hemingway

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.

Two rejections. As a player and then as a coach. A good reason to dislike the Club. Both rejections understandable. Presenting as a player he would have appeared slow and no overly endowed with skill. Norm did not get an opportunity to see his innate determination and competitiveness. As a coach, he appeared over the hill with a history of requiring total control of the FD and club.

Always hard to comprehend such fateful events. Remember the location and exact moment that I learnt that he was missing. Having lunch with friends overlooking Lorne. Also Dees fans. We sat in silence, completely stunned. Tragic.

If a boy lets hope it is built like Jack but with a bit more height and a better kick. If its a girl , it doesn't bear thinking about unless she has Mum's physique.

A great build for a centre half forward and a strong overhead mark. Promised so much when he first played with Melbourne, but did not fulfill his promise.

Sadly, Rod Payne recently passed away. Very tall but too slow and awkward for the big time. Ended up a very successful business man after footy.

I missed Christmas and Hanukkah, but Happy New Year to you Red and other intellectuals that post on this evergreen thread. How about a party at The Manor?

Moving images BBO?

Indeed, assuming he is the genuine article. Some professionals move on so quickly that it is hard to judge their worth or success. They are opportunists who know when to jump. If the club takes off in 2020 , Burgess may want to stay longer or negotiate a lucrative contract extension otherwise he will be off like gough.

WIth such indelicate comments, it is understandable that she was your last girlfriend. Generally, standards are high on this thread, with the exception of one or two, who continue to express their crude and inane peccadilloes. Strangely, these exceptions are much loved and cherished, so there is hope for you 640.

He is a highly mobile professional like most in the sporting world. Will not be long before MFC is on his CV.

That's good but how will he go in real match conditions when the brakes are off, both for the player and his opponents ? Irrespective of the medical diagnosis, anyone with chronic calf injuries knows the problem that accumulated scar tissue means for running. Its one thing to nurse the calves through light training another when you need to extend or go up a gear. When you think of the intensity of training and playing a full season, its a huge mountain that Bennell has to conquer. Lets hope he does, and the club is obviously taking a cautious approach without any promises. All to gain nothing to lose.

Assuming his retirement is genuine, I applaud him. Professionalism and money means that players want to continue playing on longer than they should. He goes out on his own terms, without diminished worth or value. Just wish more players would take his lead.

Lord a famous Geelong name. Brownlow medallist Alistair and twin brother Stewart.

Assuming that you can afford it, the bottom line is that all members should renew their memberships irrespective of results. If everyone "dropped the ball" because of results, we would have no members and no club. Now would that make you happy ? Does it make you feel good by saying, "I told you they were hopeless, they may as well merge or go out of existence." Call it stupidity, blind faith or loyalty, it does not matter. Really the folks who sign up only if the team is winning are bandwagoners. The types who suddenly come out of the woodwork and profess their loyalty by turning up to finals games. Egotists who think that the success or failure of their team is a reflection on them. No, its not about you, its about supporting the oldest club in the world from cradle to grave. Otherwise go and support a franchise club or Melbourne Storm with its deep history and decades of existence and surviving against the odds.

What the hell if the footy’s got a line down the middle. Does it matter ? If it helps with ball drop then so be it. We often hear the cry that players and coach need to get back to the basics, well it looks like that is the case here. Are other clubs using the ball? Probably. It’s a bit like telling an Olympic sprinter not to practice his starts out of the blocks because it should be second nature.

Lets hope the kicking improves. it is disappointing to hear of kicking out on the full and missed targets during training. Sure it happens but it should be at a minimum. Given that turnovers was one of the serious problems this season it is important that there is a major improvement otherwise it will again cost games. As much as possible training should simulate match conditions. You play as you train.

Hope springs eternal -Alexander Pope. It is human nature to keep on hoping against all the odds.