La Dee-vina Comedia

I guess it depends on how you look at it. One way is that any team that loses in the Grand Final is clearly closer than 16 other teams in the competition. The other way is that with about 5-10 minutes left in the third quarter, they were within a kick of the lead. It might have ended up being a 74 point loss, but with about 40 minutes to go, it was anybody's game.

And back to the real purpose of this thread. As of tomorrow, no caps on any venues, so we should have a bumper crowd for our first home game.

I know your comment might be tongue-in-cheek, but look at Melbourne circa 2013 and now. Or even 2019 and now. As I've posted before, I think any team that has everything go its way (recruiting, trading, development, list management, injuries, off-field stability) is no more than 4 years away from a Premiership. The question for GC is whether they can get all those matters working together. So far, they haven't. but then, neither has St Kilda for most of its existence or Carlton for the last 20 years or so. There's no reason GC can't get its act together quicker than any other team.

Thanks for including that link. And for the record I am not Elise Thomas although obviously we share similar opinions.

Sorry to argue with you Durango, but Carlton defeated Collingwood (20.17.137 to 7.7.49) on 31 December 1999 in the so-called Who Cares Match Millenium Match. As to Dermott's choice for 2022 Premier, it's consistent with his style of standard contrarian analysis by not taking the soft option of choosing the 2021 Premier to win in 2022 as most media pundits will likely do.

Of course it's obvious that there's something missing, but those who are susceptible to extremism and conspiracy theories are clearly very receptive to misinformation, even if it's just simple language taken out of context. As you say, these people show utter stupidity and craziness. Having said that, I'm actually more concerned about the nutter not at that rally who sees the photo and decides to act upon it.

It's actually a very good photo contrasting the self-styled wizard's emerald attire with the austere bluestone of Victoria's Parliament House. The most troubling aspect is the yellow and red sign in the bottom left hand corner. I suspect there's a fourth word that's meant to follow "Dan" such as "ban", "law" or "mandate", but those three words in isolation are most concerning.

Yes, we have strayed a bit. The important point from a football perspective is that the players, officials and employees of venues have a safe workspace and that spectators can attend games in a way that keeps them as safe as possible. Let's be clear, though. There isn't really a vaccine mandate. A person can choose not to be vaccinated. What is being mandated are limitations on what unvaccinated people can do. Not being able to pursue a professional sporting career is one as is attending venues such as the MCG. It's really not that much different from mandates that allow employers or venues to prevent people who are intoxicated from participating.

Isn't that what a waist size measurement is for?

I hate to disagree with you Luci, but I don't think Binman's post is hyperbolic at all. It's certainly conjectural but given events in Washington on 6 January and the politically motivated murders of two British MPs in the last few years, what was once unthinkable now has to be taken very seriously.

If you are still one of the unvaxxed, keep in mind there are related downstream effects which might impact on your or your loved ones, like this story in the Sydney Morning Herald today. The longer Covid hangs around the greater the risk that you won't have a nurse to assist you in your time of need whether it's Covid-related or not. Imagine one of your loved ones turning up to hospital with an appendix that needs to be removed but the surgery is delayed because there are not enough nurses around.

What is "physical output" a measure of?

It's not necessarily a bad thing for a club to have a small amount of churn amongst its off-field employees. As long as those who replace those who leave have something valuable to offer. It can freshen up the place by bring new ideas and new personalities into the group.

I agree with all of this. I'm also suspicious that the loud voices who choose to protest against, well, almost anything, might be Lenin's "useful idiots" who are unwittingly allowing themselves to be used by international actors of bad faith in order to disrupt successful democracies.

Or (1) just get rid of the rookie list altogether, or (2) make it a true "rookie list" and only allow players onto it who have not previously been drafted.

He's joining the navy? Puts a new spin on being a defender!

I know it looks like a mistake made by the GC...but is it? Freeing up salary cap space by losing a 29/30 year old who's not going to be there when GC is challenging for a flag doesn't seem like much of a "mistake" to me. On the other hand, player relationship management is also important and if Greenwood is leaving because of the way he was treated, that doesn't send a positive message to the rest of the list.

Did I miss something? What's your source? Then I can decide whether I choose to believe what you've claimed or not. Just the same as you're doing with information published in The Age.

If that was the reason for clubs packing it in, we would have closed some time in the early 2010s. The better response is that they should get their act together (unless this was something they actually wanted to achieve, given the player concerned doesn't really fit their profile given his age).

I'm not sure what you consider to be the "foreseeable future", but I would expect it to remain until either the end of 2022 or when the vaccination rate reaches about 98% in Victoria. Should we get back to zero cases of Covid in Victoria before either of those data points are reached, there might be a relaxation, but the officials would be wary of unreported Covid still being present in the community. I should add, that my expectation is purely a hunch - I have no information that guides me towards those figures. Do I think we'll get to 98% vaccinated by end 2022 (excluding ineligible people such as children under 5, if that's still the case, and those with genuine health reasons for not being vaccinated)? I'd like to think so, but I doubt it. Too many people have made a public point about choosing not to be vaccinated to now enable them to back down with dignity even if they change their minds. I expect the mandate to be a big issue in the Victorian State election which will be in the late November 2022.

I agree that Jones doesn't have to be vaccinated, but by breaching the mandate he has to wear the consequences of that decision. I admire him for standing by his principles, but believe he's made a poor choice in doing so. Not because it ends his career but because he's put his health and the health of those around him at unnecessary risk. And that's why the mandate exists.

Then let me blunt and give my opinion. I see nothing wrong with the vaccine mandate. It's not like we don't have other mandates under which we live, even in this democracy. Are any of these other mandates matters we should now abolish: driving on the left side of the road? stopping at red traffic lights? using passports to leave and enter the country? fluoridation of the water supply? making murder an offence? paying tax? free speech (albeit qualified)? voting rights? not discriminating against people on the basis of their gender, sexuality, religion, disability (amongst other things)?

I'm not sure whether this question might be better posted on the Trading and Drafting thread, but as it relates to the impact of Liam Jones's retirement it's also logical to ask it here. What impact might Liam Jones's sudden and unanticipated retirement have on the draft? Will clubs have to reconsider their strategies if they believe Carlton may now be looking for a key defender early in the draft? Might a better player who is not a key defender be overlooked by Carlton and become available for others?

She might even come if we can convince Meghan Markle to participate in the Freeze MND slide.

Having waited so long for a 13th Premiership, I had forgotten that we're still high up on the ladder of premierships won. Only Carlton and Essendon (16 each) and Collingwood (15) are ahead of us, with Hawthorn and Richmond level with us in fourth spot with 13. That's pretty rarified air and quite amazing given the 57 year drought. It's the challenge of rising up this ladder to overtake Collingwood and then Carlton and Essendon which should motivate the current team.