Little Goffy

All Australian in every season where he has played more than 15 games. No, wait... he got an AA selection in 2020 with just 14 games. Amazing! NO, WAIT! TRAVESTY! How did he miss 2023? FOR SHAME. I blame Brodie Grundy. But seriously, so proud our club is led by such a lovable cuddly unstoppable colossus.

Danger! Danger! You'll start another argument about in-season loading! But it is an interesting conundrum. If you are sure you're going to get drafted, there would be no reason except ego to strive to be at the really pointy end of the draft so you might well, you know, spend more time on your schooling or play out of position a bit to develop your game. Those who remember the years where osteitis pubis ruined the start of several careers would have a lot of sympathy for taking it easy for spells during the season. There might even be a bit of altruism involved if you want to give a less prominent teammate a run in your usual position.

I see where you're coming from. That 'and sometimes you don't' comment definitely could read as 'nah, don't bother', particularly to the person it was aimed at. In fact, that's how I'm reading it now, too. I guess picture it as if I was walking by and heard just that part of the conversation and it triggered my PTSD from watching really 'confident' people wreak havoc while looking down on anyone who expressed doubts. Which is clearly not what you're doing here. Because you're not a public service executive! I call it splash damage. Like when Akermanis referred to the 'monkey's upstairs' and it was interpreted as racist because the particular execs upstairs were Indigenous, when he was of course referring to media execs generally. Anyway, returning to your point in 100% agreement; the margin between 11 wins and 15 wins is not even two goals a game so the people shouting about a megacrisis drive me insane. Not least because it is a distraction from the real task at hand. We almost need to bring out the Rick and Morty psychiatrist scene here. 'Being a football club is work. Some people are okay with that. Some people would rather turn their football club into a pickle, and die. Everyone gets to choose.' 'And if you have any friends or family who [play for Essendon] and would like to stop [playing for Essendon], here's my card.'

Can we change the thread title to 'Kozzie misses his family amd would love to have them around more with the baby, but is also a serious professional who understands the reality of AFL careers and is fully committed to the Melbourne Football Club which has been great at including family in the club environment'? Also, I really think we should revisit my case for the club to acquire a small private plane to do round trips collecting the Petty, Tholstrup and Pickett families from their far-flung outposts! 3 Mil to buy, 700k annual operation cost if busy, call it 1mil per annum operations and finance. It'll save that much in salary cap by the time you add up the different delighted players. Plus, epic branding. Imagine the extras we could add for NT trips or special superfan rewards flying down to Tassie games. Handy corporate 'offering', too. Flying with the board to an interstate game. Lol, too much?

Oh, I'm thoroughly in the 'things can definitely be turned around with work not drama' camp right beside you. My reaction was in the more general sense because I find the 'winner winner' and 'you give up too easily' culture really obnoxious. In fact, related to that, as a personal favour could @Demonland please add 'gumption' to the blocked words list. Gives me the skin-crawling horrors.

Please tell me more.

First time I've really wanted to be at a B&F. Want to tell Nibbler how much I've always appreciated the post-goal hug patrol he clearly takes very seriously, and Angus, well, he shall remain my favourite footballer.

I got a message from hotmail congratulating me on our 25yr anniversary. Hmm, by the logic of some on here that means I should have a say on how Microsoft is run. I must say, watching this thread and its "Gish Gallop vs Sealioning" battle of wills has become fascinating in a petrie dish kind of way.

This thread is amazing.

Definitely best of luck to him (with all the usual caveats). Felt he was bitterly unlucky with the way the tall defender roster played out. You'd think with Petty rolled forward his chances would have come, but even then, no. He may yet get a few more seasons out of his body given that his game has never been about pace or agility. Anyway, the space opens nicely for Sam De Koning to join his brother with us at the end of 2025. You know, alongside the Whitlock twins who will be their longer-term understudies.

Fine. I'll do it. 6 weeks, 3,000 pw, plus 2,000 expenses. Anthropologists come cheap but if you want your culture reviewed, why would you go to yet another lawyer for ten times as much?

Incorrect. The first 150k were about Cale Morton.

Colgate. One the traditional big four.

I've decided that no matter what comes I'm going to channel my inner Czech and just laugh about it. If he goes to Carlton, not only would it be the new 'Judd trade' but he could reuse their old 'Can you smell what we're cooking' slogan. Or another of their terrible slogans can come in handy if he follows the Olympic example and sets up an OnlyFans. Going to Essendon would come with some great lifestyle benefits such as an extra four weeks break before preseason every year. If he goes to Richmond I'm sure he'll like at least one if the three or four coaches he'll have in the remainder of his career. The 'marquee player who destabilises the club' status will certainly keep his brand in the spotlight.

Id rather keep him, but if he must go, then he must go to Essendon. That'll teach him.

Will Essendon win a final before Melbourne win a premiership?

One does find oneself wondering if Gary Pert was previously in charge of delivering interstate high speed rail.

There is such a thing as a perfect comment! 🦄

The Luke Jackson trade has effectively netted us Jefferson, Windsor and (checks crystal ball) Andrew Brayshaw. Touch wood about the kids, of course, but that salary cap space is golden pre-Tassie.

Softened by the recent decade under Hardwick and Peggy O'Neal, Richmond supporters may be in need of leadership figures to teach them to one again pour visceral hate upon senior club figures and restore their traditions of cyclical rout and ruin. Applicants should have own trailer and microwave.

If we want to toss around 800k at a tall we would want them to be a forward/ruck support. I'd take an 'adequate, reliable' forward-ruck over a 'sometimes great, inconsistent, injury plagued' forward-only. In fact, before I took Lynch I'd rather store the coin to go hard at the exceptional 2025 free agency prospects rather than burn it for a non-solution now. Marginal time preference utility in action!

Damn, that is a pretty dire selection. I'm sick of Sydney and their unreasonable draft concessions. Any chance Hawthorn can be disqualified and Fremantle get a crack at it? A premiership for Hogan would be nice. Fagan finally cracking it would be alright but is there a way he can get there without the rest of Brisbane also winning? As someone who finds coach-bashing to be an odious pastime, I'd manage an amused smirk if Hinkley won a premiership, too. I absolutely do not want Sydney, Geelong or Hawthorn to win it. Sick of the sight of them. Yeah, that's about all the feelings I can dredge up for this finals series.

Cripps-Bont type mids are the noted feature of the top end of the 2024 draft. And there was much rejoicing! Talls kick in from about the mid-teens through to 30ish. Basically the perfect draft for our immediate and longer-term needs. Would enthusiastically endorse trading a future first or second.

11 wins. It wasn't.

🙂