La Dee-vina Comedia

The most interesting thing for me is that Robbo names Collingwood one day and then on the next day write that it's unfair that Colingwood was named. Must have received an interesting phone call in between those two days. One can only hope that Gary Pert, who is a Director of Pacific Star Network (owners of radio station SEN) suggested to Robbo that his job at SEN was at risk.

Well, it was Easter, wasn't it? And believe it or not, when we play Essendon it will be Easter Saturday so Jack Watts can be messianic once again.

I'm surprised at the almost universal support to bring Dunn in for O McD. I'm struggling to work out why he wasn't in the team in the first place. If he was injured, why name him as an emergency? Conversely, if he was fit and not named, I wonder whether there's another reason for his absence. Given we were clearly too tall in the forward half, Dunn will have to be picked ahead of Pedersen or Frost. My guess is Pedersen will play in defence, Frost forward and relief ruckman and Dunn not at all. Brayshaw then comes in. The only other change I could see is Lumumba for one of Bugg or Harmes if Lumumba is ready. So, for me: Out: O Mac, maybe Harmes (or Garlett if suspended) In: Brayshaw, maybe Lumumba

6. Viney 5. T McDonald 4. Watts 3. Kennedy 2. N Jones 2. M Jones

For much of the last decade, the best part of the football season has been the period between the end of August and the end of March. So, I thought I would mention my highlights from our latest of-season. Feel free to add any others: we haven't lost a game of any description since 30 August 2015 we seem to have drafted and traded well we've received no long-term injuries I don't recall any off-season misbehaviour by any players the club seems to be stable on and off the field Demonland has been on fire (well, mostly) This has been the best off-season in many years. Well done, Dees.

Just nice not seeing Trengove and Petracca's names on the list...although if Petracca is not yet playing I'm not sure why his name is not there.

Nice to see a second Melbourne supporter with a healthy ego. (BBO being the other).

I'd take it. It's a lot better than we've had to put up with and irrespective of whether you think they're ready to fall or not, we're no closer than they are to a Premiership.

Mind you, the AFL have consistently shown a willingness to change the rules as circumstances (in the AFL's view) require.

And I can't imagine they would admit any guilt while they've got an appeal on foot, either. But I can understand that they can be suing the club at the same time as they are playing for them. They would be suing the "old Essendon" not the one they would be playing for in 2017 and the money would be coming from the insurer, not the Essendon they would be playing for.

I've just found this thread (sorry about the unintended pun) and for some reason, I think it's one of the funniest threads on Demonland.

The other option is that he stays and those people running the club (any who are still there) go. I'm sure that if that's a viable option it's what the supporters would want. If all those people have already gone, though, then those running the club now may have to put more distance between the club and those individuals rather than trying to find ways to bring them back to the club.

Thanks DeeSpencer, but what is an "inverted winger"?

As a matter of interest, can a club be charged with perjury or would it have to be an individual? (Either way, I agree with the principle behind monoccular's question.)

Great piece, WJ. Beautifully written. It made me think of what's really important. I know it doesn't have to be an either/or situation, but would you rather have 50 years of sustained onfield success but with 96 of your supporters crushed to death or 50 years of mediocre performances (sometimes a bit better, often a lot worse) but without any significant tragedy? I know which I'd prefer.

I might spend the weekend trying to work out why a "now folded" cricket club is even having an AGM.

Toumpas. Sorry, automatic response to your posts, Picket. What I meant to say was that (ahem), James Hird had a very successful playing career after coming back from a long lay off with an injury similar or even the same as Trengove's.

Haven't you heard? The players don't read the papers.

Maybe. But if it's primarily about Hal Hunter, the story could just be focused on his personal battle with the respective roles of ASADA, WADA and CAS peripheral to the story. And if they try to interview Dank, keep your eye out for him being on his phone. It seems to be his "go to" strategy whenever he leaves a courtroom, I assume to avoid having to make any comments. I seriously doubt there is anyone on the other end.

Easy to say but I expect harder to do. If we could find a $500k a year sponsor which didn't need us to travel to NT I expect we would already have dumped (ie, not renewed) the NT deal.

If we're going to debate this properly, we need to recognise that only one game a year is played in a hot, distant location. The other game is played in Alice Springs which is cool in winter and not as far away as Perth.

Or it's the residual effect of the Neeld game style which he still hasn't got out of his system.

Are we playing 'Jeopardy' now?

Two things. I'm not sure if the correct word is irony, schadenfruede, serendipity or something else - but given one of the major reasons for the players being suspended was that they signed consent forms, I would have thought it would make it much harder for players to argue a breach of faith by the Essendon club as a reason to get out of their contracts. Secondly, hypocrisy alert. Where has all the outrage gone? Now that there is discussion of Hurley possibly coming to Melbourne, where are all the posters who want nothing to do with any Essendon player involved with the scandal?

I wish you hadn't said that. Now someone will say that's why Garland shouldn't be in the Leadership Group or playing in defence or...