La Dee-vina Comedia

I'm not sure it's quite as clear cut as you make it. I agree with Gawn in for Mitch Brown. But if Jackson comes back, it depends on whether the match committee wants a tall forward line, in which case Weideman stays and Bedford goes or whether they like the alternative of a smaller and faster forwards group, in which case Weideman would go and Bedford stay (unless Chandler is preferred). Being a night game with, at this stage, a 95% chance of showers in the evening, I hope it's the smaller, faster option.

The rule has been tweaked, though. It used to say that the MFC had to lose at the Cattery every year.

I seem to recall successful VFA player, Vic Aanensen, might have played (with South Melbourne, maybe?) Is he first? Otherwise, Jake Aarts

It does read like he played a game with the Auskick kids. Would have been fun to watch.

If I were North, I'd be making Angus Brayshaw a Godfather offer. He's got the talent, family connection to the club, leadership, Premiership experience and he's a free agent. If I were Brayshaw, I'd be torn between staying with a very successful club or being set up for life post-football.

They gave us something far better than priority picks. They gave us Peter Jackson and Paul Roos. If they'd just given us priority picks we would probably have wasted them either by making poor selections or not giving them the right environment in which to develop properly. Or both. I suspect North will need something similar.

And 50% more economical with his comments than Joeboy. To clarify, his Twitter profile states that he is an "accredited AFL ump disappointed at the standard at AFL level". That description, though, could mean different things to different people. For example, is he (or she?) a field umpire or a goal umpire? What does "accredited AFL ump" even mean? Nevertheless, his other posts highlight contentious decisions and explains why the umpire got it right or wrong. I find it both entertaining and informative. If you're on Twitter, I recommend following him (or her).

Out of curiosity, went and had a look at the complete list. Ablett Jr won it three times in consecutive years (2007-2009). Interestingly, Simon Goodwin won it in 2006. To state the obvious, it's a list of very good players: https://aflcoaches.com.au/awards/the-aflca-champion-player-of-the-year-award

The scary thing for oppositions is that Petracca might have been best on ground but he was still a fair way from playing at what he's capable of when playing at his very best.

I suspect the distribution of free kicks follows a normal distribution over the longer term. So, in thousands of matches, it won't be unusual to see a 23-9 distribution every now and then. It takes approx 5 years for 1,000 AFL matches.

Surprised the umpires didn't pay a free kick to Brayshaw for a block by Harmes.

I thought the umpiring was poor but in no way do I believe there was any cheating or deliberate bias. Just bad decision making. However, what is worth commenting on is the player's restraint. The crackdown on dissent means there were a lot of opportunities for our players to complain which would have lead to 50m penalties. That we didn't complain and just got on with the game shows great leadership and probably coaching. The other side to that coin, though, is that behind the scenes when the umpiring is as poor as it was, clubs affected by it must have a proper avenue to air their grievances privately to the AFL.

A few people on here have said they thought M Brown played better than Weideman. I disagree with that view. However, I wasn't at the ground and I know from experience that TV viewing does not give the whole picture. I'd be interested in the opinions of anyone who was at the Adelaide Oval. Neither Weideman or M Brown set the world on fire, but the season is about winning the Premiership, not worrying so much about each individual game. I believe Weideman is a better option than M Brown to that end, so if only one loses his spot this week, it should be M Brown. Bedford also seemed to have a shocker, but Chandler has been tried and shown me little to enthuse each time, so I'd keep Bedford in, unless we want to go back to a taller forward line.

Of all current AFL players, Oliver has the second longest streak of continuous games with 125, but a fair way back from the leader, who is Jack Crisp on 177. Petracca comes in 4th with 97 (Goldstein is on 101). Then it gets tricky. Elephant stamp for anyone who can identify the next three Melbourne players on the list.

Is it possible Bradtke didn't want to continue and pulled the pin himself?

I think Tomlinson provided ruck assistance at GWS. I don't recall him doing so with us. Nevertheless, if Jackson is out I see two options. Either Mitch Brown is the replacement for Jackson to provide height in the forward line or Tomlinson comes in, plays in defence, and Petty plays forward and 2nd ruck. There are pros and cons with each option.

Magnificent!

Indeed, but I'm grateful that they are annually remembered. What makes our club special is the quality of its people. I'm much happier and feel much better rewarded to have been a member of a club with people like Sean Wight, irrespective of our onfield results. Premierships are the cream; the people are the substance.

The emergency list is never chosen on the basis of the next best four players. There's always a mix to enable coverage of onballers, key position players and ruckmen. Presumably the match committee believes Mitch Brown is the better key position or ruck option than van Rooyen and, because of injuries, there's no-one else. I would have expected any one of Turner, Joel Smith or Daw (who, if he hadn't been injured may not yet have retired) would have been selected ahead of M Brown.

Come on Hemingway. Stop blaming your proof reader. A missing question mark and the wrong use of "your", both in the same post. You are better than this.

For anyone who hasn't seen it, make sure you take a look at what I believe is Nicholson's finest movie, "Chinatown". Then come back and read the post I've quoted and you'll understand why I mentioned it here.

Reminds me of the actor Jack Nicholson telling the story of his mother not appreciating the irony of her calling him a "son of a b*tch".

Will be interesting to hear Kane Cornes's view. He consistently criticises clubs for offering contracts of this length, using Brodie Grundy as an example. However, I can see why the club might have offered 7 years now, apart from the quality of his play. It could be seen as a "bonus" for signing early and forgoing his free agency rights. Makes sense for both parties, given the inevitable distraction which would otherwise occur if he remained unsigned in his final year before becoming a free agent.

Maybe Tom Hickey has an aim of playing with every AFL club and we're next on his roster.

Has van Rooyen grown? At the beginning of the year he was listed as 194cm. That's not nearly tall enough to compete against any other genuine ruckman.