smoking dog

I have read so many posts blaming the premature dumping of experienced players for our current situation, it's hard to believe that there are people on this site that would like to see one of our only reliable older players shown the door. Rivers may well want to move to a more successful club (who could blame him?) but I believe he'll stay on

I'm sure Frank Davis was #7 ??? HBF in the '64 Grand Final team ...

When Barassi left I was 12. I'd just seen the Demons win the '64 Premiership and I simply couldn't believe it (I still can't!) To me, RDB was Melbourne - my worldview lost its innocence overnight. In more recent times the losses that have caused me the most pain were (in order): 1. Scott Thompson 2. Jeff Farmer 3. Stephen Powell 4. Darren Jolley 5. Strawbs O'Dwyer 6. Gerard Healy 7. Woey 8. Earl Spalding 9. Danny Hughes 10. Brian Wilson

My thoughts are with you, two sheds! - MFC, Tom Waits, stand up comedy - you're definitely needed on this planet for a lot longer yet!

Dear fellow Demons, With our many years of suffering I am sure that our supporters more than any others will feel compassion after hearing this story. Please check in at - www.theteamthatneverplayed.com If it gets enough hits this film will get made, Best Wishes to all, Smoking Dog (last smiled at the 1964 grand final)

I know there are many who'll disagree, but I can't understand why Bate keeps getting left out of this discussion. It seems to me that this guy is just starting to show us something after a few developmental years and should be a viable forward option, along with Garland, Martin etc. I think Morton will end up forward as well. How about a forward line made up of Morton Watts/Garland Davey Jurrah Bate / Jamar (?) Wona (with Martin, Dunn, Jetta, Maric, etc. in reserve) How about that group being fed by Scully, Trengove (fingers crossed), Moloney, Grimes, Blease et al? Looks pretty potent to me!

Thanks, Einstein! I'm feeling very non-Einstein having missed that, but you've greatly relieved me (I'm following all this from Hong Kong atm) - if I could, I'd share the champagne with you - I'll drink to your health (and Tom Scully's) instead!

Am I missing something here? Please tell me if I am. With St Kilda looking decidedly wobbly, the Dees showing that they can occasionally put it all together, and Richmond playing West Coast at Subiaco next week (they're only a tiny fraction ahead of us on percentage), isn't it possible that we might miss out on the spoon ? What if we beat the Saints? Richmond will get flogged by West Coast and lose percentage, so we could easily end up 15th., meaning that: 1. we lose the PP & 2. Richmond claim Scully (a Tiger supporter). As I said, am I missing something? For now I'm leaving the cork in my champagne.

Jamar / Bartram / Bell + Pick 35 (or thereabouts) for a higher draft pick? Adelaide teams might go for Jamar . . . . . and Bell for that matter.

Surely it's up to the individual, the availability of certain numbers, and the prevailing attitude from coaching staff? I can remember players being coy about claiming Robert Flower's #2 until Steven Tingay came along and leapt at the chance to wear it. If you have a past champion (e.g. #5 at Geelong) what do you do - leave the number vacant because it has a formidable history? While I'd love to see a player strike out and claim the #99 (as I've said in an earlier post) it's a conservative culture with valuable traditions (tradition is just about all we've got apart from a promising young list). To take up your point though, there's a challenge around certain numbers such as #26 and #37 which are yet to become legendary, while others, such as #3 and #27 have a rich recent history. The #13 was a strange one until Allen Jakovich, and then Adem Yze made it a blue-chip number. I'd love to see somebody adding to this (growing) tradition. Why not Blease or, even better, Jurrah? From memory, our list of high number legends/cult favourites is pretty short - #41 Peter Rohde, #42 Peter Walsh, #43 Guy Rigoni, #45 Mathew Whelan (can't think of any others).

and thanks, Flashdance

Thanks, Benno

So Neitz should've stayed on #38, Stynes should've stayed on #37, Junior should've stayed on #52 (?) etc. etc. etc.

Any opinions on Bail and Strauss? Someone has suggested that they're the two most likely to debut in the near future.

Good thing Wayne Carey's retired!