hemingway

We fell along way short of the best clubs. But this was the case across the board. We did not have the staff, coaches, admin and committed young players that we have today. Whats that word again? Culture? As we have seen, you need to have a committed and professional club from top to bottom.

Yep, well played Misso. I liked the way how from the very start, he said it would take several years for the fitness and conditioning program to be effective. There were going to be no short-cuts. Honest and real.

Done his job (well), but a good time for change. Good move for Misso and the Dees.

UFC is beyond description. Lots of people want to ban boxing but it is child's play compared to UFC. It staggers me that it has not been banned.

Much of life is meaningless. It ceases to become meaningless when we die. In the meantime, whilst we remain on this mortal coil, we exercise choice. We accept some things, reject others. Increasingly, I find sport in all its forms, meaningless, particularly those sports or derivations of a game that are invented and marketable purely to milk more revenue. The culture and history of a sport becomes meaningless because the new thing is just something invented by marketing executives and administrators who see $ signs in front of their eyes. They are dominated by thinking purely of markets, growth and money (in the pockets of all those involved in the game, namely, administrators, players, media and advertisers). Sport is now seen as entertainment. Sport (and footy) in its purest form no longer exists. In footy, we see rule changes every season to make the game more marketable. Do we really need it or want it ? No, but we are going to get it anyway. Do we need the latest TV or iphone? Do we need Big Bash or AFLX? Probably not, but we will get it anyway and folks have to exercise choice to buy or not to buy. Some manifestations of a sport or game are good. Women's footy for example. Worth watching, worth supporting and important for gender balance. All consumers can do is to exercise their power through choice. Avoid the sport (product) completely or choose what product or form of the sport that you like and wish to follow. The sports I don't like, I don't attend, watch or read about. Or I take less interest in. Just like you will read one book but not another based on your personal likes and biases.

Fair enough. Buttifant is probably the best in the business so I respect his expert comments. We will be able to measure or assess the impact as the season progresses. Many of our injured players have been doing a lot of running and participating in drills. It may not be ideal but they will have some level of preparation, even guys like Lever. I am more encouraged by the fact that we seem to be taking a cautious approach with our players and giving them the best opportunity to get their bodies right for the arduous season ahead.

Or alternately ......................"the late start to the pre-season, combined with our rehab program .............contributed to having a strong list to choose from and our great finish late season."" Is the glass half empty or half full? Given the long and intense season, I see our late start being beneficial to the back half of the season. Hopefully our days of promising starts, injuries and fade-out mid season are over. Our aim is to peak come finals time not early to mid season.

Agreed. Leave it be for this season. Review at season end. To be successful, clubs need to make hard decisions but also behave in a respectful and decent way, understanding the importance of each individual contribution. Jones contribution has been significant. His performance off-field has greatly improved. He is good for marketing and improves the image of the club. He brings honesty and respectability to the club. He has history and a record of loyalty and achievement He stands for the Club. He bleeds for the Club. Bit like Smithy's famous comment..."Tony, I am Melbourne" Jones will play this season and play in the 22. We are a young team with a very young co-captain. Dumping Jones this season, serves no purpose, no purpose at all. Although different circumstances, I hope we have learnt the lessons of James McDonald. Jones is Melbourne and deserves another year.

Bub, don't you remember that bloke with the bad body language who used to play in the forward line. No, not the blonde haired guy, the other one.

Unfortunately, Jag along with most brands have lost their distinctive difference in styling inside and out. How do they market a car that looks like so many others ? World wide competition is so great across the board whether it be top, middle or bottom of the range. All brands can only compete on new sale and resale price along with running cost, and perhaps fashion. Why buy a Jag (unless your an enthusiast and its an old one) over any other brand ? Maybe status, but I can't see Jag in that category any more. Although that could be said for BMW, Audi, Benz etc. In the city these brands are a dime a dozen. In the country its very different and the choice of vehicle is usually Hilux or a Japanese 4wd !! Perhaps someone with more knowledge of cars than me can identify what differentiates Jag.

