La Dee-vina Comedia

6. Blease 5. Spencer 4. Jones 3. Grimes 2. Rivers 1. Bate I hope 'waving arms around' becomes an Olympic sport in 2016. Lynden Dunn could win gold for Australia.

Latest news: Frawley out (quad); Bate in. Preseumably Rivers now goes to the backline and Bate plays forward

There is generally a choice of two statements when players retire. When they retire earlier than expected, people say "Why did he retire?". When they play on for one year too many, people say "Why didn't he retire?" Brad Green has taken the first option and was a wise man for doing so.

MFC just tweeted press conference this morning with Green, Neeld and McClardy. Retirement announcement, perhaps?

Soft as butter? And I thought our problem was our inability to spread... (And I think your assessment is way off. With all the psychological trauma he's been through over many years, I suspect he's one of the mentally toughest players on our list.)

Maybe they meant he'd been kneed in the shoulder...

On SEN yesterday they mentioned a number of times that he'd taken the fifth most contested marks in the AFL this year*. But I wouldn't say he's the best ever. I'd certainly have Wayne Carey and Jonathon Brown ahead of him. But I'm very happy with what I see out there. I recall in Dean Bailey's first game as coach we had one contested mark for the whole game (Kyle Cheney). How the gameplan has changed! *SEN didn't say who the four above him are. My guess: Pavlich, Hawkins, maybe Roughead (Hawthorn's, of course) and J Brown?

Not an expression I've heard before but fits into the same category as "p1ss1ng in your pocket". Somehow both are meant to mean...er, what are they meant to mean, again?

On the first read through I thought you wrote, "Get her to focus on the Pies and Cloke. A much safer bet. And she might want to return." Thought you were thinking Cloke would come to Melbourne and then your daughter would transfer her support with him.

I can't believe the odds on offer. I want Melbourne to win - but I don't think we will. I so desperately, desperately hope I'm horribly wrong.

I didn't think I needed to say it was my opinion because I thought that was implied. And I agree with you about Mark Robinson. My aversion to anything he writes is only exceeded by my aversion to anything he says.

The AFL might have got some things wrong but they've got plenty right. It's still the best game in the world and I believe the major mistake made in the GCS and GWS experiment is that they didn't go into those markets sooner. It's hard to believe that in the mid-1980s a number of teams were apparently on their last legs. Then again in the 1990s mergers were on the cards. That we still have the number of teams we have in Victoria is an outstanding result. Sure, improvements are still necessary. But overall I still love the game (although not necessarily the way the Demons play right now) and the powers that be deserve credit.

Interesting point. Question for the lawyers on this site: If the AFL 'clears' the MFC, can anyone involved at the MFC at that time sue McLean for defamation?

It's probably worth pointing out that the AFL has no choice but to investigate McLean's comments. It can't be in charge of the integrity of the competition and then ignore comments such as these. I note that The Age has today also reported that the gambling regulator in Victoria is also "investigating" the matter. If you put 2 and 2 together, it's clear to me that the AFL has to investigate or it may be in trouble with the gambling regulator. None of the above necessarily means that the AFL will find any issues of concern and I am 100% confident that the AFL is not pursuing this investigation because of some hidden agenda against the Demons (which is being suggested elsewhere on this site).

Sorry, Jonesbag. I think you're stuck between Bargaining ("if we don't improve...") and Depression ("I don't know if I'll be able to attend games anymore"). Mind you, I'm not a psychologist, so what would I know.

In 1969 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described the 5 stages of grief in her book “On Death and Dying”. Since then other psycho-babblists have postulated that there may be six or seven stages. But let’s look at the MFC using the Kubler-Ross stages. Stage 1: Denial Every player on our list is a super-star or a super-star in the making; the Football Department is the best in the country; and the coach is so obviously the best in the business it’s amazing he didn’t already have a job as a senior coach somewhere else before he took up the reins with the Dees. Stage 2: Anger We’ve lost more games than we should have and we can’t believe how the players aren’t trying. The coach isn’t making the right moves on the field and hard decisions at selection which are patently obvious to every outsider aren’t being made. And worse, no one from the club understands the pain the supporters are going through. (Note: If you’re a Richmond supporter, this would be where you go shopping for chicken manure). Stage 3: Bargaining Let’s trade player X for player Y; surely we should be drafting for key position players or midfielders or inside role players. If only the players showed more courage on field I would find it easier to support them. Stage 4: Depression I’m sick of this season already. It’s so hard to watch the way we play I’m thinking of not only not going to the MCG this week, but cutting my ties with the club forever. It’s so sad to think of little children being forced to support the MFC – they’ll be miserable for the rest of their lives. Stage 5: Acceptance OK, so we’re no good right now, but I can see a plan for improvement and I’ll always support the team. Go Dees. I'm at Stage 5, where are you?

The saddest part about our lot at the moment is that trade week and particularly draft time are the most interesting aspects of being a Demon supporter. For the last few years it all goes downhill from late February onwards. Nevertheless, I'm an optimist and believe that after one more tortuous year, the interest cycle in Demonland in 2014 will change 180 degrees and become more enjoyable during the winter months.

Oucher, not only is there a weekly cycle, but there's also an annual one with peaks around trade week (which will be a longer peak this year given the extended timeframe for trading), the period just around the draft, gradually increasing during the pre-season only to be burst like a balloon the moment the season proper starts.

I find it somewhat ironic that when Bailey took over, the playing list he inherited was incapable of playing his gameplan. It was a squad trained to play a slow, long kicking, contested style of football who couldn't execute the run and carry style Bailey wanted. But over time the list turned over and those remaining from the old days plus the new guys gradually adopted the Bailey style. Nevertheless, it didn't ultimately succeed and some would say it was destined never to do so because the style had become outdated. (Not sure I agree with that last point - ie, that it was outdated - but it's now academic anyway). Exit Bailey and enter Neeld who has inherited a playing list incapable of playing his gameplan which appears to be a slow, long kicking, contested style of football. I don't think the playing list is as bad as it looks - it's just not yet capable of playing the Neeld gameplan. Will it ever? Probably. The squad needs to be fitter and stronger and it needs to be able to play the gameplan intuitively. Some of the current stock can do it now and some over time will be able to do so. And some won't because they are either not skilled enough, not interested or just not suited to the style - and those players will move on. But to criticise Neeld for the onfield performance going backwards this year is just silly. He has a long term plan. I imagine he expected a better performance than he's got, but it's always been about changing for the future rather than expecting success in the now.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play 'At Last' by Etta James

On the other hand, North Melbourne is the team that lets me down the most in my tipping competition. They win when I pick against them; they lose when I pick them. And this week I'm picking them.

Got it, thanks.

While I don't support the merits of the "put him on the rookie list argument" I don't think I even understand the logic of it. If he stays on the primary list and can't play, a rookie will be promoted, so we still have the same numbers available. So, what's the advantage?

This wasn't a trial. It was a committal hearing. Proceeding to trial is not the best result for Liam but it's important for people to understand the Magistrate has not formed a view as to Liam's guilt or otherwise. All the Magistrate has determined is that there is sufficient evidence for a trial to proceed. That evidence will be tested in a proper trial at a later date.

Actually, seems ABC online might be wrong. The Age is reporting the 3 September date is for an appearance just to set the trial date. So who knows when the trial will be.