La Dee-vina Comedia

It's actually quite extraordinary the number of footballers, most of whom have been very good under-age footballers, who cannot kick even half decently on the non-preferred.

...except for some of those experienced players being kept out of the team

What is it about left foot kicks that make so many of them look sublime? (It's possibly not even backed up statistically, but it just seems there are so many who have this liquid style which isn't seen as often in right foot kicks).

Is there any possibility that Frawley plays back? If so, does that create room for Gawn forward (and second ruck)? Without Gawn we have a very short rucking combination. If Frawley were to play back I would expect Grimes to get a run with role, probably on Swan.

Put the number slightly on left of centre. Opens up all the teens plus 11 and 12 should a better option arise.

I think you should add "compared with the teams who are prepared to offer him a contract". If it is purely about playing for a Premiership, it's not a big field of options.

It's not really surprising. The average contract length is probably around three years - exceptional players may get more and those close to the end of their careers due to age or performance are likely to get less. With a list of 48, that's 16 each year, on average, coming out of contract.

One reason for not delaying is that the pool of available funds under the cap can shrink if he waits. Should a player seek more than the MFC thought they might have to pay, and the club agrees to those demands, the space available under the cap shrinks for everyone else who hasn't yet signed. By getting in earlier, he reduces the risk to himself...and increases it for those yet to sign.

If ever a thread was to be turned into a pissing contest surely its appropriate that it's one about Dunny

Well unique, perhaps, in the last 9 years. Laurence Angwin was sacked mid-season in 2004.

I missed the bit in trade week where Carlton and St Kilda did a trade for the St Kilda schoolgirl. Presumably he doesn't fit in with Paul Roos no DH policy.

Does he also kick well on his non-preferred? I haven't seen the PA game and I can't recall having seen him use his right foot in the games I've seen. Satyr - I'm sure you would have seen him use his right foot at training. Is he comfortable kicking with it?

Not all coaches are particularly interesting. I find Nathan Buckley and Chris Scott to be two of the best I've ever heard. Paul Roos is good, but not as good. Mick Malthouse is basically an unintelligible bully - but when he was working in the media between his Collingwood and Carlton jobs he was actually quite good.

When I saw Dawes, Toumpas and Salem playing Richmond each with a similar beard and swarthy skin colour, I thought we'd invested in a set of life-size babushka dolls, Dawes being the outer doll, Toumpas the mid and Salem the one on the inside.

Yes, a gameplan's not much use of it's not clear. I recall reading somewhere (Demonland?) that it was claimed that under the previous regime players they were getting mixed messages from the different coaches.

Needs to do more around the ground before he'll be in contention for AA honours. Taking some marks would help. But there's no doubt the team has improved immensely since his return. I would have thought our best chances for AA this year would be Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson and possibly Lynden Dunn.

I'm interested in the question of the gameplan and this particular example of play. Salem's pass was executed perfectly and Bail was in the perfect position to make the most of it. However, if this had been early 2013, would Bail have been running into goal or would the coach's instructions have had him sitting on his man to defend the space? (Note: This is a serious question and not intended to be used to criticise Neeld. I just want to get a better understanding of how the gameplan has actually changed.)

Did Dawes and Clark ever play a game together? If so, I can't recall it.

Hey Saty. You need to correct the spelling of your last word. It's spelled c-o-a-c-h

Yes, I did see that and Craig Hutchison queried what she meant. I suspect Hutchy actually knows what positive discrimination is...he just couldn't believe Caro had actually said it.

Gillon M has recently spoken about digital rights and the next TV deal. Either he's fully aware of the value to be extracted or the AFL has someone (in house or a paid consultant) who does. He has also spoken strongly about the need to do what is necessary to put attendances at the footy ahead of everything else. If he can deliver on both those issues he will have made a good start to his time as CEO. My opening post was attempting to point out how much easier it would be for the AFL to extract a better deal for fans if it could play one TV network off against another. At the moment, its behaving like Mephistopholes having sold its soul to the Devil (in this case, Network 7 as the monopoly free to air TV provider) and is now trying to find a way to back down.

I would have thought Jetta would get Blair.

My mistake. I thought it was Roos we had to thank. Please accept my apologies for not having thanked you sooner.

I'll bet they listen to their mothers, their wives, their girlfriends and their daughters. And I'll also bet they've learned plenty from them, too. Why does it matter whether someone has "played the game at the top level" or not?

That's unfair. I distinctly remember when Cameron Cloke left Collingwood and joined Carlton the average IQ of both clubs improved.