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Messages - LP

1
The Sports Desk / Re: Formula 1
Quote from: Gointocarlton – on
As much as I dont like the prick, Horner is exactly the man Ferrari need.
Possibly true, but Ferrari might be too big of a change, geographically and culturally. Ignoring what they list as their "home track", the UK based teams basically live and work within a 10km radius of each other, Ferrari is a huge change of venue and an even bigger change in culture.
2
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: The Climate, Environment and Energy Thread
Earlier we had some discussion about not trusting the advice or reports of billionaires, when they portray themselves as the cure to bureaucracy's ills.

When big big money is involved do not trust politics, opinion or the people who profit from either, just trust the numbers but not necessarily how the numbers are presented, be skeptical. Sometimes the most basic cursory investigation exposes the folly or deception.

Right on queue, although not specific to energy but analogous to the concept above, we have a billionaire telling us he can do the SRL better, cheaper, faster and with more certainty. I doubt it, I gravely doubt it, and unless great liability and risk is built into the contracts with certain penalties for failure, it would be a grave mistake to change the management.

Privatisation of too many major infrastructures just creates a tenancy that delivers great profit to the landlord, we all pay. Infrastructure and essential services should not be "for profit"!

The same critical risk structure should be applied to energy debate, make providers liable for not delivering on promises, do not let them profit at your risk!
3
The Sports Desk / Re: Formula 1
Such is F1 politics, it looks like Horner called out Verstappen's old man for brokering a move to Mercedes, backdooring RB Racing. Max was asking too much to remain at RB. and Horner told Jos Verstappen as much. But Jos is a friend of the RB Executive had his revenge, and now it looks like Max will get his way, the ultimate spoilt child, despite also being a very good driver in a car exclusively configured to his preference.

In F1, money talks, always has and always will.

I think it's a mistake, RB have now kyboshed the two people who could actually technically deliver on Max's requests, Newey and Horner.

I won't be surprised to hear that Max will get a big deal, and yet still be gone from RB within a season or two, they won't be able to deliver, it will break the team, and he'll blame everyone else for the lack of success. This is why Zac Brown said he'd rather see Max stay at RB than head to Mercedes, he doesn't want Max at a team that can deliver a car to his liking, he'd rather Max stays at RB and destroys the joint.

btw., None of this is new to F1, you've seen it all before with "Seb the Breaker"
4
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 18 2025 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane
I'm not surprised Cowan is an in, but I'm a bit surprised Durdin gets a gig.

In my opinion Durdin and Evans both have the same fundamental problem, at AFL level they aren't more agile or pacey than opposition who are 10kg heavier and 10cm taller, this leaves them without a trick. To make use of them we can't have such a predictable game plan, they will never get the same opportunities at the AFL level fall of the ball that they get in VFL, if the opposition know where the ball is going.

In my opinion in the future we should avoid recruiting small forwards who haven't an elite trick. Either they must be bilateral and effectively indistinguishable left or right, have elite pace, elite agility or be elite overhead. If they haven't got one of those four traits they'll never get enough footy at AFL level to have an impact, no matter how hard they try or how good they look at VFL level.
6
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 18 2025 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane
Quote from: PaulP – on
There is IMO, a difference between a couple of dissenting voices (inevitable when you have 40+ players, assistant coaches and other support staff) and the seemingly en masse switching off,
I think in Pagan's case, he had Carey and he had Archer, and that made a huge difference because it greatly diminished the opinions of the rest. But that might be normal for any club.

In all my years in and around football clubs, I've never found a club with undisputed and unequivocal unity, such claims usually come retrospectively after a flag or other similar success, but they are a mirage.

So perhaps losing some players is normal, and it is who you lose that makes all the difference.

But I'd still assert, if the top leadership and by top I mean above the coach, is stable, consistent and gives the coach unconditional support. Usually issues never grow beyond a seed. Whiteants live in rot.
7
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 18 2025 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane
Quote from: Baggers – on
And governance of the playing group lies with the football manager and senior coach. Again we land at inadequate leadership.
I think that's an oversimplification.

We've had an issue spanning too many coaching regimes for this just to be the coaches, it's most likely having too many of the wrong type of people with close access to the playing group. Too many cooks.

Personally, I see it in the outbursts of Mathieson Snr. When Dick Pratt was up and about, and to some degree Sayers, the faceless types were schtum. In between we get noise and we see chaos result, in my opinion that is a huge tell!

