hemingway

Robbo makes Mike Sheahan seem like Einstein ! Robbo seems such an appropriate name. Conveys a suitable bogan image of a character with poor habits and not too many neurons. A la Sir Les Patterson. Apologies to all the Robbos out there!

Agree well said. He has so many positive characteristics that enhanced the team. Perhaps we are only beginning to recognise the true value of those characteristics and the extent to which he will be missed. He was the thinking footballer that backed up with natural intuition and courage. One of the most courageous players I have seen. Above all else, his versatility across all lines made his role in the team almost irreplaceable. He ranks up there with Petracca, Oliver, Viney and Gawn for contribution, leadership and value.

He may well have all the attributes to make a good coach but why would he subject himself to the pressure and stress of coaching ? We all now know that stress has a major impact on health and all types of disease. Perhaps skills base coaching or mentoring but not game day coaching. Personally, I think he will step away from the MFC and footy to consider his future options but hell there is no hurry. Some form of media role would suit him but I reckon he is better than that. I thought he was studying engineering or something that requires greater intelligence than a media role. With some exceptions footy media is a resting place for morons or for people who could not get a job in the real world.

Sensible

Mixed emotions. A naturally gifted footballer with a footy brain. However, definitely the right decision given the importance of his health. I think we were all worried about the prospect of another knock during the season. Even a minor knock. I don’t think I have ever felt as sick as watching him knocked out during the QF. I remember muttering under my breath, “please move Gus, please move”. One can only imagine the horror for his family. Despite the sadness of his forced retirement, he leaves the game with an impeccable record as a player and and a reputation as an outstanding person. He will be missed. A heart and soul player. He will be remembered for his outstanding service and passion for his club. Who will ever forget that courageous mark and goal, and his emotional reaction with his teammates and Demon supporters. Thanks for the memories Gus. You are a star.

It’s all been said before but I hate the term “spud”. Its unnecessary, insulting and disrespectful. Tomlinson and others may have deficiencies but we all do. Yet we don’t go around calling family members, friends and work colleagues, “spuds”. Just not necessary.

Exactly

It was only a practice match with lots of reasons for the way the game was played and the result. However, there was nothing to allay the concerns from 2023. The 10 unanswered goals is a real concern given our inability to lock opponents down and stop the run. Like 2023 there was an inconsistency in application and effort. We play in patches. We see no obvious solutions up forward or with forward connection. In general play, the good is very good but the bad is way too common. How long do we experiment with tactics and game plans? We don’t want to spend the first half of the season experimenting. . We need a better level of effort and consistency. We need stability in team selection and positioning. Our injury list and potential injury to key players does not help. Also I can’t see Gawn, Petracca, Viney, May etc playing week in and week out. If they do, they will be stuffed come finals time. Do we have a group of players that have the hunger and confidence to play a dominant brand of footy that marks us as a top side? Do we have a group of players that have slipped or are not that good? Do we have a coach that has run out of ideas? Do we have a coach whose message to players has worn thin? We need to have early wins to instil confidence and belief. Winning papers over the cracks. Losing will result in media speculation, internal rumblings, pressure on the coach and players. One thing is for sure. We cannot afford more injuries or players on the long term injury list. Hopefully my early disappointment is an aberration.

My biggest concern going into the new season. Not encouraging so far. We need some consistency and stability in our forward set up. Harry is a big heavy guy not twinkle toes. A big worry. Club should target mid season not before then.

Must be true then !

Perhaps you need to consider hormone replacement therapy WCW.

Hate it. ok if you live in the Melb metro area but terrible if you live in the country.

Perfect answer

Lorne seems an odd place to choose for a camp. Crappy oval apart from the view, variable windy weather, cold water. Sport facilities zero. Plenty of good bushwalking perhaps and hill runs. Maybe the team is bonding over nice meals at some of the new restaurants, although the pizzas on Erskine River are good. Are they saving dosh for the legal costs and future settlements coming from the various actions from disgruntled executives and board members ? I don’t know but the PR is not looking good despite all the talk about culture and professionalism. The footy can’t come soon enough!

Great writing WCW , very descriptive and you create really good word pictures of training and players. Great stuff. Other training posts also excellent. The difference in style and content give us a broader view of what’s happening. Thanks and well done to all.

My first response to seeing Eddie pop up was to groan. Was it appropriate? Probably not when you have others without his Club alignment who could have done a good job, without the huge ego and awareness of their own self importance. Unfortunately, Eddie is like a circus spruiker. He does a thoroughly professional job but always seems glib and insincere. And as others have mentioned he cannot resist the need to refer to Collingwood. Again, he is massaging his own loyalty and of course his own ego. However, he is a pro and like a good salesman he could sell anyone or anything and he got the job done. For me however, his glib tone means that he does not truly connect and does not convey the emotion or gravitas of the occasion. But he has friends in high places and is a person of great influence. And would no doubt claim he was a friend of Barass.

