Earl Hood

Hogan was training indoors today??

Either trainer had no idea or something fishy is going on again...

If he was training indoors Biffen makes a good point he should at least have made an appearance on the side lines for the kids! I assumed from the trainers comments that he had the day off.

The trainee will probably cop the brunt for this [censored] up

Are people still waiting for training?

Calm down about Hogan too... they will be managing him.

Asked one of the trainers about Hogan. He said he had stayed over in Perth for a few days and only flew in this morning. So no need to hit the panic button yet!

Still no team. Can't even make the delayed start time! I have watched an hour of the Vince and Howe show so far.

Only thing missing is most of the team!9

Not sure if there was another thread for our new away strip but this was the first I found.

So what are the thoughts in the new white away strip since seeing it in action? Personally I think they finally got it right, or at least as good as it could get. To me it's kinda similar to the old NBA simple white alternative uniforms.

What does it look like this year? I have not seen it in detail.

If it's your shout ,may I suggest Craig's Hotel.

Any chance of getting a Spanish paella with a quinoa salad while I am up that way?

Shut the car industry but keep the Submarine industry! If I had the choice I would save manufacturing jobs in the car industry at half the subsidy realising that as the $AUD drops we start to earn export dollars. Last I heard we are not looking to export Submarines but the jobs will cost a bomb. Well done Tony again.

They won? Hmm. Meaningless I suppose. Would be delicious to see Hawthorn fall apart this year when everyone expects a threepeat.

Oh we can only hope. A few injuries would help but apparently they are at full strength even with 10 or more players on the wrong side of 30! How do they do it?

Sri Lanka having a real dip at the moment. Dilshan 7 fours in a row, six off Johnston! If Sangakkara stays in they are a chance, arguably the best cricketer in the game at the moment.

Their supporters are going mental.

Ollie wines was a big standout as a junior, I remember him and Jack Billings(a year below) and thinking to myself how we needed to land one of these guys, but Toumpas was always seen as a class player, with great leadership, but making the transition to AFL (better opposition) some make it some don't.

I would like us to give Toumpas as many years as we have to Watts.

I was watching Toumpas in the first half against Fremantle, at time it was like he was running to a position where the ball was never going to go and he looked physically exhausted. When he plays like this he is a massive liability to our team, at minimum he should be guarding an opposition player , watch Lumumba, he is eithor attacking and running off his player or he is 1cm away from his opponent pressuring them and staying in contact with them, there shouldn't be an in between, unless we get caught from a bad turnover( Max Gawn, Colin Garland!)

re The Prince I thought I did that in the 70's and early 80's. At metropolitan leve, run with your opponent when they have the ball and take off when we have it.

Why is that so hard to do for some of our players?

Thanks for that Macca. Great memories of the Master Blaster in those visuals.

My only claim to fame with Sir Viv is that I was holidaying in India in 1987/88 for a few months and found myself staying at the Presidents Hotel in Bombay at the time with the West Indian team. I happened to share the lift a number of times at night with Sir Viv I remember. Viv was always with some pretty young Indian girl heading up to a party on the upper floors as I remember it.

He was certainly a batting genius!

How were they nb?

While I'm here, a couple from Elvis Costello (and the attractions)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhLztdvgpFY

Macca

Sorry I am a Luddite but I have tried to upload the latest Utube copy of Sir Viv Richards singing his new song Smokin Joe. Average Barry White simile but the video of Viv is classic stuff. Can you please help.

back on topic:

Farmers in shock over banana disease scare

Gee they say every dark cloud has a silver lining they say. I feel for the bananna farmers in Queensland but I have a holiday place somewhere down on the Surf Coast is all I will say. Anyway the old guy next door who has lived there for years has a cluster of bananna trees on his property right on our fence line. I, oh I mean he could be sitting on a fortune. TR4 won't jump to the coast any time soon.

The old boy doesn't keep up with the news much these days, maybe I will offer my services at harvest time and the produce will need to be marketed of course. Opportunity knocks!

Did Frost play forward? Just worrying about McQueen's left nut that is all.

is that a HH type of bet?

A Harry Hoo bet??

I'm too antisocial to sit with other yobbos.

I prefer to consume drugs,watch us lose , go home quietly,then fly into a rage.

I find the interaction on here personal enough.

I've met some very strange individuals on here and after meeting Bbo " in the flesh" so to speak,

I could not possibly risk meeting any more deviates .

At Blackwood I believe. BBO was traumatised by the experienced.

As a lad I recall being in the stand at Kardinia Park one victorious afternoon giving heaps to the Cats, so much so that a couple of middle-aged Cat supporters urged me to put a sock in it, which I surely did not. Now I'm more sedate and sit with my mates in the Trident seats and my barracking is more sedate, if no less heartfelt.

