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!

Laconic adjective 1. using few words; expressing much in few words; concise: a laconic reply. Did this trait really have an effect on his game? Heard Alister Lynch also use the term during commentary today in relation to Jack Watts - so you aren't Robinson Crusoe joeboy! PS Apologies for my pedantry - it's just that the misuse of this word has been a pet-hate of mine for a very long time now. Find it very hard to just let it slip by without comment. PPS Thanks for the weekly reports - much appreciated.

Quite a telling image I reckon - in fact it almost confirms something I have long suspected about the actual role Anderson plays at AFL House. My suspicions are that he is nothing more than the office coffee boy and general gopher for AD - and this photo certainly does nothing but reinforce those suspicions. Yep - I am now more convinced than ever that Adrian is nothing but a trumped up EA masquerading as Management purely for PR purposes. By that I mean, you wouldn't trot the company Tea Lady out to front the media on a regular basis, would you? Of course, that would be plainly ridiculous - the "Operations Manager" however has much more clout don't you reckon? Voila! Problem solved. Poor Adrian is probably sick and tired of hearing the same old crap, day in, day out. "Adrian - the photo copier is jammed again" and "Adrian - where the f*** are the donuts?? You haven't forgotten again have you?" "Adrian - have you taken all the lunch orders yet?" Such a tedious life for one so talented I would have thought. Added to that he has to pretend to laugh on Brownlow night (every year too - it just never stops getting funny!!) when his boss hilariously reads out votes for Robin Nahas - how demeaning for the little fella. Occasionally though, AD will throw him a bone with a little more meat on it - "Adrian - ring the Adelaide Crows and demand they immediately sack Matt Rendell for being politically incorrect" is one such example. At the end of the day though, all we have here is an image of a bloke going about his normal daily duties - nothing too remarkable about that. At least, it would appear, on this occasion Adrian has remembered to bring the donuts. Good on him!!

I be prepared to look at Agarn - but a definite no from me on Vanderbilt. Shocking vision apparently.

Not bad - but with respect, can I just suggest one minor improvement? How about "Pandora's floodgate of worms"? Why be satisfied with a simple double when a trifecta can be achieved?

Grant Thomas (on both FC and his now defunct blog) asserted the reason Geelong lost to Freo in the finals was because Geelong were far too "laconic". I was staggered. I think it was the first time I have ever heard anyone suggest that a game of football was lost simply due to the use of too few words. Thomas is by no means the only offender on this front - I only single him out because I found myself yelling at the TV when he used the word (despite having obviously no idea as to its actual definition - and on more than one occasion I might add!) to describe Geelong's performance in that semi-final. It was a truly cringe-worthy performance as he bared his ignorance to all and sundry on national TV. Didn't know whether to just laugh or feel a bit sorry for the poor duffer. Apparently Travis Johnston is also a man of few words. He was often described in commentary during his career as "playing in his usual laconic style". Quiet as a mouse was Travis.

Hello fellow MFC tragics - long time reader of Demonland over the years - however as you can see my contributions have been sparse. Thought I might add my two bobs worth to the JV discussion - thought I might as well. This thread appears to be petering out somewhat don't you think?? If you can all indulge me for just one minute and please excuse what some might call the hyperbole that is going to follow here - make no mistake, today is a truly magnificent day in the life of our much beloved MFC. MFC supporters one and all should rejoice at how events transpired today. In my humble and certainly uneducated view, JV was worth every bit of Pick 3 - to grab him for Pick 26 is a steal. Will be viewed down the track as crime of the century I reckon - particularly if we use our 3 first rounders wisely and strike some gold there too. All in all a great outcome for all of us (poor, long suffering, desperate for even a flicker of hope, light at the end of the tunnel, etc) who have been agonising over the JV matter (for years I suspect for some!!) and now we can all sit back, relax in the knowledge that we have JV in the bag - and 3 first round picks to play with in the upcoming trade/draft. Yep - life is good today. Not that often we can feel this way as MFC supporters so we should all kick back and dream about what might be for next year and beyond - and perhaps some of us might even be tempted by a one or two of the activities mentioned in the attached link - hope it works ok, first attempt at linking! The lyrics pretty much sum up how I've been feeling after hearing the glorious news as I was driving out to Cranbourne this morning to watch a horse I have a small interest in have his first official trial. Horse ran well and we snagged Jack for a second round pick - doesn't get much better than that!! Enjoy!! PS. How remiss of me - welcome to the MFC Jack Viney!! Life Is Good Today.html

Can't help but agree - particularly on Roos. Irrelevant?? Really??? Are we as "irrelevant" as say, for example, the now defunct Fitzroy FC? You remember the Fitzroy FC, don't you Roosy? If my memory serves me correctly, you once had somewhat of a connection with this now non-existent football club, didn't you? A discussion on what constitutes an irrelevant club as far as VFL/AFL history is concerned surely would not be complete without a thorough investigation into the sad demise of the Fitzroy FC? Can you get any more "irrelevant" than being no longer in existence? Perhaps the completely demoralising defection of a much loved club great and club captain, when the club was on its knees could also be discussed? Apparently poor old Roosy is suffering from some sort of memory malfunction - or perhaps he truly doesn't understand the meaning of the word "irrelevant"? Paul Roos - great player and successful premiership winning coach. Credit where it is due. Roos the commentator?? To quote a former football great and premiership coach - "irrelevant" ( P. Roos OTC 31/7/12). Credit where it is due.

"The batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willey." "You've come over at a very appropriate time; Ray Illingworth has just relieved himself at the pavilion end." Classics from legendary BBC commentator, Brian Johnston.

