It's all been said before and I'm not going to attempt an original tribute.
I think the best story today was Malcolm Fraser talking about his first meeting with Nelson Mandela when the latter was still incarcerated. Mandela's first words to Fraser were, "Mr Fraser, tell me, is Don Bradman still alive?"
Anyone who can maintain an interest in cricket and the health of the Don after three decades in a political prison must have tremendous resilience!
RIP Madiba - the world is a better place for your wisdom and compassion.
I once dreamt that I was shot in the throat and was lying in a lane with blood pumping out of my neck. I could feel my life ebbing away and died in my dream. The funniest part was how calm I was as I was bleeding to death. The bloke who shot me had a pistol and I thought he couldn't possibly manage a hit at the range I was from him.
It was a relief when I woke up and discovered that I was alive and kicking
Clarke and Haddin did well to get the Aussie score right up there. It just looked at one stage as though every player would get a start but no go on with the job. Mind you the Poms didn't help themselves one bit. Dropped Clarke early and dropped Haddin a few times. not to mention to have Haddin caught behind on a "No Ball". They couldn't buy a wicket at one stage. Not sure if the Australian team has improved as much as the English players have been quite pathetic over the last 2 days. probably as bad as I have seen them for quite some time. Better we teach them how to hold catches over the next few days.
Maybe I'm being too generous Mantis but I reckon the aggressive cricket from our boys is largely responsible for the Poms' errors.
I think that a lot of credit for the team's improved performance has to go to Boof.
He seems to have disposed of the sports science approach to the game and is hammering the requirement to play aggressively. The players are sticking to the game plan and, for the most part, they seem to be benefiting from Boof's approach to the game.
Mate Love Robbo to death but I've got this inkling that his days are numbered. Clean ball use is the order of the day going fwd and he just doesnt cut it. You can see by what they are trying to draft in that this is the case (at least thats how I read it). I just think his hardness and toughness "petrol vouchers" are running out and have taken him as far as they can. As for Levi, boy does he need to improve his fitness by a country mile to even be considered for a game. Another whos days may be numbered IF he doesnt get himself supremely fit.
Clean ball use is important but it means nothing if you can't win your own ball.
Robbo's brain fade against the Tigers paled into insignificance when he threw himself to mark, and then goal. How many clean ball users would have even contemplated attempting that mark?
The same applies to fitness; what's the use of a marathon runner who can't take a contested mark?
The coach and the fitness staff have to get the best out of every player even if that means more time on the pine for some and covering errors for others.
having a first home buyers grant available to anyone that's a first home buyer - it should have been means tested pink batts - millions were lost in that rort, and continues to loose with investigations etc the millions in focus group researchers and "consultants" I m all for innovation, but sometimes the haste and cost and the somewhat blind spending, to what appears to be a politicians legacy comes at a cost, which must produce a gain, directly or indirectly
It is not exclusive this waste issue.
Superannuation incentives through tax breaks that only millionaires or billionaires can access?
A publicly funded maternity scheme that is open to millionaires and billionaires?
Innovation is good, rolling out more copper phone lines and cutting education is not innovative it is archaic.
This is the whole point at the moment, the blokes who sold themselves as the great fiscal managers are going to weddings and building private libraries using tax payer funds. Can I have a tax deduction for attending my cousins wedding?
Hard to see how any of them can claim the high moral, ethical or economic ground!
They are all pigs at the trough, and equally as bad!
I agree, this country aint like it used to be
Yes, it hasn't been the same since Pig Iron Bob got the top job after WW2!
I watched he last episodes of "Keating" on ABC iView last night.
Keating made the statement that he had to execute Hawk because Hawk could not let go. Turnbull needs to do the same to Abbott, but I fear Turnbull does not have the balls that Keating had!
Abbott is chaos surrounded by calamity, he has picked a set of 2ICs that are no threat to him, the bulk are less capable than himself and unleashed them on the country and the world! What he has done would not even get across the line in place like Appalachia!
