Tony Tea

Remember when AFL jumped up the day before the pre season draft and said Sydney was not allowed to pick? What year was that? Too close to the salary cap. Sounds like the same deal. Sydney has been using the COLA as a "red zone" to finagle it's margins.

Who mentioned anything about best players, dynasties, relevance or subjectivity (although the relevance is implicit)? The Goodbye Mr Chip Drafting and Trading Board is a board about trading, as the name suggests. Free agency, the Americanisation of Australian sport and trade tactics, among other things directly attributable to the film are hot topics in Melbourne in October. Surely without too much prompting, the phrase "food for thought" comes tumbling into view.

"I had to do something to improve the talent level with Cowboys Demons the in a hurry."

Jimmy Johnson, Jimmy Jones, Herschel Walker, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings. Grantland 30 for 30.

Clever move to crowbar the compensation bid with the priority pick bid.

Beamer was a THREE club player.

Hush your mouth comparing Nik Nat to Flower.

Crows and Port are hiding talent.

Going early was funny. But ripping down the post to admit you'd made a boo boo was even funnier. When will the world realise that once something is out it is out? How often do people remove stuff off the Internet to try to conceal something? Don't they know about screen capture? Pulling them just makes you look sneaky / dishonest / guilty / stupid / take your pick.

Yes, that's a fair call.

Roos was in a bit of a bind. He once said he would refuse to play a player who had committed to another club. Us fans would probably agree with this sentiment. But Roos knew Frawley was leaving and was discouraged from dropping him because to do so would threaten compensation.

The oddest thing about the current free agency compensation model is that Hawthorn pays LESS than every vlub between pick four and their pick. If Melbourne gets pick three then EVERY club after Melbourne gets shunted down the draft order, which means every club from pick four to Hawthorn's pay more than Hawthorn. I mean, what draft change is worth more: pick 3 to pick 4, or pick 18 to pick 19? No wonder clubs are complaining about Melbourne getting pick three. And since the AFL allows self-interested clubs to dictate its decision making... draw your own conclusions.

One thing you can be reasonably confident about is that when a player says "I am putting contract negotiations off until the end of the year" they have pretty much agreed to terms with another club. When did Frawley put off negotiations? Footy is lies.

Which we did preemptively by appealing for special assistance without expecting to get it. Our appeal was a bargaining ploy.

Swann would not be doing his job if he did not question the Frawley compensation.

That would be me. I watch the grand final to punish myself for stupidity investing so much emotion into a vicarious pastime.

Slight revision. Brendan Fevola called Kurt Tippett a spud. Tom Jones called Campbell Brown a [censored]. The Grand Final wasn't a complete bust.

Dreary, like me barracking for Melbourne and not having an emotional investment in any of the finals clubs. Again. Or caring a toss about who wins out of Essendon and North, or Freo and Geelong getting booted. The only consolation would have been Port beating Hawthorn. There's a lot of good footy played, but until it's Melbourne playing it I won't buy into the nebulous concept of good football played by other sides. Oh, and my wife barrack for Sydney, so Chez Tea is a dismal place tonight.

Shocking dreary finals series. Worst grand final since 2000. YET another Hawthorn flag. They had one flag when I was born. We had 11. Now we both have 12. Now the Hawks will add a couple free agents to make the AFL even more like the EPL.

As mentioned in another topic, I received the following email from a Freo mate: "I haven’t written off Col yet. Will be considerably fitter next year."

There's a rumour doing the rounds that Clarkson will coach Adelaide if Hawthorn win the flag.

Eddie & Bucks are not getting the transition they planned.

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

Redundant intensifier.

Yes. Publicity & Spin 101 has "get the bad news out on a big news day" at the top of the first page.