hemingway

Keep the lid on all season. Nothing is guaranteed in this caper. It’s a journey that will fluctuate from week to week. Injuries, travel and form will influence our results. Enjoy the wins but don’t gloat. Wait for the media and non Melbourne supporters dismantle us after a few losses. Including our own whinging supporters who you can hear say “I told you so. “ Must say, the wins have done wonders for my mental health, mood and enjoyment of weekends. like coming out of a dark tunnel. At long last hope is transforming into belief.

Because Hawkins has a long track record of hits, with lame excuses each time. You don’t need to king hit a player to be suspended. Careless, yes, unduly rough play, yes, high contact, yes, causing serious injury to another player, yes.

Thanks for that. Good point regarding other teams. Agree with comment about Hibbo but not Milky who despite his silky disposal skills and ability to slot some great goals, does not do enough in and around the contest. He is no gut runner and goes missing far too often. It was a problem at Essendon and why many Bomber supporters were happy to see him go.

No changes to a winning team please. Assuming that all current players are fresh and can run out the game. The team is playing with confidence and each player is fulfilling a role. The possible ins are all short of a gallop. I would rather see game time being given to young guys like Sparrow, Jordan and Rivers. They are the future and the players best placed to deliver success over the next 5 years. Players like Milky and Hibbo will play some role but they are not the future. Nev and Nathan are currently playing ok and should be retained until form drops and possible replacements are knocking down the door. But don’t mess with a winning combination. Things may change after Sunday but let’s wait and see.

I don’t. Where are the Bolsheviks? Bring on the Revolution!

Very special game for me. A very ordinary game saved by first gamer Tingays winning goal. Like many, I became a Melbourne supporter as a direct result of being taken to games by my Dad. By the time this game came around my Dad was failing in health. I remember the difficulty of getting him from the car in Yarra Park to the ground. Stopping every few metres to catch his breath. But we won the game. I knew at that time that Dad was probably not going to get to another one. It was emotional and it was to be my Dads last game. I carry his spirit with me to every game.

Be careful, we are only two games in. Melbourne supporters should know that it is a long season and fortunes fluctuate over that time. Injuries, form, travel etc.

Agree with all this. However we need some balance. Oliver and his manager have the whip hand, and, if they want to, they can delay negotiations and put the club to the fire as they field offers from other clubs. You would imagine they will want to see the colour of the MFCs money first up as a starting point. We assume those discussions have already started. What we do know is that we don’t want this remaining an issue and become the basis of the normal media carry-on as we reach the finals (making an obvious assumption). This is going to be tough going for the club. The coaches will want to keep him, everyone will want to keep him. But if the season continues to develop favourably for the team, we are going to have a bunch of players who will need to be looked after. And there is one giant shadow looming with CP having a huge price on his head. How do we keep them all? Maybe the simple answer is that we can’t. Success on the field will help but we will still need to put dollars on the table for CP and others. And we will want to avoid the recent mess created by Collingwood with its player payments.

Usually a voice of reason Adam. However, “name your price” is not managing your total player payments and salary cap in a prudent way. It’s a recipe for financial and team management problems. Comfortable with I mill a year over 10 years! Not very prudent when the club is on a financial knife edge and uncertainty over future revenues. Incredibly durable. This is a guy who has already had a number of shoulder problems requiring surgery. The wear and tear on players bodies is a significant issue. Frankly, it would be very unlikely that the club would get another 10 years out of him. I’m an Oliver fan but not at any price.

Agreed but it will hurt us against quality opposition.

Very lightweight intellectuals Uncle.

Confidence is a wonderful thing amongst team mates. And for supporters, post match and Sunday takes on a rosy feel.

Yes, just the guy we needed. And he was so close to being a Demon.

I remember he and his St Kilda team mates made Barassi and his Demon team mates look very slow like they were running in quicksand. There was also the realisation from everyone present at the ground that we had seen something very special.

My memory also. He was an Adonis. Blond hair, athleticism and leap. He beat us almost singlehanded. What a sight. Many said it was the best ever debut. Friend of mine had a drink with him in 2020 and said he was still scary. A smouldering grumpy volcano!

The discussions about Oliver’s intentions are a bit irrelevant. We don’t know what he’s thinking. However, we do know that footy is a workplace. We know that every player craves individual and team success. We know that the market is dynamic and ever changing. We know that stars like Oliver will be targeted by other clubs. We know that the clubs that are attractive to players are big, wealthy and successful or perceived to be building towards success. We know that successful people like change and want to be be associated with success. So to retain Oliver, it is imperative that we have a successful season leading to a red hot tilt at the flag in the next year or two. Oliver and his agent have every reason to delay negotiations and decisions until season end. I would. They will have time to see if anything changes at Melbourne. One would think finals is a must, but, just as importantly, that we have finals success. Waiting until season end will also improve their bargaining power in achieving a huge offer. Its not outside the realms of possibility that we have a successful season and Oliver still goes to the club that makes the best financial offer. He may already have decided to leave or at least be favouring a move. This is a bloke with a few years in the system and dicky shoulders. He will not last forever and his bargaining power is now. So we need to keep building a winning team with or without Oliver. Sure you want to keep him but not at any cost. It’s always the team over the individual. That’s Richmond’s mantra.

