La Dee-vina Comedia

Channel 7's commentary would likely have been: if we had cleared the ball, "Look how much pressure the Dees brought to the defensive side of the contest" if the Bulldogs had scored, "Look how much room the Dees gave the Bulldog players"

Couldn't it be the other way around? That is, that McEvoy was supporting Clarkson? Mind you, as Captain, his job would be to tell the club exactly the impact - positive or negative - of any situation.

Proves he's ready to be a senior coach.

I assume the blue dots are disposals? And the red/orange/yelllow is time spent in that part of the ground? As a matter of interest, is this data for the whole game or part of it?

Apart from any medical reason, it's a good marketing strategy. If people fear they may miss out on something that's important to them it might make them get vaccinated.

Did he? Every week Spargo, Pickett and Neal-Bullen (plus the wings) assist in the backline. Are you sure Spargo was actually moved into defence? If so, I didn't see it, although it is always hard to identify specific positions players are in when watching on TV.

It would be peak Carlton for them to sack Teague now, replace him with Clarkson and then discover that the new coach and the rest of the football department are unable to work together resulting in the football team once again going backwards.

Where are you getting the "6 hours" from? Assuming the flight is to the Gold Coast, it's a 2 hour flight plus 30 minute bus ride at the Gold Coast end. That's 3+ hours at the Melbourne end. Are the players getting together at the Melbourne end first?

Um. What?

Is 'ironic' the appropriate word to use here when noting that a comment that Cunnington has 'lost a nut' is liked by someone going under the name of 'Rodney "Balls" Grinter'? (Good luck to Ben, by the way.) Of all those teams, I'm backing Melbourne for the upset. I think this week we'll surprise everyone by finally overcoming a bottom half-of-the ladder team.

And in a related point, if certain age groups have been locked out of the process until it's too late to be fully vaccinated before the Grand Final. Round 1, 2022 is a different matter. I'd be all for it then.

I wonder whether Nasher can add some Prozac to the Demonland software servers? I'm just about ready to slash my wrists, not because of the MFC situation, but because there are so many "woe-are-us" posters on this site spreading misery like it's a delta strain!

Are you sure it's not one of your diabolical mid-week conundrums?

I have no idea if McGuire is correct, but given he works with Fox and the broadcasters need to be consulted about the scheduling of all games, I can see how he might have been leaked this information. If this game is going ahead, I assume it's Darwin instead of the Alice because that's what our sponsor, the NT Government wants. Whether it should be in the NT at all is a separate question. I'm not sure why there's so much anguish. Surely Adelaide is less incentivised than us to try hard wherever the game is being played.

I seem to recall many of the players claiming to have enjoyed "hub-life" last year as it gave them a chance to bond better. A two week stint in northern Australia and Perth while all living and working together may help re-bond them at a time when we are looking a little shaky. The bit in italics above is pure speculation. But it is no different from speculating that two weeks away from home or various long distance trips is going to be detrimental. Or, to pit it in simple Neeld-speak, it is what it is.

I've just put TBC into Google maps and it's come up with the Templestowe Baptist Church. I would have thought Demons and the Baptist Church might not lead to the best possible outcome.

It bugs me that Melbourne supporters anguish so much over interstate travel. The non-Victorian teams all do far more than we do every year (apart from Covid-affected seasons). I'm pleased to see the club doesn't complain and just gets on with it.

Wait. 19 degrees in Melbourne this Saturday? Surely not.

Not sure you can say Hardtack necessarily shares this view. What he is doing is sharing his age by referencing this Monty Python gem.

Is Bowey a confirmed 'in' or are we just relying on the prognostications of Jay Clark? That's not to say Clark is wrong, but before getting too excited I'd like confirmation first. I think it's a good idea to get some games into the "next best" after the starting 22. We may need them in September and I would rather have them with some experience of the senior team game rather than coming in cold.

Post of the year. Not so much for its content (as entertaining as it is) but for the dedication you showed in attending in the first place. Edit: For those not in Melbourne, Picket's description of the weather today is accurate. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd bumped into Macbeth and some witches while he was there.

Why on earth would you choose to bring proper mathematical analysis into this debate?

I hope those numbers are temperatures and not cases of Covid in the community in northern NSW

This the sort of thinking which suggests you'd be a good coach. Please apply for the Collingwood job. I'd be happy for them to have you as their coach.

Given the number of times I refer to the Western Bulldogs as Footscray, I'm somewhat amused that the one time it is correct to refer to our opponents as Footscray, the title of this thread goes with Western Bulldogs.