What is the truth?
May 21st 2008 21:12
According to historian Gillian Hibbins Adam Goodes is a racist when he suggests that indigenous men are born to play footy, and The Age`s Martin Flanagan is romanticising the aboriginal role when he refers to the development and origins of Australian rule football.You wonder does Ms Hibbins feel tourist companies when they buy into national stereotypes are funadamentally racist too, do they Irish spend all their time laughing in alittle pub in the west of Ireland? Do all aussies spend all the day hanging around beautiful beaches? Perhaps, she accepts this with the literary licence with which it is delivered, similar to what Goodes was surely infering! When Goodes said indigenous Australians are born to play, clearly he was referring to the style of play favoured by many of the indigenous stars, the likes of Andrew McCleod who although plays within his designated "Anglo-Celt" structured role for the Adelaide Crows, he still is an impulsive free spirit within that framework, and when he is unorthodox it is when he is at his best.
Even channel 9`s Tony Jones in his column in the Age, refers to the suggestion that Marngrook, the game played by indigenous Australians prior to colonisation, had a role in the development of football. Now, granted Tony`s sources may already have been mentioned and his research is not unique, nor nearly as controversial as the debate that exists between Flanagan and Hibbins regarding the significance of the role Tom Wills had in the outset of footy, but how novel is to think of TONY JONES as an historian!
There is something, perhaps to at least equate with that, how about Brian Taylor the Demographer, yes BT,(just bacon and tomatoe "No Lettuce") from Triple M and FOX!, recently on FOX`s program the Backpage, No Lettuce challenged his colleagues, when discussing 20-20 cricket in the Indian Premier League, as to how many teams they could name. Unsurprisingly the"Anthropologists" around could not name one, which No Lettuce used as clear indication that the IPL will not last. Amazing process of deduction in dismissing the passion for over a billion people for the love they have for all aspects of cricket. No Lettuce`s insight is not confined either, when discussing the impending interchange change in procedures, the big fella had to suppress his giggles as he asked his cohorts on FOX`s league teams, what they thought of Neil " The Professor"Craig of Adelaide "The Good Students"trialing the process during training. It is hardkly poetic to note the ensuing assessment by the varying clubs, notably, Collingwood "Noone Like us..We don`nt care", where No Lettuce moonlights as forwards coach, and as usual senior coach Mick "No soup for you" Malthouse was scathing of change pre and post match, as was illustrated in their win over the Saints on the subsequent Friday night game, the interchange at Collingwood was a comedy of errors, with their steward looking like he was trying to keep the number of players on the ground to 17, meanwhile the Crows said they had no issue with new rinterchange rule.
Perhaps Hibbins sees something in footy the rest of us do not and maybe we should request her assessment of the other players within the realms of footy. She could start with the coaches, granted she may need a psychologist to unravel what they true message is, or even their true identity. Matthew Knights of Essendon And Alastair Clarkson are examples of public displays of potential double standards, Knights in reference to Jobe Watson`s injury said " Watson was too valuable a player to risk" so he would probably wait a week or more before returning him to the fray, which begs the question who does he classify as not valuable enough to wait to recover at Essendon before he picks them. Knights or 'Kitchener" as he may become known to the less talented up at Windy Hill as, has shades of a first world war General about, there is officers and there is cannon fodder, clearly Watson is an officer in the bomber army. "Kitchener" has regularly declared that he is teaching his players how to attack before he develops their defensive skills, which seems akin to learning how to drive going downhill in a V8 with no brakes. At what stage do the players then start to prioritise defense over attack, or more to the point what will the cues be for its time to the slam the brakes on ..NOW! Aah! Too late what a shame another smashed up V8. The less talented down at Windy Hill must be anxious when they hear whistles at training, wondering whether it is there cue to head down hill in attack or "to go over the top" ala diggers in the first world war trenches. Maybe Knights has got a little carried away with the combat analogies that abound around Anzac Day!
