La Dee-vina Comedia

Asked by whom?

For those of you claiming you wish to 'eat your words', please don't. Instead, please wrap them in foil and send them to Cale to eat because whatever he's eating at the moment isn't enough.

He might be a 'potential midfielder', but he's not playing there yet. So 12 possessions in a forward line that doesn't get the ball delivered to them as often as we'd like is not a bad effort.

They would have been about 2,000km north if they'd taken the Gold Coast option.

While I don't agree with you, I like the way you have shamelessly put Melbourne in the group with the four teams with the largest crowd pulling power. I'm sure no-one else will notice...

I think there is too much blind acceptance of the supposed 'flawed draw'. In my view, the best four teams will always end up in the top 6 positions of the ladder in any year. And one of them (the best four) will win the flag. So it doesn't matter who plays poorer teams twice. And keep in mind when the draw is determined there is usually (ie, apart from when new teams are being introduced) no certainty as to who the best and the worst teams will be in the coming year. End of story.

Not on the injury list but in hospital according to MFC Twitter: Leigh Williams with a viral brain infection. I wish him (and all injured players) well.

I blame Jack Watts for this thread not reaching the length of any thread involving that other number one draft pick who now lives in Blacktown.

I still don't quite understand his role at the moment. The structure seems to have him start as CHF in the sense of position on the ground. Is he a defensive forward? Or a small crumbing forward? Or has Neeld basically said, there's no room in my team for someone who is just a defensive forward or just a crumbing forward - you'll have to be both? In which case, maybe that's what Bail is doing and doing it pretty well. His tackling against St Kilda was ferocious, although he gave away a couple of frees for hanging on too long and he also kicked two goals. In short, though, I'm a fan.

So, when did you last eat them and how were they cooked? If they were "boiled to death" (like my mother used to do), yeah, I agree, yuuuuuuuuuuk. Just don't overcook them and they are delicious! And I blame Jack Watts for all the emoticons now used in Demonland.

I repeat what I posted earlier. What's wrong with Brussels Sprouts? Cut the bottom off and steam them...then eat. I blame Jack Watts for allowing people to criticise Brussels Sprouts.

6. Jones 5. McDonald 4. McKenzie 3. Rivers 2. Jamar 1. Bartram Bail was nearly in the votes but lost a few points with me for some poor tackling (but poor in a good way - he just held on too long and gave away free kicks. I'd rather that than having tackles not stick). It was great, also, to see Grimes work his way into the game as well as he did. Augurs well. I just hope his kicking improves.

I would have thought dropping a player wouldn't help their confidence. Saturday night was a night for big bodied players so in those conditions Watts wasn't ever going to be in the best players. But he wasn't bad enough to be dropped, either. I'll assume Frawley won't be fit and Clark will. So, for mine, Clark comes in and Dunn goes out (see footnote below). Based on the Casey game, maybe Bennell should come in to add pace and skillful disposal, but, if so, it would have to be for Joel MacDonald, who had his best game for the year on Saturday night. On balance, I'd let Bennell play one more good game at Casey before promoting him. And Sellar should make way for Martin once Martin is fit. I think Sellar is the slowest player I've ever seen. His effort is commendable, but he runs like he's wearing concrete slippers. And by far the worst player on Saturday night was Sylvia, but through no fault of his own. He should have come back via Casey. But now he's back, he should remain in the team. Footnote: While I'd drop Dunn, I suspect the Match Committee won't and will once again see value in Dunn playing a shut down role, perhaps on Corey Enright. In which case, Clark will come in for Tapscott.

It's a bit depressing that reading about Casey is more interesting and exciting than reading about the senior team. But thanks to all who contributed so we can look optimistically into the future.

Sloonie, are you prepared to name your darling and explain where the tingling is that he (or she) is sensing? And why?

Hey, what's wrong with brussels sprouts?

How will his fitness be? Does anyone know what fractured vertebrae do in terms of limiting fitness work? I presume he won't be 100% so he might need to spend more time forward and less time in the middle than Neeld might ideally want. I expect he will spend more time up at the full forward line this Saturday than he might in subsequent weeks while he gets his fitness and touch back.

Because they're nasal or some other reason?

Can someone with a better memory than me recall whether Dunn's selection in whatever year he was drafted was considered at the time to be a surprise, a stroke of genius or par for the course? I wonder what was the thinking at the time. That he'd be a key position player? A forward? Defender? For some strange reason I can recall that Bate was considered to have "slipped" through to us (but I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong). But I have no memory of what the consensus view of Dunn was. And I know it's all academic now. I'm just curious. PS. I wouldn't pick Dunn this week or perhaps ever again given the number of chances he's had and his inability to deliver.

Those non-incandescent light bulbs. Or maybe it's the other way round given that 40 watts now only equals 8 watts.

I'm surprised at the expectations of many that the only place to satisfy selectors of fitness, form, skill and attitude is via playing a game either with Melbourne or Casey. What do you think happens on the other six days of the week?

This is where the "Like This" button is unhelpful. I need an "I agree, but I don't have to Like It" button because your point is well made. To say I "Like This" may give the wrong impression.

Just want to mention one Good: Rohan Bail - not a perfect game, by any means, but much of our attack in the first half came from his endeavour, pace and forward movement. I'm not convinced he's a forward or defensive forward (or whatever he's playing), but he definitely adds zip. And one bad and ugly combined: Lynden Dunn's game, particularly in the first half when he didn't seem to know what his job was. He's a very good pointer, pointing to everyone else where to stand, but he doesn't seem to know where to position himself when the ball is in the hands of the Bulldog defenders. He seemed to get caught in no-man's land many times.

Didn't notice this at the ground but a friend watching on TV suggested that it was being taken very seriously by the medical staff on the boundary. So, I reiterate above..."Any word on that?" Or do we assume no news is good news?

I'd be wary of using the kicking efficiency figures for individual players. According to the figures for all teams, forwards have poorer kicking efficiency than defenders. I suspect this is because a shot for goal that scores anything other than a goal is deemed to be ineffective, and, I suspect, it does not take into account from where the kick is taken. Nevertheless, even without using statistical measures it's plain to the eye that disposal for our team is a significant problem. As mentioned above, some of this is likely to be due to pressure being placed on the player kicking because he's often not in open space, but there is no denying we have more poor kicks on the list than desirable.