hemingway

Lets face it, Jeremy and his cousin are not among the worlds great thinkers. In fact I would put them on the bottom of the wisdom stakes. But hell, Jeremy takes a great mark and Matthew has a big mouth.

Daisy, I have told you before not to refer to my past proclivities.

The increasing incidence of concussion and its lifelong consequences including reduced life span, means that the game and the rules will be forced to change. The AFL will be forced to make significant changes to maintain a duty of care and reduce the impact of litigation. It will drastically change the way the game is played and coaching tactics. We will see less contact in all forms and a free running game where athleticism and speed will be paramount. Perhaps we will see protective headgear and body padding a la gridiron. Not allowing possession if your hands or knees are on the ground is a possible option, more so the latter. Interesting.

Sadly true. But it is coming at us like an out of control freight train. There is no way that players and staff can be effectively isolated from the community and the virus. The season will be postponed or cancelled. This is going to escalate to such an extent that the AFL/Govt, will be left with no choice. The players themselves may well act themselves. They need to consider their own position first and foremost and not leave it to others to decide for them.

The topic was good. Your response to the lack of comment was poor.

Arrogant. That’s my only rebuke to your conceit. Too many big words? I don’t notice any. Perhaps you have a limited vocabulary. Rubbish. Now that’s a word I like.

Agreed. However, whilst Morrison and others fiddle and down play the virus, the situation gets worse daily. No travel, close borders, ban events etc must come quickly otherwise we are going to have a national health disaster. As we are ill-prepared in regard to public policy and preventative care items such as masks and equipment we are not in good shape to withstand a possible tidal wave of cases. Go to any GP clinic and you will see the mess we are in. Our service providers are ill-equipped to face infection patients and put their own health and lives at risk. Sadly, the public gets mixed messages from the Government and health authorities. Its a pandemic etc etc but according to Morrison we should go about our business and not get unduly alarmed. Posturing and responses on COVID 19 appear similar to responses on climate change and bush fires. Hold tight and pray. WE are in for a rocky ride.

Yes that’s true but based on current practice if a player or support staff member tests positive all those who have been in contact with the player (rest of team?) would need to self isolate for 2 weeks. Think of handballing, use of equipment etc ( any surface).

Like all others, players are also at risk of infection. They can play in an empty stadium, but they are at risk. One infected player in a team and the team/club is in trouble based on current protocols. Gill needs to worry.

Sir, it is clear that footy season is nearly upon us. The emotion and hate is back. Isn't great.

very well put LG. good reasoning and balance.

Love your quote. Inspirational stuff. I mentioned in my first sentence that Nathan deserves a lot of respect. I am a fan of Nathan and his service to the club has been incredible. Talking to a player about retirement is not disrespectful. I like to see players go out on top. At the same time, we also need to look to the future. I hope Nathan has a terrific season. I also hope he can make it to 300.

Oh no, Jim, the reality check. My post probably underlines my anxiety over the first few games. There were some redeeming features about the civil war. Particularly the wine and the women. Although no one came close to Martha. Franco was a monster very much like the Donald. No charm or tact. Unlike Musso who had great charm even when he was killing people.

Not so concerned about the result but rather what we see that is a portend for the season. Is there a discernible game plan? Are any of our new recruits and/or any of our young players from 2019 going to step up? Will our potential stars (Petracca etc) show that they have arrived? Will our older experienced (slower) players show anything or will it be more of the same? Do we have enough run and carry, pressure on the ball carriers etc? Are our disposal skills (kicking) good enough to compete at the highest level? As per 2019, are there still discernible gaps in the line-up ? In short, do we show that we have improved significantly over 2019 ? Because our first half dozen games are going to test us. We do not have time to ease into the season. We have to come out from game one and be able to maintain a high level of consistency for the full season.

