thirty-one

Looking forward to getting to see some training next month, maybe meeting up with WCW/the Ghost. Haven't seen a match since 2010, living overseas will do that.... Things are looking good so far training wise! Something I remember from 2021 is the team was having fun - they were having a ball and playing well. The last couple of years it seemed like things were less fun, which probably feeds into what Max was saying.

If I'm still in Seattle next we get into the finals and look a red hot chance, I'll be flying home. Cost be danged - I'm setting up a little fund for emergency flights home and this qualifies. Even if I can't get a ticket to the Grand Final, I want to be able to experience the lead up and hopefully what it is like to be able to celebrate with thousands of other Dees. Instead, there was me on my lonesome in not-locked down Seattle with a husband who doesn't follow footy (better than him being a Filth supporter!). Anyway, 2021's was the best Grand Final ever in my book. Still sends tingles through me remembering it, brings a smile to my dial. Would've loved to have been there in person but it couldn't be.

Had a family chat today. My siblings maintain the rage - we talked about Gus' speech, how gutting it was, and then how angry we still are that Maynard got a Premiership and Gus got a life sentence. Can't do anything about it. Poor Gus is stuck not able to do so many of the things he would have done a bit over a year ago to maintain his mental health and now, most of them are gone. No wonder he's in a pit.

Pay up my membership, month by month, every year. And now I'm paying for Watch AFL too, being the only way I get to see games. Last time I didn't pay up was when the club shafted Woe (sr), which is a while back now!

Trac is not the One. (Hi fellow B5 fan!) I admit I'm pretty much at the eating popcorn stage. I've unfollowed Trac's social media - it was half Dees fans begging him not to go, half the Filth squawking triumphantly that he is coming to them, and I have no interest now in bolstering his numbers.

From the club video here, if you haven't seen it. Or find it on Insta. Or probably Facebook.

I was so [censored] off I didn't buy a membership the next year. The only year I didn't for thirty or more. Certainly didn't stalk him though.

Also honouring Hassa Mann if I remember correctly. Can't get there, the commute from Seattle is a bear. 24 hours of travel, 16 in a tin can rattling over the Pacific plus connections. Nice offer 3183 Dee.

I love the letter in the email/social media release. Made me tear up.

Thanks, Ben. You always stayed true to yourself, which can't be easy in the AFL, and promotoed and worked for your ideals. Thanks for the Premiership too.

If I ever manage to leave Seattle and get back to Melbourne, I am so hanging with you at training. Last I was able to get to training was when we were down at the Junction oval, which is a wee while ago. I was also too shy to talk much to anyone. Thanks for the reports, things seem much happier now in Demonland.

Well maybe only a little nibble? 😜

From what Trac says in the interview, he had splenic embolisation - they closed off part of his spleen to stop the bleeding. It's better than having his spleen out, it means he's still got part of his spleen doing the hard work of keeping infection out of his blood which is really needed back out on the footy field - lots of scratches and grazes full of glob knows what. He looks a bit pale but maybe I'm used to seeing him all pumped up out on the footy field.

AMW to debut this week! FINALLY!

He said needs various vaccinations. I'm not an MBBS/the right sort of doctor but guidelines after spleenectomy/embolisation/<50% perfused spleen say that a bunch of new vaccinations are needed (meningococcal, pneumococcal, Haemophilus influenzae). The length of recovery time also suggests a pretty bad injury. But this is all speculation. I hope he's doing okay mentally. It's going to be hard going from being super active to not doing much at all. Once he's feeling better physically, he's going to struggle if he relies on movement to help his mental health.

Maybe a bit of whacko Jacko as well - Mark Jackson. He might even be able to kick a goal or two before he's banned for life.... On a more serious note, wishing Trac a full recovery. Hope he's still got his spleen though with the injury he's reportedly got, that might not be possible.

George is three later this year. After the season is over.

Kozzie's baby has ear protectors on. Gets pretty noisy in there for a little bub.

Oh man, I come back to watch the end of the game and they've gotten a bunch of goals! Jeez, I stayed up for this!

Oh if only you had been around when I was going to training and was 17 and too shy to talk to the players. I spent hours not talking to Sean Wight whilst sitting on the picket fence at the G with him after he did his knee (wish I'd talked to him, he always waved to me if he saw me thereafter, think he remains my favourite ever player, even more than Robbie). Then we moved to the Junction Oval from the G and that was the pits. Russell Richards and the Febey twins would give me a lift up to the city since they were driving to Seymour and the walk back to St Kilda station was unpleasant. These days I've got the guts go to talk to people, cos they are people, but I'm also old and married. And in another country, which makes going to training difficult.

Carn Dees! The match starts at 1:20am for me, no way I can miss out on that much beauty sleep, I need all that I can get these days. I hope to wake up to good news. The rest of the season is going to suck, so many night games that I'll sleep through.

Less, because the ratio will be smaller. When I do the subtracting and the adding, our percentage would be 124.6 instead of 126.1 Heh. Binman's had a pile on of replies. Sorry! Ah well. The dee-lights of living 17 hours behind the times. Anyway, I'm glad to bank the four points and the percentage boost. Better than a loss.

Is it possible they all had the bug that Vines had in Adelaide? And they are still getting over it? I know when I've had the flu, or even just a cold, I don't exactly bounce back to normal fitness in days or weeks if the cough gets me.

I honour my Pop, who went to Gallipoli and thence the Somme. He survived both campaigns, though not without a major scare. My sister has the telegram saying he was killed in action. He wasn't dead, just half dead and missing a goodly chunk of face. He got patched up and went back to war. (!!!!) He would've been right into the high jinks portrayed in the movie, Gallipoli, as evidenced by his absconding and also playing two up at Stonehenge (biggest school ever! And then the MPs raided it. Alas the outcome is lost to history.) He didn't talk about the war, though he had fond memories of the French and in particular the women. Just as well he survived because he hadn't met my grandmother at that point so Mum hadn't been born and a dynasty of Demon supporters would never have been born. Pop died 60 years to the day of the date of the telegram. It was just a bit early. My dad was in a protected industry during WWII. He managed to enlist then got kicked out and sent back to work training the best apprentices he ever had - women.

Years ago I umpired a friendly match between two completely non-footballing clubs. I was also the trainer. (LOL) So noone heard me stop play whilst I dealt with someone down with cramp, and suddenly one of the guys is completely in my face, DIDN'T I SEE THAT? HOLDING THE BALL! He was totally going off. Over a friendly game. Because someone was caught with the ball. He was purple in the face with rage, fists shaking at me, spluttering all over me in his anger at me not paying a free kick. It was fascinating and somewhat terrifying. I think that was the moment I no longer called the umps white maggots. Of course they don't wear white anymore so... Also I can see why they need more than one or two umps. Don't think I ever ran as much in my whole life as I did that day. Then having eyes on the play and off the play. Anyway the game got called off when one of them managed to break both his tibia and fibula when he fell over. Didn't get pushed or hit or anything, just fell over a tussock of grass. The unpaid free got forgotten at that point. And someone else dealt with the guy, thank bob, I was umpiring up the other end of the field when it happened and we were like where's A? "Oh, he broke his leg." WTF? So we ended the game.