What do Victorians do on a weekend without football?

I just got a phone call from, Melbourne and it seems there are thousands walking or driving around aimlessly and not knowing what to do. For many it seems like the end of the world and there is a whole week end with no football.

Wives are telling their husbands " For Gods sake get out of the house, out from under my feet. Go to the pub or something." Those with younger partners are chasing them around the kitchen, Mans got to fill the time in somehow. Wonder if there will be a spike in births in nine months time, after all some girls are just as bewildered and lost as the blokes.

Maybe the media can have a program with suggestions of what to do when there is a weekend without footy. How will some survive and what to talk about next week?

NRL is my game, but the weekend after the grand final is like death, the next month not much better, one benefit stands out however, in my game we will not have to question all week why game officials can not get it right

It's cold and raining in Melbourne this week-end.

I spent much of the day cooking for "Father's Day" tomorrow.

Having the whole family over for lunch.

"If I could write a story
It'd be the Greatest ever told
'Cause I'd write about our fathers
And their great big hearts of gold."

Happy Father's Day to All the Dads out there!

Well Said Foxy miss my dad still he was 54 when we lost him so long ago, but mums and dads never die while our hearts still beat

A Footballless weekend---UTOPIA!!

Dear Belly,

I understand how you feel. I miss my father as well.
He died some years back at the age of 52.
Mum passed away just seven months ago. It was her
Birthday on 28th August - (a few days ago)
and I miss her dreadfully.

Is Melbourne coming of Age ?

Dear Banjo,

Us football tragics aren't too concerned. The break means those players who have been carrying niggling injuries can get themselves right for the finals. As a Cats supporter I'm really looking forward to some great footy.

I've not been to a game in nearly four years in protest about the moving billboards the league allowed around boundary at games. I refuse to pay good money for a ticket just to be distracted by advertising. I now find it better to watch it on the telly as the angles preclude much of the visual pollution.

A Telstra mobile lets me watch all the games free and through covert means we are able to view them on our TV.

I deeply regret that corporate interests have turned my St Peters into a Hillsong but it was never the game's fault. It is the best in the world in my less than humble opinion.

Before that one of my most favourite religious/football pilgrims was to walk the concourse from Flinders Street Station to the MCG on a Friday night to barrack for the team. With the lights on at the stadium and the seagulls circling in the glare joining 10s of thousands of people making their way to the ground. The atmosphere, the deep congeniality which only really seems to occur in Victoria, and the anticipation just embraces you. It is one of the great stadiums of the world.

I remember taking a visiting German and his family to a game at the MCG. He was astounded by the fact it could seat over 100,000 telling me the largest football stadium in Germany was about 75,000 capacity. When I told him we were expecting nealy that for an ordinary home and away game he didn't believe it until the official attendance came up on the score board, 78,000. He loved every minute of the game, particularly the physicality and the speed. One observation was that the violence was on the field yet he saw nothing in the crowd, it seems it is the other way round in Germany.

//What do Victorians do on a weekend without football?

I just got a phone call from, Melbourne and it seems there are thousands walking or driving around aimlessly and not knowing what to do.//

Do they not have libraries in Melbourne?

It seems even worse here in SA, as it's a footyless September...

...except that it isn't! Though the AFL is conspicuously absent, the SANFL are still playing; so too the SAAFL.

Over the border, I'd expect the VFL to be playing this weekend. Aren't they?

If so, I think this thread's a bit premature. The significant gap in football is next month, between the footy finishing and the (A league) soccer starting.

Hi Toni,

And what could you possibly suggest the average football fan do in a library?
Sit on a pile of books and watch a replay Biffo and Buffo having a toe to toe with each other in last weeks match between the Wombats and the Galahs.

Wow! I knew steely was a bit soft in the head, but I had no idea he was that bad.

It explains a lot about his posts. What's left of a brain addled by aerial Ping-Pong.

Hi there BELLY ol' Chap...

Whenever we lose a parent it hits us pretty hard. Most of my early life I believed I knew much more about things then my father did. In fact the younger I was, the smarter I was, that was until I lost him? He went through the Great Depression, WWll, always worked hard. I recall he'd come home from work, and give our mother, his pay envelope, which was always unopened.
He had a very poor education, but an unusual flair 'for figures' was the term they used to use, in the day, for arithmetic or maths, just basic computations. He hated me joining the police force especially after I left the Army - right or wrong I always deferred to him where possible. I miss him more and more, but it's all too late now he's gone. Value you parents while they're still around, to be valued.

Hi o sung wu, I was one of the lucky ones too, dad came back from the war. The depression was pretty disastrous for him too. He spent 2 years clearing scrub at 10 shillings & keep a week.

He died 31 years ago of a stroke. I didn't miss him much then. Mum didn't drive, & couldn't live in their retirement home in an out of the way spot, so I was pretty busy selling her little place, buying & installing the granny flat, & moving her in.

Strangely I missed dad dreadfully when mum died. He was keen on all football codes, & knew what he was talking about too.

I am not interested myself. I have never been a spectator, you couldn't give me a ticket to any match. I have not been to a motor race since I stopped driving the F1, & have not been to an equestrian event since my last show jumping meet. I'd rather be doing something no matter how low the level, than watch even the very best.

