Just saw a presser where Ernie Merrick absolutely smashed the referees performance. The penalties to the other mob were a disgrace and influenced the game 100%. Should coaches be allowed to speak their mind?

So today America is facing yet another horrific school shooting in a country which has seen about 1 per week for the last 4 years. This one is a big one with 16-17 confirmed dead.

What personally hit me at the core is that it was in the the town ranked the 3rd safest in Florida. When we were living over there I was lucky and had a job where they let me live wherever I wanted in the country, as long as I was within an hour to the airport if I was needed onsite at a customer. So one of the main things we done was looked at City Data for each town we were considering. After choosing the type of environment we wanted (ie beaches/mountains/big city/location to International Airport etc), Safety and School ratings were the 2 single biggest factors. Because your kids MUST go to a good school in the US or you make life so much harder and your house has to be zoned to the school or you are out of luck and of course safety, because... well if you have ever been around suburban USA you will know how important this is and how much difference 5 minutes travel can make.

So here you have a town that would have certainly met the criteria for us (ie I wanted to live near a beach, though wife was hell bent on Colorado), was safe and had a greatschools rating of 8/10.

It is not the first time of course as both Littleton (Columbine) and Newtown (Sandy Hook) are affluent suburbs above the state average levels.

So it is clear that I was as delusional as anyone else when there that you have to just do the best you can do, because even that doesn't cut it.

When will Americans ever put their kids before the right to own a ridiculous firearm that by being allowed to own, they also allow the person down the street with untold mental issues to own? When will they give that shit up for the safety of everyone?

I know it is NEVER, but it just seems so insane

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/greater-risk...0vuxe.html

Next week the Blue Belles, Blue Sapphires, our triumphant girls, will face Brisbane next Saturday night (17th Feb) at Ikon Park. Entry is free - I believe that games at the new Optus Stadium in Perth are NOT - and the guys will be there before the game.
This game is being broadcast on TV even with Channel 7's Olympic coverage.
I am hoping to go: it will depend on my 15 year old daughter who is doing some part time work. If she is up to it, then we will be there. If not, then we watch it on TV. How slack! Not the performance of a true fanatic at all!

Given Brisbane's recent form, I do not expect us to pound them. We will be missing Bri Davey for certain (and probably for the season): we played particularly poorly last year when Davey was injured. Whether Tayla Harris gets up for the game is also questionable.
Unfortunately, AFLW does not yet have the depth for us to cover someone as good as Bri Davey. It is like trying to cover for an injured Judd: not as task that can be done easily. Harris may be a little easier to cover, as we do have some taller girls, but considering some of the marks she has been taking lately it is not a task I would feel comfortable in us being able to manage.

3, 2, 1 votes please.

I'll catchup on the 1st quarter that i missed before i give my votes, but from what i saw our best 2 players on the night might not be playing again.

As for Round 1 votes, consensus said.
3. Harris
2. Loynes
1. Stevens

I'll update with the 3, 2, 1 every week and reveal total votes at the end of the year.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-02-07/af...ride-match

Another Friday night game, this time only on Foxtel @Drummoyne oval.

We travel interstate 3 times this season. Not really a great draw considered you only have 3 or 4 away games and there are only 4 interstate teams.
Anywho, this is our first time travelling and it will be a challenge for the girls.

Be interested to see how many changes we have from last week.

Anyone going to watch this game?

Good to have a win first up, especially against the old enemy.

Lets have the votes.

For the womens, we go with a 3,2,1 system. No team voting required.

So have at it. Who was our best 3 players tonight?

To my great pleasure, the AFLW season kicks off on Friday evening at Carlton at 19:40 hours, with out Beautiful Blues taking on Collingwood. It should be an excellent game. I hope it is as good as last year's game was.

The Blues will be unleashing of our 2 big name recruits, both of whom survived the practice match last weekend. Darcy Vescio did more than just survive it: she showed just how good she is after a big break with knee surgery. I bet Nicola Stevens is happy to be in our colours this time, instead of trying to stop Darcy.

The game has free entry, but a big crowd is probable. Get there early!

Interesting comments from Wozniacki's husband David Lee, gives you a real insight into the mind of some professional sports people.

Talking about his wife's solo responsibilities as a tennis player;

Quote:"It's gotta be lonely because you don't have anyone to blame it on.

"Whereas I can say, my coach didn't do this or my teammate didn't do that, so it's a little bit of a different situation in a team sport."