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And in a 17-round season, when we still end up having to play Geel at Geel every year, and WCE in Perth every year, and Collingwood don't travel much, and Fri night games are still manipulated and favourites rewarded, will people still think it's right? Being 17 rounds doesn't automatically make it right or fair. It's still wide open for fixing.

We’ve had the Demon flag at half mast since we heard. He and J Watts visited our critically ill son at RCH, had respect and admiration for them both since then. Rest easily Col.

The club gave away thousands and thousands of free tickets to that game against GWS. We probably broke even but this sort of talk for mine is completely naive. Some Demonlanders keep banging on about extracting ourselves from the NT deal, but you're commenting without any inside knowledge and little awareness of how to run a football club as a business. I also wouldn't expect transparency from the club because it's not in the best interests of the club. If the real figures were to come out, I suspect you'd be rather more hesitant to extricate us from the NT deal. If we can draw consistent crowds of between 35-40,000 against small interstate sides like GWS, Freo, GCS etc, we could then begin to look at other alternatives to the NT revenue stream. But without at least some consistent success, we won't and shouldn't be removing the NT deal. Reality check needed for some. We've been a basketcase for years and have had one good season. During this season our crowds were up, but the only meaningful crowd rise was seen throughout the finals series. Our supporters certainly turned out on their own accord and out numbered the opposition. Let's see how this translates into season 2019 before we go off half-cocked and begin removing important revenue streams.

I used to hate the idea of selling home games in the NT. However, we’ve finally started to win games there to the point where we went 2-0 there this year. And they were both dominant performances. We’ve also mastered the recovery component of NT games as we’ve won our last 4 games the week after NT games. Hopefully we can make the NT a fortress gong forward whereby we get an automatic 4 points, the opposition dread the trip up there and we cash in financially. And we still get our 11-12 games at the G. North will play finals next year due to playing 4 games at their ‘fortress’. And hopefully we’re too good for West Coast Adelaide with those 2 extra wins getting us into the top 2 after rd 23.

The 17 round draw assumes blindness to advantages; simply, every team plays every other once, and alternates hosting at home ground on a year on year basis Like the old days

We've been here before.... You don't draft for needs. It's a recipe for disaster. Best available every day of the week. You can think of picking for needs but then make sure you extinguish that thought and pick best available. ...and that best available must be a competitive ball winner, tall, mid or small. If they're not then they're not best available.

Best of Days in the Group 1 Mile added to the balance but only because I had a last minute inclusion of Le Romain in a trifecta. Only the weight beat the horse. Triple Deez wins the last in Adelaide ... the omen pick delivers. haha I'm heading over to Ascot now and then Churchill Downs in morning!

Well, dreams do come true! Absolute true story below. Had my multiple trifecta picked out for the Derby but didn't include Extra Brut as a winner ... until of course when I woke up at 5am this morning after dreaming that Extra Brut had won. Obviously decided to then include the horse and hey presto, winner winner, chicken dinner. You little ripper!!!

Brisbane are building some nice depth in their midfield too. They'll trouble a lot of teams next year.

I was on Shillelagh so happy. Just got reception, out in the country amongst all the fields.

Got the dream run did Shillelagh and the jockey rode for luck ... not sure that was the plan though. It looked a case of make-do and hope for the best. Absolute class mare though, all the same. Our pick (Amphitrite) had no such luck though but you can't win them all. We've still got Thinkin' Big & Snitty Kitty to come so here's hoping - we're with your pick @Gorgoroth

Well this particular thread has produced a number of winners when we are on song! Our tips this week are in the post above. Anyway, keep an eye out Gorg and good luck today ?

I use to be right into racing closer to 20 years ago, don’t mind a flutter here and there, but always like those in the 7-1 to 13-1 bracket, or big outsiders. Always like the name of a horse too. when I was right into it I would know which tracks, conditions etc etc now, so much easier to pick... harder to win ?

