La Dee-vina Comedia

Slightly off topic, it's an indictment on the last 40 years of the club that there have been so few Melbourne players even worthy of consideration. A quick look at other clubs 2012 playing lists identifies many likely HoF inductees once they retire - Brisbane (Brown, Black), Geelong (Scarlett, Bartel, maybe Steve J, Enright and Selwood), Sydney (Goodes), Essendon (Fletcher), Carlton (Judd), Hawthorn (Hodge), Fremantle (Pavlich), Gold Coast (Ablett) and many others. Neitz? Borderline for mine on pure performance but maybe gets in because of the number of games plus number of games as captain plus being awarded AA in two completely different positions.

I'm not fussed about whether it's played or not. But if it's to be played is it possible to have a better version? The current one is, I think, Julie Anthony's but I believe it's been digitally sped up so it now sounds like it's being played in a hurry just to get it over and done with. Play it with respect, or not at all.

Mind you, last year the panel didn't go with the popular vote. Andrew Walker's mark was chosen by everyone, except the panel, who chose Krakouer's.

I think Pies fans are more into moonshine than sun shine.

I think you might have your food chains back to front. I think Damien Barrett is an employee of Crocmedia, Craig Hutchison's media company. Which makes Hucthy Barrett's boss.

I think the ultimate irony would be for Eddie to convince the AFL that 3rd party deals to pay Cloke are acceptable...so Cloke goes to Carlton because of the better 3rd party deal Carlton offers based on the principle which Eddie talked the AFL into allowing.

I seem to recall that at last year's B&F we had something called a 'Heart and Soul Award' which I think went to Brad Green. Do we still have such an award? If so, was it presented last night?

I'd just like to compliment the opening poster for using an older cliche ("staring us in the face") instead of the more modern and way overused "elephant in the room".

We're now up to 15 pages on an unconfirmed rumour which Neeld has apparently tried to quash. How many pages will there be about a player who is actually delisted? Oh, I've just started page 16. reason for edit: added last line

The agreement between the players and the AFL requires all players to have a minimum rest period between when they finish their football year and when pre-season training starts. Does anyone know whether playing in the VFL Finals is considered to be still part of the football year? If so, any player involved in the VFL Finals will have to have extra time off before non-VFL playing MFC players return to pre-season training. I don't think this is desirable for a team whose priority is winning AFL senior matches.

I always thought the problem with Morton was that he needed to fill out, not in!

I'm not sure nominating Tom Mc, Blease, Howe and Jones as examples of excellent development is a strong argument. None of them has yet reached star status (I was going to write 'superstar' but I'd be happy if they could just make 'star' status - I accept Jones is moving in that direction). Perhaps they never will and may never have done so at another club. But is it more likely that Melbourne has been unable to draft just one bona fide superstar in the last 20 years or that we've been unable to develop one? And did I read somewhere on here that 9 clubs have supposedly expressed interest in Cook? If that statement is correct (and feel free to shoot me down if it's not), what do they see that we don't?

But, the real but unanswerable question is this. If Talia had been picked instead of Gysberts would he have had his talent, strength and fitness developed as well at Melbourne as has happened at Adelaide?

I can't. It's their job. If they have 'no idea' they shouldn't be writing anything.

A suggestion for the next banner. How about past quality players such as Flower, Lyon, Neitz, Stynes (as a player), Barassi, a couple of Cordners (not David), etc. Reminds us of what we were and perhaps what we should aim for. And no annoying embarrassments should a current player leave or perform so badly they don't belong there.

It's not a question of right or wrong. Nor is it a question of who's in the right and who's in the wrong. It's just sad. None of us can imagine the emotional ties and consequent difficulties for Liam playing in Melbourne and for Melbourne. I wish him luck for the future wherever it is and whatever it brings and thank him for the all too brief joy he provided when he played with us.

I think it's the other way round. 90% of our players aren't fit enough for the game plan.

And here's a link to one of Charles Happell's writings referred to earlier. I'll believe the Cronk story - and every other piece of unattributed, unproven and unsubstantiated gossip - as much as I choose to believe this one.

Adolf Hitler believed that if a lie was big enough and told often enough people would believe it. Let's not fall into the trap of believing everything everybody else says or writes. While this story may or may not be true, it has also been written (by journalist Charles Happell, I think) that Melbourne players were telling the coaches and administration what to do in the 1980s. And those players, he alleges, were Jim Stynes, Chris Connolly, Garry Lyon and Todd Viney. I have no idea if this is true, either. Just to clarify...where there is smoke there often isn't fire. Just ask Lindy Chamberlain (and there are plenty more urban myths out there).

I find it troubling that after a lifetime of classifying Collingwood as the team to despise most I find that Carlton has now taken that mantle. Is this, perhaps, Eddie's biggest success? On topic, if Malthouse becomes coach of Carlton as the pundits are predicting and we probably all expect, does that make Mark Neeld's job harder in that Malthouse's reach into Collingwood might restrict Neeld's access? Or has Neeld already extracted everything he wants (such as Leigh Brown)?

I think Leigh Matthews has him covered. And Gary Ablett Sr.

In fact, Neeld moved him from on ball to HFF. Was successful in that role in the Essendon victory, but appeared to struggle more and more with the role as time went by. I suspect Beamer is a victim of a gameplan that requires hard running both ways which he doesn't appear physically to be suited to.

Beautifully put although it's the same for all AFL players at this time. (I know what you meant, but your use of "2013" and "non existent" in the same sentence was just too good to ignore.) On topic, if he wants to leave he should do so; if he wants to stay, I'd keep him only if he has bought into the Neeld plan.

And, apart from our game, look at those scores. No flooding and basically no defensive pressure resulted in lots of high scoring games.

Should have gone with Jets and Sharks and put it to music. Oh, wait, that's already been done.