hemingway

What an excitement machine. Looks ready made for AFL footy. For some reason he reminds me of a young Garry Lyon.

Most excited I have been since 2021 GF.

Chandlers commitment to the contest, endeavour and enthusiasm is outstanding. Has arrived.

Totally agree.

Exactly

Makes sense but there are many variables. Despite better player management there are still many players playing with injuries including chronic injuries. There is a lot of pressure on players to stay on the field or come back from injury before full healing. Players have contracts to think about and coaches want the best available team each game and this involves risk. There are players like Pendlebury that due to game style, weight, body build etc have greater longevity than others. Michael Tuck came from a different era but had a record breaking games total. In the past many players retired from footy due jobs and/or for financial reasons. Not the case today for those who make it. There is a huge financial incentive to keep playing with or without injury. Todays footy is played on harder grounds, with greater speed and ball movement, greater emphasis on tackling and competitiveness. Game style include greater emphasis on using the ball and tackling on angles. The other thing that is overlooked is that players start playing the game much younger. Drafting etc means that training and playing starts early. No longer do kids play school footy or local footy in a more relaxed way. As a result injuries start occurring at a younger age. Isaac Smith is 34,or 35 but played country footy before being drafted at 22.

Perfect Boomer

No Adam, no bandwagon jumpers. Let them suffer.

That’s encouraging ElDiablo.

That’s me.

It’s the medication.

Jack Watts is a distant memory. A memory that does not attach any emotion or feeling. Pure detachment. That must be good. And Luke Jackson evokes the same sentiments.

Sustained success brings with it expectation and arrogance. And I hate nasty supporters, you know, the group of ugly blokes who take pleasure in abuse and insults when the team is getting belted. All clubs have them, but whose worst ? It depends on personal experience. I have vivid and upsetting memories of the abuse suffered at Waverley after the Stynes/Buckenara episode. On another level I hated the arrogance of Jeff Kennett and his criticism and gratuitous advice to other clubs. Generally, I have found most Hawks fans pretty meek and mild. The more vicious were Bomber supporters, Collingwood and Blues supporters. And I must admit to some nasty run-ins with Crows supporters, the closest I have come to inflicting or receiving physical harm. The Cats are not vicious but they have fallen into the arrogance camp. So my attitude is to enjoy winning but remain humble. Enjoy the success but remember that failure is always lurking in the shadows. Be loud and proud when we are winning but never, arrogant, mean or insulting. Because the Mums and the Kids deserve better.

Good stuff Macca. I just think it’s important for committed supporters to fully appreciate present times and not to get too far ahead of ourselves.

To fully appreciate the place the MFC currently finds itself, you need to never forget the dark days. A bit like the War. With the MFC remember how much time and effort has been spent resurrecting the club and breathing fresh life into a near corpse like body. The pride in our performance has taken years to grow. It needs to be nurtured and sustained so that the shadow of failure is extinguished but never forgotten.

A difficult one. You can understand a player who stops and props when he is off balance or not in a good position to accurately deliver the ball and/or a team mate is not in position to receive the ball. However, it can hurt you in the manner you describe particularly against a really quick side like Collingwood.

Great observation.

Folks have talked about fitness but did you see Petracca flip off the ground, off his back onto his feet. Never seen that happen on the footy field. Now try doing that in the backyard. It is impossible for most of us, it requires incredible strength and flexibility in the core. That was my highlight. No wonder he is impossible to tag. A raging bull. Once in a generation. Oh, maybe we have two or three once in a generation players. It’s like looking back and saying how lucky you were to see Barassi or all those other champs from those days. We are very lucky to see our current crop of players.

Sadly there are going to be players who play their hearts out and deserve their place in the team, who get dropped. That’s good for team selection but I can’t help feeling sorry for those who will miss out. How do they develop confidence and maintain motivation? How do you keep a young kid like Laurie motivated if you drop him after one game?

And the potential to change the way the game is played.

Imagine how sad if we had merged with Hawthorn to become The Dawks. Guard your history, traditions and culture closely. Without it we are nothing. Which would have been the case if we had merged. That time in our history must never be forgotten.

Exactly, happened this morning in a local supermarket when I saw an old guy wearing a 2007 Demons jacket. He responded to my Go Dees greeting to tell me that he had been a member for 70 years.

Yes we are but the Dees has become common usage on the street.

Yep, much bigger than Jackson and others. Much more emotion, more love. It’s going to be very painful as this plays out all season not knowing if he is staying or going. If he goes, it will be a huge blow to all fans particularly the kids. Really tough. A little bit of me will die.

He is not an exceptional human being.