THE DEBATE began almost as soon as Andrew Walker re-entered the earth's atmosphere.
Just where did Walker's chest mark atop 198cm Essendon youngster Jake Carlisle rate? Firstly, among this year's best speccies? And, secondly, among the best of all time?
Some on Twitter argued we'd already seen better marks this year, preferring West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui's mark against Carlton and Melbourne forward Ricky Petterd's against the Western Bulldogs.
However, the general consensus was Walker had Mark of the Year stitched up.
So where did his grab rate against all-comers?
Former Western Bulldogs and Richmond forward Nathan Brown was one who thought it was the Roy Hobbs of marks, telling The Sunday Footy Show it was the mark of the century.
But The Age's Rohan Connolly rated Walker's mark the third best he'd seen, behind former Demon Shaun Smith's grab against the Brisbane Bears in 1995 and ex-Eagle Ashley Sampi's mark against Melbourne in 2004.
Connolly made a list of the best 10 marks he'd seen, judging them purely on football aesthetics and not on context. On that basis, the telling Grand Final marks taken by Alex Jesaulenko (1970), Leo Barry (2005) and Brendon Goddard (2010) did not make the cut.
Rounding out Connolly's top 10 marks were those of Gary Moorcroft (Essendon v Carlton, 2001), Michael Roach (Richmond v Hawthorn, 1979), Brett Burton (Adelaide v Carlton, 2009), Trevor Barker (St Kilda v Essendon, 1979), Jeff Farmer (Melbourne v Richmond, 1998), Aaron Edwards (North Melbourne v Hawthorn, 2007) and Tony Modra (Adelaide v North, 1993).
No doubt, people will disagree with some of Connolly's rankings, while others will put forward speccies that he left out completely.
Already, some North supporters in the Media Watch office have been championing Brett Allison's 'forgotten' mark on the back of Collingwood's Gavin Crosisca in 1991.
It's all a bit of fun. No one's right. No one's wrong. We're all just enjoying the rides.
Lloyd-Knights spat continues
Matthew Lloyd started it with the launch of his autobiography on Thursday. Matthew Knights returned fire on radio on Sunday. And Lloyd kept the feud bubbling along on Monday morning.
Of course, we're talking about the fall-out between former Essendon skipper Lloyd and the man who was Bombers coach when he departed the game, Knights.
Their dispute centres around the role Knights played in Lloyd's retirement at the end of 2009. Lloyd, one of the competition's best full-forwards in a decorated 15-season career, wrote that Knights had effectively forced him to retire with his plan to marginalise him as a support act to young forwards Jay Neagle and Scott Gumbleton.
Knights said such a suggestion was "utter crap" and suggested Lloyd put his own needs above those of the team. And, by retiring, Lloyd had not had "the courage to back himself in … and might have done himself out of another two or three years of football", Knights said.
But Lloyd doesn't buy that. On Monday, he told SEN he had wanted to continue at full-forward only because he thought it was in Essendon's best interests.
"I felt he (Knights) was a closed book on me ever going deep," Lloyd said.
"I was saying I had a strength there for 13 years of football. Don't waste that if there is a chance that I get a match-up that I'm good enough to go back to the goalsquare.
"I just felt that he (Knights) found that I was being selfish by wanting to talk about that or ask (to play as a deep forward).
"That's where a bit of the tension grew."
Lloyd was adamant he had never put his own interests above those of the team.
"Anyone who has played with me for long enough knows I had the team's best interests at heart."
Sadly, it seems this is a feud that won't be resolved. Knights suggested as much on Sunday. And Lloyd is obviously not ready to extend the olive branch either.
Craig's reign nears its end
If Neil Craig's future at Adelaide wasn't already tenuous enough, Friday night's 103-point thumping at the hands of St Kilda seems to have sealed his fate.
Certainly, that's the view of The Advertiser's chief football writer, Michelangelo Rucci.
Rucci says Craig will be "handed his sword" at the Crows' board meeting on Thursday night, with the timing of his departure as senior coach the only detail to be decided.
Rucci did not expect Craig would resign before this Sunday's Showdown against Port Adelaide. Regardless of the timing of the announcement, Rucci said - barring a "disastrous result" against the Power - Craig would see out the rest of this season as coach.
Content Craig's fate was cast, Rucci turned his attention to the possible replacements.
He said Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson was the best option. But given Clarkson is likely to win a contract extension with the Hawks at the end of this season, Rucci said the Crows' "more realistic options" were West Coast assistant coach Scott Burns and Geelong counterpart Brenton Sanderson.
In short
Chris Judd's extraordinary game against Essendon last Saturday night should be enough to beat teammate Eddie Betts for the three Brownlow Medal votes, the Herald Sun's Mark Stevens writes. Stevens said Judd's 33-possession match, which included an equal-record seven goal assists - trumped Betts' eight goals.
Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel told ABC radio there is "something wrong" if Geelong teammate Allen Christensen doesn't win the NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for round 18 after his 25-possession, two-goal game against Richmond on Sunday.
This year's Herald Sun and Channel Seven Footy Fans Survey revealed 71 of its 46,000 respondents said AFL players deserved a larger share of AFL revenue in the 2012-16 collective bargaining agreement, the Herald Sun reports.
First-year Adelaide captain Nathan van Berlo faces the most emotionally challenging moment of any Crows skipper since Chris McDermott was forced to tell the club board his long-term mentor Graham Cornes no longer held the confidence of his players, The Advertiser reports. Van Berlo, who the tabloid said was "strongly aligned to Craig", must now convey the players' 'voice' to Thursday's Crows board meeting.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