Respect this position. Beware of the voices that urge you take on risk when those voices have no responsibility or accountability. The world is increasingly litigious and populated by folk who feel they should be compensated for some personal hurt or grievance. Similar to the health industry where everyday medical professionals have to deal with patient requests and demands that may be inappropriate. If the professional provides a service just to avoid a confrontation or to keep the patient happy then the professional takes the risk of being investigated by the relevant health body. A mistake or wrong action can risk a professional losing their registration and right to practice. Together with the risk of financial penalty. As you say apropos of Demonland, the editors [censored] is on the line. You owe posters nothing..

You can look at it 2 ways. First, the media hate us and are out to get us line. We know the journos bias for their own teams and their dislike of Melb. At the same time, the club and its players and officials have given them lots of material. Our attitudes are influenced by our own bias. Second, an alternative view is that despite the “bad press”, we clearly are an important club. We do matter. Our history, recent successes, growing membership, and playing list full of A graders means we can’t be ignored. Don’t forget our glory years of the 50s and 60s brought unparalleled success and unparalleled hatred from other clubs and their supporters. For 100 years Collingwood has drawn great strength from being a hated club. So maybe we should embrace the hatred and like the Pies stand loud and proud. And ignore the footy media scribes. Perhaps feel sorry for anyone who has to trawl the gutter to maintain their profile, keep a job, be universally disliked and perhaps feel occasional shame in belonging to the footy media. Doesn’t do much for their CV and future career prospects.

OD, you do not need to tell us that you have no interest in the “girls game”. I’m sure it’s not intended but it sounds condescending and disrespectful. The development of AFLW has been amazing and the performance of the Demons fantastic. We should be interested and supportive.

Fair enough but we need competitive beasts. I’ve spent 50 years of my footy Demon viewing past watching Melbourne footballers with talent. Jack Watts was just another one although the unfair weight of expectation on his thin shoulders did not help. We need elite players that have pace, skills and tackle like there are no tomorrows. Just use Collingwood as the template.

Trade radio reporting that Collingwood is Reid’s preferred club. Yeah really. As if he gets to choose. Pies supporters will feel even more indulgent and born to rule than ever. Reading Side by Side does make you puke. They already are talking about BB and dynasty. We know how foolhardy that is.

Look their not doing what their doing because they are supremely intelligent or have high professional standards. They are journalists in name only. I prefer the term “reporters” although they are not reporting facts but rather reporting opinions. Any footy journo with any ambition or higher calling would get out of the industry and do something worthwhile. But who would employ them and what would they do? Hmmm, that’s a mystery.

Papley going to Carlton would have been further reason to hate both player and club including fans. The latter would be insufferable.

Seriously Clubs are going to go broke or at best be seriously compromised if they going to offer a player 800k on a long term contract that has a serious foot injury. Petty is a good player with further potential, injuries aside, but he is not a champion. The deals being offered around the traps are high risk plays. And can end up belly up.

Sadly contracts have become meaningless. Players can ask for a trade and clubs are prepared to trade players if the price is right. Yeah I am old fashioned and at heart a loyalist. The wheeling and dealing is eating away at the fabric of the game. It’s been part of the game for a long time but the creep towards an NFL or European league soccer scenario seems to gather pace each year. I accept this is the modern game yet I find it dispiriting and hollow. The players are like prostitutes and the clubs like pimps. Every time I hear of losing a player to another club as a result of a trade, I feel disappointed, sometimes sad, and a little hollow inside. For me, it’s the ugly side of the professional, business, money driven direction of footy. There are also so many leaches that benefit from this money ball circus. The AFL itself, the footy media some of whom are below contempt, player agents and managers etc etc. So many people seeking their pound of flesh. Despite the sell out during the finals and granny, and all the self promotion and acclimation by the AFL, more and more people are being turned off the game. Supporters still support their side but there is an erosion of the fanatical and passionate loyalties that existed in previous generations. The term “foreign legion” goes back as far as 1933 when the term was used to describe the South Melbourne side. So it’s not new but the extent of trading has grown exponentially. Increasingly, contracts are broken or renegotiated if a player or a club decide on a move. Do we accept this as part of the modern game, the world of professional sport and “entertainment” or should there be some attempt to reign in the trading circus with financial penalties from breaching a contract as there is in some many other spheres of life ? Sadly, attitudes have changed. One of the most sickening aspect is the way so called supporters literally salivate at the prospect of pinching a top player from another club or when a player leaves to go to another club the player becomes a source of ridicule and criticism. The vice captain of the Pies or a Premiership player with the Demons are criticised for their skills or lack of them. The whole show is a reflection of the disease so prevalent in the imploding capitalist society where values and standards are replaced by greed and self interest.