I agree with all those posters stating that Brayshaw should be played in the midfield. Unfortunately his development and effectiveness has been hindered by injury, both concussion and foot. You also get the feeling that these injuries will remain a hindrance to his game. I thought he was serviceable on Sat. However, he plays like someone who is not sure where he should be, in other words, uncertain of his role. At times, this appears on the field as a player not fully committed to the contest. Just my take. I fear that unless he plays in the midfield, his game will suffer and his effectiveness will decline. He may remain serviceable but he will not be the star that we hoped for. I like him but I would like to watch the player he could be.

Yep I can identify with your feelings. Both simply great players and epitomised the Demons at that time. 29 & 8. Despite his greatness, I decided against wearing Rons number because every kid seemed to wear 31, choosing Big Bob Johnson 16 and when he left the club, my mother turned the 6 into a 9 to avoid buying a new jumper. 9 being Brian Dixon who was an uncanny and remarkable footballer. A wingman then, we would call him an insider mid today and with his long arms he had an uncanny knack of extracting the pill from a pack of players. A left footer he kicked the ball about 30m but always kept the ball moving forward.

Similar types. Tassie played tall and like May seemed to have an uncanny knack when to mark and when to punch. Perfect timing you might say. May is more attacking than Tassie but it’s a very different game. And ground conditions at times were atrocious. Like May, Tassie was a beautiful kick, but, more often than not, a long penetrating drop kick compared to Mays raking drop punt. Tassie could give it and receive it. However, I can’t remember him being reported as his aggression was tempered and measured. Tassie was rarely beaten over a whole match. The great Hawks full forward John Peck who dealt out physical punishment like lollies never tried the rough stuff with Tassie out of respect for him and also knew that a Tassie punch might just find it’s way to his head. Pecky hated playing against Tassie. Tassie like May read the play beautifully always being in the right spot. Tassie like May could be played across the ground. Norm Smith used him at Full Back, Centre Half Back. Centre Half Forward and in his last few seasons, in the ruck. A short ruckman at 6.2 he was able to position his body to negate taller rucks tap work. From memory Tassie lined up in the ruck in the 64 flag team. Tassie was a good looking coot with black hair and movie star looks. Steven also looks pretty good in the eye of old Ernie. Tassie was solid at ground level but May is quicker and more agile. Gee it’s a good comparison but Tassie ended up playing in 3 premierships and captaining the side in 69. So was a bloody legend. Sadly, he had a long period of illness before he died 5 or 6 years ago.

It’s difficult to compare players from different eras. Over the last 50 years, we have had many great defenders. However, I can’t recall watching a performance as dominating as that of Steven May. Yes, it was a poor opponent with a dysfunctional forward line, but even so, Mays game was incredible. His instinct for the game was evident over 4Q. He knew where to go, he knew when to mark, he knew when to punch, he knew when to defend and he knew when to attack. He stood calm and resolute every time the ball came in his direction. There was no panic or rushed decision making. His ball handling was always sure and decisive. And that long penetrating stabbing drop punt was something to drool over. Have we ever had someone that has played with the confidence and certainty of May. Its rare for a supporter particularly this one, to relax, knowing that every time the ball went into our defensive zone, May was there like the Rock of Gibraltar standing tall, with the ability and agility to return the ball like a slingshot into our forward half. His ability, style and presence make other players stand tall. It was a wonderful feeling to watch a player in the red and blue be so dominant. You know that Tiger fans must feel the same way about Dusty. It’s a good feeling.

Yep it’s a funny thing. Despite our early goals, no one looked switched on. We were close to the fence and many players looked uninspired. My son made the comment after watching players on the wing fumble under pressure that better sides would destroy us, thinking Richmond.

Agree Jnr. Have been a fan of Harmes but yesterday was disappointing. Poor overhead, dropped or juggled many marks and fumbled many possessions even when he had time. And slow when running to the contest. Not sure about his future. At his best he is a valuable member of the team but at the moment he is a long way off.

Still just a kid who has only played a handful of games. Enormous talent with a quick mind. Only injury will impede his development.

Agree with first sentence. Still has a young immature physique that will get knocked around in the contest. Needs to protect himself. And not be overused. Shoulders and knees the main area of concern.

Ratcheting it up for what is the first game of the season. Wrong psychology Red. You should be saying it’s ok to drop the first game, let’s wait until mid season. Freo is a good side that is likely to turn it on with speed and overlap. We can’t expect to win the first game. It’s a long season and we take each game and remain detached until the season gets serious. Meditate Red.