ALM semi first leg v Smurfs away

[Corsair]

Just watched the replay of the elbow on Barcellos, clearly looks at him and aims his elbow, blatant yellow if not straight red.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Their crowd is so shit. Apart from the Cove no one says a thing. They just sit there waiting to be entertained.

 

[marinermick]

There is lots of calls that Kuol challenge on keeper when playing for the through ball should have also seen red.

Does anybody have still shots, good video of it?

Never touched Redmayne despite going studs up. Any calls for a foul is moot.

 

[JackMariner]

nailed it

He’s a legend in his own mind and quite forgettable when playing for us looks like his goal to be on a real winning team will never hit the back of the net. He is a cockroach.

 

[JackMariner]

Also thank you A League for being so magnanimous in forcing our champions to play 72 hrs after there brilliant win in the Asia cup. You bastards wanted us to lose, so how’s that going for all you aholes now, sit and bloody twist the damn lot of you!!!!

 

[shipwreck]

What did Cacares do?

 

[Coastalraider]

We played Friday because that was the only realistic option. The ground was booked out Saturday and Sunday so the only way to have a longer rest post AFC was to swap weekends and lose our home ground advantage for game 2 - never going to happen.

I know this may be hard to take after years of being treated like a bad smell, but right now ‘if’ there is an agenda it’s towards us.. we are the favoured child.

Not only are we a success story, we will get a sell out crowd to the gf (or a big one to commbank like was rumoured to be the original plan). We are everyone’s second favourite team, so will drive viewers and digital reach.

We will get blanket media coverage like no other team if we win the comp due to the unprecedented treble, meaning significantly more exposure for the comp than if any other team wins it from here.

We also have the added benefit here of having a tiny operating budget - at a time when APL are slashing tv budgets. Don’t for a second think the APL wouldn’t like to walk into meetings being able to wave that fact in rich teams faces. Proof that reduced funding can still be successful.

Any way you look at it, it’s in the APLs benefit to have us win next week, host a GF, and win the comp.

It’s a strange situation to be in.

 

[Huddo]

We played Friday because that was the only realistic option. The ground was booked out Saturday and Sunday so the only way to have a longer rest post AFC was to swap weekends and lose our home ground advantage for game 2 - never going to happen.

I know this may be hard to take after years of being treated like a bad smell, but right now ‘if’ there is an agenda it’s towards us.. we are the favoured child.

Not only are we a success story, we will get a sell out crowd to the gf (or a big one to commbank like was rumoured to be the original plan). We are everyone’s second favourite team, so will drive viewers and digital reach.

We will get blanket media coverage like no other team if we win the comp due to the unprecedented treble, meaning significantly more exposure for the comp than if any other team wins it from here.

We also have the added benefit here of having a tiny operating budget - at a time when APL are slashing tv budgets. Don’t for a second think the APL wouldn’t like to walk into meetings being able to wave that fact in rich teams faces. Proof that reduced funding can still be successful.

Any way you look at it, it’s in the APLs benefit to have us win next week, host a GF, and win the comp.

It’s a strange situation to be in.

It feels like your first paragraph contradicts your second.

What we did with the first 2 trophies demonstrates the budgetary position, I don't believe there is a conspiracy theory, but I do believe there is an unconscious bias.

The APL knew about the timing of AFC cup final for how long? Im sure noting the competition the expectation is we'd atleast make it. All it required was a little fore thought.

 

[Coastalraider]

It feels like your first paragraph contradicts your second.

What we did with the first 2 trophies demonstrates the budgetary position, I don't believe there is a conspiracy theory, but I do believe there is an unconscious bias.

The APL knew about the timing of AFC cup final for how long? Im sure noting the competition the expectation is we'd atleast make it. All it required was a little fore thought.

But with the stadium pre booked well in advance for other codes regular season matches, what do you think the solution was to the Friday game issue? Those bookings were made well in advance of us making AFC finals, the scheduling of those games, and Sydney making the league finals at all.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Lucky we aren't their today. Chino boys played rugby on it last night in that downpour.
Puffer and Gillets jackets everywhere I expect
Pitch will be worse than it was on friday

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

There is lots of calls that Kuol challenge on keeper when playing for the through ball should have also seen red.

Does anybody have still shots, good video of it?

He missed the gk completely. Kuol did well to control his leg.

