La Dee-vina Comedia

"And we're going to make Collingwood pay for it"

Just to clarify, are you proposing taking May out of the defence permanently or just moving him forward should a need arise?

That could be problematic. Imagine (and it takes some imagining!) if Melbourne play Richmond in a Grand Final. That would mean the following year we would play them in or around the last week in March for Round 1 and then about 4 weeks later on ANZAC Eve. (Or, we lose the ANZAC Eve slot.) I'm not fussed about Richmond v Carlton playing in Round 1. Each time the AFL locks in a blockbuster game it reinforces the need for our club to develop our own blockbuster ideas. So I will repeat what I've been saying for years. We should make Melbourne v Sydney, representing the two biggest cities in the nation, a blockbuster game which involves the Lords Mayor of each city. It should rotate between Melbourne and Sydney every year and it could, if managed right, repliace State of Origin footy in the mind of supporters, both those who support Melbourne and Sydney (the clubs) as well as those who support other teams.

To be fair, I think what he's suggesting here makes sense, particularly the connectivity to Richmond Station, but only if it's economically viable. He's also not the only person making these suggestions. But just because it's Eddie making the comments, many will have a knee-jerk critical reaction. If I were of that mind, I would respond by saying the other idea we should take from the Superbowl is to have all our umpires wearing black and white striped shirts. It's not actually necessary, but as it would mean Collingwood would have to change their gear, Eddie would go apoplectic which would make it worth having the inevitably pointless discussion.

In the real world you get sick leave for the purpose of handling clinically diagnosed mental health problems. That's not to say everyone works in a job which has sick leave nor does it address the problem of mental health not necessarily being resolved in a fixed timeframe that meets the limits of sick leave. However, to say people don't get "time" away to sort out their personal problems is a broadbrush statement which is not always correct.

Wedding preparation.

I think 3AK became SEN but on a different wavelength to give it a stronger signal. 3KZ became GOLD FM And 3UZ became irrelevant as the station owned and operated by the racing industry.

When I was a boy, I thought 3KZ was one of the best stations. It had Ian Major and Jack Dyer calling the game and I thought they didn't have the races.

There are so many logistical issues I can't see it ever happening: where would they play? Is there a ground size big enough? Is there a ground of the right size with natural turf? would the game be played two weeks before the opening round to allow teams to recover upon return? If so, how does that affect pre-season training for those involved? what time would it be played? More relevantly what time of day would it be in Australia for a live broadcast? would players need visas to get in? If visas are required, would every player and official who needed a visa get one? (especially if the current President keeps extending the list of banned countries) cost But none of the above is more important than one other question: Why?

Presumably he won't be in the Vic guernsey now.

And not every game was fully broadcast on radio, either. It's hard to believe today that in the 1960s three radio stations (what were then called 3UZ, 3DB and 3LO) would prefer to call the races in preference to calling a football match. If our game was scheduled for one of those racing broadcasters, you heard virtually nothing about the game and saw nothing later because cameras were only at the games which the TV stations showed replays of. No wonder a team like hours, which was rarely worthy of TV replay time had a missing generation of supporters. We had virtually no media exposure.

I've never seen an old dee post with such positivity. Either his account's been hacked or he's overdosed on Prozac. Or I need to accept he was being deliberately sardonic.

They're probably using a back brace for an average sized human.

Imagine if this was last year. Would we even have had any players left over who were not required in the (equivalent of) the Marsh Series? I can imagine a group of players in moon boots and using Zimmer frames just to make up the numbers.

You're not the real Barry Vagg? How disappointing!

I watch TV with the sound on because I believe it adds to the atmosphere. It would be too quiet at home watching on TV without it. However, I'm constantly surprised at how little is added to the experience by the so-called special comments contributors. They either repeat verbally what I've just seen or claim particular plays or actions had a purpose or motive that requires one to suspend belief. Edit: Not all special comments people. Without starting a debate about who, as commentators are good, bad or ugly (consistent with the thread title), there are a couple whose contributions I quite enjoy.

Is that a scar on the back of his leg? If so, would that be from surgery to re-attach his hamstring? It's a reminder that players really do put their bodies on the line and we often underestimate how much physical damage and discomfort players are prepared to put themselves through to achieve success.

I was only a little tacker in the 60s, but I thought Barry Vagg was a half forward.

Just in case you thought I was congtradicting you or interpreting you to be negative with your comments, please be assured I was not. I was trying to agree with you with some supporting eveidence.

I'm hoping for the same outcome but in a different way. I hope Viney voluntarily and willingly gives up the co-captaincy. It may be hard for him mentally if it is stripped from him. But if he chooses to give it up, either because he wants to concentrate on his own game or because he sincerely believes in a single captaincy model and thinks that should be someone other than him, he should be of a better mind to continue to do what we want him to do.

Stef Martin goes alright as a ruckman who is 199cm.

An excellent example of why watching footy at the ground is a different expereince to watching it at home. Apart from the greater emotional involvement of being present, the ability to see the game as a whole, rather than the execution of play by individuals, is why I like attending games in person. To go one step further, if anyone from the TV networks is reading this, please understand that close-ups of play while it is happening isn't particularly revealing. They are good for replays, but not live while the play is unfolding.

It would be hard coping with mental health challenges when you are in the public eye, so I hope he gets better soon. As a matter of interest, do we know whether his foot has properly healed? (And as to the comments from Drysdale Demon, some things are better left unsaid...so I won't say them.)

I would have thought kicking like this would have been out of the question if there were any concerns about his calf.