Earl Hood

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

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?

Yes now corrected.

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.

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

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.

DC let's stick to the facts. What we do know is that Harold Holt swam through 4 meter surf off Portsea in December 1967 to an off shore Chinese submarine and was taken back to mainland China where he is still living happily in Qinghai Province to this day. All this to escape Dame Zahra apparently. OK I am joking. Hard Tracks reference to the craters forming in Siberia is scary. When they were first detected last year, my first guess was it had something to do the breakdown of the permafrost. Today's article confirms that suspicion, witnesses are talking of methane explosions opening up a crater that then fills with water but still oozes methane gas. Still more investigation needed of course but it all looks very ominous to me. The article mentions elevated temperatures in the arctic. And that is one of the problems we face, a two degree global average temperature increase results in a 10 or 15 degree increase at the poles and that is where a lot of the trapped methane, that if released quickly sets up a feed back loop. That is concerning but there is an alternative to live in Andrew Bolt's world of denial where the science is all rubbish and we can keep doing what we do and coal is our God.

Could be a draw I think, depends on how long Jazza can stay off the fags. BBO you have gone this far why slide back, why not continue, think about the weight you have shed, how well you feel. I say continue the good fight and stay alcohol free. Those bottles of Shiraz do you need them really? Let me deal with them instead, let me remove your temptation. It is the least I can do for you and there is no need to thank me. It is my lot in life, noblesse oblige, I believe it is termed?

Bogle & Chandler case? I still say KGB myself DC. And you are confusing hydrogen sulphide gas with methane you realise? just being pedantic I know.

DC you use an interesting analogy. Most people believe in a religion because it offers salvation from some equivalent of hell. Religions are belief systems based on a faith in someone's teachings. Belief in climate change is based on scientific facts and data and that if we act according to what the science is telling us we may achieve a form of salvation from the worst effects of global warming. We can embrace zero emission energy technology that will create jobs and exports or we can hold onto the old fossil fuel industries as our future. Me personally I do not want to promote the profits of the likes of Clive Palmer or Gina Rhinehart particularly. Although the country will take a big export income hit in the short term, it is going to happen anyway as our markets move away from coal and gas. By the way the IPCC models are predicting what is happening quite well. There will always be some variance from the predicted trend of global warming that leads to further data analysis, investigation and refinement to take into account so many variables in the planet. And then the model is reset. The planet is complex and doesn't fit into some Andrew Bolt inspired linear equation

DC we have been here before. Are you sitting on the fence again? Yes you didnt claim anything but where do you stand? Dr Soon is yet another what I would call a "Global Warming Sceptic'" commentator. He is a scientist but he does not conduct empirical scientific studies into global warming he just commentates on how in his case sun spots or something may be an issue for discussion and more importantly inaction, just as the geologist Professor Ian Plimer postulates about the long term effects of some geological phenomena and its effects on temperatures but produces no data. They are all extrovert academic talkers, funded by mining companies, by the way but where is their actual empirical data and painstaking research! Of course it doesn't exist because these people have moved on from basic science and data gathering, they are mostly guns for hire by those who want to pay for inaction. Governments in general fund the gathering of real data for further analysis, not sure how many multinationals are funding basic research which may produce outcomes that don't suit them. I am happy to be persuaded otherwise. I always wonder how "on the ground" scientists, gathering data for example from ice cores in the Antartic must feel when their empirical data findings are regularly trashed by a university drop out, like big mouth Andrew Bolt? DC at some stage you have to commit to the cause. Or are you going to do a Greg Hunt on us?

OD this thread is not the place for rational thoughts like yours!

At the end of the day the AFLPA is talking rubbish as we have kids like Boyd or O'Rourke walking when their contracts are up. We don't need FA as far as I can see, players are moving on if they want to at contracts end to the point in the future that FA may be redundant.

I feel your pain. My wife and family are all Hawks and the hardest part for me is battling to keep my hatred in check. I had to attend last years post GF entertainment with a forced smile on my face to indulge in their celebrations, such are the obligations of a husband and son in law. If I have to endure a threepeat this year it might be all too much for me.

Interesting point Grape. When will a real leader emerge? I don't see one any time soon. Where would they come from? Your Bob Hawke types were one offs. Your Keating types would be cut down remorselessly by Murdoch. You might get a John Howard type again but let's face it the media and us do not like change that costs us money and Johney apart from the GST was a prolific spender and waster of opportunities. Joe Hockey talked the talk I thought but baulked in the budget. Apparently the age of entitlement was limited to the poorest. He stuffed up his best opportunity to try and cut costs across the board, rich and poor alike and hope to balance the budget.

The ALFPA is asking for earlier qualification, 6 years service, not connected to any club. Just years of service. And they want an end to compensation as this is slowing down trading or encouraging clubs like MFC to not counter bid for the likes of Frawley. This apparently will even up things they say. The evidence so far is the elite are moving from good sides to good sides or from lower sides to better sides. The ALFPA claims to represent some 800 players yet FA benefits in any year, potentially the best 20 or so players in the comp. When Buddy gets million a year, that comes off the salary of a rookie and some other strugglers at the club. There is a limit called the salary cap. The AFLPA as I see it is a disgrace at least on this issue.

You are right R&B it is more about me and my pathological hatred of the Hawks. Every loss to them is a day of total darkness to me. And my God there have been a lot of them in the past 40 years!!!

DF White Night was great. Do we have Dark Days? Yes I am predicting that May 16 (round 7) at the G could get very dark!

Moon you were correct, thousands of people everywhere. I had hoped to rendezvous with DC, BBO and the lads at Flinders Street but unfortunately I could not get the horse and carriage through the mob. And yes the sweaty odour of the seething masses was quite off putting.

Gracias señor DC y si que lo hice!

I am off to White Night in the city. No doubt BBO, Jazza and DC will also be going? I will be on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets if you want catch up! I will be wearing a Demons tie. Shouldn't be too many people about.

The problem for Tony now is that the Emperor seems to have abandoned him. The party newsletter, The Australian has leaked that Tony wanted to send troops unilaterally into Iraq. Tony has vehemently denied it but the Oz is adamant they are correct. That is a sure sign that his most serene highness Rupert the Wise has made up his mind. Tony is for the chop sometime soon.