La Dee-vina Comedia

What proportion of TVs in use don't have access to 7Mate? I would have thought very few, if any. The bigger problem - and this goes for all games on any night - is what it is up against across all TV networks. I accept that there is a certain inertia among viewers who seem incapable of tearing themselves away from the "main channels", but as long as 7 promotes on its main channel that the football is on 7Mate (and whether they will do that remains to be seen), I can't see people not knowing that it's on if they want to watch it.

While I support the call for a cautious approach, for all we know we may already be doing that by holding him back until the Essendon game.

Selfish.

I like your thinking, though what would likely happen is that the player with the ball would take the advantage and play on. Same effect though in that (1) the game progresses as it would have and (2) the AFL will have to step in and amend the rule because the tackling by the man on the mark of his opponent will be a blight on the game, particularly if the player who is attacked retaliates.

For those who have a choice and are contemplating not going to the game on ANZAC Eve, how would you feel if we win and you are not there to see it? From a purely emotional perspective, I've always found the unexpected victories to be the most satisfying.

Disagree. They have always been unbearable. As to the crowd, I'd like to think there will be an expectation of an improved performance leading to a much more competitive game. It's so typically Melbourne...we might expect the players to react in such a way that we could actually win. Which will lead us to ask...why can't they always play like this?

I also like the "Lest We Forget" on the back. Simple but ensures the ANZAC theme is on both sides of the jumper.

Childish, I know, but I just keep thinking about the diminutive Mr Guy, some St Kilda footballers and a box of matches.

I caught about 5 minutes of each of the Channel 7 Footy Show (is it "Talking Footy"?) and Footy Classified. Both shows happened to discuss the matter in that time and with only 8 so called experts between them, none gave a convincing argument for or against the tactic. Both shows drew on historical precedent and both showed ignorance of the rule. That is, on both shows the panelists admitted to not understanding what the rule actually is.

This is an example of team maturity that only comes about once other core skills and fitness levels have been achieved. I'm also convinced Hawthorn has more than a Plan A and can switch between those plans quickly as the need arises. On the other hand, we're still learning our Plan A and are nowhere near being ready to worry about doing the little things well.

I agree. And I suspect (it's only a hunch with no hard evidence) that getting out of the pokies business was a condition of getting whatever State or Federal financial assistance we might receive. I may end up with egg on my face, but that's the sort of bargaining that goes on when seeking State or Federal funding. By the way, the McGuire announcement, which is also in today's Herald Sun, may not be the full story. Governments like drip-feeding good news stories, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's more to come. Perhaps a further announcement in the State Government budget next month.

I'm not in favour of "term limits" for club Presidents. As long as Glen Bartlett continues to show he's an effective President and wishes to be re-elected, he has my vote. But for all the talk about Nathan Buckley's tenure, how does McGuire's position as President of the Pies not face scrutiny? I don't deny that he has done a lot for that club, but given the ongoing on-field poor performance, what appears to be a declining membership and frankly, declining relevance, where is the anguish among Collingwood supporters for renewal? I find it all quite strange.

To be fair, I suspect I miss plenty on here.

He will look like a combination of the Collingwood and Essendon jumpers - a mix of white rage, boiling red blood and a face as black as thunder.

I'm not quite sure who's punning, who's trolling and who doesn't quite get the joke.

Thanks. Thinking about this a bit more, it's a bit hard to know what to make of it. Are we tackled more because we have the ball more than the opposition (seems like a positive); or are we tackled more because we're too slow to get rid of the ball when we have it (seems like a negative)...or both?

Keep it up Skuit. I suspect we all agree that it's probably a bit early to be too proud of these stats, but I'd rather be in the positive than the negative. Just one question though...for the tackles against stat (which I assume means opponent tackles for), is it better to be 1st or 18th? In other words, is being 7th close to being the third best or the third worst?

That's the irony of being a club that has a relatively low income level from the pokies. The less you receive the easier it is to replace. Hawthorn, Carton and Collingwood get greater revenues and therefore will find it much harder to wean themselves off the pokies, should they choose to do so.

I'll guess that cnbc = close but no cigar. Which, if that's right isn't very helpful, because it means I still don't know what dftft is! Anyway, I'll leave the acronymic anguish behind me now. It's not particularly on topic.

What's the Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology got to do with it?

don't feed the flipping troll?

Err...didn't you say "With all due respect to past administrators much of their time was consumed dealing with political or religious agenda pushers"? You must have had a reason for saying that. It's a bit rich to resile from that statement now you've been called out on it.

Did we actually try to argue that we shouldn't play on Sundays for religious reasons?

Can you give an example of a religious agenda which was being pushed? I don't remember any.

Can you give an example of a religious agenda which was being pushed? I don't remember any.