hemingway

When the ball was kicked into our forward line or defence we rarely had players in front or behind the pack. Time and again Port swept the ball away when we had our guys flying for the aerial contest but noone at ground level. Very frustrating to see this occur repeatedly.

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.

Gawn played a shocker on Sat, one not likely to be repeated. However, you can almost hear the refrain from opposition coaches, players and supporters, "No Gawn No Melbourne"" Beat Gawn and you minimize the opportunities for the Melbourne midfield to control the game. Even back in the day, people said the same thing about the great players, No Barassi No Melbourne, No Hudson No Hawthorn, No Hart No Richmond, No Dusty or Rance No Richmond etc etc. However, subject to injury, great champions have the ability to bounce back and rarely play poor games. Also great sides and great coaches can come up with ways to minimize the loss or poor form of a champion. I have no doubt that Gawn will bounce back but he will need to as Melbourne is not a great side at the moment and we don't have a great coach at the moment. I am not saying that Goodwin is a poor coach but he clearly has a view about the game plan and how he wants his team to play but this appears to limit his creativity and flexibility on game day. It will be interesting to see if the addition of Preuss will make a difference but I doubt it. The opponents strategy will be to counter Gawn whether Preuss is on the field or not. He may provide support to Gawn but he this will not stop the focus on Max.

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

A fine drop. Jasper Hill is not bad and also Paul Osicka. The latter hard to find but is worth the trouble.

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

It will not come down to pace but Gawn and the midfield and our contested footy.

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.

Sure does, airborne, looping through the air, one arm outstretched holding the ball, with a right or left baulk, driving a long drop punt forward from either foot as if time had stopped.

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.

Great observation and summation.

And a close one !

Well said. Sadly, there are so many ex MFC players (and staunch supporters) who are no longer with us who will not be sharing the joys of seeing the old club on the rise. I like to think that for those who remain on the planet we carry forward the hopes and dreams of all those who have stepped behind the curtain. They are still with us in mind and spirit. My father sits with me in the stands at the MCG despite his passing 30 years ago, just as my youngest son will sit with me when I move on to red and blue heaven. There is continuity and a universality associated with belonging to the MFC.

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.

All about balance, Preuss will not add any ground speed thats for sure. Can't see him playing but there is going to be an amount of experimentation in the early part of the season, so you never know.

Which ones ?

Lets call it nerves DV. That little sick feeling in the tummy. You need it as a player not so sure about the fans.

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.

The great MFC teams of the 50s and early 60s were regarded as tough but fair. Many other teams were regarded as tough and dirty, no more so than Collingwood and Hawthorn. Carlton was not far behind, and, of course, North and the Dogs had their thugs. Other sides always tried to soften up the Demons to get them off their game. Famously, the 1958 GF. But the Demons of that era were as tough as nails with Barassi being the epitome of toughness. With the exception of the 58 Granny, the softening up rarely worked. Not only did the Demons have gifted players but we also had players that could give as much as they copped and often returned the favour in spades. Not far behind Barass was Ian Thorogood. Norm apparently loved him. We had a bunch of individuals that would die for Norm and The Team Thoro was one of those. Today, he might be called a role player, because in those days, he played his role every week giving his opponent not a smell of the ball. Would have loved to have seen him more involved in an official capacity with the Dees over the years. A Melbourne legend. Commiserations to the family, I'm sure his impact has been huge. A proud legacy.

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.

good luck to both of them. the trades were a win win win, player and both clubs. I have no doubt we made the right decision for our club and the pies likewise. Different strokes for different folks. it shows that with a change of club players can make turn their careers around, no doubt the careers of both have been enhanced. it also shows how good ordinary players can look a whole better in a good side with lots of support from a critical mass of top players..

Like you, I have forgotten too. Yes, we had some wonderful times, but, for some reason, they all left me much the poorer. I donated some of the remaining money on a succession of analysts, trying to sort out the question of guilt. It did not help.

My Magpie wife would have twigged and made me buy two more cats named Pendles and Bucks.