Big Col

Your wife sounds like a keeper

I've been watching most games this weekend - and texting mates along the way when their teams are playing - and I've realised what a pr*** I've become. I've dreamed of being in this situation. To my Carlton friend: I think you guys have something this year, you might make the 8 if things go well. Good on you. To my St Kilda & Essendon friends: It's only round one, don't stress too much. I'm sure you'll win a few games. To my Collingwood friend: Maybe you guys won't finish bottom four. You're looking like a 9-12 side! To my Hawthorn friend: Impressive given your outs. I think you guys are building something (this text was given with particular glee) To my North friend: Looks like you guys nailed a no1 pick with Horne-Francis, you need one or two more high picks though, so don't worry too much about this year. I could get used to this.

It's on Kayo. I just watched it.

Premier: Melbourne (for the first time ever it seems like an honest prediction) Runner-up: Essendon Wooden spoon: West Coast Moving up: Fremantle Set to fall: Geelong Brownlow Medal: Oliver Coleman Medal: BBB NAB AFL Rising Star: Horne-Francis Best new Demon: Van Royen Demon All Australian: Gawn, Petracca, Oliver, B Brown Demon B&F: Oliver Big call: Carlton to win their first three games (Rich, WB and Hawthorn) and have their supporters delirious only for them to go on a losing streak and finish bottom four below Gold Coast. Ladder prediction: 1. Melbourne 2. Essendon 3. Fremantle 4. GWS 5. Western Bulldogs 6. Richmond 7. Port 8. Brisbane

Carl 10-3-63 Mel 4-6-30 Goals: Fritta 2, Brown, McDonald Easy Dropped Marks: Fritta, Lever, Jordan, Brown, Viney, Hunt, Smith

That half was more of a stinking pile of sh*t than The Phantom Menace.

Finally Fritta hits the scoreboard. There's 9 minutes left in 2Q, so that's about 26-27 goals.

4 x 50m penalties as we slip to 29 points behind. How much of a lead are we giving them?

Another Carlton goal, 4:41 to go. Carl 4-1-25 Mel 2-2-14

FMD! Another 50m penalty. That's 3 in just 1 quarter.

Car 3-1-19 Mel 2-2-14 7mins to go 1Q

Tne commentators mentioned at the start of the game that the original intention had been to have 6 periods of 20 mins (no time on) but gastro, I think, and maybe other injuries had affected both teams so they agreed to play 4 x 25 mins. The Collingwood-Hawthorn game was six periods, for example. If the game had been 6 periods, I imagine we would have played every fit player by the end of the day. Players like Weeds, Bedford, Hunt et al as well as our new recruits would have all got a decent run in periods 5 and 6. I think this is we we should generally try to do for the first practice game - play the best team for 3-4 quarters and bring on all the fringe for the end. Then practice game 2 is best 23.

This all seems quite odd. This time of year we're all usually salivating about our new high draft picks and expecting/hoping * them to become stars because we might make it to a Prelim Final in 5 years if they're any good. It's about generating enthusiasm so we can sell memberships. And it's about praying that our few good players don't injure themselves. Now that we know we have the list - and most of them are young enough to be competing for years - pre-season becomes something different. I'm not sure what that is, but this all seems quite odd. MFCSS died in Perth last October. (random fact: those two words are just one word in Spanish - 'esperar' - and since knowing that, as a god-damn sh*te- as Spanish speaker - I now get retrospectively confused on occasions.)

You inspired me to check how much in royalties my band has made since we uploaded a few albums last year. I think I'm close to retiring on the USD$3.93 we've made. If you listened to one of our albums on 24/7 repeat for a year it'd only be about the same as having sold a CD.

David Shwartz (circa last half of 1994 season, before the knee injuries)

That was such a great read I took out a subscription!

You should if the question is "how many times has a team won after winning the year before?". - which is what the question really is (or should be).

When we start winning all the time they won't like us and that will be fine. I was rather sick of being everyone's 'second' team. If the rest of the AFL supporters don't hate us yet then we've got more to do.

The great run on Injuries - is that an obvious one?

I cried. Now I have closure on 2021 and I hope the way I feel is the same as the players. We HAVE to win in 2022 at the MCG. I'm not complete and satisfied until that happens.

Demonception

An improvement of 8 ladder places per year should see us at in negative 7th next year.

Nice work TMD. #5 is going to take a lot of work!

I used to think that Trade Week and the Draft were our Grand Final - the highlight of the year. I feel the same as you @La Dee-vina Comedia.

you can't include Casey when WCE, Freo, PA and ADL all have their seconds in a different competition.