old dee

I hope they all want to be a Dee for life ...

I think you can guarantee that they all won't want to be "RB"

If you were getting $300 000 at the MFC and the GWS offered you $600 000 / $800 000 what would you do?

Play with a few mates or go an hour north for twice the salary and a new bunch of mates!

Would not take me too long to decide.

In the AFL business you could be out of a job by injury or change of coach over night.

Sad as it is take the money would be my advice.

It is not what I want to happen but I will not be at all surprised when someone leaves.

I wasn't implying that AFL players are more likely to be bastards than the rest of society, or that the AFL system doesn't run a wide range of programs on anti-bastardry.

By the same token,

Do you seriously think that only a few incidents a year making it to the media is any kind of indication of overall standards? AFL players and their apologists seem to like the idea that the rest of the world is just out to get them - girls are asking for it and just get sooky afterwards (just find the St.Kilda-originating emails that went out about the 'Schoolgirl', who apparently had made sleeping with AFL players some kind of collector-card game...), and fights only start because of people 'headhunting' them.

The media gets worked up too easily once something is 'out in the open', and that often looks ridiculous. But 'Buddy Franklin was rude to me when I asked him for a drink in a bar' doesn't make much news. 'Colin Sylvia was a total tool when I knew him back in Bendigo' isn't front pager.

AFL players aren't being asked to be flawless characters, they are being asked to -

refrain from sexually assaulting people,

try not to put yourself into a coma from drug overdoses,

not wear giant novelty dildos while wandering around Federation Square in the middle of the day,

avoid getting teenage girls pregnant and then ditching them cold,

don't make videos about chicken rape

limit their involvement with known organised crime figures

and generally avoid boozing it up and hanging around nightclubs after about 2am

How hard is that? Seriously, how hard is that?

I would agree with you Littly Goffy

and they get paid mutiply $100 000's

It just shows me that a sizable percentage of AFL players are not very bright.

The Saints culprit with the camera is a good example.

If he was not a good player you would not feed him.

maybe i'm just older than i think

or reliving my youth

Dorothy Dix answered people personal questions in a magazine/newspaper column often but not necessarily about romantic issues.

Hence the expression "Dear Dorothy" or "Dear Dorothy Dix" when seeking advice on what to do with personal issues. The answers were generally predicatable

As someone else pointed out a "Dorothy Dixer" became a term in parliament in Aus (and still is I think) hence I assumed rpfc living in Canberra would be familiar with

The Truth newspaper had a similar (but seedier and absurd) column called Heartbalm (the letters were mainly written by the staff over drunken lunches)

The Ages Good Weekend liftout currently has a short funny column too (can't remember the name)

Oh DC I feel your pain!

And the ultimate agony being asked who DDD was!

You are correct it is dead set boring at present especially as the alternative is to watch what maybe the worst Australian test team ever.

Can we please start 2011 with something of substance to discuss.

My suggestions

"how many White clash jumpers" will you buy?

"Will Watts kick 10 or 15 goals in 2011?

Please some thing of substance.

Please no more "when will my membership arrive"

Please help "Demonlanders"!

Woah, it's only December. Last year we lost Jurrah and Sylvia in final practice matches just before the season proper started. Bit early to talk about "full list".

Bing this time last year we had 8 players coming off longterm injuries/ operations.

Not one in this category this year.

Yes someone can go down with an injury today.

However We are in a much better position at the end of 2010 than we were last year.

PS Sylvia was not injured in the last practise match it was earlier.

Jurrah and Bell were injured in Adelaide in the last practise match.

yup, the Cats will be pretty cold this year

I hope you are right.

After 2 wins in 20 years at the cattery I am looking forward to a win down there this year.

If we pull that Off We will know we have a good team on our hands.

The games he is in form and is given the limelight in the forward line.

An opportunity for him to shine and develop to the detriment of the team's ability to win on the day.

More valuable than 4 points?

I think we can do/get both against many teams, but yes.

(I realise I didn't answer your question.)

Just pulling your chain!

But I would like to see him turn the corner next year.

With my luck it will be the 5 games I do get to in 2011!

