hemingway

Billy’s drop kicks on the run were something else.

Bernie Massey’s drop kicks were also prodigious kicking out as Full Back.

As mentioned there were some great exponents of the drop kick but much fewer with the stab. Very few players tried the stab pass. Billy Goggin was a great stab kick. There were a few great Demons who never drop kicked. Brian Roet, Brian Dixon, Geoff Tunbridge, Graeme Wise, Terry Gleeson and Bob Johnson to name a few

Emphasis on the word moderate rather than old bugger pineapple. Moderately aged gent, seasoned supporter, well aged supporter. Senior supporter, long-time supporter. But I give you credit for your diplomacy. As you get older feelings become important. Because you still feel young but notice the furniture is sagging and bits start to fall off or stop working. That’s why some of us are greeting desperate as we watch the sands of time passing. No more rebuilds, false dawns, just win a bloody flag and give us back our pride. NOW

Just looked at Wikipedia and Roy Park was a pretty incredible guy. As a teenager, I remember hearing a number of old guys of the day say that he was the greatest schoolboy footballer and cricketer they had ever seen. Served in WW1 and played for Uni, Dees and North. A little guy at 5ft 5 he kicked lots of goals but retired after being suspended for 4 weeks for hitting a player. He maintained he did not commit the offence and was outraged by the suspension. Clearly a man of principle. His Test career was one test and a first ball duck. His wife dropped her knitting and missed his entire Test career. Served as an administrator and his son in law was ex Test cricketer and Sec of the MCC, Ian Johnson. His entry in Wikipedia is worth a read for history buffs.

I knew you would reason OD.

In his era, a famous Melbourne boy, great cricketer, handy footballer, Doctor. Played sport in in the early part of last century. Attended Wesley College and Melb Uni. A renaissance man. Played test cricket (one test?) and VFL footballer (Uni?).

You have sold out OD. Very disappointed. Not like you. You have to keep some things sacred to stop the slow and invidious creep of commercialism and the second rate TV and media folk, advertisers and the AFL fat cats who will sell their mother down the road for a few dollars. Increasingly, we have to choose our line in the sand to say no to the infidels. Those who are happy to trade away traditions for marketing reasons and money. OD, I know somewhere within your being is decency and your football soul. It’s there, just need to give it a shake and not lay down and be raped by the entertainers and money sharks.

I am becoming a sentimental old fool, but I like the numbers and think they are so much part of the history and culture of the game. Think Flower and Barassi and you think and visualise number 2 & 31. They are mutually inclusive. I think at one stage a few years ago there was a suggestion that the Commissariat was thinking of ditching the numbers and just use surnames ( no doubt also freeing up space for more advertising). If they ever did enact such an edict, it would really be time for a people’s revolution.

Agree, the Club showed considerable patience and faith in Oscar, however, there was little improvement to warrant retaining him on the list. He was never going to be a key position player or a pacy flanker. And he was too easily exploited by his opponents. Having said that I hope he gets picked up and has the opportunity to prove people wrong.

It would be nice to see Kobe make it. The father-son thing is always full of sentiment and even romance. The surname provides a sentimental connection to player and club. Ablett, Viney, Daicos, Rioli, Daniher, the list goes on and on. And now Farmer. However, it is unrealistic to think that Kobe will be another Wiz who had freakish skills and ball sense. The list of father - son connections to a club is a long one. The Demons have had lots of them and generally the son has been a disappointment I hope that the Club has done its homework and think that he has the capacity to be an AFL player and not been influenced by his surname. Hopefully, the club has taken a thoroughly professional and objective view of its invitation to train. We now have a number of pacy smalls that seem to fill our need for this type of player. I don’t really see where Kobe would fit in and it would be surprising to see him jump ahead of our current crop of small pacy types. Let’s hope the club sees development opportunities that others don’t.

From memory his knee did not help and he was slow on the ground, lacking agility. But a good overhead mark and great kick. One of the longest I have ever seen kicking for goal. Incredible follow through.

I wonder if one day we can have a discussion or debate without references to how hopeless, fragile, weak, pathetic our club was or still is. By the way, great work Dieter. It’s amazing how our memories and opinions are not always backed up by the Stats. Truth and our so called facts are clouded by our own memories and filters. My memory is that Darren Bennett was an inconsistent and problematic player. He did not seem to suit the team structure or the team structure did not suit him. But blow me down, he kicked 87 goals in a season. Amazing.

