Monbon

Don Williams died in 1995. My grandson's other defacto grandfather ran a business with him.

Thanks: I have the photo: I've recognized Bernie Massey - I think, but what I would like is a list of their names, as they appear in the photo...

On the Melbourne Football Club site above Dixon's piece about Barassi, there's a photo of most of the 1964 Premiership players, all of them now old men. I can only recognize Barassi, Hassa mann, Dixon, Lord, Townsend and Barry Bourke. I'd love to be able to place the others. Can anybody help?

The bottom line is that when these two great players re-signed nobody could know that injury would plague them. There's no use blaming anyone for this sad outcome. It's simply bad luck, 'in the lap of the gods' stuff. I'm sure things will sort themselves out because the bottom line is that this club is now in capable hands.

Rohan the Man is a plagiarist. It is word for word - or its gist - what I wrote: but I forgive him, because in the end, what he and I wrote is not rocket science. It's worth Melbourne and Port Adelaide fans pondering that as they pick over the entrails of their team's defeats. Because I'm not sure the level of angst about either necessarily matches the reality of their position. Particularly when it comes to the Dees. ESPN/Getty Images Of course, the Demons shot themselves in the foot in not just one but two finals, losing both by a combined total of just nine points having booted a collectively ridiculously wasteful 16.28. But you also need a bit of luck on your side to win premierships, and this season Melbourne had precious little, particularly near goal. Tom McDonald and Ben Brown were injured, out of sorts, or both. Then Bayley Fritsch got hurt. Then, just as Melbourne appeared to have crafted first one, then a second more-than-adequate back-up plan in attack with Harrison Petty and Jake Melksham, they suffered season-ending injuries. And just to rub salt in the wound, young gun Jacob van Rooyen got suspended. Even then, the Dees still managed to find goals in their two finals out of Fritsch, Kysaiah Pickett and Joel Smith. Even then, they managed 18 scores to Collingwood's 15 in the qualifying final and 26 to 18 against the Blues. But the repeated disruptions to any sort of continuity of structure simply had to take a toll. On both efficiency and conversion. And Melbourne still was oh-so-close to winning either game. In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest had even one, let alone both Petty and Melksham stayed upright, the Dees might very well have ended up premiers. On that basis, while the hand-wringing about Melbourne potentially squandering a golden era is understandable, I think it's completely over the top. The Demons were still a healthy enough sixth for points scored this year and defensively were ranked behind only St Kilda. They were ranked top six in five out of six midfield categories and were close to the best in the business in terms of occupying territory. They had the second-most experienced games average in but were still youthful enough, with a handful of clubs still older and with more over 30s. They got valuable experience into the likes of Van Rooyen and Judd McVee, and even now-experienced premiership players like Trent Rivers and Tom Sparrow took steps forward. Yes, another key forward should be a priority. But that may well be all that is needed for Melbourne to continue to push for a premiership for some time yet.

Agree: then again, there's also no need to blame him for every twist of fate either...

I agree with your first four paragraphs. When you then go on to question Goodwin spoils it for me. The bottom line is that under him, Melbourne has played in finals in 2018, 2021-2023. You nailed why we failed this year but in the end, a coach - as Hinkley pointed out yesterday - has to deal with the injury hand he is dealt. I've read in these pages that West Coast had 3 All Australians out during their Grand Final win in 2018. Yep, maybe so, but they were obviously able to cover them with what was in their tank. We lost our main forwards for parts - the crucial parts- throughout the year, and just about every week was another period of adjustment. In other words, the crucial aspect - continuity- was not on the agenda when the Injury Gods consistently made decisions to send us back to square one. It's no excuse, as they say, bad kicking is bad footy, but had we the luxury of having the same luck with injury our backline had up forward....

I don't 'swing', just for your info. You do understand you come across as a pompous know-all, don't you?

Are you related to The Little Red Rooster?

His return is not so recent. I was working part time hours in Acland Street Cellars in early 2006. In walks the mighty Mister Barassi. He brings a bottiglie to the counter, I confess my allegiance, my adoration of the way he played, the number of times I had the privilege to watch him play, asked how he fancied our chances in 2006 - the same question I had asked David Neitz the week before - and as he left the shop, he turned to me and smiled and yelled, Go Dees.

Re hurting the enemy: you no doubt saw the result of Christian's Pontifications today: 3 Demons fined, Pickett suspended for bumping poor Crippsy, a bump that slide due to momentum and size discrepancy onto poor Cripps's nose - what was described as recently as last Wednesday as a Football Act. And, instead of Mc Govern being fined for staging, Pickett gats fined for 'Rough Play'. I ask, Your Honor, what is your point?????

I'd keep Tomlinson...

