And if you have been to Cleansing Beverage stadium in Adelaide, I might be wrong but there’s a decent pub just over the road if I am not wrong!!

Gee. And they say that there is no alliance between the backyard sports and the media. I’m astounded

Concur

Gee that would never happen.

That’s Australian football nirvana Grem. WU seem to be working on that basis as well. Roar and their Perry Park intentions also seemed to be attracted to the same construct, but as usual the NRL state Govt, administering the great state of NRL, demonstrated what the optics suggest, is their very “unbiased” governance model and turned it down.

You know what, I reckon a of the Admin staff over at Auckland made a couple of trips to Adelaide. Everyone bangs on about Bling FC, and Sydney this, and Sydney that. Well, I’ve admired the Reds from the outset. They produce talent in bucket loads, they have consistently put together competitive teams, they fill their ground, they appear to have a great relationship with the local football community. They’ve got the model everyone else should aspire to.

the lad’s still got something to offer. Everyone goes through a rough patch.

How about those Roar lads!!! By geez they played some good football and if ever there was starch added to a team, the perfect example is the return of young Henry Hore. That lad has fire in his belly and he’d go hammer and tong to beat his own Mum in a game of Tiddly Winks. The lads competitive and I have nothing but respect. Good on Brisbane really pleased for the lads and Z.

EF, mate ever watched League 1 in England….plenty of empty seats. We cannot gauge, nor should we gauge, our football in comparison to the EPL or any other league. The latter is not normal mate. We need to gauge our attendance and supporter base on the previous season. Is it better than last season, yes equals excellent – no equals not so good. But you are spot on, that Adelaide game was, in my opinion, top shelf. If you haven’t been to Coopers aka Cleansing Beverage Stadium, go, it’s a brilliant place to watch football, one of the best in the country I reckon.

Buddy, well done mate. I don’t blame Ange for going postal, there is every reason to. I think the point we have to remind ourselves of, is that it comes back to referees and how they use the technology. For me the optics suggest that there is downward pressure on the referees from Rupert Pompous-Ar@e and the other self-important board members to see their brilliant ideas being used. On the other side of the coin, there are times when VAR has proven valuable, but there are two key ingredients required, if the technology is going to be used successfully. An understanding of the physics of the game, and clear and indisputable intent. I said this in another article earlier this week, physics and intent must be applied. A good example was the pen that was awarded to Sydney over at Nix. When you see the VAR evidence, there was no way that was a pen. The Nix lad got nothing but ball and that was his intent. The fact that Klimala went down screaming like a Banshee with the inference he’d been hit by a sniper round from the bleachers was nothing more than simulation. The referees made an educated decision with full consideration for physics and intent. To a degree Klimala has been found out, and thanks to VAR and the fact that he ended up looking like a schmuck, it might make him think again about a repeat performance. On the other hand, some of the decisions made in our league have been horrendous. The first example I can think of is the pen awarded to Sydney against Perth. When the ball comes off the attacking player’s leg and hits the arm of the Defender, who incidentally is uncited because of the attacking player’s body, I am sorry, but with no clear evidence of intent and consideration of the situation, that was not a penalty. Again, I come back to human physics and evidence of clear intent by the Offender. As previously stated this week, I often wonder if the A-League referees are part of a special needs employment program because a hefty number of decisions suggest uneducated decision making, a lack of maturity in decision making and zero application of context. I hold faith in the fact that our new head of referees was given instruction to bring back football and let the game happen. I would suggest that even some sort of basic sports science exposure to understand human physics and how the body behaves when contested and moving at speed would help to increase referees knowledge, interpretation of a situation, and decision making. As my Old Boy always says, 10,000 people don’t part with their hard earned to come and see the referee perform. I have spent decades in nearly all aspects of football, and the mantra where I come from is, “the best referees are almost invisible”. It’s really a big black hole this one, but hey, how about we drag David Elleray out of his hidey hole and get him to explain things. Apart from the Syd v Bris game, which I hope is an upset, some mighty good match ups this week lads…….Bring it on! Support Australian football

well, reference SS comment about Mariners siphoning off Adelaide talent, I would like to see McBreen do a better job than Zadkovich with the playing stocks he has at his disposal. And if you know anything about Newcastle, Zadkovich was a Jaffas man, McBreen an Edgeworth. There’s polar opposite demographics

Brother, come on you Nix, just started the first half and it’s nil all. Got a soft spot for the Nix and the Yellow Fever, that lot a rock and roll. Nobody else has thought of the 12 pubs of Christmas have they.

that day will come Jordan, and it’s going to be sweet when it does.

and there’s the knock out punch!!!

