Tony Tea

Pass the helium balloon.

I was talking to a footy person today who said that, contrary to accepted wisdom, players are now being coached to tackle higher because it's all about pinning the arms to stop players unloading the ball under pressure. The margin for error is therefore less, and as a result high tackle numbers are up. That would also go some way to explaining why so many players are now adept at collapsing the knees to draw high contact frees.

Hogan and Harmes.

PS: Gimme grunt, power, size, strength.

PS: I think better development (and the club not being a basketcase) would have enabled us to do more with Gysberts, who despite having Grover arms, seemed to know how to get the footy in traffic.

It still tickles me that we would have drafted Melksham with Pick 11 in 2009 if he was available, but he went at pick 10 and we took Gysberts. (At least Melksham is still in the AFL.)

The 2009 draft continues to haunt us.

I think Hinch has given up pretending he barracks for Melbourne. Footy fraud.

Eddie & Bucks are not getting the transition they planned.

Beams to Melbourne, Pick 4 to Collingwood, Clark to Brisbane. No, wait...

Every time Wines touched the ball last night I jabbed myself in the leg with my fork. (Lucky I am only allowed plastic forks.)

The sixth best mark of all time, and yet Winny Abraham won mark of the year.

Wiz should never have returned to WA in 2002. Mad work by his management.

Strong core, shakes tacklers, good sideways agility, hard to tackle, finds space, good kick. You can see why he was highly rated.

Bounty. Breadfruit. I would not lie.

Can't be UDG. No mention of his mother-in-law.

It was. It was a joke. It must have been. It made me laugh.

Canaan Banana's descendants will be disappointed to read that.

Saw a sign recently: "There are no bananas kept on these premises."

And in selection news - Melbourne have cut a swathe through last weekend's team which was pumped by the Bulldogs at Etihad. The Dees have made wholesale changes for this weekend's traditional bye.

Katich's average since the start of the Australia v Pakistan series in England last year is 32. Ponting's average in the same period is 29.

Brent Williams is a terrifically gifted sportsman who basically couldn't give a f##k. Pretty sure he comes from down Keysborough way. If we'd been able to harness his talent we would have had a real player.