hemingway

In that case, perhaps you can have a long sojourn from March 23 to September 29.

I am actually reassured by Mick's assessment. Would have been concerned if he had tipped us. At the end of the day, I have no interest in what the tipsters have to say.

Norm went to Fitzroy as Captain Coach.

Just had another look at the photo. A very abstemious lot.

The life long friendships and bond that come from successful teams and premierships. Great champions playing in great teams. These legends deserve to see another flag and should be on the ground to celebrate and be acknowledged by the current players and fans.

Interesting discussion. From childhood we are taught that cheating is wrong. Therefore, the majority view the taking of performance enhancing substances as cheating. And we pass judgement. Cheats are people that break the rules. But it is not that simple. Some substances are banned, some not. Sports scientists around the world are always looking to find or develop substances that improve performance. When steroids were exposed the science and the sportspeople had moved on to EPO, and, later still, growth hormone and similar substances. So the line between banned and non banned substances is thin, despite the fact that non banned substances may improve performance. Caffeine for example. But we don't regard drinking coffee or taking caffeine pills before an event as cheating. Most sports participants consume or take supplements that they think will improve performance and the chance of winning. Some are banned, some not. Often the moral question is blurred by the view that everyone else is doing it, therefore making it more acceptable. In regard to illicit recreational drugs, there are those that think it is wrong and should be punished. And in most cases it is a criminal offence. There are others that regard taking drugs as a normal and acceptable pastime. The use of marijuana is a case in point. Marijuana can be pleasurable and safe for some and also can assist those in pain and with mental illness. Yet at the same time, it can damage peoples health and well being. In some cases these recreational drugs can improve physical performance. In other cases, it can adversely affect performance. What's, the answer ? Like all health issues, information and education can assist. Drug testing and punishment only goes so far and will never eradicate the behaviour. Human nature being what it is, many will continue to take substances that make themselves feel better, improve performance and in the case of sport, give themselves an advantage, whether it is viewed as cheating or not In some cases, it can lead to the ravages of addiction. Cousins is an example of a life destroyed.

I don’t care where he plays but this kid should always be in the team. He’s a beauty and there is a hint of Robbie.

You make some good points. We are all biased to a degree but I have confidence in club culture and the standards set by leaders such as Jones, Viney, Jetta etc. Both the perception and inside goss is that these guys are absolute leaders and sticklers about standards and having professional behaviours. They are squeaky clean guys who do not stand for sub standard behaviour. And we have seen their influence on the kids and one or two trades.

Lets hope the ground is grassy and well watered.

No institution willingly submits to an independent umpire unless it is imposed on them and they see there is no choice. We have all seen the consequences of self-regulation. It is biased and a recipe for abuse or at least minimum adherence. Without ASADA, what would have happened at EFC?

and he keeps running and running, contesting in the air and on the ground.

Many sports bodies such as the AFL are conflicted. They don't want the sport tarnished with the words drug use, doping, illicit drug use, drug cheats etc. It damages the sport, the individuals and as they say these days, it damages the product morally, ethically and financially. So they adopt a no-drugs policy and put into place rules and procedures to police drug use. On the other hand, sports bodies hope and pray that teams and individuals don't get caught. The response of sports bodies has differed over recent years. In cycling and most Olympic sports, testing, monitoring and surveillance has significantly increased over recent years with a real effort being made to catch drug cheats. Rigorous testing procedures have been introduced to make it ever more difficult to cheat without the increased risk of being caught. However, many team based sports including football, basketball and even cricket have lax drug policies and procedures that make it less likely that offenders will be caught and punished. The AFL "go lightly" approach has been influenced by the players association and those who accept the need for a policy but don't want a rigorous testing regime that might actually catch offenders (and damage the brand). It was not long ago that a certain AFL head honcho, repeatedly stated that unlike sports such as cycling and athletics, AFL did not have a problem. Well your not going to identify if there is a problem, when the policy and testing regime is so loose that you can drive a truck through. However, it maintained a very convenient image for the sport. The other problem in sport is that the nature of drug use has changed In the past, drug use was associated with using banned substances that provided a competitive advantage/resulting in cheating. A la Lance Armstrong, Russian and Chinese athletes, EFC and so on. The use of substances that assist in gaining a competitive advantage remains a problem. However, in recent years, we have witnessed an explosion in the use of substances (like coke and ice) for recreational pleasure, This is a massive problem as it now exists in epidemic proportions right through society. The task of monitoring social use is nigh impossible because it is so widespread and the drugs do not stay in the system. At a sports level, we know that athletes and players use substances for pleasure and because they can get away with it. They will not get caught (unless their stupid enough to be filmed) and it allows them to use drugs without interfering in training, recovery and playing. There is no sports body that can deal with this epidemic. It is a criminal, social and health issue across the land and the globe that we are all living with. And any effort to control or arrest this spread of illicit substances is virtually impossible unless supply is cut off and ordinary people stop using them. No doubt there are folks on this site who enjoy and are addicted to recreational drugs, just as hundreds of thousands of citizens are addicted to pain killing narcotics and prescribed drugs such as endone, oxycontin, morphine and codeine.

