Earl Hood

It's pretty tough 'Earl' when a club you used to support has been taken over. As a Box Hill boy who spent a number of years following the "Mustangs" and heading down to City oval to watch the footy I just can't bring myself to support them anymore.

Good on the Doggies for winning but unfortunately it's not a real competition anymore. We've had our part in this in the past but the Hawks made a total mockery of the game the last couple of weeks. It would have been a true comp if Willy had of made it, instead they were done over by the Mark Evans Hawks...

Rjay don't start me on Mark "I make it up as I go" Evans, that decision to allow McEvoy to play was a shocker.

After watching the Dogs get up yesterday in such a high standard match that had intensity and a great atmosphere I wondered if this win will kick start their next season? it will be interesting to see.

The other thought that occurred to me was I remembered when Casey was highly competitive in the Connelly/Bailey era when was that around 2009 -12 and how at the end of the AFL home and away series we virtually mothballed all the eligible kids and left Casey high and dry and they duly would go out in straight sets. It would have been far better for some of those kids to get a feel for finals footy and experience some success than sending them off early for the odd operation. Again I think that policy sent the wrong signal to our kids that they were somehow special and the VFL and doing some hard yards to win a final was below them.

Hawks had something like 6 players named over 200cms. Ridiculous but gives them real draft leverage. The rich get richer hey.

Jong looks exciting huh. He has come on since earlier in the year where he seemed to struggle from what I hear. Good on him.

Yes plenty of height for the Hawks but they didn't play McEvoy older brother or younger brother and Grimley struggled so they didn't dominate with their talls at all. The Bullies had a few tall options with Cordy, Redpath and Jones. Jones maybe an option to look at. Cordy has been around for 5 years and 200 cm players take time but still not convinced about him. Redpath is a big unit but maybe he lacks agility at ground level and speed on the lead.

I still think we should have a good look at a couple of the Hawks talls that can't get a game and make them an offer. We need some backup for Jamar and Gawn.

Awesome. Go Redlegs.

If only it was in Victoria.

Whorethorn ruin another GF...it is so dull.

As an MCC member it is abhorrent that my stadium is covered in brown and gold so often.

The colours associated with sewerage and waste management.

WYL interesting comment that is what I do as a job as part of a larger team of course but if we didn't do our job you would be in deep "you know what" very quickly!

Good backline depth. With more training and guidance he could hold down a back pocket position in the ones.

I went to the match today with 30,000 others and gee what a great match! The standard was very high, AFL really, well even better if I compare this match with the last time I was at Etihad to see the Dees this year. And the set shot accuracy for goal was extraordinary. The running and tackling much more intense than what I am used to seeing in your average Dees game.

I watched the game with the family of Lin Jong the first Korean to play on an AFL list I think. And what joy to see their enthusiasm for the game. None of them had seen a game until a few years ago when Lin took it up as a sport. He played well and Mum was waving the Bullies flag at every goal and high fiving everyone along with Lin's rather attractive sisters. Great stuff!

Lin is a good prospect for the Bullies, very clean hands and has some speed. Would love him at the Dees. Liam Jones looked great at this level. He is looking for a fresh start, would he be worth a look? He has size, strength and good hands but has been very inconsistent I know.

The Hawks have a good one in 41 Sicily I believe, drafted last year at pick 800 or something but he looks like Sam Blease and plays just how we wished Sam would but doesn't. Very quick and agile, great hands and loves a goal. X factor all over him.

Louden is big and mobile and can't get a game in the ones, is he worth an offer? Cheney played well but I would say his time is up, a great trooper but no future at the Hawks I would have thought after Clarkson torched him earlier in the season when Lake was out.

All in all a great day at the footy, saw a great game that ebbed and flowed, was high standard, soaked up the joy of an immigrant family revelling in Aussie Rules and their son's success and above all it was a victory for the battlers, the Sons of the Scray and the small clubs against the evil enemy.

Although it is odd I say that because I was born and grew up in Box Hill and played for a local club in brown and gold colours. I shouldn't really have such a hatred for Box Hill. It's the Hawks I loath of course.

Good to see that a priority pick you know a reward for failure a la Roughie got them over the line with six opportunistic goals. I mean God forbid if we got such unwarranted draft assistance. It would pollute the culture.

Fox tonight Eddie very contrite when asked about Buckley's comment. Aware of discussion but nothing has come to the board. What a hypocrite! if it was a Pies player being poached he would be making all sorts of idle threats. Every year at trade there are 2 teams that give nothing but expect the world, they are Essendon and Collingwood. They are both miserable at the trade table. They will give precious little for Clark and probably are already patting themselves on the back for a recruiting coup. If HL is on offer then take it cos we won't get anything else.

