Webber

I heard a stat some weeks ago (wish I’d paid more attention) that teams who lose the grand final by more than 45 points don’t win a final the next year. Something like 70% don’t make finals at all. And the bigger the margin, the worse it gets (sample group gets smaller though). Ergo, Dogs won’t make finals, and if they do manage to scrape in, they’re going straight out.

They left it too late. Not that they didn’t try before that!

What!? Wash your mouth out!

My lovely google directions lady (from Cork I suspect) suggests otherwise to me.

Notes on the finished paintings. Print sizes and prices within the week. Our Premiership The overriding impression I’ll retain from our Premiership year - home and away to Grand Final - is that it was so resolutely team-based. In game-plan and actuality. No passengers, all contributors, individual performances enabled only by the whole. Where the centrepiece of my triptych ‘Max and Jack’ was about legacy, history and leadership, ‘Our Premiership’ is wholly about teamwork….synergy, support, selflessness. Hybridised from a series of pics to allow 3 players arms to point in the same direction, to the Cup of course, the four players featured contain for me multitudes, none less than they boldly offer four full-frontal red yolks. Clayton Oliver, black-booted to denote his singular leadership, is the final "bang" in the Bulldogs coffin, and leads the way. A pure footballer, fuelled by team commitment, competitiveness and an indefatigable will to win, this Mooroopna boy is the perfect role-model for his teammates and a coach’s dream. A Victorian also, a product of footy’s originating state, he’s flanked by teammates from footy’s other heartland states. Ben Brown a Tasmanian, Tom Sparrow a South Australian, Luke Jackson a Western Australian. Together they represent both our national game and the gathering of disparate elements to create a harmonised unit. Clarrie points also to his own name, an intentional irony considering that his game-day ethos is so defined by lack of self-interest. Dogga points to Max’s name - his mentor, partner and perhaps successor in the ruck, BBB (a late career recruit) thrilled to be part of the charge. Above this quartet sits the named team in full, line by line, ‘followers’ top left (including Captain and Vice-Captain), interchange top right but with no separation from the ‘starting line-up’. James Jordon, the medi-sub, sits next to his housemate, Tom Sparrow. Mounting the triptych together, ‘Our Premiership’ is intended to sit on the left of ‘Max and Jack’. Christian Petracca, Norm Smith Medalist. A portrait of the athlete as an individual, Christian Petracca is no less emblematic of a total investment in team and club, the essence of which came together in 2021. A no. 2 draft pick, with the inevitable baggage of expectation entailed, CP5’s rise to super-stardom has truly exemplified year on year progress. Committing to a career-length contract in 2021, he represents loyalty - to his teammates, the Melbourne Football Club, and its supporters. Us. Throughout the year and particularly during the finals, his media appearances delivered one dominant sentiment - a power of respect and ‘duty’ to Dees supporters, consistently essayed with naked emotionality. As much as any champion of the club, past or present, Christian Petracca IS the Melbourne Football Club. As per “Max and Jack”, and “Our Premiership”, I’ve removed all advertising/paraphernalia from his uniform and changed his boots to red and blue tones. The Sherrin too has been turned from night yellow to traditional red. His key stats (at least to me) as ‘best on ground’ are obvious (I’ve re-instated his record-breaking possession number - asterisk for conversation sake). His goals are ‘tracced’, a cuteness that also allowed me to fit Australian Football goalposts into the triptych. Marcus Bontempelli, a champion himself, exists, reaching, but only in as much as his team’s “colours were lowered" (all the way down) on the day. At the moment of action, the Norm Smith Medal lies in Christian’s future, its ribbon denoting a heart-shape - “heart and soul” player that he is and from which his rewards came. The Premiership Medal lies behind, a historic inevitability the moment he stepped onto Optus Oval. Its ribbon suggests a question mark - will there be more? My intention for the triptych was to have CP5 on the right side of “Max and Jack”. *Please feel free to contact me now if you’d like to complete the set, or have interest in individual prints.

Blatant cheating. Needs to be more than a fine. Suspension mandatory, surely.

Best post of Easter….close the thread. (still laughing)

Yes.

De-rail slightly…… what do we think about Harry Petty’s spoil on Jesse Hogan that gifted his only goal on Saturday night? Was a perfect spoil in an impossible situation for me…running back, punched the ball and didn’t touch the player. Umpire knee-jerked to the fact he was running face onto Hogan to spoil, assumed it was ‘front-on contact’ because he didn’t mark it. I was a teeny bit ropable.

Let’s call it Strawberry blonde, R(B)G. 😉

Done. Info on prints and painting notes soon…..

Nice bunch of poppies. Or are they fuschias?!!!!

Interesting that Jordie Lewis (who some forget played great games for the Dees in his first two years) and Daniel Cross (who was an outstanding get, culturally and footy-wise) both played the half-back general/sweeper/distributor role. Luke Hodge did the same for the Lions. Seems to be the perfect late career role for tiring/slowing midfielders, as against the pre-retirement forward role, which rarely works (Jack Ziebell’s last game excepted!).

Sounds good. Would be nice to have a funky but effective kick going around (Barry Round funky notwithstanding), just for the aesthetic variation. Was thinking from binman’s description that he sounds like a Joel Smith mirror (which Casey try to create), the irony being that Joel Smith in many people’s eyes is a mirror himself. Of who I’m not sure, cos he’s happily best 22 for mine this year.

Anybody who watched the whole game have insights on Rosman? Seems to be pressing hard all of a sudden. Was a speculative, athletic pick when drafted, does he now have the game in hand?

Smith for Hunt, Petty for Tommo. Or neither. Anybody not selected is unlucky, either way. Crazy times as a Dees supporter!

With a pretty heavy whisky soaked dose of insight and wryness.

Perfect, Tayla up the ground (1 on 1), big roost central, goal. Do it!

Nope. AA squad this year.

Move it quicker to a fast leading Tayla (not static at home) and she can’t be triple teamed. Otherwise it’s pretty hard to fathom, as you say.

Go you good thing Alyssa! Here’s an idea…..at every secured possession = mark or free kick, put the big units (L. Pearce, Harris, Zanker) in the middle 35 metres up.. Kick it to them, with Bannan, McNamara, Goldy coming past for the feed or at the spill. No boundary possession stuff. Straight up the middle….bully the contest and up the middle again. Possessing the boundary and giving them time to set in defence isn’t ever gonna do it against the Crows. Ever. Only way is higher risk corridor footy. Umpiring horrendous btw. No favour either side, just bad.

Gonna get very very ugly…..

Terrific pods (both) again this week, boys. The perfect, goldilocks amount of nostalgic love for Adem Yze, and insightful, ‘to the heart of things’ questions. p.s. thanks @binman for the plug for my Premiership 2021 Triptych prints. pps - wasn’t meaning to school you on the injury info issue, just start the convo. As such, your idea of combining short-medium-long term injury type with current ‘training status’ is surely a winner!

His best game I reckon. Loves a contest, has time, makes great decisions and disposes really well. Only thing he can add is growing confidence in his attacking potential/ability, and there were signs of that tonight. Love the boy, pure footballer.

At best an example of our brilliant defence and defensive game-plan, at worst fumbly, ugly, over-possessing, wiffly footy. Assuming it was dewy, cos our skills were very ordinary. Last quarter fade-out fair enough considering 3 games in 18 days. I think.