710 Asbury St

It’s funny you mentioned his 2 dogs, I’d actually wondered about them as I haven’t seen him post them on Insta in a bit. Also, love your anecdotes and all you said in your full post that’s up a bit. And congrats to Clarry. I’ve not been in Australia long enough to have seen any of the great stars of the MFC like you all have. I got here in 2014 and got into footy a couple of years after that. So, I almost can’t remember a time he wasn’t playing. Clayton’s my favourite player—I won’t even admit to how much memorabilia I have with him on it. I get how it can be hard to reconcile Clarry now to 2021, but I believe he’ll get back to his best. I was watching a game on TV and he had the ball and was running with the biggest smile on his face. That’s why I believe in him. He still loves the game and he’s not done. I only hope it will be with MFC.

I know, I was joking about his bandages. I have seen him as vice captain discussed on social media though. From all I’ve seen about him, I can’t imagine that’s something he’d even enjoy—and I mean more the off field stuff with press interviews etc. He just seems nervous when he has to speak to the media.

Clarry’s bandages. They held up semi well… Could still see the bit of mess underneath, but was hidden to a degree so consistent with MFC. In all seriousness, I have no idea. I’m not in the Trac is awesome camp (I don’t dislike him either). And it’s not bc of last year and the brand—more because he’s not performing as well as we’d like. Same as Clarry except people are more likely to talk about Clarry around fitness. I do like the idea of Langdon. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, not sure how the team sees him though. Someone on FB said Trac and Clarry as vice captain. I can’t picture anything worse for Oliver. Aside from performance concerns, he’s definitely not the type who’d be happy fronting the media etc. So maybe a either Langdon captain, Lever vice or vice versa?

Thank you for sharing this. As someone who’s only lived in Australia and followed AFL for about 12 years, it’s hard to find analysis like this that helps me understand the game better. I watch a lot of different videos on YouTube and when I’m not at the game, listen to the commentary—all of that ends with me looking things up or coming on here to read posts etc. I’ll now probably watch all his videos :)

Your mouth to God’s ears! I hope that’s the case. If we can continue playing how we did yesterday, we’re golden.

I can’t imagine what the Selwood family is going through. I lost my cousin to suicide when we were in our early 20’s and even 25 years later, I still struggle with it. It’s the worst feeling in the world to keep wondering if you could have done anything to help. I ended up as a social worker working with people who have mental health and AOD issues because I wanted to do at least a little bit to reduce the number of families who have to bury their child. Definitely check in on your mates and don’t be afraid to have a conversation with them. I’m not saying that alone will save someone, but it may be what they need to reach out to a professional to get help. It’s awful.

It definitely felt like we were outnumbered. I was there as well and it felt like there were way more of them than us.

I went to one of those events where a few players come and talk etc. The one I went to was Maysy, Clarry, and Max. They were asked about Gus and if they’d been in contact with him. They had and said he got into some exclusive commerce or economics program at Oxford that only takes 30 people per year and he was going. They didn’t give a ton of detail, just that he either was studying in London or getting ready to go. No idea how accurate it is, but I can’t imagine they’d say something so specific if it wasn’t true.

I picked them too. It’s well and truly awful.

I was just messaging with a friend of mine (not a Melbourne supporter) and said the same thing. It drives me crazy.

lol, my son is also the same age so can relate. And I know these guys are getting paid tons of money to play footy and it’s their job, but there are times that I feel for them with all the media attention they get and apparently the hateful messages and posts on social media. Because lots of them are my son’s age and younger, I can’t imagine what that life is like for them when it’s bad. And they’re kids who came into a job that pays them well and can at times give them positive recognition in the world that also can create problems down the track. When Clarry was struggling with his issues last year, I had a couple of people come at me about it and that I felt bad that on top of whatever was happening, the medial was also giving a play by play—which is one of the reasons it took me a long time to post on here after lurking for a few years—but I can’t help but have a ton of empathy. And I understand it’s a job, but I can’t help feeling for him and hating how everything he does is so highly scrutinised. And it does feel like he gets it more than others do in similar situations. There’s just a lot about that whole situation that I hated and it really bugged me. And yes, I want us to win, and I know people aren’t happy with his performance this year—but I guarantee he’s harder on himself than anyone. I’ve only been in Australia for 12 or so years, so he’s my first favourite player… He’s also now got quite a few fans in the US because I’ve basically forced my family and friends into watching AFL when I visited last year and they’ve continued following it. :)

@Ghostwriter ditto that re Clarry! I did have a bit of a chuckle re “he who couldn’t tell a lie if his life depended on it”—only because with all the speculation about him in previous years, it’s funny to think all you’d have to do is ask him.

I read this in an article today as well about him being the “missing link” of their midfield, but one you get through the click bait title, it clearly says “chief Herald Sun reporter thinks” lol. Didn’t Clarry only approach them once he found out he was being shopped around? That’s what he said in an interview or something I read…

I went to one about a month ago (right before the season started) with Max, Clarry, and Maysy. They didn’t talk at all about upcoming trades etc. More stories about the team, they talked a little bit about May becoming a dad. The guy running it said something about Clarry not having kids “that he knows of” and an older lady kind of raised her hand which was hilarious. Max was asked who had the best preseason or something like that and he didn’t say anything at first, but was looking kind of sideways at Clarry and then pointed to him. They talked about their pre-game chess matches and Clarry being like one of his kids. Claz didn’t talk too much during it—not surprising as he doesn’t seem to like public speaking. We had a photo with them and what struck me was first how tall they all are and how polite Clarry was. Weird observation, I know.

I really hope not. I know everyone doesn’t love him and it’s been a bit of a wild ride over the (especially) last couple of years, but I believe he’ll get back to his best—or at least what his best is now as he’s probably changed simply as a result of what he’s gone through and getting older. He’s not in his 2021 form (and may never be), but he’s still a great player and whatever we’d get for him wouldn’t be what he’s worth. And I have a huge soft spot for him. Just my opinion, it may be wrong—or different from lots of people’s, so before anyone comes for me, I’m well aware that my opinion is vastly different from some. And I’m definitely not as far gone as some—I read on FB someone suggested Trac as Captain and Clarry as Vice Captain because the responsibility would help him “grow”. As much as I like him, something tells me he wouldn’t love that.