hemingway

Still waiting on the invitation to the Manor BBO. Or has hard times seen the departure of the maids and entertainment. From Grange to Cleanskins?

You deserve a medal or free life membership.

Thanks mate, but like my old friend Leonard, I’m old and grey and ache in the places that I used to play, and simply paying my rent in the tower of song.

Good point Deezone. Everything is dumbed down these days and smart phones, internet etc contribute to this. As mentioned in a previous post many young doctors simply turn to their phones for an answer without attempting to find out patient history, family history,, carry out an examination, and importantly fail to come up with a diagnosis based on all these things. In short, they do not have to use their brain. Smart phones allow people to come up with a smattering of knowledge that is usually superficial (that allows the user to appear knowledgeable) but without any real depth or deeper understanding of the issues. There are many advantages of smart phones such as reading Demonland when sitting on the toilet and using your device so as to avoid social contact and other forms of personal intimacy. Its a strange thing. When you use a phone, it’s great, but when someone close to you uses it in the same way, you feeling like smashing it into a sensitive part of their anatomy.

No one I know. Certainly not me.

Classic response, thanks for enlightening me.

Thanks Kenty. I find as I get older surrounded by death not too many people miss me. Even during my recent stay in hospital, the pretty nurses (yes, there are a few) ignored my ripping physique and special attributes and looked shocked when I told them my birthdate. My Caribbean nurse simply refused to believe that I took no medication. Strangely she did not ask me about hard liquor! When I ask today’s youth whether they have read any Hemingway, firstly, they ask who the hell is Hemingway, or, secondly, they sometimes have a vague idea and immediately Google the name on their smart phones, and tell me that they only read stuff on the net, and then nothing more than a few sentences. They appear to skim over anything more than two paragraphs. They also favour 15 minute quarters and T20 cricket. They tell me that watching Test Cricket and reading books is as boring as watching grass grow. Sadly attention spans and standards are dropping every year as more and more people seem to have acquired ADHD and are prone to control and manipulation by those with power and money. The evil doers who are multiplying every day. I have also tired of posters on this site attempting to one-up others for reasons that are beyond me. Is it simply ego or are they merely downtrodden types that no one listens to in real life? So that in this delusional vacuum known as social media and Demonland, they are under the strange belief that their opinions are important and valued. Poor souls. However, I find humour in many posts and also find value in the better informed scholars of the game that know much more than I do about what’s going on. I fluctuate between a crazy emotional state of thinking that footy, most importantly and solely that the MFC is important in my life still knowing that I will descend to hell before we win a flag ( there is something slightly meaningful about maintaining loyalty in the face of never ending failure). Continuity in suffering is one of life’s realities that feed my melancholy and allows one to reflect on the futility of human life and the futility of watching the Demons each week with this crazy feeling of hope. Anyway, thanks Kenty, it’s nice to be remembered despite the realisation that the sands of time will soon cover any traces of my existence in this broken world. A world increasingly peopled by fools, opportunists and snake oil salesmen (and women) who only want to look at their own reflection in the mirror. Returning to smart phones, Its a worry, when the medical staff of one of our best hospitals have to resort to google to provide answers and information on my maladies!

Casey is a huge negative for the players. The lack of an inner city training venue makes travelling to Casey not only a frustrating bore but not conducive to injury management, general soreness and fatigue after hard training sessions. Also thought to be one of the main reasons why we lost Isaac Smith to Geelong. Makes securing a more convenient location an urgent need.

Thanks Daisy for the clear explanation without the smart [censored] comments.

Isaac would have been very good for the Demons both in terms of leadership and his footy attributes. He is a quality person.. At the end of the day Isaac made a lifestyle decision. He wanted to get out of Melbourne and live and play in a different environment. Melbourne could not provide the live style change that Geelong offered.

Irrespective of the reasons, I will always feel sorry for players that are sacked by the club. It’s a tough business and decisions have to be made in the best interests of the club, but it’s hard for the individual player. To be told publicly that you are not good enough is hurtful. Do clubs offer termination type counselling for sacked players? I’m talking about players that are not picked up by another club but are left out in limbo land?

Thanks for that info Cards. Very interesting. Different game, different culture but AFL is still a professional sport so trading is a fact of life. However, would hate to see it become like US pro sport. That’s what I like about the AFL “socialist model” as against leagues that are fully privatised. If you follow the path of private owned clubs, anything goes. Really a dog eat dog world. Your last para is a surprising development and may provide a balance. Thanks for that.

