Skuit

Talk of the bottom six winning flags is simply a short-cut to refer to depth. If two teams somehow had an even spread of talent, it's not the performance of the bottom six that will decide games/flags - it's the performance of the top players. We may target our lesser lights in the event of a loss, but besides Petty getting horribly exposed vs. the Saints, it's not the JKHs losing us games - it's our top tier failing to fire in unison.

I'd like it on the record that I nominated James Harmes as this year's surprise packet. Oh wait, it was already on the record.

I'm always a drunk 36 year old sitting at a pub in Amsterdam and Oliver is always my favourite.

Introducing the Zooper immigration criteria checklist: Nine bonus points if you're French. Nine for being a girl. And automatic repechage if you work for the big end of town.

Max, Weids and Petracca all had pretty decent games v GWS. Maybe we've cracked the latest revolution in footy attire? Out skin-tight guernseys, in pajamas.

Every player should be assessed relative to price. But I'm not sure why people pipe up that we should save our money for elsewhere. I'm pretty confident in our list management team getting it right nowadays. Some upside favourites may get squeezed out the bottom, but multiple flags are the goal, and if we lose someone with potential we get it back in longer term cookies. First-world list management.

I'm not sure if it was the jumper but he was looking like that NAB kid version of himself on the weekend. Has he lost even more weight over the season, at the same time as extending his beard?

Fantastic trailer. When does the movie hit cinemas and is it scheduled for release in the Netherlands?

We countered this very well at the Cattery last time out, blocking their path out of defence and through the middle, but when they switched tactics in the last and took risks we weren't prepared or couldn't defend. It will be interesting if they head directly for this playbook this time - and then it's absolutely a matter of negating their mids in the centre and defending quick forward entries (e.g. by manning up a bit more).

Update: So immediately prior to the Gaff-bash (copyright pending) I posted a cross-reference to a wild rumour on another shall remain nameless website re.Gaff crossing to the MFC - primarily to dig out our own inside connections and stir up some action, but which was immediately called out by Ethan the Newsbreaker among others as baseless. The original poster has now openly revealed himself as an outright troll - quoth: "I posted a scandal not a rumour. There is no differentiation. It was a complete fabrication loosely linking a few wild comments by others. A simple moment taken to type up a possibility to see how it travels. 13 pages or sometimes emotional ranting is enough for me." I would ordinarily call for a lynching if such passed muster on this beloved site of ours, but I don't want to propagate any notion that Lynch may be coming to Melbourne. Otherwise, I remain convinced that Gaff will be in the red & blue as of next year, despite the trolls and own special Picket.

Would have been a great team-building exercise though - developing the mental fortitude to stare a yeti down in preparation for a high-pressure AFL finals series which could feature a rampaging and bearded Bachar Hashim El-Houli in the big dance.

Put your hand up if you're exaggerating indignation to cover the fact that you have nfi who Sam Murray is. Aye.

I agree dee-tox - though we're now exceptionally long overdue in discussing such in person over a bevvy. I currently live in the centre of the city (on a canal off Vijzelgracht) - hit me up if you have a spare moment after work.

Link is 'out of bounds' on the AFL website already. Here's a report of the former AFL.com report: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/magpie-sam-murray-being-investigated-by-asada-report-20180824-p4zzh0.html

I have this fantasy of breaking out into a 'who ate all the Pies?' chant following a dominant ruck game by big Sam against Collingwood.

I don't like this one bit at all . . .

I'm still on my Sam Baulderstone campaign. Superb tap ruckman, booming kick, impacts around the ground, and can physically hurt his opponent. Massive question marks on whether he has the aerobic capacity to adapt to AFL but he's defied naysayers before and continues to get around the ground and be the dominant ruckman in the SANFL year after year. The way team-sheets are shaped nowadays, you can't really maintain two premier rucks on a list. Give Sam a back-up spot for a couple of years while we develop a young 'un. Some old draft highlights: http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-09-23/draft-prospect-sam-baulderstone In his country Clayton Oliver days:

An update as posted in the post-match. Adds quite a different complexion and demonstrates together with our KPI statistical dominance and sub-60 game experience of almost all of our prime movers why Goody doesn't give a fug about the fugazi. Melbourne 18 3 Richmond 15 6 Collingwood 14 7 Geelong 13 8 West Coast 13 8 Port Adelaide 13 8 Essendon 13 8 GWS 12 8

Whichever the match-up, round one of the finals is going to require some mental fortitude. Geelong: dominating much of the past three matches and still failing to win. GWS: would have lost to them just a fortnight earlier, and at home to a likely more depleted side. Sydney: the only draft-origin player in our squad to have experienced victory against them is Jones.

