hemingway

We are playing a team chock full of talent, dash and attack. Not just Stringer despite his attributes. We will need to be at our very best and be able to respond to their attacks on the ball and the scoreline. This will mean everything working from Gawn and the midfield, to a tight defence, and a forward line that can create space and opportunities. Our attack on the ball and opponent, and reduced error/turnover rate will be critical.

It is not difficult to resist making critical comments about others. The only thing that makes it difficult is ego. There is more worth in what you don't say about others rather than what you say.

When you make comments like this Bitters you seem so boringly normal.

So true, the bubble can burst so easily for players. And like many things, everyone has their use-by-date. You can't help but think that these 3 may all be gone season end. i hope for Trenners but time is running out for him as well.

Really should call it a day. Injuries, form, lack of match conditioning have all taken its toll. There is little point in playing him this year. Lets look to the future. When a club is happy to let a player go, there is usually a reason and the Pies are shrewder than most.

Understand completely, so is my beloved current wife. Surprisingly, she is someone of beauty, intelligence, virtue and morals, unless of course the Pie's are playing and her normal self evaporates and she transforms into a rabid one eyed Pie.

And I have always considered you to be a person of utmost decency and consideration OD. As far as footy picks, you can go for careful analytical consideration, hunch or plain guesswork. I go for the latter plus a dash of bitters (hope). That being the case I go for the Dees in a close one. If i go for careful analytical consideration, I see our glaring weaknesses helpfully pointed out by many demonlanders and i start to get very nervous. So I guess you can say heart over head which is probably appropriate because footy is all about passion. Have a great trip to SEA with Mrs O. I never asked but is she a Demon?

Earl, given the logistical, political, and terrorist problems, let alone the lack of replenishment and entertainment along the way, I fear that even your resourcefulness will be fully tested. I assume that you have contacts on all sides including friends amongst the hill and desert tribes. My main concern is that there are potential enemies on all sides including coalition forces. I assume that our own intelligence forces are monitoring this thread and will have tipped off other agencies including the CIA. I strongly recommend that your default position is a tour of Spain. I am sure that you will have no trouble filling spots on a tour of libidiness Spain. Of course no wives or girlfriends allowed which unfortunately might mean that Old Dee will miss given the strict rule of Mrs OD.

A point of explanation on hijabs. I love them and see them as important from a religious and most importantly cultural viewpoint. However, one has to be a little careful in ones behaviour. As a young man, I was almost shot in Turkey when I made a pass at a woman only to realise that I had mistaken the mother for the daughter. Neither mother or daughter were impressed, even less so the angry Turk that happened to be the husband and father.

Wow Earl I am figuratively blown away. However, I think I may be literally blown away if I joined this tour. I suspect that travel insurance may be a problem unless you have already sown this up with some shady character in the back streets of Cairo or Damascus. However, if I was to perish from an incendiary device along the way, I would like to think that my first three wives would receive some meager pay out for putting up with me over the years, Also, part of my reason for suggesting Spain was that it seemed to satisfy the the indulgent and sense gratifying appetites of Demonlanders that inhabit this thread. Lets face it Earl, end of season footy trips are really about "wine, women, and song," And to live long enough to be able to talk about the scandals and the appalling behaviour on the trip with your mates when you return home. Those that would want to join an end of season tour of any country are not going in order to write their memoirs or to finalize their last will and testament. I also don't think that Australian Embassy staff or Foreign Affairs would be impressed if we had to try and negotiate a release for Bitters, Biff or Picket from the hands of a terrorist or even a Midnight Express type jail in Turkey. In the middle east at the moment, the sense gratifying appetites of the people I have grown to love and hate on this thread may be difficult to satisfy. Bootlegged liquor, ISIS and hijabs don't have quite the same appeal as Sangria, Tio Pepe, Tempranillo, bull fights, tapas, flamenco and lithe dark haired olive skinned senoritas who love white skinned over weight middle age men from the New World. I think that 2016 is not 1987 and that your suggested tour is best left in your memory. I do want to enjoy the remaining years of my life Earl, and this means indulging in a little bit of sense gratification, some quiet reflection and writing on life's hidden meanings. One of which is living long enough to see my old Demons (an integral part of my DNA and soul) rise like Lazurus up the broken and crooked ladder known as the AFL. Earl, you are a man of great ideas, enterprise and generosity, however, I respectively suggest that your latest suggestion is not one of your better ideas. I am sure that like Milo Minderbinder you can come up with something that better satisfies the appetites of Demonlanders (Bitters appetites excluded).

