bush demon

An authentic jumper is one which is not littered with corporate promotions, but one which the wearer pays a premium to the club to have the walking billboard features removed; something like the demonland website.

I will always remember Tony Charlton for his memorable commentary in the 1964 Grand Final - with Crompton running triumphantly back to his position - that he would be 'the hero of all Melbourne tonight" if Melbourne win.

I am impressed with the Demon greats forming guard-of-honour on the Demonland banner, but surely Checker -play like demons - Hughes should have got a guernsey as the man who originally revived our club in the 30's and who coached the club to the 39-41 triple premierships. He even filled in when Smith was briefly stood down in 1965. For that matter I would also chuck in I.W Smith. The width dimensions could be achieved by making gary a little less hairy and robbie a bit skinnier.

That's because Robbie Flower was the ultimate 'team first' player. In our earlier glory years Ron Barassi only won two B&F's, one in his final year when he was a veteran. Melbourne had no big goal kickers during that period, also due to the team first culture.

As the Wilson Cup approaches the finals it seems that rivals Carlton, Richmond and Collingwood have dropped off the radar of the AFL and its chief attack dog. For some balance: Dark artists drop the ball I can't believe this is happening; the AFL engages in massive social engineering to secure outcomes in premierships and finals appearances for its franchise clubs and then sets in place a process where cellar dwellers are lured into early draft picks to achieve the same end. They then virtually condone practices apparently followed by teams such as Carlton, Collingwood and Melbourne to rise up the list.

How fitting that the AFL use as their proxy commentator a person whose writings have always avoided the contest, in its place self-promoting headlines about off-field intrigues. With blokes this is called small man syndrome. That's what poison-pen journalist William Hammersley did to Tom Wills throughout his career.

Could she start going lightly one some of the other AFL club bottoming out co-conspirators as well, in the interests of balance.

Of course the cowardly AFL/Caroline Wilson wait for our Chief Executive to pass away before dispensing rear-vision mirror justice. Tacitly approving a course of action previously adopted by other clubs who dropping down the list, then coming in with the killer blow at a time of their own choosing. And of course there are the expansion franchises to think of.

Because Caroline doesn't comment on the actual sport, but on the politics of the sport, she usually over-dramatises. Patrick Smith's article,http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/opinion/post-season-probes-leave-afl-lost-in-space/story-e6frg7uo-1226506991378 sums up the hypocrisy of the AFL in going after Melbourne. The AFL plays god by allocating favourable fixturing to the entrenched clubs and by spiriting off the best players in the land to franchises with no membership, then bullies a foundation club based on the commentary of disgruntled ex-players. How there is no linkage to other similar clubs in this 'investigation' illustrates the stand-over tactics employed by the AFL whose bureaucrats would dearly love a television-driven white-bread competition of equal numbers in equal states.

Aaron Davey has been a true blue'n'red warrior for the Dees, but he looks better in his suit up in the Betty Cuthbert Pavilion on match day than he does on the half-forward flank in 2013.

I wonder if there is any spare land around Casey; supposed to be the demographic centre of Melbourne. Could have a stadium to hold 167,000 just like was planned for VFL Park in the 1960's.

also "staying on his feet". As in, "Clinton Young failed to stay on his feet and surrendered a goal as the game was being lost".

Also an article in The Age today with Viney and Wines 'interviewing' each other. Viney seems to be hinting to the club that he would like Wines to be playing at the Dees alongside him.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/dees-pies-discuss-super-trade-20121006-276df.html

1. "Lowering the eyes" 2. "hardnut" Jack the blind miner could have worked that out! PS i am not having a dig at your user name, but the term used in commentary.

"Don't just bomb it, lower the eyes". Also read of Moloney being described today as 'Melbourne hardnut Moloney", wondering which game. substitute 'geelong hardnut (insert name) etc

The AA Selection Committee is a pipe-smoking, self-congratulating congregation of know-alls who gain their satisfaction by flying in the face of public opinion and anointing their own.

jack watts will monster the opposition next year as a master accumulator, sweeper and disher-off extraordinaire. So get on him or get off him. NN is a prodigy, heavily weighted with the flair of a one-trick pony. i saw wayne patterson do this in grade six in 1968.

all these references to 'spuds'. spud dullard would be honoured. the afl won't let port fail because there would only be one club in an aussie rules bastion, south australia. aren't port adelaide going to relocate to adelaide oval, which would improve their supporter base?

Big Victorian clubs such as Essendon, Carlton and Richmond have won one premiership between them in the last 15 years or so. higher afl crowd stats must be offset against the dismantling of w.a and sa. state competitions which had rabid support, just look at any old youtube footage and compare it to the antiseptic contests of today. i often wonder how much more exciting for the local supporter football would have been if the state competitions had not been chopped up, but provided finalists for an end-of-season 'championship of australia' in a play-off series. there is no joy in watching many interstate teams play with stacked audiences, whether they are here or at subiaco. grounds like etihad and kardinia park don't offer equity to the supporting public, they are merely marketing arrangements to destroy the away team before they run through the banner. the loss of reserves and under 19's football is also a big downer on attendance for the true follower of this code. last point off the bat: the infamous 'away' strip reduces games to 'the home team' and 'the away team' for the less entrenched tv viewer. it does nothing for traditional supporters seeing their team 'verse' another team with either club wearing some kind of trendy target store tshirt. in future years noone will remember half the teams when they go back to footage of old games. perhaps that's how the afl intends it. market the 'event' rather than the clubs. on a positive note, i have enjoyed sydney's rise as an aussie rules power, especially enjoyed them smashing hawthorn in the final game. weren't they the team we also smashed on the mcg not that long ago?

Goddard leaving StKilda is a tragedy for that club, as if Essendon are going to be in a premiership window any time soon, they can't even beat us. The competition is cannibalising itself.

Ron Barassi's last game, an appearance by Mick Rivers, and the title of Australian Champions went to the Melbourne team on 8 October, 1964 in this match under lights at Norwood Oval, South Australia.

The Demons keep winning. Flash just beat Crameri in the handball semi final on channel 9. Went to a tie-breaker so both players had one handball with non-preferred hand. Crameri got a 5 and Davey a 7. Davey said, "Melbourne finally won something" in a wry fashion.

Looked like three teams playing today: hawthorn Adelaide clash and Adelaide supporters

only palatable aspect of that game was that it kept scott thompson out of a grand final.