Mel Bourne

I can. He surely knew that there was a very real chance the Gawndy experiment wouldn’t bear fruit, and that the whole exercise was a gamble. If at any point he feels “betrayed” then he just hasn’t read the situation properly from the start. But having said that, I highly doubt he would feel that way if he was told by the club to explore his options. He’s smarter than your average player, and would have been completely prepared for such an outcome. If anything, I would imagine he would feel mostly gratitude towards the club for keeping his career on track, and realising that he would not be content playing the rest of it out in the VFL.

Quite the evocative thread-title.

Cheer squad is Punt Rd end. Don’t worry mate, I’ll be there with you handing out dental hygiene pamphlets.

Ahhhh sweet relief!!! Thanks for that wonderful information.

Like many, I kind of panicked and went for “best available”. Got given M35 Row N. In theory, a good seat. In practice, horrifically close to the Pies cheer squad (behind point post, Southern Stand end). And on my own! Will either be the best or worst afternoon of the year.

Are all members tickets gone? Been waiting a long time

I know it’s all been said now, but what a heartbreaking thing we witnessed yesterday. Melksham had to fight hard to get through the Essendon rubbish, then harder to cement himself at a new club. A player of his talent shouldn’t have had to overcome such hurdles, but he just dug away like the dedicated professional he is. For his last few games he was at the pinnacle of his exceptional form, and that’s something else we all got to witness. I’m gutted for the guy, but I’m glad he can go out feeling like he was giving it his all, at the top of his game.

I had a glance through the AFL injury lists before typing this. Our list is short compared to a lot of other clubs. Where it’s sucked for us is that they’re targeting our forwards. Edit: so I guess not so lucky then. I’ll get my coat.

We’ve been kinda lucky really.

Avatars are funny. After reading that I was visualising George Bluth Sr. playing AFL and doing his meniscus.

Docs and physios of DL, is it pretty common to see somebody with an ACL/MCL walking around without crutches and joining in the team huddle? Seen plenty on crutches after such an injury. I know walking is possible after one of these, but surely the club doctors wouldn’t be taking any risks letting Melk wander around in the throng. Unless…. It’s understood he’s gone for the season and there’s no need for cotton wool 😢

Feels like we got a good look at our finals campaign today. And I love what I saw.

Wow. You lose a Milkshake, you gain a Fritter. But I want that milkshake back.

Melk looking pretty casual on the bench. No crutches. Relaxed demeanour. Either it’s not as bad as we fear or he’s being the ultimate pro. I fear the latter.

Look, I realise the English language is in a constant state of flux but I’d be letting down my fellow Gen X-ers if I didn’t put up a futile objection every now and then.

I totally agree, except for the bit where you used “cringe” as an adjective (and yes, I know, I know, but they’re wrong too). First year at the club. People need to chill.

Thyroid issues can really kick one’s butt. I suspect that’s been the major cause of Salo’s problems this year.

Port are really going to want to steady their ship today. Only two wins out of the last six matches (and neither of those wins against top eight sides). They are not going to want to enter finals at 2-5.

Go Dees Go Power

There’s still time for Mason Cox to hurt himself.

Tippa should be allowed to have his own personal sub.

I am not going to question the powers of the Demon Army! Maybe (definitely) I’m biased, but there’s a particular energy behind the goals these days that we haven’t seen the likes of for a long time, and I’m certain it plays heavily into exactly what you’re talking about. Keep doing what you’re doing!

WCW, I get where you’re coming from. You’re a lot more involved with the club than I am, and it’s important that you maintain the directive. As for me, I choose to believe my comments in a quiet corner of the internet don’t actually have any bearing on our finals campaign whatsoever, and I would regard any opinion to the contrary as being more than a tad irrational. I genuinely believe we’re a contender, but as for the “fear factor”, I also believe Fagan, McRae, Hinkley and Voss would well and truly be ratcheting-up the same methods of psychology at their respective clubs. Some seasons this factor has more weight to it than others. If one team has shown a particular dominance over all the others during a season, the fear runs high among their opposition. The point I’m trying to make is that with regards to this particular season, I’m genuinely not feeling the fear-factor emanating from any club. It’s more a “respect” factor. Again, I really do believe we can do it this year, but I’m not under any illusions that another club couldn’t either. I hope this doesn’t read as negative. It’s actually a positive, as I think the tight nature of this year’s season (and the mutual respect it breeds) has made for a really enjoyable one.

Melbourne hadn’t won a flag for quite a while before ‘21. Do you think they were “worried” about the other teams going into those finals We’re talking about elite athletes in professional organisations here, not “The Karate Kid”. All the contenders know that on the right day, it’s theirs to win.

Ha! I think the only thing the players are genuinely afraid of is the score review system.