Nasher

My mind went straight to Aaron Keating. I was going to give you a big WTF before I realised I had the wrong Keating.

I mean if it does, it can’t have been that strong in the first place. I’m sure Jeff understands how it works and that it’s not personal.

He sure picks his moments too. No junk time goals there.

It may seem like the third quarter of the GF has wiped out my memory of the entire rest of the year, but... well, yeah, it pretty much has. And he was HUGE in that third quarter. The tap, the breakaway like a (small) midfielder, and the rocket handball to Oliver was just absolute perfection. Not just the skill there, but the choice - he could have been forgiven for handballing it to Viney, who was hot and collided with Daniel. Wouldn't have been a goal if he'd made that choice. Only question is, how long before he's a better player than Gawn? If you ask Max, he'd say with honest belief that he already is, but no doubt the (premiership) skipper underestimates his own capability.

If his parents are moving from Perth to Melbourne, it's not just him that has committed long term, it's the whole family. Love it.

Harrison Petty. Dunno why. I like the idea of a big bloke in #2, it’s been smaller players my whole life. On that note it’s weird to think, I’m nearly 40 and there’s only been four #2s in my life and only three I can actually remember - Tingay, Armstrong and Jones, and Flower who I never saw play. Not in favour of retiring numbers.

I haven’t had a favourite player, or a Melbourne football jumper, since I was 10. Will be ordering a 2022 guernsey with the number of my favourite player: #5. He played the Granny with the god mode cheat on. Absolutely dominant on the biggest stage of all.

First player to touch the ball in the run to the cup. Amazing split second gather at pace from the Smith fumble, and kicks it down Fritsch’s throat. That play will be burned in my memory forever. I’ll be in a nursing home one day not able to remember where I am or what I had for breakfast, but I’ll remember James Harmes charging towards the 50. Brilliant.

I don’t owe anyone apologies because I never bag or abuse Melbourne players. I was very late to recognise Charlie Spargo’s contribution to the team though and thought his place in the side was tenuous as late as mid season. Jumped on the bandwagon just as the doors were closing. (Do bandwagons have doors?)

Great effort! But let’s just let the anonymous source remain anonymous.

Nah, it’s a significant part of the story. Who at the time DIDN’T think we were in all sorts? Watching that part of the clip gave me a slightly sick feeling, just enough to remind me of the overwhelming despair I experienced at the time when they looked to be running over the top of us.

Are… are you Brent Moloney?

I was thinking the same thing. Mitchell might have made himself look like a naive, incompetent newbie and that will hurt them, but he at least has the right idea. Signing Chris Scott for another three years is an endorsement of his top-up with senior players strategy. They’ve developed very, very little young talent as per rpfc’s post a month or so back. Once the team loses its competitiveness, it won’t be an attractive destination for those senior players. The fall will be accelerated as a result. The cliff is coming. Scott doesn’t see out his three years, and Geelong are set back further by not having recognised the need for a strategy change earlier. It is going to be magnificent.

From the outside, not breaking in to the MFC 22 seems more likely than being arbitrarily dropped because of his age elsewhere, but I can understand why he might not see it that way, based on his own self-belief and his recent experience at St Kilda. The club’s in a no-lose position though. Hopefully Dunstan is right and he’s able to add something on a regular basis. If he’s not, we’ve lost nothing.

I’m surprised. He’s good enough to be best 22 elsewhere, hard to see exactly where he fits in the MFC picture. Looking forward to seeing this one play out.

Oliver’s that happened 10 seconds of play time later. The break out of the middle, the absolute jet of a handball from the ruckman and BANG from 50. Just for the fact that the whole thing happened at full pace. Adrenaline made the boys in that play super human. I wanted to run through walls after it too.

Now that’s an oddly specific, obscure reference. If I remember correctly, a certain loud Demonland member, who is still around but mostly posts on BigFooty, was a massive Clayton Hinkley fan. Edit: actually I might be thinking of Clayton Collard. So many of these Clayton’s Claytons from the mid 2000s that were supposed to be good but weren’t. Thanks goodness we got the real one.

If only there was some way to redeem ourselves…

I’d cut him some slack. He’s a young man letting his hair down. I hate the way footy fans expect players to act like they’re at a funeral after they lose a game. Just because we’re emotionally unbalanced and tie our complete mental well-being to our footy team, doesn’t mean the players should. And this was obviously some time afterwards, seeing as it is in a night club. Fair dinkum, who cares.

Bah, paywall. Still got giving this mob a cent of my money, even for premiership media/crack.

You should see someone about that chronic MFCSS mate. Seems like the medicine hasn’t worked! Screw being humble around other supporters who haven’t been humble around us. We all know that you can never know what might happen, but talk us up anyway. Who cares if you end up wrong. They’re no better or more worthy than us now. They never actually were, but now we’ve got the trophy to prove it.

My youngest son is 9 and really only started getting in to footy and getting behind the Dees this year. A bit like the players, like Trac, who say they can’t remember the dark times because they weren’t there, my son may never experience the shame of being a Melbourne supporter. I happened to be 9 years old, the same age he is now, in 1993 when the MFC got done by the hapless Swans for their only win in a truly terrible year for them. I went home in tears after the merciless ribbing I received. I can’t remember much about footy back then but I clearly remember that. Nobody will be laughing when my boy wears his Melbourne gear to footy colours day next year. I’m so proud.

Yep. Funny how our whole lives it’s been: building, building, WHOOPS, building, building, WHOOPS, building building… up until 2018 on: building, WHOOPS, building, builOMG WE’RE HERE ALL OF A SUDDEN. I’ve honestly got no idea what my expectations are for the next few years, but it will be the first time we go in to a season KNOWING we’ve got the ingredients for success. Scary new territory, but I’m up for it.

I could be persuaded to go around again, sure. Why not?

Why would I voluntarily subject myself to Derwayne’s voice?