Over 50's Clique - Nostalgia, Memorabilia, Reflection and Opinion for the Mature Lion.

[dlanod]

I wouldn’t be so hard on him in the second. It was one way traffic out of the middle and our defence was under siege. TV commentators got it right when they said two consecutive goals during Melbourne’s run were because McKenna wouldn’t man up. He was so slack in terms of work ethic. Across the four quarters Lester and Starcevich were our best two defenders by a mile, in my opinion.

McKenna and Joyce were very poor, Starcevich was good, I have Andrews doing an underrated job - missed the highlights because he wasn't intercepting, but the number of forward entries vs the number he killed was impactful, Lester had quite a few big gambles where he went out of position to try to intercept/attack the ball, sometimes it came off but several times he misread where the Melbourne player(s) were and basically was left out of the contest around the forward 50 arc or through the middle, a very dangerous proposition. Outside of those gambles he was his usual solid self, but he made a number of those 50/50 calls and got quite a few wrong this week.

 

[3KZ is Football]

McKenna and Joyce were very poor, Starcevich was good, I have Andrews doing an underrated job - missed the highlights because he wasn't intercepting, but the number of forward entries vs the number he killed was impactful, Lester had quite a few big gambles where he went out of position to try to intercept/attack the ball, sometimes it came off but several times he misread where the Melbourne player(s) were and basically was left out of the contest around the forward 50 arc or through the middle, a very dangerous proposition. Outside of those gambles he was his usual solid self, but he made a number of those 50/50 calls and got quite a few wrong this week.

There was one that really sticks out in the third quarter, and I ‘freeze framed’ it to look at the set up. The issue that Lester had in this instance was that he had two opponents to cover because Melbourne had moved the ball so quickly over the back and his teammates were a mile off their men. He was the defender in the passage, but he was never going to beat two men. Goal to Pickett, but responsibility up field.

That to one side, he laid a number of vital tackles, his field kicking was excellent, he marshalled our defence well all night and his marking was super solid, especially the clutch grab in the last quarter that sent us back inside 50.

 

[M Malice]

Quite simple IMO, if there is good pressure up the field the defensive group have the opportunity to look fantastic, if there is slack pressure up the field any defence is vulnerable.

Midfielders and forwards must be on with their pressure.

FWIW I thought Darragh Joyce

41

Darragh Joyce

Age

27

Ht

195cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.4

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.6

3star

M

1.8

2star

T

1.4

3star

MG

207.6

3star

No current season stats available

D

11.4

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.6

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

1.4

4star

MG

207.6

4star

was serviceable except for a couple of real howlers with his disposal, Payne obviously the better option.

 

[McIvor]

I’m looking forward to the Irish experiment being over. That’s all I’ll say.

 

[martinson]

I’m looking forward to the Irish experiment being over. That’s all I’ll say.

McKenna can play. Joyce struggles to get to a passable standard.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Something that should resonant with this group is the absence of local support in the streets. Most would know I take north memberships every year as I refuse to give the AFL central any of my money. I lived in North Melbourne in my Uni days and there was a lot of North footy support in the streets.

I drove through north Melbourne today and saw nothing that supported the footy team at all. I must do a pub crawl and see if there is anything inside. There is still a bit of FFC in Fitzroy

 

[dlanod]

There is still a bit of FFC in Fitzroy

I drop in when I'm in town and there's probably half a dozen real Fitzroy pubs that I've found with no real effort.

 

[Grasshopper17]

I drop in when I'm in town and there's probably half a dozen real Fitzroy pubs that I've found with no real effort.

This was such a highlight of Grand Final week for me, and I was so pleased I decided to fly down on the Wednesday rather than on the Friday or Saturday. The whole city was buzzing of course but the vibe in Fitzroy was a big part of that.

 

[M Malice]

This was such a highlight of Grand Final week for me, and I was so pleased I decided to fly down on the Wednesday rather than on the Friday or Saturday. The whole city was buzzing of course but the vibe in Fitzroy was a big part of that.

Last year we only stayed the Friday night.

If we make it again this year we will be going down early and staying the Saturday night as well for the celebrations at Brunswick Street Oval on Sunday... hopefully.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Brisbane are third favourites for the Premiership, behind Sydney and Carlton. An amazing turn around.

