Grapeviney

I read it just a couple of months back wattsup and like you i thoroughly enjoyed it. It's meticulously researched - really an exhaustive account with dozens of interviews with friends, colleagues, team-mates, and players who played under him. I think one of the main reason Norm Smith didn't kick a ton is because of his unselfishness and the decoy forward line set-up which saw so many other players around him kick goals. I found the chapters on his bust-up with the club to be quite sad - and if you youtube the tony charlton footy show episode with Norm talking about his departure, it's enough to bring a tear to the eye! Fasntastic read, a super addition to football literature by author Ben Collins

Full marks to the MFC and the way it is appraoching our indigenous players but I don't really agree with the premise of Martin's article (FYI, I think Martin's a very good reporter / writer) I don't think LJ speaking english, or becoming an AFL star, is any sign of progress in tacking the extreme disadvantage that indigenous people suffer Ten years after Cathy Freeman captured the heart of the nation by winning Olympic gold, all we've managed to do IMHO is feel better about ourselves because we respect / praise our indigenous athletes As Martin himself writes, on health, mortality and imprisonment rates, there's still a huge gap between white and black Australia. Sport alone is not going to bridge that divide. I'm not sure what will

thrilling one-point win in the wet , a really dogged win !! from memory there was very little scoring in the last 10 minutes of the game jacka was great that day but stynes was BOG as usual and i think todd viney was good that day too

superb story Whispering, I'll have to hunt down the preceding chapters i think you're mate harrison from the '26 GF might have been dudded though - people only ever remember wills he's like the buzz aldrin of football

Gabriele Szondy - now there's a blast from the past! The 1994 finals series is one I'll never forget - and the round 22 game against Sydney which preceded it - as the time of the Ox. He kicked 9 goals (straight, i think) against the Swans, was best-on-ground against the Blues, and only shaded by Lyon's 10 goals a week later against the Doggies. Who can forget the famous pirouhette against Fotscray, which saw him likened to Nureyev? There's a bit in this clip - - but not the blind turn against the Dogs