An interesting exercise - damned hard to narrow it down to just 10. Well for me it is anyway. Saw my first game in the early 70's and there have been plenty of "good" and even "great" players pull on the red and blue guernsey over the journey. Not too many "champions" amongst them but they are favourites nonetheless. Here goes - in order of appearance only. 1. Paul Callery. Immediately identifiable on the field (at the first game I ever attended - Tangles Walker was playing too!!) because he looked like a kid out there playing with and against giants. He really was a short arse. I think he also used to do a fitness spot on TV in those days so he had a bit of a media profile at the time. A more than handy player who certainly punched above his weight due to his shortness of stature. 2. Stan Alves. Captain and a standout in a fairly average outfit at the time. The realities of the new "professional" era smacked me right in the face as a youngster when our skipper defected to North for the promise of both monetary riches and premiership glory in the mid 70's - I never quite felt the same about Stan after all the crap went down (North got done for "poaching") and we eventually lost him. Doesn't alter the fact that he was one of the best I have seen in the red and blue - so he goes in!! 3. Robbie Flower. What more can be said about possibly the best ever? The feats performed by this most unlikely type, with regular monotony I might add, on the football field really do beggar belief. I have vivid memories of Robbie slotting goals, post high, with drop punts from inside the centre square at the MCG - on a regular basis. He was the best I have seen no doubt and his unending loyalty to the MFC makes him an all time favourite of mine. 4. Greg Wells. Another standout during our lowly period in the 70's. Loved the way he went about it and he always seemed to have the footy. Like Alves before him, he also received an offer too good to refuse (this time from Carlton - we got the unfortunately unproductive duo of Catoggio and Young in return. Made the loss of Wells hurt so much more - like salt in an open wound) and he unfortunately finished his career elsewhere. Met him at the 'bool a few years ago - likes a punt and likes a beer. Good bloke. 5. Laurie Fowler. May seem a bit odd including a former Tiger in this list however he was a mainstay of our backline in the 70's and one tough unit. Never shirked an issue that I can recall. A couple of B&F's were a testament to his value to the team. Also, met him a few years ago when he ran the Wheelers Hill Hotel TAB. Softened the blow of losing money on the punt somewhat knowing it was going to a good cause!! 6. Garry Hardeman. One of our better players at the time and almost pulled off a surprise Brownlow win. Actually upped stumps at one point and relocated to SA and played for Sturt in the SANFL. Pretty sure it was a financial inducement that included an offer of a job (from memory he was a Printer by trade but was actually driving cabs in Melbourne at the time!!) that enticed him over the border. Despite his brief flirtation with time travel, Hardeman eventually returned to the MFC to play out the remainder of his career and was a very solid contributor still. 7. Garry Lyon. One of the best I've seen - great player and great leader. Not sure we even saw the very best of him due to injuries which makes his performances during his stellar career with the MFC even more remarkable in my view. Fiercely loyal to the MFC, he was an inspiration to his teammates and led us with distinction. A fine ambassador for the MFC to this day. 8. Brett Lovett. This bloke was seriously underrated I reckon. Not much in the way of foot speed but read the game far better than most and very little got passed him. Always kept his feet, stood firm under opposition attack and was as dependable as they come. A great example of someone getting the very best of themselves. 9. Jim Stynes. Probably the greatest footy story of all time - it has "Hollywood Script" written all over it. A true warrior on the field and simply dominated his opponents in his Brownlow year. His post-career contribution to the MFC can never be doubted but his contribution as a player should not be understated. His obvious pride in the jumper was plain for all to see - his durability unrivaled and he literally put his body on the line for the MFC time and time again. Words cannot do him justice - simply an inspiration on and off the field to all, whether a football follower or not. 10. David Schwarz. Saw this guy playing U19's for the Dees and he just owned it. The next week he was playing in the 2's - and he made them look silly too - treated his opponents with absolute contempt. Anyone who saw him just knew we had something special - and special he was. Such was his brilliance and his dominance, in my view the knee injuries that cut him down in is prime meant we were robbed of seeing one of the great careers of all time. Was as good as, if not better than Carey before the knee injuries cruelly struck him down - and most would rate Carey in the top 10 of all time, surely? Honorable mentions must go to Max Walker, Greg Parke, Big Carl Ditterich, Ray Biffin, Henry Coles, Stephen Smith, Gerard Healy, Alan Johnson, Greg Healy, Todd Viney, Sean Wight, Ricky Jackson, Darren Bennett, Allen Jakovich, David Neitz and Matthew Whelan. All of these players I considered favourites during their careers with the MFC - can't fit them all into the top 10 unfortunately. Hope I haven't forgotten anyone. No current day players make the cut - they still have work to do to be rated amongst those listed above. Deliver a Premiership and of course I will happily reconsider!! Apologies for the lengthy post - however, I could go on.....

Exactly - we need not worry about how the timing of this announcement may impact on Collingwood. Those arrogant censors can go and get well and truly censored for all I care! The reality is that once he signed his contract with the MFC yesterday, Neeld's position with the censors became untenable and frankly all his thoughts, efforts and attention should immediately be directed towards his new role at the MFC. And that is how things work in the real world. From what little I have seen and heard from Mark Neeld so far I have to say I am impressed - whether he can coach or not I have no clue but he is making all the right noises. As a long time MFC member I hope like hell he can - if only for my own mental well being! The naysayers, and there are plenty of them apparently, who insist we have somehow failed because we didn't land a 'big fish' a la Malthouse or Lyon, I think are somewhat premature in their indignation. None of the experienced coaches or so called 'big fish' continually linked to the MFC job were much chop in my view - I think we ran the risk of being tied up to a huge dog had we managed to stitch up a long term Malthouse deal for example. The appointment of Mark Neeld for 3 years at least has an air of the future about it - a Malthouse appointment would not. He's a cranky old censor and I reckon not far from going completely mad.