La Dee-vina Comedia

Peter Jackson was on 3AW last night. While he said he wouldn't talk about Frawley's position...he then did by referring to Frawley's comment that if Roos signed on for longer so would he. Jackson then said that he expected the club would go back to Frawley's management within the next few weeks.

The club is clearly wasting money on Peter Jackson when all it needs to do is pay for your holidays.

I think that's a good point. I recall when he signed on it being suggested that he only committed to two years to ensure the club delivered on its side of the bargain before he would commit to the third.

BREAKING: Paul Roos has signed on for a third year and will coach until the end of 2016: http://mfcde.es/Roos2016

They might have said it, but I don't believe it. You don't play around with genuine Premiership prospects to gift someone some experience and exposure. As it happens, it paid off for both him and the club...but I'm certain that Bolton wasn't given the job to boost his own chances for the future.

I'm more gobsmacked that he discussed it at all...unless you work for Worksafe, ASADA or a law enforcement agency and were conducting a formal interview.

Stigma? What stigma? I'm sure you remember Brisbane winning three premierships in a row in 2001-2003. But who came last in those years? No-one actually cares. I agree that it's important for the players that they have confidence that the team is heading in the right direction. But surely they can see that given how we've performed this year the trajectory is positive.

Irrespective of any other issue, Hird being overseas during the season would have been the best thing for Essendon and its players.Otherwise his presence would have been an ongoing saga with media trying to manipulate stories involving Hird and the club. I'm not sure why he's come back now rather than waiting for the club's season to be over (although I can understand he may wish to be with his family) - as we've seen his return has itself created a new round of media inflammation.

I like all your positives, but perhaps being overlooked to coach when Clarkson was ill should be considered to place a "cross" against his name. Having said that, there may have been a good reason why he was oveerlooked, but it surely has to raise a flag worth considering during any due diligence investigation.

Arguably finishing last is the second best position to finish. Finishing first gives you a Premiership. Finishing 2nd to 17th gives you nothing. Finishing 18th gives you first pick in the draft and the first pick in every subsequent round of the draft thereby giving the club the strongest bargaining position. I still want to win every game between now and the end of the year. But finishing last does come with some compensations.

So, Old Dee, if beating Adelaide was your Grand Final for 2014, what's the rest of the season been? Practice matches in the lead up to 2015?

I'm astounded that the auto-censor now censors the word "brain", which is what I assume is meant to be the second-last word in BBO's post.

We should start a thread with a fake story and see which journos pick it up. Many years ago, the old Herald newspaper here in Melbourne used to publish the results of a country league every week which included a story along with actual scores. Except the whole league was a fake created by the anonymous writer (who went on the be a Judge in the Victorian County Court). The Herald always believed the scores and the stories to be true.

I'm interested in the idea posted above that rather than teams having byes, players have compulsory rests. So players would play a maximum of 21 (or 20) home and away games per season while the team plays 22. If nothing else, we'd find out how seriously the players want their "bye". Perhaps it could end up being a mix. One bye for the team, so a 22 round competition is spread over 23 weeks and a maximum of 21 games per player. If this should come in, Jim Stynes' consecutive games record would stand for all time.

You make me feel old suggesting that the "modern game" is something more recent than games played in the 1990s.

The AFL appears committed to the principle of the players being given two weekends per season where they don't play. Two methods of fixturing have been tried this year. Personally, I don't think either model is satisfactory. But then, I'm not convinced that the players should be entitled to these breaks. Should the players be entitled to these rests? Are byes and split rounds the best way to manage it? Should there only be one, rather than two breaks for the players each year? And are there any novel approaches out there which might overcome the lack of football for the supporter? An example of an alternative approach might be a 22 round season spread over 22 or 23 weeks with clubs limited to playing each individual player for no more than 20 or 21 games in a season (excluding finals). Clubs could then manage the rotation of the players deciding when each player should get his "rest break". I'm not sure I like it - but I definitely don't like the bye. Any other views out there?

The game that is romantically remembered had more attacking skill and less defensive pressure. We'll know when the game has become truly unbalanced when some defence-obsessed coach calls the end which his team is defending as his team's goal, like occurs in some other codes.

Maybe we've got this back-to-front. Perhaps Roos is waiting to see if Frawley re-signs.

Not hard to tell we're having a bye this weekend. How on earth does Demonland survive the off season?

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."

What troubles me, perhaps unfairly, is why didn't Hawthorn appoint him as fill in when Clarkson was indisposed? Good on you for following up and coming back on here to update us all.

Nasher - it's time you took another shower. That should do it.

That's still a succession plan...it's just different from what's been envisaged.

Aberrant apostrophe or do you think he'll play CHF for St Kilda next year?

Actually, Riley reminds me of...Neville Jetta.They both have a low-to-the-ground, bandy-legged running style which makes them look a bit like a waddling duck travelling at speed.