Jump to content

Happy Birthday Tom Wills

La Dee-vina Comedia
La Dee-vina Comedia
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

 
 

My favourite player: go Thomas!

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    • Author
    44 minutes ago, bush demon said:

    His story is essential reading for Dee fans.20210819_171344.thumb.jpg.ebb93cfcfb77850b6adca194e0800d42.jpg

    Agreed. It's a terrific book about a very interesting, albeit flawed, individual. It there was ever a list put together of the 10 most influential Australians of all time, his name should be there. Not just for being the inventor of Australian Football but also for taking the first Australian representative cricket team to the UK and for his ahead-of-his-time understanding and positive relationships with indigenous communities and individuals. 

    Edited by La Dee-vina Comedia

  • Quote
    • Like 4
    • Thanks 1

    Extraordinary man, troubled yet transformative. 
    Herewith a brilliant article by Martin Flanagan, who also wrote his own ‘fictionalised’ novel about Tommy - “The Call”, and my own portrait of Tommy (a death scene), the exhibition of which Martin opened…

     https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Why+Tom+Wills+is+an+Australian+legend+like+Ned+Kelly/133

    734FD7BD-A19F-44B8-9F2A-0D4F50B583E8.jpeg

  • Quote
    • Love 10
    • Author

    If the MFC thought about it a bit more, it could develop a "blockbuster" game on the weekend closest to Tom Wills birthday. That would generally make it either round 22 or 23 (assuming we continue with a 23 round format). It doesn't necessarily have to be played against the same team each year, although (somewhat ironically given who we play this weekend), perhaps Geelong might be the best team to play against if it were to be fixed.

    Critics will say that a manufactered "blockbuster" played at the end of the season won't work and they might be right. But Tom Wills deserves much more recognition within the AFL than he currently gets and our club should find a way to be involved. 

  • Quote
    • Like 3
     
    4 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

    Tom Wills deserves much more recognition within the AFL than he currently gets

    Absolutely agree, LDC, he still hasn’t been given the ‘resurrection’ he deserves, although I suspect it’s coming. Martin Flanagan has been Tommy’s champion for years, for reasons his John Button oration outlines. It hasn’t happened yet, despite his bronzed immortalisation outside the MCG, probably because of the hangover stigma of his being an alcoholic suicide. I think it’s maybe now about timing more than anything, even if there’s a waning appetite for history and legacy in what has become an essentially corporatised sport. I would say that very few devotees or outright fans of the sport are aware of its significance - the oldest codified football sport in the world, of which MFC are the inaugural club, under whose name its rules were first written. The vast majority who I get to bore with these facts, young generations included, actually do find it fascinating. That there was such an extraordinary personality at its genesis is of course equally fascinating, but wholly unknown to those fans. That Flanners book and Greg de Moore’s remain the only substantial biographies of Tom Wills is extraordinary. I like your ‘Tom Wills round’  idea. 

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    45 minutes ago, Webber said:

    Extraordinary man, troubled yet transformative. 
    Herewith a brilliant article by Martin Flanagan, who also wrote his own ‘fictionalised’ novel about Tommy - “The Call”, and my own portrait of Tommy (a death scene), the exhibition of which Martin opened…

     https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Why+Tom+Wills+is+an+Australian+legend+like+Ned+Kelly/133

    734FD7BD-A19F-44B8-9F2A-0D4F50B583E8.jpeg

    This is your work Webber? It's amazing mate, well done.

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    7 minutes ago, Luther said:

    This is your work Webber? It's amazing mate, well done.

    Thanks Luther, was part of a series based around Tom Wills/football. Ironically, given the niche awareness, they sold very well. This one, apart from being a bit ‘dark’ in context, is rather large …. 7 ft wide, tends to dominate a wall. 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    1 minute ago, Webber said:

    Thanks Luther, was part of a series based around Tom Wills/football. Ironically, given the niche awareness, they sold very well. This one, apart from being a bit ‘dark’ in context, is rather large …. 7 ft wide, tends to dominate a wall. 

    It's super impressive mate. What's the medium?

  • Quote
    Just now, Luther said:

    It's super impressive mate. What's the medium?

    Acrylic on canvas.

  • Quote
    • Love 1

    • Author
    19 minutes ago, FireInTheBennelly said:

    I'd love to get his thoughts on some of the rule changes, and the overall state of the game.

    I'm pretty confident that the aspect of the game that he would like the most would be the number of indigenous players involved. On the flipside, what I suspect he would find the most distasteful is the continuing racial abuse by a small cohort of ignorant people.  

  • Quote
    • Like 4
    1 hour ago, Webber said:

    Extraordinary man, troubled yet transformative. 
    Herewith a brilliant article by Martin Flanagan, who also wrote his own ‘fictionalised’ novel about Tommy - “The Call”, and my own portrait of Tommy (a death scene), the exhibition of which Martin opened…

     https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Why+Tom+Wills+is+an+Australian+legend+like+Ned+Kelly/133

    734FD7BD-A19F-44B8-9F2A-0D4F50B583E8.jpeg

    That's an outstanding painting mate. Should be hanging in a gallery. Congratulations.

  • Quote
    3 hours ago, Webber said:

    Extraordinary man, troubled yet transformative. 
    Herewith a brilliant article by Martin Flanagan, who also wrote his own ‘fictionalised’ novel about Tommy - “The Call”, and my own portrait of Tommy (a death scene), the exhibition of which Martin opened…

     https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Why+Tom+Wills+is+an+Australian+legend+like+Ned+Kelly/133

    734FD7BD-A19F-44B8-9F2A-0D4F50B583E8.jpeg

    Thanks Webber that is a great read, sounds like our Tom Wills was a great sportsman with amazing experiences but ultimately ruined by his human frailty with alcohol. Indeed a sad end for a great man. We need to claim Tom as our own Man who was ahead of his time with superb sporting prowess, convict heritage and love for his indigenous brethren. What a man, did you paint that portrait of Tommy Webber, it is magnificent.