'evening to you HASBEEN...

My Dad could pretty well tell you what League teams to follow, who was in form, and out of form. But nothing like cricket. What he didn't know about cricket wasn't worth knowing. He actually played against Don BRADMEN back in the day at Bowral NSW, BRADMAN with his brilliant stroke play managing to fracture my Dad's thumb with a drive right the way to the covers.

I too played cricket (dismally) but I tried nevertheless. But always baulked when that 'six stitcher' came at me with any speed, particularly when I was supposed to catch the bloody thing? Anyway I managed to hold the Light Heavy Crown at 'Basket Weaving' and held my own in 'Carpet Bowl's'. Other than that, I was an unremarkable sportsman. When I had my first 3 x 3 rounder, I thought no way, I'm not going to be hit by anyone, without first getting paid for it. Thereafter all my bouts were professional.

Dear Hasbeen,

Oi, I resemble that remark.

Actually I'm nowhere near as bad as my brother. He is a superstitious wreak when it comes to footy matches. Tight games he feels it is bad luck even to sit down and will pace until the game finishes. Most of us are pretty normal outside of match time but Aussie rules has a way of turning the most sensible Victorians into tribal nut jobs.

All is not lost for the misguided footy starved Victorians. But come Saturday, September 29th the poor folk of Victoria will wish they never invented the game!

Some clarity is required concerning the origins of this so called "game" of aerial ping-PONG, and I stress the word pong, as it does PONG. The perverted practice began in 1896 when a demented bunch of bored drunken rugby players, with nothing better to do, attempted, but failed dismally, to have a game of soccer using the hallowed ball of rugby! Sacrilege in itself, this game, for want of a better term, has continued to this day. Fortunately for the rest of Australia, this perverted pursuit is confined only to a few of the more seedy parts of Melbourne, and played only by a handful of the local delinquent youth.
I must admit in all fairness the "game" has been known to attract crowds of three or four, even a capacity mob of five will attend dumps and tips to watch this ridiculous spectacle.

The good news! I understand there is a Sydney team in the competition, The MIGHTY SYDNEY SWANS, and it is a forgone conclusion that they will win the flag yet again! Firstly we will dispose of some local upstarts on September 8th, then we'll get stuck into the Mexicans from south of the boarder! Its all WIN, WIN, WIN for the MIGHTY SYDNEY SWANS.

Unbiased facts posted by Paul1405.

Hi there STEELEREDUX...

Well that explains a lot I think, coming as you do from Victoria with your admission that Aussie Rules turns it's spectators into 'tribal nut jobs'. I always thought Aussie Rules is a simple game made complicated by idiots and where stupidity is popular.

If it's tribalism you wish to observe, try attending a test series of indoor Croquet. They say this sport or activity 'Croquet' when played releases a chemical that makes you feel so good and smug for the rest of the day, at least until your nurse gives you your medication, and suggest you get back to bed.

Seriously, I played League both in the Army and later with one of our police teams. Sure I enjoyed the game; playing L prop and Hooker (my preferred position) still the game never 'grabbed' me as it were. But the call of the 'square ring' (what an 'oxymoron') and being paid for it, well that was my preferred 'sport'.

I understand the passion and excitement people generate, when watching a great footy match. Whether it's Rugby League, Union or Aussie Rules. And we mustn't discount the round ball game of soccer, which some say, including myself, is the true football. Actually I happen to like the Storm as a team. Craig BELLAMY is a marvellous Coach with that unique ability to draw out the very best in players. Personally I'll never knock sport per se, as it's so great for our overall good health

I played most types of football at school, but even there I discovered horses, where all the power is supplied, & you only have to supply the finesse to control & guide the power. That was it, no more running around getting all sweaty & smelly for me.

Talking about power, I then discovered jet flying machines, they take a fair bit of finesse to get them back to earth in one piece, but it is fun. Racing cars like my Brabham Repco was great fun, & it requires a fair bit of Finesse to break Bathurst lap records, but the ultimate is a good yacht surfing down a wave at 20 knots.

It will be hard for many to believe, but 20 knots in a yacht is a damn sight faster than 180 MPH in a car, or the sound barrier in a jet.

With all these great things to actually do, I can't imagine why anyone would go to some field with 90,000 others & shout them selves silly watching 20 to 30 dills kick a ball around.

Hell, flying my little toy planes around the bottom paddock has got to be more fun than that.

Hi there HASBEEN...

Point taken. However to be honest I couldn't be more amazed at flying a military aircraft off the deck of an A/C Carrier, and then doing a few circuits and putting it down again, all in one piece. I understand the Navy do get a bit upset if you bang-up their aeroplanes? Sure car racing is great, and I suppose Yachting has it's own set of thrills as well.

My only really unforgettable experience is scooting along at tree top height in a Huey, going flat out about 110 - 120 KTAS, over dense jungle terrain. You can almost reach out and touch the tree top foliage, you're so close to the trees. When we were in Malaysia (1964 - 65) operating along the Malay/Thai Border, the densest part of the entire peninsular, we actual saw an Elephant drinking and showing itself in a stream. Another time we saw a tiger in another stream drinking. That's by far the most exciting thing I ever took part in, only as a passenger of course. Still not a lot of people have seen nature up close and personal as that?

