[Another old post from my Diary of Dadness archives]

I still have my old football cards which date from about 1969-1985. Every now and then I look back over them and critique them as works of photography.

Geoff Blethyn kicked 107 goals in a VFL season this year (1972), wearing glasses. And yet you never hear about him. The photographer has chosen the same dramatic angle for all the Essendon shots it seems. A kind of, well, up the shorts angle really.

What is going on here with Ross Brewer’s arms? I’ll bet he was a hoot when he did his Mr Tickle routine in the rooms after training.

I love a player who strikes the same pose year after year, especially a lairy one like “selling the dummy”. Peter Bedford had all the skills and won the Brownlow Medal. Paul Callery is mostly remembered for being tiny and going on to be a stats man on ABC radio – I think he has a PhD now as the other fellas call him “Doctor”.

Sometimes the ball gets a bit slippery. These pics all have a touch of “whoaaaah there” about them.

And finally: the Swans mostly-white jumper seems to have caused some over-exposure problems here. He would have been stumbling around blinded for a while after the flash went off.

[This is my comment on Dugald’s post that has now grown up to be its own post]

I jumped about like an idiot when Dusty scored – so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy about the four points! But looking at the big picture – where is the progress in the last 12 months? If our veterans, our improving mid-range and our star youngsters all lose their bottle like that? Against Carlton, again, just like round 1, 2013.

The Vickery goal near the end was like something from an under-6 soccer game. And our miserable opposition – the worst Carlton team we have faced in years, they came out with their boots on the wrong feet, and we still couldn’t put them away?

When two teams have a traditional rivalry, pumping that up is always to the benefit of the weaker team. And I think we are currently a much better team than Carlton.

Next time we play them (you wouldn’t think they’ll make the finals so probably next year) I would like us all to treat them like the Western Bulldogs, or St Kilda. No fear, no undue respect, no hoodoo, no rivalry. Just a team who are so light on talent they still hope Jarrad Waite is going to turn into a player.

4 goals up at quarter time, 6 goals at half time, kill it off in the 3rd and in the last you have the choice; go for percentage or rest a few guns. This is what I want from Richmond!!

There’ll be plenty of time for Rivalry Razzamatazz when we are duking it out for a spot in the top 4. For now, it just plays into their hands.