    Edited by DeeZone

  • Quote

    I note that his cousin was H.C.A. Harrison.

    Rememeber the good old days when the players had to front up at Harrison House for the tribunal.  It was hilarious then too.

     

    What are the odds of a venue for the Tribuanal/MRP being named "Christian House."

     

    Pretty long I would have thought.

  • Quote

    • Author
    48 minutes ago, Demon17 said:

    I note that his cousin was H.C.A. Harrison.

    Rememeber the good old days when the players had to front up at Harrison House for the tribunal.  It was hilarious then too.

     

    What are the odds of a venue for the Tribuanal/MRP being named "Christian House."

     

    Pretty long I would have thought.

    It would be a journalist's delight. They could start every story, depending on the result, with either "Player X was crucified..." or "Player X will be able to resurrect his playing career this weekend..."

    And just imagine the journalist's apoplectic excitement if it happens to be a Lion fronting Christian House...

  • Quote
    • Haha 2
    34 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

    It would be a journalist's delight. They could start every story, depending on the result, with either "Player X was crucified..." or "Player X will be able to resurrect his playing career this weekend..."

    And just imagine the journalist's apoplectic excitement if it happens to be a Lion fronting Christian House...

    would be wonderful......imagine all those afl martyrs we could venerate

    no doubt most would be demons

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     
    • Author
    6 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

    would be wonderful......imagine all those afl martyrs we could venerate

    no doubt most would be demons

    And St Kilda players would have a natural advantage.

     

  • Quote
    4 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

    It would be a journalist's delight. They could start every story, depending on the result, with either "Player X was crucified..." or "Player X will be able to resurrect his playing career this weekend..."

    And just imagine the journalist's apoplectic excitement if it happens to be a Lion fronting Christian House...

    Brilliant tangent. Well done. 

  • Quote
    • Thanks 1

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Fremantle

      A month is a long time in AFL football. The proof of this is in the current state of the two teams contesting against each other early this Saturday afternoon at the MCG. It’s hard to fathom that when Melbourne and Fremantle kicked off the 2025 season, the former looked like being a major player in this year’s competition after it came close to beating one of the favourites in the GWS Giants while the latter was smashed by Geelong to the tune of 78 points and looked like rubbish. Fast forward to today and the Demons are low on confidence and appear panic stricken as their winless streak heads towards an even half dozen and pressure mounts on the coach and team leadership.  Meanwhile, the Dockers have recovered their composure and now sit in the top eight. They are definitely on the up and up and look most likely winners this weekend against a team which they have recently dominated and which struggles to find enough passages to the goals to trouble the scorers. And with that, Fremantle will head to the MCG, feeling very good about itself after demolishing Richmond in the Barossa Valley with Josh Treacy coming off a six goal haul and facing up to a Melbourne defence already without Jake Lever and a shaky Steven May needing to pass a fitness test just to make it onto the field of play. 

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 06

      The Easter Round kicks off in style with a Thursday night showdown between Brisbane and Collingwood, as both sides look to solidify their spots inside the Top 4 early in the season. Good Friday brings a double-header, with Carlton out to claim consecutive wins when they face the struggling Kangaroos, while later that night the Eagles host the Bombers in Perth, still chasing their first victory of the year. Saturday features another marquee clash as the resurgent Crows look to rebound from back-to-back losses against a formidable GWS outfit. That evening, all eyes will be on Marvel Stadium where Damien Hardwick returns to face his old side—the Tigers—coaching the Suns at a ground he's never hidden his disdain for. Sunday offers two crucial contests where the prize is keeping touch with the Top 8. First, Sydney and Port Adelaide go head-to-head, followed by a fierce battle between the Bulldogs and the Saints. Then, Easter Monday delivers the traditional clash between two bitter rivals, both desperate for a win to stay in touch with the top end of the ladder. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

        • Thanks
      • 87 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Essendon

      What were they thinking? I mean by “they” the coaching panel and team selectors who chose the team to play against an opponent who, like Melbourne, had made a poor start to the season and who they appeared perfectly capable of beating in what was possibly the last chance to turn the season around.It’s no secret that the Demons’ forward line is totally dysfunctional, having opened the season barely able to average sixty points per game which means there has been no semblance of any system from the team going forward into attack. Nevertheless, on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval in one of the Gather Round showcase games, Melbourne, with Max Gawn dominating the hit outs against a depleted Essendon ruck resulting from Nick Bryan’s early exit, finished just ahead in clearances won and found itself inside the 50 metre arc 51 times to 43. The end result was a final score that had the Bombers winning 15.6 (96) to 8.9 (57). On balance, one could expect this to result in a two or three goal win, but in this case, it translated into a six and a half goal defeat because they only managed to convert eight times or 11.68% of their entries. The Bombers more than doubled that. On Thursday night at the same ground, the losing team Adelaide managed to score 100 points from almost the same number of times inside 50.

        • Sad
        • Clap
        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Essendon

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th April @ the all new time of 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect another Demons loss at Kardinia Park to the Cats in the Round 04. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

        • Thanks
      • 59 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Fremantle

      The Demons return home to the MCG in search of their first win for the 2025 Premiership season when they take on the Fremantle Dockers on Saturday afternoon. Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 384 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • VOTES: Essendon

      Max Gawn leads the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler and Jake Bowey. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

        • Thanks
      • 24 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All