Yeah it is definitely a real chance ... David Gately has marked it on top. It looks well suited at the set weights & penalties too. 1100m is ideal.

Im a bit worried i might have got the track wrong. its been upgraded to a good 3 and the wind has got up and so there is bit of headwind in the home straight. Both factors suit on speed horses with a bit of cover, but he win will make it hard for leaders, Funny actually because i almost always favour on pacers. My one exception today - ie i mainly selected run on horses - is Thinking Big as i figured he is the best stayer. Conditions will help him now

Oh Damn. Lets go with Thinking Big in the derby

Gorgs best named horse is Snitty Kitty race 9 im on it!!!

Unfortunately we’re now all conditioned to and can’t wait for the regular season to kick off end of March. I can’t imagine how I’d cope if I had to wait another 4 weeks. It’d take some getting used to.

Better than most comparisons. Funny to look at the 2018 analysis that had us as the equal 3rd most difficult draw! Yet everyone else saying we had an easy draw by the end of the season. I don't mind our double ups and difficulty of the draw. In 2018 Richmond, Geelong, and Hawthorn were handed ridiculously good schedules. In 2019 all the top teams have tough schedules due to more Thursday night games. I think the top end of the draw is fairer this year. I also think it helps us as there is a lot of "veterans" in the other top teams that will be more injury prone than our younger list.

I agree but pretty sure it's in the ballpark of $1m a game - we'd have to get a crowd of 80k minimum at the G to come close (probably closer to 90k). And that's without factoring in these games would be played at Docklands which we'd never get close to that return Plus we have to come up with extra dollars to make up for the lost revenue we were getting from the pokies (we wouldn't have made any profits in recent years without that). I'd say we'll be playing there for the next few years at least.

One would hope the club wiIl have Colin grace the “G” in the Red and Blue one last time.....on the big sceen. Round one 2019. Then a minutes silence. RIP Colin Sylvia ?

THE KID - A TRIBUTE TO COLIN by Whispering Jack There are some truly endearing memories that I have of the Kid, one or two of them off the ground and others on the field of play. It seemed to me that at every club function I attended, one of the constants was the sight of the much-loved Colin Sylvia, face smiling and friendly, surrounded by admirers, young and old, male and female. There was the promotional clip (Foxtel, I think) with Colin in the locker room beside skipper David Neitz draped in towels and joking. It was as if, from the very beginning, the new boy on the block was being typecast as a larrikin, albeit a lovable one who, in our hopes, would one day become a hero. And that was the problem for the recruit from Merbein which, during my childhood produced another star Demon in Hassa Mann, a shy country lad who went on to captain the club, played in a few premierships and was a solid citizen off the field. The new kid from Merbein simply kept getting into trouble. There were problems with a girlfriend, he broke team curfews, missed the odd recovery session, left the scene of a car accident (it’s unclear if he was the driver). He was often in the wrong place and the wrong condition at the wrong time but we all still loved him. After all, he was going to be our hero. On the field, he was something else. The first time I saw him was in a practice match for Melbourne’s then affiliate Sandringham, at the Beach Road Oval, ironically named after another blond larrikan Trevor Barker who also passed at far too young and age but from cancer. There was one brief moment that defined Sylvia’s potential as a contender when he gathered the ball near the centre, swiveled past an opponent and barreled the ball from 70 metres out. Years later when I recalled that piece of play with him at a club best and fairest night, he laughed and said he remembered it but thought the kick was “from closer to 80 metres out”. It took a year or so to get his career going and it built slowly but surely within a few years during which time he grew in stature to the point that it wasn’t necessary to call him by his surname. He was Colin and we loved him. The tough break for Colin was that Melbourne went into decline just as he was approaching his prime. Most supporters would agree that his best game came on Sunday, 24 May, 2009 on the MCG in front of almost 40,000 fans against Hawthorn when he amassed 24 kicks, 13 handballs, 9 marks and 4 goals that were just not enough to get the Demons across the line. He continued to play good football for the year despite the fact that the club was regularly accused of tanking its matches and again into 2010 but at around that time, the injuries in the form of groin and shoulder problems came, the team was performing miserably as the veterans left while other young saviours who were replacing them struggled. The contender was also struggling to live up to his potential status as a hero; he was failing and the fun had gone. After 157 games and 129 goals, the Kid departed for Fremantle at the end of 2013. Things didn’t work out in the West and, amid ongoing controversy about his attitude and behaviour under Ross Lyon, Colin managed six more games that were mostly unremarkable. Career over before his 29th birthday with life after football bringing further challenges for a young man who found retirement from the game at its top level a tough gig. Colin was working to get his life on track when his car collided with another vehicle last Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Nineteenth Street and Benetook Avenue in the Mildura suburb of Irymple. He died on the scene and will be buried today. We loved him to death - our deepest sympathies go to his family. “I'm the kid who has this habit of dreaming Sometimes gets me in trouble too But the truth is I could no more stop dreaming Than I could make them all come true” - Buddy Mondlock

