After reading about Ms MBB's parking app scam and then Thry's post, I thought that it might be useful to share what we know about what the scummers are up to.
I received this email this morning:
Quote
From: ATO sent you a new message ...
You have EFT refund for income Tax for the Period of Jun 23 To Jun 24
HELLO,
NOTICE OF TAX RETURN ATO: You are Due a repayment of income Tax for the year 2023/2024 please complete your info:
Most folk would realise immediately that the email isn't from the ATO but some will be sucked in by the lure of a refund, won't read the email carefully, and will click on the link.
The murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad has come to an end and the tyrant has flown to exile in Russia. The question is whether what follows Assad will be better or worse.
Of course, the Americans and Israelis took the opportunity to bomb the crepe out of ISIS and munitions plants.
It is a huge setback for Putin with Russia losing its foothold and influence in the Middle East.
It is also another blow to the reputation of the Russian military. In the absence of instructions from Moscow, the various units chose to do nothing and all bases are now cut off. Showing initiative isn’t a thing in the Russian armed forces.
Expatriate Syrians here are overjoyed but I suspect that there will be a lot of hardship and unrest to come.
One of my favourite cricketers from back in the day, Redpath could be the dour batsman or the free-flowing run machine. He was also a very entertaining speaker with a wealth of great stories to tell … and without resorting to smut or profanity.
Eighty-three was a modest innings by Redders’ standards.
Regular small forward, Matt Owies, regular midfielder/forward/second ruck, Matt Kennedy, and occasional midfielder, Jack Carroll are gone. Our other outgoing players played so little footy in 2024 that their departures are inconsequential.
After Zac Williams successfully made the transition to the forward line, he will be working on his forward craft this pre-season. It seems that Brodie Kemp will continue as a forward after doing OK as a stand in for Charlie. Conversely, Jack Silvagni is said to be training for a role as a defender in 2025. Where will Mitch McGovern play?
Then we've got Nick Haynes looking for a spot in the backline. Will Lewis Young do enough over the pre-season to win back his key defender role?
Where will Doc play after his remarkable return from his knee reconstruction? Will Ashton Moir, Cooper Lord and Jaxon Binns get regular games? Draft pick #3 will be looking to break into the senior team, as will Billy Wilson.
At the time it was a particularly horrific and unusual crime that caused great alarm. I lived not far from Easey Street in the 1970s and several family members had lived in that street in the first half of the 20th century.
I understand that the suspect was identified by DNA evidence many years later but fled to Greece where he has dual citizenship. He couldn’t be extradited because Greece has a 15 year statute of limitations. Italy doesn’t have a restriction on extradition and VicPol must have been monitoring the suspect’s movements.
As a basketball tragic, I haven’t really given this as much attention as I should have.
First of all, congratulations are due to Joe Ingles, Patty Mills and Lauren Jackson for winning selection to their fifth Olympics. Loz’s selection is particularly admirable given that her last Olympics was London in 2012, she retired with a debilitating knee injury and is now 43 years young. Her form in the recent series against China suggests that she’ll get more than her share of court time in Paris.
Joe and Patty have had stellar careers but both will probably spend more time on the bench than on the court in Paris. Joe’s probably in better touch but Patty will still have his moments.
I think that the two most significant omissions from the Boomers are Chris Goulding and Matisse Thybulle. Goulding, by his own admission, was always going to struggle against the younger talent.
Thybulle’s defensive efforts at the last Olympics were outstanding but it seems that Brian Goorjian is after more offensive firepower than hard nosed defence. Goorjian is a wily operator and I’m sure that he knows what he’s doing.
Ross Booth called the VFA footy on ABC TV with Phil Cleary and Peter Gee. An understated but knowledgeable commentator that let the action do the talking.
Ross was recently found deceased in his Toorak flat, a residence that Phil would often refer to in order to light-heartedly accuse Ross of being a Toorak toff. Ross was in his early 70s.
Ross was a midfielder for Monash Blues in the 1970s when they were one of the VAFA powerhouses. I probably played in opposing teams but I don’t remember him from those days. I suspect that experience helped to make him a knowledgeable, accurate and entertaining commentator.
Sam Kerr has been charged with the racially aggravated harassment of a police officer and will go to trial in February 2025. What’s that about “justice delayed is justice denied”?
Of course, Sam is innocent until proven guilty and we shouldn’t anticipate the outcome of the trial. However, I suspect that we won’t see any more FIFA puff pieces about Sam’s ethnicity:
“[Sam’s] journey speaks volumes about the evolving landscape of football and the power of athletes to transcend borders, languages, and cultures. As she continues to excel on the pitch, she also strives to be a beacon of hope for young Indian girls who dare to dream beyond conventions.”
Even with Walsh proppy, we have more quality midfielders than we can possibly fit in, even if we play a couple as forwards.
If Walsh is good to go, I'd start opening round with Cripps, Walsh and Cerra in the centre square, Acres and O Hollands on the wings, Docherty at half forward, and Hewett and Kennedy on the bench, the latter as a forward/midfielder (Cottrell is starting as a forward).
Round 3 will be interesting when Elijah Hollands is available, probably for a forward/midfield role. Then there's Binns and Jack Carroll pushing for selection. Cuningham is also hoping to spend more time in the midfield.
It was interesting to read that Carroll spent the summer in Perth with Crippa. That's got to have a positive impact on his footy, fitness and attitude.
Unfortunately, Sammy hasn't provided reports on Kemp, Williams, Young, tall Durdin, Marchbank and Cincotta. I'm also keen to see whether Jaxson Binns is earmarked for a role in defence this season.
There's big shoes to fill with Weitering out in terms of his unbeatability in one on one contests, his ability to choose the right option when distributing the ball or rebounding from defence, and his generalship of the team in the back half. I don't think any one player can do all of that and our defence will have to step up across the board.
If I was picking the team for "opening round", I would go with:
B: Newman Young Williams HB: Saad Kemp McGovern I/C: Cincotta
I think the MC will go with:
B: Newman Marchbank Williams HB: Saad McGovern Cincotta I/C: Boyd
