Dame Gaga

Exactly. It will be interesting to see if they apply the same criteria to a favourite player at another club, or a Brownlow favourite if he does a similar bump. Or will he be praised for being a hard player at the ball?

I remember being incensed by some of Christian's decisions last year (not Melbourne players) and thinking the punishments were too lenient for some dangerous actions on the field. This year I will be following even more closely, and taking notes about his decisions because I cannot recall what I was so mad about. There seems to be many inconsistencies in his rulings, and some favouritism as well.

Unfortunately I think the biggest factor in this ridiculous judgement ("the look"? Come on! I have seen much worse passed over.) is May's previous record. If they go to the Tribunal on the merits of this incident alone he should get off, so please Melbourne, appeal. The act wasn't intentional, so his club should back him up. It should be a fine, going by the other cases of "intentional" strikes from the same round.

I didn't see Hogan there, and the players didn't either, so...out of sight, out of mind I guess. As Winston Churchill said, "Let us go forward together."

Goody mingled with the fans and was very accommodating. Down to earth and happy to talk about his "boys". He has always been this way, he hasn't changed. When asked about the injuries, Garlett and JKH are touch and go, but as far as he knows the rest will be in line for round 1. Yes, the lines for Maxy and Viney were a long wait, but all us girls formed our own line for Robbo24! More photos for the collection!

I have two cats. Where do I sign them up? They would love to wear their own membership tags.

Seems to me Berry threw his head back to exaggerate for a free kick but ending up hitting his head on the hard ground. This vision should be shown to every player at every club to demonstrate the folly of trying to elicit free kicks from fair bumps. Done clumsily, it can cause injury to yourself. Unfortunately for May, I don't think the Tribunal will agree with me.

Take it one week at a time. Take every game as it comes. We're not getting carried away. Cross the t's and dot the i's. The boys know they need to stick to the game plan. Sorry, got an overdose of the cliches. Can I add another one? Keep a lid on it!!

So pleasing to see our good players signed up before the start of the season. Got totally sick of the constant speculation from the media about whether one of our champion young players were going to stay or leave, causing a distraction during the season. Time to keep eyes on the prize. All focus should be on the Premiership now. Let's all enjoy the ride.

Last year had to explain to a Chinese friend what "keeping a lid on it" meant. He's a mad Collingwood supporter. ( I know, that's a whole other story). Mind you, he didn't know what "Colliwobbles" was either. Happy to explain that to him! Had to remind him about keeping a lid on it recently. Just not comfortable being one of the favourites!

I agree. Loyalty should be rewarded. It appears to be an undervalued quality at times, and should be recognized. Keep the young boys together as the tight group they seem to be. Of course a Premiership is the best way to bond and be loyal to a club. A win for everyone. It would be nice to hear other players wish to play for Melbourne. This has never happened in all the time I have been supporting the Dees. Sometimes felt like we were the basket case of the AFL. At last things are looking up. Good days ahead!

This push for change makes me sick. I suspect someone at the AFL is obsessed with the idea of fireworks at the Grand Final. They can't even get the entertainment right. IMO if you can't get Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen or Metallica, don't have anybody. This desire for a night final reminds me of hot cross buns on Boxing Day. "The public demands them!" NO. No they don't. Stop telling us, the football loving public, who buy our memberships and pay for your wages, AFL, want we need, or want. Daytime for me.

He's come a long way from the chicken parmigiana and chips with no salad. Now he only has an appetite for the Brownlow, Premiership, and a Norm Smith. ( More than one of each of these will be tasty).

NO, I DID NOT! Proves my theory once again.

LOL. Same. I am also the reason every Aussie tennis player loses their match when it looks like they are going to win. As soon as I start watching they collapse.

Pleasing effort by a young undermanned side against the more experienced Richmond. Great to see Clarrie get his hands on the ball after the two shoulder operations. Looking forward to seeing more of the boys this year.

I went on a sugar free diet once. Worst ten minutes of my life.

I once attended a local cricket game years ago where the heat was so bad the umpire fainted. Is there a policy in place for this scenario? I'm sure the medical staff at the club are well prepared and will look after the boys.

Has "obviously" replaced the dreaded "yeah, no" in interviews now? Please say no. Not yeah.

These things always remind me of The Footy Show when the panel members pick who they think will win a game and the audience members go berserk as though their team is going to win because some player who doesn't give a toss chooses their team. At the end of the day, who cares. What will be, will be. These experts making predictions doesn't make them true. An exercise to keep everyone on the payroll occupied. Let's just win the flag to shut them all up. ( Fervently crossing fingers and toes).

Very impressive young man. Can actually put full sentences together without the awful 'yeah, no". Great speaker and communicator. No secret he is one of my favourites. Will look even more handsome with a shiny Grand Final medal around his neck, as I mentioned in the discussion about Riewoldt's unnecessary "Top Ten Forwards 2019".

Yes, I agree with you. I didn't want to bring up specific examples, but the Gary Lyon one was in my mind. But this excuse is not limited to the AFL. How many times have you heard, "Why did you beat up/ assault/ road rage/ steal etc." "Because I have mental health issues/ I was depressed/ I had a bad childhood." What an insult to all the good people who have suffered all these things and never harmed anybody. It seems this is the way society is heading now. No one takes responsibility for their actions. It is always someone else's fault, or something made them do it. My father spent 4 years as a POW in Berlin in WW2. He didn't do bad things and then blame it on his horror experience. Claiming mental illness seems to be like a fad now. It makes me burn.

I just don't like the vague description "mental health issue". I grew up with someone who suffered from major mental illness all of their life, and saying you suffer from "depression" as an excuse to get out of certain situations, to me devalues the very real suffering of people struggling with this issue. We all get depressed sometimes, but most of us do not get to know the "black dog" of utter despair. To cite mental health issues too many times risks the public becoming immune to the real problems of people with mental illness living their lives out of the spotlight. The public will become cynical and less sympathetic to ALL sufferers is they suspect players are using the system to cover up something else. Sorry to be so heavy, but this is a sore point with me.

Honestly, I think things are getting a bit stretched for news about football before the season starts when someone asks Nick Riewoldt to compile a list and add his 'wise' opinion on these so called Top Ten Forwards. All background noise which doesn't mean anything. Let's get on with the season. Maybe I'm biased because Tommy Mac is one of my favourites, but I know he will prove his worth in 2019 with a Premiership Medal around his neck.

Dangerfield can wear a clown's costume to the game as far as I'm concerned, because he is one. I want to see my boys dressed in our club's attire, representing the club. There is no i in team, something Mister Danger doesn't quite understand.