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Topics - spf

2
Blah-Blah Bar / Russian Ukraine War
I couldn't see a thread anywhere, so please feel free to merge if there is one.

Russia is mobilising an additional 300,000 reservist (or press ganged) troops for the front in Ukraine. I had a look at a couple of sites online, and it appears the cost of a HiMars system (mobile rocket system) used against Russian forces in the Ukraine is around $78 million USD per system fully loaded. These have been very effective thus far against the invading forces.

I was thinking that assuming the 16 supplied are being increased to around 20, that is around $1.5 billion of investment in that equipment alone. Add in the costs of the latest pledges and the numbers are huge. Considering how unhappy Russian forces are in this campaign, would it not be better to offer them an opportunity to flee Russia and get something out of it? Imagine if let's say around $1.5 billion was put into developing educational offerings and accommodation in the EU for surrendering Russian soldiers, would we start to see whole units just turn up and surrender?

It wouldn't take long before people with few opportunities in Russia (and there are many), would find out about the programme, and head to the front knowing full well they could get out of fighting an unpopular war, and get something for themselves in the future.

$1.5 billion is a lot of investment into educational offerings, and it has the ongoing effect of the participants being anti-Putin, advertising this widely to their populous back home, and they are one day returning home (or migrating) with skills they can use to help their economic situation.

Another 20 HiMars, or many hundreds of thousands of new recruits against both Putin and his cronies forever?
6
Blah-Blah Bar / How to build a club NRL
I was reading this article from Sen (NRL) and took note of the quote from Andrew Johns. It was in regards to the ongoing failures dogging the Newcastle Knights over the last 20 years (sound familiar).

The article:

Andrew believes the youth development across the entirety of rugby league is an issue but believes it’s one of the Knights’ major issues.

“I think it’s a problem across the game,” said Andrew.
“But it’s a big problem in Newcastle.”
Andrew also praised Phil Gould’s words on how to implement a proper youth system into a club.
“Phil Gould spoke about building a club,” he explained.
“You have got to build a team, build a club where the players come through together and they have to care and love the club.
“At Penrith, he set up the junior pathway system and how they want to coach.
“And now you look at their first grade team, Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton, Nathan (Cleary), (Jarome) Luai, (Isaah) Yeo, (Liam) Martin.
“All have kicked on and played rep footy because of the junior structure in which Phil Gould oversaw and told this is the way we’re playing.
“He had to make big decisions on coaches, we’re going to coach our juniors skillswise and how to play so that they understand the Penrith way of playing.”

I highlighted what I consider to be some of our biggest failings as a club and we seem to consistently make the same mistakes. Maybe this is why our culture is so poor. We simply have not invested in it.
13
Robert Heatley Stand / $15 tickets for remaining Etihad games
From the club website:

Match-day guide: Round 13
Post-match function on Saturday
WATCH the Blues take on the Dockers for just $15!

Starting this weekend against Fremantle, supporters can purchase $15 Super Bay tickets for the remainder of Carlton’s home games at Etihad Stadium.

At $15, that’s 40 per cent cheaper than a general admission ticket!

The Super Bay, located on Level 1 Aisle 35 has limited seats, so make sure you secure yours now.

To get your $15 Super Bay tickets at our remaining home games at Etihad Stadium.
14
The Sports Desk / Meanwhile over at Richmond
Interesting article on the hun, I see "RICHMOND’S Carlton cast-offs" is used rather than Richmond players. Given how injured they are and how often I thought they could go with "the niggles".


RICHMOND’S Carlton cast-offs are in major doubt for the Round 1 clash against their old side, with Chris Yarran and Shaun Hampson still not training with the main group.

Yarran (calf) and Hampson (ankle) have endured frustrating pre-seasons and remain on modified training programs only eight days out from the Tigers’ opening NAB Challenge.

Yarran, traded by the Blues for pick 19 in last year’s exchange period, has suffered a string of soft tissue injuries and remains well short of match fitness.

Tigers football manager Dan Richardson said the club wouldn’t be pressured into over-hyping its stand-alone season-opener against the Blues on March 24.

“(Yarran) is playing his old team, but we didn’t recruit him just to play against Carlton in Round 1,” Richardson said.

“He’s still in the modified group, but he’s improving so hopefully over next few weeks he can join in main training. His calf is OK, it’s probably now about getting the right level of conditioning into him.”

Richardson said Richmond was “happy enough” with Yarran’s condition after the Christmas break before the problems started.

“We were really looking to get him right into it and that’s when he had a bit of calf trouble and that’s what has set him back a bit,” he said.

“Certainly there’s been one or two strains, but another couple may have just been tightness. They can be a bit hard to read, calves.”

Hampson, whose ankle issues restricted him to only four senior games in 2015, is slowly recovering from reconstructive surgery on both ankles.

“He’s hard to put a time-frame on, like ‘Yaz’, but he’s getting closer to returning to the full group,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say he’s had complications because the ankle took a while and naturally when you have an injury like that the muscles around the area can take longer.”

Yarran and Hampson’s injury issues are in stark contrast to dual All-Australian defender Alex Rance, whose extended break has taken him from potential retiree to reinvigorated leader.

Richmond’s reigning best and fairest didn’t return to Punt Road until early January after an American holiday with his wife.

“I think he appreciates the extra time off and he’s done the right thing by him and us in terms of the condition he’s come back in,” Richardson said.

“Certainly when players have earned absolute trust ... I think it’s fair for that to be factored in.

“But he’s come back and hasn’t missed a beat, touch wood.”

Youngster Nathan Drummond, who ripped his ACL in his first AFL game last season, is on track for an April return.