Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

Meanwhile, who didn't miss this from the OP?... 'As usual, please make sure your answers are PMs!' I was also chuffed that HAROLD Stanley ended up in the SUB, fulfilling a famous conspiracy theory before that concept was supercharged by the internet! And Lew Gough (or one of the Edwards) would have tried to avoid the forward pocket this time round!

So... As our four place getters have identified, the squad provides the first names of Australia's 26 Prime Ministers since 10 July 1923, including Robert/'Bob' Menzies' and Kevin Rudd's double dips, and a 'Billy' for dear old Mr McMahon. As there were no Earles for Mr Page, or Goughs (though several Edwards) for E.G. Whitlam, surnames of the emergencies filled those gaps. That leaves the coach. @poita, @tilly18, @WalkingCivilWar, @Demonstone, @mo64, @Jumping Jack Clennett, and anyone else, care to guess who that is, from the OP?

Posted by our successful fourth-placer! Though so as not to usurp Malcolm Kennedy's squad-high 17 games, I'd bring in 3-gamer Edward Buckley.

New day, new clue (no new entrants...) This ought to do it for you, @Demonstone and @Jumping Jack Clennett: The slightly-differently-qualifying second emergency is Lew GOUGH.

But is Brodie's puppy?

'Show Me The Puppy' thread, Layz?

Footy Classified tonight. Shut UP!

MBJMcV! I think his 'then-to-now' arc bears comparison with Clayton Oliver's draft-year-to-first-year arc. And aren't a lot (most? all?) of our players, like Judd, so watchable?!

Happy to post to keep the thread 'northwards' @WalkingCivilWar, by posting my apologies: we'll be on the road northwards ourselves, into NSW by that time. Best wishes for a successful (and deservedly lucrative for the DA) event!

I guess not exactly... Availability may again compromise the highest (sic) team's choice? Re H&A games, many Dees fans will be happy that 2 'home' games are in Melbourne(ish) Not this SW Gippslander, though! 🥺 On the other hand, 2 more games' worth of experience at Princes Park - already a happy-ish hunting ground - might be handy come choosing a GF venue (thinking positive!😉) - particularly if against an interstate team. This for a Dees-fans-filled-big(ger)-crowd atmosphere, better than Casey (I acknowledge grudgingly...)

I thought everybody had forgotten, and I was also a bit crestfallen that I hadn't attracted many of the 'regulars'. Maybe your post will give it a second wind? And sorry, @Jumping Jack Clennett; I've only seen your posts just now. So no reveal just yet, but something further to go on meanwhile. Referring to the OP, the slightly-differently-qualifying first emergency is Bill EARLE.

You picked it, DM! I'll tell you what is demeaning, Barrett, to Brodie and to the club, is your ignorance - or, worse, dismissal - of the clearly outlined communication between, clarity for, willingness of, and agreement from, both parties in the matter. 😠 https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/dees-questioned-over-demeaning-grundy-call/ar-AA1dVdHg?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=2c4faf16e3fd4a4ab3bf940bfa274451&ei=39

The best I can find in the 2022 financial report is '$2.2M in membership and fundraising income...'. For 2022's 66k members ( 👏 for 2023 now, then! 😃 ) that's an average of about an 'armchair' membership ($60-ish) per member, if, say, half the $2.2M was membership. It would be $33 per membership if the $2.2M were all membership.

And now @WalkingCivilWar has hobbled into 3rd place. Congrats, Rough Diamond! Keep going puzzlers; there's places for everyone!

In an impressive display of persistence, @tilly18 has tortoised into 2nd place. A diamond in the rough!

We have a first placer ('It's not a winning game!' as my kids used to whine). Congratulations and kudos to @poita Lots of 'places' left, so keep at it! Special mention to @mo64, who identified a possible, but ultimately wrong, hypothesis, that I hadn't seen, but which is, well,.... @tilly18 may(!?) have been onto it, too? After a crickets start, it's starting to go with - as my Grandmother used to demurely say - 'a ruddy blush'!

Freudian? Lucky Freud didn't also turn 'responses' into 'respondents'. May I humbly suggest that you own 'difficult'? 😊

What's your secret, @Demonstone? They come out of the woodwork for you, but it's all quiet on this western front! Only @tilly18 has ventured a guess (and it's one with a twinkle of merit) Where are you, puzzlers? p.s. The link isn't football related (although one of the famous did have a notable football presence!)

@Demonstone foreshadowed my return to annoyingquizsetterdom at the conclusion of his last beauty, but, as I undertook then, I have deferred it until we won. So - phew! - here we are! It's too long to wait until our next 'Team Of The Century', so I've put together a 'Team For The Century'; that is, for the 100 years to today. What links the players spans that same 100 years. These 23 Melbourne players were far from famous; indeed, Kennedy holds the games record in this squad, with the grand total of 17. However, fame of a rather exclusive sort links them. With this dearth of games, there's very little 'lived experience' with which to position the players, so I've opted to place them alphabetically from the back pocket. Backs: John AHERN Kevin CLARKE John COMBEN Half Backs: James COOK John CORBY Ben CRAMERI Centres: Frank CUMMINS Bob GORMLEY Paul GOSS Half Forwards: Robert HICKMOTT Tony HIRST Joseph HOGAN Forwards: Stanley HUNTINGTON Malcolm KENNEDY John KERR Followers: Arthur MASKELL Anthony MAY Kevin MITHEN Interchange: Malcolm OWENS 'Billy' QUINN Scott SIMISTER 'Bob' SPARGO Tactical sub: Harold STANLEY The squad needs three additional members to fully honour the linkage; however, I couldn't find fully qualified players. If and as clues are required (though I'd be surprised if they are!) I'll progressively reveal my two emergencies, who qualify slightly differently, and my coach, who likewise qualifies slightly differently but also could not play in this team (and who actually hasn't played any games yet). As usual, please make sure your answers are PMs!

We've been thusly fortunate twice 😊 :

See, that's the tease that's very possibly only a quarter away. It's a bit of a struggle, but I'm keeping the flicker alive. Here's to roaring flames!

...and, on topic but also a must-view more widely for all of us in this time of doubting our club - particularly its very integral Casey component - there's this: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/1371717/vflw-rd14-peter-mercoulia-post-match?videoId=1371717&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1688360032001 Great passion, emotion and insight. Well done, Peter. Well done, Casey. Well done, girls.

Could someone gather it and post it all here (un-paywalled), please? p.s. JVR's distant/angled, and gather/blind-turn VFL goals today...

'Couch' stands the test of time, Bin. But 'flat' not so much: 'cathode ray tube' - say what?

More. Seriously.