La Dee-vina Comedia

Always like an article that states the bleeding obvious as if it's an original thought..."The Demons are keen to land a first-class replacement for Pert..." Really? That's such an insight! Who would have thought.

The bottom photo could be of Josh Schache fans, of course.

Wrong thread. I assume this should be in the Lookalikes thread comparing these two with Mick Martyn and David Neitz (the post-retirement version)

I love these reports. Please keep them coming. What I struggle with is the idea that players won't make mistakes while training. If that were the case, it would suggest our defensive pressure isn't good enough! So, while I appreciate every training report, I also recognise that if all we ever heard was that the onballers and forwards were dominating, I'd be worried about our defence.

It's also disappointing that the new draftees don't have their photos on the MFC website against their jumper numbers.

Just goes to show that I get all my footy news from Demonland, not the MFC's own website. But thanks for providing the link.

Wouldn't mind having this thread pinned to make it easy to find out who is who, particularly among the new players and those with new numbers.

Unprofessional? Maybe. Or perhaps he's got a sense of humour and is just trolling Fremantle and its supporters.

Is this what you used?

I like what I read, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be ready for round 1. For a start, those words don't tell us whether he's fit enough, whether he understands the gameplan, or whether he understands the role Goodwin wants him to play. Nevertheless, I'm optimistic about him and hope that he does well.

I have no idea if Bell wants the Melbourne CEO role, or whether Melbourne wants Bell. But, just for the purposes of this thread discussion, let's just say that's going to happen. How should Bell deal with this latest Pickett news/gossip right now?

Ah well...but I've now solved #12. But am I first to do so?

I'm not old enough to remember Barassi as a Melbourne footballer, so Flower is clearly the best player I've seen in a Melbourne jumper. Also, the most watchable. I have never understood how he only received the B&F once. All I can think of is that the voters of the award in his time held him to impossible standards that others did not have to meet. I concur with earlier comments that the MFC should do more to recognise him. I like the idea of an award named after him...but what should it be for?

Noah Taylor to play Max in the movie version.

It's not that long ago that footballers used to have too much say about returning to the ground after being concussed. Taking the decision away from players after receiving abdominal injuries seems like the next logical step to protect players from themselves.

Are we training alphabetically now?

It's worth reminding ourselves that none of these players (or their managers on their behalf) held a gun to the head of their respective club's list managers. That the players are getting the pay rates that they are is a decision of the club that contracts with them. Some clubs just happen to make better decisions than others.

Do we even know whether (1) these payments are accurate? and (2) whether it's the actual amount paid in 2024 or just an annualised average of their estimated (or actual) lifetime contract?

I'm not interested in finding out the player's identity, but why is the Herald Sun using a pseudonym? Would that be a legal requirement given the status of the action?

It's bad enough worrying about injuries which cause players to limp, but now we have to worry about boy germs, too.

I doubt it. He's been dead for 12 years.

I didn't know the man, but one of the most influential figures in the development of AFL football in the 1980s and 1990s passed away yesterday. Much of what we take for granted today results from the work he did for the former VFL. For example, he advised the VFL to ensure that football remained accessible to all supporters, rather than following the US model which effectively meant that only the wealthy (the so-called "theatre-goers") could attend home games. If I recall correctly, he also recommended the creation of the Commission which replaced a barely functioning board of directors made up of two representatives from each club who thought their duty was to their club first and the survival of the competition second. The old VFL nearly went under in 1986, and much of the work David Crawford did for the then VFL around that time helped the VFL to survive and subsequently resulted in the stronger, national competition we see today.

I don't like the idea of either of these. One of the greatest strengths of the AFL is the emotional connection supporters have to their clubs. I believe a significant part of that connection arises from supporters identifying with their players. Too much player movement weakens that connection significantly.

I'd recommend you wear pants rather than relying on SPF 50+ on that part of your anatomy.

You know how you sometimes "read ahead" but get it wrong? That is, you think what you know what's going to be written there, only to find you've jumped the gun? I thought you were going to say "Sharpie looked er sharp" followed by "Campbell looks er camp".