Earl Hood

For heaven’s sake Uncle you know only too well that I have been in the Old Dart these past two weeks, not suffering the vapours but busy providing what little help and advice I can to our glorious Majesty. Oh what a tawdry affair I find at the Palace with that American upstart but the Prince is besotted so my counsel is futile, despite the fact as you know, Harry has always sought my advice in worldly affairs. Really you expect me to be involved with your petty interests and concerns at the Manor or at that lowly Demonland site when I am busy providing solace to our very own Prince Phillip. God bless his soul. How much more [censored] can he absorb from this new generation of Royal ingrates.

Baker was in the rehab group on Friday. Struggled in the sprints and stood out of the agility drills. Can’t accelerate, can’t change direction? Saw him pointing to his groin muscles in discussion with one of the physio’s. I would venture a touch of osteopubis? Not a good sign on the first day back.

It is interesting that the sprinklers go on before Melbourne Victory train, so the ground is soft and the grass wet. I have only been to a few soccer matches and they have had the sprinklers on before the game each time. Not sure what that is about.

It looks good to me. I noticed the Punt Rd side just outside the fence is very damp so there has been plenty of water spread about recently.

What from mowing the lawn? The guy can’t take a trick.

Got down there today early for a short time. Everything has been covered by others but I can add that watching Baker in the timed sprints he was just going registering 5s plus while Jones was a consistent 4, as was Tomlinson and then Hannan 3.8 etc. Then the rehab group did some agility work moving quickly between cones, but not Baker who just sat to the side. At the end he was in discussion with a physio and looking at his groin muscles. May have a touch of OP?

JAG!!! No way I am driving a jag, apologies to Youngwilliam but I am talking about a real car that needs an MFC sticker.

I didn’t get any stickers this year. Can’t understand why as these are advertising for the club and I have a new sticker less car as well.

Can’t say I am a beer man, craft or non craft. More partial to a vintage wine myself but I was just thinking there are about 6 pubs inside or very close to inside 1070 m from the Warehouse, the Rose, The Marquis of Lorne, the Robert Burns and the Gasometer, the Town Hall and the Rochester. Robby Burns used to be my public house of preference when they had the Spanish kitchen going.

Yes that was the artist who pocketed the money and then ate the banana! The world gets more looney by the day.

My hatred is for the dorks myself, Lethal, Dipper, Brereton....87 final loss, 88 GF and on and on.

Bruce was working out at my gym during the week on Tuesday, he did look sad now that I come to think of it. Maybe he knew then. Must say he goes at it much harder than me and is as lean as a whippet.

Yes it’s on the AFL site as well. A big surprise.

Maybe it Goes back much further to 1966 when he trained with Melbourne as he was in our zone. Now according to Tom Hafey who gave us a corporate pep talk some years ago about resilience and overcoming adversity, a young Sheedy who had been rejected by Melbourne for being too short and too slow for a centreman came across to Richmond and was a revelation. Hafey said he was invaluable as a leader and setting training standards and for, in Hafey’s words, dealing physically with any young smart arses and assorted shirkers from Hafey’s training regime. It seems that Norm Smith and Co at the time overlooked a born leader; our loss, the Tigers gain but according to Hafey, his rejection by MFC was a big deal for Sheedy at the time.

Yes a teacher at the old tech and when they merged with Richmond High School in about 1986, old Paddy went off on stress leave to his farm, never to return so he did well to last this long. May he Rest In Peace. My wife was a teacher at Richmond High in that period, for the record.

Was always going to struggle with our current game plan of congested forward lines and long bombs to the 20m area in front of goal, where there often wasn’t a tall marking option to at least bring the ball to ground, at least this season. Jeff was still very good if he could get a one on one in an open forward line, just didn’t happen much for us.

Uncle I used to use a textor to draw a circle on my golf ball as an aid when putting. Set the line on the ball vertical so you could check you were putting the ball cleanly and consistently toward the hole. Same idea with these footies I guess. Oh by the way I haven’t played golf for almost 10 years now. I gave up in the end, I couldn’t putt!

Shakespeare?? I thought that was pure Eric Cantona!

Well very quiet around here I must say despite all the hubbub around the national Draft. Not a peep from the usual suspects. Well I am very happy with our draft picks, Jackson and Pickett have that X Factor we all seek but I am most impressed by the young Rivers boy, Trent. They say he can play footy but most importantly he comes from the right genetic stock! I believe he is the great nephew of none other than Sir Murray Rivers QC, the former Supreme Court Judge of Victoria and staunch defender of the Royal Family and the importance of our place in the British Commonwealth. What is more important to the MFC, drafting players with talent or drafting the right type of lad, with the right values, eh? I think you all agree with me, it’s the latter.

They want to reduce half time breaks to 10 m and quarter time breaks to 6m so as to reduce the length of games for TV but they are also talking of introducing a set number of player challenges to umpiring decisions! Endless score reviews and now player challenges will blow out playing times. Oh and goodbye Auskick, so much for the importance of kids footy.

Yes split 97 and next years 43 for 86 and 99.

Wonder what Pruess makes of this pick? We have Gawn, we have Pruess and we have a 19 year old, 203 cm, ex elite basketballer in Bradke, still learning the game but we have spent pick 3 on a 199 cm ex basketballer, turned under 18 AFL ruckman who can go forward occasionally! This kid better have some serious talent as a key forward and show it early next season to vindicate this decision, because we don’t desperately need a Max replacement for another 3 or 4 years.

Is he back at the club in a coaching capacity? Obvious forward/goal kicking coach.

A very common criticism of small forwards by the way. Hope we are organising the support system for him now. What’s Byron doing these days? And we have Matty Whelan and Nev.

What happened to the old adage trade in for needs, draft best available talent? All the gossip has us burning 2 top ten picks on outliers, not sure why. Jackson is not a need, a ruckman, very agile who could play forward but reports say he doesn’t have great hands. Then we are looking at Pickett who is a perceived need, an X factor small forward with speed, goal sense but rated later first round or second round. I think Taylor’s future will be determined by these 2 picks, although it’s not just him of course. I still believe we should bid for Green, take him if GWS does not match, or else take Young and then the next best at 10, be that Kemp if available. Anyway let’s see what happens.