La Dee-vina Comedia

I'm pretty sure there was a photo of Spargo in a moonboot with the original group of players who went north.

I apologise for appearing to be city-centric. I was only trying to see if the Victorian regional option is practical. If it were to be, I'd be all for it. Right now, though, I can't see it working, not just because of any air transport issues but because the non-Victorian State Governments will not want to allow teams that are anywhere in Victoria and not just Melbourne to return without a 14 day quarantine period, if at all.

Are the regional airports capable of taking planes that fly longer distances, such as from Brisbane and Perth? I can't imagine the AFL wanting anything other than direct flights between hubs/bases and wherever games are to be played. That might require chartered flights, rather than regularly scheduled services, but I suspect anything that's not non-stop would be a deal breaker. That might require airports to have long runways and appropriate avionics, etc. As to your comment about a GST re-jig, I'm with you all the way. In fact, Demonland has been lacking a good debate on horizontal fiscal equalisation and vertical fiscal imbalance.

Which is marginally better than Wancorona. Sorry, everyone.

Apart from on-field personnel changes there have been two noticeable game style changes in the last two weeks. Firstly, Oliver has stopped handpassing most of the time and is now kicking the ball much more often. Secondly, there has been a clear change in the way the players deliver the ball to the forward line. The long bombs, for the most part, have been replaced with targetted passes. I'm interested in knowing why. I find it too much of a coincidence that both those changes happened at once. Have we changed our coaches? Were the players getting mixed messages from the coaches previously but are now getting clarity? Is hub life giving the players more time to absorb and understand instructions? I recall that Essendon made a successful change mid-season (was it 2019 or 2018?) when they removed the hapless Mark Neeld because they found that the coaching structure didn't work. (I know that Neeld is an easy target, but I think everyone involved at Essendon was at great pains to say it was a structural problem, not a personnel problem.) Have we done something similar?

What's that? Isn't potential forward-looking?

Reading between the lines, I'm expecting to see the traditional 'Round-by-Round' fixture replaced, at least for a while, with a more, dare I say, "flexible and agile" format where some clubs will play more games than others over a 3-4 week period. It will make the ladder a little less relevant during that time with some clubs perhaps having played 10 games while others might only have played 7 or 8. This might make it easier for schdeduling but play merry havoc with footy tipping competitions. If it happens like this, the Melbourne v Essendon game will be just like any other game and played when a suitable date becomes available.

I wouldn't have thought Jackson would have the tank to play on the wing. I'd rather play him alongside Weideman deep forward and play Tom McDonald at CHF. One of Pickett, Bennell or vandenBerg has a rest for a week, probably Pickett, unless the sports science guys have some measurements we don't see which make it more obvious which one needs a rest prior to what we keep hearing will be a packed upcoming program. If it's vandenBerg, maybe Harmes plays on the wing which vandenBerg was sharing with others against the Hawks, and tries to keep McLuggage quiet at the same time.

How would teams based outside Victoria get to country Victorian towns? I assume the moment they fly into Melbourne airport they're in the lockdown area which automatically means bans or 14 day quarantines when they return to wherever their home base might be. Is Avalon airport inside the locked down Greater Melbourne area? If not, perhaps they could fly in there, although if it's not in Greater Melbourne, it's probably in Greater Geelong which could be added to lockdown at any moment. I like your parochial thinking, but I doubt it was ever possible irrespective of any State Government pro-activity. Also, to be fair to the State Government, it's probably got a few other priorities to concentrate on right now than the AFL competition.

Can't believe Bailey Fritsch hasn't received any votes for the year yet. Sure his name wasn't accidentally left out?

Any chance we can add a green emoticon to the "Like" options to signify jealousy?

