hemingway

Exactly. Once upon a time apologies meant something. Today, they are a dime a dozen and are simply a way at least at the public level of managing an issue or an indiscretion. Apologise and move-on has become the norm. Its better than nothing but in most cases holds little real value. As you say, it has to be sincere and also there needs to be serious contrition displayed. Although I don’t think the giver of an apology is going to bother looking up the meaning of contrition. Perhaps having a “duel at 20 paces” may bring about change.

Agree or as the late great Bobby Davis once said, “fair dinkum unbelievable” It really does make you wonder about the competency and objectivity of the decision makers. It seems to fly in the face of the AFLs commentary and actions regarding head high contact and the rolling uncontrollable snowball of current and future litigation which as others have pointed out is going to be “huge.” Peter Jess will be rubbing his hands.

Happy to receive the compliments about the GF but have always believed in staying humble. Say less but make a comment like “they play for each other” or “play for the coach” or “it’s great having a group of young talented match winners.” If you want to have a diplomatic dig, I find something along the lines of “enjoy the journey” or “ it can take years for a team to rebuild” or you “need patience for all the stars to align to win a flag”

Maintaining standards is a fast disappearing notion. We now live in a era where we have a 24 hour 7 day week news cycle. We have social media and the vast majority of folks connected to the hourly news cycle. Compare this to the old days with two newspapers per day excluding Sunday, and radio and TV news updates once or twice a day. We have a society addicted to news. We have a deterioration in standards across the board be it political, business, organisational and personal. There is an unyielding quest for success (whatever the cost) and a quest for personal gain. This plays out in the footy industry. The monster that is the AFL is driven by executives on monster salaries whose KPIs are centred around commercial and advertising deals and revenue. And marketing. Of keeping footy in the headlines 12 months of the year. We have clubs operating in a pressure cooker environment where sponsors, coaches, players and fans are driven by the need for success. We have reporters and journalists operating in this environment whose jobs and salaries rely on scoops and competitive advantage. There is an increasingly blurred line between real and fake news. No one cares half the time given that folks have the attention span of a gnat and ignore stuff that does not directly affect them. What is my point? I feel sorry for Bevo and I can understand his outburst. Coaches are under enormous pressure and it is aided and abetted by the pack hunting footy scribes. Bevo is a decent human being. From reports, he takes time out to talk with footy fans old and young. But in the pressure cooker environment of the media circus he cracked. Unwise but understandable. As we all know, the best way to manage your anger is by silence. Angry responses always result in a backlash. Bevo let himself down but I have no doubt he has higher personal standards than most footy scribes. To call most of them journalists lowers the calling of the profession. The incident shows how important it is for those in the limelight to act cautiously. The media can be a strong ally but it can also be your worst enemy. The knife in the back will come faster and with more intent than the pat on the back. The Goodwin story is a good example how irrespective of your success there are plenty of people who will try and take you down.

Gee whiz, Rioli could have killed Matt Rowell. Seriously dangerous to life and limb with deliberate intent to take him out. Rioli is incredibly lucky not to have seriously injured or maimed Rowell. One week your joking.

Watching the game on Wed night, you realise what an important player he is. For both our structure and his individual brilliance. A must keep.

Well Daisy that would be ok. No?

It takes a lot for Ernie to be moved, to become emotional. Well it happened last night. i took a country train to Spencer Street. A few stragglers but no one like I on a mission, a pilgrimage. No scarfs, no jumpers, no colours. To the point that I was thinking of hiding my antique scarf in my dilly bag. This changed upon arrival at Spencer Street. The ghosts of the past were emerging from every road, intersection, from every direction. Risen from the dead in colours of red and blue. Old men, middle aged men and women, families with kids. Yes, kids. All decked out in jumpers, T shirts, and garments stating that the MFC were premiers. No embarrassment, no modesty, but out and proud. There was a feeling of invincibility , of a new dawn, a pride, a feeling that it all mattered. We were all marching together, with comments like “nice T shirt” and the ever present” go Dees”. Were there any Dogs fans? They were hard to see as they crept along in a way that suggested loyalty rather than celebration or revenge. Like going to a funeral. Still the awakening that yes we were Premiers. God, we felt proud. But the kid made me cry. Expectant and joyous in their gear, their flags, their face paint. Sharing with Mum and Dad their happiness and excitement. That for thousands of people this mattered. Not quite life and death but close to it. Arrived at the ground. Initially disappointment on the turnout. Was this going to be a huge flop. No one present for the unfurling of the flag. Then the multitude arrived, the stands filled and expectation built. This was a religious experience. Well at least spiritual. It did matter. Fans of all ages, gender, race and type were connected and joined together in a mass homage to this club, it’s past and present players, coaches and the special place it held in our hearts. And we were all connected. Did we expect to see a flag in our lifetime? In most cases, no. We sat and watched a confident young group of men that had created their own history. A group that had arrived. Started like a dream. A period of indecision and Dog fightback. Did we think we were gone ? Did we have the heart sink of past decades ? I don’t think so. We felt that they would come back and when they did, we expected it. That’s our boys. Our Demons. Our joy. Thank you to this Club for restoring our faith. To make the past pain evaporate. To feel that it had all been worth it. Whether the success is long lived or not, we have been to the holy grail and feel saturated with the joy of its attainment. And for the future.

