bush demon

Everton are still top of the table FWIW. The AFL is dead, long live the top 4. Anyone who thinks this is one competition obviously hasn't sat through every episode of Breaking Bad.

Was driving to Traralgon about March last year on a sporting assignment when I got a call. It was Clayton Oliver on a membership drive. I said I would re-sign, since he had called me! - but couldn't talk because I was driving. Headline: Clayton Oliver gets Bush Demon's signature after phone call.

These pictures are courtesy of my friend Donna's 1964 Melbourne FC scrapbook. Inc mobil swap cards. https://app.photobucket.com/u/normnc/p/ef3c9513-8b4d-4730-9cc6-103ea33f6cbc https://app.photobucket.com/u/normnc/p/bcd1709b-18b6-469b-a937-7be62b20b6b8

An archival rarity:

Thought I'd share some Dire Straits. Prophetic, it turns out.

From The Age, Monday 21 September.

My friend's sister in Warragul has a ripping round by round scrapbook of 1964 culled from the papers. I am more than happy to help you out. She went to training one night and got the players' autographs as well.

This is spot on. We have had good enough teams since our last flag and if this team got photoshopped into other club colours our fade outs and underachievement would vanish. So are our AFL players just journeymen on fat contracts? Look at the players after the games, they are all best mates. If Clarkson had coached Melbourne the last ten years he would no doubt have been consigned to the scrapheap, so it's not just about the coach. We just seem to rise to a certain level of achievement and then blancmange back into our previous state of mediocrity. Get sick of it after a few decades because the cycle of failure is so routine.

Keep your eye on the red and the blue.

How many A grade footballers did Melbourne recruit between their 1960 flag and their collapse in 1965? Bourke and Townsend? Now compare with the champions the other clubs were accumulating during that period.

Cliff from Clematis.

Heroic efforts by Barassi, see his courage spoiling a mark, and marking under pressure.

Errrm, thrice.

this: "they call me will-A ("Tommy") Stay so cool, I'm chilli I done made that milli On my way to that valet Used to have a piggy bank, but now I got that bigger bank Who who cares what the haters think They hate on me 'cause we doing what they can't I stay on that hustle, I flex that little muscle Hate to bust your bubble I'm on that other level I'ma take it higher and high and high and higher I stay and buy attire (ie Melbourne/ gws / Hawks jumpers) Keeping burning like that fire..." etc

That's a bit personal. To quote Justin Bieber, "Who cares who the haters hate".

There are a select few clubs who can get to the big dance these days. Stupendous amount of funds redirected to no-supporter clubs in rugby states, pole position TV slots monopolized for the Hawthorns and Richmonds to push their branding/recruitment, Orwellian lies told about how AFL is better than the widely loved state competitions, and once in a millenium get- lucky flags, cos the feeder teams just know they can win Powerball if they keep buying tickets.

That's a tough story to read.

Field kicking is a function of having marking forwards (Riewoldt, Tom Lynch). If we could get Weidemann/McDonald/Tomlinson functioning delivery would improve as well. Just do it Melbourne, you know it's right.

Hi Picket fence. I only could only fit Parke on the extended bench due to his poor set shots. FWIW His first game is/was on YouTube, he dominated.

Someone to clunk marks, it's as simple as that. If Bob Johnstone, Ross Dillon, Jako or Darren Bennett not available, then try something, try anything. We tried to climb the ladder with incrementalism, Barassi 'five year plan' - Roos, 'the handover', Goodwin, ((who got us to a prelim by the way) and now we are week by week stuck with manufacturing goals under pressure. Disposals will always disappoint in this environment. I'm old school, and I can remember Biffen going forward, Sean Wight in the '88 Elim. saved us. When forwards are clunking that's when opposition's get fearful and our mids come into play, not to mention our Picketts and Bennells. Step forward May, Weidemann. If you can't Mark it bring it down to our runners.

Jack Watts would endlessly lead into space and endlessly be ignored, bombing high into a contested situation being the preferred option.