bush demon

If Steven Armstrong can go home to WCe and become a good player, what is going wrong with our young players? Perhaps some footballers are destined not to reach the level they are capable of if the club doesn't have a 'premiership' belief and culture.

I see the Travis Johnstone comparison come up from time to time, but for mine I can't see the comparison. Travis is a user and a finisher. Robert Flower got the hard ball in packs, took contested aerial marks in heavy traffic (outstanding considering his slight build) , you name it. His evasive skills were freakish and perhaps what make him stand out from all others. He just couldn't be caught. Finally, his loyalty to the red and blue is what makes Flower a favourite son.

$38,000. Lou Richards re-named him after a less-precious metal, "Tillendrium Tillbrook".

David Cordner arrived on the scene in a blaze of glory. The details are now hazy but I seem to remember him playing one blinder of a game. He was a high-marking blond forward. Great pedigree, then disappeared from the scene. Whispering Jack updated me on Ed Burston in the mid 60's. Arrived with huge wraps and also disappeared off the scene.

Where players are being villified I would agree with you. ON the other hand, supporters and members pay money to 'participate' and are entitled to a point of view. The players are on excellent money and better than most posters would ever have access to I would imagine. Supporters (in my case 43 years worth) who have maintained such a long vigil after our last premiership are surely entitled to their wistful obervations of players who didn't come up scratch (in their supporters' imagination) - as long as comments are kept in good taste I think the footballers are big enough to take it. Our greatest club champion simply walked out the door for money once - we the supporters can't do the same - we are stuck with our club for better or worse. Some of the comments are obviously weird - how could David Schwartz be considered other than an inspiration. He offered more as a player than we had experienced at our club post-war and was cruelly cut short in 1995. Same with Prymke. Same with Tingay. Finally, I am not into sledging personal aspects of players - ie alcohol etc... and i would agree wholeheartedly with the last poster on this point.

Ed Burston, the 'boom' ruck recruit of 1965, the beginning of an era when Melbourne no longer recruited big guns. Peter Smith (son of Norm Smith) same era. Chris Aitken... promised to be a big marking forward... kicked five last round 68? against later premiers, essingdon. Tom Flower. i remember diamond jim's first run at the ball in the south game at waverley. he charged in, the ball bounced badly and he over-ran it... Lou richards used to call diamond jim 'tillendrium' tillbrook as well, once his lustre had faded. apparently tillendrium is a less valued metal.

This is an OFFICIAL AUSTIN POWERS IV PRE-PRODUCTION THREAD. Virtucon will prosecute any attempts to limit SPORTALs control of Australian footballlllllllllllllll.......