Graeme

Happy (belated) Birthday, Sammy!

What does everyone have against Ty's dad? He's just your average egotistical, arrogant, selfish control freak who doesn't have the faintest idea of who his son is. Is he really that bad? On a more serious note, do you really thing that Ty will ever not be a brat?

Thank you!

Doctors who specialise in sporting injuries will be aware of the issue you've raised. The clubs are not so narrow-focused that they'll ignore the long-term risks associated with this sort of treatment. Yes, there's a risk. In this particular case, without appropriate treatment and strengthening exercises, there is a risk of Ty's kneecap dislocation becoming a chronic condition where it pops out from time to time. Does the accelerated healing process that they're using increase that risk? If Ty was in an AFL club, the doctors would be able to supervise his rehab to minimise that risk. Are the Leopards' medical team also sufficient to do the same?

The preliminary final round is where the last four teams of the competition play off to see who makes it through to the final game. In this case those teams are the Lilydale Leopards, Box Hill Hawks, Footscray, and Port Melbourne. While in most places, that would be considered to be the semi-finals, in the VFL (and AFL) the round of games played the week before are called the semi-finals. The top eight teams in the competition play in the finals. The first round is A: 1 vs 4, B: 2 vs 3, C: 5 vs 8, D: 6 vs 7. The winners of games A and B go straight through to the preliminary finals. The losers of A and B play the winners of C and D the following week in the round known as the semi-finals, and the losers of C and D are eliminated. The winners of the semi-finals play the winners of games A and B, but allocated so the loser of game A (if they win the semi-final) will play the winner of game B in the preliminary final, and similar for the loser of game B.

Thank you! One of my beta-readers said that Julie would probably kill Ty because of that nickname. I'm glad to see that you also agree with that prognosis. The question is whether Julie will let him live long enough to play one more game...

Thanks, Tim! Unfortunately, while the clubs can prevent Ty's father from becoming a member (if he bothered to try), they can't stop him from attending games. As for the rest of your speculations, you'll just have to wait. As you've realised, defeating the Hawks without Ty is a tough challenge.

Ty’s father was working when his phone rang on Monday morning. As he was expecting a call from a customer, he answered it without checking the caller ID. “Robert Flanders.” “Er...hi, Robert. Is Ty there?” Mr. Flanders paused while he realigned his thoughts from work to his recalcitrant son. “Who is this?” “Isaac Long from the Hawthorn Football Club. I heard about Ty’s injury, and I wanted to check how he’s doing.” “He’s doing as well as can be expected.” Mr. Flanders decided to keep his repl

Everyone in this thread has a valid point. There are multiple areas of discrimination and same-sex marriage was only one of them. Employment is another and is easily argued as the more important one. However, when there are multiple goals of different sizes, sometimes the best approach is to go for the smaller ones and use those as building blocks to get to the bigger ones. Going for the bigger ones without first having the foundations in place is a much tougher fight. Legally, I suspect same-sex marriage was an easier fight than anti-discrimination laws. The danger is that there will be a discrimination backlash, but that could've happened for a failed bid at anti-discrimination laws, too. Ultimately, the goal is for society to see gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals, transgender, and inter-sex people as a normal part of society. If you look at it from that perspective, same-sex marriage is an important stepping stone because it brings the issue front-and-centre for a lot of people who otherwise have not thought about it, and normalises same-sex relationships. When same-sex relationships are seen as normal, it's much harder to justify employment discrimination on that basis. As I see it, short-term, anti-discrimination laws for the workplace are the more important goal, but longer term, same-sex marriage will have the bigger impact. Tactically, do you go for the immediate need, or do you go for the item that gives the best longer-term benefit? Personally, I can't say which should've been the focus. One goal has been achieved. Now it's time to work on the second goal.

Boy who couldn't afford books asks mailman for junk mail to read Another story that's put a smile on my face

Bailey Matthews, eight-year-old with cerebral palsy, completes UK triathlon. The article includes the video of Bailey leaving his walking frame behind and completing the event unaided.

Thanks for letting us know I wish him all the best and hope for a speedy and full recovery

Thank you!

Thank you! I've been trying hard to be descriptive for the football scenes as I'm very much aware that most readers won't know the game. The injury itself won't stop his chance of being drafted. Many young players have been drafted while injured. As long as the club knows the details, they can make a judgment call as to whether the medical condition is temporary or something more serious. In the book I have about the 2007 draft, one player waited until the end of the football season before he had the shoulder surgery he needed. Another had a problem with his knee; the comment in the book was that the club knew more about that knee than the player himself!

Thank you! Yes, there is a good chance of a third book. I won't say anything more at this point in time

Happy Birthday, Jimmy!

Sorry about ruining your Saturday morning, but injuries happen. Charlie was hurt during training at the start of the season, Roger was hurt during a game, and Zach's been showing signs of muscle tightness. Ty also had tight muscles earlier in the season, when Julie started him on the endurance training. If anything, the Leopards have had a remarkably injury-free season. Most teams would've had more.

LOL -- I really haven't had a chance to check out what underwear football players wear, but I suspect it's generally briefs. Whether there are players who risk embarrassment by wearing briefs that aren't good...well...I don't know.

Thank you!

Thanks, Maarten! A dislocated kneecap, assuming no other damage has been done, generally means around 6 weeks off. Ty will be fit and ready for the pre-season that starts in December, so he's only going to be off for a short time, not a full year.

“Go, Neil!” Bruce chuckled as he leant on the North Port Oval fence next to Liam. “You’re supposed to be cheering for the players, not the runners.” “It’s only one runner, and this is his first final. Plus he’s my boyfriend and I want him to know I’m here to support him.” “I know that, and that’s why we’re here this afternoon and why we’ll be back here next weekend, assuming the Leopards win. But it might be nice to cheer on some of the players, too, especially after that football clinic they

Done Welcome, everyone!

Happy Birthday, ATrueFan! :joe: :joe:

Happy Birthday, Mann! :music: :music:

Peta Searle became the first full-time female coach in the AFL in 2014 when St.Kilda hired her as an assistant coach. Before that, she as an assistant coach in the VFL for Port Melbourne. Females in coaching positions is still rare, but they're there. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-03-26/the-coach