La Dee-vina Comedia

Does "rehab group" include all players with any injuries, or just players with long-term recovery needs?

Should the game proceed tomorrow night, it may well be the highest rating game on Channel 7 for the year. While a Bulldogs v Melbourne game in most years wouldn't match ratings for the more traditionally high-rating clubs, the fact that its 1st v 2nd combined with everyone in Melbourne being stuck at home should boost the ratings beyond what otherwise would have been anticipated. Channel 7 should be very happy.

This video clip has a useful message but comes with a language warning. (If it breaches Demonland policy, I apologise and understand if it is removed). Unfortunately I can't credit the source. Now watch: 1194613445_Covidvaccination.mp4

This is the classic approach to criticising politicians. Blame him for having Pfizer or, if he had instead waited for AstraZeneca, blame him for not being vaccinated and setting a bad example. It's the same gotcha mentatility used by asking politicians if they have private health insurance. If they do, they're criticised for not having confidence in the public health system; if they don't they're criticised for being a burden on the public health system.

In short, it all revolves around one pr!ck.

Remember the discussion last year when Connor McKenna's situation caused our game Essendon to be postponed and a few posters wanted to blame Essendon? And some wanted us to be awarded the four points and to move on. This is what the wiser heads were thinking about when trying to quash those ideas.

Another beneficiary might be the AFL if the NRL decides not to proceed with the NRL State of Origin game at the MCG in early June.

Couldn't see this anywhere else on Demonland and think it's worth a thread. Sam Edmund from SEN reported yesterday that the start time for Friday night games may change from 7.50 pm Melbourne time to 7.20 pm. However, I haven't seen any follow up news, so not sure whether it's true or not. I would support such a change. Here's the story: https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/05/25/friday-night-football-set-for-time-change-in-huge-win-for-fans/

Sounds like a media report of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

West Coast is Bradman-like.

Also, because if they all test negative they're not battling a potentially life-threatening disease.

I wouldn't have thought so, at least, not while we're winning more games than we lose. Nice pun, by the way.

The budget would only include a line item for funding if such a decision had already been made and announced. It would be a large enough project that it could be announced in one financial year and then included in the budget in the next. That's because only a relatively small sum will be needed in the first year for planning purposes with the bulk of the expenditure needed in second and perhaps subsequent years to pay for construction costs.

As John Lennon nearly said, "Imagine there's no coaches, it's easy if you try". The two biggest problems in football are not the rules, the umpires or even Richmond. The two biggest problems are the outsize influence over the game that coaches and Channel 7 have.

St Kilda fans will agree given how much they revere Cowboy Neale.

It's not just about the quality of the information. Of course it is flawed, it's unreliable and for some clubs only bears a passing resemblance to what the final team will look like. As I've said previously, the true value of teams being announced on Thursday nights is emotional. It awakens the soul to the commencement of the round. When teams weren't being announced on the Thursday, even as a passionate Demon and AFL fan, I felt out of touch with the beginning of each round. The announcement of the teams triggers something in me which gets me more psychologically involved. I suspect that might also be why I don't like Thursday night football. My mind isn't yet ready for a game that starts then.

I'm trying to interpret what this means...is DeeSpencer your son?

You're quite right, of course. I learned years ago to ignore Mark Robinson (along with many others). I now must remember to do the same with SEN.

The decision is even stranger when you see why. They wanted another "key defender" (Harris Andrews) even though the team already had Weitering, Lever and Aliir.

Thanks for the subtle incorporation of Economics 101 with the reference to tulip bulbs. I think most people in this age group are thinking more about family crypts than cryptocurrencies. ("Cryptocurrency" is a strange expression, when you think about it.)

I'm not sure I agree about the first point in this excellent final sentence, but I'm 100% on board with respect to the other two points. What is fascinating, though, is how diverse the opinions are in this thread about what the rule should be. Some like it as it is, some just want greater consistency in the way it is officiated and others want to change it significantly. I like the robust debate this thread has encouraged.

Is it? It seems to me that dropping the ball is now allowed when a player is legally tackled.

We have a new partner in Coinjar, a cryptocurrency exchange. We're clearly moving with the times. Well done MFC Commercial Team.

Generous. I think it was closer to 720 degrees.

The biggest problem with the rules of the game is where it requires an umpire to make a subjective call. The whole suite of rules for the game should be reviewed with this in mind. However, there will always be some subjective assessment required. I happen to think the holding the ball/incorrect disposal rule is one which will always inlcude some subjective assessment but could be made much easier for umpires to manage. To make it easier for umpires, players and supporters, I would change the rule so that a free kick is paid if a player has had a prior opportunity and does not correctly dispose of the ball in a legal manner when legally tackled. If the ball is knocked out in the tackle or dropped or misses the foot when it is dropped, so be it. Free kick to the tackler. The only subjective parts of the rule should be (1) whether the player has had prior opportunity and (2) how long the player with the ball is given to dispose of the ball correctly. I would also like to see another minor change. If the ball is dropped but kicked by the player after one bounce, make it play on, even if it's just a tap of the boot on ball. That would recognise that the drop kick is still a legitimate kick in football.