Call me a cynic and I will call you naive. Call me bitter and I will call you shamelessly optimistic. I’m proud to say that the bitterness that previously pervaded my every sentence has subsided somewhat, wholly because of Melbourne’s 2010 performance. Predictions of wild success have been made by all competent football analysts, and friends and acquaintances must surely shudder at the thought of how self-loathing and morbidity will manifest once the Demons become the best team in the...

I’m not a redneck or a bogan and I don’t insist players ‘kick it long’ and I don't call out ‘deliberate’ and I don’t think footy was better in my day. This being my day though I’m quite far away. I love a ‘ball…yeah’ as much as any other bloke in the outer. I went to a game in Sydney once and they don’t know how to do a ‘ball…yeah’ and for that they are ignorant and maybe that’s why the game may...

The thing about respect is the more someone wants it the less other people want to give it. Ain't nobody just get respect. Respect gotta be earnt. But earning respect ain't easy. And you gotta show respect if you wanna earn it. word. An umpire is a like a good politician in that when he is doing a good job no one notices that he exists. Note to umpires: the quality of your existence is reflected in how much people overlook said existence. Your intention, unlike a football player, is not to...

It was about 30 years ago that a visionary dad approached the quarter time huddle at his kid’s country under 15 game.  To the slightly bemused crowd he said: “I’ve taken two types of statistics.  Kicks… And shit kicks”.  He was way ahead of his time.    It’s a tough business recruiting, and it’s only going to get tougher.  With two new teams coming, all the talk is of recruiters searching far and wide for decent...