I have never bothered to go and neither have any of my close friends with which I regularly attend MFC matches.

Well I am devastated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is not what he is saying at all, and I expect better from you R.

We are saying that you cannot judge the MFC next year on wins and losses - we are still developing;

Our best mids will 20, 19, and 19.

Our CHB and FB will 22/23.

Our CHF will be 20 and our long term hope for FF will be 22.

If we can stop getting blown away in quarters and win 40+ quarters then we will be thereabouts. I expect us to be playing for a finals spot in Rd 24 against PA but we are not going to win the flag so who gives a flying frack.

Some think that winning 13 games will mean progress and it probably will, but winning 9 games and have Watts tear up 5 games and Trengove learn HB, and have McKenzie average 20+ disposals is just as good for our flag hopes.

"and have Watts tear up 5 games"

I really look forward to that rpfc!

Any idea which games?

Or... that young people in general place less importance in attending the AGM.

I've never bothered to go & neither have any of my friends.

I am shocked e25 I thought I was one of your friends!

Do you pull the average down or...push it up?

While I am not as young as I used to be I will be pulling in down.

After the actual AGM they have an info session which is a good event as they usually introduce all the new players

and the coach is available for questions.

Not the worst function I attend by a long way.

We have a very good draw probably the best in 5 years.

We look like starting 2011 with a near full list of fit players with good pre seasons behind them.

The number of games played by our list has risen considerably on last year.

To finish any lower than 9th in IMO will be a poor result.

I will be disappointed if we do not make the finals

Well, my main point was you were being unreasonable.

My secondary point was we lost games because we deserved to lose.

My third point is that having targets in terms of ladder position and games won is arbitrary and unfair - hence the reference to Mark Thompson as the two-time Premiership Coach who wouldn't be a two-time Premiership Coach if Frank Costa placed hard and fast measures on the team.

We should be close to making the finals injuries permitting but as long as I see our best players progress (those 22 and under) I will be satisfied.

I want to win a flag.

6th place finishes do not excite me.

Agree but they are a hell of a lot better than Last!

How did I get to be the one having a go at Watts and you defending him?

What just happened...

Anyway, yeah he is going to be good, and yeah, he has work to do.

Moving on...

I don't think I have ever said he was a bum!

I am just waiting to see him justify his No. 1 Tag.

Above I was just agreeing with you.

The vast majority of great forwards are dependant on players up the field.

Old deee - Watts isn't the athlete prototype that was so popular in the early naughties.

He's a footy player with the only queries being his application and his willingness in the contest.

And I think I'm suffering a bit of MFCSS when I harp on about either.

Being quick over 20m is good skill for a proposed CHF to have (there is an understatement...).

Watts will never be as good as the perception of him though; he'll have the benefit of this awesome midfield shoving the sherrin down his throat.

You know what rpfc. I don't care if we have a good midfield shoving the ball down his throat.

If the Mid field makes him look good then great.

As long as he uses it well when he gets it that is all I want. And I will be happy to call him a champ.

The very best forwards are dependant on the ball being delivered into the forward line.

I agree with all of that and I was leaning toward Moloney only a few weeks ago, purely because of the expectations he places on his teammates and himself in those important two hours; he demands a willingness of the contest.

I have moved away from that because of various issues with off-field related expectations that are placed on the captain.

Green looks to be the best of an adequate lot, primarily because of his leadership on the field but he is on a par with Aaron in representing the club and apparently behind him with involvement in the club and the younger brigade (of which we have such high hopes).

It would be a difficult decision but as I have said before - I would understand either choice.

Agree with you,

However I often wonder if the players get as excited as the fans about who is the Captain!

I am fairly confident that the choice will not cost us a place in the eight next year!

If some can't see his obvious talent then they need a walking stick. He's far more than a "prospect".

There's only ever been one query over Watts and that's his intensity in contests. At worst he'll be a very good player.

Translating obvious talent into good games is what seperates the average players from the Champions.

And my dog says so!

Pace/acceleration in a straight line is not the same as pace/accelaeration when constantly changing direction which Davey does to perfection. You only have to look at the difference between Red Bull and Ferrari.

