Chook

A loose ball dribbles through our goals and we score a behind. Fremantle 0.1.1 Melbourne 1.1.7 Aaron Davey getting so much of the ball.

Chris Tarrant scores a Tarrant-like behind from 30 meters out, directly in front Fremantle 0.1.1 Melbourne 1.0.6

Miller's playing a little too far up the ground for my liking. Would prefer him closer to goal. Good run down by Newton. Good to see.

Good point. I hope so too, as Cale Morton kicks the first goal of the game. Fremantle 0.0.0 Melbourne 1.0.6 Aaron Davey looking lively.

Come on, purple, green and red are perfectly cromulent colours.

I've always thought of setting up a team where the players all look the same, so that they'd get lost in all the symmetry. If your entire team looked like Jones, Chapman and so on, the better players would be more difficult to man up specifically, especially if they interchanged often and ran up and down the gound a lot, changing their positions. Just a thought.

He seems like a pretty cool guy. Loves the game and has natural talent, but knows how unimportant football is in the scheme of things. I hope he continues to do himself and his mother proud.

Don't underestimate what MacGyver could do with a wooden spoon, a newspaper and some tape. The guy could probably win a Premiership with it. Particularly with a couple of good draft picks.

I think the new teams will definately benefit the game once they develop a two or more generation supporter-base (i.e. parents and their kids), but until then, I hope the AFL as a whole stays strong, including some of the smaller Clubs.

That's definitely one possibility, although a few people here seem to blame it for our abysmal form during the '80s. There were some awesome suggestions in a forum a few weeks ago. Did you see any of them?

Welcome to the forum, buddy, and I hope you stay. I'd like to get your opinion on the game tomorrow afternoon.

God, I hope not. To be honest, though, I think we might have to, according to the AFL's rules.

That might work well, but I just reckon that having Jones tag another player accomplishes exactly what the opposition wants - to minimize Jones' aggressive ball-winning ability, something that we probably don't want.

That's true, but while he's on our list, fit and playing games, then there's still a chance it will.

I reckon we should keep him for at least another year. If he shows no signs of improving, then we would probably be better off delisting the guy. Although he might be best suited to a Will Minson type of role. Basically to provide a big target to contest the ball up forward. Not necessarily to mark the ball, but to provide a crumbing situation for Davey or Aussie.

Yeah. That'd stop him from totally self-destructing on bad days, too. I mean, he got what, four touches in our win against the Dockers earlier in the year. I'm all for switching him to a small forward role for a spell or making him a little more accountable if it's just not happening for him on the ball. By the way, I would really be interested in a face off between those two midfields, though.

I voted Other. I think that Cameron Bruce has a lot of respect down at the Dees. On top of that, he plays well enough to poll votes in every game he plays and (other than Nathan Jones) is the only player to have played every game this year. So if his body holds up, he's my bet to take it out from Green, Wheatley and Brock McLean, who, in my opinion, would have won it, had he not been injured.

That's right. Wrecker will be eligible then as well It's wierd for me this year, too. It's the first year I've ever been older than a player. Cale Morton was born in 1990, while I was born in '89.

That's true, but it would probably lose to a midfield consisting of Judd, Ablett, Kerr, Goodes and Cooney because it wouldn't be attacking enough. It'd be good because they're all great players, but it might get too caught up in reacting to the attacking mindset of its opposition.

A Club can nominate a player to be a veteran if that player has been listed at that Club for a minimum of ten years and is 30 years or older. Also, there is no limit to the number of veterans allowed. So that means that Jeff White, Adem Yze, David Neitz (obviously), James McDonald and even Russell Robertson are all eligible next year. But with Neita retired, White and Yze probably gone and James McDonald a possibility, only Robbo may be eligible next year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/27/2288346.htm ". . . the 16 existing clubs will be allowed to register two additional rookies for the 2009 and 2010 seasons as compensation for [the two new Clubs' draft concessions]." Also, another thing I think is important is that only half of a rookie's salary is counted against his team's salary cap. That means that we could keep Valenti on the rookie list and keep a bit more cash free if we wanted to pick up a high-profile player from another team.

Good suggestion, but because we've already got Dunn performing that role, the team might suffer from too much negativity. It would be similar to Brent Stanton of the Dons being given a run-with role because he gets tagged from time to time; something that might take away more from Essendon than from their opponents.

Well, that's true. You're a smart one.

As of tomorrow's match, just Jones and Brucie. With that said, it seems that Cameron Bruce is a pretty good chance; captain, team leader, hard worker, good player. So I'd go for Bruce to win it.

For those not too attached to the Dees to consider that article a personal attack, I reckon it's a pretty funny piece.