Grem, you are on fire son. The only reason the backyard sports react and comment the way they do is because of fragility. Especially with the World’s Highest Paying Probation Scheme. They know their grassroots are shrinking, they know there are genuine medical and safety issues with the game, they know their reputation could out do the Burwood Sewerage works, they know they cannot compete globally. Give it time mate. I am just sitting back waiting for the current crop of NRL players to age and retire, because after that it’s going to be slim pickings brother.

good call Leon. That’s the problem with a lot of blokes. They know stuff, and they’re not prepared to admit there’s something they don’t know about. Personally I just don’t get it. The most respected blokes I know exchange knowledge about technical stuff, how to fix stuff, etc. They have the courage and integrity, to say, I don’t know, can you show me, teach me, give me some pointers. When confronted with a “bloke who knows football” and they say our league is rubbish, I politely ask them to explain and I will tell you now the explanations are nothing short of paper thin. Don’t be a narrow minded Eurosnob expand your football knowledge

Portsmouth are cluey, they’ve cottoned onto what’s going on down here, and I believe in time they’re going to benefit from it. The manager there is not Scots is he? hahahahaha

Stu, i believe I owe you a cleansing beverage. Thanks for your support of the Jets. The local understanding of what a bunch of lads, who almost need permission slips from their Mum’s, because they’re so young is sound to say the least. Newy people can see what’s happening and they are proud of the lads. Evidence can be seen in the attendance figures, we’re getting reasonable crowds. What we need is some seniority on the pitch. One or two seniors in either the midfield or defence, and maybe a senior striker. What we’re all begging for is Lachie Rose and Clayton Taylor to start a match together. Ok, 4-4-2 is a simple construct, but it might just work with those two up front until we get the seniority we need. As for the league, wow!! What a cracking season. JA is doing wonderful things with WU, and everyone from the Jets up, are playing decent football. I mean our lads had the Smurfs 2 zip down and they were lucky to get away with a draw in my opinion. I really want to see Wanderers come good, it would be so good for the league, and Diles deserves a win, Victory are not playing bad football. Adelaide…what can you say except everyone should be aiming to produced and develop young talent like they do. so pleased for Archie Goodwin, but geez it stings knowing that Stanton let him go. I feel for Chiefy, the Nix have been a bit unlucky, but I’m hoping they’re going to come good. Auckland, well that is the model new clubs should be working from to establish themselves from scratch, and it appears that the Kiwi’s biggest city is absolutely a football city. My wife, my Old Boy and I so engrossed in this season, it’s ridiculous. We cannot wait for the next episode. Bring on the football and support Australian football. Lovin it!!!

I was so pleased for Riku Danzaki. I’ve always seen something in that lad. JA is maturing him and bringing out the best in him. His cross for the winner was top shelf and he was going off where Hiroshi scored. Go the boy

Drew yes….segecic I would suggest just a little more aging. Want to see him play from the start more

Just like my Jets!!!

How good is our league!!! It’s a thing of beauty, apart from the special needs employment program aka referees

What John Aloisi is instilling in those players and establishing at WU will be his legacy. When Aloisi was Gaffer at Heart, he was metaphorically beaten to a pulp for his efforts. Look at him now. A league title under his belt and a massive contribution in the establishment of a prosperous expansion club, and I really believe they will be in time. The individual who can honestly self-assess and evolve is a rare gem. Aloisi is exactly that person.

that’s not something I would be shouting from the roof tops. Wow, if that’s what you believe can i suggest a light bit of reading. Take a look at Romans 12, and specifically Romans 12:19. As an optimist I hold hope, but in some instances I guess all hope is lost.

Lads, agree or disagree, this whole situation comes back to one man…..David Elleray. The first question that has to be asked is, did the man actually play the game? Secondly, who has the mindset to afford one man the right to make approximately 200 changes to the game that has done so well for centuries. Bear in mind that this bloke was a rower and a rugby player, who became a football referee. So he never played as a sweeper, he never was under pressure from defenders whilst trying to score, but he went ahead and implemented changes that have made an indelible mark on the game. How and when can Mr Elleray be held to account? If you watched the Perth v Sydney game last night, the penalty afforded to Sydney was nothing short of laughable. The Perth defender was effectively underneath the Sydney player and thus blinded to any visibility of the ball by the Sydney player’s body. Secondly, to attempt a sliding last gasp tackle the defender needs to use his bodily relevant to the task at hand, and lastly the ball came off the Sydney player’s leg onto the Perth defender. If you are not getting my drift at this point, it’s because of the absence of two words, physics and intent. In my opinion, these are the two key points of considerations that our referees have surgically removed from their decision making process. In the case of the Perth defender last night, if any of you have played football please tell me how you can possibly make a sliding tackle with your opponent effectively on top of you, without raising your arms? It’s called inertia, momentum and the effect of a fast moving mass. It’s also a self-protection mechanism to do so, if the Perth defender doesn’t raise his arms and the Sydney man comes down on top of him, does he suffer a rib or skull injury? Harking back to the decision last night, where and when did the referees consider intent. Watch the replay and point me to clear evidence in any part of the tackle that unquestionably shows intent by the Perth player deliberately playing his hand at the ball.
This is where our officials are falling short. If you have instructions in your kitchen plastered on the side of a fire extinguisher saying “In case of fire, pull the pin, squeeze the trigger and aim at the base of the flame” does that mean the moment you fire up your gas cooktop you must go for the extinguisher? Rules in this instance are meant to be guideline, a yardstick, a measure for decision making. You might disagree, but there is no way, at any time in the history of the universe, where black and white rules on paper will indisputably apply to 22 grown men moving at velocity, with aggression and intent on a football pitch. To think the contrary is, in my opinion, short sighted, immature, plain foolish and suggests an absence of contextual knowledge and experience in the decision making process. In closing, does this raise the requirement for A-League referees to have the mandatory requirement of “x” number of years playing experience prior to reaching the aforementioned level and qualification. I believe it should, because at this point, our officials are an embarrassment, an encumbrance, and they’re doing nothing more than applying detriment to crowds, perception and the quality of the football and its outcomes. Just my two bob’s worth.