La Dee-vina Comedia

Two things about the Caleb Daniel/Max Gawn matter. Full credit to the much-maligned Brian Taylor for the "Daniel and Goliath" line. Secondly, imagine it the other way around. Not only would it remind everyone of a St Kilda post season party, but Daniel might have ended up 10 rows back in the grandstand.

You've got the dream quinella. A Premiership and a visit to an office while many of us are in lockdown! I'm not sure if this is a fair guide, but there are still plenty of homes around me that still have black and yellow fences, gates, etc. I'm not sure if that's because they won three of the last four or because being Richmond supporters, by definition they are just a bit stupid.

3.9 million* people watched the game on TV. Surely that's the biggest audience Melboure has ever played in front of. *Excluding the billions of overseas viewers that the AFL used to claim would watch the Grand Final because it was being shown in markets with total population in the billions, but with a likely viewing audience of, perhaps, thousands. This may be in one of the other 3.2 million threads started on Demonland in the last 36 hours, but is our total winning margin of 190 in the three finals a VFL/AFL record?

Let's start a bit smaller. Should Gawn be ruckman in the Demon's best team of all time? I didn't see Cordner play, but I did see Stynes. I think Gawn should be our best-of-all time ruckman. I saw all of Flower's career and I'm not willing to replace him yet with any of Gawn, Petracca or Oliver as the best Melbourne player that I have seen. By the end of their careers, that may change. One thing that Flower and Gawn both have, though, is almost universal support from non-Melbourne supporters as their favourite player other than players from their own team.

6. Petracca 5. Salem 4. Oliver 3. Fritsch 2. Brayshaw 1. Neal-Bullen Difficult not to put Jackson in the votes because his going into the centre in Q3 changed the game. But I can't see whose place he should take.

"Ball magnet" is a beauty

Also meant to include: "He came into the match under an injury cloud" (any or all of May/Spargo/Keath)

If you were putting together a bingo card of words and expressions you expect to hear tomorrow, whether on TV or radio, which are you hotly anticipating or dreading? Here's a few: "Melbourne hasn't won a Premiership in 57 years " (no kidding!) "They'll want to get the ball in Salem's hands" "They'll want to get the ball in Daniel's hands" "Rising Star winner, Luke Jackson" "He's got a great engine" (Langdon) Please add to the list

I suspect there's a bit of that interview which didn't make the final cut where he admitted that his real reason for staying was that after six years, Demonland posters now spell his name more often correctly than incorrectly. He couldn't face waiting another six years for the supporters of another club to get it right.

Surely Melbourne colours and collateral is consistent with any heritage requirements.

Actually, there's a second thing. Because we finally recahed rock bottom in the Neeld era*, the AFL intervened and gave us Jackson and Roos. *To be fair, it wasn't Neeld on his own. the club was a shambles off the field, too,

I agree with this regarding Hibberd v Smith and Hunt v Bowey. With respect to the Hibberd v Smith choice, I suspect Schache playing is the reason Smith isn't. If Schache (or another player in his stead) was considered to be a genuine tall forward target, rather than a defensive forward, Smith (assuming fit) might have got the nod because of his height and spring. As to the Jordon v Hunt choice, I would choose Hunt. If a midfielder needs to be replaced, Brayshaw can do that and Hunt can go to the wing. Hunt can also play back or forward if required. Having said that, Jordon is no slouch and I'll be more than happy with him as the sub.

There is no doubt that other non-human animals have some way of knowing an event such as an earthquake is to occur before it happens. It would therefore not surprise me if humans might be able to as well. Perhaps our cognitive processes supress belief in what otherwise might be considered to be unbelievable. Any, I can understand that your experience may not have been "just" a coincidence. We have knowledge gained from insights over thousands of years. We didn't always understand gravity until Newton saw an apple. And whoever worked out that ocean tides were related to the phases of the moon was probably first thought to be a lunatic (pun intended).

Should have painted a '10' on it and passed it off as an Angus.

And I keep thinking there's an 'R' missing in your name, too. I think the Matt Stevic thing also extends to some footballers. For example, have you ever heard Riley Knight being named without his first name? Conversely, some less than informed football commentators struggle to understand that Neal-Bullen is a complete surname.

I was shocked to see a home near me this morning decked out in Bulldogs gear. Most disconcerting. Might need to speak to the council about introducing a policy which bans displays which include white.

I believe I should be awarded some sort of prize for having provided an excellent clue, even though I didn't know the answer.

Hunt, subs...this thread really should be called the Hunt for Red and Blue September. I'm also concerned that the French might get even more upset if they think the decision as to an appropriate sub has in any way lead to a breakdown in French-Australian relations.

I've got nothing. And somehow, I suspect I've drafted a clue. And it's not helping me!

This thread was started with the intention of being a light-hearted distraction. Can I suggest if you want to discuss the merits or otherwise of Melbourne's lockdowns, protests or the media that you take that debate elsewhere? In the meantime, the rest of us will enjoy the leadup to the most significant game in MFC history since September 1964.

Apologies if this has been mentioned in another thread, but on 7 News last night, there was an unexplained and unsubstantiated comment which seemed to suggest that Hibberd might not play. I think it was Tom Browne, but there was no explanation as to why that comment was said. Did he mean that Hibberd might be in doubt with injury? Or that Hibberd might just be unlucky and replaced with Hunt? Or was he just making stuff up? Who knows.

I gave all my old MFC scarves away years ago. If only I'd thought ahead more...

Brayshaw, with Hunt going to the wing.

oh dear... https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/no-change-to-grand-final-plans-as-wa-announces-positive-covid-19-case-in-truck-driver-20210922-p58tx4.html

Decisions like this are where coaches earn their money. The hardest part won't be the choice made, but telling those on the fringe who miss out. Players like Melksham, J Smith, Hunt and Jordon are presumably all in contention for the medi-sub spot (assuming the same 22 as played last week are selected). Three will be disappointed and will need to be told in an empathetic way why they've missed out.