La Dee-vina Comedia

I would have gone with double oxymoron

Webber, you know your stuff so some questions for you...is it correct that knee reconstructions are done (sometimes? always?) using a pice of tendon from the hamstring to replace the torn ligament? If this is the case, is it possible that Gawn's hamstring problem might be associated with what I would assume, perhaps incorrectly, is a weakening of the hamstring because of his knee reconstructions? And furthermore, is it possible that he doesn't necessarily have a tear in his hamstring at all but rather something associated with the tendonous rather than the muscular part of the hamstring? Charge me your usual rate for this consultation, thanks.

"a basketcase with ambition"...love it

If anyone else posted that, I'd question if serious. But I suspect you are.

Could we get a picture of Satyricon (or Satyriconhome) on the banner? He turns up to more training sessions than the players.

I like it. Shows all the fit KPFs in a visual format. Clever

That's because someone mentioned he might play as a tall forward. I think we've made a Nobel prize winning discovery - tall forward injuries are highly contagious.

Yes, they need 18 teams, but that doesn't mean it can't be the current 17 and another team, such as Tasmania, Canberra or even a Northern Territory team And they give us plenty - such as millions of dollars in support, Peter Jackson and more games at the MCG than our performance and drawing power deserves. And if we really did need to go into battle on something with the AFL, I'd rather it was something really important - not what our away jumper should look like.

Are clash strips meant to assist players or spectators? If it's the former, has anyone ever asked the players whether they have a problem with each team staying with their traditional strips? Edit: typo

I don't think these two things are mutually exclusive.

Prefer Muscat myself (drink, not Melbourne Victory coach)

All our recent so-called "rejects" suffered through many years of poor coaching, poor culture and poor development. Who knows what they would have been like if they'd been recruited to a "proper" club in the first place. I'm just waiting for an ex-Demon to sue the club for damaging their professional career by not providing a proper workplace environment.

Just remind them that in the last 60 years, Melbourne has won twice as many flags as they have.

Thanks DC.

Not as weird as in South Australia.I have no idea how they calculate percentage in the SANFL. Anyone know?

I don't recall the two instances you are referring to, but there's no doubt it's difficult for the umpires. They have to make a decision as to whether the ball hit the fist or foot before it hits the ground. Often they are not in a position which enables them to see which leaves them guessing. I don't know what the instructions are in such a situation - should they be giving the benefit of the doubt to the player with the ball or the player who makes the tackle?

I was thinking a bit more broadly than the data from just one club... ...and Nutbeam has adequately addressed MFC, anyway.

For once you've posted something worth thinking about. But I think the evidence doesn't back up the argument. Since free agency came in how many players who were able to leave actually did so? If there was mass movement of players under free agency, I think your point has some validity. Perhaps that will happen in the future, but right now with most players choosing to remain with their club, I think your concern is unfounded.

So we should go for hard nuts in the first round like we did with Sylvia and McLean at picks 3 and 5? How well did that work out? And one game does not a champion make. Luke Tapscott was just about BOG in his first game playing off HBF while Jobe Watson and Gary Ablett Jr took years to develop, with the former nearly delisted by Essendon. Can we just agree on one thing? Every player is different.

Don't tell anyone at the Herald Sun. If they find out, lead story tomorrow will be "Rod Grinter comes out of the closet". Not that there's anything wrong with that

That's what I like to see. Equal mix of loyalty, bias and paranoia. What would footy be without it?

Next year we could have the 10 year reunion of the last Melbourne team to win a Round 1 game.

If you saw the game on TV, you'd see he was limping early in the match. I suspect he then had a painkilling injection and struggled because of that and because he was our only real forward and therefore relatively easy for St Kilda to contain. But here's what we should like...as far as I know, neither Howe nor the club has blamed injury for his poor performance. I'm confident he'll never play a worse game.

Gilbert handpassed when he was caught. Hence, he wasn't holding the ball. It was a poor handpass, but the fist connected with the ball - just - so the umpire called it correctly.

I agree with the first bit, but not the second. I believe the theory is that players are to be discouraged from pulling the ball under them because to do so causes ugly packs. Ergo, umpires are effectively penalising the player for causing a stoppage. I'm not sure I agree with the idea and I know I'm frustrated when players who make the play get penalised. But perhaps not to do so might make the game even more unsightly. (I wouldn't mind a trial game where players are not allowed to grab the ball at all if their knees are on the ground. It would be interesting to see how that works).