I agree that Weideman needs to spend 100% of game time in the forward line. However, if Tom McDonald comes into the side he could take on the second ruck role which allows Weideman to remain as a full-time forward should Jackson be omitted. So, Werridee, who's your seventh defender? We always play a mix of 2 talls/ 5 smalls or 3 talls/ 4 smaller defenders to allow for rotations. This is a critical issue. It would be helpful if we knew what the forward program beyond next week was. I wouldn't be at all surprised if players who have had limited preparations start getting rested soon. That may include Bennell, Pickett, vandenBerg and Jackson (although if Jackson is replaced this week, I doubt it's because he needs a rest.) And now to what I suspect will be my most contentious point. I liked what I saw with Jackson and I agree the more game time he gets, the better he will become. But I don't think he was particularly good. Yes, he was a lot better than his first game. Yes, he shows the traits and style we want to see. Yes, I was impressed with his willingness to get to the ball and make contests. But, I don't think he really did that much. Would I select him next week? Yes. I would also select Tom McDonald and decide which of Bennell, Pickett or vandenBerg needs a rest. That player not only could come back the following week but it should be made clear to them that it's about management not form.

I'm sure it was indavertent, but made me laugh. Six players named as "once in a generation" players over a period of 56 years. That means a generation is just under 10 years.

Completely, agree. Just because yelling might be good for you does not mean that abuse shouted loudly is acceptable.

6. Gawn 5. Petracca 4. Oliver 3. Viney 2. May 1. Weideman (not so much for the goals, as nice as they were to see, but for being a constant threat in the forward line) Others in contention for votes included Langdon and Fritsch

I'm pretty sure it's a binary situation. If it's not under control it must be out of control! But I know what you're saying. And like I said, I don't know what's being measured let alone exactly what it means. Does Demonland have a resident epidemiologist lurking under a euphemism who can explain more?

Maybe we should look at this option once we get to Qld. It's available, definitely isolated and has renewable energy. The best part of the story is that it was once owned by someone called "Snigger Findlay".

Maybe, maybe not. Apparently the boffins are saying the re-infection rate in Victoria is now close to or below 1.0. However, it's now above 1 in NSW. I have no idea how they measure it. See here for the full story. Here's the specific excerpt in case it's behind a paywall (or you can't be bothered with the full story): "Health authorities are quietly confident that reproduction of the virus in Melbourne has fallen close or less than one, just over a week after the wider Melbourne lockdown. The Reff as it is known is the number authorities watch to predict whether the virus is climbing or falling. The Doherty Institute warns in contrast, New South Wales' reproduction number is believed to be above one but rising rapidly."

Change "these academies" for "father-son selections" and hopefully you'll appreciate why the academies were created. It's still quite some time before GWS and the Gold Coast will have access to father-son prospects. Succession planning. By the time Jackson is old enough to be a reliable first ruck option (should he get there), Max will be close to or perhaps even be retired. Preuss is just a backup should we need a strong first ruck option in the meantime.

Saty and his scooter are stuck in Echuca.

This... but not this... and this. I'm keen on Weideman playing as a full-time KPF, not a part-time forward who goes on to the ball occasionally. While I agree that he's been serviceable in the ruck role, I'd rather he became the key to our forward line. Except in 1987 and 1988.

I have always believed that going to the football is good for one's mental health, win, lose or draw, because of the opportunity to yell and scream during the game. It seems intuitive to me that primal screaming helps the mind by releasing pent-up emotions. Turns out I may have been on to something. Perhaps I'll try screaming as suggested (but when no-one else is at home. It might scare the kiddies.) To anyone struggling at the moment, whether it is because you are stuck at home or have lost your job, or for any other reason, please know that Demonlanders care. I'm no expert in mental health, but don't be scared to ask a professional for help.

Big decision needs to be made by Demonland administrators. Does this thread title get changed on Monday or is the thread closed and a new one started?

I suspect part of the reason for planning to end the season by 17 October is to allow room for the season to be extended should it yet become necessary. If I recall correctly, various contracts, including player contracts, expire on 31 October each year as, I think, does the financial year for the AFL and its constituent clubs. If that's correct, I could imagine that ending the season before 31 October might be desirable. Scheduling for a 17 October finish would give them a two week window to extend and still be done by 31 October. The AFL also would want to finish the season before it gets too hot especially if the competition is still stuck in Queensland where it will be starting to get humid in late October. It will also not want to compromise season 2021 by finishing so late this year that it interferes with the preparation for 2021, remembering that the players will still need a decent break before pre-season training for 2021 commences.

I had completely forgotten about this one. Like you, I read it over and over in my early teens until it fell apart. Loved it. I know it says it was written by Jack Dyer, but I suspect there was a ghostwriter involved.