La Dee-vina Comedia

So you'd prefer a forward with no experience as a coach over a coach with no experience as a forward. Not sure I agree that this would be the best way to proceed.

I'm no doctor, but that might explain the leak.

Unfortunately, I suspect Hall of Fame entrants benefit from having premierships, Brownlows and Coleman medals against their names. Great players in poorer teams will always struggle for such recognition.

Every club should hold an external review after every third season, irrespective of how they are travelling. And in the other two years, they should do an annual, internal review. The reason the external reviews are necessary is because club boards, by their nature, are not dispassionate enough to make tough decisions.

You're right...the bigger picture should prevail. In this instance, the bigger picture is that Neal-Bullen is putting his family first.

Throughout his playing career Neal-Bullen has selflessly played to take the pressure off Petracca by doing the hard running, taking the hits and providing options. And now, off the field, Nibbler has again helped Petracca out by taking the heat which was otherwise being directed Petracca's way regarding allegations of his (Petracca's) alleged unhappiness with the club.

Yes, contracts are indeed contracts. And like any contract, if both parties agree, a contract can be amended or terminated. Holding players to their contracts sounds like tough action, but do we really want to be a club that does that? Would that harm our chances of attracting quality players in the future? If I were Dan Houston, I wouldn't want to come to a club that treated one of its loyal servants so badly.

1377 individuals have played one or more games for our club. Assuming ANB plays the final two this year, he'll be equal 35th on games played along with John Beckwith and Salem (if he also plays the last two). He absolutely deserves our thanks and best wishes.

Excellent, although you forgot to add: TM: "Are you disappointed club officials didn't visit you while you were in hospital?" CP5: "Yes, it was a lonely time"

I hope we name Petracca this week, only to have him as a late withdrawal on game day. It's worth doing just to play with Tom Morris's head. (Only with Petracca's consent, of course.)

Having had some time to think about this overnight, it seems strange to me that this story surfaces just a few days after Petracca was seen back at training, albeit with him doing nothing more than standing around. If he was as unhappy as Tom Morris has suggested, why was he there at all?

Imagine how much bigger the story might have been if Tom Morris had discovered that Petracca is really happy with how the club is travelling right now!

As a matter of interest, how does this compare with the club's own selection of B&F winner? Does the theory of the wisdom or crowds apply?

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Richmond area an upset customer is still waiting for their almond latte.

Maybe the club had already realised that 2024 was "over" and we were drafting for the future. That seems consistent with the club getting games into Thosltrup, Howes, Moniz-Wakefield, Turner, etc.

Would have preferred an outright denial rather than him laughing, sighing and responding "Totally" to "it's nothing more than a rumour".

That's a bit unfair. Dangerfield is President of the AFL Players Association. It's in his remit to have opinions and state them publicly. Agree with your other comments about Dusty, though.

As a matter of interest, who would you prefer to have been at Melbourne for their careers: Buddy Franklin or Dustin Martin? There's no wrong answer, of course. I think I would prefer Martin.

Because parsnips are too expensive.

Irony much? Oliver can't remember the name of his favourite song which has the title "I Remember Everything".

Where there's smoke, there's often just smoke.

If I understand the system, it's the players who decide whether to nominate for 6 or 18 month contracts. Thinking it through, it suggests to me that those who choose the 6 months option have more confidence in their abilities and expect to be able to sign a longer contract once they've been at the club for a short time. That new contract would presumably provide them with better terms (ie, money) for the subsequent 12 months than if they had been signed on an 18 month contract from the outset.

If this is the criteria, I reckon Walking Civil War should make it on to most people's lists. Her levels of devotion more than compensate for any deficiencies in other areas.

If we can't win with this team, sack the coach! We'll be playing with five on the bench. Might seem unfair, but I like it!

Whether its a 6- or 18-month contract for these players, can both parties agree to extend the contract at any time?