Dame Gaga

Where's the BIG man in the square?!?

Excellent play!!

I agree with Ouch! What the heck is general soreness anyway? They would have known about that well before the game. It amounts to cheating in my view. Typical West Coast *%*#.

Two West Australians. Margetts and Dalgleish. Fisher is the ex St Kilda player.

The AFL may be upset they missed out on the pyramid scheme. Some people made a lot of money from those things in the 80s, from what I remember.

Wait, that broom has red hair!! How did you know the Ginger Ninja was going to play?!

Tom Boyd's experience highlights the enormous pressure which comes with being number one pick and getting traded for a big pay packet, something which apparently never sat well with him. Grant mentioned in his meeting with the press that the contract and money was not spoken of when Boyd told the club of his decision. Grant was also not surprised by the decision, knowing as he did of Boyd's struggles with physical and mental fitness. Boyd doesn't sound like the kind of man who is motivated by money. I watched the interview he did for Headspace last year on the Bulldog's website. To hear him say he couldn't sleep for nearly six weeks due to anxiety, and suffered from panic attacks while only driving his car around before receiving help from the club psychologist, shows what an enormous effort he must have put in for his team in the finals and in the Grand Final in 2016. He will always be remembered by the Bulldogs and their fans as a hero for helping deliver the long awaited Premiership. I wish him the best for his future. Sometimes we forget how young these football players are, and the pressures which are placed on them. All of them have different personalities, and react to these pressures in different ways.

I met Marty at the Family Day before the season started. What a personable young man he is, and a credit to his parents. I had a good feeling about him from the start. Glad to see him doing so well now after a shaky beginning. I liked the way he kept his cool and didn't over celebrate his first ever goal. Unlike the Gold Coast players who whooped and hollered over their last goal of the match as though the game was over and won. Love Marty.

Yes, probably got off the subject a bit, but I was reacting to Unleash Hell's and Emerald's concerns about the perceptions they held that there seems to be a push by the AFL to Americanize people's experience of the game. I do not profess to speak for them, and I hope they don't mind if I say perhaps they are worried about the game being Disneyfied? I brought up the example of how Disney has swamped the film making industry, and I personally don't like their brand. I will never forgive them for what they did to Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid"!! I loved those stories when I was a little girl and they have been ruined!! LOL. Also, maybe it is just me, but this year going to the football is different. Our senses are assaulted by loud music, flashing lights and booming announcements. It seems we need every moment to be filled with sound and light. We can no longer talk quietly among ourselves about the progress of the game at the breaks. Now we have to shout. Call me old fashioned, but I don't enjoy it. Sorry, got off the track again!

Is that our very own hero, Marty? ?

I read somewhere recently (I think it was an opinion piece on the ABC website) about the dismal future for film lovers about the choices of movies which will be available to them in the next two to three years. Many Marvel hero movies for guaranteed box office success, sequels of previously successful movies (numbers 2,3,4) and animated films. Not many movies are going to be produced by these huge studios for people looking for drama or realism. My point is these huge corporations are in the business to make big money. They don't care about tradition or culture. My fear is, we as fans of our game and our teams, are being ignored, and will be pushed aside, for the sake of the almighty dollar.

The Good Bloke Club is flourishing under this system. It is so bad, it is predictable as to who will be suspended and who will not. Superstars, Big Names - Off. Run of the Mill, No Name - Out.

Everyone used to scoff at Melbourne's low crowds at Mother's Day games, of which I remember attending many. It being Mother's Day was seen as just an excuse for Melbourne supporters' lack of commitment. (How often did I hear snipes from others about our crowds on this Sunday). Well, what is the difference when a team like Hawthorn with a huge membership fails to pull in a crowd today? Mother's Day is not a good day to bring people to the football. Glad Melbourne didn't get saddled with it this year. It was great to spend the day at home after a win the Saturday night before. (For a change).

I know the replay is in slow motion, but shouldn't the player have eyes on the ball, not the man? Keep your elbows to yourself, Ablett. Will not even have a case to answer, we all know what the result will be. Scott bleating again. What happened to the days when coaches and players, commentators, etc were not allowed to comment on these things? Sick of listening to the propaganda about how good a certain player is, therefore they should never be reported or suspended. BLAH.

WE WON. Have a Bex and a good lie down.

Frost - Reliable in defence Petracca - Practice goal kicking! Marty - Watch me Trac TMac - Beat the clock Game - Magic 18 seconds

Watched helplessly in horror wondering what was happening to the team's skills and decision making, seeing players going off injured and other players looking completely spent, my soul falling deeper into despair, but then handsome Marty Hore saved the day. He must have said to himself, stuff this, and showed those forwards how a goal should be kicked. Well done Marty, congratulations on your first goal ever, it was pure class. TMac finished off the job with a bit of luck which I have never seen go our way, ever. Magical. Doesn't matter that the rest of the game was below par, to win like that gives belief and confidence to the playing group going forward, something which I believe has been lacking. Good luck to Hibbo. Hope he makes a speedy recovery.

What has happened to this team? They have forgotten how to play football.

I used to watch League Teams Friday nights after work, and I wasn't even that interested in football back then. I watched it for the entertainment. The Footy Show in its early days was similar, a way of finding out the teams with a little entertainment on the side. But the format and blokiness became dated and now we don't have to sit around waiting to hear who is in and out of the teams. For some years I have found the presenters of the show annoying. They all talk over each other or at the same time and then laugh uproariously as though what was said is hysterical. What was so funny? I have no idea, because I couldn't hear what was said. This also applies to Channel 9's Sunday Footy Show. The hosts are so busy laughing at each other's so called jokes, I can't understand it. They act like frustrated comedians, but they try too hard. The Front Bar guys are more natural and relaxed. I saw some of the Marngrook show the other night. It was an all male panel. What happened to the two girls? The last time I watched it I admired the show for the fact it had some female representation on the panel, who spoke about football with knowledge. Now they seem to be gone. Surprising. One step forward, two steps back?

Some years ago I knew a girl who attended the same high school as Jacko. She told me he was exactly the same at school as we saw him playing football and the way he spoke in public. No way did he put on an act. That was his true self. (According to her).

Don't care what the odds say, I have no confidence week by week, no matter who the opposition is. The club has ground me down into a gloomy pessimist. Can only hope.

I loved Frontline. There should be another series done now. There would be an overflow of good material to choose from. The culture of media is getting out of hand. Some people with a phone in their hand think they have a right to spy and report on anyone who is in the public eye, no matter how far down the "celebrity" chain they are.

Yes, I think he has been embarrassed enough. Time to let it rest.

I'm not sure if you are referring to something specific here, but I will speak about this subject generally. The apology which isn't an apology. Example- IF I offended anyone, I apologize. IF someone was offended by what I said, I apologize. NO. This is not an apology. An apology is when you should be saying, - I realize what I said was offensive, and I sincerely apologize. I will try to learn from my mistake and not say these offensive things again. I will think before opening my mouth and uttering something I should already know is offensive. I agree with you that saying if someone took offense makes them sound like over sensitive hand wringers. The onus should be on the person with the big mouth and lack of awareness to curb their tongue. Excuse my rambling. Just my view on some of these apologies I have heard in the past which don't even sound like the person is truly sorry.

Yes. Perspective. Could have been much worse.