hemingway

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.

You may be right having watched him closely at Shepp. However, I think my expectations of him were unreasonable. I expected or hoped to see a big guy that could make an immediate impact. Unfortunately, you can't help but compare him to Max and the difference is huge. But one's an All Australian and the other, a bloke who has been playing in the twos for North. Preuss is still young and we know that big guys can take years to mature and find their feet in the big time. So we need to lower our expectations and give him time. He has had little experience at a senior level and was almost forgotten at North. After a period in the wilderness, he has come to a new club and new environment. If he is going to develop and improve, the club will need to give him adequate game time, and not have him languishing at Casey. I still think his recruitment was a good one and that he will play a role this season, and, as you say, at least be a solid backup to Max when required. And Max and the club will need a backup.

I think we know that like all politicians, Gil has selective hearing. Like many who hold the reins of power, acting for or in the public good is not a priority and sometimes not even a consideration. For people like Gil, acting in the interests of those that support his own position of power is paramount. Unfortunately, those that support him are those vested interests who gain financially from the cash cow created by media rights and advertising. Those vested interests include the clubs and players on which the game is dependant. Here's an idea. If the AFL wanted to show that public opinion matters to their deliberations, why not take a poll of the membership of all AFL clubs, the poll commissioned by the AFL but run by an independent body that could verify the process and the accuracy of the result.

Thanks Stretch, glad some-one could explain it.

Good idea Jim. I have been to some country games in the last few years, some in SA and some over here. Going up the highway to Shepp, I was wondering what the hell I was doing but it was really good to go despite the loss. You realize what you have gained and lost. Going to AFL matches particularly the Mecca, we have gained a lot of benefits. The great atmosphere, comfort, amenities, seats, scoreboard replays, indeed, the whole comfort and convenience thing. But for many of us, ""the entertainment factor" is annoying and a distraction. As i mentioned in my earlier post, you feel the game is losing its nitty gritty feeling, or, bit by bit, losing its soul. Going to the country or local games you have no amenities to speak of but you get heart and soul stuff from the players and spectators. And of course, there are no distractions from the game and the conversational interactions in the crowd. So as a spectator you can suffer from the lack of amenities but enjoy the atmosphere in a different way than at the Mecca. The only distraction is the hot dog stand and some of the locals who very much reflect the local culture.

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.

We have all become cynical about the motives of those in charge of governments, institutions, organisations, and sporting bodies etc The difference is that for many of us, sport is different, particularly footy. It is not about hard headed business decisions or beancounters dictating changes that do not benefit the footy public.. It's about passion and soul. The game has an existential existence for most supporters. The more changes are made, the more cynical people become. Cynicism breeds contempt and then anger and then disengagement, often both. At Shepparton on Sunday, it was wonderful to see the hard core Richmond and Melbourne supporters enjoing a day at the footy. And also those folk without club allegiances wanting to see a good game of footy. Men, women, kids of all ages and social class. At the ground enjoying the purity of the contest. A sport which at its heart, is a simple game. I stood there thinking, now, this is the way it should be, this is footy No bells or whistles. Just the game. Just the game. Yet the decision makers increasingly make decisions that chip away at that passion, that chip away at the very soul of the game. Its similar to the demise of our confidence in parliament, government and our democratic institutions. Its similar to the banks. After a while people lose faith in the leadership and lose faith that the leaders are acting for the benefit of all. People disengage and detach from caring about these things. Will we get to the stage where we stop caring about our footy? With footy there will always be the game. However, I fear that we are seeing more changes and rumours of change that are driven by the advertising dollar. It threatens to accelerate the transformation of the game from something that its been for 100 years supported by the match day supporters, to a game viewed on TVs, tablets and devices where viewers are looking for entertainment for their ever decreasing attention spans, happy to absorb advertisements for junk food, cars and gambling. Moving to a night grand final will be another nail in the coffin. Another statement to us all that the AFL does not care for the football public. The sad thing is we all know that in our heart of hearts it is going to happen. We all know that decisions are made that are not in the interests or for the benefit of all the passionate supporters that love their club and love this great game we call footy. .

Whatever plays out this season, the Dees needed another big guy as insurance.

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

great summary ding , and I agree the surface of the ground was superb, I suspect better than the AFL grounds they play on. the locals should be very proud.

Agreed. I think Frosty might get squeezed out. I love his attack on the ball. He has pace and can compete in the air and on the ground. He breaks lines and is unpredictable. But as we all know that is also the risk. But if we can keep our key defenders on the park, I don't see a spot for Frosty, although I prefer him to Oscar but Oscar is a better fit at FB.

I hear what you say 56, but the ball would have to come down very quickly for the big Prussian, and then you have the problem of the ball hitting the deck and rebound. He may be useful as a decoy once in a while but not for a sustained period of time. If he gets a reputation for his physical contact the umpires will be all over him. I prefer more mobility down forward than the big fella.

Stood behind the Melbourne goal end each quarter. Both he and the Weed had trouble finding the pill. On most occasions Rance who has a great leap and anticipation, was able to punch the ball away with the support of other defenders. Tigers were quick to get a couple of guys back when Dees were attacking. Our ball movement was poor. The ball came down haphazardly and slowly on most occasions, unlike what we saw in the two winning finals. Both Tom and the Weed tended not to lead but drop back where they were covered. Both seemed easy to brush aside and were light in the body compared to their opponents. They are stick thin. Tommy would stick his arms up, which were easily knocked away from the pill. He did not get off the ground on too many occasions. I wondered if this was due to his foot/toe.

Despite some disappointments on Sunday, these two showed that they can step up and make the grade. Keilty in particular shows that patient development can work, improvement take place and perceptions change. Petty looked hopeless last year although he was thrown to the wolves. However, he seemed to have no appetite for the contest but he disapproved that yesterday. A couple of good back-up players but will need to step over a couple of bodies in front of them.

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

I think at times, you need to look beyond statistics and see what other attributes a player brings to the game. Hunt and Spargo are two such players, They have deficits and disposal is certainly one. However, I would rather see players have a real crack and who are always running and chasing or at the contest, irrespective of the score line or tempo of the game. These two guys play with a passion for the contest that many others don't. And as I said somewhere else, you can see that these guys lift and inspire others. They are natural competitors who don't overthink situations or drop their bundle. I was watching Spargo and whilst he had few possessions he was always running, chasing, giving opponents a bit of lip and hip, and chasing a Tiger over the boundary line. I would have these guys in the side over more polished but less committed players. They have the X factor.

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.

Oliver is a superb footballer. Like Dusty he is a rare talent. Not as flashy as Dusty but equally as effective. A footballers footballer.

Went to the game to take a look. Not too worried. Lacked structure and lacked leadership. A few of our key players would have made a huge difference. Disappointments for me were Preuss, Petracca m, Neal Bullen and Tommy. The fringe players looked like fringe players. They looked lost. There is no way they can ruck Preuss with Gawn. Tommy could not leap or run in his usual manner. And Petracca is not fit enough to play 4q. He is a burst player and unless something changes he is going to be a wasted talent. I have to say that after quarter time the boys looked like they had turned off. Despite criticism by some, Spargo has a red hot go and is a team lifter. He’s a must for me. Brayshaw has a fantastic work ethic and ball getter and has no fear, Harmes also. But there were many passengers. What ever his injury, Jeffy is not going to make it. Nothing has changed . Don’t kid ourselves though, the Tigers were only idling. They had a lot in reserve. Not much fiercely contested footy as you would expect in a practice match.

Tommy Mac having a shocker

His backside is his most prominent feature OD

More like a broken arm

Gee this looking likes half arsed effort.