Tony Tea

I would be surprised if our footy department overrated our list going into 2019. Ditto Ratten. We need an assistant who knows Clarko Footy. Since Clarko himself has said that he likes to turn over his own assistants, let's have a lash at Yze.

Clarko plays a zone (which Adelaide's one-dimensional attack played straight into) but Clarko's key has always been knowing when to take the ball the other way for easy scores.

Dunny is a Demon at heart.

The zone defence will be alive and kicking when we try to find a way through it.

Whenever we play poorly, it's because we butcher the ball going into our forward line. If we ever become efficient in attack we will be a major, major threat. But yesterday, as usual, it's our tendency to kick badly into zone defences that shoots ourselves in the feet.

Certainly the best Demon midfielder I have seen. Covers territory at pace, gets to multiple contests, hits the contests at pace, leaves the contests at pace, finds the footy in traffic and in space, makes space out of no space, good kick, sublime hands, sublime handballer, knocks opponents over, good mark, I could go on, but youse get the drift. He's different to, say, Judd. He's more like a combination of Voss and Black.

It's funny. Hogan is a beautiful kick in play, while McDonald was often a suspect kick in play. On the flip side Hogan is a dodgy kick for goal, while McDonald is a borderline automatic kick for goal. May will play forward too. Don't be surprised if he is similar to McDonald when kicking for goal. May also barrels his opponent when marking (or spoiling), while Hogan is more of a position marker, he doesn't generally jump into his opponent. Hogan also has a less secure pair of hands than McDonald, who has a great pair of mitts. Watch how often Hogan bobbles marks. Hogan is a bit like Neitz who often got rid of his opponent only to spill the mark. (Neeta still took lots of marks, tho. Weight of numbers, etc.) Not sure what May's hands are like.

I'd like to see the comparison between Hogan and McDonald in big games.

Not an extravagant opinion. A few Pie colleagues and mates think the same. Has a real go, tho.

Petracca on the ball for longer will be a huge bonus if he is up to the fitness. He ripped Adelaide apart at the SACA in 2017 (I think it was 2017), when he was shifted into the guts and took the game by the scruff of its collarless jumper.

I got my membership package today. Very slick affair; especially the cryovac sealed scarf.

Tom "Jack" Sparrow, James "Air" Jordan, Aaron "Jack" Nitzsche, Marty "Two Buck" Hore, and Toby "Wheels" Bedford.

I was born in 1961, so Carlton's drought is more significant to me since I have never known a dominant Melbourne, whereas Carlton spent decades dominating during my lifetime before turning into a basket case.

Now, come on. Ricky was an okay footballer, but had average hands and was a poor kick.

Yow. Zah. If we can win our share of games in that tough draw we'll have earned them.

(paraphrasing AND punning)

Multiple scoring options win big matches.

I reckon Bennett left in 93, which is the same year Neitz arrived, so they may have played the odd game together. Bennett would probably have played with Schwarz. Regarding finals against Geelong. I don't remember a final against the Cats between 1989 and 2005.

So how could we have kept him?

I don't remember Bennett, Schwarz and Neitz ever playing a final together, let alone against Geelong.

I reckon Hogan's days at Melbourne were numbered when it became apparent we played a better style of footy when he was missing. Not saying Hogan is no good, just that we seem to gel better all over the ground when he is out. After that it was a matter of the footy department deciding what style of players we most needed, and could trading Hogan get those players in.

Farewell, Jesse. I will miss you, but I will not miss your Hogan's Going Home saga.

Any chance the Dees will get pick 5, and then instead of giving it to the Suns, trade it up to a higher pick? Say, 1, 2, 3 or 4, similar to what we did with (I think) Oliver and Weid?

One party offers too low, the other counters too high. Bargaining 101. The next step is a narrowing of difference, not one side spitting the dummy.

Final offer? Straight out of the How to Haggle handbook.