hemingway

Cohen's lyrics in Anthem: ".....Don't dwell on what has passed away or what is yet to be...." ".....Ring the bells that still can ring ........there is a crack in everything that's how the light gets in," or closer to home, old Ernie wrote in the Old Man and the Sea: "It is silly not to hope, besides I believe it is a sin..."

Footy jumpers are best worn by kids 5-16. Sorry Picket.

An honest trier from the 1970s, played back pocket at times but struggled with injury and pace. Bad knees from what I can remember. Tried to come back under Big Carl but too much knee damage. Last saw him in Horsham running the White Hart Hotel. Nice pub with reasonable food. Lovely bloke, happy to talk footy and still a diehard Dees supporter.

Agility testing or not, the highlight clips show all you need to see. You see all the other attributes previously mentioned including agility.

That was the Son of God

Agree but Rowell and Anderson are on the same Unity ticket. They come together like Pie and sauce. Their view of being drafted by the GC is fortified by the thought (knowledge?) that they will be together on lonely Sunset Boulevard, God’s waiting room.

Well if you change clubs, you change character, and become a fake!

Agreed, but with the assumption that we could get him on the park to kick those 50 odd goals.

Wash your mouth out OD. It would have been wonderful to have been 10 years younger and seen all those premierships through the 50s and even 1960. However, supporting the Hawks or the Bombers is not only distasteful but akin to ingesting poison. A stain on your character! its a bit like asking whether you want to have reputation or money. Ok not a good question, the answer is obvious. But you have done the right thing and honoured your old dad. Thats whats important.

Whatever the science of rolling an SUV, trouble or misfortune seems to follow Jesse. He needs to turn it around in 2020 otherwise everyone will be talking about his wasted talent.

That's just as my father told me OD. They got sucked in just as Collingwood intended and thereafter Melbourne players sought retribution. Went the man not the ball, falling into Collingwoods trap. People forget that the great Melbourne sides were fair but tough when they needed to be.

There is no hard evidence one way or the other about the benefits of co-captaincy versus single captaincy. However, traditionally, we know that governments, companies and most organizations have a person at the top such as a President, Prime Minister, CEO etc. That person is normally supported by a leadership team or something akin to it, such as a Cabinet, Executive, Board, Committee , Group of Generals etc. Society has accepted the notion of hierarchical leadership. Imagine a Government, big corporation or army with several leaders all with equal power, responsibilities and functions. It may work if the co-leaders have different responsibilities but one can see the possible source of dysfunction and friction. Okay its only a footy team but some of the same issues apply. Co-Captains still have different personalities, styles, motivations and behaviours. They have a different way of dealing with issues, responding and communicating. Team members or players will follow and respond to Co-Captains differently depending on the existing levels of respect and communication styles. The great Demons sides were full of leaders. Stacked full of them. Any number could have made great Captains, but there was only one during the truly great years, the most symbolic being Ronald Dale.

Give it time OD, what's another year in the scheme of things. Be positive, its another year closer to eternal peace. The Chinese think in terms of 100 years and if you read The Vedas (the English translation not the original Sanskrit), millenia. Goody will be but a speck in the Cosmos as will we all. Melbourne, the club and the city, will have a Chinese name and English will be the second language for all its inhabitants, but be an optional subject in all schools. The footy record will be in Mandarin. Footy will be played on astroturf the size of a basketball court, be indoors, and spectators will only barrack on cue from the Commissaires that control the game. Footballers will wear padding and helmets, and only be able to run forward. They will rotate every 3 minutes as they will have 16 players on the bench. Oh, and there will be no tackling above the waist.

At the present time, that's all that matters.

Great analysis and summary Lucifer. The injuries did expose our lack of "star power" and our general lack of depth across all lines. We simply did not have the cattle on the field. And with our poor start, the confidence slipped away, momentum was lost and the players were always chasing. However, the clubs reaction post season, its stability, its unity and its decision making cannot be faulted. It reflects a professionally run club that has processed the poor season and taken action to address the problem. It does not fix everything and no doubt it will be a topsy turvy season in 2020 but it does give you confidence that the club know's what it's doing. It's actions have not been indicative of a club in crisis or a fractious club. There have been no leaks, no slagging off by disgruntled players or coaches, and, importantly, no media beat ups from the dirt diggers.

Very good summation Pitmaster. Tactics or what is now called game plans have to be simple. Footballers are not Einsteins. Although in fairness, tactics should be simple at any standard or level of footy. The old Kennedy adage, "don't think, ACT." AFL footy is so intense that you can't overthink the game. So keep tactics simple and have great on-field leadership to provide direction. All top teams have the combination of great coaches and great captains. The problem is achieving the balance of having a game plan whilst having the flexibility in thought and mind to make tactical changes. It is a matter of timing and knowing the capabilities of your players. It is so much easier when you have a team of stars that can change a game by their creativity and brilliance. Much harder when you have a team of battlers or simply a team without the will to win.

Good for Bartlett, he could have also made the comment as per the McCarthy hearings, "Have You No Decency, Sir" It sounds like his nastiness backfired on him as it should. Frankly, I would have thrown the guy out of the meeting. What a person needs is support not abuse when things are not going right. The mental health issues that we see and read about daily should be sufficient reminder.

The thread is rescued again Red. Badge of honour goes to dpositive.

Perhaps because he is a philosophical nihilist who still retains loyalty to lost causes. Or maybe he is a skeptic that thinks that 2018 was an aberration and a new beginning. Unlike your conclusion OD, i think that an essential requirement of being a MFC supporter is intelligence. You need intelligence and humility to rationalize and process all the vicissitudes that come with our eternal loyalty.

Interesting but also very encouraging. Yoga, pilates and cross training have been embraced by most elite athletes (all sports) and top professional teams. Definitely the way to go for flexibility and strengthening muscles, ligaments and joints to prevent injury and recurrence of injury. .

That's what I am talking about ! This should keep the thread going into eternity. Red will be pleased, others thoughtful and good old Uncle simply bewildered. it may also bring Biffin back to reality.

Just what you would expect to see, working hard and showing fatigue. And running freely.

Off to The Manor for some R & R ?

Biffen lives !

definitely at the crossroads. 2020 will be a defining year for him.