hemingway

Its strange, as blind freddy could see that he was limping and not fit. There has always been a footy club culture that allows a player to play injured. However, why risk a player that is so important to the club in the first match of a very long season ? There are 3 possible scenarios: -Viney and/or the coaches are prepared to override medical advice or -The medical advice is equivocal, leaving the player and coach to make the call or -The medical advice is that Viney has a chronic injury that will not repair without long term rest of a year or more a la Clark and Trengove. An even worse scenario is a diagnosis that says that the injury will never fully repair, and that Viney will need to retire, or try and play on for as long as possible with the pain. However, on the evidence of Saturday, it would appear that Viney is going to have an interrupted season of football. And as we also saw on Saturday, he will have limited effectiveness due to lack of game time, poor fitness and inability to compete.

Cowboys inhabited the wild west. What do you think? Or Ethan or McQueen?

Well clearly that's when Jesse's problems all started.

As compared to the distinction that comes with having in one's possession "objects"" marked ""Property of the Manor"

When the term clinical anxiety appeared it reminded me of the overuse of the term clinical depression. The latter term has been thrown around a lot when referring to footballers and other professional sports stars. I suspect the term used without understanding what the term actually means, which is major depression or a major depressive disorder, and, amongst other things, is not related to loss or illness (death of a loved one or cancer etc). There are lots of us with depression, it does not mean it is clinical depression.

Reputations can be accurate but often they are exaggerated, and, sometimes blown out of all proportion, however, in most cases, they represent some level of truth. I suspect this applies in the Watts and Hogan cases.

The annual cavalcade of European 4WD heading up the Hume to Nagambie.. They don't appreciate sharing the road with trucks and tradie vehicles. Rushing up with their picnic hampers to claim their favourite spot on the lake with Charles, Roger, Prude and Jude.making sure they have their umbrellas and macintoshes for the thunderstorm. The chicken or smoked salmon baguettes will go down well, suitably washed down with a bottle of Verve and perhaps a well aged Chateau Neuf de Pape for the boys, with the girls sharing a nice chilled Meursault or even a frisky little riesling from Alsace. Coffee and a touch of brandy to finish, hoping that those nasty scholarship boys from Xavier or Caulfield Grammar don't snatch the cup out of the hands of the rightful owners, Grammar, Scotch or Corio Grammar. Whoever wins, it will be wonderful catching up and networking with other merchant bankers, doctors, legal eagles and other upwardly mobile professionals. And there will be Biffen trying to chat up one of the lonely divorcees looking for her 2nd or 3rd goldmine.

Agreed Lucifer. The environment of Perth may well be a disadvantage for Jesse. We know of Perth's history with troubled footballers. And often people are better off away from their home environment. Staying home or going home is not always the best option. Also Freo doesn't strike me as an ideal home. The Eagles may have been a better fit, but, there again, he may have been better staying at Melbourne away from the pressures of home.

Which ones ?

I agree with most of you what you have said. Like you, I know many people who have been through a lot worse than Jesse. What is tough for one person is not tough for another. Some are more resilient than others. Different personalities, different mental health conditions, and different coping abilities all play a role. One difference is that Hogan's problems are played out in the media and on social media. Step outside your front door and there is a jerk with a phone or camera. Judgments are then made by footy media, supporters and trolls. For someone that is naturally shy this can be an enormous burden. He wants to be a footballer not someone who is a media personality. Okay that goes with the territory but some cope with that attention better than others. Is that a flaw or just the way a person is ? Most people want to go about their life or business unobtrusively without being in the spotlight and without their life being open to scrutiny and comment from all and sundry. So I have sympathy for Hogan as I do for all those with mental health issues. Sympathy or understanding can be present irrespective of the circumstances. There are social misfits that don't deserve sympathy or compassion such as murderers, rapists and those who do harm to others. Hogan is not one of those. The sad thing is that he is only harming himself. We all have our demons and some can cope with them better than others.

