LIKE many people The Standard's journalists are working from home waiting for the coronarvirus pandemic to wane and for life to return to normal.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Sport globally is on hiatus and our four reporters Justine McCullagh-Beasy, Nick Ansell, Sean Hardeman and Brian Allen are eager to see competitions, in some form or another, return in coming months. Here we introduce a new column The Commentary Box.
JUSTINE: Well guys, it's fair to say life is a bit odd without sport. My usual winter weekends look a bit different - no local football and netball to cover and no Fremantle games to get nervous about. I've bought a basketball ring which will be delivered in the next day or so. How are you guys keeping entertained?
NICK: It's weird, hey? Definitely a change of pace. Oh, the basketball ring will be mint. Was happy to hear you'd opted for the chain net too! As you guys know, I was spending an awful lot of time on the golf course prior to COVID-19 so sitting at home has been a shock to the system. I've rediscovered a childhood love for WWE and put up a golf hitting cage in the backyard to justify buying some new Cleveland irons. The bank account is still taking a hit, let's put it that way.
SEAN: It is certainly strange not watching AFL games and especially my Bulldogs on the TV but I have managed to go back in time and watch the 2016 preliminary final and grand final as a way to remind myself of the great times to help keep my morale up in isolation! I've still managed to get out and have a surf as my form of exercise and then I am spending any other time playing PlayStation and binging on Netflix! Highly recommend Tiger King or for the sports lovers Drive to Survive.
JUSTINE: Drive to Survive is a ripping series. I love watching Haas team director Guenther Steiner. He comes out with some cracking lines. Started watching Sunderland Til I Die on Netflix which is a great sporting series encompassing the raw passion. Can't say I'm a fan of the English Premier League system where players are on loan or can be traded throughout the season though.
SEAN: Gunether is brilliant! It gives you an insight into how cut-throat the racing industry is though. You need to be able to survive and thrive at the same time. In terms of the English and world football systems, it is rather weird and can make or break a season as it shows for many clubs fighting for titles, promotion or survival. I also feel it brings a different theatre to the sport. Imagine seeing star players in the AFL moving during the season and lining up against their old sides the next week! Crazy scenes!
JUSTINE: Not sure I'd like seeing Nat Fyfe in a Fremantle guernsey one week and a Richmond one the next! Brian might be happy for the dual Brownlow Medallist to slot in alongside Dusty Martin and Trent Cotchin.
Listen to episode four of The Standard's footy podcast, The Main Break:
NICK: Sunderland Til I Die is a bloody masterpiece. Soccer is a cruel game full of greed and very money-driven at the top level. My club, Leeds, has been on the wrong end of that too many times before. Just when we're on the brink of promotion, COVID-19 pops up and derails it. Fyfe is too nice a bloke to play for Richmond, Jmac, I wouldn't worry.
BRIAN: Righto, let's get something straight here! Fyfe would be a welcome member of the Tiger Army, although we have plenty of talent coming through with the likes of Sydney Stack, who was brilliant last year. Given we're writing stories about past legends of the game and fantasy teams, here's my Richmond fantasy. If we were to bring in any player it would be Matthew Richardson in his prime. He could go straight to the wing, where he almost clinched the Brownlow. Aside from dreaming up Richmond fantasies, I bought an electric-acoustic guitar and have been passing the time learning new songs such as 'I saw a Tiger' from Tiger King.
JUSTINE: I couldn't go past Matthew Pavlich if we were to recall a past player. Dockers' forward line woes are well-documented and it would be nice to have a reliable presence. Speaking of the AFL, we've been lucky to speak to some of the south-west's exports during the COVID-19 break, including Leon Cameron, Ken Hinkley, Rowan Marshall, Josh Corbett and Jay Rantall. Jay was drafted last year before the world was turned upside down. Now there's talk about lifting the draft age to 19. Thoughts?
SEAN: It's nice to read about what they are up to! They are always great to chat with and happy to give us their time. I feel Jay's class could be the last players to be drafted as young as 18. I feel it's time to lift the age. It's too much pressure to put on someone who is also juggling VCE studies. Raising it to 19 gives kids a chance to concentrate on finishing school and setting their life up for the next year where they can dedicate themselves to training and preparing to chase their dream. It may also give them a chance to get a start on university and, if they don't get drafted, they have that back up in place.
BRIAN: Agree with you Sean. That year out of school would give players the chance to get stuck into studies or work. Getting a year of full-time or part-time study under the belt could be valuable for a young player. I did a uni subject with Western Bulldogs player Tom Liberatore and I think he was doing a nine-year arts degree with three subjects per year. So having a year to study could help a player get a degree much quicker. Plus an 18-year-old could play senior footy in a strong county league like the Hampden league or Ovens and Murray. They can still gain valuable experience playing against men without the pressure of the AFL.
JUSTINE: Someone like Jay, who combined high-level junior football with year 12 studies well, was ready for the AFL at 18. Would raising the draft age hold some players back? But on the other hand there are players who take longer to mature and might benefit from a year out of school and potentially out of home before they're taken into an environment which shields them from the real world.
NICK: Tough one and I don't want to sit on the fence here, but... Jmac, you're spot on about some being ready and some not. I think a year between could go either way for some prospects. Some could mature and enter the draft better-equipped to deal with pressure while some could fade a little bit. I think it'd be hugely dependent on individual characters.
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.
