La Dee-vina Comedia

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.)

Hard to imagine that "unofficial" reports won't leak out before the paperwork is allowed to be officially lodged.

Interesting strategy. I would have thought instead of increasing the drama, the AFL's timing plans will do the reverse. Is trading of such interest that people picking up children from school, trying to finish a day's work and preparing for dinner are really going to be following the "excitement" of the final trades? In short, if anything happens after about 5.30 pm, I won't know about it until tomorrow.

An interesting question in itself. What is everyone's best "moment" in the last 20 years or so? It's now just over 20 years since we last played in a Grand Final, so in my assessment (but it doesn't have to be everyone else's view), it has to be something since then. It's testament to how few "moments" we've had that I'm struggling to come up with any. I think I'll go with (believe it or not) Jack Watts' first game, or, at least, the lead up to it. That was so exciting although, like most things Melbourne, ultimately disappointing. Second on my list might be one of Jurrah's goals where he seemed to kick the ball over his head for a goal at the MCG. And Hannan is actually on the list for something else. A clever mark on the lead he took in the final against Hawthorn which I think he then converted into a goal.

Choose your own interpretation. There are so many choices to go with for the bold text.

I'm not a fan of describing a club's on-field way of playing as a "brand". You're really testing me now by taking it to the next level describing players as having an "on-field brand". (I agree with the substance of your post, though.)

And particularly when fantasy points are given for goals which, generally, are not available to defenders.

I'm really glad Victoria seems to have got its Covid under control. That allows the supercomputer which was being used to do all that modelling to be given back to the AFL to allow these deals to be properly assessed and calculated.

Duffle coats are now replaced with red and blue hoodies. Which brings me to this just in (Language warning): https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/524513-the-gap-roasted-for-tweet-with-red-and-blue-hoodie-calling-to?__twitter_impression=true&__twitter_impression=true

Haven't done the maths, but does Isaac Smith going to Geelong bring their average age up or down?

Jason McCartney from GWS was interviewed on SEN before midday today and provided a highly qualified "yes" as an answer to whether GWS was considering Hogan. In effect, he said GWS was looking at everyone that might be available, including Tom McDonald. It was either an honest straight bat response and means that GWS is no more or less interested in Hogan than in any other available player or he's being dishonest and they're red-hot to go after Hogan but don't want to disclose their interest. In other words, don't read too much into everything you hear over the next few weeks.

I did not believe he had a future with the club until the last couple of games of 2020. Now I think he's a realistic chance. Not guaranteed, but worth persevering with. Needs to do two things over summer: work on his endurance and become comfortable kicking on his left foot. Perhaps the inspiring left foot goal he kicked on the run (was it against GWS?) will give him confidence. Without a proficient left foot kick in his armoury he gets caught out too often trying to get on to his right.

Good point. Are VFL players who are not on an AFL list members of the Players' Association? If so, I wonder how much consultation has occurred on their behalf.

I hope you're right, if only for the reaction from Picket Fence.

While I agree with what you say, the problem this year is finding better players than the ones we have. With no proper junior football this year and a draft apparently full of father-son and academy players, getting better players through the draft will be hard. Therefore, the better option might be short-term extensions for some players which gives them a chance to justify why they should be retained rather than taking chances on too many virtually unknown players who have not been in the system at all.

I just love your optimism that we'll be able to attend games next year.

Perhaps because the club decided that he would be better value than his replacement who would be the last player selected in this year's compromised draft.

While I agree with you in that we can't think of any successful footballer who's had to deal with so many issues, it doesn't mean there haven't been any. Some players are intensely private and would not tell the world the problems they face. In addition, media coverage today exposes players to far more scrutiny, including their private lives than ever before and finally, the use of social media by the players themselves or their friends and family provides another avenue for information to be disclosed. In short, I suspect there have been many players facing similarly difficult journeys but without the public being aware of the problems they have faced.