North have performed as bad if not worse....

[ListManager]

….than we did in last years Good Friday clash. Since we all know what a fair and transparent organization the AFL are, North should be stripped of the Good Friday game for next year and St Kilda reinstated...……………….

[terry smith rules]

Snap we hit post at same time but yes we should. Why not

[desertsaint]

More pissed off that the afl gave the game to Essendon. Absolute joke and simply shitting on us and the bulldogs. Probably take it off north next year and it’ll be Essendon vs Richmond.

[twirlyhair]

Hey here's an idea, why not Essendon v Collingwood. AFL really needs to help out these two clubs. Seriously though, why the knee jerk reaction. Let two clubs build it over time. Traditions are not built in one year.

[SaintPav]

These aresholes are now above us on the ladder.

Just win Saints.

[Yorkeys]

Not ahead on the Duckworth/Lewis method though. If there is a rain delay I think we could go straight through to the grand final.

[saynta]

Give it to the druggies and the filth.

So far teams playing on Good Friday end up having shitty years.

[Trev from the Bush]

Watched most of the game (when I was supposed to be splitting firewood) and couldn't help but turn my thoughts back to 2018.

"The media" wrote North off for 2018, many tipping them as likely wooden spooners. At the same time, nobody foresaw StKilda's dramatic drop in fortune after winning 11 games in 2017 and improving enough to just missing the finals in 2016. We all know now how competitive the Roos were last year and how abysmal the Saints were. Media commentators, being basically too gutless to stand out on a limb, seem to play follow the leader and expected North to continue to improve this season. Likewise, most of them predicted the Saints to stay near the bottom end of the competition.

Life just doesn't work that way.

Many have forgotten the review Geelong undertook at the end of a very disappointing 2006 season. Outsiders expected the blow torch to be seriously applied to Bomber Thompson, the senior coach. No, he kept his job but the broom swept through the support staff. I reminded myself of that on Grand Final day, 2009 - which Geelong won by 119 points! For me, the Cats taught everybody a lesson in football - be patient and be persistent.

I reckon the North of 2019 are what they were supposed to be last season. Hopefully, the StKilda team of 2019 is the team it was "supposed" to have been last year.

[The Fireman]

I hate cheats

[Enrico_Misso]

Hey here's an idea, why not Essendon v Collingwood. AFL really needs to help out these two clubs. Seriously though, why the knee jerk reaction. Let two clubs build it over time. Traditions are not built in one year.

If the AFL believes their primary purpose is to maximise crowds then why not make EVERY blockbuster slot "Coll v Ess"?

The fixture is a FIXture with some clubs playing some once and others twice so what does it matter if they play each other 6 times.

In fact why not schedule them in a televised MCG Friday night game EVERY week and see if we can't blow the attendance records away and Gill gets a massive bonus?

[Milne]

I reminded myself of that on Grand Final day, 2009 - which Geelong won by 119 points! For me, the Cats taught everybody a lesson in football - be patient and be persistent.

I don't think they beat us by that much in 2009

[Toy Saint]

Hey here's an idea, why not Essendon v Collingwood. AFL really needs to help out these two clubs. Seriously though, why the knee jerk reaction. Let two clubs build it over time. Traditions are not built in one year.

If the AFL believes their primary purpose is to maximise crowds then why not make EVERY blockbuster slot "Coll v Ess"?

The fixture is a FIXture with some clubs playing some once and others twice so what does it matter if they play each other 6 times.

In fact why not schedule them in a televised MCG Friday night game EVERY week and see if we can't blow the attendance records away and Gill gets a massive bonus?

The AFL is definitely not an independent Governing Body, clearly they do not consider it is their mandate to provide equal conditions for all participating clubs.

My comment is not an emotional rant, it is reality. And if examined, I'd expect the AFL is acting within their full legal rights. If pushed, I'm sure the AFL will even acknowledge this.

As Enrico has pointed out, Gil and his team receive a massive bonus for maximizing the financial result in the competition. The fixture is not a 'draw', it's not randomly drawn from a hat, it is deliberately fixed to maximize the financial outcome.

The umpires and the tribunal are direct employees of the AFL. The AFL is responsible for managing the salary cap, and the drugs code. As we have established, the AFL is motivated to do whatever generates the greatest financial result, they have no legal mandate to be fair and equitable.

Believing the AFL is an independent and fair governing body is about as realistic as the Easter Bunny.

[Goose is king]

With North playing horribly it must open the door for Kelly choosing to become a Saint. If we fall into the eight or just miss but show improvement we will be a chance to finally grab a big fish. And this guy could be one of the biggest.

[Scollop]

With North playing horribly it must open the door for Kelly choosing to become a Saint. If we fall into the eight or just miss but show improvement we will be a chance to finally grab a big fish. And this guy could be one of the biggest.

Like. Kelly or some other young A grader with silky skills

[perfectionist]

I reminded myself of that on Grand Final day, 2009 - which Geelong won by 119 points! For me, the Cats taught everybody a lesson in football - be patient and be persistent.

I don't think they beat us by that much in 2009

Yeah, I think he meant 2007.

[samuraisaint]

With North playing horribly it must open the door for Kelly choosing to become a Saint. If we fall into the eight or just miss but show improvement we will be a chance to finally grab a big fish. And this guy could be one of the biggest.

Like. Kelly or some other young A grader with silky skills

Lachie Whitfield and Zac Jones.