La Dee-vina Comedia

Um. Why not? It's an award that recognises performance in a full home and away season for both sexes. It's completely appropriate. I'm sure both captains are disappointed in their teams' performances in their respective finals series, but that doesn't diminish the achievements of each individual home and away game that got them there.

Thanks for doing the podcast. I was a touch underwhelmed...but only because Taylor played his cards so very close to his chest. It's not at all surprising that he thinks all the players he was asked about - which is everyone recruited or traded in in the last three years - have bright futures. What else could or would he say? I'm not sure I really learned anything we didn't already know. Please don't misunderstand me. Taylor's job is to recruit the best available talent, not to be the best spruiker of that talent. I'm more than happy with what he does for his main job. And equally, very happy that he made himself available for the podcast. Well done, Andy.

I don't discount the possibility that the club arranged for Oliver not to be present at the first day of training so as to avoid a media circus.

I'm not sure I remember any of them as Melbourne players once, let alone twice! (Am I right in believing that Chris Aitken is Wilbur Wilde's brother?)

I'm reasonably confident he ate all his crusts when he was growing up.

I really hope you're referring to Peter Patrick Pius Paul Keenan and not having a dig at me with that post!

Add him to the list of Melbourne players who left and subsequently returned some time later. Carl Ditterich and Gary Hardeman are on that list. Who else? (I'm ignoring WW2 which impacted on players like Bluey Truscott and maybe Jack Mueller).

Neville, maybe?

My big thanks to all our trackwatchers. It's so good to have you back. By the way, is Satyricon in attendance? (Saty, if you're reading this, I miss your reports, although I can understand why you may have chosen to withdraw.)

The Collingwood players should enjoy Bairnsdale. It would put them close to their supporter base at the Fulham Correctional Centre.

Reminds me of Melbourne in the Neale Daniher era.

Grading the draft in isolation of other list management decisions, such as trading and making use of free agency, is a bit pointless. Grading the whole shooting match from go to whoa is far more interesting...albeit we need to see how the individuals actually play. In other words, wait three years.

I wonder about that. When the Essendon players were banned, they basically couldn't attend anything. I seem to recall the ban extended to Dustin Fletcher being unable to attend school football games in which his son was playing. I recognise that there are different circumstances, hence my question.

On my monitor, the opening post includes this line, "our recent recruits who have yet to play a senior game, who he thinks will be the next Judd" with Judd being the last word on that line. I think that's a great question just as it is.

Just on players who are not at training, what's the situation with Joel Smith? Is he still "provisionally suspended"? And what does that even mean?

??? And you forgot Amp (from Ampere)

You're not a member of the English men's Test cricket team, are you?

Close, though. I'm sure someone there will have written Coburg Sux.

Adonski is our winner. Picked both Windsor and Tholstrup with the first response to the opening post. In hindsight, many might say "but they were the obvious choices". Except that of about 60 suggestions made, only two or three actually got both selections correct.

Let's stay away from Nazi sympathisers. I'd be happier with Prince, King or even "House-of"

And have we ever had a Caleb?

Apologies. Google let me down. (To be fair to Google, I may have misread my search results. I'm convinced I read that there are regular direct flights from Melbourne to Esperance, but given I can't find that same information today, I'll assume the mistake was wholly mine.)

Suggests to me he wanted to meet someone in Perth. Otherwise he could have flown to Esperance directly and saved a lot of time.

Melbourne to Esperance and back is less than 6,000km if fly direct (which is possible). So, either the 8,000km figure is wrong, or Taylor went via Perth. Relevance? If he went to Perth, who else did he speak to?

Think you know what will happen on Monday and Tuesday? Are you prepared to show the rest of us you really do know what's happening? Here's a thread for you. Just tell us all who we'll select at next week's draft. Simple. No justifications are necessary (but feel free to expand if you wish). If you're really courageous, don't qualify your selections by saying it depends on who else is selected first. Just give us the names of the players who will be on our list by Tuesday night. Closest the pin will win something from Demonstone's prize cupboard. I have no idea who is who, so no names from me.