hemingway

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.

St James Park no doubt. He just needs a couple of blokes in Hawks jumpers to run through. Assault and battery perhaps an unfortunate consequence.

With a lifetime of watching footy and the Dees both the Bont and Clarry are two of the best footballers I have seen. They have similarities and differences but they are both great players. Would not even try and seperate them.

Whatever happened to that other bloke?

Exclude anyone who lives outside of greater Melbourne, exclude families with young kids, exclude anyone with a serious job. In fact exclude a hell of a lot of people who don’t have the luxury of going on a Wednesday night or need to be in bed at a reasonable hour. Oh I forgot it’s televised. Stations and advertisers will be elated.

Yep that’s about it. More bread for the circus. Money for the circus. No problem. Money for the homeless? No, that’s the role of charitable organisations.

Possibly saved lives. And possibly the most important thing he has ever done. Doesn’t get much bigger. And humble with it.

Daisy is a star. It’s such a relief to have someone who is knowledgeable, modest and articulate. Someone who does not have to refer to their own playing days or try and entertain us with their pathetic blokey humour. The jocks with big egos but little idea of anything else. The entertainers who fail every test of excellence in sports broadcasting. Her voice may be irritating at times, but if you put her up against the jocks, I would listen to her every time. I would have preferred that The Duck be banished to a duck enclosure both on commentary grounds and moral grounds. Perhaps place him in a pen at AFLW games so that he discuss the big moral questions with the spectators. So please Ch 7, make an effort to improve the standards of commentary.

Isaac Smith had his opportunity and blew it. At the time I was disappointed but it worked out best for the Dees. Isaac has slowed up and is not the damaging player he was with the Hawks. He is a quality person but so is Angus. The latter also has footy nous and is considerably younger. And is now a premiership player with still more to play for. I hope we keep him. In a playing sense Angus may be replaceable but he has special qualities that we should try and retain. He has leadership written all over him. Of all the players who spoke after the final siren, he (for me) was the most impressive. Articulate and passionate and with commitment to team and club. Love what he brings to the club.

Makes sense for both parties to defer contract talks. Many variables that can impact the outcome. In another world this approach makes sense but in the footy world it becomes gossip in the the footy media cesspit with all its distractions.

Many of you need medical attention with specialist psychiatric treatment for OCD.

From all accounts Laurie was a bit Clarryesque. Played in the centre and generated a lot of play. He was tough and was a target for the opposition. Not overly fast but read the play well. An instinctive player good on both sides of his body but had his fair share of injuries as his career continued. I was unaware of his post Melbourne days at Port Melbourne and in WA. At 87 he had a good innings. I hope he got to watch the Granny and celebrate the win. One of the greats. Like others of that era , he was loyal, self-effacing and modest.

I had a selection of quality wines that never failed to induce romance. In addition to Mateus Rose, favourites included Ben Ean Moselle, Cold Duck and Blue Nun. All within the budget too. Suited all locations including confined spaces and spillage was not a problem. Although, I was surprised when one beautiful young student was less than impressed and opted for Stones Ginger Wine.

Fair enough. He seems a terrific kid and someone who you would love to see playing consistently in the ones. Weeds problem irrespective of form is that we have our premiership players then a list of guys queuing for a spot. Speed, agility, running hard both ways and hardness at the footy and opponent are now ingrained in our way of playing. We have a team of guys who play for one another and do the one percenters. We have a group who based on 2021 form have maximised their talents and gone beyond, including players who used to be seen as not quite good enough or fringe players. For Weed to get a game he will have to rely on injuries and outstanding and consistent form for Casey. Even then he may get an occasional game but unless there is dramatic change I just can’t see him cementing a place in the 22.

Brilliant Tarax, you have the gift.

Old Dee, I can see that you have travelled along the road to Damascus. Things will never be the same. Can we ever be that pessimistic again as we were prior to the flag. Fancy looking beyond pre-season to the full season ahead without that veil of negativity. We no longer remain sad about whether we will see a flag before our last hurrah. Before the strains of the GOF waft into the ether.

Our team this year was phenomenal. Awesome. Not hard to please, just reflecting on the differences, the grounds, the fans, the players and the behaviour. Still love the game.

I had the good fortune to attend all the suburban grounds. Its was footy in the raw. Honest, gritty and hard. For fans the conditions could be cold, wet, muddy and damn well inhospitable. But on a dry day, you were up close and personal to both the play and the spectators. You could see and hear the whacks and the intensity of play. As a kid, it was an education. The first time I heard men swearing, the first time I witnessed punch ups in the crowd, , got showered with beer, taken to the game. A kid with grown men. Treated as an equal. A ritual and an initiation. Watching the footy gods stride the turf. And don’t ever say that the Demons of the 64 era were soft. They were tough and ruthless. Of course, we would not stand for the playing and spectator conditions today. However it was exciting then and memorable now. Favourite ground was probably the Lakeside. Swans fans were not too bad. The outer at other grounds could be frightening. But it was an education, an exercise in growing up. Of becoming a man. The game has become professional but has lost so much character.