Agree. We have the mix but do we or can we develop The Team ? The Tigers are the best example in recent years. They have this tangible quality that is displayed on the field but also an intangible quality that somehow exists in the ether. The players, coaches and officials (Gale) seem to reflect it. The end result is that they have a bunch of super talented individuals, but together, they play as a great team. Dusty is an example of individual brilliance but first and foremost he is a team player. Cochin another. Great leadership, great culture, great team.

Maybe fake news Chook if it came from Fox.

Agree OD. Talk about Premiership Windows is a load of cods. Just another device to talk about nothing. Like predicting the share market. Just guesswork and opinion. I cant remember talk about premiership windows when the Dogs or Tigers got up. They won enough games to get into the finals and when they did they had opportunity, luck, were injury free and played great footy, like we did for two finals matches in 2018. You can retroactively go back and place teams in PW to fit the narrative but for a predictor for the future it seems very dodgy. Just go out there and consistently win games and become a successful club. Please! Time is running out for many.

Take your word for it, but Charles seemed much taller than 175

As a kid, going into the dressing room at the MCG to see our heroes was the most exciting thing that could ever happen. It was the holy grail.

Looks promising. Speed to burn and a good grab. Agree with Kevin Sheehans comment that he has the Isaac Smiths about him.

Let’s call it a metaphor mate.

Mate, a very difficult comparison. As to skills, Flower was way ahead. Barassi had good skills but Flower was naturally gifted whereas Ron worked on his skills with the belief that practice makes perfect. Flower was sublime but Barassi was a human dynamo. He never stopped in his attack on the ball or his opponent. He literally ran through brick walls. He was an inspiration and the whole team lifted when Ron was in the thick of things. If he was taken out of the game (1958 GF) or was injured the team would often struggle. For mine, Barassi was a match winner. His coach knew it, his teammates knew it, and the opposition knew it. If I wanted a player today to provide inspiration and lead from the front I would choose Barassi. If I wanted to go along and watch a sublime player, I would choose Flower.

No need to apologise most of us share your feelings. Sadly, it’s always been part of our human nature, worsened by the invisibility of social media where individuals say things in a manner they would never say face to face, and If they did, I would punch them very hard in the face. Remember, like in real life there are more good guys than bad. It seems you are on the right side.

Those supporters who got to see Robbie were truly blessed. And I mean, truly blessed. Our regular team defeats were offset by the majesty of watching Robbie glide through the centre of the MCG or run the members wing. Every time he got near the ball or had the ball, a buzz of excitement went through our supporters like electricity. We rose to our feet, shouting just one word, “Robbie”. He was a freak. He was graceful. He ran like a gazelle and leapt like Rudolph Nureyev. He turned on a sixpence and kicked his long drop punts like the ball was from a slingshot. He was untouchable at his best. He slipped out of tackles like Houdini. He was truly unforgettable. Opponents never knew which way he was going to turn because he was ambidextrous. They never knew where the ball was going because he used both hands and both feet whilst pivoting and side stepping like a kid jumping across stones in a creek. And in a period of rough tough footballers and thugs, he was shaped like fine porcelain china. Arms and legs like a flamingo that you felt could snap at any time. The best of the best, that was Robbie. Above all his grace in defeat and his humility in victory were hallmarks of his personality. He was not only a great footballer but a great human being. Truly poetry in motion. A player of beauty.

Thank you for your sage advice my friend, but really I like writing and don’t care for the opinion of others. We all have our selective likes and dislikes, so be it. As long as we are respectful and kind to one another. I would not expect many to read my ravings. Most of the time, I don’t even like what I write.

Interesting appointment. Premiership coach is a huge tick but it was a long time ago and he has been around the traps moving clubs and place. He is obviously a creative left field type guy but also a prickly pear. Who can forget his ego driven feud with PA Pres Scott, finishing with his famous noose around the neck after the granny. Spontaneous but did not reflect well on Williams. A lack of judgment and humility. Still and all probably worth a try. It could be an inspired choice or a disaster if he rubs other coaching staff up the wrong way. Like handling a live hand grenade with the pin out?