 

[M Malice]

Brisbane are third favourites for the Premiership, behind Sydney and Carlton. An amazing turn around.

Do you think our game and team selection is in better shape for a flag this year than last 3KZ?

I was very impressed with our 2 convincing away wins v the Bulldogs and Port recently.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Do you think our game and team selection is in better shape for a flag this year than last 3KZ?

I was very impressed with our 2 convincing away wins v the Bulldogs and Port recently.

I do, but it was imposed on us to a degree by fate. The loss of Coleman, Gardiner and McCarthy to injury meant that Fagan had to make changes that might not otherwise have been made. The most telling of these were the inclusion of Reville, Morris and the permanent selection of Ah Chee as a forward and Zorko as a half back, playing the Daniel Rich role. Every one of these moves has paid off big time.

It is a moot point, but were he not injured, would Fagan still be playing Gardiner as a forward? If Doedee had not gone down again, would Fagan have returned to his default setting and dropped Lester, who has been sensational this year, while retaining McKenna, who has been mediocre at best?

As it has turned out, I think fate has played a big part in what has transpired this year. Based on how they have performed, both Zorko and Lester deserve at least another season in the best 22 next year, while Reville and Morris will be hard to leave out, irrespective of who is available.

As far as the flag goes, perhaps we are psychologically better placed this year. We should have won the Premiership last year, we didn’t and now we have a point to prove. Our motivations are stronger than the two teams we are most likely to compete against, Carlton and Sydney.

 

[3KZ is Football]

The other thing that has really helped us, as this year has progressed, is the return to form of Berry, who has been sensational, especially during our winning streak.

Also, I don’t want to sound churlish, but our defensive unit looks more cohesive and solid without Noah Answerth

43

Noah Answerth

Age

25

Ht

183cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.0

3star

K

8.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

3.7

4star

T

2.9

4star

MG

208.9

3star

D

15.0

4star

K

15.0

5star

HB

0.0

1star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.0

3star

MG

357.0

5star

D

12.0

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

4.2

4star

M

3.4

4star

T

3.0

5star

MG

179.2

3star

in the team, particularly as Starcevich has returned to some strong form, after an indifferent start to the year. Wilmot is having a great year, Reville is great when he goes back and Fletcher provides depth when he drops into defence. McKenna is posing something of a dilemma for Fagan, because he has been satisfactory at best and noticeably flakey on other occasions. This is where Fagan needs to make a call if McKenna can’t or won’t improve his defensive work. Brain is waiting in the wings and maybe Fagan has learned something from the last month and a half. Perhaps we might see Fagan actually make a tough selection decision during the run home and into the finals.

 

[Mooch]

I do, but it was imposed on us to a degree by fate. The loss of Coleman, Gardiner and McCarthy to injury meant that Fagan had to make changes that might not otherwise have been made. The most telling of these were the inclusion of Reville, Morris and the permanent selection of Ah Chee as a forward and Zorko as a half back, playing the Daniel Rich role. Every one of these moves has paid off big time.

Can't argue with that. Morris in clearly in the best 18. He plays like he has 100 games under his belt already. Ah Chee and Zorko are playing really well in their positions.

McKenna is a liability. I liked him when he first arrived because he provided something different but it's like watching a horror movie when the ball comes near him these days. Hands over the eyes stuff.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Can't argue with that. Morris in clearly in the best 18. He plays like he has 100 games under his belt already. Ah Chee and Zorko are playing really well in their positions.

McKenna is a liability. I liked him when he first arrived because he provided something different but it's like watching a horror movie when the ball comes near him these days. Hands over the eyes stuff.

Yep. He may well be one of the most ‘unaccountable’ defenders I have ever seen.

 

[McIvor]

Thought you might get a kick out of this Jason; I’m a fan of Joey B Toonz.

 

[M Malice]

Thought you might get a kick out of this Jason; I’m a fan of Joey B Toonz.

Call me a cranky old bastard caught in the past but IMO a lot of the Social Media technological innovations eg. Facebook/Instagram/TikTok have had a net grossly negative effect on society. It plays into the look at me culture... 15 minutes of fame attention seeking hoars... young naive people comparing their lives to selective highlight packages.

