hemingway

Welcome back mate

Frankly the media is ruining the enjoyment of footy. 24/7 commentary, shock jocks like Cornes and others constructing headlines, criticism of players and teams at the drop of a hat, gross exaggeration (the point of fabrication) and often uninformed commentary. Mainly it’s about egos and justification of their pay cheques. It’s the bilge that gets said and written about every day, all week, and before and after a game. It has reached saturation point. Either folks accept it, absorb it like sponges, or reject it, turn off and try and enjoy the purity of the game. The game needs to retain some freshness, some surprises, where fans expectation and opinions are not unduly influenced by the constant clammer of the media bandwagon. It’s just getting so tiresome.

You said it, these opinions are based on our own personal experience. A bad experience with an individual or group can influence one’s view of the broader group. Where you sit at the MCG or other ground can be very different. Other supporters find the Demon faithful in the members and Northern Stand obnoxious. And last Sunday I was one of those.

Agree re your comments about Crows fans. Their as bad as you get. By comparison Port fans are lovely people. Crow fans seem to retain the arrogance of their glory years.

Love these stories. So much about the footy culture and allegiances. So Footy, so Melbourne (the place).

He is what he is and we should be happy. He’s tough and hard at the contest. That’s good enough. Mongrels are born. Don’t believe you can suddenly develop Mongrel. Toby Greene was born that way. No one coached him to add the mongrel component.

The cat is out of the bag regarding opposition scrutiny. You never know, the enemy might need to tag him ! Just add him to the list of other team mates that warrant a tag.

Thought he was superb on Monday. His speed and disposal skills made him look a different player. Much smoother than previous seasons. His improvement really surprised me.

But guys it’s footy. It’s full of emotion, opinions and nonsense. Normally rational people, become intoxicated with the whole thing and quickly move between Jekyll and Hyde. It’s crazy but that’s footy and that’s people. We all have a bit of white line fever. I’m a quiet reflective guy but I was a raving lunatic on Sunday.

Thought he was better without Max, being able to run freely around the ground. He runs and links up so beautifully and looked free like a horse happily galloping in a paddock.

Central and North Central meaning country Vic

Supporters are scattered all over the place. The old days of class distinction linked to geography, industry and residence have long gone. When I worked in the West I was surprised how few Doggies supporters there were. It seemed that Locals were more likely to follow Pies and Bombers. As you say the Cats are the exception with its inbred following. Interstate clubs another case in point. Dees supporters tend to congregate in the leafy suburbs SE and East. In central and north central, Tigers and Bombers proliferate but there are still plenty of grey haired Demons.

Hibbo was limping badly at the end of the game. If it’s Achilles, no way given his age and slow nature of Achilles recovery.

Great info mate. As previously mentioned, Chandlers form says a lot for his development and the wisdom of holding him back. It also says a lot for Chandler, a boy from South Aus who could have become impatient waiting for an opportunity in this star studded team. Says a lot for his loyalty, commitment and understanding of his development path. He could have easily put out the feelers to the SA clubs but there was a complete absence of speculation. He clearly wanted to stay with the Dees and the coaches clearly wanted to keep him. Now we see why. Love his story of perseverance and hard work. And loyalty.

The Sun also Rises. It did on Sunday both the weather and my mood.

For Whom The Bell Tolls OD. Well not until another flag.

And to think that I almost passed on going to the game. A bad case of MFCSS and a very low mood all week. Encouraged to go by son and wife who both predicted a win. What got me over the line was when my son said, “Dad imagine how bad you will feel after they win”. When I walked into the ground, saw the colours and the expectant excited Dees supporters I felt good and my cyclonic depression lifted. It was as if the Dees fans willed that win. And let’s face it, the boys looked pumped. They had come to win and not just compete. By quarter time I knew I had made the right decision and thanked wife and son. And learnt a lesson in having a positive attitude. Despite all the TV coverage and commentary, there is nothing like being at the game and absorbing all the raw emotion and excitement. We were up and about and the Dees fans noise and fist pumping incredible. And for 120 minutes we forgot our own worries and the worries of the world. The sun was shining on our beloved Demons.

Too rational SPC. Viney is heart and soul.

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