""We can't ever go back to old things or try and get the old kick out of something or find things the way we remembered them. We have them as we remember them and they are fine and wonderful and we have to go on and have other things because the old things are nowhere except in our minds now."" Only problem is that I have forgotten when I wrote this.

Did I write that ? Amazing how you forget what you have written. Sounds like a complete stranger not old Ernie.

Wonderful to have young footballers of the calibre of Brayshaw, Oliver etc. Indeed our whole crop of young men. Makes up for the disappointment of past draftees.

I know its human nature but I find comparisons annoying and meaningless. There are genuine stars of the game, now called elite players who bring their own talents, skills and class to the game. Each has their own individual differences that make them what they are. Way back in the 60s, fans and media, then called the press, compared Whitten and Barassi, and the title Mr Football often moved from one to the other, although Ted usually got the nod. At the end of the day, both were match winning greats of the game that brought their own unique talents to each match.

Like everything, who owns who , and who is paying the rent! Its like drinking a craft beer and then noticing that the special imported or local brew you have paid extras for is actually made under licence by one of the conglomerate beer companies. Range Rovers and Jags all the same. That's how much I know about cars.

Like the MFC of the past 50 years, Jaguar had breeding, pedigree and beautiful lines, but just kept breaking down. Now, it has lost its breeding and good looks and can be mistaken for a Ford or any other common car just with a higher price. Don't know why you would buy one. Still prefer the Range Rover to get to the snow. Still, beggars can't be choosers, so at least we have a sponsor for the time being.

All true, at 28 most have moved on. Like others in the world of professional sport, he's a 28 year old living in a bubble.

Assume Uncle you are on your 5/2 diet with tomorrow a fasting day. Only way to explain your svelte head and face. I assume the rest of your body is similarly splendid. Don't forget your make-up, lippy and dog collar on the way out.

Not sure about you Nasher, but in my ""early days", I did many idiotic things, indeed, in some cases, shameful things under ""the influence"". Many more than poor old Jack. Okay I was not an AFL footballer, but I still did some stupid things that I regretted at the time and still carry a residual of that shame today particularly when I upset people that I cared for. I don't think you can say that because Jack is a public figure he is a bigger idiot than the next person. It's more about stupid and sometimes dangerous behaviour that occurs under the influence. Perhaps, Jack should have had better awareness of the consequences of his behaviour but thats all one can conclude. I suspect that he will be more concerned about the impact on his family and those close to him than what football clubs, media and people on the street think.

Oh yes they can Mono. We have seen the past, we know the present and can imagine the future. A massive mega dollar operation, obscenely paid executives and the whole tribe at AFL House trying to justify their existence, meet their KPIs to ensure a nice fat bonus, and to satisfy their masters, namely, TV, Media and advertisers. Macca talks about appealing to a younger demographic the under 35 year olds. I reckon it's actually the kids under about 16. As for an overseas market pull the other one. If there is a potential market for this great national game excluding a couple of states and territories, it will be so obscure to be almost invisible except on pay TV Channel 950.

Sorry Barrie, just cant feel this way. QB and finals are all that counts for me. I hope they play some of the kids and fringe players. I guess, we have the confidence to know that they will not play anyone on the injury or rehab list, which is quite a number of our better players. As someone else said on another thread, I just hate practice games. A meaningless game with the heightened risk of injury. Hard grounds and players a little soft.

I have a very big.......tongue.

that's in the footy dictionary

A gimmick. Meaning of the word is a trick or device designed to create attention or publicity. Synonyms include contrivance, stunt, ploy, novelty, dodge, ploy.

That's very good Saty!! It would remind them of how passionate and serious our fans are about their footy club ! And of course that fans sometime have better insights than they do ! Existing inside a footy bubble is not always a good thing. We all know about bubbles. Snap, crackle and pop. Just ask Darren Weir. Roosters today and feather dusters tomorrow. It might also be good for a little light relief from the seriousness that is footy. Including the ritualistic sabre rattling between your good self and the black knights.