Wells 11

Sounds strange to say but one of my all time favorite games was round 9;1971. We beat St Kilda, who were runners up that year , by 3 points to go 8-1 in the season. It was my first year barracking ( 11) and I was crazily waving my crepe paper flogger . I Sat with my friend 2nd story up behind the goals leaning over the railings and, in our rocking and shouting etc, I remember the people behind us were worried we were going to fall off! I was strangely disappointed this game didn’t make it to the top 100. Wells, Parke, Hardeman, Alves , Keenan , Barry Bourke , Biffen etc. The names of that era still remain my favorite even after all this time. The dees went on a big and gruelling pre season camp that year ( ahead of the times at that point) players took time off work and at the start of 71we were fitter than everyone else. But critically and unfortunately only 22 or so went , or could afford to go , on that camp . Mid season we got hit hard by injuries and, with poor depth as well as the new players coming into the team not having the same conditioning base, we went from 8-1 to finish with only 3 wins from the next 13 games. Still, round 9 1971 sits high in my all time favorite game memories .

Yes true...under NORMAL circumstances. Pulling money out of the club right now just feels so harmful that I hope peoples circumstances would have to be really tough to do so .

Suddenly from being behind re no dedicated melbourne vfl team we're back in front on that score. On similar matters, as football depts shrink will AAMI actually work out ok for us now....OR given everything is being reduced everywhere could we get back to training on the mcg? OR is thinking about the future in any way right an utter waste of time?

Agreed. I hope the club acts when it has to and not when it’s deemed to be acceptable. “ sorry we had to fold. I know you all loved the club and we would have asked for help but it was the wrong time. Rest In Peace mfc”

To be fair, It was all u folding so fast Im not sure anyone really understood the significance At the start of it.

Agreed. I was shocked to see him so easily beaten. I want to cut him and the team some slack but wc in the same boat .

Feels deeper than one or two players. We were pretty much making it look hard all over the ground. To be fair they’re a very very good side....and to be fair we’re just not. Unfortunately I think a 5 goal loss is a good result for the mediocre team we are.

Not yet... but the “ boys are working really hard” I expect a lift by 2022

There’s a couple of hours of my life I’ll never get back. I’m glad I know they worked so hard off season as if I didn’t Id swear theyre playing exactly the same way and repeating Exactly the same mistakes. Boring footy. Nothing team. I’m glad I don’t have to watch that [censored] for 10 more weeks.

If/ when we come out of this building projects offering jobs and growth may be very on the cards.

well it’s a crap way to get there but a 17 round season is the first “ fair” season since there was 12 teams and a 22 round season. i’m not sure what the future holds ( who is!) but i’m happy w a 17 game season and hope they stay w it altering home and away each year.

not meaning to be a pessimist here but what makes you think this is over and done with in a year? we’re heading into brand new global territory which could well also bring on the mother of all financial collapses. On top of the climate changes arriving it’s getting hard to make firm predictions about what 2021 will look like! hope i’m wrong on that but i get the feeling there is much to play out over the next year and we may not completely recognise ourselves at the end of it.

Cant help but wonder how the umpiring would change in WA sans fans.

It was the first time I’ve seen Jackson and tbh I was a bit shocked at how far off the pace he looked. He’s got a full year at Casey coming up with perhaps a game or two late in the season. He’s out of my 2020 plans but firmly in my 2021 thoughts.

It’s a pretty ordinary looking game. It’s a good physical hit out but I’m not seeing too much to get excited about in our style yet bar real endeavour.

His dad has been very unwell by all reports so perhaps his abcense is related..but Im guessing.

Wow... that’s big news. That would vfl and IF all went well that might translate into round 9 or so. Like everyone else here my fingers are crossed.

I’m not sure he’s been “ trying harder” perhaps it just looks different from a captain somehow. Max will get serious when the game is on. Imo most importantly He’s got to remain himself .

As good as it is on the replay, it was even better live. He found time and space where there was none and made otherwise very good players look foolish. Robbie was a cut above the league in his day. It always used to irritate me that Keith Greig got so much more recognition... because he played finals. Robbie was def a once in a generation player

amazing how fast the love disappears for players near the end of their careers! Jonesy was never a star of the game but he well may have been at least pushing that tag if he was playing w a finals team, where he wasn’t always expected to be the main battering ram . He sacrificed a lot to lead and stay w us...in the darkest of dark times. I still feel big gratitude to him.

There’s quite a few to choose from now with Rivers, Pickett , Jackson, Lockhart, Petty and possibly AVB ( if he counts) . I’m thinking Lockhart but I hope 2 or 3 from this list step up.

My gut gets turned upside down when I read this thread and doesnt know what it thinks.

Im not sure " we gave it up". Im not 100% Ive got all the facts right but this is my view. Its true we misread the professionalism that was entering the game and, I believe, Smith was sacked for speaking that truth strongly to the power brokers at the club. A big and brutal mistake on all fronts. But its equally true that the recruiting zones we were given, when they were introduced at that time, were not as productive as most of the others. There was awareness of this at the time and there was an agreement that they be rotated every year but clubs voted to alter that and it was changed after 1 year. We got stranded. I feel like the AFL now would protect the powerful teams as money earners but at that time we were royally shafted. The impact at that critical time of VFL ( now AFL) history has been compounding in terms of memberships and sponsorship etc etc . Then we lost our training ground on top of that and we were too poor ( and Gutnick lacked the vision) to grab the oppurtunity of olympic park which was offered to us before the pies in more recent history . So some of it was our own doing...but not all of it. Until we have a real home base Im not sure the death spiral is over.

Great post. The list is looking v strong. I also expect ( if fit)Smith and Pickett to play more afl games than vfl this year. Perhaps rivers and Lockhart too. IF Hibberd , Jones, Weideman and Jetta dont play well early they could really struggle to get a game this year. Heavy competition fr spots. Haven’t said that about our list fr a long time.

Demons to finish in the top 6 All of rivers, Pickett and Jackson to have debuted by round 12. Both Hibberd and Jones to play more vfl games than afl in 2020. Trac to be in the AA squad and finish top 4 in the B & F. Langdon also to finish in top 4 in B&F KK and VDB retire before the season ends Bennell to make a successful comeback and play 5 + games Brown plays 15 games or more in 2020.