The only other thing which I no longer have, nor participate in, I (had) an unrestricted (fixed wing) PPL endorsed on PA-28's C-172 C-180's and the Piper tail-wheel. I Was keen to obtain a IFR rating and perhaps venture onto twins. However cost's were prohibitive even back in the mid 1960's - and early 1970's.

enjoy Hasbeen still in my garden until death ealy life saw me still paying for it but get around ok are you still growing daylilies? frost this year murdered mine back on thread my game is NRL and not my team but Bulldogs are in the gun, they let a drunken party be photoed naked men who have head butted once too often now NSW front page

Don't worry about your daylilies Belly, in cold climates they frost off at ground level every winter. If left undisturbed, they will come back in the spring. In the very near future in fact. It is only in warmer climates they are evergreen. You can dig them up & store them, but they don't seem to need that.

I'm not doing much these days, I'm waiting to be made a bionic man, with titanium knees. I need one of those little cranes they used to lift knights up onto their horses to get me back up, if I get down on my knees.

Don't like those chopper things o sung wu, in fact they scare the living daylights out of me. When I joined the navy we had a dozen of those Wessex things. We lost 5 in about 4 years, & some took their crew with them. It sounds to me that you liked living much more dangerously than you have led us to believe previously.

You're right about the navy getting crabby if people don't bring the planes back. We were a bit short of Venoms toward the end there. However quite often the blokes who don't bring them back, don't come back either. A bit hard for commander air to rouse on them in that case.

Yep private flying is ridiculously expensive. I had a lady friend once who bought herself a tiger moth, then kept her self broke trying to keep it in the air.

I must thank you & other taxpayers for paying for my flying. Kind of you I'm sure.

Speaking on my own behalf, it's been my absolute pleasure to assist in some modest way in keeping you in the Air, HASBEEN as you've so accustomed to have become. It's all good mate.

One thing in conclusion, when I was Loadmaster in the HUEY I'd often sit left hand seat, with the Pilot always sitting in RH seat in rotary wing. Occasionally when flying straight and level he'd hand me the Yoke, mate I'm hear to tell you, they're not easy to fly the bugger's.

Thanks Hasbeen look forward to spring,[it can not read calendars] hope you get much better, my legs and back are not good took a few bad falls before understanding I am not a kid any more cheers

Sometimes mate you feel like putting a bullet in you head. with the friggin pain.

Yes o sung wu, I am taking a couple of prescription medicines that I would rather not. I've found stuff called Vital 3. 3 drops in water every morning has done wonders for the pains in bed at night. I recently had a cortisone injection in a shoulder I injured repairing some fencing. The results are amazing. All pain gone in 36 hours, & it appears permanently. I should have let them do it 9 months ago when I injured the thing.

One thing about the pain, it reminds you that you're no longer a kid, so you should start taking more care. It also triggers your thinking.

I have one & a half acres in the house paddock About half of that is shrubs & fruit trees. Last year I found picking up prunings pretty hard. This year I hooked the little trailer onto the ride on mower, & drove it under the shrubs, so the prunings fell into the trailer.

It was even stable enough for me to stand in the trailer to reach many of the higher branches, which also fell into the trailer.

As a mate of mine used to say, "it's no good getting old, if you don't get cunning".

I have a couple of ex footballer mates who live with a lot of pain, with the battering they gave their bodies, & the games are played much harder today. I reckon todays players are really going to pay dearly for their fun & high earnings.

You're right mate, I can just imagine what your two footballer mates are going through; as you are as well. Sure cortisone is brilliant, but in my case it only lasts between 3 to 5 months. I have it injected at the base of each thumb (regularly) and occasionally, in the palm of each hand at the base of my fingers. My thumbs are by far the worst.

I've been on 'Ordine 5', 10mls x twice per day & Kapanol 50mg x twice daily. HASBEEN it's like being in chemical handcuffs, it really is. I spoke to my Quack and he said I'm too old to worry about coming off it, but I could reduce the dose very carefully and incrementally, if I wish to? So over the past 6 weeks or so, I've reduced my Ordine 5 down to 5mls x twice per day. Which has made me much happier.

I notice you do a fair bit of manual work around your property, like fencing, pruning of your fruit trees, together with other physically demanding activities. Do you find it exacerbates your level of pain; or has more of a therapeutic effect, because of the exercise component associated with manual work? Oddly, after I've done a bit of physically work I tend to feel better in myself, though much sorer. Beats me mate? Just take care of yourself is all, OK?

I think keeping active helps, but I have to pace myself. I have quite a few chores to do in the afternoon, Feeding the daughters horse, filling his water trough, watering my hibiscus & such like.

Nothing too strenuous, but I have to be careful to save the capacity to do it. Do too much before hand, & the 200 metre walk buck up the hill from the pump can be pretty bad.

My lady has suggested I take the ute, or the ride on mower. I'm inclined to think if I start that, it won't be long before I can't do anything.