Chook

As devastating as it was to lose finals in the last two years coming in as top four, at least we put up a fight. This is just deplorable from Port Adelaide.

That won't really drive many clicks though, so I expect reporting will die down quite a lot until next year. Dees tragics and Melbourne haters will be interested but the vast majority of footy public aren't going to care about a trade that isn't happening this year when finals and this year's actual trades are going on.

Amazing how quickly the goalposts shift from "we're terrible and he'll leave" to "well he clearly WANTS to go but is realistic that it won't happen." Negative people will always find a way to be negative. The number one thing we needed to do is get Petracca to stay for next year. Once that is achieved, we're in business again as a club. Either we continue to fall down the ladder next year and Petracca leaves, or we fix our issues and he stays. If he leaves at the end of next year it's very likely because there are huge issues at Melbourne, in which case we'll have bigger problems anyway. If we return to playing winning football the chances he still leaves are pretty low - and even if he does we'll be going ok as a club and will be able to take it in stride.

I believe they're called "stickers" in the culture, a name that makes them even more dubious. Jackson's lifting for Freo here though now.

It's in the next 2 years or 6+ years away. No option for that so I wrote 2.

I've said it for ages - nothing will change until you start penalising the concussed player too, if they are found to have contributed to the severity. Add a one week suspension to be served after their next game back, in any cases where failure to uphold duty of care to yourself and you'll see players be more careful not to recklessly put their head where angels fear to tread. There would be outcry of course (punishing the victim), but this is not a one-way street. Every player has a duty of care on the football field, including the duty of care players have to themselves.

Glad Melbourne doesn't make hard decisions like in the glory days of 2009-2013 when we got rid of Russell Robertson and James McDonald despite having forward and mid coaches at the time.

What is the actual waste though? How much value would JVR have gotten from some no-name 100th pick being on the list, in contrast to a proven AFL-level forward like Ben Brown?

I think it's really clear there's a trend at Melbourne where we are happy to sign players to long term contracts. I'd be interested to hear what actual risks there are in doing that for senior leaders of the club.

Such a poor show of reactionary-ism from this terrible club to snap-sign Gawn and Viney on long term contracts just to try in vain to present the image of a functioning footy club. #Sad #Sarcasm

Max Gawn is comfortably in the top 1% of ruckmen.

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.

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.

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

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.