La Dee-vina Comedia

I feel so much happier when we go into a game not being the favourite. I guess it's because I'm more able to rationalise losing than when we go into a game when we are expected to win.

...ask Praha to update his "When will Melbourne break these embarrassing records" thread. In two places.

At the risk of being a bit too serious for this thread, how can such a mistake occur? Shouldn't somebody have (ahem) twigged that it just might not be the best place to plant a tree before they actually did so?

Just seeking clarification...was he represented (ie, by lawyers) at his own hearing? If so, even if he wasn't physically present, I can see how an appeal may proceed. But if he wasn't there nor represented, I can't see how an appeal could be allowed.

We should ignore his first game back. It's difficult to assess any player who's the sub who doesn't come on until late in the game, whether they play well or not. Questions remain about him, but it seems to me he still needs to adapt to the speed of the game. As I've said previously, spending time in the seconds won't help because it's played at a different speed. Whether we can wait until he adapts at the top level is the big question. Given where we are at, I'd keep playing him in the seniors for a little longer.

If they do nothing else, I'd love the AFL to change the fixturing so everyone plays everyone else once before the doubling up begins.

Ahh, Picket. I knew it wouldn't last. Poor form is apparently not just the prerogative of our players but also Demonland posters.

dc, I was trying to answer your question as to who could be bothered doing the subtraction. It seemed to me that you had worked out how to do it and therefore probably actually done it...hence, I thought you could do the exercise for all of us. I was actually going to suggest you were being selfish having got that far and not posted the weekly result for us.

It's a better chance than you realise. I doubt Freo will be ladder leaders by round 22.

Obviously you.

Sounds generically like the name of a 1950s footballer. That must make him a good choice.

Well done Praha, but I've got to ask...your post is all of three words. What exactly did you have to edit?

I think you're onto something. You know how teams have penalties for players who do the wrong thing or who get too much media exposure, etc? I'd love the team to come to the idea that the penalty should be to buy memberships for schoolkids.

If Reiwoldt is picked to play, I would have thought McDonald goes back to defence to play on him. Given the three tall forwards seemed to work yesterday, I would have thought Jamar would be a chance to play forward to keep the tall forward line going. If that happens, we become slower, so the question would be how to speed up the side, so I can't see Newton or Michie coming in. But Toumpas could. However, given zero changes after a loss, I think it will be minimum changes after a win, so perhaps just Jamar for one of the young guys who the coaches think needs a rest.

if you're referring to James Hird's comments on radio when he was interviewed by 3AW on the Sunday after the Essendon v Melbourne game, I think the media, and particulalry the print media, subsequently made more of what Hird said than was reasonable to infer. Apart from calling some people "ordinary" (a word in itself which, in it's literal sense is as neutral as can be, although clearly he wasn't using it in its literal sense), Hird never named anyone and my inference was that he was talking about the AFL industry as a whole, not just AFL officials. It was impossible to know from the comment itself whether he was talking about people at AFL House, Fairfax Press writers or anyone else. What was clear, though, is that he's certainly unhappy with a few people. In my view, and essential to your opening point, Hird didn't defame anyone. He didn't tell any jokes, either.

To be fair to Joeboy, Dunn has spent most of his career out standing in the field somewhere, usually pointing. But I'm with you. I think Dunn was outstanding last year whereas this year I think he's been a bit hot and cold.

Who's helping Gawn? Dawes or McDonald? Or someone else?

Given this... ...if we don't beat Brisbane, I will bemoan the fact that we didn't lose by over 100 points last week to give us an 80% chance of beating the Lions.

Don't tell me. Let me guess. Luke Darcy and Damian Monkhorst? am I right?

If it was anyone else other than BBO, I wouldn't have to check. But surely you're not referring to Karmichael, are you?

And the draft. I see the first round draft pick for Carlton is still in the ressies

I've never been there, but is there a picket fence anywhere near the Bentleigh Club?

I wonder whether Jamar is playing so we get the best out of Gawn, rather than the best out of Jamar. Gawn has clearly dominated games early but struggles as the game progresses. With some occasional proper support (which none of Dawes, Pedersen or Frost can really provide, but Jamar can), Gawn may be able to dominate a game for its entirety. And that may make a complete difference to the whole team's performance.

If Jamar, Gawn, Hogan and Dawes all play (and I think they all will), we will need to have the fittest runners to compensate for the net loss of one runner compared with last week's team. That suggests to me that Grimes and Riley will both play at the expense of three of our youngest (ie, out of Brayshaw, Stretch, ANB, Harmes and JKH). Of those, I would have thought that Stretch, ANB and Harmes seemed to struggle the most last weekend. But then who knows what injuries players are carrying at the moment.

dc, I see you're having even more problems with your keyboard. Not only does the Shift key not work but it seems neither is your full stop key. As to the point you're making, perhaps the problem is less about the third man up and more about the restrictions placed on ruckman (apart from the centre circle) which limits their ability to be decisive. In theory, there should not need to be a third man up in any contest, should there?