pantaloons

Just gob-smacked watching him tonight. We need to hold an athletic tryout session on each continent in the offseason where only people taller than 7-foot need apply. Surely we could find someone who could master the ruck caper in a couple of years.

Career worst game for Frawley today. That said, I feel so sorry for him. He gets drafted to us just in time for one of the worst six-year performances by a VFL/AFL club in history and he's the defensive lynchpin supposed to stifle the opposition's best back while our midfield gets routinely flogged. Sad milestone game, but he's still one of the only players from our team who would be a walk-up start in any other team.

What on earth is going on up there? Has a team ever thrown away a finals berth in such ridiculous fashion? It's like Melbourne v Adelaide round 21, 1995 multiplied by 50. Maybe they just went up there for a holiday and are expecting us to beat Freo next week.

If the saints win the second half by 98, this will be one of the greatest days in human history. It could only be better if Scully was out there.

I do like Stef and have him in my best 22. One of the main problems though is that I think he's played his best football in the ruck and down back, but is a poor forward - not overly imposing or a goal kicker. Our back line is pretty settled and our best area of the ground, and it's probably more useful to be able to pinch-hit for a couple of goals up forward.

If they can stretch the final margin out to 191 today, then St. Kilda.

With everything they've had on Melbourne in that paper this year, you'd think we were sponsored by their rival or something.

Since 1982, Richmond has made the finals twice. Fitzroy has appeared in more finals series since then. No finals appearances since 2001. But with Richmond, there's always the 'chance' to play finals next year I guess. We are obviously pretty crook right now, but don't think things can't turn around quicker than expected with a good offseason.

The last known image of Mackay:

Can someone who has watched neutral footy in the last year or two enlighten me as to whether Shannon Byrnes has anything left? Goodness knows we could do with a touch of crumb.

I have literally never heard of this guy. I haven't watched a whole lot of neutral games the last few years as footy has been too depressing, but I didn't realise I had missed quite that much.

Rolly, I think the idea is sound and we've seen it this year to varying extents. I'd like to see more of Gysberts too. I'd say that Bate is less a ? and more a ~ or x though. And either way, Neeld has surely made his mind up on Sellar. It may be more entertaining to play Cook so that he can lap up the plaudits from his legion of fans from Demonland.

It's not invalid for Fan to ask why supporters have been asked to top up the club's salary cap. Either, as most of you suggest, the donations just go into general pot, or it is as advertised. I hope and assume it's the former. Either way, well done to those who donated. if we do ever get back to the top of the mountain, the fingerprints of MFC supporters will be all over the cup. Good point. Ultimately, we want the ability to be able to pay 100% of the cap. When we're in our re-building phase (due to finish any day now!) we shouldn't be paying maximum dollar, no matter how much front-loading we do.

Thanks for the link. It's interesting that you mention Neitz. Of all the recent big name retirees, he's the one who had injury make up his mind for him so it wasn't so much a decision between club and player. Unfortunately, he didn't get a send off game like many others due to the neck injury.

Happy for him to be farewelled at home. On a separate note, it is an unmitigated disgrace that teams still have to travel interstate in the final round. With two teams in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and SE Queensland this shouldn't happen, regardless of how intense teams feel their little derbies are. Don't want to hijack the thread though, carry on!

You can't get excited about the preseason. KC won convincingly the week before but that matters not. These four warmup games for KC are about getting previously injured players up to speed and through unscathed. KC was without a good chunk of its secondary in Flowers and Lewis on the weekend, and will particularly need Flowers back soon. Last season, the Chiefs suffered an injury apocalypse and missed the playoffs by a blown FG. Including the returns of Charles, Berry, Moeaki and Cassel (who despite his obvious limitations is a below average but not disgraceful QB), the Chiefs have made some other significant additions to the youngest team in the NFL, and the team that won the division in 2010 before last season's farce. Believe me when I say I am one of the most pessimistic Chiefs fans around. I understand we have had an ordinary history since SB IV and have historically had cheapskate ownership hinder our progress, but this Chiefs team looks good. Not Super Bowl good, but good enough to win a playoff game and well and truly good enough to win the West. ESPN's AFC West writer Bill Williamson has picked KC and I'd say he will be in the majority. Denver faces a tougher schedule, with games against new England and Houston instead of the Chiefs' games against Cleveland and Indy. With all this said, this is not the NBA where you can pretty much predict the champion before each season starts. One or two injuries or close losses and it changes everything. We could finish 12-4 or 6-16 with a few factors tipping it either way. Bring it on.

Not to be harsh, but the bottom line is, Molan wasn't supposed to go anywhere near the first round. We picked him because he was the toughest player in the draft, and massively reached for him at 9. Blease broke his leg after getting drafted, but he's been on the list for 4 years, because unlike Molan, he looks like being a player.

Do I possess psychic powers, or was this article just a re-hash of what we've all known for a year?

Macca, I'll take 5 of those division winners - Green Bay, San Francisco, New England, Baltimore and Houston. I'll also have Kansas City winning the West. The NFC east is always a bit of a coin toss, but I'll take the G-Men. I'd normally have the Saints in the South, but after their offseason I might join you and take Atlanta. Wildcards: AFC - I'm trying to squeeze three teams into two spots, but I'll be boring and pick Denver and Pittsburgh. Buffalo was the other, I think they've made some great moves. NFC - I'll say Dallas and Detroit. There's not a great deal of expertise to my NFC picks though.

I loved the movie, but I'll just offer the gentle reminder that since Beane took over in 1998 the A's haven't been to the World Series, and since Daryl Morey became the GM of the Houston Rockets in 2007, Houston has won one playoff series. I'm not dismissing their methods and I think Melbourne should be proactive about scouring every possible angle to improve ourselves, but "Moneyball" is not going to be a magic potion for rocketing up the ladder. We need to get the absolute basics right - drafting well, developing our talent, fostering a great football environment etc and we'll start to improve.

I don't completely disagree with your premise, but it's pretty optimistic for a team that is going to miss the finals (as they have done for 15 of their 18 seasons) like Freo to think they are entering their premiership window.

Very happy to see that OneHD is still covering the NFL this season. Three games a week again. Bring it on. I thoroughly enjoy getting up a couple hours early on a Monday morning for some NFL. Good times. http://nfldownunder.com/read/news/one-hdten-sport-tv-announces-coverage-of-2012-nfl-season

Since we are apparently the masters of manipulating our own results, all I ask for is a draw this weekend, with Brad Green kicking the match-tying goal after the siren.

I say no. If he's to stay, then he will either be given a two year deal (very generous and while not quite Newton-ensue, would have Demonland in meltdown early in 2014), or a one year deal, in which case I wonder what the point would be. An extra senior body in a young side in 2013? Wait and see how he goes in a settled position for a year (in his 9th season)? I'm not going to tear my hair out if he's re-signed but I wouldn't keep him. Part of my patience with Neeld is based on the need for him to completely overhaul the list, gameplan and culture of the place. That includes a huge cull of the list at season's end and holding onto guys who may come good after 8 years is just pointless when we're nowhere near a flag

We were all a bit slow today. It took a good 5 posts for a Pia mention on a Brad Miller thread. Well done on getting the best out of yourself, Brad.