Mazer Rackham

And you often get one! To his opponents.

The AFL website studiously avoids mention of the crowd size. Maybe their calculators don't go down that low. (They're mostly used for counting exec bonuses.)

Yes, they were schooled in it only a week ago. But all the cool teams are into all out attack. Power teams like C'wood, Ess, Hawks, Blues.

We picked a good time to be premiers. In a different timeline we'd right now be bickering over the prospective design of the Tassie Demons jumper. Watched the highlights and I'm surprised there weren't cars parked around the boundary flashing their lights after each goal. What if they disbanded North, gave the licence to Tassie, and said, here's a pool of homeless (ex-North) players for you to pick from. Plus you get X draft picks, and Y academy picks, etc.

Yes. I promise to pay attention.

Well this explains why I saw Steven May in a coffee shop in tears.

Eagles Flying High looks like a zombie forum, a bit like demonology with only a handful of posters and on life support. However, they are kind enough to have a complete list of links to nearly all the non-bigfooty fan forums.

I was imagining they meant Scrabble, or dominoes. It's funny either way.

Paramount Pictures are proud to announce its partnership with the AFL with the rescheduling of Australian Football to 11:32am on Tuesdays. This is to better optimize the viewing experience for USA Monday night prime time viewers. Paramount believes this will further the partnership and enhance the viewing experience for all participants.

There's a commercial side to football? How long's that been going on?

How about a compromise? We take whatever they give without a second thought, and give them nothing in return except destruction and humiliation?

Can we try stifling him for another flag or 2 before we make up our minds on this?

<compares 4PM advertising rates with 8PM advertising rates> Yes, so long as it's not we'll be okay.

I'm afraid we're mid-way into the wedge and rapidly approaching the thick end as Gil readjusts his grip on the sledgehammer. Wait til the Yanks get their hands on the broadcast rights.

Inevitable after the success of last year's GF. Also the comparison of the ceremonies between our Anzac eve and the unmentionables' in the daytime.

OK, but I don't want to be missing any of the news at 6 because the second quarter went longer than expected.

I keep hearing that Clarkson's reserved as the inaugural Tassie coach.

The domino effect is that (for example) GCS think "hold on ... we were going to get Clarkson! Get him on the phone NOW and give Dew his notice. Get Simpson on the phone just in case." Then North think "hold on ... WE were going to get Clarkson! Now he AND Simpson will be snapped up ... unless ..." Then Port think "hold on ... WE were going to get Clarkson". Etc. Doesn't really happen in practice but my vague and faulty memory tells me something akin to that went on when Malthouse left Collingwood.

It's no coincidence that one coach who decided to coach every match from the boundary has seen his team rocket to prominence. (There are other factors of course, but IMO that's a key one.)

I think your modern breed of flat earth "believers" could be more accurately described as "scammers" as they all seem to need other peoples' money to be able to unravel the conspiracy. There was a guy who was big into racing cars, turbo engines, etc, and was hellbent on making a steam powered rocket to go into space. Hobby/dream of his. Of course it isn't something you can do in your garage. It needs money. He heard about the flat earthers and it suddenly emerged it had been a lifetime goal of his to expose the conspiracy and he needed his rocket to go up prove everything. Donations please ... (Conclusion to story: he got his money, built his rocket and died when on a test flight the steam tank blew a leak and he crashed into the desert.)

How does this current team compare to the years 55-60? Both in playing personnel/style and in supporter expectations?

I think we'll see a game very similar to the Freo/Roos game. Not a 22 goals to 8 thrashing. A 14 goals to 3 thrashing. We won't dazzle with our scoring firepower; more likely we'll awe with our relentless defensive strangulation. A bit like what we did to St Kilda. You would imagine the margin would be bigger as St Kilda did a pretty good of hassling us and I don't think WCE can do that for a whole game.

The Geelong and Port ones made good reading. Port fans were doubly shell shocked seeing what we did to the team that destroyed them.

I had a combined 3 mums/2 birthdays lunch on Sunday so was reduced to picking up scores from my phone. Finally watched the game last night. Also read the bigfooty gameday thread to see how it evolved. It's extremely gratifying to hear the commentators laud our team. It's gotten to the point where it's self-reinforcing. The commentators almost dare not imply that Melbourne aren't the best at defending/pressure/etc etc. But what really caught my ear/eye were the comments in the game day thread made by neutrals. I now bring you: what they said at Windy Hill/Vic Park/Alberton/Carrara/what have you. (You might want to pour a cognac and light a cigar before reading further.) Scary statement by Melbourne here. Hard to disagree with the sentiment that everyone else is playing for 2nd. Bucks right. Melbourne are playing sh** hot, faultless footy . No team would get anywhere near them today. This is so pure. Amazing to watch. Melbourne have to be the most unique dominant team I’ve seen. Teams like Geelong, Hawks, Tigers would smash you with glamouris ball movement. Melbourne thump you in a grind. It’s so impressive. They really are incredible to watch So organised around the footy, never look in trouble when the ball hits the turf This Melbourne side truly is playing some of the best football of the modern era. The scary thing is this doesn’t usually happen until the third quarter. Melbourne are beatable. You just have to play a different game. No one is going to catch Melbourne this year. Essendon 2000 vibes about them. Well played Melbourne. Legit scary good team. The top 4 is irrelevant, Melbourne is a 4 goal better team than everyone else.

He's just playing hard to get. Have you tried yelling "I love you Steven" from the cheer squad after every goal?