Here’s Bucky’s list ~ 1. JACK LUKOSIUS Key forward, 194cm, 85kg, Woodville-West Torrens  2. SAM WALSH Midfielder, 183cm, 74kg, Geelong Falcons 3. IZAK RANKINE Midfielder, 180cm, 76kg, West Adelaide 4. BEN KING Key forward/defender, 202cm, 85kg, Sandringham Dragons 5. BAILEY SMITH Midfielder, 184cm, 79kg, Sandringham Dragons 6. NICK BLAKEY Forward/midfielder, 195cm, 85kg, NSW-ACT/Sydney Swans Academy 7. TARRYN THOMAS Midfielder, 189cm, 73kg, North Launcestonc 8. MAX KING Key forward, 201cm, 84kg, Sandringham Dragons 9. JACKSON HATELY Half-forward, 190cm, 81kg, Central District 10. BAILEY WILLIAMS Key forward/ruckman, 198cm, 95kg, Dandenong Stingrays 11. CONNOR ROZEE Midfielder, 184cm, 72kg, North Adelaide  12. IAN HILL Small forward, 175cm 76kg, Perth 13. XAVIER DUURSMA Midfielder/defender, 185cm, 71kg, Gippsland Power 14. CURTIS TAYLOR Half-forward/midfielder, 186cm, 79kg, Calder Cannons 15. LIAM STOCKER Midfielder, 184cm, 83kg, Sandringham Dragons 16. ZAC BUTTERS Midfielder, 181cm, 70kg, Western Jets 17. RILEY COLLIER-DAWKINS Midfielder, 193cm, 88kg, Oakliegh Chargers 18. RHYLEE WEST Midfielder, 180cm, 80kg, Calder Cannons  19. EDWARD McHENRY Midfielder/small forward, 176cm, 71kg, Geelong Falcons 20. LUKE FOLEY Midfielder, 187cm, 75kg, Subiaco 21. WILL KELLY Key defender, 193cm, 83kg, Oakleigh Chargers 22. XAVIER O’HALLORAN Midfielder, 186cm, 82kg, Western Jets  23. LUKE VALENTE Midfielder, 186cm, 80kg, Norwood 24. ISAAC QUAYNOR Small defender, 182cm, 82kg, Oakleigh Chargers 25. JYE CALDWELL Midfielder, 184cm, 78kg, Bendigo Pioneers 26. CHAYCE JONES Midfielder, 180cm, 74kg, Launceston  27. CONNOR McFADYEN Midfielder, 190cm, 81kg, Queensland/Brisbane Lions Academy 28. JACK BYTEL Midfielder, 188cm, 82kg, Calder Cannons 29. LUKE ENGLISH Midfielder, 180cm, 76kg, Perth 30. KIERAN BRIGGS Ruckman/key forward, 200cm, 98kg, NSW-ACT/GWS Giants Academy

O well....that was a basket case of a race!!......run it 10 times youd get 10 different results...should have taken the 32 cash out! I was on I am A Star (Plc) Cant keep my eyes open. Have to settle for replays....goodnight from Naples!

