Go Ds

I kinda agree with you. But I'm not sure the OP has nothing else to enjoy before then. I haven't been to training since the last session before the '88 grand final at the Junction Oval so it's not as exciting as it will be for trackwatchers. To rephrase it I've been excited about each season probably since Roosy came along. But, yeah, it's extra exciting with a new coach etc. The main thing I hope is that we go into 20-27(!) excited; next year could be quite challenging. Right now Im more looking forward to the Ashes.

Huh?

Well yeah. I was more thinking about 2025. But if all 3 were still playing like in 2022 and without off field issues we wouldnt have been anywhere near 14th

It would have been so hard to play well if arguably 2 of the main 3 players were causing so many problems.

Yep! I did mention that he mentioned Tracc. It wasnt like an acceptance speech at the Brownlow where you mention anyone and everyone. Gawn said he's close with both guys BUT Oliver lived with his family for months making that friendship just a little stronger. Maybe he's furious with Tracc. Maybe he's furious with Green & co for sacking Goody. But who knows. As annoying as it is hearing vetted stuff if he admitted the above about Tracc or Goody and we're 1-5 next year as always the media would tuck into Gawn and the team's morale/culture.

He won some BS award for most valuable tall sponsored by a company that sells tall timber. Everything's new at the club so hes excited about next year. We probably havent developed enough of our youth - if Geelong won the recent GF maybe 14 of their participants would be new premiership players. The league has talented ruckmen and ruckwork evolves. Gawn loves sports, especially cycling - all he can gain from it is improving fitness techniques. He's doing a lot of running at home. Wnen he retires he'll probably run a marathon. My final memory is that Trac and Oliver were such a big part of the club. He's still cloae with them, especially Oliver, but concedes they needed a new start. Hw hopes Oliver regains his form and wins a Brownlow. (So nice enough stuff but hardly "must-listen")

Yep, Exhibit A 🙂

A long enough interview - even with 3 minutes of blah blah blah from a sponsor. We all love Gawn but I get the feeling he's as well-trained as a politician to stay on message and never blurt anything out.

Our new coach until a few months ago was mainly considered a Geelong person. I'm guessing thus we'll play his old team twice, orbat least continue the yearly 'tradition' playing at Geelong with crowd hoping their team beat their former alumnus.

I tend to agree with those not desperately hoping for a soft draw. Admittedly sometimes due to harder matches the eighth best team comes tenth and watches the bottom team in the eight get a shellacking in their elimination final. Actually maybe that'd be better for Melbourne who I dont think will be a real contender next year. But for those that are the ones that are 8-3 against the top 8 sides is both better prepared and probably a better standard than those finalists who had less hard games and comparably are 3-6.

Yeah, that MF couldn't bring it. 😁

He just went round at Melton harness. He was 1.20 (for every dollar you bet you'd get a 20c profit ) , so very short. Maybe it was fitting but he only came 4th and never looked like winning.

It was also amusing that weeks after moving Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis on the Hawks recruited Mitchell Lewis.

Yes, and what if this was all psychological? If we fixed it all at the start of the last preseason maybe wirh better fitness we win a few more games and without the flakiness we win a few of those infuriating close games too. I don't know what to expect next year. But think about it - if a player (or players ) have a bad season and they go into the next season now free of the problems that plagued them and still with the same ability as from earlier years why wouldn't become a great player. Surely you've seen players across the league return to their old form before? Tex Walker and Cripps are two obvious recent examples.

Its not so cut and dry. In the previous month Geelong had beaten the Saints by 5 goals and Freo , Hawks and Sydney had won by smaller margins (and GWS beat them by 2 goals a month later.) If Melbourne could just stop the momentum, say, with 5 mins of nothing followed by a goal re-establishing a four-goal margin we realistically win that game by five goals and do as well or better than many good sides did in the same stretch of the year. I guess we'll never really know but if this season's biggest problem was psychological stuff then maybe without that we win lots of the close games, built up confidence, make the finals and go on next year to be a team that occasionally jump from bottom of the eight to next year's premier.

St Kilda's gone nowhere in the last two years. In that time Lyon's aura has completely fallen away. The brownie points for a few close grand finals dont last forever.

Because there are so many variables in 100 plus minutes of a match it's hard to know the effect of rules changes until theyre put into practice. They wont all turn out perfect but I'm happy with all these changes. The sport can always be improved and it's not like there's 77 changes or suddenly there's 14 a side. I cant see any of these changes being illogical or changing the fabric of the game. So let's see if they'll make the game slightly better.

Ummm, I think there will always be exceptions to a rule and errors. Most of the time a kick with enough force to go thirty metres will do something like deflect or be obvious as it is seen or heard contacting the opponent's arm/ hand. BTW if you've kicked the ball thirty metres without the opponent affecting the kick's trajectory or direction doesnt that mean the k miskicked ball was always gonna end up too close to the boundary line anyway? I love the way players can deliberately handball it into an opponents legs no differenly to the skills of blind turns, dodges and selling candy (and soccer-style nutmegs). Wheter a skilled player made an opponent kick the ball out this way last year or next Im very happy with such skill and guile.

But they DO get special treatment. They get booed. They get racist comments on social media and quite likely there's a bit of racism at some clubs (even if the Hawthorn accusations turn out to be close to nothing and even if most is subtle.) If players are so connected to their community and local surrounds that they cannot cope living numerous months a year elsewhere such as in inner Melbourne then fine. But if potential indigenous players are getting warned how difficult it is from previous ones surely that's a problem. And honestly I loved that clubs tried to find footballers in the British Isles (hello Stynes and Wight) and have tried to convert guys with a basketball background and then even find Mason Cox in the US. Just as long as the 30th to 34th best youngsters in the country are not missing out on draft spots. Clearly theyre not! If some extra rookie spots end up getting in some future stars whose talent would never have otherwise been realised I can't see how that can be undesirable.

What part? Can you explain why numbers of indigenous players are dropping over time? I think the clubs are so focused on success I doubt their attitudes have had lesser players on their books (or the reverse.) So what's changed? You think it's a coincidence?

I just found the 2003 Cox Plate. Bryan Martin actually firstly says "You've done it!" on the line. What's much more interesting is the exact namesake who rode the horse! Maybe it's an omen that in just his second ride the horse went from good to one of the best. Then again the jockey's nowhere as tall as a certain (former) ruckman who we're all really excited about for next year! 😉😉😉 https://youtu.be/hVO1JJMTtII?si=74ZtvOcRriVvUcDK