I would not trade my outdoors 1960s-70s lifestyle as a child for what the kids have now in a Million years.

 

[dlanod]

Call me a cranky old bastard caught in the past but IMO a lot of the Social Media technological innovations eg. Facebook/Instagram/TikTok have had a net grossly negative effect on society. It plays into the look at me culture... 15 minutes of fame attention seeking hoars... young naive people comparing their lives to selective highlight packages.

I would not trade my outdoors 1960s-70s lifestyle as a child for what the kids have now in a Million years.

Heh I'm a cranky bastard in the present - social media does some good but it's done more worse by acting as an echo chamber for the worst of people. Especially since the "algorithms" got rolled out across Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc to only show you what you've already seen regurgitated a million times. Sure it increases the amount of time spent on those sites, but it also removed a lot of the interpersonal communication of views that used to happen.

 

[martinson]

Heh I'm a cranky bastard in the present - social media does some good but it's done more worse by acting as an echo chamber for the worst of people. Especially since the "algorithms" got rolled out across Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc to only show you what you've already seen regurgitated a million times. Sure it increases the amount of time spent on those sites, but it also removed a lot of the interpersonal communication of views that used to happen.

I'm not cranky . Just observant.

Most of it is BS and the mental health issues that are created and exacerbated for this generation (and some other generations as well ) are already well and truly evident when every second woman I pass on the street has had her face distorted by some greedy surgeon.

When I go for a coffee and the table next to me is mum and dad and 3 kids under 10 who all spend their whole time on their phone doing who knows what I realise we've lost our way.

 

[McIvor]

Call me a cranky old bastard caught in the past but IMO a lot of the Social Media technological innovations eg. Facebook/Instagram/TikTok have had a net grossly negative effect on society. It plays into the look at me culture... 15 minutes of fame attention seeking hoars... young naive people comparing their lives to selective highlight packages.

I would not trade my outdoors 1960s-70s lifestyle as a child for what the kids have now in a Million years.

What comes out in these hearings about Meta’s practices are truly concerning and really every parent who isn’t outraged, should be:

 

[martinson]

As for kids barely into their school years being exposed to every type of pornography imaginable with no enforceable restrictions on the perpetrators, providers and transmitters don't even start me.

Just taking their childhood away in this world of bizarre values.

 

[martinson]

Looking at the whole thing impassionately we're too far gone now.

It's not even enough of a political issue for any of the candidates around the world to bother bringing it up. Let's face it ,they're dependent on these SM Barons for their oxygen.

So it all gets back to proactive parenting which most parents aren't that hot at besides which there's a push back from lawyers and large organisations .

One funny thing was a parent of a young lady going to her first social telling me that her date had to submit all of his details to the school who had to have him checked out as to his bona fides etc. because the school didn't want to be responsible for any unpleasant or worse incidents. This in the same world where same young lady is exposed to all sorts of dangers via SM , internet content and the multitude of inappropriate /misleading influences that are thrown in her face ever day.

 

[dlanod]

One funny thing was a parent of a young lady going to her first social telling me that her date had to submit all of his details to the school who had to have him checked out as to his bona fides etc. because the school didn't want to be responsible for any unpleasant or worse incidents. This in the same world where same young lady is exposed to all sorts of dangers via SM , internet content and the multitude of inappropriate /misleading influences that are thrown in her face ever day.

One the school is potentially responsible for, the other they can happily wash their hands of. I doubt the school would validate any private dates for example.

 

[martinson]

One the school is potentially responsible for, the other they can happily wash their hands of. I doubt the school would validate any private dates for example.

Well I understand why . Lawyers have basically taken over the world with consumers/participants /companies having to go through a raft of questions and whatever else before they're permitted to do any thing.

I just found it ironic that the above grilling of the date would've been laughable back in the day yet the real dangers to young people in their private lives today is something that just goes in the too hard basket.

Yet at the same time Governments and companies are desperate to invade the privacy of citizens using whatever intrusive means are available to in effect advance their own cause.

Orwell was always right. It's just taken a few more decades to get there than he foresaw.

 

[MSB ROYS]

Ever wondered what a young man would be like when tackled by an NRL player? Brutal.