La Dee-vina Comedia

I think we can anticipate that whatever happens it will be promoted as a major shock: "In a major shock, none of the delisted free agents was picked up by closing time in the delisted free agents period" "In a major shock, player X, was the only delisted free agent picked up by closing time in delisted free agents period" "In a major shock, player X and player Y were the only delisted free agents picked up by closing time in delisted free agents period" etc

I feel like I've just read the synopsis of a three-part TV mini-series. It would be even better, though, without the last seven words so I can imagine you as a digger in Vietnam in the late 1960s.

The problem with tattoos is that they're permanent whereas MFC logos are not. I wonder how long it will be until your tattoo is out of date?

Why 1999? (Is this a pop-culture reference I don't get?)

How does anyone know? How can anyone know how they'll behave for an event which is so foreign that for basically anyone under the age of 60-odd it will be our first experience?

There's another thread about the value of player contracts and whether players are no longer sticking to their side of the bargain. This is the other side of the same coin. Also, I can't understand how a player's contract today doesn't include an obligation for the club to keep the player on the primary list (except in exceptional circumstances, such as a player failing a drug test or requiring disciplinary sanction).

I note the King twins are reportedly different heights. Amuses me given that they're identical...but obviously not. Not quite as amusing as the Wakelin twins who were identical but different heights and were born on different days. Or the Febey twins who were identical except one was right footed and the other left footed.

It's so long ago, I've forgotten how it played out, but did we "move him on" or did he choose to leave? Choosing to leave during our basket-case years would hardly be a surprise.

I think it will also upset supporters. How often is the word "tradition" bandied about, including on this forum? A 22 game home and away series is an inherent part of that tradition. My gut feel is that more people would be aggrieved with a 17-game "fair" fixture than purists might expect. The 10% increase idea might be true, but it's also possible that attendances might drop because of the perceived damage to the traditional fixture. In short, I think tradition will outweigh integrity of the draw in the minds of the majority. Agree with everything you've said. As I've posted before, I can't recall one Premiership being won by a club where the inequity of the fixture was considered to be a significant contributing feature to that result.

I just assumed Lyons to the Lions was somehow organised by the media to give them more opportunities to write the simple puns they seem to love.

Don't forget to add from the other side of the ledger: sponsorship dollars from the NT Government membership money (if any) from NT locals "brand" exposure value (if any) from being physically present in Darwin and the Alice I suspect only the first dot point has any meaningful value.

While I agree with what you've said, that's only relevant when we have the ball. In my view, our speed weakness is when we have to defend. We look very slow when other teams have the ball and stream through the centre. Having said that, I think sometimes it's a problem of being slow in thought (ie, slow to react) rather than physically slow.

I'm very surprised Essendon is playing North Melbourne on Good Friday. Only because it can't be a long term solution given that Good Friday and ANZAC Day can be so close that they could encompass one round of football. For that reason, I thought none of Collingwood, Richmond, Melbourne or Essendon would ever be chosen to play on Good Friday. If the AFL really wants to make Good Friday football a success I would have thought they would have tried to create an ongoing "blockbuster" involving North and another team who would play that day every year. Logic suggests that "other team" should be Carlton being the only potential powerhouse team that doesn't have a locked in commitment for Easter or ANZAC Day/Eve.

I will miss being able to turn up to the MCC members late and still get a good seat, though.

13 free-to-air matches. Anyone know off the top of their heads what it has been in previous years? Mind you, I'm only interested in a sub-set of free-to-air matches being those when we are not playing at the MCG. As an aside, it amuses me that the way someone has put together the graphics that it looks like in Round 13 we're playing the AFL. Not sure if it's home or away, but these days I think we'd win.

A delightful analogy. So much better than calling it a "meat market".

I do. Not because of any lingering concerns about the foot but because that's his second bone-related problem (that we know of) which appears to be stress-related. That suggests to me that he is player that comes with a higher risk of acquiring a future bone-related problem than someone who has never exhibited any bone-related injuries. It's a bit like ACLs. The data shows that if a player has torn one ACL they are a greater risk of having another ACL injury than a person who has never had such an injury. I hope Hogan plays completely injury-free for the rest of his career, but if I'm in the business of managing a playing list, I believe that he has a higher risk of injury than players who have not had the same injuries than he has had to date.

Which reminds me of Michael Voss's famous sledge when he tried to put his brother Brett off when having a shot for goal: "My Dad slept with your Mum last night". (Although I don't think he used the words "slept with").

While I can see the resemblance between Nick Reiwoldt and the animal (an alpaca?) I can also see where Sam McClure got the inspiration for his hairstyle. (Sam, if you're reading this, it's time you grew up and got a proper adult's haircut).

Maybe someone can answer this without Demonland asking him, but does Mahoney personally negotiate and agree to trades? Given he's given praise and criticism on this site for our trading, I want to be sure he's the correct recipient of those opinions.

I can imagine he was very good at collecting drinks for everyone but when he went to pass it to you, did it miss you by some distance?

I would suggest that the synergy of linking Hames with Harmes should be a marketing opportunity made in heaven. Would it be appropriate to ask contestants at the quarter time break to do something with their r's?

I would have been impressed but (unless there are two players with the same name) you've got Mitch Maguire going to the Suns at pick 80 (in a previous post) and the Giants at 89.

I'm already desperate for some footy. But I'm not that desperate. Having said that, I think there is a future for the AFLX concept, but just not with AFL present-day players. I can see it being a useful product to offer in non-AFL markets where finding appropriate oval grounds can be problematic. It's sort of like an Auskick for adults.