In the height of "Chokegate", when Hawthorn`s Mark Williams used the hanging noose physical analogy as his way of describing the Port Adelaide performance, Clarkson suggested that behaviour was a potential fast exit from the club unless he apologised to everyone between Murray Bridge and Port Lincoln. This threat raises the question of what would have been the reaction had Buddy been the perpetrator, clearly the options for a player would be slightly different, we could readily assume. There is no way in this mortal world would Clarkson threaten his once in a generation type star with the same medicine as suggested for Williams, yes sure Coaches use public forums as varying methods of motivation, but, would Buddy be threatened with the sack if had instigated " Chokegate". Clarkon would be guilty of suicidal coaching if that were the case. The "Little General" would no doubt find his Waterloo should he apply the same conditions to Buddy, had he been the transgresser
Down at Moorabbin the St. Kilda coach has taken truth serum and he can`nt resist the brutal realities when he chats with the media, Regarding injured and out of form Fraser Gehrig, Ross Lyon in a performance "Dustin Hoffmanesque" from the movie "Rainman", Ross the "Rainman" tells it like it is, there is no sentiment in footy, in reference to big Fraser`s predicament, you can almost here the assistants down at St. Kilda as Rainman constantly repeats, " no sentiment in footy.no sentiment in footy. no sentiment in footy." "Sshh here comes Fraser". "What was that?" says Fraser approaching. "Nothing mate, just telling Rainman the one about the racist, the historian and the demographer were inthis pub..
There is something, perhaps to at least equate with that, how about Brian Taylor the Demographer, yes BT,(just bacon and tomatoe "No Lettuce") from Triple M and FOX!, recently on FOX`s program the Backpage, No Lettuce challenged his colleagues, when discussing 20-20 cricket in the Indian Premier League, as to how many teams they could name. Unsurprisingly the"Anthropologists" around could not name one, which No Lettuce used as clear indication that the IPL will not last. Amazing process of deduction in dismissing the passion for over a billion people for the love they have for all aspects of cricket. No Lettuce`s insight is not confined either, when discussing the impending interchange change in procedures, the big fella had to suppress his giggles as he asked his cohorts on FOX`s league teams, what they thought of Neil " The Professor"Craig of Adelaide "The Good Students"trialing the process during training. It is hardkly poetic to note the ensuing assessment by the varying clubs, notably, Collingwood "Noone Like us..We don`nt care", where No Lettuce moonlights as forwards coach, and as usual senior coach Mick "No soup for you" Malthouse was scathing of change pre and post match, as was illustrated in their win over the Saints on the subsequent Friday night game, the interchange at Collingwood was a comedy of errors, with their steward looking like he was trying to keep the number of players on the ground to 17, meanwhile the Crows said they had no issue with new rinterchange rule.
In the height of "Chokegate", when Hawthorn`s Mark Williams used the hanging noose physical analogy as his way of describing the Port Adelaide performance, Clarkson suggested that behaviour was a potential fast exit from the club unless he apologised to everyone between Murray Bridge and Port Lincoln. This threat raises the question of what would have been the reaction had Buddy been the perpetrator, clearly the options for a player would be slightly different, we could readily assume. There is no way in this mortal world would Clarkson threaten his once in a generation type star with the same medicine as suggested for Williams, yes sure Coaches use public forums as varying methods of motivation, but, would Buddy be threatened with the sack if had instigated " Chokegate". Clarkon would be guilty of suicidal coaching if that were the case. The "Little General" would no doubt find his Waterloo should he apply the same conditions to Buddy, had he been the transgresser
Down at Moorabbin the St. Kilda coach has taken truth serum and he can`nt resist the brutal realities when he chats with the media, Regarding injured and out of form Fraser Gehrig, Ross Lyon in a performance "Dustin Hoffmanesque" from the movie "Rainman", Ross the "Rainman" tells it like it is, there is no sentiment in footy, in reference to big Fraser`s predicament, you can almost here the assistants down at St. Kilda as Rainman constantly repeats, " no sentiment in footy.no sentiment in footy. no sentiment in footy." "Sshh here comes Fraser". "What was that?" says Fraser approaching. "Nothing mate, just telling Rainman the one about the racist, the historian and the demographer were inthis pub..
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