Engorged Onion

Reykjavik.....hands down.

So, I hear ANB is tearing it up (via the AFL website) - great for him and his endurance. What about Billy Stretch - where is he at, and maybe its a question with no real answer - can he make an impression and imbed himself in the team?

nothing to see here...

click bait for a quiet preseason Some amusing quotes smattered throughout http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-12-11/power-closer-to-flag-than-demons-watts

Pain + Reflection = Progress...

@layzie WHAT IS MINDFULNESS? In our sessions, we will talk about the role of awareness as a first step to helping us make changes that will be beneficial to our performance. In particular, we focus on a particular type of awareness called mindfulness. The term mindfulness has its roots in eastern spiritual and religious traditions, however psychology has recognized its importance, and has removed the spiritual and religious context to help improve physical and emotional well-being. This approach can be useful no matter your religious or spiritual (or non) preference. Mindfulness is nonjudgemental (compassionate) present-moment awareness of what is going on inside of us and around us. We often live our lives focused on something other than what is happening in the moment (in sport, focus is having your eyes and your mind attuned to the exact same task)- worrying about the future, ruminating about the past, focusing on what is coming up next, rather than our present task. Importantly, it is useful that we can do things without paying attention to them. We can walk without thinking about walking, which allows us to talk to the person we are walking with, without having to think. However this ability to do things automatically without awareness, also allows us to lose touch with what is happening right in front of us. We can develop habits (such as avoiding embarrassment), that we are not even aware of and that may not be in line with our broader goals. Sometimes though, when we DO pay close attention to our thoughts and feelings, we become very critical of our thoughts and feelings and either try to change them or to distract ourselves because judgemental awareness can be very painful. For example, we might notice while we are about to compete that we feel sweaty or that our heart is racing and then think “ I’m an idiot, what is wrong with me!! If I don’t calm down, I won’t be able to perform to my peak!!” Being mindful falls between these two extremes. We pay attention to what is happening inside and around us, we acknowledge events and experiences as what they are, and we allow things we cannot control to be as they are, while we focus our attention on the task at hand. For example, when competing we may notice the same feelings of stress/anxiety that came up earlier, take a moment to reflect, “There go my thoughts again,” and gently bring our attention back to our task. This second part of mindfulness – letting go of the need to critically judge and change our inner experience- is particularly tricky. In fact, often being mindful involves practicing being nonjudgemental about our tendency to be judgemental! A FEW KEY POINTS: Mindfulness is a process: We do not achieve a final and total state of mindfulness. It is a way of being in one moment that comes and goes. Mindfulness is losing our focus 100 times and returning to it 101 times. Mindfulness is a habit: Just like we learned to go on automatic pilot by practicing it over and over (like learning to ride a bike!), we can learn mindfulness through practice. The more we invest in time to practice it, the easier it becomes to have moments of mindfulness, especially in the crucial moments of your performance. Mindfulness activities come in many different forms: People engage in formal mindful practices like yoga, meditation or tai chi. Although these practices can take hours or days, we aim to make mindfulness easy to fit into your busy lifestyle. People can be mindful for a moment, attending to their breath at any point of the day and noticing their experiences. ALL FORMS of mindful practice in beneficial Mindfulness brings us more fully into our lives: Sometimes, especially early in treatment, we will practice mindfulness in ways that seem very relaxing and removed from the stressors of our daily lives, however the ultimate goal of mindfulness is to keep us more fully in our performance (and lives) and to improve our overall performance (and life satisfaction). Mindfulness can allow us to pause and ready ourselves for some event and bring us more fully into the task, so we perform at a higher and more consistent level, without being taken away by our thoughts and feelings.

@layzie Mindfulness can be practiced formally (setting time aside) and non-formally (during everyday activities). Below, is a list of activities that may be practiced mindfully. While doing these activities, practice the skills of mindfulness covered in session. · Notice internal and external events, trying to focus your attention on the things happening around you and the thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and images that come up and noticing when your attention wanders. · Practice patience with the present moment, staying in this moment and noticing the urge to rush ahead to the next thing. · Try to notice judgements of your experience and of yourself. Try to be compassionate in your awareness of your internal experience, practicing having your thoughts and feelings without labeling them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. · Notice the urge to judge things based on past experiences. Attempt to bring beginners mind to the experience, observing things as they are rather than as you think they will be. · Notice the urge to hold onto certain feelings (eg: happiness, relaxation) and the urge to push other feelings away (eg: sadness, anxiety). Practice letting go of this struggle, just allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go as they will.

@layzie SKILLS OF MINDFULNESS These aspects of mindfulness require practice (it’s a skill, not a pill). We can continue to attend to these elements and develop them further throughout our lives. Keep them in mind as you develop your own practice and watch how they emerge, fade and reemerge. Awareness · Learning to focus your attention, rather than having it in many places at once · Becoming aware of thoughts, emotions and physical sensations as well as sights, sounds, smells and tastes Nonjudgemental Observation · Developing a sense of compassion towards your internal experiences. · Becoming aware of the constant judgements we make about our experiences · Stepping back and noticing experiences without labeling them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Staying in the Moment · Observing the here and now rather than focusing on the past or future · Practicing patience with the present moment rather than rushing to whatever is next · Participating in experiences as they occur Beginners Mind · Observing things as they really are, rather than letting what we think we ‘know’ to be true, cloud the experience that we are having. · Becoming open to new possibilities

Erm, looks like the guy on the left with modified hair...

are you part of the football department, support or ancillary staff?

Spargo has Kevin Dyson-esque thighs..they are a thing to behold

I also knew a player when I saw one- J Gysbersts vs the cats - what a gun... alas, I was wrong...

vale tom.

I hope the commentators are right with their allusions to 'think Boomer Harvey' due to his stature... I can also think of Ben Ken, David Bain, Robin Nahas and maybe Ricky Jackson Welcome kid.

He is serviceable at best - has flashes and then has a fair bit of inconsistency - reminds me of a poor mans Darren Kappler (but if your great is different from my great - fill me in on what great looks like from your perspective - 200 gamer, 5 inside 50's per game hitting targets)

How on earth can there be so much discrepancy ....

Spot on...nor the short term either...

nice work @La Dee-vina Comedia

Had a mate saying that he was driving up Anderson street the other day when what looked like the U22's were training - his wife said - who are they an u18 football side (she apparently was referencing Clayton Oliver, and she doesn't care for football at all)- my mate who is a Collingwood supporter, said he was tracking around 40kmh in the car and he was impressed as they were keeping up ...is this fast??...i just checked Usain Bolts speed over 100m.. 46kmh - eff me - that is quick.

and that wins my post of the year

" Corey Maynard, I keep telling you, he is the one. He is powerful and had a ripping VFL finals. He will be there." - a quote from Dollars... can anyone shed some light on him for me, midfielder? forward? has he got talent? has he got weapons?

@demonstone - mate, can you show the working for all please...still scratching my head at some...

12. Simon Buckley - er...like Buckleys and none?

6. Jake Lever? (finish up...leave) -stern? Tex is a [censored]?

personally I think this is the best worked through response yet...