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Apparently Smorgon was voted out when the votes were counted tonight. Taj Mahal Mark II will not therefore be built at Princes Park after all.

It's up now! 8:00pm Under the Hammer 8:30pm NTAFL: Indigenous All Stars Vs Essendon 10:30pm Short And Curly This means that the game will be live as 7:00pm local time is 8:30pm AEST.

I think Thompson had his chances for a premiership with the Cats in 2004/5 and missed it. Not so sure that they have what it takes now.

Surely the Bracks could find an additional way to rob impose a tax on the public in order to finance 10-15k more seats at this joint and then everybody would be happy. An extra toll on our freeways or something like that would do the trick.

FOOTYGOSS has this article sourced from The Whyalla News:- GREAT EXPECTATIONS ON WEETRA Like all AFL fans, Melbourne supporters cannot wait until the 2007 season begins. The Demons are again suggested to be one of the top Victorian hopes to challenge the interstate domination with their younger players like Brock McLean, Clint Bartram and Colin Sylvia stepping up in recent seasons. Another young talent that Demon fans are excited about is Isaac Weetra who was Melbourne’s final pick (No. 62) in the NAB National Draft. Weetra, who hails from Whyalla has an enormous vertical leap and speed to burn, but his performances at junior level have been the main talking points for fans. He played A-grade country football at just 14, was best-on-ground in an A-grade grand final at 16 and his leadership skills are also exceptional. The 17-year-old is certain to feature in the highlights reel when he eventually debuts for the Demons. Even in the South Australian bush it's a fair effort to be playing with men at the age of 14. I hope that he lives up to those expectations.

The 29-man All Stars side has been selected. Here they are with allocated guernsey numbers: 2 Chris Johnson (Brisbane) 3 Xavier Clarke (St Kilda) 4 Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide) 7 Peter Burgoyne (Port Adelaide) 8 Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide) 9 Chance Bateman (Hawthorn) 10 Troy Cook (Fremantle) 11 Des Headland (Fremantle) 13 Andrew Lovett (Essendon) 14 Antoni Grover (Fremantle) 15 Chris Egan (Collingwood) 16 Danyle Pearce (Port Adelaide) 18 Graham Johncock (Adelaide) 19 Michael O'Loughlin (Sydney) 20 Eddie Betts (Carlton) 23 Andrew McLeod (Adelaide) 24 Lance Franklin (Hawthorn) 25 Byron Pickett (Melbourne) 26 Jeff Farmer (Fremantle) 27 Andrew Krakouer (Richmond) 28 Mathew Stokes (Geelong) 29 Patrick Ryder (Essendon) 30 Richard Tambling (Richmond) 33 Darryl White (Southern Districts) 36 Aaron Davey (Melbourne) 37 Adam Goodes (Sydney) 42 Nathan Lovett-Murray (Essendon) 43 Roger Hayden (Fremantle) 44 David Wirrpanda (West Coast) Coach: Michael McLean.

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And I saw a truck with the name Lindsy Fox on it and I reckon that it's a good chance to have been connected somehow with the formed St. Kilda back pocket player of the same name.

It's funny that you were unimpressed by the Tigers YM. Speaking on SEN this week Kevin Bartlett claimed that he'd been talking with an AFL scout who went to different AFL club training sessions (to spy on them) who told KB that the Tigers were training the hardest of all the AFL clubs. The Hawks will definitely be hard to beat in our first up NAB Cup game. They're pumped and primed to do well after a very lean period and teams like that are very dangerous in the pre season competition. I suppose I have to agree that most clubs look pretty good on the surface this year. After all, they're not losing any games.

The name "Mal Michael" is surely going to haunt the Brisbane Lions. The question is though whether the AFL will take any action that might weaken a non Victorian club in a development area?

There have been reports that fires in the ti tree area behind TBO came mighty close to the ground yesterday and the MFC player change rooms and the old grandstand were in jeopardy at one stage but firefighters were on the ball and saved the day. Fortunately the fire only affected some ti tree bushes between the coaches box and the main offices outside the concrete wall doing no damage to the club facilities. Locals say that area is basically a rubbish dump area that should be cleaned right out with a fire track all around the TBO oval for safety reasons.

I heard Cameron Bruce interviewed on SEN this morning and he was talking about how the recent rule changes had necessitated changes in training routines aimed at making players fitter, faster and even more skillful and now the new changes might require even more fitness and speed. He also said the club's expecting the younger players who are all extremely fit and skillful (their names are well documented by now) to step up and take the MFC to a higher level in 2007.

