Mydee

Well at least Melbourne players didn't have pupas and sing rig a Ring a Rosey It certainly was a bleak time though

I I agree that this was not our most skillful game but for years I used to go and watch perhaps the most skillful and entertaining player who has donned the Melbourne jumper - Robert Flower. His ability to read the play and deliver the ball from impossible situations has never been surpassed. The only problem was that we never won, despite Robbie's brilliance. I would much rather the present situation.

Shouldn't this subject be in code . I would hate Hawthorn escaping their just deserts by learning something from rebirth following our long history as a laughing stock . I am so enjoying Hawthorns demise and sincerely hope that they end up in the lowest division of whatever suburban league will have them, perhaps in E grade Amateurs where I played a couple of very ordinary games. My only regrets about their slide down the ladder to a very just demise is that the perpetrators of the very ugly Hawthorn culture have long since departed football at least as active participants. For example: John Kennedy an over zealous school teacher [censored] torturer, this fanaticism lead to the rise of the club and the obsolescence of players like Mick Nolan, the galloping gasometer whose skills took precedence over his fitness. Delicate Des Dickson, something from a B grade horror movie, Robert DiPierdomenica whose training routine largely consisted of cool down sessions dictated by the AFL tribunal and the list goes on.

The 1964 grand final was the first I attended at the age of thirteen with my dad and younger brother. We were seated in the Olympic stand and if I can recall correctly we were sitting in the top level for the second semi final where we beat Collingwood by thirteen goals. We met a family of Collingwood supporters who were allocated seats next to us. Over the course of the game we got chatting to them and, surprisingly, they seemed to be reasonable. I had lived in West Heidelberg and had a fairly jaundiced view of Collingwood. Despite the loss and obvious disappointment they departed quietly. Somehow Collingwood managed to beat Geelong by four points in the Preliminary final and the Collingwood family reappeared next to us. Well the rest is history My memories were of John Lord kicking two goals and of course Ray Gabelich's famous run from half forward to the goal square and goaled. Somehow the video or film clip gives a different impression to that which I recall from all those years ago. I remembered Gabelich's run as being a lot longer and more ponderous and his bouncing of the ball being more erratic than the records showed. And from memory it really was a tortoise and hair situation with Tassie Johnson closing in on Ray but not quite getting there. I missed Neill Crompton's winning goal because the shadow from the stand complete blocked the view of the far goal mouth area. As soon as the siren sounded dad whisked us away as the looks on the Collingwood faces signaled murderous intent. A great feeling not repeated until last Saturday night.

Yes, It could be worse We have the Rugby League followers up here who seem top hate Aussie rules and won't miss an opportunity to "enhance" our decorations.

Jaded You would have to walk a long way to spot me on my daily walk I usually wear one of the many scarves I have accumulated over the years, especially during the many frosts we get here. My front gate was festooned with them. Yesterday I might have done a "Sheedy" a couple of times

As long as he is doing the pinching not the hamstring

No I am having a good champagne. From Rheims If we lose a beer

I would love to be with you for that

To continue I am sure that almost every supporter will have similar experiences with their deceased loved ones, but we all should be proud of those friends and family who contributed through the bleak times and stuck fast. Through those times I encountered some remarkable examples of people who stood tall while many others did nothing much. I left Melbourne to take up a job interstate in 1993. At this stage Melbourne was languishing on the bottom of the ladder (10th). Melbourne games were rarely televised on TV and we would rely on Video tapes to see the games after they were played, Most of the time we didn't get to see our team. Rod Grinter seemed to get the job of liaising with the interstate . supporter groups. He would send us Video tapes of the games which always arrived. I will never forget that. Similarly a friend of mine's father transferred from Collingwood to Melbourne in the1930s and played 1 game for us ,his only senior game for both clubs. As an MFC member I undertook to find out more about his football career The archivist was passionate about the background and playing information on all players. These people actually gave a stuff. All the best Tomorrow I will be watching but with a heart pang because I can't be there

Tomorrow night, if there is any justice left on the planet, Melbourne players will be celebrating a historic premiership which will finally end years of disappointment for everyone associated with the club. It almost goes without saying that the congratulatory focus will be with those most prominently involved on the day such as : the players, coaches and the club president. However there are many many more people who have made a contribution which is largely overlooked. The first of these is the supporters who have passed away since 1964. In my case, my brother who had been a member of the coterie passed away in Papua New Guinea in 2011 as well as another member of the Bull Ring group who was killed in a traffic accident near the Botanical Gardens ,

14 and I enjoyed every minute of beating the Collywobblescum.

I prefer that when they reached Hobart they just kept going south.

Barassi v Squealer Dean

Sorry I don't think thugs like Dangerfield should be commenting on this matter. It seems to me that the Sporting Press, such as it is, tries to whitewash its favorite thugs so that they can be elevated to "idyllic sportsmen" after retirement. As they can no longer portray them as loveable rogues, like Jack Dyer, if they can ignore the continual thuggery that marked their playing days and call for their expert comments, usually with a touch of outrage, when the next generation tries to maim someone on field in the future.