Einstein

I'll add this to the discussion: In terms of Inside 50s conceded we are ranked 14th in the league with 164, with only Richmond, 182 and North Melbourne, 170 below us. But in terms of defensive efficiency, in other words, turning back opposition attacks inside 50 and not conceding a goal, we are ranked 2nd behind StKilda. Stats can be twisted any which way, and in any case, its only 3 games to go on, but what it says at this stage is that we are giving up too many inside 50s but our backline is doing a tremendous job repelling opposition attacks. Will be interesting to see where we stand come the end of the season. Here are the complete rankings: Inside 50s Conceded StKilda 136 Hawthorn 140 Sydney 143 Adelaide 144 Fremantle 149 West Coast 153 Western Bulldogs 154 Carlton 155 Collingwood 155 Essendon 156 Geelong 157 Port Adelaide 160 Brisbane 163 Melbourne 164 North Melbourne 170 Richmond 182 Defensive 50 Efficiency (Goals conceded/In50s conceded) StKilda 0.169 (23/136) Melbourne 0.207 (34/164) Brisbane 0.215 (35/163) Collingwood 0.226 (35/155) Sydney 0.231 (33/143) Fremantle 0.235 (35/149) Carlton 0.245 (38/155) Western Bulldogs 0.247 (38/154) Port Adelaide 0.250 (40/160) Hawthorn 0.257 (36/140) Geelong 0.280 (44/157) Richmond 0.280 (51/182) North Melbourne 0.288 (49/170) Adelaide 0.292 (42/144) Essendon 0.295 (46/156) West Coast 0.301 (46/153)

The same guy who made the 'I and Love and You' video, also made this other one, 'Fly One Time' ,which I reckon is just as good. It has the Smith mark in it.

Great idea. I would go for either just 'Wara!!' or 'Jurrah Wara!!' Also would like to see a 'liquid football' banner in the cheer squad, referring to the Alan Partridge-Jurrah video on Youtube. But thats a different story. Again, great idea Rosso.

The problem with the draft, is that it moves so quickly, its hard to give a detailed review while it is in motion. In the NFL there is 15 minutes between each pick, so plenty of time for analysis and speculation. But at least try. Give us something. It doesnt have to be much, just a comment here and there, good picks, surprises and whatnot, rather than giving us a draft retrospective while the 2nd round is being called out. And [censored] Dunstall asking Scully if he would have preferred to go to Richmond, the club he supported as a kid. Firstly, totally inappropriate question to ask a kid who has just been draft to a club, I doubt Dunstall would have asked the question if Scully had been headed to Hawthorn. And secondly, of course he would have preferred to go to the club he barracked for, but of course he is not going to say that, so why bother asking the question? Next year I think I wlll be tuning into the radio coverage.

Not a relevant stat but..... From 1955 to 1964 the club won 140 home and away games. By todays standard 22 game season, that is the equivalent of averaging 17 wins and 5 losses a season for 10 years. From 1965 to 1986 the club won 147 home and away games. Thats an average of just under 7 wins a season for 22 years. Ok, next.....

They still play cricket? I had no idea. A mate asked me the other day why I was logging onto Demonland. He said the footy season ended weeks ago. I said no. It never ends. Never.

I cant see any downside of having Tenace train with us. Having said that, I would be surprised if he ever pulls on a Melbourne jumper and runs onto the MCG. Cant see it happening.

One of those rare players that was great entertainment no matter how he was playing. Hmm, cant think of a single reason to watch Richmond now.

Yeah, and despite not having won a flag since 1964, we've still won more flags in the last 50 years than they have.

Clearly the answer is Crack.

A bit of alarmist nonsense being perpetuated on this thread. Firstly, the form of free agency that the AFL will introduce will be limited. Most likely it will mean that once a player gives 6 or 7 years of service to a club, that player will be able to move to whichever club they decide. Secondly, the AFL will never resemble the Premier League, even with a form of free anency introduced. Because A, we have a draft and B, we have a salary cap. Both limit the ability that the more powerful clubs have to acquire players. The Premier League has neither of these and this is a crucial point. Thirdly, the model the AFL looks to is the NFL, not the EPL. Over the last 20 or so years, the NFL has instituted free agency, both unrestricted and restricted, and also the 'Franchise Player Tag'. The institution of free agency in the NFL has not resulted in a Premier League style competition. Rather, over the last decade the NFL has experienced an unrivaled degree of parity. And this is a league where the value of the richest club, the Washington Redskins (1.1 Billion) is double that of the poorest, the Arizona Cardinals ($0.552 Billion), and the Cardinals went within a minute of winning the SuperBowl last season. The reason is because of the draft and the salary cap. Teams experience periods of success and periods of disappointment. Yes, there are some teams that have achieved sustained success and similarly others that have endured sustained periods of failure. But it is not free agency that has given teams sutained success, bur rather, it is solid drafting and the ability to make shrewd economic decisions on the clubs player list. A prime example is the Washington Redskins. Over the last decade they have been the biggest spenders in free agency but have nothing to show for it. Just 3 playoff appearances in 10 seasons, for only 2 victories. Over the same period the New England Patriots have made 6 playoff appearances, 4 Super Bowl appearances for 3 Super Bowl Championships. They have done this without big spending, but rather by making good decisions on their player list and drafting well. Having said all that, the NFL is about to go through an interesting period. It is possible that next season there will be no salary cap in the NFL and there are concerns that once the NFL goes without a salary cap, it will have trouble putting it back in place. So this is obviously something the AFL will want to monitor and ultimately avoid. Yes, the AFL has to be smart when negotiating a form of free agency with the Players Association. But the fear that the league will degenerate into a Premier League style farce, is without basis. Dont fret people, it wont happen. The AFL wont let it happen.

I have heard a rumour through a usually reliable source, but I doubt what I have heard is what the OP is referring to, and similarly doubt its truth because if there were some truth to it, I would have thought it would have been mentioned here by somebody already.

No Melbourne games this week coming. Here's the games for the week ahead (from citysearch.com.au) Thursday night/Friday 1am - Round 17 2001 - WBulldogs vs Richmond 3:30am - Round 3 1997 - Port Adelaide vs Geelong Firday night/Saturday 1am - 2009 Preliminary Final StKilda vs WBulldogs 3:3oam - 1993 Qualifying Final Essendon vs Carlton Saturday night/Sunday 1am - 2008 Grand Final Geelong vs Hawthorn 3:30am - 1977 Grand Final Nth Melbourne vs Collingwood Sunday night/Monday 1am - Round 3 1999 Essendon vs Sydney 3:30am - Round 10 1998 Collingwood vs Fremantle Monday night/Tuesday 1am - 1:30am 2009 Preliminary Final Geelong vs Collingwood 3:45am - 1997 Preliminary Final WBulldogs vs Adelaide Tuesay night/Wednesday 1am - Round 6 1996 Sydney vs Essendon 3:30am - Round 21 2000 Fremantle vs West Coast

That brought back some memories. You wouldnt believe that was the same Garry Lyon who struts around the Footy Show. He's so bashful. Classic. mfcnow has some kind of vault.

Great article about a great young man.