Skuit

Thought that was a big ol' blunt in the birthday-boy's hand there for a brief second.

That's a rather bleak prognostic. First Elimination Final 2017 Richmond 4,000,000 8 24,000,008 Melbourne 26 12 168

Yes, because I'm sure if I don't put 'Tram 74' in quote marks people with will think I'm responding to Saty.

rjay - your use of quotation marks for usernames read like scare-quotes and blanket everything in a strange suspicious tone, like you don't trust that ignition's name is really ignition and you want to convey that you're not fooled by the deception.

He is the white stick.

I'm certain it's to do with his vision and depth perception. Needs corrective lenses. OPSMac.

And Omac is a phonic crumbler. Footsteps and his composure goes to pieces.

Same as Oscar, right? Edit: I'm still in your camp re. Oscar.

And still trying to work out in what possible professional capacity you could be attending TAC matches and still be free to criticise MFC players online and share your insights on potential recruitees. Whatever it is, godspeed, and I think I want that job . . .

I had to double-check you hadn't misspelled Petracca on this description. Could ex-ball players Petrucelle and Petracca come together to perfect the 'petra-dish' (TM) in the MFC forward line? Need to get Bugg in that mix as well. Apologies - I'm avoiding a work assignment. Please carry on with your adult discussions.

I'm a fan but seriously, talking of trading a player is not highly disrespectful. Indeed, his name was raised as having some genuine trade value - i.e. he was respected as a player. Todd Viney and Jason Taylor must be some nasty pieces of work.

Jake's girlfriend is a private-school teacher, right? Surely the esteemed MFC is far better placed to cough cough help her with potential employment opportunities than those ferals out West?

We need to retain ANB to satisfy the Bulldogs in a trade for Bontempelli next year.

Packaging up Stretch, Kent and JKH of course.

After doing this armchair-expert caper for while you begin to get a pretty good sense of who is leaving and staying through the media comments. This is a tough one, but I think there are some hints he's on the move. My guess; Adelaide are trying to sweet-talk him for taking unders or current market, 'we will negotiate the appropriate deal', to reserve some cash for a potential post-season midfield splash if something pops up. My opinion: forget the sweet-talk, and send Jake King 'round to get him to the Dees on the coin he deserves. Strategically, my tune is also changing, and I would be prepared for us now to sell a chunk of the farm for a couple of key acquisitions, namely Lever and Kelly (the latter with a sub-committee set-up to attract him for slight unders against success , camaraderie and culture as to what's been reported offered from North et al.). We need to guarantee tangible success now (as best we can) for the general sustained-success group-wage-reduction plan to come to fruition, and we only have a short window before GWS own the comp - to first achieve success, and to construct an actively competitive list thereafter. I now don't think that a couple of wage outliers will spoil the broth if signed to four/five year big-bucks contracts now, (with a lot of our key keys not coming up again until 2019/20). And if we lose some decent talent looking for dollars along the way, we will be duly compensated, and still better off to cover it with KPs Lever and Kelly in place.

Is it wrong to 'like' this? Just a little bit? What the heck.

The take-home message - we're ahead of where we were at at the same stage in 1998 & 2000. My favourite seasons. Started our run a little earlier this year though - but not too early a la our fizzle-outs in the mid-naughties.

Port at the G' before our top of the table clash with GWS

Can we have both? And may as well put the 'can we have both' taco one in as well.

I know we won seven in a row at the back of 2000 up until the grand final, with the preceding loss the one-pointer vs. North. Edit: Just had a look - would have been 11 straight otherwise. And worth noting we were 6-7 prior to that run. 98' was seven-in-a-row at the back end up to the prelim also (with some ridiculous average winning margin). Edit #2: Thought I'd finish the job. Six in the middle of 2006 (which accounts for our last five as well). Can't imagine there's been an eight in my lifetime.

This is what I was saying a couple weeks back. We've never had a player putting up these sorts of numbers (figures mitigated somewhat by changes in football) and yet he's barely got a look-in in the Demonland votes lately. We're either complacent as fans or we're becoming a seriously good footy team.

This is close to the most dynamic and solid back-six that I can recall in my time following the MFC. And with decent depth and interchangeability. Get it done PJ.

I haven't once checked Hibberd's tackle-stats. Not sure why anyone would feel the need to.

thankyoumuchlystevetheman. Stat Heaven. And an unusually reflective AFL.com article. Firstly: Intercept Possessions? If Tmac intercepts in defense and passes off to O-Brother Where Art Thou is that an intercept-possession stat for Oscar? Spoils? Is there a 'spoils lost' stat for flying in a pack or crossing for coverage and allowing your direct, grounded opponent to score? It won't come up in the one-on-one column . . . or anywhere else. Both Macs have been highly guilty of this this year (with Goody's encouragement). Omac could pick up 8.8 spoils this way yet leak four goals for failed attempts and still be considered elite in this category without a losing corresponding stat. Of note: Tmac is pretty much nowhere to be seen. Is he just average at everything? Lynden still one of the top one-on-one defenders. Yet jettisoned. Just another confirmation of where our priorities are at. But top-five in meters gained? Do kick-outs get recorded? Maybe a bit of reach? Talia for e.g. has five one-on-ones per match. He wins 49% (2 and a half contests) of those and loses 16.5ish (one and a bit), with the other 35% split. Across ten games that's 50 one-on-one contests for the season with 24.5 won, 8.25 lost and 17.25 split. A couple of those go the other way and the percentages change quite dramatically. Surprised not to see Kade Simpson in any of the stats. But haven't watched much Blues this year at all. Has he dropped off dramatically, or is it an issue with stats being assessed after a position is determined? (note: Kade here is being used as a synecdoche for my point). Alex Rance is a dick. Out. .

You've swayed me with your insightful analysis. We should just get Fyfe and Dusty instead.