moops

Great from VDV, everyones stepped up a gear from our two losses.

That was magic by Leckie

https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/football-australia-opens-expressions-interest-national-second-tier-mens-competition Football Australia has formally commenced its process to create a National Second Tier Men’s competition currently earmarked to commence in March 2024. Football Australia has today invited all interested parties wishing to participate in the yet to be named, National Second Tier, to respond to an Invitation for Expression of Interest (EOI). The EOI process will provide Football Australia with relevant information to assess the level of interest, and to refine the strategy, vision, competition format, operation, and administration of the National Second Tier. The process is designed for Australian football clubs with a deep connection and demonstrated history in Australian football to participate in a tier of football that is anticipated to comprise of an individual league in a 'home and away’ structure with the proposed competition parameters as follows: A new national tier of football between the A-League Men competition and the National Premier Leagues, with the opportunity for promotion and relegation to be considered once mature A home and away league structure with finals, comprised of between 10 and 16 teams and featuring between 24 to 36 games Successful Respondents to the Application Process would be required to depart their existing football competitions for the National Second Tier National Second Tier Clubs will enter into a Club Participation Agreement setting out the terms of participation, including but not limited to the following requirements: professional playing contracts for all players, with salaries paid 52 weeks of the year; ‘off field’ operations run by employed staff throughout 12 months of the year; investment in and operation of a full talent development pathway within their club structure; and access to a suitable high-quality match day facility 12 months of the year. Should the level of interest not validate the required number of Clubs with the capability to formulate an independent tier of competition, the option remains for Football Australia to institute a phased ‘group based’ competition model that will utilise the National Premier Leagues competition to determine the make-up of this format of competition (the ‘Champions League’ model). The Invitation for EOI is the first phase of what is envisaged will be a multistage process, with this phase opening today and closing on 3 March 2023. At the conclusion of the EOI stage of the process, Football Australia intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to shortlisted parties inviting the submission of detailed proposals. Additional information through detailed Bid Documents will be provided to shortlisted parties during the RFP phase to assist with their formal detailed proposal. This information during the RFP phase may include, an information memorandum, NST related data, including financial forecasts and benchmarking, key terms of a Club Participation Agreement, and draft transaction documents. The following subsequent phases are envisaged: Phase 2 – Request for Proposal (April – June indicative), Phase 3 – Assessment and Recommendation (June – August indicative), Phase 4 – Completion (August – September indicative). Further information on these remaining phases will be outlined at a future date. There will be an interactive process to assist both shortlisted bidders and Football Australia to aid the development of high quality, well considered proposals and further refining the overall vision of the NST. This structured process will occur following the release of the RFP. More information and links to respond to the Expression of Interest invitation can be found at https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/nst-application-process. Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson said many potential respondents had already expressed their interest through a consultation phase across Australia in 2022, and more could emerge during the process. “Developing a national second tier competition is a key component of our 15-year vision for the game and our efforts to reconnect and realign Australian football competitions. Australian football has gone on a journey of transformation over the last two years and this is the latest example of us bringing our vision for the game to life. “In 2022, we did extensive financial and competition modelling followed by a series of consultations with clubs and other stakeholders across the game. We know from this process that there is a lot of interest in a national second tier so we expect that we will receive a strong number of responses in this first EOI phase. “Some of these clubs have a rich history in Australian football and aspire to grow and compete at a national level. The national second tier will now provide a platform for these aspirational clubs and to be a part of a connected football pyramid in the long term. “With football booming in Asia, our national teams competing strongly on the world stage and as the largest team participation base in Australian sport, this is the right time to create a national second tier. “We look forward to the process we have now launched and working collaboratively with all stakeholders and interested parties in building a successful National Second Tier and kicking the league off as early as March 2024,” Johnson said.

Might have made him nervous if he knew.

I remember he burst onto the scene and was quite exciting (signed from Adelaide), then he seemed to regress or get found out, sort of frustrating player in the end.

I had a nap and just woke up to the last 5 mins, what the hell? I wasn't expecting that score.

4

Great game from CCm v WSW, both of them look good and are catching up to us, our game is becoming a must win to keep the gap. Great game for the neutral though, I enjoyed watching that.

Not great, we looked off from the start, a complacent showing from the boys. Nearly got it at the end there, as Aiden said, it was an off night.

Yeah, it is more humid up there. Looking better so far this half.

It was only 24c at the start of the game, not really hot.

They are really protecting their wings, we have had good penetration going through the middle though. Our left is ineffectual, mostly because Jamieson is still playing the old way and is out of sinc with everyone, fair enough he's been out of the team for a while and has played CB recently, not really making a case for himself though. Glover made a good save, such a big turn around from last season. Our movement has been poor, we look complacent, Berisha is getting frustrated and it's effecting his ability. Rado needs to load the rockets up and change the mentality, get those 1-2's going again somehow.

I don't even think they have a home training ground, let alone their promised stadium. Homeless isn't far from the truth.

They have been pretty woeful, I can't see anything but a win.

What a great game! The Nix were pretty good and so it was very entertaining to watch, some quality goals on display, enjoyable. Great to get a win when you play away to a team that takes it to you, really good stuff from the lads.

It does seem to be improving under Rado.

True, it's a good problem to have.

Somethings not right with Nabout, last season he just looked angry all the time, this season he looks like he's just ineffectual, something must be going on behind the curtain.

I think that overall the team is less predictable, as you say less hoofball. But there is less wing play as well, with runs being made in midfield with quite a bit more 1-2 passing. It's just more varied, there seems to be more/better off the ball movement as well, it's more a total football approach, where as Paddy was more rigid or controlling of the team. It does make us a little less effective defensively, but we seem a lot better in attack than before even in these early stages imho and I think it shows our reliance and trust in O'Neil more than ever, he is our linchpin and has more responsibility which is improving him and free's up players like Leckie and VDV. We have had a lot more open play chances and scored from them as well, most of our goals scored prior have been set pieces or penalties, where now we look dangerous in open play. It shows in the amount of good chances we create and playing through teams defences, last game was good in that players were shooting more readily, rather than looking to set up the perfect chance, to pass it into the net. Sure it was hot and movement wasn't as good because of it, but we seem more dangerous and unpredictable whilst still controlling the game and not losing a lot defensively, but that's more due to O'Niels roll and effectiveness. Do you see similar things? Edit: I also think that's part the reason why Nabout is struggling a bit, he has become a bit one dimensional and needs to play differently, he is capable and shown it in the past, so there's no reason why he can't.

Kisnorbo has his first game tomorrow morning.

Rough start, but he has shown improvements, I'm quite liking his adjustments in attack, I wouldn't mind him staying on and seeing what he can do?

There would have been no consideration like that in the past, it's all been pretty level headed and fact based. I welcome the change, I was wondering if the STAN (seven, ten and nine) conglomerate has a thing of looking out for each other. I saw a series of posts from Joey Lynch who has been writing about football for ages now, there seems to have been some ruffling of the feathers, there were a bunch of other journalists saying he wasn't welcome in their fraternity and wouldn't be given access/insider knowledge to stories. I don't know what it was about, he wrote something they didn't like, but it's that kind of engineering of a narrative that I mean.

I must say the reporting has been pretty tame compared to previous years, maybe because Ten have the rights to games? But I was expecting a lot worse tbh.

You wouldn't think so, they've probably been on social media working themselves into a frothing rage.

Maybe for the flares as well, even though they were not part of it.