Chook

Pretty simple really. With the end of the 2008 AFL Season, things are starting to quiet down around here, so I thought I might get everyone's opinion on the greatest footy achievements. Do you think Collingwood's four consecutive premierships from 1927 to 1930 was the greatest? Or the five out of six won by our own Melbourne Demons from 1955 to 1957, and then in '59 and '60? Another contender is the Hawks' record seven Grand Finals in a row from 1983 to '89. If you think that there's something I've left out, feel free to mention it. EDIT: Grazman has informed me that we too made seven in a row. How do you like my ripper research? Not too shabby, eh?

It's pretty hard to ague that someone is or isn't funny. I mean, I think Yze_Magic is funny, but you can sure as hell bet Dappa_Dan doesn't.

You're right. Maybe you should change your name from "Jaded" to "Cautiously_Optimistic." I'd be happy to keep your old user-name warm for you. Sigh . . . I was just having a bit of a moment last night.

Poor kid.

Or the Green and Bruce who will be vice-captain and captain next year? Regardless of what you think of those players, they are not the kinds the Hawks traded. Nor were Yze or Robbo. The Hawks traded guys like Ryan Ferguson, Nathan Brown, Nathan Carroll and Clint Bizzell. They were also supremely lucky (or intelligent), that North Melbourne wanted to give up so much for Jonathan Hay. They were good at the trade table and lucky in the draft. They were also largely outplayed on Saturday by a team that could still easily win the next two Premierships. Let's not all blidly follow the Hawthorn method. Finding a way that works for us is what we need to do. We need to either find a strength of ours (perhaps our back-line) and either accentuate it as much as possible in order to create an advantage great enough that we can consistently win games with it. Or we could trade weaker members of it to shore up other areas of our team that are not as strong, such as our forward-line.

Good pick-up. Perhaps Robbo's secretly retired and given his old #24 to Stef.

Totally agree with all of that, especially the bit about hating Mark Thompson. I'd have dropped Stokes for Chapman, keeping in Wojo - who I've said before is actually quite underrated. That's an interesting stat about the top 4, although, all things being equal, in the 9 years of this century (if you include '00), there's enough space in the top 4 to fit 36 different teams. EDIT: PS, why is Thompson's nickname "Bomber?" Surely it's not just cause he captained the Dons in a Premiership. I mean, I've never heard the nickname "Bomber" Hird.

Travis Varcoe, Matthew Stokes and Hunt are the three at Geelong who probably shouldn't be in their top team. Davey in for Varcoe; Brock McLean or Cam Bruce in for Gamble and Garland; and Green or a fit Rivers for Hunt. I also think that Paul Johnson could easily take the spot of Brad Ottens, who I don't rate. Also, it is my personal belief that Cam Mooney is the biggest hack ever to play the game, and could be replaced by Brad Miller or - again - Green. Both of these players are also better than Max Rooke. By the way I rate Wojcinski and thought that his omission would cost Geelong the flag, and although it probably didn't, it certainly didn't help. I thought that Chapman should have come in for Stokes instead. On Hawthorn, Paul Johnson in for Brent Renouf, Brock McLean for Clinton Young, Brad Green for Rick Ladson and Warnock for Stephen Gilham. In order to maintain the Hawks' hard team structure, these are the only guys from our team who could probably make it. Perhaps Brad Miller could get a gig too.

And here I am, the same age, 178 cm, slow as molasses and thick as a brick. Some people just have all the luck. But seriously, in around 3 years time, we will have, without challenge, the best back-line in the entire competition. God it'll be sweet.

Id prefer listening to Aka than having to watch Fev's ugly mug on the Footy Show every week. By the way, Channel 7 Sucks! (Happy, BB)?

This is the saddest I've felt after a Grand Final in my life. I'm 19 and didn't care about footy as much back in '00, but there's just something about today that makes me feel that there's no reason why Goddamn Hawthorn has the right to beat Geelong, given how good the Cats are, in a Grand Final. Why do we have to be so crap? I go every week, so why can't I see a bloody flag? I can just imagine how my grandpa feels, not to mention all the guys and gals from his generation who barrack for Melbourne. Sitting through 44 years of torture, with all the wooden spoons and retirements, lost Grand Finals and missed chances, while Collingwood, Carlton, Hawthorn and Essendon see success after success. Since the last time Melbourne won a Premiership, one Club has died, six have been born and three have changed their names, one of them twice. And there's a good chance that the next ten years will be marred by Premierships won by undeserving life-guards and faceless Sydneysiders, cheating environmentalists and birds of every kind. For every Shane Crawford who lifts a Premiership Cup, there'll be ten David Neitzes, Jeff Whites, Matthew Richardsons and Robert Harveys who pass from the game, never having won a flag. As one former Essendon Captain with bad knees once said, "footy sucks sometimes."

Top post, Mono. But then, I can't remember the last time I've disagreed with one of your posts. One can only hope that with a bit of added bulk, Cale Morton will be able to develop the contested part of his game, too. But for the time being, I'd like to see the outside, skillful Cale Morton blossom - after all, that is why Craig Cameron, in all his infinite wisdom, drafted him. Just by the way, it seems that the footy term "outside," i.e. "frilly, weak and inferior," has developed a bit of a negative connotation recently, while it's uglier brother "inside," with its big muscles, chipped teeth and horse-face, gets all the glory. I for one would not like a team of Nathan Joneses running around jumping on top of the ball all day.

I respectfully disagree. Tim Watson and the Ox are terrible, but Dennis Commetti and Bruce McAvaney are like the Batman and Superman partnership - absolutely special. But while their commentary is centimeter-perfect, I'm probably one of the few who think that Nathan Buckley's commentary is light-years inferior to his Channel 10 contemporary Michael Voss.

+1

Bloody Hell! Stewey Dew!

EPIC WIN!

I'd trade Bell, Bode and Weetra for him. They're young, so they fit in with the Dons' youth policy, but they're not worth much. Sort of a dime-a-dozen trade.

Game Day is the worst AFL-related program in the history of the game. I'm surprised Cousins even appeared on such a nothing show.

I remember that game too. If we're thinking of the same game, it was against Geelong in '07. We lost by about 60 points, but those 3 minutes from Boomer were enough to convince me that we should continue with him, despite his injuries.

Really? I thought you had to win less than 5 in two consecutive years, not a total of 8 or less counted over two years.

Terrible umpiring, as usual.

MICHAEL EFFING LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU SON OF A [censored]!!!!

I went when I was 8 and have almost no memory of the game. I'm watching it now, and am amazed at the crap people used to be able to get away with back then. Also, it's strange after 2 years of total crap to see guys playing in our jumper being able to kick goals, win clearances and hit targets.

You can tell he sees the value in being a one-club player. But in one sense, I'd be more than happy for him to be traded to another Club whose Premiership window is nearer. Brad wins, the Club he goes to wins, and we have an opportunity to pick up yet another top class young-un.

That's a good point. With an average margin of about 40 points, it's been a pretty crappy couple of weeks of footy.