AS I wrote, yes, we are the pawns of the AFL: witness Pickett getting a week for a bump to Cripps which connected with his shoulder, then, yes, I know, Cripps turned, Pickett's shoulder continued and poor Cripps's nose was affected. It was called once a Footy Action... As far as Depth Cover and I alluded to this - we have that aplenty back of centre, but it's hard when the depth cover for the loss of McDonald, Fritsch, Melksham, JRV, Petty, Brown, and earlier in the year, Smith, was Schache... And I totally agree about the Geelong Bull...t.

5: Land on the moon - resurrect Kubrick.

All of these post mortem/coach/tactic blaming posts miss out on the biggest factor around, and it ain't Max. I'm talking about the sheer perversity of the element called LUCK. Luck is involved in the Injury list. Just examine the players who luck slaughtered at crucial stages this year: Gawn Oliver Melksham- just when we needed him. Fritsch Brayshaw - the unluck in his case to be brutally assaulted by Maynard Salem early season blues, struggled to get back to his best... McDonald - again. B.Brown Petty Smith early in the season Okay, the arrow of injury slaughters many sides but the bottom line in the Demons case is that despite all these setbacks - note well, most afflicted were the forwards - we finished Top 4, 2nd year in a row. Therefore, the Doomsday Desperadoes who dwell on woe to woe, who want every coach replaced most of the time, should remember that in the end, on that last game in September, there can only be one winner. To cast the rest to hell for 'Failure' is my idea of a Utopian Hell. Sure, our list needs to be strengthened. We seem to have a surfeit of more than capable defenders - some fine Casey backline regulars must be cursing their lack of opportunity - and, it has to be said, we have made some recruiting blunders on the one hand - Grundy comes to mind - but here also, some of the recruiting tosses of the coin - Ben Brown comes to mind - seemed to be well-fated and ended in despair for both parties, but all in all, the recruiting team have handed us some genuinely talented players and their success ration is way in its favor - Hibberd, Melksham, May, Lever, Langdon, Hunter from other clubs come to mind - and look at the backline talent they've assembled. So, stay positive, ladies and gents, and pray to the God who dispenses injury woes. It must also be said that it is obvious we are not in the good books of the AFL Masters, witness the MRI farces which they present as 'justice' for a start. And, also, keep in mind, the factor the luck of the draw in umpiring decisions has made on some of our games. I cannot bear to watch the replay of yesterday's match, but I have noted the howls of 'WE was robbed' from some of you. Wid a little bit of luck, I am 173 years old now, toodle pip, see you all next year.

You are very specific about what threads we should and shouldn't have or follow. It shows a certain character trait, quite the opposite of mine , i.e. live and let live. Let the reader choose...

Great reply.

He personally delivered a budgie I had won in a contest - you had to guess what time the 6.30 Pm TAA flight would actually land - I rang the airport a week before and asked them and they said 6.30, that's what I wrote and won - and the budgie did nothing but poo in its cage until I mercifully let it escape when I turned to cage upside down and the gate slid down as I tried to de-poo it - and I spent most of my youth arguing with Brian Enever about who was Mister Football. He said Ted Whitten. I said Ron Barassi. I never forgave EJ for delivering that budgie...

This is very relevant:

For a start, 'going for a mark;, unless it's in the T.Greene category where you stick your boot studs into the face of an oncoming player, is a legitimate 'footy action': in other words, you are 'going for the ball'. It is, of course, a 'unique' aspect of Aussie Rules and I recall my father - who was a terrific athlete, a soccer player -trying to come to grips with this aspect of our game. Yes, there can be 'collateral damage', but when all is said and done, it is not all that common that players inflict serious injury when flying high in the sky, as they say: and most of the damage is done because of the impact to the upper back, and, let's face it, few players are able to jump that high that the heads of the other players becomes an issue. That's one consideration anyway. And, for the record, I don't see how it's relevant to what Maynard did. In other words, a lot of Maynard excusers bring up the 'Speckie' aspect as though it is in any way connected. It's the height of casuistry.

I'd love to know how we can prove this because it would clearly taint any outcome.

I hope so.

I wonder why 'Green Demon' is vomiting. Maybe he could care to enlighten us. Or maybe we should call an ambulance?

Remember he was part of the Hawthorn Hit Squad.

Gill said this today: "Our response is that if there's no avenues to appeal then let's actually look at the incident and see if there's tweaks or modifications or opportunities to change the rules or modify them so that we can do our very best to protect the health and wellbeing of our players on the field." In other words, next year it will be deemed a 'Footy crime', but you're still okay to attack an oncoming player who has just kicked and knock him senseless. I f...ing give up!!!!!!! The AFL is total CR.P!