La Dee-vina Comedia

If the AFL changed the rule to a 5 person interchange bench, within one season an AFL coach will complain that it's unfair when a club has a player removed from the game because of concussion. That coach will call for a sixth player to be on the bench as a "medical substitute". Nothing surer.

That seems like a risky strategy by the clubs. If the trade isn't agreed, they're stuck with a player who doesn't want to be there (albeit in these two examples, two very good players). Nevertheless, it obviously worked out in these instances.

Throw in Dustin Fletcher in 1993. He was still at school.

Has a club ever matched a Restricted Free Agency bid? I can't recall any (but it's not something I follow, either).

I know we'll be better off with a new purpose-built training venue, but how beautiful is it seeing the green grass, the established trees, and Government House in the background? (Oliver in the foreground is a nice bonus, too.)

In fact, you could replace "BBB" with any one of a number of players..

Who are the Port Melbourne Colts? The Port Melbourne I'm familiar with in the VFL (formerly VFA) have always been known as the "Borough". Is this a different club, and, if so, in what league do they play?

Ben Brown's switch has been good for both clubs and the player, too. North knew they were not going to be genuine contenders and wanted to refresh their list; Brown was a bit of the jigsaw puzzle that helped us win a flag. Would we have won the Premiership in 2021 if he hadn't been playing with us? Maybe...but you could say that about most players at any club in any year.

Well said, Macca. I just want to add one extra point. How the club treats its players at the end of their careers will be noticed by other players (and their managers) when contemplating changing clubs. It would be much harder to attract quality players to join us if we didn't show we cared about them in their declining years.

Why not? They work in an industry that "works" on weekends and public holidays throughout the season.

Probably would have helped if Ginger Baker was still on our playing list.

*I thought it was Clark not Aaron or Paul

We're all grateful for your reports. Thankyou.

Nice work. I suspect the majority of Demonlanders have no idea what these posts mean, though.

I'll assume this is a typo or auto-correct interference. if it's neither, I have no idea what this means.

Yes, it's a business. And in business you have contracts. We signed Brown up knowing about his knee history. We also don't know what money (if anything) Brown may have foregone in his first few years in order to get a longer contract or to help the club manage its salary cap. In short, the club entered into this contract knowing full well what the terms were and that he would be on our list until the end of it, come what may.

I'm just one of a number of English language pedants on Demonland. I'm confident you haven't seen the end of any lessons.

Thanks for this. The highlight for me was the last sentence. I'm sure I'm not alone in enjoying the simplicity of the verb "to learn" rather than the use of the tortured expression "They continued with their learnings". (I almost feel sick writing that.)

It's a continuation of the AFL's continued fascination with everything American. US sports, including the players, generally have a better relationship with the media overall with the media getting much better access for interviews. But it doesn't always work. For example, Marshawn Lynch's Superbowl interview from a few years ago where he answered every question with "I'm here so I won't get fined". (It's a masterclass for Dusty and all the others who don't want to be forced to participate.).

We also have to recognise that the TV rights holder has significant influence on the AFL as a product. As I've said before, there's an inherent conflict between the AFL Commission and the broadcasters. The AFL Commission should be making decisions for the long-term good of the game while the broadcasters can only look as far ahead as the end of the current broadcast rights deal. What's best for one is not necessarily always going to be good for the other.

Was that a good spoil (ie, a deliberate spoil showing great courage by going back with the flight) or a bad spoil (ie, he got in Chandler's way)?

Keep up the good work. You've got Jefferson in both rehab and in the white team. Is that possible?

The reason I see T20 cricket as an analogy is because its growth (in my opinion) has damaged cricket's value. Not because of the format nor because it's meaningless but because it's on TV on so many days. Thursday night AFL means more football on primetime FTA TV which goes against the economic theory of value found in scarcity.

I accept that Thursday night football is here to stay, even though I don't like it. I know the AFL claims that it's "a hit", but I wonder about what its definition of "a hit" actually is? The analogy is T20 cricket. Cricket Australia claims that T20 is a hit but is also concerned about the future of test cricket. Has the "hit" which is T20 cricket irretrievably damaged test cricket? Similarly could too many days per week of AFL ultimately damage the long-term health of AFL football? I'm going back a long time now, but in the 1980s, the then VFL commissioned David Crawford (a well-known consultant) to review all aspects of the competition. This was when most teams were technically insolvent. Out of that review came the professional competition we know today including the independent commission and national expansion, amongst other things. Crawford was adamant in that report that the VFL had to resist US-style professional sport with its private ownership and high-priced tickets. He wanted the VFL to remain the popular and supported at the grass roots level rather than being a product only available to those who could afford high prices. I fear that the administration of the AFL over the last 10 years has lost that understanding and now wants to mimic everything that happens in US sport which will eventually be the code's undoing.

I'd be very happy to hear other's opinions. I may be on my own, in a minority or part of an overwhelming majority. But I won't be swayed by others' opinions. I just don't like it. The fundamental reason for that view is that I'm not ready for a game of football on a Thursday night. I'm only 80% through my working week and I prefer my football once I'm 100% finished for the week. I accept others may have a different view.