Very philosophical these days. As we have seen over recent weeks, contracts are becoming less important. They reflect intention today (by club and player) but not in the future. Jackson has the opportunity to improve his value over the next two seasons and then have every club including those from WA pursue him. Whether we can hold onto our young talent will be determined by team success and salary cap issues. Even then other variables can play a part such as the Perth go home factor. For players like Oliver and Petracca it’s success and money. Add to success and money, loyalty, but only for some. With money, clubs are going to be constrained by salary cap issues, and the Collingwood mess is the current example. At any one time there will always be a club that can work the cap in order to secure a top player. Sadly, it’s become a meat market and all clubs will see top players leave. Often player loyalty is to the detriment of the player. You can’t blame the players who have a limited time to make their money and enjoy team success. Supporters will have to like it or lump it. When the team is successful it becomes easier to like it, but seeing players leave a struggling club means that many supporters will lose heart in their club. I don’t see the future being a bright one for the older and/or loyal supporters. The latest set of trades, I find disheartening and not good for the heart and soul of the game. Or the culture of clubs or the AFL.

Don’t know why folks are worrying about contracts. With clubs and players breaking contracts they are becoming meaningless. Becoming more and more like professional sport in Europe and the US.

Because the whole system is corrupt.

Blair was slow but a remarkable kick for goal. In the days of punt kicks and drop punts he truly invented the banana before Daicos and others perfected it. I remember seeing him first kick a banana goal at one of the old suburban grounds either The Lake or Brunswick St. I think he kicked two goals. The crowd gasped and Demon supporters rejoiced, simply because it had not been seen before. It was like watching a magicians trick and not quite understanding how he had done it. It would not be so regarded today because freak goals are common place. But Blair’s banana was his own creation, had not been done before, and was therefore something very special. Not to be forgotten. Blair was an untidy footballer giving you the impression he was like a kid on the park, socks down, and scraggy hair. He may not have been a great footballer but he did something on the field that was memorable for those who watched a few glimpses of his magic.

I’m not sure how much Jesse cares. There are many good footballers who are simply not cut out for the furnace of AFL, the spotlight and all the pressures that come with it. And these days, clubs will only persevere for so long. I wish him well but 3 clubs for a relatively young guy is not a good indicator of future success. As acknowledged Jesse has mental health issues which is unfortunate and makes his footy career even more difficult to manage. Treatment and management of mental health will always take priority over career. Can he get in top of it? We hope so. But when footy is all about intensity and bringing your best every week and on the training track, In a foreign city on the other side of the continent, and at a club located in the boondocks it’s going to be tough.

Smith wanted a change. He felt stale at the Hawks and a lot of his mates had departed. He had respect for Clarkson but there was not much love between them Its no surprise that he wanted to go to a successful club and had doubts about the Dees. I’m told that privately he has been critical of the Dees and some of their playing personnel. Players backchatting teammates etc. He only wanted another 2 years whichever club it was. And as reported it seems he wants a lifestyle change and to get away from Melbourne.

He wants money and success. So if the Cats can offer the same money or better, his choice is obvious.

Interesting point. You may be right. Success breeds success. I guess MFC in the 50s and 60s are an example. No lost hunger there. Norm did turnover players although the core remained over 10 years.

From memory, Smith performed well in their flag wins but your last comment is the issue. All things being equal, a younger player with more to prove makes more sense..

Over 200 games, 3 flags in a golden era for the Hawks and you don’t rate him? You may prefer Higgins but he is not twice the player. I can understand that Higgins has more long term value due to age and games played but is he what we need in 2021? My main concern is that Smith is at the end of his career and is playing for his pay cheque rather than his future. He has nothing to prove and already has 3 flags under his belt. Hard to imagine him retaining the hunger to maintain form and fitness. He may play a role but will it be enough to make a significant difference?

The pleasing thing so far is that there is little evidence that players want to leave the club. The reverse. A good sign and shows a well managed process in place devoid of rumours and media talk.

You are correct

Interesting point Rocky. I think all players are on the radar of other clubs and they speak to their managers to get a sense of whether a player has an interest in talking. We have always moved reasonably quickly to lock away for 2-5 seasons our best players. And clearly we have paid market or above market rates to do it. At the same time, the footy department seems to have handled retention and contract issues very well over recent years. On most occasions, the club and player have respectfully followed the process and kept differences out of the media. It suggests that good relationships exist between all parties.