Crompton's the man

Wheel oil be a flat-earther on this one The 64 GF when I was twelve was a tight game and in the last quarter when we had no idea of time on and how long the game would go, Melbourne was in the lead having kicked a goal (as I recollect - admittedly subjective) and from the centre bounce we got the ball somehow towards our centre-half-forward when inexplicably a servant of evil kicked it back past the centre to where Ray Gabelich had remained as their ruckman (not necessarily that I can speak but he wasn’t the absolute fittest of all sportsmen) and to his shock the ball landed in his arms close to siren time. With not one player near him - neither Melbourne nor Satan’s - he began to lumber towards the Collingwood goal with a 40 yard start and the entire Melbourne team starting a desperate chase to run him down and they nearly did it too but Gabelich had made it to the goal square and collapsed after kicking the goal to put them in front with almost no time left and it was devastating With no time left the coach (you know - the one we sacked) put everyone from down back forward of the centre and after a desperate last bounce and scrimmage with the ball moving forward for Melbourne the back pocket player Neil Crompton did a kick across his body from half forward to score one of the very few goals of his career just just before the final siren I do so hope that this year’s win will be similarly exciting 😱

I’ve seen so many times when the team that wins against opponent Q (Geelong) in the first final faces them again and loses to them the next time they meet having said that Q is older, a little more prone to being tired (think: we should have 16 minute quarters) and if they make it to meet us again they will have had to get past another serious contender The Max Gawn kick was most satisfactory

I can remember watching Dustin Fletcher losing his two front teeth From memory an opponent’s elbow hit his mouth as someone’s shoulder drove into the forearm and created the situation of the irresistible force meeting the movable objects Mouthguards are like vaccines They provide a high degree of protection but no absolute guarantee there cannot be injury That said I sincerely hope he was wearing a mouthguard

Does anyone else think we need a new coach or am I the only one?

Innit amazing for Ben Brown The kangaroos didn’t want him because he couldn’t turn could only run straight and couldn’t jump We took him on and sure enough his knees weren’t right and he had needed (no pun intended) surgery and wow He could have stayed where he was and played with the team that finished bottom of the ladder - instead he now could possibly be playing in a winning Grand Final side. It appears that occasionally a change in career direction is worth considering

Let’s pray for no lightning

I realise it’s ancient history but it would have been great to have Tomlinson with May and Lever - he saw these days coming and that’s why he was so upset when it happened Hopefully we can back up next year too

Is it only me or do others get the same amount of joy that I do hearing the crowd roar and howl in an empty stadium on Fox Footy? I suppose we should be grateful that they didn’t press the wrong button and put on canned laughter instead

Football was so very different then. - none of the piling on the players with the ball ; free kick every time for a push in the back - there was a principle of protecting the player with the ball - pack marks three (no punching to spoil when I was a child)deep with the man in front always paid - short pass across the back line and you’d be dragged every time one of the differences these days is the ability to kick accurately under pressure You didn’t get that fifty years ago or five

I think to be fair to Chris Scott the money they have invested in the Umpires Academy has been really really well spent and his team would have won if they had not run out of puff and had been able to cope with sustained pressure. A few personnel changes and they should do well in the finals

Doesn’t some of the Gameday thread make interesting reading?

As a precautionary May should play in a gridiron helmet in case the one on the right gets unlucky again - the crystal ball fired up last night

I can cope with that idea in an hour

He was no. 4 (if I can remember correctly?) I will always remember him collecting a centre tap out, wheeling around and letting loose, kicking a long bomb they were great days and he was a grand player or was he no. 10 ?

Queensland Chief Health Officer has just announced that the game will be stopped at 4.00 pm and whoever is in front at that time will be awarded the points

It’s amazing how often one really good team wins one game and next time it’s the other’s turn if we win tomorrow it doesn’t auger well for the Grand Final

I’ve been watching a lot of football for many years and I actually think we saw something beautiful and almost spiritual last night At the beginning and to the middle of the game the Port Adelaide supporters were acting like almost feral Subhumans - as if they were talking their cues from Peter Weir in one of the Lord of the Rings films. (of course it goes without saying that I am not and would never be suggesting that they are subhuman - merely that they were acting as if they were - no doubt with the motive of inspiring their hitherto adored local team) but it could be seen that as the night went on they began to calm down a little and become more reflective - quieter - and I really feel that by the end of the night they seemed to have learned a deep lesson : to appreciate what is like to behold a truly wondrous team triumphing over their lesser one and to appreciate the fact and the beauty of it The Australian nation could well be spiritually richer because of that game last night

We should start a petition to Fox that they offer a broadcast option that has no commentary but does broadcast the umpires whistle and calls that would enrich the viewing experience enormously

I fully realise this could be our only chance for a tilt this for the next sixty years but it’s fascinating to hear the commentators referring to Luke Jackson ‘as the big man’ To quote Redgum I was only nineteen

It’s the ying and the yang don’t you know?

Does it sound twelve times? but only right eight times?

Given the kick would likely have been after the siren can the game situation be reconvened and the Melbourne player (not sure who) be awarded the kick he should have had? I will return the money I had on Adelaide

For what it’s worth The public acknowledgment of the incorrect call is very important because the officials must get the message that if they make blatant errors they may be called out. Failure to do so means that bowing to fan pressure comes without consequences and accordingly will continue as it has been. It would be a tokenistic step in the right direction

possibly could add deliberate out-of-bounds to that list ?

What?