La Dee-vina Comedia

And with all the old players they will soon lose (eg, Enright, Bartel, Lonergan, Mackie...and Clark, etc) they'll still be active in future (and apparently stronger) drafts. The 25 years olds they've traded for this week will complement the 18 year olds they bring in via the draft in 2016 and beyond.

We all know what you mean, but is "Book it in" even an expression?

There is some irony in the trading of future year draft picks. Using the Henderson trade as an example, if Geelong performs better next year and improves its ladder position, the value to Carlton of next year's draft pick reduces. So, not only could Carlton supporters feel the pain of Henderson performing well at his new club, their own club would end up worse off. Of course, the pain can be the other way, too. If Henderson doesn't perform and Geelong goes backwards, Carlton become double beneficiaries.

Do you know this as fact or is it your supposition? If it's the former, I worry that the media has lost sight of its role and responsibilities.

It's never stopped Demonland before.

I think the freedom for players to move that you're talking about only exists because of free agency. Clubs now appear concerned that if they don't allow a player to leave when he wishes via a trade they'll lose him anyway a little later for nothing via free agency. So clubs are more willing to facilitate a trade now than they were before free agency came into being.

I suspect Howe's situation has delayed final decisions on one or more out of contract players. If Howe goes, which now seems likely, not only does it "free up a spot" but his dollars become available for distribution which might allow deals for (insert the name of the out of contract players of your choice) to be finalised.

If the club thought Melksham was only worth a third round pick, why would we be going after him? I would have thought we were replete with third round talent already.

'Lord Tennyson, in the 1850s, invited a Russian nobleman to his house on the Isle of Wight and used to send him off with a gun in the mornings to walk the hedgerows. One day the Russian came back looking pleased with himself and reported in a thick Slav accent that he had shot two peasants. Tennyson corrected him, saying "two pheasants". "No," said the Count, "two peasants. They were insolent so I shot them." ' From "The Big Shots - Edwardian Shooting Parties" by Jonathan Garnier Ruffer, 1977

I think it's just a visual metaphor to describe teams placed 7-12 at about round 18 each attempting to squeeze into the final eight.

Players that will compliment Hogan will be a dime a dozen. But if we could just find one to complement him on the field... I, personally, don't think Casboult could be that player. I'm not arguing about quality, but style of play. In essence, comparing Hogan with Casboult is like comparing a German precision engineered machine with a Chinese knock off designed for the same purpose. Cheaper, but not capable of delivering the same outcome.

Actually, I think the AFL should be more creative. If clubs can now trade future draft picks, why not also the rights to future father-son selections? Imagine the bidding war for the unborn first son of Gary Ablett Jr. Would the rights to Ablett's as yet unborn child be worth more than, say, Chris Judd's first born?

If you're right, I must be in the minority. I can't see much point in recruiting another player who can't kick.

I was trying to be discrete. I meant Carlton's most recent Senior Coach who was previously the senior coach at three other clubs and holds the record for most senior games coached.

Thanks. I obviously have the memory of a goldfish.

People, it's time to remember the humble hyphen. We don't want to lose any Demonlanders during the off-season to unnecessary heart attacks just because someone forgets that there's a huge difference between "resign" and "re-sign".

When was there last a Melbourne player in the Mike Sheahan/Mark Robinson end of year top 50?

Concur with the above. And a special thanks to the track watchers who give us all those training reports, particularly during the off-season. I know much of it is nonsense and written by supporters who manage to find stars on a cloudy night, but I don't care. It's just a bit of fun. In particular, if Satyr/TDI can find the time to get back to training and provide his entertaining reports, I, for one, would be very appreciative.

Hey, who are you calling fat? And how did you know?

Thanks.

Chris, just to clarify, do you mean Howe is gone or the interest in him from others has disappeared?

Well, the run does often follow the curry. (Seriously, thanks for keeping the rest of us updated. Even if it is waffle)

Brian Lake and David Hale have retired. Along with Colin Sylvia, they have six Premierships between them.

Ideally, yes. But I'm suspicious that Carlton's most recently departed coach might have operated that way.

Nasher, is Demonland working properly? Looks like two posts have been merged into one here. I'm not sure whether CityDee wrote the the first bit which is highly critical and dismissive of Toumpas or whether he wrote the last half which takes an alternate view.