Earl Hood

I use the term side step, you use the term elusive moves.

Think your way through a pack/contested situation, a quick example would be Geelong doing 5-6 handballs in rapid succession to stationary teammates/sometimes moving until a loose player is found who can break away from the congestion. They perfected it, their first option wasnt always barge your way through.

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.

1997. Wooden Spoon.

1998. Fourth.

Some sides can turn around things quite quickly.

Not sure if this team can engineer such a dramatic turnaround, but I am definitely expecting significant improvement.

I reckon 8-9 wins and a percentage in the 90s.

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!

No I'm not serious I made it up. And yes having the ability to burst through a tackle is a great attribute to have but I would have after being able to kick the footy. What sets J.Selwood and Mitchell, J Kennedy(the penny dropped for Jones this year) and others apart is having the ability to think their way through what's before them. Sometimes trying to burst your way through is the best option but sometimes it's not, sometimes it's a sidestep, sometimes it's the give and get. If you are always relying on brut strength you will quickly get found out and found wanting as used to be the case for Jones. He has become a much smarter footballer and we are a better team for it.

I think Viney will be a gun but as I said I see a lot of a young Nate Jones in him. Viney is always like a bull at a gate. I love the fact he's aggressive and takes the game on, but he just needs to pick his moments.

We will see who's right in a few years.

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.

Elsternwick Park is awful.

You must remember 100+ years ago the whole area was swamp land. It is the lowest point of Melbourne.

I live down there and it is not the place to build a state of the art training facility.

St. Kilda can have it

But yes it is close to Wong's Cafe..

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.

nothing for earl

in fact i heard there was a move to revoke his current honours

still, if rolfy can hang onto his , he'll probably be ok with all his hipster friends

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!

Traditionally, the New Year's Honours were bestowed by royalty to worthy recipients who usually worked selflessly and tirelessly sucking up to those responsible for assessing the candidates for nomination.

em

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?

Well I don't care about New Year. I'll spend it on my own. I'll drink wine and watch TV. Nobody invited me anywhere. Why? I'm witty and good company. [censored] you all!!

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.

from a Seattle Seahawks fan page,,, Re our own VFL/AFL legend Jack Dyer,,, Dyerisms. >>>

Jack Dyerisms

Again, speaking in the language I know best, that of the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks, one of our beloved coaches was Chuck Knox who, like Jack Dyer, spoke his own language. There are plenty of Knoxisms to go around, so it's only befitting to share the Dyerisms as well! Enjoy!

From Pelic:

I read your Jack Dyer Tribute page and thought that you might like to put these on there.

QUOTES FROM CAPTAIN BLOOD

"He's a good ordinary footballer"

"He's so scared he sleeps with the lights on"

"An Essendon supporter is a Collingwood supporter that has money" (My favourite)

"Things aren't the same now that there are five teams in the top four"

"I want you to pair off in threes"

"They've got a couple of good players in Harvey"

"Flanagans trying to use some pace he hasn't got"

"There weren't too many best man on grounds"

and the old "If you don't mind umpire"

From: johnq

Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 3:53 PM

Subject: A few Dyerisms

Hello Becky,

Just a few Dyerisms for you.

"Geelong have copulated." - capitulated?

And describing a player who'd had a disappointing game: "He got where the ball ain't."

Have a good day Becky.

Kind regards,

John

http://www.beckys-place.com/tigerland/dyerisms.html

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.

That is weird sh ite dc!!

You doing drugs instead of bluerinsers?

I assumed he meant Ed Zachary!

Have you received any indications of New Year's honours Earl Hood?

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.

You seem to be the smart pr!ck with all the prophesies

I'm sure you can read the thread title

If you put down the booze.

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

" HIT THE BOUNDARY " --------- Alan " Butch " Gale ( commentator closing seconds 1966 G.F. )

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

christmas is just a christian theft of the pagan germannic mid-winter festival of yuletide

a time for all anglo saxons to get drunk

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!

Get back to the thread

Pig Dog

Which is?

Never let a man dance with a sword - anonymous over hearing Confucius in a noisy brothel

"The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it".

Epicurus.

"Never give a sword to a man who can't dance".

Confucius

We seem to have gone Cyrillic all of a sudden here! Aguitte I don't agree with what you say but I defend your right to say whatever the hell you are trying to say I think, if only I knew what that was.

Grenache - Greenock Creek but it is difficult to get, most of it is exported.

Clare Valley - many of the dry grown, old vine reds produced in this SA region are fantastic. With no irrigation the grapes are few but full of flavour.

Malbec - Mendoza, Argentina - variable prices but even the cheap ones are very drinkable.

Montepulchiano if I have spelt it right, not a lot of it but it usually a smooth tasting red even the odd cheap ones you can get at King and Godfrey in Carlton.

False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.”

Hello people. I know I'm getting in early but I'm going away (I will be back!). I'd like to sincerely wish all of my fellow Demonlanders a very Merry Xmas and a happy and successful (GO DEES!) 2015. We are all part of one big family. So whatever you wish for, I hope that your wish is granted (although a premiership in 2015 may be stretching it just a little!). Cheers and best wishes

Merry Christmas to Clint and all. Off on a wine tour Clint?

I've said it before, if you watch live games you will see Watts leading time after time and being ignored by his teammates. He will burn off his opponent and lead into wide open spaces seven or eight times to get one pass which is generally directed behind him to his opponent's advantage. It's no wonder he always looks stuffed. If we can get some better kicking and decision-making at half back and through the midfield you will see Watts' possession count skyrocket as they actually take the option he presents and put the ball to his advantage. Once the ball is in his hands there are no worries.

At last some else who watches the game!!!!

Yes I have noticed this and commented on it before. But why is he ignored, can't the ball holder see him? This could be part of it because my memory is of him often leading up behind the half forwards and perhaps not being as visible as a Neitz streaming out of full forward and everyone else getting out of the way. Watts doesn't command space to lead into and opposition are happy to fill a hole in front of him unlike if Neitz was on the ground! That said Watts with his talent should be playing the equivalent of the Gunston role for us, let the bigger guys take centre stage while I slip around the fringes and get my usual 3 or 4 goals a match. Of course Watts does not have the Hawks midfield delivery to work off.

Bernard Keene in Crikey has a great piece on the media's bumbling efforts on this affair. The Iranian madman is Shia yet is an agent of ISIS which is Sunni predominantly. He is working on his own yet is compared to 9/11 etc. and Keene points out the media's glee that we were now being watched by the big boys in The US and Europe and could potentially suffer like they have with organised terrorist attacks on their people. Why has it taken so long? You could almost read between the lines that they were writing.

Lost 3kg's since the 6th Dec.

If the Paleo excludes alcohol that would explain it Redleg.