Jumping Jack Clennett

Great article by Chris Cordner in the Age today ,criticizing the Australian Test team for their sledging and general behaviour. I agree with him that we can beat the English without this boorish larrikinism. In fact, I think sledging increases the steely resolve of the opposition ,usually. Let's pretend we're nice guys to Steyn, Morkel, Philander etc. They won't have the broken morale the Englishmen displayed when things started going against them for a change.

Hey Biff, what's Wade's MFC connection?Does he barrack for the Dees? If so, I can't help but hope he becomes Haddin's replacement,though I hope that's not too soon. Haddin has really improved his keeping in his thirties, so it's not too late for Wade.

I don't think it was because the coach didn't like him. I just think they had four better tall forwards and a settled backline. I think that this is the way clubs should recruit players willing to leave other clubs. Look for clubs with excess players of a certain type, where potentially good AFL players can't get a game because there are too many similar players at that club. A classic example was Sydney picking up Kennedy from Hawthorn , who had a surfeit of midfielders. I'm not saying Pedersen is a star, but he could still be a very good player and not displace some of those North forwards. Then it would be hard to do well in the disjointed rabble that the Demons were last year.

See post 22

Uh oh.......who's going to run the meditation sessions?

See post 22

Well, we beat Carlton 3 times the next year, including in the Finals.We'd have been rank outsiders, but we were that in all 3 '87 finals. We didn't beat them in '87, but we were a different team from round 17 to 22,and they weren't one of the 6 teams(8, if you include the finals) we beat.

Jack...about Sean Charles' broken wrist. Apparently he suffered the well recognised complication of a fractured scaphoid , developing a non- united fracture with avascular necrosis. I'm told he had a bone graft ,which is often successful, but he got his plaster wet swimming in a river, and didn't report back to have it replaced. In other words, patient compliance was sub-optimal. Fractured scaphoids are often missed, since the initial X-ray can be equivocal. However I don't think this was the case with Sean. I can't recall the source of this info, but it made sense to me. Ps. I thought he was recruited from Powell Town.

Hodgey goes for the Dees, but it's a while since he played a Test.

my feelings also, Mono. Didn't the bastard say White could have injured King's foot?Interesting connection between Geelong and Essendon that you raise. And I agree with rjay's post above about the Eagles' amazing bulking up in the eighties. I reckon they can get away with a lot more over in the wild west( note: Cousins) I'll never forget us losing the stick insect Troy Simmonds to Freo, only to find him muscle-bound the next year. Word gets around in small towns when the pathology testers are in the vicinity.

Absolutely right, WYL.And I reckon it was a gutless decision by Clarke, with our collapse for 98 last Ashes Boxing Day at the forefront of his mind. He saw the clouds and a bit if moisture in the pitch and didn't have the confidence in his batsmen to tough it out for a session then benefit from the huge advantage of RUNS ON THE BOARD. We might still win this game, but it will take a heroic effort, instead of cruising to a trouncing like in the first three tests.

Oh no!

Let's hope we win the toss again, bat first again, and storm to 4 nil, with Warner smashing a ton in a big partnership with Rogers. We have to make up for that debacle in the last Boxing Day Ashes Test......what a huge disappointment that was!

Spot on, Machsy.I was watching a very old replay in which the great John Nicholls dropped his head twice in 5 minutes defending in the goal square with the pack behind him. Peter Moore did it a dozen times every match. I wouldn't write Pedersen off for that effort. Besides, he did knock the ball down effectively to one of our crumbers,as I remember it, before he ducked his head. Personally I think Pedersen has potential under the new coach. The one who I reckon is useless is Byrnes. Shouldn't get a game ever again.the worst player on our list.

I'd love to think that Scully is hopeless, but every time I see him play, he seems to do well. Definitely not worth the money they're paying him , though. I reckon we 'd be pretty happy with his progress if he was still with us, not having stabbed us in the back.

I don't know if it's relevant, but I heard from someone reasonably close to the Hird family that Tanya absolutely calls the shots in that family. (That's Tanya Hird, not Tanya Hide, Bob!)

I wonder if Craig Cameron had anything to do with their involvement.

Bloody good point, Bob.It reminds me of some of the decisions of the previous admin., which is a little bit worrying.

Do other Demonlanders remember Rudi Webster's "think tank" under Barass in the early 80's? It didn't seem very effective then, but I presume times have changed. I remember supporters yelling derisively at poorly performing players...,"lock him in the think tank!!!"

Are you saying that Jonathon is a distant relative of the 19th century Trotts? Where did you hear that? Interesting!

Perhaps Harry Trott was shell-shocked?No I just googled him,and he finished cricket long before WW1. His brother Albert committed suicide 4 years after retiring from cricket. You're not referring to Marcus Trescowthick trotting back home , are you?

I reckon one of the crucial decisions in the first Test was Clarke's courageous choice to bat first. There always appears to be greenness in first morning wickets, tempting captains to bowl. But if you get runs on the board....even an average total, the pressure goes firmly on the opposition. Also, prior to the game we all thought England had the superior spinner, so batting first was a good idea. One slightly worrying point is that Rogers, Watson, Bailey and Smith didn't succeed with the bat(though Rogers was involved in a 60-odd opening partnership in the 2nd dig.) We can't always rely on Haddin and Johnson with the bat, though it looks like Clarke and Warner are in for a good series. I watched a bit of Dooland on Cricket Australia TV. He looks technically sound and reliable. Did anyone notice how much Cook and Carberry struggled against Siddle at the start of the 2nd innings. ?Both were very lucky to survive.

Farad Ahmed 5/58 so far.....cleaning up WA tail. ?? a chance for Brisbane Test!?

Do you by any chance know if Kenny's still alive? Possibly not, since he was morbidly obese in the 70s.We've tried to contact him for Uni Reds reunions, but no-one has seen or heard of him for years. He was a real character, much loved by his players at Uni.

But, "Bedraggled",there could be advantages to not having played.For example, when I played, you NEVER kicked across goal, you never hand- balled in the back line,and we all kicked drop kicks and torpedoes. Kicking backwards!!!????? A complete no-no! So even though I've watched the game evolve, and can see the need now to perpetrate what used to be sins on the footy field, I probably have more pre-conceived , and fixed,ideas about the game than someone like you with an open mind. Also, having played soccer, you would see the tactics that have become common to both games, which would help your insight.