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And just as sad watching him in a GWS jumper when he played against us in 2012.

Paul was a wonderful guest speaker at our Gippsland Primary Schools Sports Camp in the 1990's, and I'll never forget how his personality was aptly refelected in his recorded phone answering message. "Hi, you've rung Paul Callery. I'm not in right now, but please leave a message, and remember, if you think terrific, by golly, YOU'LL BE TERRIFIC!"

This is probably the hardest so far in my mind.

Some might remember a bloke called Robin White in the mid 80s. Came from South Adelaide, fairly unheralded but was as tough as nails. Peter Walsh like. He tagged. He tackled. But like many, he came for about 20-30 games then was gone.

Elite ? Hate the word. Before the word was coined along with derogatory words such as spud and dud, at a time when players had jobs and the media reported on players and games without sensationalism, ego or headline grabbing, and supporters were loyal to their players and team, irrespective of their position on the ladder, a different language was used. Players were not duds or spuds, they were “not up to it” or “good seconds” (reserve) players. Some players were described as “good” or “solid” players, some were “very good” players even “great” players, and the exceptional few were crowned with the word “Star” or “Champion.” Players in our great teams of the 50s and 60s could be described this way. Our champion was RDB. The rest were great players, very good players or good players. The rest played in the seconds or were dispatched to country and local leagues. You would not have described these players as elite, duds or spuds. Anyway, getting back to my point I hate the word “elite”, It has become a buzz word that suggests that the author or speaker knows what they are talking about. Yes, everyone in the dog eat dog industry use it. That does not mean everyone else has to slavishly use it. Oops looks like I have finished the bottle. Now where did I put that single malt? .

Yep a really lovely guy. I went into The Rooms before and after games occasionally and Paul always had time for a chat The old rooms were classic The smell of linament and tobacco!! It was such a big deal to get into the “Rooms”...

That is massive if he's able to stay fit. Should they go ahead with the carnival style season where it's more regular games I think we will have to accept he can't keep up with that and may need to miss the mid-week games. I imagine the fact that there hasn't been any footy has made him temper his rehab a bit to make sure he doesn't rush anything, it could end up being the best thing for him (and hopefully us!).

The lack of a quality KPF continues to stick out like a sore thumb. But it’s not our biggest issue. The biggest issue, as it was even in 2018, is a lack of players who use the ball well. It’s why I want to see a player like Lockhart in the side every week. He is a rare commodity in this side - a smart and effective user of the footy. .

Have not seen it...Will add it to my list There are some great Indian cricket movies which although in Hindi make wonderful watching with subtitles.My favourite is Patiala House While on Indian movies one of the best recent movies is the Three Idiots. It was one of the highest grossing movies in India and its story rings true for many nationalities

Salary is an interesting one. As an aside over the last few days I have enjoyed rewatching the mini series Bodyline and Howzat (the story of World Series Cricket). Somewhat ironic is the common person in both sagas, Don Bradman. In Bodyline he is anti Board pushing his right to earn money as a journalist while a team member and then in Howzat he is shown to have overseen a world where Dennis Lillee was said to be paid the same as the guy moving the sight screen. Making the Australian cricket team and staying around for five odd seasons should set you up for life. You are the creme de la creme of Australian sport. Applying that to AFL the best argument the players have is that they should get thirty per cent of the gross.Now...how do you split that thirty per cent. I don't really know. Similar discussions are now emerging around tennis where 70% or more of the prize money goes to the top 50 players

It's looking pretty likely there will be games by I'd say second half of June. Personally I think they should have controlled crowds too but it won't happen. At the rate we are going there will be almost no live cases by then. As recoveries increase live cases are decreasing by the day even with new daily cases. It's something like 4300 recoveries versus 2300 live cases. In my opinion it should be possible to say we'll allow 5000 or 10000 spectators into the MCG suitably socially distanced. No food or beverage outlets. Have a lottery for members of teams up to that amount. Would be great for members and players and coverage. Surely that wouldn't be that hard to police at a large venue like that and some of the other large venues. Members get some value for their memberships this year.

Mattew Febey left after injuries returned to tasmania then came back later.

Unfortunately, common sense is not all that common. Maybe you could request they have coffee or a beer with you to thrash it out

It's was sad when these two were drawn against one another in the first round. Both would be in my top 5 or so, both hugely underrated by many MFC supporters IMO. Jones will probably win mainly based on the fact many of the younger supporters didn't see or have forgotten how good Junior was. I voted Junior. IMO he was cleaner, made better decisions and was a better clearance player. He won two B&F's in a period when we had players like Travis, Ooze, Neita, Robbo and others of high standard. Jones won when he had little opposition which is not to suggest he didn't deserve them but merely to point out the greater competition Junior faced. But the clincher for me is Junior's AA. Competition for mid spots was significant. Judd, Cousins, Beams, Pendles, Bartel, Ablett and on you go. Junior was judged against them and was selected AA. Jones has faced similar competition but wasn't. And finally I think Junior was a better captain. It's always hard to tell from the outside but where the captaincy never seemed to sit comfortably with Jones it always did with Junior. Picking one over the other made me feel a bit sick but on an objective measure Junior shades Jones because of his AA and a few intangibles. Shocking situation to have them drawn against each other round 1, both greats of the Club who offer so much more than many others in this draw.

