John Crow Batty

Goggle "is full recovery possible from a lisfranc fracture". Steadyhealth website. There are accounts from suffers of this injury. Quite sobering. Cant link the page. Fortunately Mitch has the courage to overcome this injury.

It is heartening to hear that Richo got through his injury. As yet we do not know the true severity of Clarks injury as he is not playing or running yet. Though both big units they play a lot different especially in the mental department. Richo is far more gifted but never worked really hard as he could when things were not going well and disappeared quickly when he could not get good supply. Most of Clark's productivity came from converting gut busting 1%ers against the odds with a dash of recklessness last season. If he does recover fully what effect will that have on his approach to the game? Our midfield and forward structure will have to become a hell of a lot better so he does not have to risk himself at most contests.

The club has not been able to work out how to use his talents to best advantage.

or David Neitz

In Ports predicament, any player they don't want is likely finished. I like his style, goal smarts and strength. But as others have said, age and knees are a worry. If he was still any good Port would keep him.

1964 was the year of the century. We lived two blocks from the MCG on Powlett St and the weather girl from Channel 9 boarded upstairs. Graham Kennedy was an occasional visitor to the house. And the other Chinese student boarder used to keep live lobsters in the bathtub. Plus we had fire crackers to play with and a premiership. Life was never the same after 64.

Wow, that is some seriously expensive roast pig. Who can afford that these days? Nah! better not mention any names.

Only have to go as far as Dan Murphy's.

Can't drink scotch anymore. Gives me too much of a sore head like our club. These days I'm into like the TV commercial "el tranquilo" feeling. A fine Cuban Rum like Havana Club or Santiago De Cuba. Or if I feel like singing a few verses of What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor then Pusser's Navy Rum from the Virgin Islands does the job.

I got fantastic news. Bananas are now only $9.99 a kg at Chan Phat's otherwise known as Fat Chance grocery in Victoria St, Richmond. No kidding.

Jeez did they get Thomas out of the filths craws?

I have a niggling feeling. Don't know why but sometimes I think we wont see much more of Flash in red and blue.

All this obsession with bananas and voyeuristic tendencies. I"ve seen you peeking. Monastic life is not good.

Want to know a bargain? Buy banana chips. Only 4.99 a killo at Woolies or even cheaper at Preston Market..

When are all you mad monks going to break your vows of silence and return to the real world?

Suburban pokie venues are soulless mausoleums where one goes to get euthanised. How can anyone have a good time when it's populated by only the lonely doing their dough and all you hear is PING, PING, PONGO. The club should get out of the business or get a venue back to where the soul of the club resides that is the inner city, close to the MCG and near a tram and train line. And offer attractions that attract real supporters and not just suburban losers. I've lived in the Melbourne area most of my life and don't even know where Bentleigh is and never been to that other place Leighoak nor do I want to.

I ripped off half my big toe nail once when kicking a drop kick. It can happen and is extremely painful. Not a problem with clunky old fashioned boots with solid toes. I agree it was a very low percentage kick for all except a very few. The advantage of it was its low fast trajectory and extra distance. It was also better suited for the more static game played pre 1980 hence obsolete for a long time now. The torp is just as unreliable but a fluffed torp will not grub along the ground as a fluffed drop kick usually does.

He may have been a very good drop kick but I don't recall Danny ever kicking one and I saw him play many times. I have trouble recalling if I saw any one else kick drop kicks from the mid eighties onwards.

Hey Fork, if I were you I wouldn't be too worried about the odd rule change and less so about others talking about them. Our games has evolved enormously in the past couple of decades and continues to do so. Our game is unique and fast flowing and not stifled by constraining rules like offside and encyclopaedic law books, etc which affect other field ball games. Because of lack of restrictions in player movements, negative tactics continue to creep in to stifle creative play and shift the balance in favour of negative play. Any potential rules that ensure the fluidity and freedom of of our game and resist it from becoming a melee should always be on the discussion table and open to all opinions pro or con.

I suppose the square could be kept, or go back to the old way where the mark is lined up with the centre of the goal. Or even having a half circle marking zone from goal post to goal post which would extend out 7 metres which is as wide as the goal mouth. Another advantage of the arc proposal is that a full back can kick the ball on the run and get extra distance.

There are a lot of players who can kick booming drop punts with greater accuracy than torps but we usually only see them in action when they are having long shots at goal outside 50. Expanding the square has merit. Another version of this idea is drawing an arc from behind post to behind post extending out 15-20 metres from goal. This will allow the kicker freedom to shift play wide either side or straight ahead, or change direction quickly before actually disposing of the ball. This will create freer short and long options up to the wings and beyond.

I agree there are few if any AFL players around that could kick a torp consistently. I guess one in five attempts I've seen in the past few years did what they were supposed to do. As for the drop kick, it's long dead but I still miss it. I can still kick it quite well and can get an extra ten metres further with it than any other kicks I can do. I mentioned in the recent 1971 Annual Report thread about our Phil Rhoden. I would say he was by miles the best drop kick I've ever seen. Only played a few senior games for us but many seasons in the reserves. Used to kick out from full back and nearly always got to the wing or centre with it. And rarely fluffed one. Anyone who went to the MCG early got a treat watching him kick out including opposition fans.

It amazes me why India will still not agree to 3rd umpire reviews. Supreme arrogance or something more sinister?

I don't think it would be a bad idea to get in some proven players with maturity, experience and form. Professional cricketers play a lot older than most sports. Some one in their late 20's can still have 10 good years in them. Gilchrist is a recent example. Hauritz is a player who's been around and still appears to be getting better. This youth stuff seems to be getting too PC. The Australian team has serious problems that appear long term. Leadership is one. Ponting has had it. Clark appears to be flaky and backsliding fast. As for other current team members who could lead? Hussey I'm not sure. Best bring in someone like Cameron White who is a proven performer and leader IMO. Perhaps a poison chalice for him but the team could not be any worse with him leading..

QUOTING DAPPA DAN As with most of these suggestions for fixture changes, there's an immediate merit to it. But then, a season isn't 11 games long. It's a marathon. If, say, we won our first 6 games... then went badly at the end of the year, I'd feel jibbed. Also... if you think it'll make the end of the season better, it'll almost certainly make the start of the season less important. Teams will be trying harder at the end of the year when their situation becomes clearer, and taking their foot off the gas at the start of the year. As with most of these suggestions, the league will only change them when MADE to... Like when new clubs come in. I love the idea that it'll stay a final 8, even though that's less than half of the teams in the league.