Earl Hood

Sheer luxury I say! You lucky ba*tard!

Hmmm, I notice BBO has referred to "the lads" in a number of posts and having to spend significant celebration days with them rather than family. I am getting a sense that there may be a cult operating in Romsey and that BBO may be one of their unwilling followers. God help him!

Or Maxwell Smart!

BBO flies out to Indonesia and then a terrorist warning is issued. Just a coincidence DC? I wonder.

This image is a bit worrying. Yes it does look very NRL (as in explosive speed, crash and bash) not modern aFL where players are slimming down to improve their endurance. Roos may have to ban him from the gym and get him running.

Rjay I put up a thought bubble in another thread that years ago Darren Bennet managed to kick 87 goals despite his inability to take an overhead mark. My faded memory is of him being a stay at home full forward who got a lot of goals from leading out at the on coming play and taking the ball on his chest. He was big enough and fast enough for it to work. As soon as Jackovich came in and claimed possession of the goal square, Bennett faded away because he could not take a high mark to save himself. My proposal was that Dawes play a similar role as the stay at home full forward leading straight out from the square at the ball carrier. If someone drops into the hole in front, he can do the David Neitz act and take them out, crash the pack and bring the ball to ground. Could he manage 2 or 3 goals a game playing as an old fashioned forward?

Just a reminder that the new series of Danger 5 is on SBS 2 tomorrow night! Should be worth a look. Currently looking at the first series on SBS tonight. It is truly ridiculous, but remember to kill Hitler! Anyway it is a good break from the Game of Thrones I have had to watch for the past two weeks, while on ho Idays. What the hell is going on there, I am confused, too many kingdoms for me but it is interesting at times. Me being a history buff the whole series and books could have been based on an actual period of history and been just as entertaining without having to be fantasy but that is just my preference.

Who is the little Italian? Toumpas is Greek, Salem is Lebanese, Petracca?

I am hoping it is JKH and Frost. If it is Toumpas I will be over the moon as well. Hedging? Yes!

I agree we have really struggled with a centre bounce setup or strategy if you like over the past 10 years. The Cats and the Hawks not only have elite players in the middle but also a setup and set play as you elude to. The Hawks setup will have an insider like Sewell get first touch out to Mitchell who will have it for a nano second before it is passed off to Burgoyne, Hodge, Lewis etc, etc. they have a set up and set plays. I note Ratten is one of their coaches and the last time we had any idea of midfield play was when he was at MFC. The norm for MFC is to have nothing more at the centre bounce than see ball, get ball and kick.? Maybe we started to see some semblance of a midfield setup last year. I think Bailey tried to emulate Geelong in 2010/11 but didn't have the cattle or the strategic knowledge and help to make it work. In 2010 with Maloney, Junior, Jones, and help from Bruce, Green, Scully, Trengove and Sylvia and Jamar dominating the ruck we managed to rag doll some interstate sides and hold our own against the better sides in the midfield. After that we turned to Shyte in the middle,no system that I could see, just barge through, pick it and kick if possible. Can we poach Ratten back? I note our midfield coach is Ben Mathews. is he any good because as you say it is not just about elite players, it is about a stoppage setup and strategy! Maybe with our new talent it starts to happen. Fingers crossed because if we start to dominate clearances everything else will fall into place. Suddenly forwards will play better because the ball is being delivered better and more often.

I dream too Ron but 97 to 98 was a return to where our list deserved to be if I remember it all. 1997 was a year of injury, Tingay, Lyon, Neitz, G Lovett, Shwartz etc. Come 1998 we had those players back plus Rigoni, TJ, JMac and Robbo contributing if my memory is correct? And the Whizz! Those were the days. Are to dream we have that sort of potential on the list!

I don't know about thinking your way through a pack but Selwood, Mitchell and you can add the likes of Kerr and Voss and other elite mids, they have strength but also elusive moves that allow them to nearly always have their hands free for the offload to a free player. My memory of Voss was you just could not stop him getting the ball out. I love Jonesy but he just doesn't quite have that ability to throw in a side step that gives him time to get his hands free, neither does Viney at this stage but he can develop that ability I believe. In Jones defence of course in the past he often had no one to pass off too.

WYL you are right it was all swamp down that way and a low point but I didn't realise that you lived there. Gee if something goes horribly wrong with the sewage transfer system you know it is designed to relieve into the Yarra river. But If you are below that level, well things could turn ugly. Anyway let's stay positive in 2015.

DC oh how bad news travels fast! Yes I was refused entry to the Governor's Christmas tea party over a purely administrative oversight I believe, my name was not on their guest list. And yes some time later I was detained by security staff trying to mount the back fence to Government House from the Botanical Gardens to gain entry. Yes there was an unfortunate scene caught by ACA cameras that I now regret but my people are dealing with it and I have refused all requests for interviews with Tracy Grimshaw. Let me assure you DC that I am following up these issues with Westminster pronto!

WJ am I to take this as a slur not just on me but on the legacy of Likes of Sir Billy, Sir Joe and Sir Terry Lewis?

Happy New Year BBO. I too am at a loss tonight. Just walked up to Edinborough Gardens in Fitzroy hoping for a cheap night out but all I saw were coppers and security, definitely no revellers. Last year the place was trashed, not this year I think. Then walked on past the Terminus, closed, the Newry, closed, then on to my old haunt The Rose, open but only two people in the bar! Had a pot and headed home to watch the fire works later on. Not sure where all last years free loaders are going to go this year. If they can't trash Fitzroy with alcohol and drugs where will they go?

Jetta Frost Garland The Prince T Mac Dunn Cross Vince Howe Watts Pedo Kent Garlett Hogan Gawn Jamar Jones Tyson Int Grimes, Viney, Salem, Toumpas Emerg JKH, Fitzy, Mitchie I believe Dunn could become an effective rebounding half back along with the Prince. Dunn can also switch to half forward while Howe or Watts go back at times. Looking forward to the first practice matches to see what Roos is thinking.

Jurrah and Wonna come back fit and firing and kick the odd 60 combined. Yes I am dreaming.

Loved The Captain and the Major, Ian Major wasn't it? And what about Harry Beitzle and I can't remember his cohort down in the rooms who reported in faithfully every week. But later on there was Rex Hunt. I listened in only occasionally but could not work him out, one I didn't know all his knick names for players or his modes operandi for calling games. Occasionally I would tune into a Rex game and you could not work out what was growing on, who had the ball, or which game you were at! Tommy Lahiff now that I remember. Always down in the rooms doing interviews.

I assumed he meant Ed Zachary!

BBO all is quiet on that front but then I had little indication last year of my then elevation, so you never know what the new year may have in store! I of course would be incredibly humbled should I be selected for higher honours.

PD you too seem to have strayed from the spirit of this thread! Have a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

"Oh don't tell me Butch, this could be a draw" Mike Williamson - any time a VFL final was close in the last quarter.

DC I think it has more to do with the Greek/Roman tradition of the sun god, Sol Invictus and the winter solstice occurring around December 25. The celebration of Sol Invictus was the 25th and celebrated the rebirth of the sun and was co-opted by the Christians as the birth date for JC in the 4th century I believe but happy to be corrected!

Which is?