praha

I started going to the football in 1990 as a 4-year-old. I don't remember the early years but I remember parts of 92, 93, 94 vividly. I was at that game at Vic Park, sitting in the pocket I think, near the Melbourne cheersquad and surrounded by VB-guzzling filth supporters. They were giving it to Jako hard all day. 94 was amazing. Round 1 was special because we were on top after we smashed Geelong and I was super excited because I'd never experienced supporting the best club in the league, even if it was temporary. Evidently, we haven't been on the top of the ladder after a round only once since, in 2004. His last game against Hawthorn at Princes Park was special. I can't remember if his injury came in that game, or if we knew it would be his last game. I'm certain I remember going into it thinking it was a shame he wouldn't play again. Anyway, kicked 8 goals, we smashed the Dawks. I was sitting behind the goals. It was a God-like performance. Not sure we'd have won the flag if he had stayed, not sure anyone would have beaten the Eagles at the WACA in the Prelim, but it certainly would have improved our chances.

8 is still the pass mark for me. We'd be 8-9 instead of 6-11, and a genuine finals chance. Beat the Saints the first time I mean. We were never in it last week. We only needed the first game against them. Shot themselves in the foot. A bit of belief in themselves for longer than a 7-day period and we'd be within finals contention.

I'm hoping Frost will be that 2nd forward target.

If you expect him to be anything other than a decoy that is going to attract the opposition's next tall defender, then chances are you aren't pleased with his output. He was never a big goal kicker or a big marker. But yes, harsh reality is that he is merely a decoy, someone there to push up so Hogan doesn't have to. If our mids were better crumbers and better at stoppages than Dawes would be more valuable because he brings the ball to the ground. If he takes the markand gets us forward, even better. But if he can contest and work to keep the ball forward of center, he has done his job. We could play Howe in that role but he is lazy. Dawes at the very least gets to position and does what is required. A decoy, albeit an expensive one, but a decoy nonetheless. Without him we'd be even more clueless going forward.

I hate Peter Helliar. A self-important do-gooder [censored]. He makes The Project that little bit more unbearable. Uneducated morons lecturing the rest of us on morality. I get that humour is subjective. But he is not funny and his character is dumb and over-used.

"Miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss"

Updated.

Great win. Should have won by 10 goals I thought. They played EXACTLY as we did last week. Overused the ball, no support for one another, pitiful second efforts, erratic forward entries. Great win.

Shocking umpiring. Suspect Pies might run over today. Game has mostly been in our control but we drop off. In our defense we haven't let them score more than 3 in a row.

Our problem is that we don't seem to play to win. We play not to lose, and margin minimisation. There's no proof that this team can put aside its ladder position and win knowing how important it is for their development. They don't seem to want to win because the season is shot. Roos made a comment that when we lose the team deals with it really well, but when we win it's not as big a deal as it should be from a confidence standpoint. Basically, it's a team of losers that expect to lose, and a win every now and then is cool We should beat Collingwood today. But we won't. I'll be there. Predicting 35,000-45,000. Won't be more. Pies will get 30-40,000 through the gate, and around 5-10,000 Dees supporters.

I have a good source also, albeit only with Prestia. Injury is tough, not career-ending, but in terms of investing enough to attract him to move, there is reason enough to be excessively cautious about the condition. As you would be with any young star with a major injury. Merely precautionary. Cautious more so than you would be with a healthy player.

Anyone sharing Waleed Aly or The Conversation is as bad as someone sharing Andrew Bolt.

Now Sydney fans plan to play fowl by throwing eggs at booing fans. This is eggsactly what I thought would happen. The media needs to stop egging people on.

There is a natural right to free speech. We don't need law or a document to tell us to speak. "I think therefore I am" Free speech embodies the natural right to live freely without others infringing on your right to do so. Defamation is an attack on your morality and therefore it has the capacity to hurt you. It's an infringement. You can say and do as you wish so long as you don't hurt others. "Feeling" hurt doesn't count, because emotion is subjective and relative. Of course it's not. This is what I mean by the definition being "dysfunctional". Free speech is a product of a free society, one that permits individuals to do as they please so long as they don't hurt others. Free speech fits within this. You're not wrong. Free speech embodies the right to say, the right to listen, the right to turn away, and the right not to fund one's antagonists. The AFL, player's union, they are all well within their right to clamp down and stop the booing. By definition only government can censor, because anyone that is stopped from booing at a game can easily just go and boo and let their feelings be heard elsewhere. Either way, as soon as the government gets involved to define speech in a non-subjective way (18c, for example), I begin to worry. I don't want to give bigots a platform. I just trust society enough to shout down those we feel compromise the benchmark we've set for each other. People are saying Tony Abbott took too long to come out and condemn the booing. I don't know why. This is an issue that has been covered and dealt with, debated and discussed by the general public. What difference does a politician's make? True leaders are those among us, people that empower and inspire. Goodes is one. Some might disagree. That's their right. But no one with the power to take away our rights should ever be held up as a leader. That includes both sides of politics.

It truly is astonishing how dysfunctional the modern Left's definition of free speech is. There is not "some form" of free speech. There is either free speech, or there is not. When you restrict it, you cause more harm than could possibly arise if you were to permit it. "Progressive" restrictions on free speech during the Weimar Republic are eerily similar to the ones we have in place in Australia. And our response is to tighten the muzzle even more. Let them speak so we can shout them down! Just as we are in the Goodes situation. This is a movement driven and controlled by the PEOPLE. And the people will win. Free speech is an important pillar in a liberal, accepting society. Without it, we have no way to differentiate between the good and the bad, what's right and what's wrong. The "right" shall speak, and those opposed shall challenged. That's how we evolve and improve. It's ugly atm, but good will come of all of this Goodes situation. We will all be better because of it. A "boo" is harmless when you think about what genuine, literal racism is. He is still driving around in his sports car, earning a million bucks, living in Bondi. Let's get real here. He'll come out of this a better person with a little more perspective about the complexities of race relations and Australia.

My last game for a few weeks. Heading to Germany and then Seoul for work. I really hope they at least show up because I was away for work for the Geelong game so I haven't seen them play well since the Bulldogs game.

Not sure they'd have beaten us without Roo. Would have been a lot closer and could have gone either way. He took important marks and set up a few goals that pushed them away.

As with every week, I have no solid expectations as to how the team will perform, but it would be very hard to tip Melbourne this week. What will I do if we win? Get absolutely tanked.

By "moving full-time to the MCG" I assume you mean their offices. Doesn't make sense because they have everything in place and spent millions upgrading Westpac Center. Secondly, Footscray Road wouldn't be the end of the world. Once the markets go to Epping that place is going to boom. Right on the edge of the city. Club should get in now. It passed on the Glasshouse and Collingwood swooped.

Exactly. He's a deep, deep depth player. If we didn't have him, we'd have another spud in his place.

Made out of his hair. Seriously though the title of this thread could be interpreted any number of ways...

Different game, different times. You can add one or two players that would make a difference and jump from last to first in a season. You can't do that these days. Way too many variables, and you have 15-16 teams who all improve in some capacity. Our biggest problem this year is that we've stayed in neutral. We HAVE improved, but teams like Bulldogs, Port, GWS have simply improved more. Next year we should leapfrog the likes of Essendon, St Kilda, Collingwood, but knowing this club we'll finish last llol

Efa

In his first season with Miami, he was booed hard and loud at every away game.Were you watching the NBA or the Phillipino league? He still gets booed.

Yes, he is. And yes, there was. There was certainly a racial undertone from some media outlets in their commentary. He responded with a smile and 2 championships.