Aaron Davey and Byron Pickett will be the first Demons to see competitive action in 2007 with the first game less than a month away. The two Dees have been picked to play in the 2007 Indigenous All-Stars team that takes on Essendon at Darwin's TIO Stadium on Friday, February 9. Missing from the team, which will be coached by former Bulldog and Lions player Michael McLean, is Matthew Whelan who has been recovering from an ankle injury. The squad is:- Adelaide: Andrew McLeod, Graham Johncock. Brisbane: Chris Johnson. Carlton: Eddie Betts. Collingwood: Chris Egan. Essendon: Andrew Lovett, Lovett Murray, Courtney Dempsey, Richard Cole, Patty Ryder, Leroy Jetta, Alwyn Davey. Fremantle: Jeff Farmer, Troy Cook, Andrew Grover, Roger Hayden, Des Headland. Geelong: Mathew Stokes, Travis Varcoe, Nathan Djerrkura, Liam Bedford. Hawthorn: Mark Williams, Lance Franklin, Chance Bateman. Kangaroos: Daniel Wells. Melbourne: Aaron Davey, Bryon Pickett. Port Adelaide: Shaun Burgoyne, Peter Burgoyne, Danyle Pearce, Daniel Motlop. Richmond: Richard Tambling, Andrew Krakouer. St Kilda: Xavier Clarke. Sydney: Adam Goodes, Michael O'Loughlin. Southern Districts: Darryl White. West Coast: David Wirrpanda. Western Bulldogs: Cameron Faulkner.

One conspicuous absentee from yesterday's training at Trinity Grammar was Byron Pickett who was applying to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court for the restoration of his driver's licence. The Byronator is a new man with a growing family to look after - and of course, a prmiership to win with the Dees. ( read here). News from yesterday's training is that most of the old heads are looking fit, trim and enthusiastic, Brent Moloney, Paul Johnson and Ricky Petterd are in full training after recovering from injury while Colin Sylvia, Matty Whelan and Daniel Ward are in the rehab group. Col is apparently still being nursed through the early parts of the the year's training as a precaution against a flare up of the OP that has dogged him from time to time.

$41 - Brock McLean $51 - Cameron Bruce $151 - Jeff White $201 - Travis Johnstone, James McDonald $301 - Aaron Davey, Brent Moloney, Russell Robertson $401 - Brad Green $501 - Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, David Neitz, Byron Pickett, Jared Rivers, Colin Sylvia $751 - Adem Yze $1,001 - The rest

There's good coverage in today's HUN with CLINT BIZZELL highlighted. The Biz will be given his chance to make it back to the big time after an injury riddled 2006 and Michael Newton, Simon Buckley and rookie Shane Neaves "are among younger players to be blooded in the pre-season with Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson to share the ruck duties." And Neale Daniher will give Nathan Jones "a bit more responsibility early in the year" by playing him on "some big name players."

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Belatedly, my thoughts are with Trish and the Broadbridge family.

Good to see he's made up with Daniel Motlop who was in the bridal party. Wonder if future teammate Daniel Wells went along?

The way Byron Pickett (fairly) terrorized some of his opponents - especially in the firs half of the season before he injured his hamstring. After so many years of seeing our players as the targets of aggression it was good to see someone in the red and blue giving back the medicine. Worked a treat against Hawthorn which has used thuggish tactics since the year dot. And didn't they squeal?

There's no comparison between Kelly & Brock. I think you'll find that Brock is a lot faster, stronger and more skilled than Kelly. There's no comparison.

As if the AFL doesn't have enough problems with TV rights, Carlton and the Kangaroos, Caro drops this BOMBSHELL - "West Coast continues to deny it has a drug problem in its senior list but every other club - each of which would love the Eagles' list - tells you it has, and the hard evidence continues to mount. We are not talking about marijuana." I hope for her sake that she can substantiate this allegation.

Agreed. Bate has something about him that makes him out of the ordinary. At 190cm plus and with the ability to burst through packs and a good long left foot kick, he's going to cause quite a stir in the years to come.

One Aboriginal at the club who started like a house on fire was Les Bamblett who played in the 1980's. I remember him in an Under 19's final and he was sensational. He followed that up with some good early games before losing form and being traded to the Bulldogs.

Unheard of in the good old days but Melbourne Assistant Coach Paul Williams has just been made a life member of Collingwood. Played his best footy with the Swans IMO.