Chook

The advantage is having the game played at your home ground, and playing the worst side. Team 1 has the advantage of playing team 8, a worse side. Team 8 has the disadvantage of playing Team 1, as better side. That's advantage enough. You mean like the one in 2007? 1 vs 2. 1 beat 2 by 150 points. Blowouts happen in footy.

And I still say it's too much of an advantage. Earning a statistically guaranteed spot in the Grand Final is too big a bonus, in that it effectively renders the finals series moot outside of those qualifying finals. Consider that as long as we have a fixture that's as crazy and unequal as the one we currently have, we should endeavour to make the ladder positions mean as little as possible when it comes to advantages in the finals. Why should a team that finishes in the top four because they played the bottom four twice each get an advantage over a team that finishes 5th despite a harder draw. Does that really make any sense?

But that's not common. Usually the games are much closer than that. North Melbourne have certainly had two very tough weeks of footy. If you beat the best, you deserve everything you get. If the 8th placed team beats the top of the ladder side, surely they deserve to win the flag.

The reward should be playing the worst finalist. 1 vs 8 2 vs 7 3 vs 6 4 vs 5 Rinse and repeat.

This "week off" bullcrap is bullcrap. No team should get such a big advantage. It is impossible to beat a rested top-tier team after two crushingly difficult weeks of football. What is even the point of the finals series if it's just so hard to make the Grand Final from outside the top four?

If Ollie Wines got bit by a crocodile and died tomorrow, would not picking him still have been a mistake? You can't know what will happen, so just forget about what we "should have done."

What odds a North Melbourne vs Port Adelaide Grand Final. All of Australia will be wanting that (minus those Hawthorn and Sydney jokers).

Congrats to Port Adelaide. This is three years after they were the worst side in the comp. We can do it too.

Port hasn't even cracked the hundred yet and apparently it's the highest score a team has kicked against Freo since 2012. Wow. You sometimes forget records aren't all negative.

I reckon you could count the number of Melbourne players who have ever showed this kind of desperation at a single contest in their careers on one hand. Dawes, Jones, Vince, Jetta, Cross.

Jake Neade has been really good in this last quarter. He's a midget, but he does all the basics pretty well. Reminds me of Austin Wonaeamirri a little.

Captain's behind from the Pav. Can't kick goals under pressure.

Get the f over it. EDIT: Another goal from Wines. Thanks Mark.

What a monster goal from Ollie Wines.

I think the AFL would love it if Port or North won the flag. It would be just great for the game.

Some bullshite Freo free kicks right now. Port players held at 3-4 contests in a row. Ball goes over the boundary line. Freo get a free for holding even though the ball is out of play. Ridiculous.

Not a good year for Mitch, to say the least. I think we all want him to have another crack at the game, because he is so very good at it. We just want it to be for us; and if it can't be, then at least let us get what we deserve for a player of his quality. What might have been probably will never be; but let's not let everything go to waste.

What I wouldn't give to have Joel Selwood at Melbourne.

Lindsay Thomas and Ben Brown both look like horrendous spuds but actually play surprisingly well.

I was going to make a snide comment too, but then I remembered it's Geelong.

And 49 years ago, Joeboy started supporting Melbourne. We've been atrocious ever since.

Joeboy. Please stop supporting Melbourne immediately. You are obviously the problem.

What about the amazing sense of fulfilment and self-worth he would feel from helping us get better. Surely that possibility might be worth considering for him. Not to mention the guilt of leaving a club he's promised to play for.

When talking about Paul Roos and North Melbourne at the same time, I suggest you get the apostrophies right. But on topic, I feel like Mark Neeld's recruiting wasn't really all that bad. He did what we need--get experience into the club. How was he to know about what would happen to Mitch Clark? Chris Dawes was still a good get, and Rodan et al were still useful if you ask me (though obviously not to the same extent as Cross and Vince have been).

In this crazy mixed up world, make sure you never forget to take your llama to the dentist.