Ok, so i got an 8 leg multi (yes im mad), paying 762 (reduced) because Patrick Erin was scratched). I have the first 5 legs. The cash out offer is....wait for it....32.97 Im feeling these guys pain Macca, perhaps we better pass the hat around?

Ha ha ... (now where is that passport!?) I got 2 collects from the Sunlight race including a decent percentage of the F4. I really like Thinkin' Big in the Derby too ... I've got it going in a few bets as well. Fingers crossed!

Sunlight got up for you @Wadda We Sing She is a terrific horse and I reckon we've got a future star WFA sprinter on our hands ... such a fighter and a winner!

Yes Wadda, you will be seeing it soon in Naples.

Sunlight you friggin beauty. All class that win.

I've heard that a few of the big betting agencies have taken a bit of a hit this Spring so that might be it Wadda. My booster odds has been reduced for the last few weeks as well.

4:16 am here Macca, and just got home from the local which was rockin cause Napoli won. Huge ground they have here, seats 60,000. We are doing very well so far, so im expecting it all to come unstuck....haha. Go team.

Rubbish superficial analysis IMO. They have Collingwood finishing 2nd and then going out in straight sets at the MCG vs West Coast and then Port. That is a ridiculously improbable prediction.

What time is it where you are Wadda? 4am? True dedication to the cause I say! We're 2 from 2 with A Prince of Arron winning with 3 good chances to come. 5 best bets today with another 'saver' as insurance.

Reporting in from Naples....it not the beer that kills ya here! Hey they won 5-1, so the town is rockin tonight! I got a 990/1 6 7 leg all up going with the first 3 legs, Ranier, El Dorado Dreaming (plc) and Osborne bulls all saluting and Patrick Erin (plc) scratched!!...(which will drastically reduce any return of course), but hey! Is there a cash out offer for the final legs?.....nope.... Well done on your selection Macca, very well spotted. Melb Cup beckons.

For me personally this was akin to MFC beating GC or GWS around 2012-2013.

Your the best Binman!

Yeah that's a first! A reminder that there was triple dead-heat in the Hotham Hcp back in the 50's I believe. For a long time it was the only triple dead-heat recorded. Anyway, down to the 7/11 for the duracells!

Oh come on! The photo finish power has gone out.....there are plenty of IPhones on the track that can substitute.

I’m enjoying the Channel 7 telecast mainly due to ‘ Cesca’ Cumani. Then, day ruined when they interviewed Dyson Heppell. Melbourne Cup hopefuls in the next.

Very impressive wasn't it DZ ... I was never too concerned about the weight over the 1200m as the horse is a Group horse and is very classy. Well done @Wadda We Sing ... 1 from 1 We've got 4 more tips running around for us today with a saver on the hot tip 'Shillelagh' in Race 6. A 'received' tip so it can be thrown into the mix. All Flemington ... Race 4 No. 2 A Prince of Arron $4.20 Race 6 No.15 Amphitrite $4.60 Race 7 No.1 Thinkin' Big $3.60 Race 9 No.2 Snitty Kitty $8.00

Super win by Osborne Bulls. Missed the start and what a finish.

My best is Osborne bulls. Race 3 no 1. Its run on rubbish ground in the Everest was huge (cost me the trif - which I thought I had from the vision). Redzel form is primo and ob is a winner. Also suspect track will suit run on horses. Which I hope is right as I have made my selections based on that.

Well, they are very important factors. Someone else posted that we make $1m a game in NT. Not sure that is correct, but if it is, it will be hard to walk away from. Then again, if correct figures, we should be seeking less other interstate games, as we already have more than other Victorian clubs and we are promoting the game in the NT by playing there.

