John Dee

The business of providing player dossiers and the like happened after Bertolacci was sacked, not before.

As I understand it, it is a rectangular area attached to the circle that only the umpire can enter in the initial instance; players can, aparently, enter this area once the umpire has exited it. This has the Anderson mark of stupidity all over it. It can only be applied for the cente bounce and the only time the ball is bounced in the NAB Cup is at the start of quarters and after goals. At all other times, the ball is thrown up and the old rules apply. The farce has been seemingly brought about because players are getting very good at using the upmires as shields whilst technically obeying the non-contact rules. This has, apparently, led to contact between umpires and taggers. This, seemingly, well intended rule is a feeble attempt to counter the tactic. Just wait until the ball enters the area and the first player to try and get the ball is, perforce, penalised.

Rivers and Bartram are two that have benefitted from a run in the NAB, or was that Wizard, cup that set up their seasons. I would like to see a couple of fresh faces in each match that we play. Carlton always try to win the pre-season competition because there is no befefit in tanking.

So you would have liked 93 reponses from people who did not know the answer and could not help you.

Issues like this usually come up when a club is trying to bring payments forward because there is room in one years salary cap and they want to free up space in the next years salary cap. I thought that we were well under the salary cap for next year; if we aren't, we bloody well should be. It really is a non event. If payments to players are made in the year they are earnt, not in the year the contract is signed, then the club should be able to say that Travis' payment for next year goes in next years salary cap. I know that this sort of thing is grist for the mill to us pedants, seriously, who cares.

To attempt to lift a curse, you must first believe in it and curses generally; I don't.

Brock will get tagged, no doubt about it. He will have to learn to take it and work through it; something that TJ could never do. I back Brock to do it. Jones will step up and take some of the preasure off him, Junior will keep on keeping on, Moloney needs a big one and the kids have to step up. TJ is gone; get over it.

I had no idea that DB was going to be on SEN this morning. When I got into the car, I heard some guy, whose voice I knew that I knew, going on about the virtues of biomechanics and how all of the clubs were doing it and then describing how it was done at his club. I was impressed with the knowledge that the guy had about the subject and assumed that he was a biomechanist from some club. I got somewhat of a surprise when I realised that it was DB. I heard the first caller, but somehow missed the second, I heard what Billy said and was hoping he would be on after the news, but alas no. What he said about the biomechanics was that all players had been examined and had their kicking, and I suppose, handballing, actions examined. The players where given videos of their kicking from both sides and behind and had them gone over with a view to discovering any biomechanical flaws. The players are the given one or two things to work on; they are able to get feedback from the biomechanist at any time. The inference was that, once the current problems were fixed, they would move on to the next couple and continue that process until completion, which may take some time. He stressed that it had to be kept simple saying that you can't give a player a hundred things to work on, just one or two at a time. DB can certainly talk the talk, I can't wait for him to walk the walk.

Does a rhetorical question require a question mark.

Frank Rugulo was not all that bad; replace him with Simon Eishold.

Rendell read out Grimes' number and the correct name of the player they were drafting. Strictly speaking, this should have invalidated the selection. Vlad checked with the two clubs who had already made selections after the crows and asked whether they wanted to change their picks. The two clubs were not disadvantaged as they would have known who the crows drafted. If one of them demanded to be able to draft the crows player, it would have made it very interesting.

Newton is wearing the number of one of our all time favourite players and adminstrators. I would not like to see him give it up.

It is something that the AFL is going to have to clear up. I heard CAC interviewed yesterday and he said that the reason for the long delay on our last pick before finally passing was about whether or not there were any 17YOs there who we wanted but could not get in the rookie draft. FFS, they are eligible for the NATIONAL draft, why then are they ineligible for the rookie draft? We have one spot on our senior list to fill. This can now only be filled in the PSD; my bet is Sampi.

I have heard that the Morton brothers have strong family connections, something that gave WC problems. The parents are apparently, going to up sticks and move to Melbourne now that Mitch and Jarryd are with Melbourne clubs and WC have indicated they will stay clear of Cale. Cale will then also land at a Melbourne club. I don't see Richmond going past Cotchin at 2, nor WC Masten at 3. Palmer seems to have slipped a bit recently, but, I am happy with whatever we do; my choice would be Morton.

I went to this game with my son, daughter and one of my daughter's friends. We left in what was supposed to be plenty of time, got stuck in many a traffic jam, discovered all the car parks closed when we finally got there, parked in the city and didn't get there until after quarter time. We eventually found seats up the back of the Olympic Stand for my daughter and her friend, my son and I were happy to stand. The 63,000 odd figure is very misleading as, being directly opposite, we could see that there was not a soul in the AFL members area; we were packed in like sardines and a major portion of the Southern Stand was completely empty. BTW, we was robbed- seconds to go the ball is kicked to a leading Neitz just on the 50, Langford pushes him in the back under the footy. Neitz, to his eternal credit, did not do a Lloyd swan dive with pike, merely tried to double back, but Langford got the ball and the game was over.

I think he more or less covered it; we will get whoever is left from Kreuzer, Corchin, Palmer or Masten.

Nice article Jack, but, I view Pratts actions as theft, not "theft".

I really can't see the AFL taking away pick three as it was not WC's original pick, but one that they gained through trading. Should the AFL take it away it will open up the proverbial can of worms.

Different strokes for different folks; I play tennis on Saturdays, so I have to miss tennis when the Dees are playing on a Saturday afternoon in Melbourne. I love Sunday games.

Did South Melbourne have a filled in V? I seem to remember them with a white jumper with a red V not filled in as ours is.

The issue with the royal blue is that it was never our colour. When colour TV came in, it was not all that flash and our dark blue came up as black. A decision was made to go to a lighter colour, hence the royal blue. We had no say in it and never regarded it as our own, not withstanding that Robbie Flower played his whole career in it.

Under that stairs at my place, and I know exactly where, is 'Robbie' the royal blue and red Teddy Bear. He was bought for my son, as he is the eldest, and then passed on to his sister. The poor old guy is bruised and battered having been a much loved constant companion to both kids in their formative years. I have no love for the colour, being a republican is one good reason, watching many, many deplorable teams playing in the colour another, but, I do have some fond memories associated with it.

Totally agree, I was forced to go for white as the least worst alternative. If they come out and say that their members have overwhelmingly voted for a change in the club's alternate strip based on this, they will hear from me.

Rod Grinter David Williams

Fergus Watts, you're kidding, right? The guy has just set a record by being delisted after two clubs wasted first-round picks on him. Where there is smoke, there is fire; stay right away from him.