Gator

OK, so clearly Bennell made a poor decision and disregarded maniacal lockdown rules. I suspect he did it as he knew his season was over, but it flew in the face of the club, leagues and state protocols. It's disappointing when one considers the chance he's been given by the MFC. If Goodwin thinks he can get close to his best after a decent preseason then I'm sure he'll be retained. I'm interested in putting the best team out there to win games of footy and if he makes us better I want him there. If they think his legs are cooked then the decision is easy. The states are run by incompetent fools, of which the likes we've rarely been seen, however, their laws need to be respected, as do the requirements of the AFL and the MFC. It's a poor decision, but certainly one I can forgive. I suspect I'm in the minority and that the virtuous souls that post here would never err in such a way.

So many tut-tutters eager to condemn without knowing all of the facts.

Clearly, it's no big deal, but it gives ammunition to the professionally aggrieved. They'll love it and use their soapbox.

Non sequitur.

Lots of Lockhart supporters. Just a battler.

Sydney are a young developing team. I trust them. They've lost plenty of games, but they're honest. You know what you're going to get (virtually) every week. I respect them and their coach.

So many spuds. Put a fork in them.

I hope the Dogs win. We're crap, but if we're good enough we can still make up the numbers in finals. There are rubbish teams that play finals every year. And no, you could not possibly overturn that goal to Bontempelli.

Balme never saw a premiership at Collingwood in either of his stints. It's one of the great furphys in football.

Horrible game. Bruce commentating. It's the pits. Btw, since when was Newnes name pronounced Noones ? Or is he like Jaeger O'Meara, who doesn't know how to correctly pronounce either of his names ?

Just what's needed. A pump up article before an important game.

Still likes swimming and Salt Lake Cities.

Isn't it ?

Lloyd's right, of course, except for Oliver, who's only just turned 23 and should improve his game considering he's regressed somewhat (immense upside imo). Brayshaw is talented, but I've heard he's mentally brittle. I've always been a fan of his latent talent and he's the type of player who could go on to embarrass you, but he's now expendable. He should be in his prime and influencing games, but he's a mile off. I'm not into hoarding and he's now superfluous when one considers his extended form and attitude. And I say attitude, because he's still not fit enough OR doing ALL things necessary to reach his potential. He goes to improve the balance of the list. Naturally, if you can't get what you want for him you retain him and hope the penny drops.

We're channeling the 1970s when I was a (depressed) kid. They're confused and without a decent system. It's a mess.

Selections have changed and been huge.

Mea culpa time. I was wrong about Scully. I thought his ''cruising speed'' over a 120 minute game of footy together together with his ability to read the play would make him a damaging player. I misread Sam Blease's best made. He has the heart of a grape seed. But because he hasn't played for Melbourne in a long time he goes under the radar. If he was still with us we'd get pilloried and the soft cork would feel the heat much more. While I'm at it... Josh Kelly is as smooth as Egyptian cotton. But boy, he doesn't like getting his hands dirty. It's in him to get a hard ball, but right now he's a seagull. He better pull his finger out or he'll quickly become another overrated player. There's no press about him, but he should be dominating games and he's presently not much more than a rich man's Scully.

Bruce is now a comical announcer. He's truly hopeless. His fawning for Weightman was on full display. It was a good debut, however, they overlooked his poor kicking - other than his great first goal. Small forwards can vary greatly and Pickett is more the type we need. Just on McAvaney. Try listening to him commentate and count the number of times he asks a question after he makes a statement. You won't believe how often it happens and nor will you be able to correctly remember the final tally. Here's a taste of what I'm talking about: He's truly the pits and you'll never listen to his commentary the same way again. And he does it EVERY single game.

Aesthetically, football was much better 20 years ago. As a spectacle, I find today's football utter rubbish.

Yes, I remember. I'm glad for Matera's sake it never eventuated.

As reported by North fans on their own forum, they had their best back six in and conceded 20 scoring shots to a third string Melbourne side. I agree that not much can be read into these games, however, their defence doesn't get any better than what they had out there.

Some natural attrition never goes astray.

Great highlights, but missed one of his absolute best against Richmond where he tapped the ball over an opponent's head in the middle of the ground, regained control and ended up goaling from 50.

Just a bit of levity, bloke. I prefer to back people's eyesight and regular watchers of Jackson lauded his leap (as stated in my post). It's not the sort of thing people tend to make up.

OK