What does it tell you? That the NT is further away? How many games does NM and Haw play down there? Twice as many as us - 4. What do we know that they don't. And selling souls is a bit much - that Alice game was pretty life and club affirming from all reports - I don't think it is endangering the club to play these games up north.

I just assumed Lyons to the Lions was somehow organised by the media to give them more opportunities to write the simple puns they seem to love.

On the NT games and our presence in NT, am I right In thinking that the MFC have an “academy”in the NT, and if so, what potential benefit does that give us? And are there any kids coming through our NT academy that are good? Would love to discover another Liam..!

I don't care about the non-Melbourne games so I came up with this ladder.

First and foremost, we're not a big club. Yes, we had quite a successful year on and off the field in 2018, but we now need to maintain/sustain that momentum in consecutive years. The NT agreement had a significant financial benefit in our dark years, which has helped contribute to where we currently stand. But at this stage, we still have much to achieve. Is the club taking away anther two games from fans? Maybe, maybe not. Yes, it's difficult for most fans to travel to the NT, so we do miss out on those games. That said, the reciprocal games that we are given means that I probably go to two games that I may not have done so previously. There could be an argument, especially this year, that us playing two games in the NT helped provide us with the opportunity to play two extra games after the season finished. We won both games in the NT this year, which helped us make the finals and play 2 extra games at the MCG. Would we have beaten both Adelaide and Freo if those games were played at the MCG? While likely, it is irrelevant, because it can't be proven. If we win both games in 2019 in the NT, then all of a sudden we are starting to prove difficult to play against up there. Time will tell on that point. With regards to the travel for the players. Most players and coaches comment about how they enjoy the break in routine, especially getting away interstate where they can create a different bond within the group. While it could be just media speak, I could (and do) believe them when they say this. My last point (which was your first point) about the bottom line is an unknown, and I'd doubt we would find exact information on this. What can be said with great confidence is that five years ago, if we played West Coast/Freo/Adelaide at the MCG, we'd get 20-25k people at best. From all reports, those sort of figures would see us lose money, so the NT deal was a no brainer. Given our 2018 performance, I'd imagine our crowds for those games would draw more around the 30-40k mark if played at the MCG in 2019, so we would be making money on these. That said, and as I referred to in my opening paragraph, we've had one good season. Let's see us do it for two or three seasons in a row, then we could look at selling one game out instead of the two. My main concern with this is that we'd want to be very careful how we ended the relationship with the NT, mainly because if our onfield performances turn to poo, we will then see a drop off in members, crowds, and profit, meaning we'll need to go back to the well to stay afloat.

Yes. It was very odd that Sydney traded him for just pick 61... Some post-trade/DFA player movements are interesting... Hawks delist the contracted, Will Langford ('for list management reasons'). He is then a DFA, he announces his retirement, then a week later the Hawks announce they will rookie him as a DFA so he doesn't go into a draft. Hawks to rookie Langford Brisbane coax the contracted Jarryd Lyons to join them (after the trade period closes) and GCS conveniently acquiesce and delist him and he becomes a DFA. Brisbane get a contracted player for zip, Gold Coast get nothing in return...?? Lyons to Brisbane Mumford seems to qualify as a DFA, altho delisted last year, and can go to club of his choice ie bypass the draft Mumford to GWS From a far, these look premeditated to happen post the trade period closing as no attempt was made to trade Langford or Lyons and neither requested a trade. And, there seems to be a new rule for Mumford: I think the rule is that if a player retires he needs to wait a certain number of years and come back thru the draft, but not entirely sure how that works. The DFA status gives clubs a convenient way to 'manage' their list 'by-pass' draft/trade rules. The whole area of what is a DFA is becoming very murky!

Fantastic that we are no longer stuck in the world of sunday twilight footy!