Whiteants are always about, some caretakers are good at keeping watch and staying the threat, others not so much! Whiteants are the biggest threat to success because they are opportunistic and driven by reward, they are more insidious, more devious, when the prize is large.
8
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 18 2025 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane
Quote from: PaulP – on
I remain highly skeptical that the typical discourse(s) conducted by supporters bears much resemblance at all to the discourse conducted by football people within the four walls. If one measures this "losing the players" by on field performance, then I guess our fluctuations under Voss are like a case of lost and found ? First half 23, lost. Second half 23, found. First half 24, found, etc.

Sorry but I don't buy it. I should make it clear that my ire is not directed at you.
I suspect it's more likely there are factions between players than a specific issue with the coach.

If there are factions in our group they are enabled and driven by the culture at the club, these things do not form bottom up without some failure of governance.
9
The Sports Desk / Re: Formula 1
Rules in sport shouldn't be discretionary, they should not be applied arbitrarily.

F1 like the AFL wants to have influence over outcomes, the problem is never the rule itself but how the rule is applied.
10
The Sports Desk / Re: Formula 1
Piastri is correct to be pissed off with the penalty that cost him the race, this is F1 politics at it's finest.

Interesting also that it's again Red Bull involved, because Verstappen did the exact same thing in a race earlier this season and wasn't penalised at all, while last night Piastri got what is probably the maximum penalty for the same action. Who complains makes a difference.

Perhaps karma got even with Max for bleating about Piastri slowing, but it doesn't help McLaren who now have two drivers head to head, but it helps Red Bull to have Piastri and Norris squabbling.

btw., IN case somebody thinks it's spitting chips for Piastri, he was basically the clear best driver on the day, passing Verstappen, maintaining and growing a gap in front. While Norris only gained ground through other driver errors and penalties.
11
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread
Well the debacle continues, the only players to fire a shot today are some of the ones the NSW Cricket mafia want kyboshed!

In the meantime someone like Boland remains relegated to watching on, as the entrenched bowling solution will no doubt mop up cheap wickets in trying conditions. Then the mafia will point to the stats and claim they already have the better options.

Yet it seems the same doesn't apply to the batting selection, the batting failure is written off as a sticky wicket.

It's good bowling, relative to something mystery measure, and the batting is only poor due to the wicket!
12
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 14 2025 Carlton vs Port Melbourne
We've seen a roll out of a change in tactics, and it's fine, but it's new and we haven't seen it capably implemented yet at AFL level, we are doing it in bursts and as we go we are learning about opposition countertactics.

For a long time we bemoaned the apparent absence of a Plan B, now we have it some fans want it thrown out because we aren't getting an instant result, but it's new and fans need to be patient.

I'm not nearly as upset about the tactics and coaching as I am about the poor implementation, because where it falls down are in the execution of basic skills.

We only need one or two quick players, or one or two quality bilateral players, and time and space opens up for everybody and you'll see the basic errors diminish. This is what the likes of Daicos, Pendelbury and Sidebottom bring to the Filth.

In the past, our slower endurance and strength based list missed a massive trick, they all should have been incessantly training their offside and the lack of leg speed would be a non-issue, like it's a non-issue for Sidebottom and Pendlebury. If our list had developed 80% of Diesel's handball skills and the same percentage of Scotland's kicking they be laughing, but it's too late as 28 year olds!

The idea that someone like Saad can make it through a whole AFL career and still be effectively a unilateral ball user is a condemnation on our club and the AFL system in general. It's a fundamental high level skill that is almost completely absent in our list.
13
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 14 2025 Carlton vs Port Melbourne
Quote from: Professer E – on
I saw blokes who clearly aren't up to it.
Whether they are capable or not has little relevance to how hard they are trying, I'm arguing the assertion that they aren't making an effort is bullsh1t, in fact it's an insult!

Someone like Evans tries just as hard if not harder in the AFL, he wants the gig desperately, but he is competing against a whole other level of opponent.
15
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 14 2025 Carlton vs Port Melbourne
Quote from: Blue Moon – on
The solution to last Thursday was Saturday night. Keep running forward, keep moving forward,  don't go in your shell when you make mistakes, trust your team mates will keep having a go, and try and kick and handball the ball to your team mates, and finally,  don't give up.
Send them a note.

Do you genuinely think the AFL team aren't trying to do this?