It's going to be a pretty intimidating final 8 in terms of recent success and finals experience. The teams represent 20 out of 24 grand finalists going back 12 years. Plus a well-stocked GWS.

I picked Harmes as our most improved this year - and even I'm not getting that carried away. Brayshaw easily takes that title. I'm chuffed for GBH's late-season improvement though.

TL/DR: Should we recruit Cyril Rioli? So a few in the media seem to think the Rioli retirement was a salary-cap sham - with fair reason to be suspicious. Admittedly one of those is Purple, but he's increasingly sure of himself on the matter. Forget arguing about whether Rioli's a legend or just a champion or grossly overrated and imagine he could return to 75 percent of what you consider his best to be if he could get an acceptable run of injury free-football back under his belt. Rioli stationed in our forward pocket with the instructions to harass and the mandate to take a shot - not required so much to run the wings or through the middle. Would you take on a three-year reasonably well-paid contract as the Demons enter their window (Cyril is 29 to save to save you from Googling)? If he signals his intentions to come to us and nominates for the draft/rookie draft there will be surely a lot of moaning and grizzling from all quarters, but it's most likely no club will actually impede - so effectively free in trade cookie terms - although I would imagine Rioli entering the main draft and us giving up our first pick would be the acceptable compromise for the AFL. I've been a strong supporter of Garlett and his need to be in our team, but it's clear his days are numbered. Cutting through the fairly nasty invective, I feel the major decline in his performance is that he's lost his touch - and I first thought so around our match in Alice last year when he still managed to kick five (from memory). Even when he's performed this year, it's still not of the same mojo of yore. I also said last year that an old-school forward pocket specialist should be number one on our shopping list, and that I felt that hedging our bets with Johnstone as a half pocket/half mid was a mistake. Versatility is great, but not in every instance. Although I'm happy with our draft-swag from last year, watching Rioli and Ryan go anywhere near the ball on the w/e rammed home the message of where we're currently lacking a key ingredient. So as a possibly more refined equation: would you take Rioli over the next three years on decent coin for a mid to late second-round draft pick - considering of course our increasingly stretched cap? If not, any other suggestions where we can fulfill this need - rumours of Betts disgruntled at Adelaide for example, on the same cost conditions, or the recruit of a freshie or someone currently lacking opportunities elsewhere perhaps? Just for the record, I'm all for it: Gaff, Rioli, and Nathan Basset and the 2019 flag is ours with every hole plugged (although another dashing half-back in Hunt or Baker stepping up would be ideal as well as a marking utility in the Pedersen mold). Disclaimer: I'm vaguely connected to Cyril through family.

Posted in stats-file. The teams going into the season with less experience than us (age we're about in the middle but still younger than the 'Baby Bombers' and just about every premiership team ever - with the young ones generally skewing older than the median where we skew younger): Western Bulldogs — 56.4 Carlton — 56.4 Brisbane — 55.2 Gold Coast — 53.5 St Kilda — 52.6 North Melbourne — 51.8 If we snagged the flag it would be genuinely unprecedented profile-wise. I think Collingwood 2010 would be the closest comparison.

Other thoughts post-match. Even if we bomb out of the first round of the finals, we'll probably be touted as joint-premiership favourites next year by bookies and media alike - such is the unique nature of our team. And if we add Gaff . . . That ANB tackle in the forward-50 in first quarter was just fantastic. Something else I've forgotten.

Posted in the post-match thread but repeated here for posterity. AFL Alternative Ladder rd 21 - 10 points or less reversals: Melbourne 18 3 Richmond 15 6 Collingwood 14 7 Geelong 13 8 West Coast 13 8 Port Adelaide 13 8 Essendon 13 8 GWS 12 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North 12 9 Hawthorn 11 10 Sydney 11 10 Adelaide 10 11