La Dee-vina Comedia

Thanks DW. But why would a player be put on the LTI during pre-season anyway? Where's the advantage to the club?

And the quantity

Does that mean he can't play seniors for the first 8 rounds? And does being on the LTI prevent players from playing in the seconds during that time?

Apart from the issues others have raised about how such a strategy would stop others from wanting to play with the MFC, your logic is also flawed and simplistic. We have to pay a certain amount of dollars to the players as part of the players' Collective Bargaining Agreement. We wouldn't just 'save' $3.2 million by not 'spending' it on Clark. It would have to spent on player payments anyway. In addition, Clark has offered value beyond the games that he's played - why else would he have been voted into the leadership group?

But can you prove it?

I'm not sure about that. While I don't have any evidence to back it up, I suspect more people change religions than change AFL teams.

Wow. I know Dunn is not everyone's favourite player, but this is going a bit far. Sounds more like something Campbell Brown or Tony Lockett might do.

I think their biggest mistake was dumping Ratten and replacing him with Malthouse. I also wonder whether trading for Chris Judd, as good as he's been, has in the end cost them too much by losing a quality KPF (Josh Kennedy) and another high draft pick. I think they were dreaming if they thought they could win a premiership before Judd retires. (Mind you, we wanted him...and we were even further away).

Succession plans are a tried and true formula in business. The only places they don't seem to be used are professional sport, with some exceptions, and politics, with even fewer exceptions. Can anyone recall whether John Longmire was considered to be Paul Roos' successor at Sydney before Roos announced he was to leave? If so, we'd be following the same strategy as Sydney. I'd be happy with such a strategy.

Titus O'Reilly has tweeted: "Melbourne wanting to have a successor in place for Paul Roos by the end of the season, is consistent with their normal timetable."

Yes, in the late 60s and 70s there was a night competition for the teams that didn't make the finals. Games were played under lights at the old Albert Park Ground. My recollection is that the lighting was poor and the standard of play even poorer. But it was the only night football of any description in those days with all games being played on a Saturday afternoon.

Perhaps "weeks" and "years" are interchangeable at MFC. Which makes those "4 to 6" injury reports even more concerning.

Tony You make some good points which makes me less convinced than I was about my own arguments. Nevertheless, you haven't yet got me over the line just yet. On balance, I still believe we have failed to physically develop players to a body shape that matches the needs of current football. And I still believe Frawley is undersized for the job he's asked to do...which make his performances all the more meritorious.

Actually, I don't mind players (and politicians) lying about their own personal decisions. It's their business. As long as it doesn't affect their day job, I couldn't care less if a player is contemplating better offers while denying doing so...or if a US President is cheating on his wife.

Sorry Tony, I disagree. I think Melbourne players in the last 6-8 years have, overall, been physically smaller than other teams. And I'm not just talking about some obvious former players such as Morton and Gysberts. Just look at West Coast and Adelaide players up close and compare them with ours. In comparison, ours seem physically weaker. There are exceptions (Jamar and Tapscott come to mind), but players such as Watts, Strauss, Trengove and even Frawley are relatively skinnier than players of equivalent age and playing in similar positions in other teams.

Gotta love football's truisms...which are anything but. That's in the same category as the President saying that "The coach has the full backing of the Board".

And the players' managers.

Why don't you really upset Olisik and name your cat "Dunny"?

And an excellent taker of contested marks in the forward line, too, in an era when contested mark taking was a more significant requirement than it is today.

I know I'm repeating what I've written many times before. Dunn is a very good kick for goal, but not a good field kick. People mistake distance for quality. His long kicks travel too high and therefore take too long to land. That works perfectly fine when kicking for goal but not when trying to get the ball into the hands of a teammate. His kicks allow the opposition to get to the drop of the ball and spoil. The best kicks are those who get distance while keeping the ball low. It travels more quickly and is therefore more effective. It's what Jack Watts can do (as could Jurrah, Nathan Buckley and the player I consider to be the best kick I've ever seen - Darren Jarman). With respect to Dunn, until last year I didn't think he was worth holding onto. After his performances last year I can see some value in him being on the list but see no reason to lose sleep in the unlikely event another team picks him up as a free agent.

I think we also get a bit seduced by the annoyingly puerile discussion about the importance of Rising Star nominations and winners. As nice as it is to have players considered for that award, no more than 22 players a year are going to be nominated and many of them don't appear to go on to have stellar careers. The Rising Star award is an example of short-term expectations which don't really fit in with long term careers.

Speaking for myself, I've been a member for about 15 years and I don't recall ever taking enough interest in Board machinations to vote when the opportunity is offered to me. That's my failing and I've only got myself to blame. Does anyone know what proportion of the membership eligible to vote actually does so? And a tougher question - do we know how this proportion compares with other clubs?

Garry Baker is my choice for best beard on any footballer over the last 50 years.

I think it should be 'No, no and no'. The Melbourne Football Club has a democratically elected Board who make the decisions. Therefore, if anyone is at fault it is us, the members, who elect the Board members.

Thanks Master. I haven't really been following Alistair Clarkson's push for accreditation of coaching, but in most other spheres of life some form of formal training seems beneficial, so I suspect it would be similarly helpful for a Development Coach.