hardtack

But by all reports, he did seem to be doing just that and the fact that he was 4th in the Casey best and fairest would tend to support that. Anyway, mine is just one man's opinion and the world won't end because of it :-)

It will be interesting if there is any truth to what he is saying about Buckley losing the respect of some of the players... is it possible that we might see the Pies start to stall and even fall out of the eight in 2014?

I think you're reading far too much into my comment. Magner had been performing exceptionally well at Casey while our midfield at AFL level were performing dismally. Supposedly players who were performing consistently well at Casey were to be rewarded with a run in the main team if the opportunity arose, however Magner was overlooked time and time again despite the fact that we were in desperate need of more grunt in the midfield. Regardless of whether he was up to AFL standard or not, he should have at least been given the chance to prove the naysayers wrong and at the very least rewarded for his effort, particularly when he would probably have out performed a number of mids who were retained in the senior side. What did they have to lose by giving him a place that he had patently earned? He had every right to feel aggrieved, but he chose not to be. I thought it was pretty obvious that my comment would not have applied to all of our delisted players.

Actually, after Shorten copping a few less than flattering reworkings of his name, the opposition has come back rather nicely with Pyneochhio.

I had plantains (at least I think that's what they were) in Borneo... these ginormous things couldn't be eaten raw, so had them fried in a very light batter for breakfast (in a long house); so much flavour!

Yes, but what happens to this post on Jan 1st? Like tomorrow, next year never comes.

It was nice to see Jimmy Magner's tweet today to Jesse Hogan: "I am looking forward to watching @melbournefc next year! I wish the club nothing but the best! Cannot wait to see big bad @jesseBhogan" He could so easily have had bad feelings toward the club, but instead has opted to show his support.

Do inflatable figures qualify as models... or would they be considered toys?

Don't you mean "are you someone who hangs around with bands BB?"?

I wish him all the very best and hope he is able to fight this thing into remission and beyond. (Comments noted and edited accordingly)

Hope the training facilities have "max headroom"

In which case The Big Frog was on the money... however, if we were to ask about next year, I would still say 10th at best and 12th at worst.

That is an absolute nonsense...I am really happy for Nev as this season just as he was starting to show quite a lot, he was rubbed out by the MRP and then left at Casey which would not have done his confidence much good at all. He has never been given a great run and his delisting coupled with this lifeline may be just what he needs to apply himself. I think he will probably prosper under Roos.

Based on his Shanghai exploits, that would be an "emetic" powder

That was worth a derailment... I'm jealous as well... but I did get to see Captain Beefheart (RIP) and his Magic Band at Knebworth in the UK in 1975 (I think it was)... that was a real treat. Next Easter I will go the full circle as the Magic Band are playing at the Byron Bay Bluesfest (along with the Grandmothers of Invention and a multitude of others including Aaron Neville, the Wailers, Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy, Charlie Musslewhite etc etc)... already have my ticket; can't wait. Thanks for the report DrDrake... hopefully now that we have a few players with a bit of pace, we might finally be able to kick the ball to where we want them to go... in the past I think if we tried that, they would usually be beaten to the ball by the opposition. How was Hogan's kicking at goal looking?

Hey, you posed the question "where will we finish" yet you didn't make a prediction... come on, show some conviction to your cause I think we will finish 10th at best and 12th at worst; it really all comes down to how we start the season... some early wins (first game in particular) will see the team's confidence soaring and more wins should follow, an early loss (first round in particular) and it will be "oh no, here we go again"... and after last year's debacle, it won't take too much to have them on their knees again.

A fine contribution that fits in well with all of the other abusive posts.

I think he is genuinely eccentric, but with all of those other elements mixed in. Always liked Ice Cream Man and Road Runner. Also like his brief appearances throughout the film There's Something About Mary. Like that clip by the way... sort of Ministry meets Prodigy with extra cheese.

Thanks for that PJ... with Danks more than likely to be dragged before ASADA in the next couple of months (according to the Hun late last week), things should start to get very interesting.

I admit I don't know a lot about the Saad case, but was the evidence against him stronger than against the Bummers? If not, it doesn't bode well for them.

Let me test my memory... Beverly Hillbilles, episode entitled "A Plot for Granny".

Never enjoyed a Guy Fawkes night as a kid? ;-)

Fair enough... I thought it had moved away from the round 1 line-up as there seemed to be many bringing in our as yet untried at AFL level recruits. Besides that, I get the feeling Barry may get a run in the NAB comp and could very well set himself up for a round 1 game... but then again, not having seen him play or train, my comments are purely speculative.

Barry seems to be the one who is being most overlooked with the influx of new/old new talent... I get the feeling that with another pre-season under his belt and his experiences at Casey, he may be close to getting a chance at the top level and, hopefully, surprising us.

This is why the like button is useful... would have saved me from having to type a response of "thanks for clearing that up... I totally overlooked his avatar." :-)