That about sums it up HL for MC if we are lucky. But then if Eddie is in a bad mood on the day we might get stuff all. In that case you could try pleading your case to Gil but don't hold your breath because he is as likely to be down at Werribee and the Equetrian Centre riding a horse.

That's the home ground advantage & best draw for the finals like in the NBA. You shouldn't be gifted a spot in the Grand Final just cause you then win your first final (unless it were only a top 4 of course), otherwise we may as well follow the EPL model and not worry about a finals series at all.

In the end the Hawks got up because it was their home ground. It took Port a quarter to work out how to kick a goal.

If Port kicks straight in the first quarter they are 5 goals up and I am sure the Hawks would have fought back but that would have exhausted them, leaving them open for Port to run over the top. Oh well it didn't happen that way but I did notice the Hawks priority pick made the difference with 6 goals. Sometimes rewarding failure works out in time it seems but not these days of course, rewarding failure just promotes a failure mentality.

Fcuking Sewerage Farm are in another one.

C'mon South.

WYL are you referring to Western Treatment Plant formerly known as Werribee? Just asking.

God must be a Hawk supporter!

Wasn't that holding the ball against the Hawks right at the end. Just because the player thought it was going to be a free to the Hawks shouldn't matter, he just stood there with the ball in hand with plenty of prior and was then tackled. Free kick to Port with 10 seconds to go.

Who is blanketing Wingard? He needs to fire up in the second half.

AFL.com has an article with Buck's saying he has met with Mitch and he would love to have him on board and confirms that Mitch wants and needs a fresh start, doctor's orders apparently! Also confirms Hertier wants out so there could be a straight swap?

Unless I'm mistaken, I believe "Dee Fan" is our old mate RobbieF.

Oh I thought we might have been dealing with Ben Hur or Hannibal?

Okay so I found out the answer myself...Sydney in 2012.

Ascobar are you still in Addis Ababa?

Rob's back!

Please explain!

Just pointing out the hypocrisy of the West and our media. Who cares about the hundreds of thousands of Arabic people who have died or have been injured, displaced since the Coalition of the Willing intervened 10 years ago. When two westerners are murdered it is all too much so off we go again to do what exactly?

Back we go to Iraq with the US. It should be called Operation “Unscramble the Egg” as in lets try and fix up the mess we helped cause in the first place. Up to a few months ago there had just been 10 years of chaos and mass killings,car bombings and millions of Arab homeless refugees! And then things really spiralled out of control with ISIL I mean who was to know that the political instability in Iraq would culminate in the tragedy of two white faced Westerners being beheaded?

I'm with Tony - No choice we have to act!!

What could have been if Ryan had taken a punt and Thommo had stayed on etc etc.

Harts also did a tram session

http://www.tramsessions.com/sessions/harts/

Good get NB gee I would have liked to be on that tram and I often am as it looks like the Smith Street tram to me. That said it is a bit of an "unplugged session" which I have always struggled with. This kid is better heard at full electric throttle. He is a talent and he is local.

I am an electric guitar groupie I admit. Like I don't want to hear Carlos Santana playing ukulele if you know what I mean because it is waste of talent even if he transformed the whole concept, which he probably would.

Would be golden, appropriate and i believe not particularly begrudged but Other AFL fans for us to a special assistance pick in first round for loss of Clark, 7 years of misery, rebuilding against expansion teams etc, ... , etc ...

With picks 2 , 3, 4 we'd recover from being plundered for chip and itch, and able to set up some momentum to ensure 2015 brings some excitement to the lives of us long suffering MFC fans.

Dream on, wont happen but I agree it probably should. But even with those picks there would be no guarantees of success, refer to GWS. We are facing a climb like Everist I am afraid.

One or more priority selections.

Not if Mark Evans can make his case to the Commission of Drones. Expect plenty of vision of Port Adelaide before and after in the presentation to show the Drones that a club's form can be turned around in the blink of an eye. No need for any help move on.

Anyone know the reason for the judgement? Was it downgraded to negigible impact or something? We know he chose to bump and contact was high. Then again it is impossible not to get Selwood high no matter what you are doing so maybe that was the reason?

GAME PLAN !!!!! ATTACK & RUN

Ken Hinkley says its all about the basics and getting it right on the day.

The Bailey game plan can work with the right cattle? Who is Port's recruiter, he knows what he is doing.

No they weren't. They finished higher on the ladder than us, beat us comfortably , had a better list and realised there admin was rubbish before us.

And hadn't they played off in a grand final in 2007. We have been on or near the bottom since then. No comparison, sorry.