Bub, there is surely a balance. Clubs have to be very selective and careful in trading players, particularly young players with plenty of upside. Even older players that have been seen to give loyal service when they could have walked to other clubs. Players like Junior and Cam Bruce come to mind. In Tom's case he has a brother who plays with the club and no doubt has a lot of mates. The perception of how the club treats it players affects team morale and culture. The club has to have a soul and cant be totally ruthless in its decision making process. I want to see the MFC improve but not at any cost.

Good response Adam, my response was instinctive.

Fair suck of the sav Adam. What a negative post when we have so much to look forward to.

An end of season trip ? My experience of tour groups has not been a positive one picket, mainly because of different interests and expectations. I suspect Biff and Bitters and even your good self may have some differences that would make group travel a little testing. Also, I like to rise early in the morning so that in itself may be a problem in stirring the others from their beds or bordellos. Bitters specific peccadilloes would worry me a little. Spanish jails are not places I would recommend. Perhaps Earl may be interested in putting together a tour itinerary using his contacts to get the best deals. There are some wonderful old castles with dungeons that may appeal to some members of the party. Earl may also be useful in acquiring cheap licquor. I am happy to act as a forward scout and that way l may be able to leave names and addresses of the more sociable senoritas and indeed those who would be sufficiently robust in the clinches for Bitters and Biff. As a forward scout it may be difficult for me to actually meet up with the touring party but that may be an advantage when the Senoritas discover that i have moved on. This would then allow members of the group to fill the void left by my rapid departure. Anyway, it's an interesting proposition as a cultural experience. Let's see what Earl and other members of the tour party think. One has to be careful not to upset other Demonlanders who may also want a guernsey.

Biff you should go. The senoritas and their lithe and fluid bodies are something to behold. However, they can be very demanding and temperamental so moving from place to place is an advantage. No need to learn the language only the language of love.

Simply staggering.

I trust that the rest of the body is in working order OD! Holidays can quicken the blood flow.

For me, it is a reminder how quickly fortunes can change not only in football but life. Roosters one season, feather dusters the next. It is also a reminder that like businesses, the challenge for all clubs is to balance the immediate needs with the long term. Unless you continue to freshen your list with young talent and make hard decisions with the older players and also the middle ranking ones (we have a few of these) you are going to eventually hit the wall. Fresh players and fresh (coaching) ideas are key to long term success.

Good to hear, I assume you are off to the old world old dee. If so, I recommend the bullfighting in Espana. Madrid, Seville or Pamplona are all recommended.

A true great. One of my favourites. Loved to watch him. Not quick but a beautiful build, solid in the legs and upper body. Tremendous overhead whether marking or defensive punching. Invariably Tassie's fist would get to the ball before his opponent could mark. Read the play better than most so always seemed to be in the right position. A beautiful kick of the ball. He and Bernie Massie were on a par for their long penetrating kicks from defence. Film star looks with black hair always impeccably neat and brushed back. A macho version of Rock Hudson. Unlike Rock, Tassie was tougher than nails. No one intimidated Tassie. His sheer presence was enough to make opponents glance over their shoulder. One of the toughest and dirtiest full forwards ever seen was John Peck of Hawthorn. He intimidated all defenders except for Tassie who stood toe to toe with him. Peck had great respect for Tassie and knew he had met his match. Very versatile. Despite his greatness as a Full Back and back pocket played many games in the ruck and occasionally up forward. Slowed up toward the end but retired with his reputation intact. Very sad that Tassie along with many other greats will not be around to see our rise.

Not feeling good about this one. To much past damage in going to this venue. The scars run deep. Hope the best but expecting the worst. Wait another few weeks before I stop my ECT treatment.

Given his track record it is highly unlikely he will ever get his body right. I like Dawsy but he has very limited value for us in a playing role and to build a top team we need a settled line up and consistent performance from all players, and that means game time from week to week. I suspect that we will never see his best simply because he will not be able to string enough games together whether that be at Casey or in the ones.

I hope you are right although my EFC acquaintances were all very happy to see him go and were non to complimentary about his skills (the turnover King) or football brains (lack thereof).

George Lakes 1967