Nathan deserves a lot of respect. However, the last few seasons has shown that Nathan's time to finish has come. It comes to everyone. Given the financial rewards these days, we see too many players trying to hang on to their careers. Nathan has given a lot to the club but the club and the game has given a lot to Nathan, his material lifestyle, and, his future. There are not many people that are able to set themselves up for life in their early 30's. Also there is a lot of ego involved. And there are plenty of people (friends, supporters and club personnel) encouraging a player to keep going. Gary Ablett is one example of this influence. . As they say in the classics, its always better to go out on on top rather than on the slide. Ablett should have retired. Sure he is still a great player, but he has become a shadow of his former self. The easy decision for Nathan was to step aside as Captain. The harder decision was retirement. He has chosen to go on. I think its a mistake both for Nathan and the club. It was time for him to take the burden off his shoulders. He is the past and not the future. This is where a wise coach could have intervened and encouraged the player to retire with dignity. I suspect that if Clarkson had been the coach, the outcome would have been different. If we have a successful year and he is part of it, then his decision to go on may seem the right one. However, if he retains his place in the team, it still stops the development of a young player or someone that could contribute to team success for several years. If we have another poor year, then Nathan could become an embarrassment. And on a personal level, he will find it very difficult to motivate himself, given his comments on 2019.

We need to win games early to instill confidence, belief and team spirit. And then we need to win games consistently, not one week on, one week off. We need a team of guys that will sacrifice all for the team, and do whatever it takes. Team not the individual.

Such a romantic Ron.

If this is a promo, it's terrible. Cannot see the sense of it. Continual focus on the negative does nothing for one's current mood or hope.

Much prefer the one in the middle, the simple design of blue and red stripes devoid of words and geometric stripes etc.

We need mobility up forward, whatever form that takes. My guess, we will see players rotating at FF. Whether they be tall or short, every team needs players with speed of movement, We need some marking power but we need players at ground level with dexterity who can get the ball and retain it. For me, players like Weed, Petty and at times Tmac are clunky players that too often can lose the ball. . Fritsch would be my pick at FF. Fast lead, clever, can move sideways and has a strong overhead mark and beautiful straight kick. Can receive well but also can chase his own ball. Brown might be an option but I will go with what I know.

So many great kicks in the game over my lifetime. Of course we focus on our own club and the great kicks particularly the torpedo and the drop, sadly, the torp rarely used these days (who can forget the criticism of Lynden Dunne for using the torp), and the drop, now as dead as a dodo. Sad that the long kick is almost a thing of the past. Game style is now about possession and giving off the ball by hand or foot. Sure, we still have a long kick now and again but not a game where the long kick is consistently used by players as an attacking weapon and a thing of beauty. I remember many years ago at Arden Street watching Diamond Jim kick a goal from the wing, one of the longest kicks I have ever seen. It exploded off his foot and kept going as it sailed through the goals at the city end. And from what I can recall, it was a heavy ground and heavy ball. We lost that game and I have lost my memory of the game, but for as long as I live, I will remember Tilly's goal. It was spectacular, audacious and memorable. When all other details of a past match fade, fans can still remember a game because it was the day when a player kicked a prodigious distance. Similar to the screamer. Do we remember the match against the Lions when Shaun Smith took that screamer ? We don't remember much about the match but we do remember that mark. Hell yes. If a player today attempted a Tilbrook like goal (not that anyone could match it), the poor bast.... would be dragged off the ground and criticized by the coach for not kicking short to a player in space. Sure we still have exciting matches and memorable moments, but we have also lost so much of the features of the game that added to the memory bank and made our game truly unique.

We have smoky conditions today, however, the health consequences of changing weather patterns and natural disasters are long-term. We face a new paradigm that will force all of us to think and behave differently. Similar to terrorism and 9/11, our behaviour and actions will need to change. Some people and organisations get it (perhaps the AFL), others don't (TA).. Good decision by MFC.

Crosswell was well and truly done by the time he got to the Demons. He was not the player at North that he was at Carlton, so by the time he got to Melbourne he was a liability. At the Demons, he had lost all the things that had made him special. Including his fitness and enthusiasm. Was intemperate and gave away frees. And was a poor kick. I remember him down back giving away silly frees. A wasteful and disappointing trade. Ron got some things wrong.

What I meant was that he had a long kick both with punt and torpedo, but I agree his kicking for goal was unreliable.

True, I had forgotten Aitken. Dillon was a beautiful mark and kick. Perhaps a bit slow on the ground but certainly an unrealized talent at Melbourne. Yet another Coodabeen. But he was one of those young guys that had MFC fans excited for a brief period. Like a falling star. Had not realized that he had gone on to a successful career in the SANFL. A pity he did not have a second try at VFL but given his injury frustration and lack of senior footy, you can't blame him for staying put.