La Dee-vina Comedia

Mathematicians everywhere are currently weeping. Either that, or Buckley and Goodwin will be sharing the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Demonland, there's a slight error in your information. Surely "Live Stream Begins: 9.45 am" is meant to be "Pre-Game Show: 9.45 am"

I like that we've added a match reviewer with apparent Irish-German heritage. Matches the continuing Germanification of the club now that we have two Wagners, a Weideman, Fritsch, Neitshcke and Preuss.

She probably wants you to get two of them done. Not much point only doing the one.

Just heard on radio Nat Fyfe explaining that "AFLX is just in its intimacy". Name change to AFL-XXX must be imminent.

Can you even get wifi in gaol?

It would have to be an op. A procedure is three syllables which is too long a word for the fast paced and exciting AFLX .

I can't get behind the paywall (and don't really want to) but there's no way a cortisone injection can be described as a knee op.

I like to think that TMac is messing with the AFL. Having pulled out of AFLX he's now pretending to have an injury to justify his absence. (At least, that's what I'd like to believe.)

Be careful. They might have been referring to an open watercourse near the Collingwood supporters which was teaming with e coli.

To be clear, the MCG Trust is state Government appointed, but it's not the same organisation as the Melbourne Cricket Club, which has been given the rights by the Trust to manage the ground.

MCC/MFC members have sometimes been given a slightly different scarf which indicates the joint membership by the addition of the MCC logo. It's very subtle, though (as it should be).

Except a scarf and a warmish inner glow.

Here's some media coverage of the AFL's Umpires' Coach discussing the punching ban I expect the AFL will eventually realise that it doesn't go far enough and will also include elbows as well as closed fists.

Do we know why Max Gawn has a bandage on his left elbow (or, perhaps, just below the elbow)? I don't recall reading that he had any post-season surgery. Has he burnt himself on a jaffle machine?

Whatever happens on Friday night I already know what the AFL and its "broadcast partners" (terrible phrase, by the way) will say: "It more than met our expectations" "The crowd (AFL) / viewer numbers (TV) was more than we had planned for" "We're satisfied that AFLX will appeal to new markets" And the biggest lie of all: "We see a long-term future for this concept" (which will be proven to be false within 9 months when the AFL announces a major revamp - or complete cessation - of the dying AFLX).

We'll have to disagree. I'm of the view that no-one (OK, virtually no-one) cares. If we were still hunting for a BOJ sponsor after the beginning of the season, that would arguably be a bad look.

"Is Wagner a human being at all? He contaminates everything he touches" - Nietzsche. Perhaps it wasn't either of our Wagners he was complaining about, though. More relevantly, Neitzsche also said "That which does not kill us makes us stronger". Even though it's now a cliche we've all heard before, knowing it was a phrase originally coined by Neitzsche, it seems appropriate to include it here. Good luck to the young fella.

Serious question. Has the AFL created a mother/daughter or mother/son rule? If so, what are the requirements (apart from the mother actually having a son or daughter, or, in this case, both)? And congratulations to Daisy and her suddenly bigger family.

It was banned in Victoria until a change of Government in 2014.

I can't believe we can argue so much over the merits or otherwise of AFLX. Clearly we need some real football. Thank goodness it's only 5 weeks away.

I imagine he also feels the need for a shower after today's effort.

One of the best rules ever to be introduced was announced earlier this week with no fanfare. I can't even find the story on the AFL's website. But the AFL has announced a zero tolerance approach to punching. A free kick will be paid against the puncher every time. Hopefully the rule will be clear that it also includes elbows (which obviously will immediately replace fists by miscreants intent on niggling). It's a good change for many reasons. It stops taggers from impeding ball players the way they have been doing; it should reduce the "need" for retaliation and most importantly, it sends a message that violence in any form is unacceptable. If anyone can find a link to the official announcement it would be useful to include it in this thread.

I'm struggling to find reasons why this is a bad idea. The only extremely minor points I can think of at first blush are that (1) the ladder during the year will be all over the shop and (2) tradition. Neither of those should be reasons not to proceed with the idea.

And you know this because...?