Well said. Also sometimes the attributes that drive success are not necessarily very nice ones. The single minded drive and selfishness that drives top sportsmen and individuals across all fields in society does not always make them nice people.

Well done and well said. Nothing vanilla about your sensibility.

Proudly outed as a quality country member.

Agree Smokey, some really good points. Drug taking in all its forms does not discriminate on grounds of gender, age or social class. I have lived in country towns and cities and it is destroying the fabric of both. As time goes on and nothing changes in terms of government policy, more and more criminals are encouraged to get involved in sourcing, making and distributing drugs, with violence and reprisals a daily reality. I know of one country town where locals are afraid to walk the streets after dark and where farmers in the region cannot sell their farms or pass them on to their sons because many of the sons have become addicts. This occurring after the crims moved in to town and started distributing to the teenagers. Until we treat it first and foremost as a health issue and decriminalise its use, we will never win the war or begin to reduce the users and the suppliers. It will continue to grow and create ever increasing social problems. There are problems in the short-term in decriminalising its use, but unless societies make radical changes rather than piecemeal changes, we are in for a very bleak future.

That's a worry, we need to sign this boy up. Always a concern with the Pies and Eddie Underhand.

Well the German name Helmut does mean Helmet in English.

What the hell was Clarry doing in Middle Camberwell ? Did he get lost coming off the Hume from Mooroopna.? Came off the Ring Road and headed down Burke Road until he landed in Barry Humphries old hood. We don't want a country boy like Clarry being identified with Camberwell. No vanilla type bushies. By the way Pineapple Only a true Camberwelltonian calls Middle Camberwell, Middle Camberwell. Woolworths was once Angus Tuckerbag run by Geoff Angus ex Hawks Footballer and Premiership player and prior to that Geoff's dad who ran a small licenced grocer for 50 years.

Yeah he always found a player alright not always near the ball.

True enough Junior, Williams was similar, but I regard Williams as odious, given his on-field antics.

I went to Shepparton to look at a couple of players close-up. Oliver was one of those players. He may not be a brilliant high mark or play with the dash of others. He is not a Dusty Martin or a Robert Flower but as I watched the game I began to realize that this son of Mooroopna is already one of the great players of the MFC and a future great of the game. Outstanding people in life have a unique set of skills that set them apart from others. It is an hereditary trait. It can't be practiced or copied. If you think of all the great footballers over time, they were unique and special. The Tigers have Dusty and we had Robert Flower. When thinking of Flower it is with the privileged memory of a player whose like we will never see again. We have some great young footballers. However, they do not all possess a distinguishing characteristic that makes the way they play unique. Angus Brayshaw is a ball magnet but I would not walk over hot coals to watch him play. But I would walk over hot coals to watch Oliver. Wiseblood, Clint and Tony have described his attributes perfectly. What amazes me watching him is his mind-body connection. The speed of his brain, the assessment of the situation, the decision making and the speed in which he uses his body and hands to possess the ball and do something with it is unbelievable until you see it. He is so quick that unless you are fully focussed, you miss it. And this speed means that his opponents miss it and also miss his delivery. You don't know where the ball is going to go. As others have pointed out he is often to quick for his team mates. As a result of his unique skills, Oliver is almost impossible for opponents to counter and match up, at least for the whole game. Oliver may be held or his influence reduced, but he will still manage to break out and do something special. His speed of decision making and action is something that I have not seen before. It is beyond belief.

Cotchin is starting to annoy me. Did you see the hairstyle and get up? Not your typical Tiger thats for sure.

No hosanna in excelsis for you Red ? If Dusty can develop a spiritual life there is hope for all of us. Certainly nothing spiritual about a banana, only sense gratification.

Sorry to be pedantic Sir (although I was reading yesterday, how the use of this term is not PC), but Lance Armstrong was the most professional of all the professionals on the world cycling tour and weighed his own food before each meal . He was absolutely obsessed and scrupulous with his training and preparation but had no problem doping.

Very balanced OD. I feel the same way, although if MFC enjoys a sustained period of success and wins a flag, this may change!

Definitely (c)