La Dee-vina Comedia

It was clear from the moment we drafted him. Anybody with a double letter in their surname or nickname is at great risk of leaving early. What other evidence did we need? (It was probably not quite so obvious when we drafted Jordon. Did we know his nickname was JJ?)

Don't worry about it, FD. This way, we can make our own minds up about what you wrote. Think of your "censored" having the same influence as "Make America Great Again". MAGA has never truly been defined and means different things to different people depending on their age, geographical location and education level, amongst other things.

Seeing as this thread has just been bumped back into action, I note that in a Jon Ralph column in yesterday's Herald Sun he commented on out of contract players at every club. He made it seem like a given that Petty would be leaving at the end of this season. Is that the accepted view? This is the article. It's behind a paywall. Whether you think that's a good or bad thing depends on your attitude toward the Herald Sun and/or Jon Ralph.

You raise an interesting point. Will our facilities at Caulfield be controlled by the racing industry (represented by the racecourse's tenant, the Melbourne Racing Club) or will the Melbourne Racing Club and the Melbourne Football Club be equal tenants with each having equal power?

I think a polite request to ask you to stop flogging a dead horse is the appropriate comment given your seemingly unstoppable support for Fisherman's Bend after the decision has been made to pursue Caulfield Racecourse for our new training facility.

I'm trying to work out whether Tom McDonald's hair has gone grey or bleached blonde - both of which are decent grounds for the crew cut. On the other hand, he does appear to my unprofessional eye to have slimmed down around the hips.

I don't quite know how to say this, but he also seems to have his teeth misaligned with the rest of his face.

It seems to me that Salem has appeared in the media more in the last 3-4 weeks than throughout the whole of the rest of his career combined. If that's correct, I wonder why? Has the club asked him, as a senior player, to do more? Does he want to do more as he considers his post-playing future?

I assume you mean he needs some New Balance in his life. (Got to keep the sponsors happy).

I expect it has been made public now because we're far enough into the Caulfield process that there's virtually no risk that it won't proceed. (Remember the saying I've posted before about placing targets after the arrows have landed.)

I really hope you're referring to Allen Jakovich and not Mark Jackson. I'd even accept Ricky Jackson.

There clearly isn't anything suitable - meaning size, redevelopment cost, development opportunity, suitable soil (meaning it doesn't have toxic soil which many post-industrial sites would have) anywhere near the MCG. It's not like the MFC haven't been looking. The only way I could see the MFC getting land near the MCG would be if Collingwood or Richmond gave up their training facilities. And that's not going to happen.

I suspect it's nothing more than posturing in an effort to get a seat at the table. The Glen Eira council would be well aware that this sort of upgrade will bring in dollars from the MFC, AFL, State Government and possibly even the federal Government which would not otherwise be made available. In addition, there will be both short-term and long-term jobs which will help the commercial businesses in the area.

Knowing our luck, by the time this youngster reaches draft age, the AFL will have amended the father-son rule to one where teams can have priority access to "identical name" players and this Tom Green will end up at GWS. Congratulations to the whole Green clan. It's a joyous occasion for them.

This is a good post. It raises the question as to whether the "all reasonable steps" words take effect after the smotherer is airborne or in making the decision in the first place to leave the ground. It needs to be both, not just after the smotherer has left the ground or George's prophesy will come true.

You're a glass half empty kind of guy, aren't you!

It's the first game I can remember that I went to. Whether I was taken to any games before that I can't recall. And I don't remember anything from the GF itself, other than a very vague memory of Barassi handpassing the ball to a teammate (no idea who) who then handpassed it back as they were both running to the city end. I was 6 at the time.

We'll be souped up. (Sorry)

Not sure if you're referring to the team or the supporters! Or both.

I suspect the "feasibility study" will justify a decision that's already been made. As a former senior public servant used to say, place your targets after you've seen where the arrows have landed. To put it in dating parlance, you've already got the girl pregnant so now you're working out how to justify to others the need to get married.

A Saint and a Demon in one family. I think I read about this in the Bible somewhere.

Only if they change the Memorial Cairn to be for Barry Bourke and Tom Wills.

And it doesn't mean there aren't already documents signed which don't activate until all parties are on board. I could imagine that there may be a heads of agreement already in place between the club and the course owner (State government? Melbourne Racing Club?) but it can't be converted into a contract until all other necessary arrangements are in place. Those documents may well include confidentiality agreements meaning the club can't discuss the situation right now.

I think the correct word is disinflationary

What's got Jon Ralph so excited by a Carlton v Melbourne match-up that it needs two exclamation marks in parentheses? Is it just that - golly, gosh - two finalists of last season will be playing each other?