This is not any reflection on Watts but just an observation that 20 metre sprints in a straight line whilst indicative of certain qualities do not necessarily translate to game day conditions - like many other statistics often quoted.

A 20m slalom-type test would be something useful to develop and compare with.

Spot on DC getting the ball is what counts and then what you do with it.

I have seen lots of great athletes who could not get a kick!

this bloke is just such an exciting prospect!

Prospect being the operative word.

Proof of the pudding is in the eating.

This time 2011 we will know.

I think most of you get all too caught up with your own self-importance. Brucey is nothing other than a great bloke who simply wants extra security. Yes he has done well in the past financially but when you love your job you want to do it for as long as possible with as much success as possible, whats the issue. The way the club have treated several players in the past(players who got 'us' through the gates) is not great but yet it is a business. We are happy to bag him or the club (as i may have just done). Take a step back and remember what someone has done when they have racked up 200+ games at any level, at the level he has he deserves a bit of respect.

That is all.

Go dees

You have covered it for me DEELIGHTED

I'm taking that all for the joke that it is.

If you think about the game (both games in this instance) on more of an intellectual level then I'm not quite sure why having a wider goal (and presumably then more goals per game) and changing a key rule that makes the game a "challenge" (the offside rule) would make it "better".

I suppose every time an AFL team develops a strategy to limit the opposition's chances of scoring (gee we're slow at developing that side of the game) we should just change the rules, wait to see what other changes will happen as a result fo the rule change and then make some other rule change and set off another chain reaction.

This talk of "intellectualising" the game is not me saying I am smarter than any other fan, I'm just saying I think about it and enjoy it in a different way. It's not just more goals = better game = I had more fun = lets make sure that happens more often.

You are probably right

However I grew up with a different attitude to what makes a game entertaining

Try as I might I cannot get involved in Soccer.

There is just not a lot happening for me. To me it is like watching basketball except no one scores.

I cannot imagine going to a basketball game and at the end of an hour the final score was nil all.

For better or worse I have trouble watching the game.

Agreed. I've said that with all sincerity to association people before and even good friends think I'm trolling.

I have tried as well

You will never win mate!

Clearly it represents the 5 Jacks at the Dees:

Trengove

Watts

Grimes

Viney

Fitzy

Good god High Tower I know that!

He was suggesting that every time he saw a theme on big Jim he got a fright.

I was suggesting every time I saw his name it gave me a fright!

Are you with me HT or am I just too obscure?

tempered by the odd unexpectation of annihilation spectator frustration factor followed by fornication and sometimes procreation and lactation

No too much 'dandeman"

short and sweet is the key.

I don't blame you if you were out at The Riverside!! I think Victory's average crowd in the last season Boro were in the premier league was better than that at the north-eastern English club.

The 'good' moments in the A-league are genuinely exciting and skillful. The problems is that almost every team has a few players on the pitch that bring the quality down a few notches.

Still it's good to have a team to support and watch every week in your home town, and it's great to have a home town rivalry blossoming. I go pretty much every week, and the quality, form, ladder position and opponent doesn't really have anything to do with it.

By the way, that night at White Heart Lane was going well for Spurs until a late, late equaliser from Arsenal at a set piece. It really fired the crowd up and made the hour or so after the game around the stadium very "interesting" indeed.

Thats The problem TJ Its hardly ever the game that is the most exciting or interesting bit.

You either have to get drunk before you get there, sign songs in the ground or have a punch up afterwards.

Because there is not a lot happening when the game is on.

The way to fix Soccer is get rid of "off Side'

and make the goal net 1 metre wider.

Agree OD it did start on TJ. At the time of trading TJ was lauded on the basis of what he had done in 2002 and 2005. His radar went wonky in 2006 and on the blink in 2007. If he was our best kick the trade was right not so much for what we got for it but that TJ was diminishing as a footballer, had no leadership value (quite the opposite) and had become a downhill skier who was not prepared to work hard. At 28 and in those categories, he had to go. We were lucky to get a 1st rounder. We were lucky to also get Grimes.

Especially when we could have come 3rd!! B)

Now that is a bit tall RR even for December 9!

But who knows Watts might kick a few next year.