Chook

Just got a ping of dislike simply looking at him. That's not healthy.

Don't need to find a backup ruck if your main ruck never retires.

Lid = Off

To me that's a clear goal.

"Sometimes you can look too deeply into a burnt piece of toast and see the face of Jesus." — Dwayne Russell Bizarrely this might be the most insightful thing he's ever said.

This is a worrying development. With Sheedy and Dodoro leaving Essendon, I fear their finals win drought might be in jeopardy.

I don't want to exaggerate, but it was about as close as you can get to watching a death happen on the football field. Short of the player actually dying, the Sachse incident would be the only one worse on the scale of impact to the player that I can think of. Supporters had to watch that unfold with the baying of Collingwood wolves in the bays, then sit powerless as the media and AFL world slipped slowly but surely towards the inevitable acquittal at the tribunal, then watch as the premiership cup was hoisted a few weeks later by the culprit himself, again to the baying of wolves in the bays. Dreadful and disenchanting in the extreme. I myself haven't recovered from that either. I don't think I'll ever care about football in quite the same way again. It represented a sort of "removing of the veil" moment for me, as if something dark and nasty was revealed about the game I used to love watching.

I had a thought recently, in light of Houston rethinking his interest in coming to Melbourne. Given Petracca is reportedly not happy with the "direction" of the club, I wonder if he might be interested in trying to help lure Houston to come to us. It would give him some agency in changing the direction of the club (if that's really a thing, again we're just going on as-yet unfounded media reporting), and may be a good way to convince Houston that there isn't, in fact, a problem at Melbourne.

I think a good policy is to ignore Demonland's posts of cross-media content unless commenting on the actual content itself, and even then to be careful because generally what Andy posts in that space is for information purposes not an endorsement of the content itself or even an invitation to view it. I posted that I don't care about what the media has to say, which is not really commenting on the content but on my lack of interest in the content. Won't be doing that again, at least not in response to Andy's posts.

What did I do to you? EDIT: I figured it out.

Early in the year I was extremely bullish about our season. That turned after the Brisbane loss when we couldn't win a clearance to save ourselves. I thought we'd lose to Freo but the manner in which we lost was a huge huge reality check. Season over there.

Appreciate you posting this stuff for those who watch, but I've stopped caring what any of these talking heads have to say about anything.

Last one out of the club turn the lights off on your way.

I can see the 360 interview now. "To be honest, it's just been tough not playing and being out there with the boys. But the club has been great and Bella has been great so…" Nothing he says will really quell any speculation. It'll go on until the trade period is over.

Tom Morris supports Tom Morris.

It's just the club's role in the AFL at the moment. There is nothing that can be done to change the way certain clubs are reported on. Essendon has the baggage of the "saga" and it's been 10 years since it happened. The media will report on what the media will report on. No mature club or its players should be affected by that.

Petracca is the best we can get for Petracca. Nothing will come close to that, and any young kid we pick up is going to wither on the vine if we repeat the same mistakes we made from 2009-2013.

Petracca would have enough sway to get the coach sacked if he was that upset. The only reason he'd leave is to chase a quick and easy flag elsewhere - like I say, I don't see it happening.

No one is happy with the direction of the club at the moment - difference is Petracca can actually change it. Would be the absolute most cowardly choice from him to nick off now. EDIT: I should add that I don't see him as a coward, and therefore he won't leave.

Far be it from me to approve of Hawthorn being good, but are there any non-Melbourne teams you'd be happy with being good?

Which club has sacked a premiership coach and won another flag soon after?

My excuse is a declining passion for AFL.

Giants didn't win a flag or make top 4 recently.

It's a real shame you can't rely on a 4 quarter performance from Melbourne anymore.

Disappointing to lose Tholstrup but we're very likely going to be better off without Salem and Sparrow on their current output. Last roll of the dice time for us this season, so Gawn Lever and May must all play if remotely fit.