a la johnny beckwith

Greetings to you all currently located abroad - watching the Dees playing in (and hopefully winning!) the GF whilst in a foreign land should be a fantastic experience. The mention of Greenwich brings back some fond memories for me. Back in 2008 I wasn fortunate enough to spend a month staying on the opposite side of the Thames - about 200 metres from the walking tunnel that connects Greenwich with Millwall. I remember the walk up to the Observatory well - don't reckon I'd make it these days! My stay in London coincided with the 2008 GF - I was travelling with some family and friends and we made it a priority. Despite none of having an interest in either Hawthorn or Geelong we had no problem at all making arrangements in advance to see the game. Tickets were purchased for an the event at the Temple Walkabout Pub. The early start (about 5am from memory) would not present a problem at all - we would just kick on from the night before. That didn't really prove to be a good idea - as you can probably imagine. The events of that day still bring a smile to my face - the place was sold out (mainly Australians of course) and it was rocking. Beer, meat pies and football were the only things on the menu. Don't know what it was - but there was something magical about it all. During the half-time break, and much to the delight of those in attendance, the DJ belted out some all time classic Aussie tunes - Hoodoo Gurus and Hunters & Collectors were in the mix from memory. It was an experience I will never forget - I would recommend it to anyone who happens to find themselves in town at the right time. I assure you - the hangover from hell was almost worth it! The ferry ride back to Greenwich later in the day (we did kick on at the Walky to watch the Liverpool/Everton derby) was interesting to say the least. Without going into too much detail - one of my cohorts lost "the days takings" on the deck in full view of our fellow passengers. There were staff scurrying around with mops and buckets - a pleasant trip was not had by all that is for sure. I have vivid memories of him being led by the hand as we walked through the tunnel back to Millwall as he was barely capable of placing one foot ahead of the other. He was a complete wreck - didn't resurface again until the following day. Thanks for reminding me of Greenwich - has brought back some great memories of my travels though the UK and Europe in 2008. Was a great time highlighted by the GF day experience - along with the lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam I had the week prior. Best wishes to all Demon fans currently O/S - about this time tomorrow I hope we hear reports of "It's A Grand Old Flag" being sung from all points of the globe. Go Dees.

Yes he is - and he has lots of company. Tonight James Brayshaw described the way in which Harris Andrews knocked the ball over the boundary line as being "laconic". BT, in his infinite wisdom, agreed. "Yes that was laconic". Brayshaw is a serial offender - could someone please direct him to dictionary.com. He may well stop embarrassing himself should he learn the meaning of the word.

Thanks for posting SWYL - brings back some fond memories. Was fortunate enough to have met Geoff Leek on a few occasions back in the day - and a throughly decent bloke he was. The Gentle Giant was always up for a chat about his playing days with Bombers - some of them hilariously funny. When Geoff was recruited to Essendon, Doug Bigelow was an established senior player there. The story Geoff told of his first day at the club and his first experience as an Essendon player was of being approached by a gruff Doug Bigleow in the change rooms. From memory the exchange went as follows; DB - "Welcome to the Essendon Football Club son" GL - "Thanks very much Mr Bigelow. Are you playing this Saturday Mr Bigelow?" DB - "Nah son - I've got a boil on me ar**" He played with some of the all-time greats too - Coleman and Reynolds immediately come to mind. Used to stand in the forward pocket next to John Coleman and just stand there and marvel at his work apparently. Little known fact about Geoff was that at times early in his career he would play whilst wearing a hairnet - as the attached ABC footage shows he had no need to continue this practice later in life! Doug Heywood was also a favourite of mine - ex MFC player who played in the 1948 drawn GF against the Bombers. Unfortunately was dropped for the replay and I don't think tasted premiership success despite playing in the era in which the MFC were dominant - long before many of us were around. I vividly recall Doug Heywood often using the phrase "a la Johnny Beckwith" as a player would kick long down the line and manage to dribble the ball out of bounds and force a boundary throw-in. Not sure if he coined the phrase - but it was one of his staples! Doug Heywood was one of the best - can you believe he would also do live commentary of the tennis on ABC radio? I used to find this fascinating listening - doubt many others could match Doug's abilities behind the mic. Like many others I choose to lower the volume whilst watching these days - McAvaney is an insufferable try-hard and the sycophants along side him induce nausea. What's with the constant rhetorical questions - and the obvious need he has for affirmation? He does my head in!

Not too many issues with this - but no room for Junior McDonald? Has to be in the discussion surely. Not much love for him in this discussion so far. Would probably have him in before Woewodin.

Indulge in a few Pastéis de Natas and your day will get even better! Resistance is futile! PS Very happy Tommy put pen to paper today - sparing us all the inevitable and boring "will he/won't he" press narrative for the remainder of the season. Good work Tom!