Mazer Rackham

The impact of the story of Hunter playing/not playing has about as much impact as reporting that the team will be wearing their clash strip, inside out. It doesn't even matter if it's accurate or not. It's such small potatoes thing to get wound up over. Morris is practically an innocent bystander swept up by whatever madness is going on at Barkly St.

I still can't get over that a report over whether one player would/wouldn't be playing sent the Dogs into "turmoil". All clubs allow for last minute oppo team changes in their choice of interchange and medical sub. Dogs have lost focus.

Yes the AFL would be cranky. Their lovely season opener ... good game, slightly marred by crowd size. Satisfactory, but then the mad professor explodes all over their press conference and sponsors.

Bevo's outwitted himself with these shenanigans. The "wiley coach who pulls devastating match day moves to confound and befuddle his opponents" thing is overblown and largely a thing of the past anyway. The best teams in any sport usually play to an uncomplicated method but execute it very very well. Players are not rocket scientists. Hard to think Bevo's standing at his club hasn't gone down because of this.

If Morris is found with concrete boots, the cops will know whose door to knock on!

"At half time he said he was Jesus, then at 3/4 time he said he's Napoleon. And he kept saying I'm a little teapot, I'm a little teapot, over and over. He's right on the edge. I'm worried about what he might do in the presser."

We need a conflicted gutter journalist to get some leaks and tell us if he's going to be playing or not. Where the hell can we find such a rare beast? So he would drill rather than rip into them then?

Like this: Love Bev. This is brilliant. Right sentiment, wrong execution. For what it is worth, good on Bevo calling out Morris who is an absolute uneducated bed wetter! Something needed to be said. The Club has been hounded for awhile by journos and it's obvious that it's starting to effect the players. Yep, right message, wrong execution. Worse part is he said he is trying to destabilise the club because he supports Melbourne! That was such a cop out, getting annihilated in the Granny and then comfortably outplayed when it mattered isn’t because of tip rat Morris. Not really sure how people can defend this tbh. Have you watched the whole 6 minutes? Taking out the personal attacks and 'you're a Melbourne supporter', the rest is pretty valid.

He was just trying to get into Bevo's head. I think it may have worked.

Morris could have reported Hunter was going to be made captain for all the difference it makes. A leak of no consequence, right or wrong, puts the club "in turmoil"? Great example for his players to block out distractions, ignore what you can't control, etc. He seriously may need to spend some time away from the game.

The "health and well being" we should be concerned about is Bevo's. The guy's snapped. And journos are going to journo. What about the leaks about our club? The club handled them brilliantly, but here's Bevo practically frothing at the mouth over a team selection issue. Che Guevara was one weird cat and hardly a role model. Bevo's becoming the poor man's Malthouse. At least Malthouse's mad utterings were based on some kind of sense.

No probs. apparently if you have a few players ill you can petition the AFL to delay the game.

MIGHTY DEMONS by 41

I think what's happening is we're trapped in a living nightmare, where, against all the odds, we made the grand final against highly rated opponents, and having worked our behinds off to get in front, just needed one more goal to seal the deal. In a kind of devil's bargain, we got that one more goal, while watching our opponents roll over us in a goal avalanche of unprecedented proportions, which will see the grand final we were in go down as an all time classic, regardless of the blowout margin. It will be watched and talked about for years, especially the final minute of the third quarter where it didn't slip away from us, it was wrenched with a force we were helpless to resist., with all our shortcomings laid bare And now we've had 5 months for the horror of it to fully sink in, only to find ourselves up against that same opponent in our very next match. No wonder we're getting precious about a song. It's all we've got to hang on to.

Quarter time scores. Team 1 has been solved. Every players has double letters in their name. In fact, they all have TWO double letters in their name but I wasn't clever enough to work out a away to make that the true answer, with single double letters not getting over the line. Jjrogan, mo64, radar, LDVC and Lucifer all got it, with a special mention to Lucifer who was the only to explicitly describe how R. Robertson could be in a team of "doubles". And an extra special mention to Civil, who deliberately laid off the pace to give everyone else a chance. Team 2 we have a clubhouse leader. Team 3 we've had some early attempts, but are they correct? The fullness of time will tell.

All Melbourne teams should have a Robbie Flower in them, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

With no assistance from anyone whatsoever, but can you show your membership card for us all?

They're not very difficult. I didn't want anyone still concentrating on cracking them while the game is on tomorrow nite.

And what a year it was .Before we put our clocks ahead to 2022, here's a little something to take your mind off things and sooth your jangled nerves. You should know the drill by now. Here are three teams. There's something about each team .... what is it? answers by PM to prolong the agony give others a chance. Winners get a special prize. Team 1. B: N. Jetta N. Carroll A. Jarrott HB: B. Lovett H. Petty C. Bizzell C: I. Weetra B. Nettlefold G. Lovett HF: C. Connolly R. Robertson R. Dillon F: J. Kennedy Harris D. Bennett J. Garlett R: D. Jolly B. Crosswell H. Mann I: G. Lovett K. O'Donnell Team 2. B: C. Salem S. May J. Watts HB: E. Langdon D. Neitz R. Flower C: J. Lewis B. McLean B. Kennedy HF: H. Lumumba D. Cuthbertson B. Wilson F: C. Spargo R. Walters G. Lyon R: P. Keenan J. Harmes G. Lovett I: S. Weideman J. Harmes G. Healey Team 3. B: S. May J. Howe F. Davis HB: B. Bourke C. Garland P. Wheatley C: B. Crosswell I. Warne-Smith T. Broadbridge HF: A. Yze J. Cook B. Dixon F: R. Flower F. Fanning A. Jakovich R: C. Ditterich A. La Fontaine A. Wonaeamirri I: J. Kennedy Harris A. Gillespie-Jones D. Cockatoo-Collins

"is this someone's idea of a joke? I mean, I told the boys I could murder a beer, but I'm not THAT thirsty. Take this stupid thing away. Bloody ridiculous."

Does Viney want one flag and then go back to weekly 10+ goal hidings? Like hell he does. He wants to stay on top and exact years-long revenge. Similar May. With guys like that in the team, I can't see complacency setting in.

I'm expecting some fireworks after half time. The kind that makes a bang-bang-bang sound.

Great Scott. We did it. We actually did it. GO DEMONS!!!!!!

Counterpoint: bang bang bang; premiers; they can go [bad word] themselves. GO DEMONS!!!

It's good to be premiers.