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  1. #1
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    Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    I would like to discuss an AFL preconception.

    The blind presumption that two (or more) brothers would LOVE to play with each other for the same team.
    It seems to be universally considered as a mutually desirable outcome for all parties.
    Unquestionably a great thing.

    Ok.....
    To be at every training session together.
    Take every interstate flight together.
    Have all your stats compared.
    Attend every club function together. Etc etc.

    I, for one, would have HATED that. Seriously would have been utterly deflating.

    Jeeeeezus. You've just left home. (my home in St. Albans was CROWDED, believe me.......)

    So.......
    You're finally carving your OWN place in the world.
    You've just left the pressure cooker of home.
    Maybe moved interstate.
    You're breathing like a free man.
    You're competing only against yourself and a randomly selected group of strangers.
    You're making new friends, spreading your wings, chasing the dream.
    Your only burden, responsibility and focus is the team ethic and your own performance.
    The future is golden open and free.

    Then your little brother turns up....................


    I feel bad even saying it, like you're not even ALLOWED to, but it would have been the WORST thing for me at that age.

    THE WORST!

    So. I don't think teams should PRESUME drafting the brother is the right thing to do. Do some gentle research please.

    Thoughts Woofers?

    And replace brothers for sisters in regards the AFLW.
    Last edited by Dancin' Douggy; 20-10-2020 at 06:05 PM.

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  3. #2
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Dunno. Never had a brother or a sister. I would have loved to have had one but it is what it is.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

  4. #3
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    I got good ones and.............

  5. #4
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    I have one younger brother. His a Pies man and I’m a Dogs man.
    "Footscray people are incredible people; so humble. I'm just so happy - ecstatic"

  6. #5
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    Dunno. Never had a brother or a sister. I would have loved to have had one but it is what it is.
    You can have two of mine.
    "It's over. It's all over."

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  8. #6
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dancin' Douggy View Post
    I got good ones and.............
    Having said that I come from a family that was fairly well known around Footscray. Pretty much everyone knew my uncles and I constantly got the "oh you're so and so's nephew" and judged on their merits (not that they were bad people, maybe a touch on the scary side) or "oh yeah, I know your dad" response from most people I met. It always felt like I couldn't do anything without it getting back to my family one way or another. That used to shit me no end.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

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  10. #7
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    I wonder if the Cordy Brothers liked playing together?
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  11. #8
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Who knows? Maybe they hated it?

  12. #9
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    I wonder if the Cordy Brothers liked playing together?
    John Reid left Melbourne to come to Footscray to play with his brother Bruce when Bruce came down from Bendigo to play with us. The Daniher boys all ended up at at Essendon together. There are probably a few more examples of players joining their brothers at other clubs too. And there's lots of examples of players not doing it when they had the chance or leaving clubs where their brother was playing.

    It depends on the brothers I guess.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

  13. #10
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    John Reid left Melbourne to come to Footscray to play with his brother Bruce when Bruce came down from Bendigo to play with us. The Daniher boys all ended up at at Essendon together. There are probably a few more examples of players joining their brothers at other clubs too. And there's lots of examples of players not doing it when they had the chance or leaving clubs where their brother was playing.

    It depends on the brothers I guess.
    Hopefully young Macrae ends up with us as well as Libba
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  14. #11
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    Hopefully young Macrae ends up with us as well as Libba
    Lots of examples of brothers playing together happily just at our club.
    Mac Pherson ,Wheeler, Oconner, Atkins, Grant, Reid.
    I think if you come from interstate or country it’s good as you have some family with you.
    I know the club wanted Steve Macpherson a year early and only let him come because big brother was there to help.
    Admittedly he was only 16.
    Gary and Nathan Ablett, I get the feeling Nathan only played because Gary got in his ear.
    Bring back the biff

  15. #12
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    I guess for most families maybe it would be a positive.

    I just don't think clubs should presume it's a given.

  16. #13
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Quote Originally Posted by ledge View Post
    Lots of examples of brothers playing together happily just at our club.
    Mac Pherson ,Wheeler, Oconner, Atkins, Grant, Reid.
    I think if you come from interstate or country it’s good as you have some family with you.
    I know the club wanted Steve Macpherson a year early and only let him come because big brother was there to help.
    Admittedly he was only 16.
    Gary and Nathan Ablett, I get the feeling Nathan only played because Gary got in his ear.
    Spargos, Whittens.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

  17. #14
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    Spargos, Whittens.
    Probably more.
    I know we are talking brothers but I imagine sons and grandsons would probably want to play at the club they played for ..
    we had a big family that started with Dolly Aked and all through the Edwards family to the last in Butch , sadly Jake never got to the club but was very close.
    Bring back the biff

  18. #15
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    Re: Brothers. Brothers. Brothers.

    I'd always lived in the shadow of my older brother from a young age. He was smarter (still is), was better at sports (still is), and seemed to always have a leg up but at a point I started catching up and am still doing so.

    Football wise I went to his club (VAFA Old Boys) for my senior career. I got looked over constantly as a first year U/19 while he was playing seniors and by this time I was going really well. The next year of U/19 I won the B&F by a landslide but still didn't get a chance. We made it to A Grade the following year and I got yo-yo'd between seniors and seconds without explanation. The reality is the coach at the time didn't really rate me.

    All of a sudden I'm starting line up, playing great footy for a couple of years, we almost are the best side in the ammos first year of a new regime but bad kicking kept us out of the finals (I'm talking 2.15 in quarters across important games). Year two of the new regime, player revolt, I protested against it. We were the worst A grade ammo team for a long time.

    Old coaching team comes back in, my brother is made captain, I'm still first team but my hamstrings fail me almost at the rate my attitude does as a result of being relegated from A grade to B grade...….and then to C grade due to a complete lack of care for the basics of the game. We could have fought to remain in B grade.

    C grade comes along, I've lost it. I'm fat, have a bad attitude, my brother is still captain and the team starts winning. Footballers can get away with things in C grade you can't in the upper levels, I'm left incredulous that I'm not getting a game and it's probably right, but deep down I know it's because I've given up.

    I see my brother captain a C grade premiership and I'm super happy for him. By the time it rolled around I should have been playing. I know I was fought for at selection by my brother, but the politics within the club coupled with my shit attitude made it an impossibility.

    You never know what a change in personnel might do to a day at a time, I'll never forget what my brother did and what his name is against for that club. I'll remember how happy he looked and I'll never think a thought that could take that away from him.

    ****My brother bogged off to the UK for years and years and I've travelled the world. Footy isn't everything, academia isn't, we sit eye to eye at the table with respect, with no shadows cast. Everyone's happy and footy clubs are weird places full of weird people and while I may have let it worry me at a time, none of that worries me now.
    Last edited by jeemak; 21-10-2020 at 03:32 PM.
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

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