La Dee-vina Comedia

Thank goodness. I was worried he would attend training and be photographed not smiling which would have worried us no end.

Added incentive (if any was needed).

If Tyson does not play, I don't see Hannan as his automatic replacement. The Match Committee might want to add a defender to release Fritsch to play further up the ground, effectively replacing Tyson on the wing. If that's the case J Smith or Hunt might be selected ahead of Hannan. That's not to say Hannan might not be selected to replace JKH but if that were to occur that would be three changes (ie, Out Kent, Tyson and JKH) which would be quite a surprise after such a solid victory in Round 23.

I haven't seen any discussion about Austin Bradtke. I assume he's a potential ruckman, should he make it. Does anyone know what his prospects are? Seems relevant to this discussion.

Is that the reason? I thought it was introduced to stop legal action on restraint of trade (if that's the correct term for stopping players from exercising their right to free movement). Perhaps someone with a legal background might know. I guess it could be both.

Another way to look at this is to question why Tom Lynch is going to a club more likely than not to fall from here. Of course, his chances of being in a Premiership team aren't zero, but he'll be joining Richmond after they've peaked rather than beforehand. If he genuinely wants to play in a Premiership he'd be better choosing a team that's still on the way up.

I suspect there's an innocent explanation to all of this. Probably something to do with Gillion mis-hearing and believing he was acting on an application for a priority pick.

cry.

I suspect that whatever we're paying Jordan Lewis will be worth it on Friday. I'm not referring to his on-field play (although that will be important) but his experience of how to cope with finals football, particularly in the last hour or so before the game starts, should help the coaching staff to calm the nerves of our otherwise inexperienced team.

At three quarter time in the 1971 Grand Final, St Kilda was leading Hawthorn by 20 points. At that stage, each had won a single Grand Final while we had won 12. Since then, St Kilda has kicked on with multiple wooden spoons while Hawthorn now has 13 Premierships...and we've still got 12.

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."