johnfidge

yeh collingwood have about 4 teams that claim the rivalry, carlton mainly 79,81, 82, but that doesnt come close to us, richmond probably history wise are carltons main rivals. but geelong?

Since when have geelong been OUR BIGGEST RIVALS? Surely Collingwood,

Sometimes the speed and consistancy of ball comeing to fwd line is all that matters, If its Quick and predictable (to us) most modern day players can present themselves, its when its slow and predictable(to them) its a problem. No superstars in west coast fwd line, or Adelaides, Sydney has Hall. speed is king!

HFF Possibly the hardest position on the ground, they dont call it starvation corner for nothing, Once the domain of skillfull opputunist sharp shooters, Craig Mcrae from Brisbane redefined the role, in brisbanes great era just passed. Hard chaseing tackling fwds with great speed who cause goals by turnovers and chipping in with a goal or 2 is the go. Thats great when team is going well, but when struggling everybody says we need 4 or 5 goals from davey. Opposition teams know Aaron is rarely that productive goal wise if heavely tagged, not many are, but when key fwds are getting beaten the flank is no place to be. Andrew Mcleod went through the same scenario at Adelaide, and was moved to the back flank, look at how productive he has become with many clubs now trying to stop him from that position, Davey is not as good in the air as Mcleod but his run would cut sides to ribbons and the release from tagging pressure would give him new life.

key positions have always been a problem, especially down back. But thier is real quality in those 8 midfielders, often its not the individuals but the combination of players. throw judd, and Borgoyne in with any 6 of our boys and away we go! just an example .

Look, the thing about injuries are that they are not all equall, some blokes can play with hammys and calf strains, I couldnt. Others can play with ligament ruptures and fractures, this I did, Its amazing how the body or brain copes, what you learn over a carear is your limitations, When young though you just play. As a supportor you are entitled to think and say what you like, But i can promise you that you would be a lot more forgiving on players if you knew the hole picture. Hell i get frustrated when i watch the demons struggle, Individuals look disinterested and lazy,thats human nature. But Iv never met the perfect human being, or footballer yet, except maybe robbie flower, or plugger,

Ditto, the heavier stronger bodies would be needed to survive. players like dipper, kink, ayres, brereton, watson, G ablett, dunstall, lockett. williams(greg) bring back eighties

I dont believe this is edward

With injuries, once on field a player is deemed fit. Now this is the hard part for players because depending on your status, ability and position some players still play suitable games which coaching staff assess is a risk worth takeing. Its never cut and dry, all players play hurt, believe me the medical room is busy game day. In 1986 I broke my right foot, but at first the exrays did not show it. badly bruised was the diagnosis,should be right in 2 to 3 weeks. well i couldnt get out of a jog, after 5 weeks i played in reserves, kicked 10, straight in seniors the next week, but foot was still very sore from playing, I played but struggled to run, doctors assured me thier was no bone damage so it must be me. This pattern continued all season till after struggling through 5 or 6 senior games they decided to get a cat scan, guess what the foot was fractured in 5 places. wasted a whole year. That was a major reason I left Melbourne. A coach says to a player. are you right to play, the player says yes ( because he doesnt want to let down the club, and the supporters!) He struggles , most coaches put it down to experiance and move on. If the player says no im not right, he gets called soft, or not tough enough to carry injuries. there would not be anyone who played the game at AFL level that has not been through it. Just remember what actually motivates footballers, they want more than anything to play and to play well. If they consistantly dont, apart from abilitiy, there is probably a physical cause. hope i havnt bored you cheers.

Joeboy thanks for kind words, Great days at Macca high, loved every minute there.

Thanks DV8, Family good married with 4 kids, living in Adelaide, love to know who u are.

Hi Rumpole Thanks for your support. I'm wondering who the past teacher was too, and your right grammer is bad, thank god I could kick a ball eh! Didn't play much under Northey due to broken foot. Cheers JF

Hey my name is John Fidge. i actually played for the mighty Demons' but i must say that im pretty dissappionted when i look on the web and see that someone like yourself has seen it fit to judge me and my brother in such a negative way. when both him and me played in both u19 and reserve grade premeirships at the club, Teddy actually played in the last senior premership melbourne won in 1987, the thing that really annoys me is that you dont have any idea of what i and my brother went thru to play the game. i know there are true melbourne supporters who dont get their kicks out of bagging players that have done nothing more than give their best for the club. my brother and myself put our bodies on the line and have the scars to prove it. i suggest you rethink what it means to be a supporter.