48 Year Now

Sounds right. Get fit, push yourself to next contest.

I remember being canned by some here when I suggested Perth was full of froth and bubble at one time when he was talking about a super training base near the city. In that regard, I drive past the Hawks new facility at Dingley, awesome. They did their feasibility, got dollars together and went bang.

We all become dinosaurs sometime and I guess I’m one. Carlton 79-81-82 team recovered Sunday morning with a training run and then what was called a pleasant Sunday morning. BBQ and Beer. They were as fit as today’s players with 100x 100 metre sprint sessions. Speaking to the players they all maintained got young blokes could recover in a heartbeat. Not so easy for the veterans. I think it must be so hard for todays players and teams when they are losing and out of form to not be able to get together, have a few drinks and just forget about footy for a while and enjoy each others company

Are there any aging forward similiar to Tex Walker, Darling we could grab for a couple of years while JVR, Turner and Jefferson mature?

Lloyd said he would have him at Bombers in a heartbeat. It would be like buying an undervalued stock cheap

Just looked at 21 team Missing Hibberd. Tough experienced ( not replaced) Brayshaw. Heart and soul (Langford one game in) Neil Bullen Hard at it (Thorstrup long way to go) Jackson Our trump card ( JVR) Ben Brown one of our best recruits of all time (Turner) Harmes solid back up ( Windsor) Jordan solid back up. Lindsay)

Absolutely

It’s always difficult to convey full meaning to a football topic. I stand by what I say. We win a magnificent Premiership, one I doubted I would ever see. It looked like an era of success, the media thought so too. It has t been . No finals wins since the flag. So one flag in four years means an era is over, unless we win this year.

Bit nervous about starting a topic but thought this might be interesting. Just talking to my Hawk loving brother who has had witnessed so many premierships and eras. The Hawks are expert at identifying when a golden run ends and making the right decisions to get back and start another era. They don’t do much focus on it being a rebuild but a new chapter in their history. From afar it seems they also have a blueprint of the most important playing positions, player types and strategies to succeed

I don’t share your confidence Gawn can beat the two younger and faster Geelong ruckman on his own.

I agree. That was clear when he pulled out of a contest against North. He will play as he wants this year. I’m not even know him. Practically won us the flag but being realistic the Club that badly let him down last year is now on the skids. Within the next 3 weeks he may know we can’t make the finals. I do t see him going 100 per cent if that’s the case.

Re ANB, we will never know if he decided to go home and then went and discussed it with Adelaide or Adelaide approached him and suggested he come home. We need to target similiar players of experience who might like the idea of coming home. I don’t think we got enough for ANB in our hurry to be a warm fuzzy family Club

I listened to 64 on the radio and started going on my own by 67/68. We still had legendary players running around, Tassie kicking out to the Centre from fullback and up to a dozen stars of 64 and other flags from our great run. The parallels are a bit spooky although now we have the draft rather than some tired old men scouting our country and city zone.

Absolutely

Jefferson,

Pretty much on same page. Future looks brighter if you start with our quality players finding form rather than those that likely won’t make it. And then you find a few bob up improve and you get close to a strong line up.

I again agree Kolt Windsor Langford Lindsay. Potential top liners Ferguson Turner Van Rooyen Potential Key Position players. Established Max, few years left. Viney a few more years left, Trac still very good or trade value. Oliver, still very good or trade Value. Kossie a Star. May, few more years left. Lever 3-4 years left Nearly there. McVee , Rivers.Petty That’s 17 good players if all fit. Might have missed a few

I’m in total agreement but it seems an approach without exception. Sometimes us poor spectators are screaming to kick it to a better place. Do you think our guys are scared to break team rules. By coincidence this week I was watching footage of Carlton’s brilliant 81-82 side. Beautiful delivery of the ball. Mark Maclure running hard and doing the bollocking at CHF. Medium tall Peter McConville playing tall and Busustow playing chaos and brilliant footy. Would we try and contain a player like that. I saw Carlton train the Thursday before 82 GF. The session went about one hour and the ball didn’t hit the ground once from a kick or handball. Fantastic footy skills.

Solid stuff but you are yet to experience Bailey Smith Cats Swagger

Good points so I’ll elaborate a bit. If Van Rooyen is getting specialist coaching it must be within the bounds of the forward offence we currently run. As you say, we are not seeing spread, leading or creating room for him. If he’s playing deep forward/ full forward and you can’t lead or don’t get good supply from your teammates it’s close to the worst position in the game snd a real confidence killer.

As a long time supporter I can cope with a rebuild but to make it work we either need a fit and firing Oliver, Trac and Kossie or 4-5 top picks in their place

Yes. And it’s a shame players can’t use initiative in improving and get on the phone to someone like David Neitz for a footy chat.

I hear he played juniors as a backman. CHB worth a try.

In the last play of the first game Max did the most exquisite tap to the running Langdon. He moved to position beautifully like an old time rover. However he slightly fumbled the ball. Playing midfield to Max gives or has given our stars an armchair ride. Now Max is not dominating but our mids are still playing totally offensively seemingly unaware the chances of max winning the centre bounce has gone from high probability to even money.

Agree on chaos ball. Not as a plan but an alternative to putting it on the head of a pack of players.