Maybe there are a lot of people out of work or reduced hours that want to be active to keep their spirits up while the weather is still warm(ish). Whilst the 1.5m is super important, any exercise, even a walk, is great for mental an physical health, especially atm.

Again with the merger. Facts. ' The club is debt free, and at the end of this year will have net liquid assets of $1,300,000" SIGNED W E BALCAM Finance Director MFC . Briefing Paper - Finance: Blue paper supplied by the MFC to members. We've made profits of about $600,000 over the past two years and we will make a profit again this year. This club has no debt, it does not operate on an overdraft like a lot of other clubs and it does not have a CASH FLOW PROBLEM._ Ian Ridley, The Age 5.6.96. The new club would need a salary cap of $5 million if it was to take the best players from both sides, according to club sources.- Daryl Timms, The Herald Sun Salary cap 1996 #2.5 million in 1996. Blue Paper Finance_ MFC. AFL would allow an extra sum to the Melbourne Hawks 1997 $300,000 1998 $200,000 1999 $100,000.- Explanatory Notes MFC handout, four page white document. Also for all of you who think the Hawks would be submerged by the MFC please read the above white document concerning, Board Of Directors Of Melbourne Hawks. 7 existing directors of HFC. 5 existing directors of MFC. 2 Directors nominated by MCC. AN INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN NOMINATED BY THE MCC AND APPROVED BY THE HFC. The Mfc had no say in the chairman of their club. All board members had full voting rights. Hfc veto until they get who they want. Hawthorns dire financial position has been estimated to be as high as $2.7 million. Significant additional debts to be incurred will include the costs of the expensive merger campaign, player and staff redundancies, the $30 merchandise gift, free junior ticket promotion and new corporate imagery and signage for the proposed new entity........The Demon Alternative. As you can guess I voted NO and I wont even get into the ILLEGAL Blue Proxy Form. All of the above documents will be available for looking at before the next home game with crowds at seat 52k2. GO DEMONS not hawks.

Jim was essentially loaned to Prahran as Melbourne did not have a VFL affiliate in those days. He was still tied to Melbourne.

Jim Stynes... was with Melbourne, went to Prahran, then back to the Dees, when his footy took off.

annnnd he used to sit on a chair on top of the `Bus Shelter` coaches bench so he could see the game, comitted.

Wiz the deserved winner! Robbo surely deserves an honourable mention too though.

Todd Viney ‘retired’ to train Mark Philippoussis, only to later return to the Dees when that inevitably went aas over elbow.

Great, I'm so looking forward to a day off from sitting inside my house

Seriously though wouldn't it be great to have a song like the NZ or South African anthems ...one verse in English and one in an indigneous language Yes I know there are hundreds of indigenous languages so pick the one of the Wurundjeri people on whose lands the MCG sits

MELBOURNE Founded: 1859 Club song: ‘The grand old flag’ It’s a grand old flag It’s a high flying flag It’s the emblem for me and for you It’s the emblem of the team we love The team of the Red and the Blue Ev’ry heart beats true For the Red and the Blue And we sing this song to you (What do we sing!) Should old acquaintance be forgot Keep your eye on the Red and the Blue “It’s a Grand Old Flag” was taken from an American patriotic tune, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”. The Melbourne theme song was written in 1912 and is one of the oldest club songs. A second verse was added by Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott, a Melbourne player, in the late 1930s. “You’re a grand old flag” is an American patriotic march by George M. Cohan, and is a tribute to the American flag. The song was written for the musical George Washington Jr, which premiered in New York in 1906

Good luck with that! Considering that we are unlikely to open our borders before year's end, coupled with the fact that India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England etc are likely to be in the same position, I fail to see how this could possibly go ahead unless it was moved to 2021, and even then it would be highly unlikely. I think any major events such as this won't happen until there is either a "cure" or a vaccine available.

My mate and I always refer to the Melb v Hawthorn game as the Cohen Cup!

It may be a financial necessity, though. Pre-Covid-19 I can understand the concept of players not in the seniors and not injured playing a game each weekend to maintain match fitness and get more practice. However, we may have to get used to the idea that non-playing members will be just that in any given week. They'll train with the team during the week, but won't have a game to play on the weekend. Do I like the idea? No. But it might be the only financially viable way to go.

They could get rid of the reserves but they'd bring it back down the track. Back 20+ years ago there was a push for the Victorian teams to align themselves with a VFA team but as time went on the AFL teams found they were in need of their own reserves team where they got to call the shots. The Sheffield Shield is subsidised to the tune of over $10Million each season. But the Shield is necessary. As is reserves footy. What happens to the players who don't play in the seniors? Are they billeted out all over the place? They'd just be creating another problem if the reserves were ditched. A short-sighted move.