Where do we get some of these so called 'leaders'. Pyne's comments and strategies on his education portfolio are beyond embarrassing. Where did we get this clown from? Did the brief read, 'Incompetent D1ckhead needed to take charge of education in Australia... apply A. Abbott... in crayon and 1 syllable words'.
I'm not sure that Pyne is an Incompetent Dickhead Baggers, although after 6 years as opposition education spokesperson, you would think that he would have developed some kind of plan. I think it is more a matter of doggedly following right wing ideology and devout hero worship; why else would he even mention John Howard's failed education program.
No, I've just argued myself around to your assessment, he is an Incompetent Dickhead.
For a Government that's supposedly concerned with eliminating 'waste', how can they possibly be throwing money at the recalcitrant States without requiring any improvements in education delivery?
Cookie ....Remember when he got drafted the comments were that the club know the LARS wont hold up and I get the feeling with Menzel the club are waiting for him to do his knee and then get it done the non LARS way and take it from there.... He is a very classy player as you said but will have some competition from Reynolds and Johnson for his spot down the track IMO which is good for the club...
I remember thinking every time I saw him play last season that he lacked agility, and had issues with the ball below his knees which is my only concern about him.
The rest he looks good. Physical, Competitive, skillful, accurate and a good decision maker. Now hopefully the body holds up and we are onto a winner.
The Menzel boy has a great, really great footy brain. Some of his gives to advantage this year were absolutely sublime... he reads the play like a bona fide champ. His attack on the aggott and man is also first rate. His foot disposal is excellent though his shots on goal are just above average.
If the club thinks his knee will not stand up then they should just put him in for standard surgery and write off 2014 for the kid. But maybe this lars surgery has been a real success and all he needs is experience to be the player he can be.
I admire your optimism Baggers but you have seen an awful lot in a bloke who only averaged 7 touches and 2 tackles a game.
I hope you're right but I'm reserving judgement until I see him get his share of the ball, and stay on his feet.
Cookie ....Remember when he got drafted the comments were that the club know the LARS wont hold up and I get the feeling with Menzel the club are waiting for him to do his knee and then get it done the non LARS way and take it from there.... He is a very classy player as you said but will have some competition from Reynolds and Johnson for his spot down the track IMO which is good for the club...
I remember thinking every time I saw him play last season that he lacked agility, and had issues with the ball below his knees which is my only concern about him.
The rest he looks good. Physical, Competitive, skillful, accurate and a good decision maker. Now hopefully the body holds up and we are onto a winner.
I noticed he went to ground a lot. He probably doesn't have confidence to put all his weight on that knee and hold his ground.
That's what I noticed too; falls over far too often to be a genuine best 22 contender. Hopefully it was first season nerves or getting used to the tempo and he'll come on next season.
For mine it's the bottom six to eight... get across the board improvement from the Casboults, Rowes, Watsons, Lucus', Bootsmas, Bells, Cachias and Whites ... with the arrival of the Buckleys, Grahams, Menzels, Dochertys and whoever we draft. This lot will, in many respects, determine how well we do in 2014.
Sorry Baggers but you've slipped in to footy speak; we only have one of each of the players you've mentioned.
You're right about the bottom 6-8 improving though. If we can achieve that, it will take so much pressure off the top 6-8 and make it so much harder for the opposition to keep our guns quiet.
Thomas, if fit, means that one of Murphy, Gibbs, Judd, McLean or Thomas himself will have the freedom to tear the opposition a new arsehole.
Rowe and/or Casboult stepping up gives us a genuine tall forward but the key to our success is Watson. If he can hold down CHB, the ability to use Henderson as a key forward or swingman will give other coaches nightmares.
At the risk of being hammered, The only PM (in my time) who has had a grasp on foreign policy was Paul Keating. Not ashamed to say I was and still am a huge fan of the man.
I'm on your side on this one DU. One of the few PMs who had a vision for the country that went beyond the next election.
