Macca

I was at the Glenferrie Rd end and knee-high to a grasshopper! Just saw a clash and then out came the stretcher And there's a record that may never be beaten ... Fanning's 18 goals. In today's footy? Unlikely

The MC might think that the only way to win is to win in the air (forward line) Otherwise, we're a tad top-heavy and I can see the Lions having an easy passage out of our forward line Maybe Heath helps out down back when he's not rucking? Let's hope that Checkers, JVR & Jeffo don't get in the way of each other

As you and others would be fully aware, Redleg, Hawthorn would clear out their forward line so that Hudson was one-out Pagan's paddock style but 2 decades earlier. They would also flood the midfield which led to the Centre Diamond/Square being introduced Fairly sure we double teamed Huddo in that 1972 encounter where he had kicked 8 goals by half time Biffin & Bourke? Anyway, Hudson did an ACL in a pack mark situation I was there but the thing I also remember about that day was Phil Rhodan's enormous drop kicks from full back, playing in the 2nds

Ok, so play him as a loose man in defence. An interceptor for ground balls or marks Help out his fellow accountable defenders in a double-team role A bit like how Bowey plays A lot of teams play a 7 man backline these days (after 666) ... or have at least 7 defenders in the rotations Which means that 1 or 2 defenders often don't have direct opponents It's why we see so many interceptions in the backlines these days

Yes, Percy Beames might have won 3 Norm Smith's if the award was around back then Of course, in that 3peat of flags ('39, '40 & '41) Norm was stationed at Full Forward!

Phar Lap raced 95 years ago (around the Warne-Smith, Reynolds & Bunton eras) But why just the last 50 years re champion footballers? Why place limits? Why not recognise the past? Just because we didn't see the deeds back then? Footy was rather big even going back to the 19th century For instance, in 1886 a match dubbed 'The Match of the Century' approximately 30,000 attended a match between the 2 heavyweight teams of the day (South Melb & Geelong) Melbourne's population at the time ... approx 300,000 That's 1 in 10 Melbourians attending a footy match. No cars back then either The equivalent of 546,000 in today's terms You'd need a rather large stadium to fit that many people in

The other aspect to Daicos' overall game is that he continually brings his teammates into the game with his dazzling play Seems to lift those around him as well which effectively makes them better players They can try and tag him but the chances are that it won't work. He's too quick & too clever KB didn't take contested marks either but he never had to. Rover types just keep getting the ball

As good as Daicos is, he has to be compared to others before him Players like Bunton, Reynolds & Warne-Smith were regarded as young champions of their time And with 8 Browlows and 3 or 4 runners ups all within their first 100 games as a collective, they'd have to be in the conversation Dick Reynolds also won 3 Brownlows within his first 100 games played

Ditto

old dee was there, I'm sure of it

Haydn Bunton won 3 Brownlows in his first 86 games (5 years) That included a win in his debut season He also ran 2nd, just 1 vote off winning, in his 4th year One vote off winning 4 Brownlows (in his first 86 games) And our very own Ivor Warne-Smith won 2 Brownlows and was 2 votes off winning a 3rd Brownlow, within his first 100 games

Apparently Daicos is no good (according to PF)

6 experienced starting 18 players that are missing doesn't help Add Rivers, Bowey, Salem, Melk, Viney & CJ and we'd probably still struggle against a switched on Lions outfit But without them? Good luck, fellas

Hope he gets played as the 7th defender (loose man) A soft intro much like when a new test batsman used to start off as the no.6 (Ponting, G Chappell et al) We know the Lions won't be playing a 7 man forward line so XT could just occupy an area in the backline

Different process for the end product apparently, layz (red vs yellow) But I do remember the furore when they were introduced, way back when Like most other things, they got used to it and got on with it But to me, the same issue remains ... the yellow footy's are too slippery and too hard to mark