La Dee-vina Comedia

Not necessarily. Just because the Chairman doesn't like pokies, it doesn't mean all the clubs will get out of the pokies business. The ALP just lost an election in Tassie where their biggest policy idea seemed to be removing pokies from all pubs and clubs. I'm not sure the wider community agrees with the AFL Chairman or the Tassie ALP. And while there is still community support, I expect some clubs will continue to offer the product.

I know it's not on the topic de jour, but in one sentence you've identified the AFL's two greatest fears with the northern expansion.

The author of the Monash study is a well-known anti-pokies advocate, Charles Livingstone. He has linked family violence with AFL pokies venues solely on the basis that there are rates of higher family violence recorded in the same locations as there are AFL pokies venues. There is no causality in his assessment - just linking one set of numbers with another with no evidence showing there is a link between the two. (It's very poor research and I'm amazed Monash Uni has published it.) I suspect his article is an opportunistic attack through an opening made by the Chairman of the AFL Commission who has made his distaste for poker machines very public.

Salem has foot skills, courage and game sense. Lewis is the same. All we appear to be doing is swapping the two to make use of the younger player's capability to run around more (or, conversely, to extend Lewis's career). I'm not trying to be flippant - I support the plan and see it as a logical move which harnesses the strengths of both players.

Good on you Ethan. Always looking for the bigger picture.

Given the discussion about Tom's manager, I tried finding out who his manager actually is. In doing so I discovered that Tom is the AFL players' representative on the AFL Players Association Agent Accreditation Board. That suggests a high level of confidence in Tom's character and abilities by AFL players generally.

It is suggested above that Paul Connors is Tom McDonald's manager. Using the media to promote his clients is Connors' standard modus operandi. I haven't read the story, but I imagine it is just re-hashing information given to the journo by Connors. Often Connors chooses to use the implied threat (Player X is considering offers from other clubs, for example). If this story is just about dollars and does not include any threats to leave, I'm happy.

I'm curious. Why do you say "he needs to get his head right"? I've always thought his problems were with his body.

McKenna the forgotten man?

Confirmed? By whom?

Meanwhile, the equivalent discussion on the Collingwood supporters' discussion board is whether Centrelink payments have kept pace with the price of ready to drink Southern Comfort and Coke.

It's hardly news. We've done this previously, albeit intermittently, with some success. In the past it seems to have been Plan B when Hogan isn't otherwise getting near the ball.

I thought the GFC was the Geelong Football Club. (Just trying to bring this thread back to football. Arguing over past international economic events doesn't seem to belong here.)

Petracca has more powerful arms.

Can't agree. In my opinion it's still the most entertaining game in the world. I've been following the game for over 50 years, and contrary to the views of the doomsayers, the standard today is higher than it's ever been.

That's true for small shareholders. But fund managers with large holdings (for example, more than 10% of the company's shares which would, on today's valuation of Pacific Star Network, be worth over $3 million) might have enough clout to get changes made and may prefer to do that than sell.

Of course, my opinion would be completely different if we were talking about the big four banks!

SEN is owned by an ASX listed company. The Board of Directors is accountable to its shareholders and made what they presumably think is the right decision to merge with Crocmedia and install Hutchison as CEO. If the changes Hutchison makes don't work the Board would expect him to fix them and if he doesn't or can't shareholders would expect the Board to change the CEO. And if they don't the shareholders would likely change the Board. Keeping on air and off air people employed just because they are "good blokes" isn't the way to run a business. And neither is not paying people what they are owed. If Schwarz and Allen are owed money, they need to be paid. I would be very surprised, though, if employment lawyers weren't consulted by SEN before the terminations happened.

I think Craig Hutchison's Crocmedia produces Footy Classified for Channel 9. If that's correct, it would seem Hutchison likes Garry Lyon given Lyon was on that show for many years.

I don't know how good these seats were...but I gulped when I saw the price.

Here's a start. Call it e-sliced bread. Sure fire winner.

From the sublime to the ridiculous. One of the great things about AFL is that all sorts can play at the top level. Tall or short; fast or slow (though, not too slow); academically gifted or not; silver spoon upbringing or from the school of hard knocks; and serene or as mad as a cut snake. All of us who watched Flower and Mark Jackson know who was serene and who was the cut snake.

It's hard to imagine any number other than #2 being affixed to an original royal blue era jumper. If anyone out there had a different number it would be interesting to know which one and why. As to the new clash jumper, why has it taken a decade or so to work out that a royal blue jumper could actually work as a clash jumper? It looks good, doesn't antagonise the fans and adds a nostalgic element.

The only reason I can come up with as to why we need a clash jumper at all is because someone at the AFL has worked out that our jumper clashes with the Casey Demons and has decided we need a clash jumper because of it.

I apologise for doubting you. I don't recall it ever being anything other than 1422. I must have been either too young to have known or am now too old to remember.