Bring-Back-Powell

Dunstan and Ratten got along as well as Neeld and Moloney did.

The injury list was our most valuable player in our premiership year and here's hoping that continues next year. Hopefully ANB's knee concern isn't concerning. Tomlinson will be a good replacement for Petty if he's not available for the start of the season. Those two are probably fighting for the one spot regardless.

The state of origin game in pre-season 2020 was a bit of a yawn. No defense, walk in goals all night. Nothing at stake. Just doesn't invoke the same passion as NRL

Agree in that it's a momentous occasion. No question. But it all goes back to the Wednesday night time slot. Will cost thousands in attendance. Either the AFL and/or Pert has gotten a bit cute with this one.

I'd be flabbergasted if we got 80,000 to the Dees v Dogs game. 1) Wednesday night is a shocking timeslot even allowing for the special occasion of the flag being unfurled. The game should've been on a Friday night - would get the same amount of eye balls on the TV screen but a way bigger crowd and more $$$ in the MFC till. 2) Dogs fans prefer Marvel over the G. 3) Dogs fans won't be particularly keen to see the flag being unfurled and a reminder that they gave up in a GF at 3 qtr time. 4) The biggest crowd between these two sides at the MCG in a home and away game was 45,000 in 2010 on a Friday night. I predict 55K for round 1 but as many as 65K-70K for the Essendon Friday night game if both clubs start well.

I know we'll end up having a pretty good tally this year but it's quite hard to comprehend that we're pretty much the same numbers as St Kilda who have largely been a disappointment since 2010.

The TAB has a "Year of the Tiger" promotion where you can get Richmond Tigers and West Tigers to both make the finals at $8. The trouble is West Tigers are projected to come bottom 2 in the NRL.

Would like to see him guide us to back to back finals for the first time in his tenure. We haven't had back to back consistent seasons under Goodwin. With that being said, he'll clearly re-sign as the reigning premiership coach.

My parents had a 1990 version of the Melways (published at the time of the proposed merger) and in the index it mentioned that the Western Oval was the home of the Fitzroy Bulldogs.

In more recent times, Fitzroy and Melbourne were talking mergers late in the 1994 season.

An off day or we’re a class below the elite? Hopefully the former. We’ve struggled to manage more than 2 possession chains.

Erin Phillips 3.2.20 Melbourne 0.2.2

Erin Phillips 2.0.12 Melbourne 0.1.1

I'm not sure if we can cross this one off the list. Technically we were the home team in all our final wins so we essentially had equal if not more of the crowd support in all three finals. I consider this drought still active until we win a final outside of VIC as the genuine away team.

Aside from Gold Coast who haven't even played in a final yet, we hold the longest drought in terms of not winning a final in consecutive years. Next I think is Carlton - 2000/2001.

It was the Melbourne Cricket Club, not us as a club that requested that Melbourne plays Essendon as an away game at the MCG. Apparently the MCC also compiles and lodges a fixture request list with the AFL.

From 2006-2021 we’ve hosted Essendon twice. 2010 and 2019 were those years. The reason doesn’t make sense but I recall about 5-10 years ago an MCC spokesman confirmed on radio that the MCC requested to the AFL that Melbourne plays away games to Essendon and Carlton at the MCG and therefore increasing the chances we’d miss out on home games against those 2 clubs.

I cop it continually from my work colleagues that we’ve never beaten Hawthorn in the 4:35pm time slot. Maybe this year might finally be that year.

Not beating North Melbourne at least once at Marvel in the stadium's 21 year existence not raise your eyebrow?

Excellent embarrasing record. Would love nothing more than to break that record this year.

Correct you are . Our 2021 game was originally scheduled on a Saturday, but changed to a Sunday at the very last minute. I've adjusted our embarrassing record to: Have never beaten Gold Coast on a Saturday night which is the timeslot we have them in this year.

Just a few obvious ones that come to mind: 1) Haven't beaten Adelaide in Adelaide on a Saturday since 2017. Nor a Sunday since 1996. 2) Haven't beaten Brisbane on a Friday night in QLD since the Bears inception in 1987. 3) Haven't beaten Carlton in a home MCG game on a Saturday since 1997. 4) Haven't beaten Collingwood on an MCG Q'Bday game since 2017 5) Haven't beat Essendon in a home game since 2010 6) Haven't beaten Freo in WA since 2004 7) Haven't beaten GWS at the MCG since 2018 8) Haven't beaten Gold Coast on a Sunday game since 2018 9) Haven't beaten Geelong in Geelong on a Saturday in a non COVID affected year since 2005 10) Have never beaten Hawthorn in a Saturday or Sunday twilight game. 11) Have never beaten North at Marvel 12) Haven't beaten Port in consecutive attempts in Adelaide. 13) Haven't beaten Richmond in an away game since 2015 14) Haven't beaten St Kilda at the MCG since 2017. Have never beaten them at the MCG in the 1:10pm slot. 15) Haven't beaten Sydney on a Sunday at the MCG since 2001 16) Haven't beaten West Coast on a traditional Fri/Sat/Sun game in Perth since 2017 17) Have never beaten the Dogs on a Friday night at the MCG.

Meaning home sickness. Nothing more than that. If he's having his parents come over to live with or near him, then I'd be putting 2 and 2 together and presume his home sick. I could be wrong. Ultimately I'd love for him to sign a 4 year deal, but I don't think this re-signing will be easy IMO.

It might be that he sees himself living in Perth for the better part of his career as his priority rather than just money or playing in successful sides, and that his parents have moved over to help him through some issues.

Because I have no doubt West Coast are working on a god father offer for LJ. They need a star after Nic Nat retires in 2-3 years whilst Freo don't really need him as much due to their young star ruck in Sean Darcy. We'll be doing extremely well if we can get LJ on a long term deal. Extremely well.