dieter

I recall watching his first game on TV. It was against the Crows in Adelaide. His opponent was Danny Hughes. We'd been in good form until that game but things went skew iff that day. What I remember most was Danny Hughes giving Jackovich one - a Hughes specialty - and Jackovich just charging at him in the goal square to even up. I said to myself, I like this boy. Probably would have been reported under today's rules.

Ditt Stay away from Israel, bro. o, stay away from Israel, Bro.

Stay away from Israel, bro.

And who killed [censored] Robbin?

Agree entirely. How are your BM's?

What morality? At my age I'm more interested in mortality.

Hey, bjDee. Th.King, please enlighten. Is it the same ground, or what?

Relax, boys, I was just the greatest living cricketer at the time, no need for alarm, I've retired. Let's get back to positive dialogue about the Demons.

Sehr dank, mein freund.

Apart from being the unfortunate witness to Peter Hudson kicking about 15 goals on Ray Biffen - thankfully Hudson fell across Barry Bourke's leg and had to be carted off on a stretcher, otherwise Fred Fanning's record was gone - I always rated Ray Biffen as a player, especially when he lined up at full forward: he probably reckoned he'd learned a thing or two when Peter Hudson slaughtered him. Pity his namesake is such a beastly chap. ( If he is of Slavic descent - I have a bit myself, on my father's mother's side - he probably is descended from royalty. All Slavs were, you ask them they'll tell you.)

That's not very nice, Mr Biffen. I thought I'd made it clear that the square Leg umpire had no idea what he was about when I DID throw one and he let it go. I might have fancied bowling to you, you know, I was quick. There are still men who reckon I was the fastest bowler they faced. To the other two categories I plead guilty. German and proud of it. Born in 1950, therefore a posthumous war criminal.

I don't post much either: I find all the negativity a bit concerning. On Sunday night I was thinking of posting that the Grimes and Pederson injuries were obviously the fault of David Misson, as were all the other injuries according to some of the desperadoes who post their tears and fears here. I spent Sunday afternoon and evening and most of the night in the emergency department of Box Hill Hospital with an ailment not many medicos seem to have a handle on. I was expecting the worst about my team - my team since 1958 when I was 8 - and when I dared to check the score on my iphone I nearly fell out of my seat. The guy next door had it on his ipad but it was delayed, Hawkins was lining up and missing a goal at that stage. It felt good. Most of all I felt good for the players, those poor bastards who have done it so hard since the Daniher days. The next day I watched the replays which made my recovery extra sweet, especially when I recalled opening the bowling for Sunshine Cricket club in 1967 and being called for throwing at the same ground. I'd made 16 not out, driving sweetly through the covers, and I knew the ball I was called for was legit. I threw the next ball, the umpire let it go and I stood at the end of my run up and asked the square leg why he hadn't called that ball. That's the one I threw, I said, not the previous ball. That's life, I guess.

Henry Coles was a gun! He was one of the best.

It's not only the Demons who have given up good leads. The examples this year are a'plenty. This round Brisbane gave up a 5 goal lead to St Kilda, the E Coli Wobblers gave North a huge start, I recall Essendon giving up a huge lead at the beginning of the year to the Swans. It seems to be a feature of the contemporary game: teams start with a bang and then get blown away when the smoke clears. How often do you read, Such and such has scored 9 of the past 11 goals etc etc?

Nice!

Momma mia. Watched the Footscray and North Melbourne replays and can't get over how friggin good the Demons were. The stand out players were Sean Wight, Brett Lovett, Warren Dean, Graeme Yeats, Steven Stretch and Captain Spalding. There were so many first rate 'second' honchos: Newport, Hughes, Stynes as a raw sapling, Williams, Koop, Viney as an apprentice, I've forgotten just how good they were and how well they played as a team. Northey was a good coach.

Jesu Criste, am I sick of reading the crap about Watts and Toumpas on this site. Get a life you people, get a f.....g life!

Yes, brother, the game moves on, but there are still the troglodytes who want every Melbourne player to play like Grinter.

I always wonder how many Jack Watts bashers actually played a game of football in their lives. Jack is what he is, a natural athlete with great skills who works hard for his team. He is not Rodney Grinter. He is not Steve O'Dwyer, he is not Ron Barassi, he is not Gary Ablett. Melbourne has been an ordinary team since the even numbered years of the Daniher reign. Players like Jack watts are never going to resurrect ordinary teams. If Melbourne keeps improving then the role of Watts will be similar to the role of a Tunbridge, a Barry Vagg.The naysayers would love him in these circumstances.

I'm 65, been following the demons since 1958 when I walked to my grandmother's house in North Sunshine and watched the last quarter of a team getting flogged and sympathized with them. Of course, it was the 1958 Grand Final. I have a 17 year old daughter who said to me recently that I always barrack for losers! I must say, my sympathy capacity has just about worn out and I've lost my re charger. That's precisely why I remain angry that Clark and Frawley walked out on the demons and it's precisely why when they get injured a small part of me rejoices.

I watched Jakovitch's first game - against Adelaide in Adelaide on the tellie.The first thing he did was fix up Hughes who had tried to fix him up in the goal square. The cameras cut out just as he got to Hughes. I remember thinking, I like the boy, he taketh no [censored].

We should go to Brisbane, watch it an hour earlier!

Why was this incident just glossed over? I was there that day. As far as I'm concerned Leigh Matthews is a thug, not any different from the drunken thugs who punch out night club patrons. For those of you who think Jeff Garlett committed a great crime by not informing the MFC of his full history just keep in mind his so-called sin was a sin of omission, not the cold-blooded sin of thuggery, or let's just call it what is really is, ASSAULT. Yet in AFL folklore Leigh Matthews is a heroe. Give me a friggin break!!!

Nobody is trivialising it, Nusbaum, we're just asking for some compassion and would like to formally take out a suppression order against any more sanctimonious posts about Jeff Garlett, especially since we have heard absolutely nothing about his side of the story.

This is about the worthiest comment I've read about this. I really get fed up with armchair moralists who have never had a go at anything in their lives but sure know how to kick the bum of somebody who may have fallen over. Pick the man up, don't berate him. There but for the grace of god go I.