La Dee-vina Comedia

Really looking forward to track watcher reports. Hopefully that will mean the return of Saty with his particular brand of support mixed with a keen eye for certain individuals.

As long as the AFL remains committed to Hawthorn v Geelong on Easter Monday and the two ANZAC Day/eve games, a Grand Final rematch can't always be the season opener. Those games mean it's impossible to commit to the Grand Final replay as the first game in case it's Hawthorn v Geelong, Essendon v Collingwood or Melbourne v Richmond because within weeks they'd be playing again. In fact, Easter Monday can be as early as Round 1.

It's not just that we're reigning Premiers, but there are two other reasons why Channel 7 is likley to want us on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Firstly, we play an attractive brand of football that people like to watch. Secondly (and related to the first), we're one of the highest goal scoring teams which allows for more ad breaks during play.

I love reading about the "little things" in this thread. Which makes this thread itself one of those little things. It's fabulous reading about what this Premiership means in so many different personal ways.

I'm thinking someone called Jamieson Ballantyne had parents who were fond of whiskey, but not particuarly good at spelling.

I suspect I wouldn't enjoy a game with no disposal errors or decision errors. I think you need to see a certain number of mistakes to enjoy the true glory of success.

Is Max Gawn the most popular AFL player in the country? I suspect so. Possibly also the most instantly recognisable, too (perhaps equally with McDonald-Tipungwuti)

That comment is so 2021. There are two reasons why that might change. Firstly, AFL rule changes can increase or decrease the value of any position on the ground. With Hocking gone and Brad Scott new to the role, we could see more rule changes sooner rather than later. Secondly, to keep winning (whether in sport or in business), you can't stand still. Goodwin will have to keep changing the way we play or we'll be caught and eventually overtaken. This might mean a change to the current 2 ruck strategy. We might go back to one with a pinch hitter or we might go with three. Or one day, we may not need any. It's not foreseeable now, but a team full of Petracca/Bontompelli clones may change the way the game is played to make ruckman redundant.

I've only just realised that this will be our first Premiership cup with the words "Australian Football League" engraved at the top. All the rest will say "Victorian Football League". There's no real reason for it, but that realisation is in itself an additional pleasure.

You're closer to the truth than you may have realised. In the news 12 days ago... https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/climate-change-prompts-plan-to-replace-trees-in-carlton-gardens-20211007-p58y09.html

It's just over 12 months to the next Victorian State election. I fully expect a Richmond Station renewal project to be announced as a policy initiative of one or both major parties before then. Just like a very fast train proposal gets raised before every Federal election. And then nothing happens.

The Premier's statement (which I'm reading solely in the context of the post I've quoted) is ambiguous, although I don't believe that would have been the Premier's intention. The use of "likely" might have been intended to signify that having any crowd was likely. However, it could have been used to mean that it would be "likely" that only people who are double vaxxed would be allowed to attend. On my first reading, I had assumed he meant the latter. And having now read it a few times, I'm still of that view. If that's correct, I assume crowds will be allowed at AFL games, but that only double vaxxed people (plus possibly those with legit medical exemptions) will be allowed in.

Why stop there? Why not ask Richmond to move?

I assume even if it is not club mandated or club managed, players who are training now are still covered by the club's insurance policy and can seek medical assistance if required.

What's the rule in the bargaining agreement regarding mandatory post-season break? I thought it was a 7 week gap between end of season and the next pre-season. Does this mean those players who are training are *takes a deep breath* scabs? More seriously, I hope the players who need the time off to repair their physical (and mental) damage are not feeling pressured to return too early.

She certainly won't be able to play in Victoria (unless she has a confirmed medical exemption). Not sure whether other States and Territories have, or will have, a similar Government reqirement. Then she also has to satisfy whatever requirements AFLW or AFL* puts in place. *Note: This means Gil's mob. This is another example of why there will inevitably be a name change for the men from AFL to AFLM (or MAFL). There needs to be a way to differentiate clearly between AFL as a corporate body in charge of football of all types and the men's competition.

I'm actually quite surprised that a team as old as Geelong (I mean the age of the club, not the players) and as successful as it has been recently, has only won 9 VFL/AFL Premierships overall.

Wells was probably afraid to admit that no-one at Geelong actually knows where Casey is.

Winning the Premiership is the ultimate AFL joy for supporters. But along with that biggest thrill, there are little things to savour. For me, it is this. I'm old enough to remember football in the late 60s onwards and in those days, like so many others I supported Melbourne and anyone who was playing Collingwood. Given we were so awful then, the best to be hoped for was an annual dose of Colliwobbles as Collingwood regularly made finals, and often Grand Finals, only to fail at the end. In my lifetime (born between the 57 and 58 seasons), and before this season, both Melbourne and Collingwood had won three Premierships. The little thing that pleases me most with the 2021 win is overtaking the number of Premierships won by Collingwood in that time. What little thing has added to your enjoyment of this new Grand Old Flag?

Why is it that those with this belief about God can't see the possibility that vaccines were invented with God's assistance?

Given clubs tend to "follow the leader" any chance the arms race for better and better facilities will be flipped on its head and other clubs will decide to downgrade their facilities to Gosch's standard?

Congratulations to Sam Frost in coming 6th in Hawthorn's B&F. I suspect if he'd stayed at Melbourne he might only have played a few games this year. (I could see him as the first replacement tried after Tomlinson was injured, to be replaced by Petty after about three games of Frostball.)

JJ might not be the first Premiership player who didn't get on the ground. I expect there are other Premiership players from the old 19th and 20th men days (ie, pre-interchange) who sat on the bench all day and never had a run. I suspect there might also be instances the other way around with players injured in the first minute of a Grand Final and having to be replaced. They, too, wouldn't have played a part in those games. Also, didn't Bluey Adams run onto the ground in a Grand Final having been activated as the 19th (or 20th) man only to collide immediately with Des Healy and play no further part in the game? (Mind you, he was involved in another 5 Premierships, so of course no-one is going to question whether he's a "Premiership player"). I understand the point you are making. However, I'm comfortable with him being a Premiership player. But I also wonder what JJ thinks?

I preface this by saying I don't fully understand the points system regarding drafting. Nevertheless, I have a question I'm sure someone here can answer. If I understand correctly, clubs who match bids to recruit sons of fathers are given a points discount. That is, a Round 1 pick is normally worth something like 3,200 points, but Collingwood will only need to give up 2,400 points to get Nick Daicos if he goes at pick 1. My question is why is there a points discount at all? In this example, Collingwood already has a benefit by being able to exercise a right not available to any other club to choose Daicos and "jump the queue" to get him.

Bruce McAvaney commented on Petracca's Grand Final performance, apparently on SEN this morning: https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/10/14/mcavaney-lauds-petraccas-astonishing-grand-final-performance/