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Max Gawn and Chris Connolly on The Front Bar

Blistering
in Melbourne Demons

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Max was outstanding as usual and I hope that people support Jimmy’s Reach Foundation - it’s a pity the opportunity to support this worthy cause has been marred by the lockdown. If we would have had a crowd for the MCG game, it would have helped raise much needed funds.

As for Connolly, I’d forgotten about his great sense of humour.

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    Connolly is a genuine innovator and free thinker, as well as being a great story teller. Very entertaining on Front Bum. But he was also the "brain" behind the benefits of losing campaign, and for that he will remain one of those I don't take much notice of anymore. 

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    22 hours ago, Maldonboy38 said:

    Connolly is a genuine innovator and free thinker, as well as being a great story teller. Very entertaining on Front Bum. But he was also the "brain" behind the benefits of losing campaign, and for that he will remain one of those I don't take much notice of anymore. 

    This gives me the sheets.

    We were only doing what half a dozen clubs had done before us without issue from the media or AFL.
    If we didn't tank I would have been fuming.

    What p1zzes me off most is that we were the ones hung out to dry by the hypocrites.

    The other clubs before us forgotten about.

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    Found the 'C'mon Demons' segment very interesting - I did the artwork for the record cover! Back in the day was doing a bit of graphic design for the Club (and did so up until about 2004 - Demon Magazine amongst other stuff). Remember Jimmy coming out to our office to talk through it. Wasn't my finest work but I seem to recall Jim had a fair hand in directing it - seems it was the case with whole project. Connolls is a very funny bloke - did a caricature of him for his retirement featuring bunged up knees. Bumped into him years later and he still had it - organised for myself and a friend to do a bit of a tour of the Olympic Park and MCG Sports Museum - spent a couple of hours with us with was great. Thanks Connolls!

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    Cuddles was always miscast as football manager, a job more about evaluating performance than building relationships. 

    The bloke is as personable as they come, and is a great storyteller. He was no different when the family ran into him outside the change rooms at Carrara in late 80’s when we played the Bears.

    Im not sure he was overly happy about being moved into that role, but his job at Casey did definitely suit part of his skill set. Just not the football part alas.

    Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge! I’m happy to pretty have most on board as we launch our first legitimate premiership tilt in my lifetime! 🤩

    Edited by Colin B. Flaubert

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    48 minutes ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

    Cuddles was always miscast as football manager, a job more about evaluating performance than building relationships. 

    The bloke is as personable as they come, and is a great storyteller. He was no different when the family ran into him outside the change rooms at Carrara in late 80’s when we played the Bears.

    Im not sure he was overly happy about being moved into that role, but his job at Casey did definitely suit part of his skill set. Just not the football part alas.

    Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge! I’m happy to pretty have most on board as we launch our first legitimate premiership tilt in my lifetime! 🤩

    It was a strange decision at the time.  Missing out on the coaching role to be given the FB role.  Would have been better in a mentor role. His mistake was talking in the language of not winning within meetings.  I can handle the perceived benefits of tanking in picks, but it destroyed what winning culture we had for a long time in the playing group (Plus other management issues of the time).  Something I don't think Carlton has still recovered from. 

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    6 hours ago, Sydney Pennski said:

    As for Connolly, I’d forgotten about his great sense of humour.

    I think many people forgot about his great sense of humour especially the times when he was trying to be funny like when those journos wrote about his description of the “vault”. In fact, I doubt that he ever was guilty of anything but telling a joke.

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    5 minutes ago, rumpole said:

    I think many people forgot about his great sense of humour especially the times when he was trying to be funny like when those journos wrote about his description of the “vault”. In fact, I doubt that he ever was guilty of anything but telling a joke.

    100%.
    Was thinking the same.

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    8 hours ago, Maldonboy38 said:

    Connolly is a genuine innovator and free thinker, as well as being a great story teller. Very entertaining on Front Bum. 

    Benefit of the doubt, but autocorrect is pretty accurate, 

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    He was a very good player too.  I wonder how much of a difference he and Lyon would've made in the 87 prelim?  Chris did his knee in round 5 at Carrara and then of course everyone knows about the famous Lyon stretcher incident in round 22 when he broke his leg early in the game at the Western Oval.  

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    40 minutes ago, Swooper1987 said:

    He was a very good player too.  I wonder how much of a difference he and Lyon would've made in the 87 prelim?  Chris did his knee in round 5 at Carrara and then of course everyone knows about the famous Lyon stretcher incident in round 22 when he broke his leg early in the game at the Western Oval.  

    Thanks, now I know what year that was.

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    Lovely guy… he ensured that I got tickets for the China game and gave them to me personally at a training session the day before the game. On game day he took me into the rooms before the game and let me take photos as the team prepared to play and later sat and chatted with me in the stand. 

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    Cuddles can tell a story but you wouldn't want to have to fact check them.

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    22 hours ago, Fork 'em said:

    This gives me the sheets.

    We were only doing what half a dozen clubs had done before us without issue from the media or AFL.
    If we didn't tank I would have been fuming.

    What p1zzes me off most is that we were the ones hung out to dry by the hypocrites.

    The other clubs before us forgotten about.

    During the period, at least four or five other teams had put the cue in the rack and ended up with priority picks but the AFL investigated only Melbourne. The practice had even been given public approval by the AFL CEO. Tony Liberatore virtually fessed up that it had occurred while he was at Carlton but was hauled in to HQ and silenced. Whatever the club was guilty of, others were as well but we were the scapegoat and Chris was the one who took a hit for the club.

     I loved his appearance on the Front Bar and it was great to see that he’s kept his sense of humour.

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    22 hours ago, Fork 'em said:

    This gives me the sheets.

    We were only doing what half a dozen clubs had done before us without issue from the media or AFL.
    If we didn't tank I would have been fuming.

    What p1zzes me off most is that we were the ones hung out to dry by the hypocrites.

    The other clubs before us forgotten about.

    I.e Viney elbow to the head vs Yeo elbow to the throat.

    Plus a heap of other suspensions.

    Hopefully a couple of premierships will change things of us being soft targets.

    Anyways, will have to watch

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    17 hours ago, Skuit said:

    Benefit of the doubt, but autocorrect is pretty accurate, 

    It wasn't auto correct - Front Bum is what I call the show. Remember, Mick Molloy is on it and describes him rather well I think. 

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    I finally got around to watching the replay and endorse the comments about Chris Connolly’s sense of humour. He also had a very good football brain as well and was head coach in one of Freo’s most successful runs including their first finals campaign.

    An interesting revelation was the fact that he wrote the song “Come on Demons” which is now the theme song for the Demonland podcast. I hope the boys can get him on for an interview some time.

    However, I think Max’s interview was the highlight for me. He’s a great leader and he’s different. You can see that he loves the club and his teammates and I think the culture he’s promoting in his role has a lot to do with what we’ve achieved so far this year.

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