La Dee-vina Comedia

I'm imagining what the game would be like if we went back right to the beginning where there were no umpires and the captains adjudicated. Imagine Max in that role? It would be most entertaining. Mind you, the whole scheme would come tumbling down when Sydney decide to have 22 co-Captains.

This thread needs to be modified. It's too easy at the moment. It needs to be more challenging as befits our standing as current Premier. I'd like to see people nominate who they'd bring back PLUS whose spot they take in the Premiership 22 (ie, ignore the sub). And try to be objective - that is, imagine you're picking the team before the Grand Final so it's not based on how players performed in the GF. For me Flower is the additional player. (No hesitation there). That would mean one of Brayshaw or Langdon need to be moved. I think Brayshaw takes Sparrow's or Hibberd's spot. Probably Hibberd's, given he's successfully played half-back before.

Why would that be seen as a win for Cricket Australia? What's going after mid-March in cricket? (Please treat as a rhetorical question - I really don't care about cricket once footy has started.)

Serious question: Is that actually what was said or have you crafted what you imagined might have been said? Because, if it's the latter, it's very fine trolling!

Please tell me that Dangerfield was scored lowly. Then we've got something to work with: Nic Nac, Paddy whack...

Yes there is. It's called "games won", possibly a measurement Champion Data is unfamiliar with.

Nearly 3 months into the new year? On 17 February? You don't ghost write Mick Warner's articles by any chance? 🙂

I think a velodrome was temporarily housed in what's now called John Cain Arena (previously known as Hisense Arena) at the tennis centre complex.

I'm just contemplating the idea of harness racing as a Commonwealth Games event. Yeah, nah.

Too right. See https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/d/dada#:~:text=Dada was an art movement,satirical and nonsensical in nature

I think there are more marginal electorates in Geelong. Watch out for a further Kardinia Park stadium and associated facilities upgrade.

While the 2006 games were held in Melbourne, Andrews wants the 2026 event to be held across regional Victoria: Knowing our luck we'll get a nice, new home base in Warrnambool.

I think you'll find that buying Docklands stadium was a financial windfall for the AFL. If I recall correctly, the AFL was able to borrow at a low rate of interest to keep the game going in 2020 because of its ownership of Docklands. I also disagree on Gold Coast being a waste of money. A second team in Queensland (and NSW) generates revenue through increased national sponsorship returns. In addition, it should strengthen the code in the northern States over time. Whether the money has been well spent at the Gold Coast is a different question.

The article says, "Six months later they were holding up the premiership cup after breaking the second-longest active drought." Wasn't our 57 years the longest active drought at the time? Or does he mean the second-longest active drought ever? Because that can't be right. Off the top of my head St Kilda waited 69 years (1897-1966) for their first flag and Sydney were 70+ years before they won in 2004. And the Bulldogs were 62 years between their two premierships.

This analysis by Champion Data is essential...if you're picking a team for Supercoach. It's probably mildly useful if you're interested in a flutter on the Brownlow (although how Jack Steele isn't said to be elite is beyond my understanding). But it is comprehensively useless if you're trying to identify a Premiership team. That's because Champion Data emphasises individualism rather than the team. Best example is Max Gawn. He's probably not "elite" because he shares duties with Luke Jackson so his statistical influence is diminished. I suspect, however, if there was a Champion Data category for "ruck combination", they'd be off the charts with daylight between them and the next combination.

I'm not saying the Selwood is the best captain in the competition, but surely the metric is more than having been captain of a premiership team. I've consistently argued that the role of captain today is far more than what happens on game day. Most of what a club needs from its captain happens outside game day.

Given we're using AFL umpires, can we discern any difference in the way the game is being umpired? For example, is the supposed change to the holding the ball interpretation changing the way the game is being played?

Not bizarre at all. This whole interview is intended for the Geelong playing group. He's telling them not to be despondent because there's a good reason they got thumped. At the same time he's telling them that they were good enough to make the 2021 PF, not good enough to be 2021 Premiers but definitely good enough to win in 2022. It's not dissimilar to the strategy behind Goodwin saying that he never bothered to review the 2018 Preliminary Final.

Wasn't Hunt a top tennis player in his youth? I seem to recall he was said to be better at tennis than football when he was drafted.

If AFLW teams can FIFO, should we anticipate that the AFLM will do likewise? I agree with your last line, by the way.

It's interesting how the mind works. When reading the quote from Hibberd in the opening post, my mind got ahead of my eyes so I anticipated Hibberd was going to say, "Ordineroli speaking a premiership means the world but given everything I've been through and overcome - it means nothing much at all" - so, essentially the opposite of what he said. If he had said that, I'm sure we all would have understood, but I'm pleased he's found it to be such a positive feeling.

And for Stan (owned by Nine who are publishers of The Age) and its documentary about the 2021 trade period. Having said that, if it's well done, it might be an interesting doco.

Seems to me the claims of bullying have already resulted in significant change. Notice how the coaches all have kindergarten standard plastic whistles instead of the old manly, metal monsters? Being in club colours is a nice, non-threatening touch.

Didn't I see in the Embarrassing Records thread that we've never been through a season undefeated? Perhaps not.🙂 But wouldn't it be great if it were to happen?

It's not that hard. Trac gets 3 votes round 1 while Clarrie gets 2. Then in round 2 it's Clarrie with 3 and Trac 2. Repeat for the remaining 20 games.