mauriesy

So there's no such thing as wanting to be a better player? You just do what you "bring to the team" forever?

Every footballer who plays a longish career these days should be a "millionaire" at the end of it. Provided they've made some good investments with their income and not wasted it. You're a millionaire these days if you own a reasonable house.

Long-term it's better to do a deal. It's possible we may want something Adelaide has in the future and we don't want to make d*cks of ourselves. It's not swap cards or some gambling game at the casino. We get a proven 21-year-old defender with a 10-year career projection for a couple of draft picks that may be hit and miss. And the better we get next year, the less valuable next year's first rounder becomes. And as soon as Watts was mentioned anywhere as a trade, even within the confines of the trading period, other clubs would know we didn't really want him.

I think talk of "superdrafts" is rubbish, but if it were a "superdraft", surely you'd get good talent well into second-round picks. Otherwise it's not a "superdraft".

How many teams now have a big-bodied gorilla? Richmond don't, they have Jack Reiwoldt and a whole squad of smalls. They didn't need a lurching gorilla minder to keep Taylor Walker or Josh Jenkins quiet. Sydney don't, they rely on a very mobile Lance Franklin roaming far and wide. The days of needing someone to push and shove with Tony Lockett in the goal square are long gone. Mobility, spoiling and pressure are far more important than a wrestler.

Robert Walls in the Age: Lever 5: Unable to breakaway from Jacob Townsend who hit him hard to cause fumbles. Talia 2: Looked slow, gave no attack, just three disposals, probably his worst game of the season. Brown 4: Good on Rioli early on but confidence shattered when outmarked by Dustin Martin in the second term. Kelly 5: Solid in defence but no flow in second half as all Crow defenders lost their nerve to attack. Laird 6: Great start but faded as game wore on. Hartigan 4: Solid but no attack, lost the dare to move the ball on quickly as game progressed.

Aren't Kennedy and Kent contracted to the end of 2018? Apart from yesterday's delistings, the other players coming out of contract this year are vandenBerg, King, Vince and Weideman. I'd expect a year (or two) extension for all four.

TMac to play the rest of his career forward, like David Neitz.

Ah, political correctness ... the new patriotism and the last refuge of the supporter.

That means we must be well off in all the other games if our overall free kicks for and against are nearly equal.

But your original post in this asked "why are we so slaughtered with blatant frees" and "we always seem to be on the wrong end of the stick". Sounds like an expression oif bias against us to me.

What ... about 390 free kicks for and against? That's an even number per game, unless of course you think we're entitled to our fair 75%. Even the most fortunate team in the AFL only gets on average little more than two free kicks per game over their opposition. But I guess it's all a "conspiracy". Gawn's frees against were for putting out a straight arm and blocking. If you've got a problem, argue the rule, not some fanciful notion of anti-Melbourne bias.

It's pretty silly even thinking that the AFL would "even up" the competition through umpiring. After their input to resurrecting Melbourne FC over the last three years, why wouldn't the AFL want Melbourne to be a "feel good" story as much as any other team (like the Bulldogs last year)? Can we just stop with the victimisation, feelings of being a lesser club and negative thoughts all the time? As for most supporters knowledge of the rules, calling "ball!" is fundamentally a mental failure, just like calling for a 50-metre penalty as soon as anything happens to the player getting the free regardless of how trivial. The comments here about certain umpires are also disgraceful, particularly in regard to physical appearance and stature. I don't know how we would ever encourage people to go into umpiring if the incredible bias and perjorative comments here are any indication.

Some of the posts in this thread are downright embarrassing. They make conspiracy theories like Roswell and the moon landing seem plausible. The idea that this is all one huge plot by the AFL to even up the competition, or worse, to blatantly discriminate against Melbourne, is just a joke and makes Melbourne supporters look like incessant whingers to every other team in the competition. Football supporters everywhere don't understand the rules applying to holding the ball. If they did, there wouldn't be the incessant and tedious cries of "ball!" every time a player gets tackled.

AFL Rule 15.2.1 In Possession of the Football A Player is in possession of the football if, in the opinion of the field Umpire ... (a) the Player is holding or otherwise has control of the football. There is nothing in the Rules that says a player kicking for goal is not "in possession". AFL Rule 15.2.2 Remaining in Possession and Bouncing the Football ... (b) Where a Player is moving whilst in possession of the football, he or she must bounce or touch the football on the ground at least once every 15 metres, irrespective of whether such Player is running in a straight line or otherwise. I've counted Ben Brown's run-up to kick as around 23 paces. Give the rule, why isn't he required to bounce the ball once during his run-up? Or, alternatively, why is he permitted to have such a long run-up at all?

What makes you think Tyson would just want to pack his bags and move to Adelaide? He's already been Oakleigh Chargers-Sydney-Melbourne.

Gotta love SEN. Four hours ago he's bound for Melbourne, then 30 minutes ago he's a certainty for Collingwood.

Arnold Palmer dead at 87.

The reason Spencer didn't play this year is because Max Gawn played all 22 games. Spencer is not a list clogger, he's insurance in case the unthinkable happens.

Any ideas how we'd replace 11 players (a quarter of our list) and what with? Our list no longer needs surgery that radical.

Bernese were working dogs on Swiss farms. They have no problems in Melbourne, just don't sit them out in the sun in summer. They are very placid and great with kids.

Better this year than next year then.

Learn to tackle lower, or learn to grab the arm a la Viney on Weller.

Meat and three vegs? He's a 10-course gourmet tasting menu!

Nah, he's just gone over there for 'a look around'.