La Dee-vina Comedia

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.

Good thing you didn't go with "best interstate player drafted by Melbourne". That would have been Darren Jaman.

Agree with both points above. In addition, when we last had a 12 team competition, the population of Australia was 16 million. It is now 25.5 million - a 60% increase. In the same time, the number of clubs has increased by only 50% . In raw numbers the talent pool hasn't diminished. What has happened, though, is that there are more options for potential players to choose from, some of which pay much more handsomely than being a professional AFL player.

I don't know enough about the economics of the VFL to know whether it can survive as a standalone competition. My best guess would be that it would have been struggling before the Covid-19 induced economic downturn and will therefore be in real trouble from now on. What I don't like is the way it's structured as a mish-mash of a competition. It's neither one thing or the other. It's part AFL reserves and part independent competition, which leads to conflicting outcomes and expectations. The standalone clubs want to win; the AFL-linked clubs want to use it as a tool to rest, educate and bring players back from injury. Add to that a playing schedule which seems to have byes all over the place and it's not really serving a purpose that suits anyone. While I would rather a standalone reserves competition, I can't see that happening now either, given the economic circumstances which will put pressure on list numbers. My prediction is that the AFL will formally separate from the VFL in the next year or two and the VFL will live or die on its own merits.

You'll need to think this through. The moment someone remembers a player, they've effectively disqualified themselves from winning the quiz because they've just proven that the player was not forgotten.

If the players have a beer in one hand and the goanna oil in the other, how do they pick up the ball? (It's OK, I know what you mean and share your purist view)

While the number of players required to go back 120+ years is amazing, there is a gap where Hardeman wasn't with the club for a while. And I suspect during WW2 Jack Mueller might have been missing whle on active duty. I guess that's not much different, though, from a player missing a season or two through injury.

Firstly, I wish the rules had been changed so players with long-term concussion weren't delisted but put on some sort of temporary long-term injury list. That is, they still stay conected with their club but they don't count as a number for list purposes. That being said, when AFL returns in 2021 it's going to look very different. With expectations of reduced list sizes, I can't see why we would wish to add a perenially injured player to our list.

My football philosophy for the last 30 odd years is to think the opposite of whatever Mick Malthouse says. Sure, he's coached a few teams to Premierships in that time, but I've been immensely happier ignoring his curmudgeonly commentary.

Arcane trivia question which I need help answering. A radio commentator well past his prime (maybe Barassi?) got distracted one day while calling a Melbourne game in the 90s. He asked whether there had ever been another team with five players with a zed in their surname all playing in the same game as were playing in this game. My question is, who were they? I assume Neitz, Schwartz, Yze and Bizzell. Who have I forgotten?

All guesses: 1. Allan Jakovich 2. Jack Watts 3. Froggy Crompton Good quiz, by the way.

Wasn't he part of some deal involving Gasper? I vaguely recall some amusing connection.

Greg Parke was so obscure in the late 60s/early 70s that they couldn't even spell his name correctly on the bubblegum card. (Was not really obscure at all. Wonderful contested mark. Less said about the kicking, the better).

Memory plays tricks, but I would have the same top four in the same order. All players have off days, but I seem to recall more disappointing games from Neitz than the other two.

I'm getting a bit sick of this type of comment. (Apologies to Pates - I'm commenting generally, not specifically about your post). We need as a club and as supporters to stop wishing ill on others and instead concentrating our efforts and our support on a philosophy of making the Melbourne Football Club one of those teams that are perennially successful both on and off the field. It's entirely within our own club's control (with "club" in this context meaning all of us). Let's make Melbourne a success and not care about who is down the bottom of the ladder.

The story attributes the plan to a guy called Julian McCrann, described as "a Poll Manager at research company Roy Morgan". What I didn't see is anything that says he prepared it for the AFL or that the AFL has considered it. I reliase Eddie McGuire mentioned it and Eddie is part of the AFL's crisis committee, so it is quite possible the AFL has done so. I'm all in favour of the AFL looking at all options and assessing them. I can see why this one has been prepared and it has some logic in that it recognises the State-based nature of lockdown rules. I'm not convinced, though, that the benefits outweigh other problems. However, if Victoria comes out of lockdown earlier than predicted and can become one of the "hubs", it could work. That's not a pro-Victoria comment for the sake of it, but because with 10 of 18 teams based in Victoria, it is pivotal to any model.

Mea culpa. And an apology to Bucket List. Mind you, if I'm a player, I'm not sure I want to be on something with the name "Bucket List". Would makes me feel a bit too mortal.

I'm quite surprised no-one has mentioned Bernie Vince.

The Ritterman twins, Henry and Michael. I remembered the names but had to check with Demonwiki whether they had even played any senior games. Turns out Henry played 23, while Michael didn't play any. This could lead to an even more obscure sub-thread: Jewish MFC footballers. Add Ezra Poyas and...anyone else?

It's obvious that big decisions will need to be made at AFL and club level to save each club. Every dollar is going to count. What are Demonland's ideas for either raising revenue or reducing costs? My suggestion, to get the ball rolling, is to suggest that the club hold on to the 2020 Membership Scarves and use them in 2021. I have no idea how many scarves the club gets and how much they cost, but if they get, say, 50,000 and they cost the club $1 each, that's a saving of $50,000. I'd rather that money be used elsewhere.

Do you mean Jaime Bennell? Otherwise I think I might argue with this choice.

Good question, although I wonder what might happen if we find out that "adult-oriented advertising" has the highest revenue-per-click. "I only click on it for the Demonland revenue" will be the 2020 version of "I only buy Playboy for the articles"

I'm now expecting you to advise which player has had his name mis-spelt the most different ways.

If Andy Maher has heard something from a reliable souce, I'd bet that it is just one of the contingency plans being put in place by the AFL. I would hope that an organisation like the AFL would have plans for all sorts of eventualities including re-starting the season as early as possible (say,mid-June) as well as re-starting it as late as possible. Or not at all, of course.

How's his luck? Holds the record among current players for most games without playing in a final. Gets to that number (196 games) and then has two knee reconstructions preventing him from breaking that record and reaching 200 games. Starts a career as an assistant coach with the Collingwood AFLW team only to find that most, if not all, assistant coaches lose their jobs because of the Covid-19 downturn. I confess to having not been a fan of his when he played with us, but since he left I've grown to appreciate his attitude to life. If anyone in the footy world deserves a break, it's him.