Anybody saying it's a red is really clutching at straws and had no idea what they're talking about

 

[Meerkat]

It feels like your first paragraph contradicts your second.

What we did with the first 2 trophies demonstrates the budgetary position, I don't believe there is a conspiracy theory, but I do believe there is an unconscious bias.

The APL knew about the timing of AFC cup final for how long? Im sure noting the competition the expectation is we'd atleast make it. All it required was a little fore thought.

There are a few ways you can look at it.
We did have some rescheduling to accommodate our 2nd competition. However, as it has been pointed out by a few, we could have chosen to forego the home 2nd leg advantage and switch the fixtures, when we knew we had made the AFC GF, giving us more control over timing, but we opted not to, knowing the possible outcome would be that we played Sydney on Friday.
I do think, having us represent Australia at international level, should have had us supported more by the APL. But I guess a line had to be drawn somewhere.
Either way, we did it. We won. Nuff said.

 

[Tevor]

There are a few ways you can look at it.
We did have some rescheduling to accommodate our 2nd competition. However, as it has been pointed out by a few, we could have chosen to forego the home 2nd leg advantage and switch the fixtures, when we knew we had made the AFC GF, giving us more control over timing, but we opted not to, knowing the possible outcome would be that we played Sydney on Friday.
I do think, having us represent Australia at international level, should have had us supported more by the APL. But I guess a line had to be drawn somewhere.
Either way, we did it. We won. Nuff said.

It just shows Allianz Stadium values League and Union more as tenants than SFC. When I was in Oman Rich said he was complaining to the APL about the Friday game and wanted it moved however the only viable option was Monday and that would not have been a good option for anyone from a $$$ point of view.

He also tried to get the APL to fund first class for the players because of the short turnaround and they gave that the thumbs down. It’s great we got that result on Friday night considering the scheduling. Having also travelled to Oman it was pretty taxing on sleep schedules etc.

 

[LFCMariners]

We played Friday because that was the only realistic option. The ground was booked out Saturday and Sunday so the only way to have a longer rest post AFC was to swap weekends and lose our home ground advantage for game 2 - never going to happen.

I know this may be hard to take after years of being treated like a bad smell, but right now ‘if’ there is an agenda it’s towards us.. we are the favoured child.

Not only are we a success story, we will get a sell out crowd to the gf (or a big one to commbank like was rumoured to be the original plan). We are everyone’s second favourite team, so will drive viewers and digital reach.

We will get blanket media coverage like no other team if we win the comp due to the unprecedented treble, meaning significantly more exposure for the comp than if any other team wins it from here.

We also have the added benefit here of having a tiny operating budget - at a time when APL are slashing tv budgets. Don’t for a second think the APL wouldn’t like to walk into meetings being able to wave that fact in rich teams faces. Proof that reduced funding can still be successful.

Any way you look at it, it’s in the APLs benefit to have us win next week, host a GF, and win the comp.

It’s a strange situation to be in.

Controversial call incoming but...

I actually wouldn't have minded going back to Commbank again. Plenty of pre-game venues in Parramatta, higher capacity and the idea of celebrating a Championship in the RBB's end before they do is golden...

 

[Ironbark]

Let's be honest. Who doesn't want to punch Brattan?

I want to more than ever. He's entering Mauk territory

 

[FFC Mariner]

Controversial call incoming but...

I actually wouldn't have minded going back to Commbank again. Plenty of pre-game venues in Parramatta, higher capacity and the idea of celebrating a Championship in the RBB's end before they do is golden...

Works for me. GF's are a great day out

 

[moomoo]

Controversial call incoming but...

I actually wouldn't have minded going back to Commbank again. Plenty of pre-game venues in Parramatta, higher capacity and the idea of celebrating a Championship in the RBB's end before they do is golden...

My daughter and I were just saying the same. It does make it a big event, something different & special

 

[Ironbark]

A home grand final though...

 

[pjennings]

Surely a home Grand Final would be a big event. I would expect a live site on the water, food trucks, and temporary liquor licenses

We could even fly Courtney Whine in by sea plane for a special walk around.

 

[Melange]

Surely a home Grand Final would be a big event. I would expect a live site on the water, food trucks, and temporary liquor licenses

We could even fly Courtney Whine in by sea plane for a special walk around.

As long as someone carried her on her walk around, you know, due respect