Exactly, well said.

Goodwin was just so impressive. Incredible tranquility in the eye of the storm. Extraordinary.

Fair comments Lord. And your comments about past experiences vis a vis lack of tough questions is valid. Perhaps my observation of lack of transparency is superficial. It was a quick response. My observation simply piggybacked Lucifers comment about (why) attendance at B&F and not AGM. In addition, when there were challenges to the Board. Not such a good look I would have thought and suggests the existing Board trying to control the agenda and avoid questions and conflicts. I would have thought that after a flag and an incredible amount of goodwill, an open AGM would have been appropriate. Surely nothing to be afraid of. The existing President and Board should be out there and proud.

The lack of transparency is disappointing and perhaps a concern.

Agree with your sentiments Froggy. Daisy is a great Melbourne person and a great ambassador for the club. She has so much credibility and respect and is a marketing dream. Love to see the club retain her in a meaningful role. I guess that’s the difficulty given our existing coaching staff. She would need to have a serious role where she could contribute to the club and be appropriate for her career development.

Curious.

Heard a similar story, certainly the first part. Of course, the whole thing was the brain child of Sir Kenneth Luke who hated the fact that VFL was beholden to the MCC and wanted a ground owned and run by the VFL. From a VFL viewpoint it was a reasonable idea but the planning and implementation was poor. The ground was opened for footy way to soon and the facilities substandard.

Both have to be regarded as monumental fails. Waverley built in a rain belt on muddy paddocks, no public transport, no shelter from the arctic blasts and rain, stands so far from the action you needed binoculars, absolutely soulless with no atmosphere and zero facilities. Marvel, built as an all purpose entertainment stadium but fails all criteria, built the wrong way for footy, looking into the sun, terrible playing surface on concrete, seats with restricted viewing, cold, soulless and dead. The only benefit of both failures of thought, planning, building and management has been that both concrete monstrosities have reinforced the preeminence of the mighty G. Our ground, our home and our spiritual connection with club and team.

Obviously for home consumption. A membership promo. It’s well done and emotional for those with red and blue blood. However, I also find it a bit cringy. I would prefer to focus on what happens on the field. Let the way the side plays and results do the talking. That’s the way to gain respect and become a formidable club.

Count yourself lucky that you only had flu like symptoms and unlike many did not require hospitalisation, a ventilator or struggle to recover with long Covid. Unlike others you did not die. That is not spin. The politicians definitely had their moments but without quick action by our governments many more would have died particularly from the Delta strain. But don’t imply, Covid is nothing to worry about or there is no need to take precautions. Your fine, well bully for you. Others have not been so lucky and family and friends have grieved.

“A well known singer”. We have had a few of those in the past. Does not fill me with confidence. Looking on the bright side, a few well known singers have met their maker over the last few years. Basically it means it could be anyone from 15 to 80 with or without talent.

Agree, the MCG is bad enough. The full body assault as you put it Master seems to be on the way at Marvel. Welcome to the nightmare!

Just pull the bloody thing down. Terrible place and can’t see a makeover helping. However it is clear that we will see more innovations that will seek to entertain fans. Flashing lights, advertising and every other device for fans with short attention spans The mind boggles what they have in store.

Gentlemen please resume your seats at the Bar Table and we will adjourn for lunch.

The negative commentary about Daisy and her voice come mainly from men. Feedback from the majority of women would be different. So we are talking about sexism plain and simple. We need to remember that unlike many other male dominated sports, AFL has a large female fan base. Others might know but I would guess that women would make up 50 per cent or more of followers. And that has been the case since the game was invented and it makes AFL unique and special. I love the passion that women fans bring to the game. Sit me next to a bunch of women every time rather than men. I suspect that many males who dislike female commentary also have a negative view of AFLW and women’s cricket. Daisy is intelligent, passionate and knowledgeable. She has no ego and does not need to indulge in stories about herself. Give me Daisy’s voice any day over BT, JB and the rest of the boys club.

A few years ago I thought Christian was too lazy to fulfil his amazing potential. More to the point, that his two way running was inadequate. He did not have a tank. However, in some sportsmen’s lives there comes a moment in time when they get it. Some are born with, some never get it, and others like CP develop it. All athletes have ability. The ones at the top have more than the rest. However, to take that big step forward takes a lot more. It means being fully committed every day, completely goal orientated and sacrificing all manner of things. In particular social life and other distractions. The best athletes are single minded and focussed. They may be modest but they have enormous self confidence and ambition. Never taking half measures and always seeking to improve. There are a lot of people that have contributed to CPs improvement but at the end of the day it has to come from within. Hats off to him. A future Captain no doubt. But this guy will go a long way in life due to his attitude and strength of personality. And he has a few mates in the red and blue.

Like others the only thing I hope for in these games is “no injuries” . Make no mistake all teams are going to come at us hard in the “we are tougher than you” stakes. Can’t we just play “ring a ring a rosy” and avoid any physical contact. Park our guns on the bench and play our second eleven. Still cricket season, far too early for footy. Maybe water the ground to avoid knee injuries and see how hungry our fringe players are in competing for scarce spots.