La Dee-vina Comedia

Hasn't TMac said his days as a permanent forward are over because his feet can't take the constant need for 180 degree turns? Or did I just make that up?

I'd fix the problem in another way. Remove the nomination rule and just let anyone go for the tap out. More often than not it will still be the ruckman, but if the throw is a bit wayward...what's the big deal? Randomness with an oval ball is part of the joy of football. Randomness of the throw-ins can be likewise.

I'm not convinced there's a role for Viney in the midfield anymore unless he's being played as a tagger. The gameplan doesn't suit his "dump kick" style. However, I could see him being a damaging small forward and certainly better than Spargo at that role. I think AJ provided just enough to stay in a winning team. I could also see McDonald coming in for May, but only if May needs to be "managed". So, assuming Viney is good to go, just the one change for mine: Viney for Spargo.

Pickett 5. Oliver 4. Salem 3. Gawn 2. Petracca 1. Langdon Gawn gets marked down a little (probably a bit harsh, I know) because his opponent was also pretty good.

I'm as surprised as anyone that McDonald is the one to miss out. But the red-hot form he started the season with has tapered significantly in the last couple of weeks. I still think he's been playing better than May who looks to me like he's struggling to bend over. Nevertheless, I suspect there's more method than madness in this selection shock.

Where's General Soreness? Gone AWOL?

If McDonald, May and Turner are all fit when Lever is ready to return, I could see one of May and McDonald being "managed" for one week each. Then, if after that all four key defenders are fit and firing, a tough decision will have to be made (unless one of them needs to play forward to plug a hole there). I cannot see any way against any opponent we should play 4 KPDs.

All the discussion about the relative size of the SCG and MCG confused me. I had assumed that because this was the second week of the Doug Nicholls Round, our game would be held in Alice Springs. It seems a no-brainer to me that a game should be played in Alice Springs during the Doug Nicholls round as it provides the AFL with incredible opportunities to promote positive stories about indigenous players and communities. Isn't that why the Doug Nicholls round exists?

Are we really doing anything different? Isn't it just that when you're winning, it looks and sounds better? (No disrespect intended to your post, Disco)

Take it easy, Chelly

Sharp was replaced quite early by Fritsch which suggests Goodwin was more displeased than usual to make that tactical move when he did. However, if the Match Committee want to pick Viney and play Fritsch from the outset rather than as sub, I would swap Viney for Spargo. I think Sharp makes a better sub option than Spargo. (I wouldn't be averse to both Sharp and Spargo being dropped, but only if there is someone worth the opportunity).

Gawn 5. Petracca 4. Melksham 3. Rivers 2. Bowey 1. Lindsay

I'm always amazed at this time of year when discussing player trades, we fall into the trap of only looking at player and draft pick swaps between the two clubs in discussion. If we want Jackson, I'd expect a more complex trade with, for example, two of our fringe players ending up at two other clubs for a couple of second round draft picks which we then on-trade to another club with another of our fringe players for their first round draft pick. Then we have something we can go to Freo with.

You might as well argue that our inability to clone Robert Flower cost us premierships from 1988 onwards.

Caro has really let loose...but her scattergun approach weakens the story. The stuff about Tanya Hosch is all over the shop, but Caro is on stronger ground when she moves on to writing about the apparent inadequacies of the three most senior people at the AFL (Goyder, Dillon and Kane).

This would be a lot more fun if that ginger Baker was still on our list.

No. It was British Prime Minister, Benjamin D'Isreali.

I think it's worth adding that he wrote every word in his articles. I can't recall the backstory, but about 10-15 years ago there was some suggestion that various opinion writers were claiming works as their own when, in fact, they had been ghostwritten. Walls was quite indignant and wanted everyone to know that he wrote every single word of his own pieces.

Or, as Robert Walls might have said "8, 9, 10 out of 10"

There's no direct Melbourne connection that I am aware of, but Robert Walls was a seminal influence on the game for many years. Robert Walls death: Carlton AFL great dies, aged 74, using Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying laws to end cancer suffering

Could have been worse...

There have been a few at other clubs, including Gunston and Ablett Jr. Trent Croad and Paul Salmon come quickly to mind. The only players I'm aware of that left Melbourne and subsequently returned after a stint at another VFL/AFL club are Carl Ditterich and Crackers Keenan. I'm keen to know if there were any others, though.

I know playing a game of soccer is not the same as kicking a soccer ball, but can anyone tell me whether there is a benefit to kicking a soccer ball for the purpose of looking at a player's kicking technique? Given we have persistently poor goal kicking accuracy, would kicking a round ball in practice help identify flaws in the biomechanical process which may not be seen when kicking an oval ball? Of course, this would mean holding the soccer ball and dropping it as if it were an Australian football and not just kicking it off the ground.

Good to see the future well represented in the votes with players such as Langford, Windsor, Lindsay and McVee being mentioned.

Arguable. Simon Madden was not only a great ruckman, but he also kicked 575 goals. Nevertheless, Gawn is definitely in the top few.