La Dee-vina Comedia

Did the Collingwood CEO explain what those "unusual circumstances" might be (or might have been)? Did anyone ask him?

Malthouse appeared to alienate a lot of players who left rather than stayed to play under him. Whether it was their choice to leave or whether Malthouse pushed them out, I have no idea. But I agree, once he had the players he wanted and who wanted to be there with him, he got the best from them.

My gut feel is that the clubs will all have a pretty good handle on the top 25 players in this year's draft. After all, they've been following the top tier under-age players for more than just the pandemic-affected 2020. After that it will likely be more of a lottery than usual with the later developers falling into this group but in a less well-known order. And I agree that getting two picks "doubles" our chances, although we should also anticipate the possibility that these two picks could still metamorphosise into one top ten pick or something else.

Is this some sort of coded message about his goal kicking run-up?

One thing they all have in common? All assistant coaches to Mick Malthouse. I keep wondering (to be truthful, I believe, although without hard evidence) that Mick Malthouse isn't best known for being a "people-person" either. Of the four, though, I've always thought Buckley shows more empathy than the other three.

Really important to know whether it was used as a verb, gerund or a noun. Makes a big difference as to how I think about this.

The problem is with the members. They're the ones who keep the Board and the Chairman in place. If the members are disatisfied they have all the power to force change.

Did Ben Brown do any ruckwork at North? Even just in the forward 50? If not, I assume it will be the same with us and depending on who plays I assume Weideman, Jackson or Tom McDonald will be Max's support. I'm not a fan of Weideman in the ruck. It's not that I don't think he's adequate in the role, but I think he's better remaining in the forward line for the whole game.

If the lame stream fake AFL hadn't included all the illegal trades, we would have won. Big!

In normal circumstances I would agree. But this year has been anything but normal and the inability of the AFL to finalise important details such as final list numbers and salary cap could have made clubs hesitant to act. On balance, I think it's fairer to the players - and I think, in this instance, that's more important than the effect on clubs - that there is another opportunity, even if it hasn't yet been announced.

Very good points. The comparisons with Collingwood and Essendon (at least, what we must assume from the scale of their departures) bodes well for future team happiness and cohesion as well as the aim of being attractive to other players wishing to join us.

There's a small story by Michael Gleeson on the back page of The Age today which includes a suggestion that there might be a second trade period, possibly just for 24 hours, prior to the draft specifically created to overcome the uncertainty of list sizes and the salary cap. The thinking is that some deals that may normally have got done were unable to be completed because of the uncertainty.

Tomorrow happens to be McHappy Day (at least, in Victoria). Could that be an omen that Oscar will sign a new contract tomorrow?

Where does this come from? Is there any evidence that ANB or AvB wanted to leave? Is there any evidence the club had made known that it was prepared to trade ANB or AvB if the right offer came along? Do we know for sure that no other club wanted ANB or AvB?

I'd like to say Martin Pike was a "journeyman" but that doesn't seem the right descriptor for a 4x Premiership player.

Apologies. I wasn't intending to suggest that you were peddling any conspiracies. I know from your posting history that you're far too sensible to fall for that.

Struggled most with the punctuation. Can't ever recall placing a possessive apostrophe immediately before a question mark. I think it's right but it looks all wrong.

Did we get Martin Pike from North or was it the other way around?

Simon Madden is on the Essendon board. It was his ex-Carlton (and for a short while ex-Essendon) brother, Justin, who was the Minister in the Labor Government. But if we want to extend the conspiracy, the Governor, Linda Dessau was also on the Essendon Board.

...and whose supporters are believed to be consolidated in non-swinging electorates. Nevertheless, I should add that I believe the Vic Government(whoever is in power) will provide funding once we have the right plans in place.

Interesting. Essentially said we're not interested in any other players but might participate in further pick swapping/upgrade if the right last-minute deal comes along. Note to self: everyone in AFL lies, so take it with a grain of salt.

Thanks for clarifying. I think we agree, don't we, that the problem is the club's making, not the players'?

I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you saying that the players as a group forced the club to pay "overs"?

Our gameplan now appears to be based on filling the team with key forwards called Brown. And why not? It worked for Brisbane when they won their three Premierships.

I think this is unfair for two reasons. Firstly, the final decision whether to pay the amount sought is the club's, not the player's. Secondly, players do not necessarily know what their teammates are being paid, so wouldn't know where they fit in the pecking* order at the club and therefore whether they are getting what is fair and reasonable or not. (I know we're talking about Magpies, but this was an unintended pun.)