Goodvibes

Shannon Byrnes

Please don't Goodoil. This kind of stuff keeps me up nights. 1994 is always the year I highlight as a missed opportunity. Twenty years ago now. Scary.

So I'm watching the game at the pub up here in Queensland with a Richmond following friend. Cover band blaring in the background. Paul Kelly's 'Dumb Things' is playing as Trengove turns it over in the last quarter. Minutes later and the cover band is predictably having a crack at 'Holy Grail' as JKH ran into goal for his third. I found myself fist punching Brett Lee style in front of the bar to the bemused looks of mainly disinterested onlookers. Realized it was pre-season. Sat down. Slightly embarrassed. True story.

Under five days until the footy. Thank Christ.

AFL gets my vote.

Loving the reports. Greatly appreciated.

I giggled.

The Goodvibes are in. Thanks for organizing!

There seems to be a lot of comparisons and analogies being made in this thread and here's another one for you. It seems to me now that we're hoping Watts will develop into the player Cale Morton never did. If Watts can develop his engine, more frequently use his burst speed and showcase his much discussed disposal skills he might become a very difficult match-up on the wing floating forward. It pains me to say it, but that's about as much hope as I now have.

Blease in a boil over.

Unfortunately Matt Burgan is photogophobial.

Thanks for that!

Has anyone noticed if Hogan (and the footy staff) have attempted to alter his slightly awkward approach to set shot kicking? Thanks in advance.

Reading the thread title I assumed we'd moved from a traditional 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 formation. The expression "up front" seems to be sneaking into the AFL vernacular.

The Viney leadership question is an interesting one. If a 19/20 year old Joel Selwood was at Melbourne would we expect him to be in our leadership group? Does Viney have the on-field ability and the natural leadership skills of Selwood. I'd probably suggest he's a little behind in terms of on-field ability but his natural leadership skills seem to be of a Selwood level. Views on leadership are changing every decade. What's the point of having 8 or 9 members of a leadership team if we're not going to have different age levels represented? Should young players simply know their place or should they be encouraged to have a say in team meetings, reinforce team rules on the park and feel like they're contributing to the culture and direction of the club?

The Leading Teams angle might give Viney an opportunity. If his team mates think he's ready then I'm sure Roos won't stand in the way of the process. He didn't exactly have a Joel Selwood-like debut year but he's definitely our version. We're a young team, having a younger representative on an eight man leadership team might make some sense. Co-captains is likely but I like the idea of Clark strutting out of the change rooms as one of our captains. Grimes is a good all round player who does and says all the right things off the field. Jones deserves to be a captain as he will lead us by example and has two Blueys to back him up. What we're missing and what the MFC has often lacked is sex appeal. Mitch Clark, is the antithesis of the traditionally conservative MFC stereotype. Fit and firing, those around him walk taller. I want him leading our team.

I'm predicting an 8 man leadership team: Grimes, Jones, Clark, Garland, Frawley, Dawes, Cross, Viney with the first three to be joint captains.

Ok, I've swung from Freeman to Acres back to Freeman and Sheed is emerging as my late favourite. There's a lot of talk about how weak this draft is but the top 15 - 20 look bloody good to me. I'm looking forward to getting down the coast to take it all in on Thursday. Not sure I'll pick up anything the good folk on Demonland won't get off Foxtel or afl.com but I'll report anything of interest.

A lot of talk about Aish sliding but I'm still confident he will go high and GWS might be sucking everyone in with talk of Kelly. It would be a little ironic if he goes at 2 where we all assumed he would go all those months ago when his name was first being bandied around Demonland and we seemed destined to finished the season with pick 2.

Hence why we'd go into meltdown.

If I was Jason Taylor and I was about to read out my first ever pick for the Dees, I think I'd have to go with McCarthy and then log straight onto Demonland to watch the meltdown. We've pretty much considered every other option on Demonland over the past few months. Time to consider the best key position player after Boyd.

I was more worried about the card carrying neo-Nazi's who might take offence at being compared to a very conservative, overweight, family man who spends more time than he should on an internet forum.

You need to understand the psyche of the average MFC member. We've endured the worst 7 years of footballing torment imaginable. I'd almost not wish such a period on your average Collingwood fan. We've been offered a glimmer of hope with the AFL-driven appointment of Jackson and then the subsequent signing of premiership coach Roos. And on the day we announce the signing of a major sponsor and our full, rejuvenated list congregate for the first time, you choose to tell us that the player most of us think is the most exciting to have walked into our club since Robbie Flower, will take the money and run as soon as he gets the chance. You realise of course, that that is exactly what most of us think will probably happen because this past two - three months has been almost dreamlike. We've accepted humiliating thumpings as par for the course, we've seen number one draft picks walk out on us, we've been labelled as tankers, we've lost our much loved former President, our debt was demolished and then rediscovered, we've lost major sponsors, and deep deep down we wonder what exactly could the footballing Gods throw at us next. We are a very, very fragile supporter base and for good reason. Be gentle with us. And by the way I'm one of those tree hugging leftist greenies most on here detest and wouldn't dream of censoring or banning you. And furthermore, I've a very free and easy dude. I've even got the Big Lebowski DVD to prove it.

It's cool, I've got this covered. I'll write him a letter.