La Dee-vina Comedia

Another enjoyable way to beat Collingwood in a Grand Final would be to see Harmes knock the ball back into play when it is arguably over the boundary line in the forward pocket in front of the members which then leads to the winning goal.

One thing that struck me reading that article was the timing of Josh Mahoney's appointment and our improvement. I wonder whether I've not fully appreciated Mahoney's role in our rise. It may just be a coincidence of timing (to use a cliche, he was in the right place at the right time) or conversely Mahoney has been a major but perhaps unheralded reason for where we now find ourselves.

I'm wondering what this guy got for Father's Day. Can't decide whether I'd prefer that he was given the results of a DNA test that proved these children weren't his or if he discovered his wife was a Richmond supporter.

Chicken or the egg. I wonder which came first?

Presumably from the start of the AFL season. Patrick Cripps turned 23 on 18 March. I can only assume he missed out on age rather than for any other reason. And what a world of pain St Kilda is in. At least Carlton, Brisbane and Freo have some young stars.

Maybe we were ahead of the pack with those blazers...

I think selecting the "AFL Pick Your 22 Tools" might be more fun. A couple from the 2019 AA team might get into both teams.

It never ceases to amaze me when supporters criticise players who don't succeed as if those players deliberately set out not just to fail, but to damage the club in the process. The drafting process is a modern day form of indentured servitude. And given clubs are not obliged to show loyalty to players, I also wonder why supporters get upset when players choose to leave. Toumpas didn't choose to come to us and I think he tried his best when he was here. That it didn't work out is a fact. No-one needs to be blamed.

I like the way you've developed a narrative unsupported by facts...unless you think Fritsch, Spargo and Hannan are "big competitive units" rather than "small scrawny kids".

A few quick questions: How long has this award been around? Has a Melbourne player ever won it before? (If so, who?) If a Melbourne player has previously never won it, what is our previous best result?

On the other hand, me might have been lucky that the head knock between Harmes and Melksham didn't appear to have any consequences (other than Melksham's immediate discomfort). In fact, perhaps we should remind ourselves how tough all AFL footballers are. If I get a paper cut I'm out of action for hours.

Compare and contrast...

Thanks for this insight. Watching on TV makes it difficult to know what's going on off the ball (or, more literally, off the screen). To hear ANB did this job so well explains why we didn't see as much of him on screen as we would when he's playing his usual link-man role.

Are you saying he's buried next to Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera or Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano?

Stop the presses! It took a Melbourne supporter to find Jimmy Hoffa. And there was a clue in his disappearance all along: "Hoffa disappeared on July 30, 1975, from the parking lot of Red Fox restaurant."

It's so bizarre that it's 26 August and we're talking about a three week injury rather than whether someone will be ready in time for the pre-season. It's a strange feeling that I'm willing to get used to. I can't see why we'd tinker too much with the team. If there had been no injuries, Viney would have come in, possibly for one of Kent or Spargo. Given the injuries, it seems logical that Hannan is the other one to come in, if he's fit. Although, J Smith might be an option instead of Hannan with Fritsch moving up to the wing. And I think Kennedy-Harris will likely remain. I thought he was an important player today and after a long time finally looks like he's caught up to the pace of the game.

Surely leaving out Harmes is an oversight, right?

6. Gawn 5. Harmes 4. Brayshaw 3. Salem 2. Frost 1. Lewis

After 9 pages, I'm still not sure whether Joeboy's OP was intended to be taken seriously or whether he was just pulling our collective legs.

It is one stat that matters, but others also matter. Large numbers of "passing interest" folk who watch their nominal team on TV encourage advertisers which converts to interest from the free-to-air TV station to show more of their games. So, Sydney get more FTA games because there are a lot of non-member Sydney supporters who will watch their games.

I'm struggling to keep up. Are we still talking about Brendon Goddard or have we moved onto a Federal politician?

I suspect he's only unlikeable to opposition supporters. Furthermore, I also expect he's quite well liked by his team mates at both St Kilda and Essendon. I assume he'll stay in football either in the media or coaching, and I expect he will do very well at either.

Is that right? Isn't the "pressure acts" stat used for this?

Whose time? And whose money?

Family?