I was in that discussion. I was at the game and still have the record. It was against Carlton at the MCG, he wore number 11 At no time did he wear the number 50 playing in the seniors.

Interesting thread. I like that Paul Salmon is your "best example" which suggests you've either forgotten about Gary Ablett Jr and Eddie Betts or you don't think of them as "good examples". Trent Croad is another "good example" because he played in a Premiership on his return to Hawthorn.

Ie until there is a vaccine.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/19/midtjylland-to-offer-fans-parking-tickets-for-big-screen-superliga-experience

Yes, but there wasn't necessarily a return ticket. He made good.

Yeah i saw that, i think it was a BB or something. You really couldnt miss if you were on him today tho. 8 placings from 9 races now with 1 to go. Of course i had another jockey on a short priced fav to win Will Power which came 3rd and knocked out my multi......haha.

Yeah Joao is in top form ... Zac hasn't had the rides today which changes the dynamic. 2 of Moreira's wins today have been odds-on favourites but of course those shorties can work in multi's. He missed completely on another odds on chance in race 6 - Heza Beauty. Was probably one of the bets of the day too. I thought so anyway ? But that's horse racing for you Wadda.

Well Magic Man is having a day out isnt he !. So far hes ridden 7 out of 8 for a Win or a Place in the first 8 races only missing once in race 6. Thats pretty impressive.

Strawbs was a great ruckman and team player but was not better than most ruckman going around. Brett Lovett was an outstanding HBF with skills,, vision, judgement and the ability to consistently win one-on-one contests and deliver to advantage. I rate him as one of the best Melbourne players of his era and one of the best HBF in the league. Serious, serious class. Lovett for me.

Moreira already has 2 wins from 4 with a host of other chances at Sha Tin today. And he's got a 2nd & 3rd so far as well (for the place punters) The jockey premiership is (pardon the pun) a two horse race with Zac hot on his heels. As previously stated, if you knew which ones were going to win (ridden by either jockey) you'd make a fortune. A place multi involving Moreira only seems logical. But the rivalry is immense between Joao & Zac. I'm trying to remember other such rivalry's. Roy Higgins & Harry White or the Professor & Jimmy Johnson. Of late Williams & Oliver along with Bowman & JMac but there would be a stack more. George Moore was the premier Sydney jockey for decades and there was an interstate rivalry between Moore & Higgins. Jim Cassidy, Darren Beadman & Shane Dye?

Eggzactly, im breaking my normal routine by punting on a Sunday, but strange days call for strange solutions. I see on Ladbrokes they give you 1 multi booster per day often resulting in a 5 or 10% boost, so that makes up for a bit. Already had one salute with the value bet getting up for a plc at Terang so off to a good start.

Yeah I nearly always take the early odds Wadda but will also use booster odds or double your winnings as an add-on And if the odds drift, so be it. The odds on the Best Bets on JHR nearly always tighten though so there doesn't appear to be any risk in going early at all. And with multi's the stake is low to win big. The place card multi takes out the punters lament re the win too. One doesn't miss out if the multi gets up at good odds. Happy punting to all (what else is there to do!)

yes I did as did My wife ( ex hawthorn member) as did many of my hawthorn friends. at the time it was always going to be MELBOURNE ... something as we have changed our nickname a few times already Melbourne DEES Melbourne Demons Melbourne Redlegs Melbourne Fuchsias so it was going to be Melbourne Hawks ( which lets be honest would have turned into SMFC like on back of Swans Jumper over time) many reasons convinced us . the money on offer was great , the social club ( which I believe hawks since sold and rent back ) , the extended list and so on. As people might want to change history or some just forget Melbourne voted for the merger ( takeover) Hawthorn stopped it yes many say and most likely is true many top end melbourne supporters purchased memberships to vote for it same as Hawks did, to vote against it This topic comes up every few years , history always seems to get changed .. Some of us thought it was the right thing at the time , now would I vote the same now or would my friends vote the same , I doubt i would now.

Ok i had a good study and put on a few multis across a few venues using the 1 or 2 BBs from the venues. Sure some are a little short but they count for more in a multi so it doesnt bother me too much. But i hear what your saying about getting on early and i try and do the same thing for Saturdays often putting bets on Thursday night. Good luck today guys

Legend and demographics expert...

Jeff White was cruelled by the change of ruck rules when they made you stay within the circle. Without his run up he was never the same. Woey for me. His Brownlow year is underrated. Laser left foot and just kept getting the footy. Couldn’t handle a tag though.

Have you heard the indigenous version of grand old flag?

Might upset some but I'd love a new song. It's a jingoistic knock off of an American patriotic song. Time we had our own

Not really fair for Leoncelli to compete against Stynes.

It was the coaches who wanted the sub in the first place. An injured player meant only 3 interchange compared to 4 ... unfair! Then when they got their sub, they didn't like it coz they couldn't interchange as much. The coaches don't know what they want, except to win games at any cost. As has been shown time and again, the coaches are the last people who should be influencing the direction of the game.