So often kids sum up the situation much better than adults. This is a case in point.

Who cares what people thought last year about Goodwin? Enjoy where we are now and look forward to the future. There has been some really good discussion lately about a range of topics but this petty stuff about what people thought last season is childish and pathetic. What is the point? It is an emotional and passionate game. Neil C mentioned perspective. It’s footy so don’t worry too much about perspective. At the end of the day we are talking about opinion. That’s all. No one has the truth or the right or wrong answer. It is just opinion and it is fun and it is harmless. Dont look back. Enjoy the moment and look forward to the future.

Absolutely, unbelievably hot in Shepp mid to late Arvo.

Tiers my boy, I like your style.

The circus is in town. Performing acrobats, animals and most importantly, the clowns.

Wow, that brought tears.

Don't care what importance anyone places on the game, but winning and expecting to win every time you step on the ground creates an atmosphere and attitude of success. Reinforces the belief that we are winners not going out to compete.

Yes, it was melodramatic but sometimes it helps to make a point I agree with some initiatives, particularly where there is an obvious problem. Players around the ball and flooding is one example. Rule changes that reduce congestion and encourage positional football are good for footy. The introduction of AFLW has been a great initiative, and reflected the need for community change, gender equity, and female participation and support. On the other hand, I do not see an improvement to the game coming from AFLX. I do not see an improvement to the game from LED tactic boards on the sidelines. These are gimmicks and inventions that distract from the game as we know and love. Is the game less popular, have gate attendances or TV ratings dropped? Do you have the football public clamouring for change? Does the footy public want more "entertainment" irrespective of its nature or does the public just want to watch a good game of footy? In society we the domination and influence of corporate interests and those with a vested pecuniary interest More often than not, these interests do not align with the broader interests, the public interests, or, in this case, the good of the game.

As every week passes, it just gets worse. There will come a time when all we hold sacred about our great game will be gone and we will just have memories of what it was like before the AFL, marketing executives and media destroyed it. And there will come a time when I will stop attending games and watching. And as more and more fans become disenchanted with the game, more and more gimmicks will be introduced as the game evolves into an unwatchable pantomime.

For some reason tiers your expressive words are a little lascivious.

2018 final v geelong, was like the dam wall breaking after so many years of disappointment. exciting and emotional. otherwise I go back to the 87 finals excluding the prelim.

Seems totally unnecessary. Coaches have the opportunity to talk tactics before the game, at quarter time, half-time and three quarter time. And there are still going to be runners on the ground after each goal.Also there are so called ""leaders"" out on the ground who can issue instructions like they do now. And there will still be rotations, which can be another way to get out an instruction to a player or group of players. Players have enough to think about and do on the ground without having to glance at an LED Board on the side of the ground. They will be glancing across all game as the flow of coaches tactics constantly change. Coaches themselves will be influenced to use the board more often than necessary. Let the players play and gee they may even have to use their own initiative. That would be novel. As mentioned before, players have enough to think about. Sorry Lucifer, it seems just another gimmick and that its purpose is unnecessary, possibly confusing, and will provide more distractions for players and spectators. The game is becoming a joke.

87 Prelim was shattering. Our expectations of a Granny birth and possible flag were high, our team and coach were flying. We outplayed the Hawks all day. The result was just so unjust. Still remember the bitterness and anger of seeing jubilant Hawk fans rejoicing in the car park and hurling abuse at a couple of demon kids who were crying. I regretted for a long time not going over and punching the most offensive Hawk in the face. Closely followed by the debacle of 88. Again expectations high but by quarter time, just a huge emptiness in the pit of my stomach. Cyclonic depression remained over the MCG for the rest of the game. What a bunch of thugs and tossers were those Hawks. Loss to Bombers in 2000 was expected but the nature of the loss was demoralising particularly sitting there with my boys who were so disappointed. Since that time any win against the Hawks and Bombers have been sweet.