La Dee-vina Comedia

Just buy some digital icecream and go for it.

I like vandenBerg's attack on the ball and I like his tackling...but now I'm really worried about his sense of humour.

Another one to add to the list: Last time a Demonland training thread was not derailed: About 2008

Slightly different, but still waiting for a Melbourne player to kick 100 goals in a season.

DC, not everything that comes out of Canberra is a disappointment. The road to Yass is a good example.

I'd rather he was a top 5 pick but scouts rated him top 50 worthy.

Or in my case, impossible

Maybe...but I could also have named Tadgh Kenneally, Pierce Hanley, Zac Tuohy, Sean Wight and others. (Hopefully I haven't butchered the spelling of all those names too much. Apologies to the aforementioned if I have.)

I hope he makes it. Just so we can have two Christians and a Lyon in the one team. And while we're talking about players not picking up the game until they're 16 or so, don't forget Jim Stynes, Mike Pyke and all the other successful imports. At least Josh Lyon has grown up around football and will understand the game unlike those who grow up overseas.

That will be the death of him. Haven't we already proven that young players can't be leaders?

Where's Range Rover's poll? You know, "Is the sky (a) Royal Blue (b) Navy Blue © Pale Blue (d) Teal (e) any other shade."

Are you an accountant and work on a Financial Year basis? How else can a post on 18 July be an "early nomination" for post of the year? (But I agree with your sentiment.)

Careful. He may decide your contribution is a gif of some moving clouds.

You forgot Joeboy: Blue, just blue

Actually, I think the reverse. If Tyler Roos was drafted to Melbourne I'd see Paul Roos leaving claiming a conflict of interest. When Denis Pagan was coach of North Melbourne he had difficulties with how he managed his son who was on the Kanga's list for a while. Put simply, whichever approach Pagan (senior) took, he couldn't win.

What chance Brisbane is given a priority pick at the end of the year? (Lights touch paper and stands back)

There's another issue involved in the Tyson/Salem v Kelly debate which hasn't even been mentioned. The Melbourne strategy has reduced risk. I don't wish ill will on any player involved, but if one has a career threatening industry in his early years, which team would be better off? Melbourne still with one of Tyson or Salem playing or GWS with no-one? Sure, the higher risk (ie, GWS strategy) may produce a higher reward...but it also has a higher risk of going pear shaped.

Maybe it's the quality of the players available in any given year, but the 1993 nominees for the Rising Star were pretty good. Four Brownlow medallists for a start - Buckley, Crawford, Hird and Ricciuto. Plus a few other handy types such as Neitz, Archer, Dustin Fletcher, Misiti, Matthew Richardson and Scott West.

Which compares with Boomer Harvey's 167cm, 75kg...and 369 games (and counting). If anyone thinks size was a factor they must have forgotten that one of the great appeals of AFL is that all shapes and sizes can get a game as long as they've got the skills. (Admittedly, if you're small, you must be fast - either by foot or in mind).

So, do you like Barrett or not? Stop sitting on the fence!

Footy Classified also compared stats for Tyson's first 20 games with the first 20 for others including Judd, Ablett, Deledio and a couple of other stars of the game. He appears to have had an average of more disposals and tackles (and something else...was it goals?) per game than all of them. Admittedly, possession numbers today are much greater per team than just a few years ago, so if those stars were starting out today I'm sure their figures would be higher too. But let's not let the facts get too much in the way of a good story.

I wonder how Damian Barrett would have responded to the old Hawthorn line of moving Peter Hudson to CHF if Jesus Christ had come to Hawthorn in the 1970s? Would probably have taken it seriously and argued that Hudson was the better option.

P-man, you've got way too much time on your hands. And I'm so glad that you have. Thankyou.

Happy now?

Where's JKH from? I vaguely recall he played in a Victorian TAC side, but where is his home? In other words, is there a "go home" factor that needs to be nullified by a longer contract?