R&BC, I hope you find a good bunch of mates and give plenty of lip.

Yes ET it is interesting how we change over the years. In the 80's it was the outer and bay 13 a packet of fags and innumerable beers during the game and then kicking on to the Mountain View and beyond. And don't ask about the cricket! Barely remember a last session of any Test, usually had to check the scores the next day to work out what happened.

These days I ride my bike to the G with a bottle of water, never purchase any of their overpriced food or drink, catch up with a couple of long time fellow Dee tragics to watch the game and then ride home to cook dinner. God how boring! But I like it.

Finally got to training this morning. TDI and others have covered just about everything. As a newbie this season I just have a few observations.

In the early sessions they were doing some equivalent of Brittish Bulldog where you had to evade everyone if you had the ball. I was impressed by Frost who is big and full of muscles but gee he was elusive and athletic in that drill. He later dropped a sitter of a high mark in one drill but maybe that is all about concentration.

Impressed by Mitchie, he looked very solid in the drills

TDI can you confirm what I saw in one drill? The Spencil lead out from the goal square and took a very impressive, soft hands mark, out in front of his body. Then went back and slotted the goal. Hold on that looked totally coordinated!

Jamar looks so good, why can't he be not just a good tap ruckman but also a real target if he is up forward? Big man, clean hands, why doesn't he kick 20 plus goals a year?

Watched JKH doing goal kicking practice from all angles. Rarely missed a pot shot, if he did the ball usually hit the goal post. Is there space for JKH and Garlett in the same forward line?

Jack Watts had his nostrils packed with cotton wool, not a great look but said he had a blood nose, not sure whether he got belted in a drill or not.

Hogan just looks good, very sure hands and kick for goal. Fingers crossed.

The Prince looked good in all the drills and Salem and Jimmy looked good but this is training after all.

We do seem to have several options for most positions but who knows we have to wait for round 1 to gauge where are really at.

Also noticed that Dawes took a lot of one grabs today, looked OK.,Maybe due to little pressure?

think you meant goal square not centre square, earl

Yes now corrected.

Yep we are. Just like Darren Bennett!

Dawes was never a great goal scorer. His most in one year I think is 30 - his premiership year.

But he is vital to our set up. Competes hard, great fwd pressure, takes a monster defender and has leadership qualities despite the occasional lapse (not sure what happened with Jetta though.....)

Interesting Junior in another thread I postulated that Dawes had similar skill deficiencies as Bennett but similar physical size and ability to run fast on the lead in a straight line and take a chest mark or take out pack. Bennett managed to kick 87 goals in the year he dominated the goal square. He did that with the ability to lead, take chest marks and could kick goals from 60 meters. Once Jackovitch took over the coomand of the goal square, leading full forward and Bennett had to play CHF or forward pocket he struggled because he did not have great hands. Does that tell us just play Dawes as full forward out of the goal square in the hope he takes a few marks, kicks a few, smashes a few packs open but bings a lot of balls to ground for Garlett and co.

If the midfield can deliver 50 plus inside 50's per game and at least 50% of those are targeted to some degree surely our forward coach can conjure up a forward structure and system that delivers a potential winning score against the low and middling sides at least.

As has been said if Dawes can get to multiple contests and bring the ball to ground even with his iron hands, then we now have Garlett and JKH at his feet. Throw in Hogan playing a role as a big bodied target constantly on the move and taking marks and then you have cameos by Pedo, Watts and high flying Howe (who should be advantaged by the new no blocking rule interpretation but don't count on it). And throw in Kent and Vince up forward at times why can't tjis set up kick 15 goals a match if the midfield is competitive?

I haven't thrown up Fitzy or Gawn in this scenario I need to see them dominating at Casey for a few games this year.

Carlton's recruiting of recent years has been on par with that of Barry Prendegast which is why they are struggling now.

Doesn't Barry work there in admin? Maybe his advice is rubbing off on the recruiters.

they,,,, are all terrified that the Blue Tongue political party will only last a solitary Term; & the ill wind that's shown from the glimpses of Greasy Joes Budget Burger Stg1...

it gets ground beef chopped further in Stg 2, until all you get is a Roll & Lettus.

http://www.songsforteaching.com/childrenssongslyrics/artists/twoofakind/s/yankeedoodle.mp3

DL I am trying to learn Spanish that is taxing me enough, can you translate your post for me. Joe, blue tongue, burger........etc?

It is looking like Tony is for the high jump. It is amazing how history is repeating itself with this government and Labour's. Who would have thought tjis could happen, at least so quickly?

Why I wonder. Lack of senate majorities, stalled legislation and silly parties may be part of it but then Howard destroyed himself in the one period that he had full power in both houses. These days we have oppositions carping away to get power but with no policy development when they get there.