Chook

It's always nice when stats back up your gut feel. Pedersen should be first picked each week then!

A Melbourne team without Cam Pedersen seems to completely lose its forward structure, so for the foreseeable future I'd like to put him there instead of Weiderman.

Not the smartest lad, is Christian Salem...

You mean like generations of innocent football fans unlucky enough to have been goaded, forced or otherwise cajoled into following the Demons?

The concept of a "best forward line" is stupid. By definition, the best forward line is the one whose team scores the most (even if some goals come from midfielders). Mids and defenders influence the forward line immensely, so a "great forward" relies on those players just as much as a backline relies on defensive forwards and two-way running. With that said, GWS's forward line is indeed absurd.

Why you little optimist!!!

Alternative interpretation: they have the highest membership.

Because it's a ruck contest. At the centre bounce, two men face off against one another for superiority. Now it will (rightly) be the same everywhere else on the ground.

See my avatar. I'm well aware of Max Gawn's existence and importance.

This list of the AFL's top 20 players for 3rd man up hitouts in 2016 shows that we're one of only four clubs (Melbourne, West Coast, North Melbourne, Gold Coast) not to have had a player in the Top 20 for this stat.* Even though we've now got Jordan Lewis (5th on this list), I'd say we're definitely massively advantaged by this rule change. *Champion Data says so

Thank fark!!! Finally a rule change that actually needed to be made!

That's the role we had Stefan Martin playing to not very good effect (that is, before he left and subsequently grew an extra leg as 1st ruck).

At this point they should just bring back Ed and Trevor Marmalade for a farewell season and then just salvage the whole set (and/or its hosts) for glue.

I'll start worrying when he is accused of attacking someone with a machete...

If only there were a new “front-of-sponsor” jumper.

Jack Watts’ hairdo truly is terrible. I thought he was a good kid. Clearly I was wrong on that account.

Despite possessing the name Dion, I’ll do by best to support him anyway.

Shows Dawes’ quality more than Lumumba’s lack of it if you ask me.

Farmer could take a mark.

Yuck.

Gary Lyon’s back? Again? My god, when will that injury go away. We would’ve won a granny if it weren’t for Gary's back.

This is yuge and terrific! Just the best, anywhere in the world!

New Balance gear is second to none, IMO.

If Brock McLean had a heart, I’m sure it would still beat true for the red and the blue….

Goodwin: ..."hopefully when they walk away from the MCG on a Saturday or Sunday they are starting to see that competitive and contested ball brand starting to emerge." Goody be like “Why u no give us Friday night games AFL?!?"