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Graeme

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  1. Graeme

    Chapter 50

    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
  2. Graeme

    Chapter 50

    Thank you! Yes, the characters have surprised me many times. As an example, Ty was not intended to be a dominant character in book 1. However, he's the assertive type and sort-of took over...
  3. Graeme

    Chapter 50

    It would be wonderful if things work out for everyone. Sadly, that rarely happens in real-life. To make the jump from the VFL to the AFL you really need to stand out. Deon is standing out so he's got a decent chance. Ty is also standing out, but it was never his playing skills that held him back, and his change in attitude is not standing out...because by the very nature of the change, he's not trying to stand out. It's much easier to notice the person yelling 'look at me' than it is the quiet achiever who is standing in the background.
  4. Graeme

    Chapter 50

    Thank you! Unfortunately, when a serious mental health issue is left untreated for a long period of time, a complete recovery isn't always possible. We may wish it to be different, but...
  5. Graeme

    Chapter 50

    Possibly not
  6. Graeme

    Chapter 50

    Thank you! I have to defend the AFL recruiting teams, though. They spoke to Ty a lot the previous year and learnt what sort of person he is. They can see he's still a great player, but do they have any evidence that his attitude has changed? A preliminary contact using the contact details from his draft nomination form to stay in touch seems appropriate...and those contact details goes to his father. Why should they look any further?
  7. Graeme

    Chapter 50

    Peter glared around the meeting room. “Tomorrow is the last game of the home-and-away season. We’re playing Geelong, the team that beat us back in April.” He paused as he took in the demeanour of the assembled players. The Leopards were heading into the match after two good wins against Sandringham and Werribee, while several of the other teams in the lower half of the eight had had losses in the preceding weeks, allowing the Leopards to creep up the ladder. There was an aura of optimism that P
  8. The article I read yesterday about this said that there's a renewed push to reinstate Pluto as a planet. I doubt it'll get anywhere, but it's certainly amazing to finally know more about the place. The article in today's newspaper indicated that it appears Pluto is geologically active -- they were surprised by not only the lack of impact craters, but also what appears to be a new mountain range. It's good to see that there are still things to surprise and entice us.
  9. Beautiful Thank you for posting this!
  10. Happy Birthday, Dabeagle! :joe: :joe:
  11. Graeme

    Chapter 49

    Consistency can be elusive at the top level of sports, especially in team sports. I remember my brother-in-law telling me about a round of golf he had with a friend. They would hit two balls at every shot, and then play on from the best one. They both ended up with sub-par rounds. That showed that if they were consistent, they could approach professional standards. But without consistency, you don't get the results needed at that level. With team sports, not only do you need everyone playing consistently, but you also need the other team to not play with the same level of consistency. The dynamics become a lot more challenging.
  12. Graeme

    Chapter 49

    The Leopards are one big family. They have their problems at time, but when they need to, they rally around. Their support for Dave is one such example. As for Doug, maybe Liam is right and he just needs to find the right partner to bring him into line?
  13. Graeme

    Chapter 49

    Thank you! Early on during the writing of this story I worked out the fixture for the entire season, and which games the Leopards would win or lose. The team isn't perfect, and the other teams in the competition aren't weak. Some losses were to be expected. For some reasons, losses quite often come in a bunch, and that's what's happened here. Will it continue or will they get themselves back into winning mode? That remains to be seen...
  14. Graeme

    Chapter 49

    Thank you! I don't know what else to say...
  15. Graeme

    Chapter 49

    Thank you! I can't comment on most of what you've said, but I'll say that it seems that most teams recognise Ty's skills. They're just don't think he's capable of being an AFL player....
  16. Graeme

    Chapter 49

    Ty scowled at Jim across the kitchen table. “That’s it? The launch of a gay-supporters group? That’s all it was about? Why the fuck were you being so secretive?” Jim couldn’t quite hide the smirk as he twirled some spaghetti onto his fork. “Because they asked me to keep it quiet.” “You told Tony.” Ty glared at Deon and Ryan. “Back me up here, guys. Dad was a bastard for not telling us the truth. He led us on, making us think the Bombers were interested in him as a player.” Ryan chuckled. “Who
  17. Graeme

    Chapter 48

    Ollie does tend to go a little too far at times.... He means well, though. No comment on Dave apart to say that he is still undergoing treatment. Recovering from what he went through is something that takes time. Lots of time....
  18. Graeme

    Chapter 48

    Ollie is...well...Ollie. He's not shy when it comes to sex.
  19. Graeme

    Chapter 48

    Thank you! I've been trying to set this story against real events. The formation of the Purple Bombers is one such event. It was too important to ignore
  20. Graeme

    Chapter 48

    Doug's 'relationship' with Neil is to be expected. He's spent years considering Neil as a lesser lifeform and he doesn't have Liam's incentive to change his point of view. He's coming around, but as you've said, it's lukewarm and only really for Liam's benefit. That doesn't mean it's not real, though. I know of adults in their thirties (and older) who only tolerate someone because they are the partner of one of their friends. Doug's got no reason to 'like' Neil apart from the one that justifies his interactions: Neil is Liam's boyfriend. Otherwise, Doug would be just as happy to ignore him. And thanks for the comment on the shower scene. I enjoyed writing that one
  21. Graeme

    Chapter 48

    Liam knows who gave him the DNA subscription. He would've given it away if it was Doug. And it wasn't Doug who made the comment about Julie -- Doug was going to give free dental work to the guy who made that comment, if he could find out who did...
  22. Graeme

    Chapter 48

    Thank you! Having characters evolve and develop is always a challenge so I'm very happy that you feel that they are still 'true' to who they are.
  23. Graeme

    Chapter 48

    Liam accepted the birthday present and then leant over and gave Clarissa a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for coming.” “Thanks for inviting me.” She glanced up at the overcast sky. “At least it’s stopped raining.” Liam chuckled. “I knew I was taking a risk in having an outdoors party in the middle of winter, but given that it’s football, most people wouldn’t care. I’m just glad it wasn’t yesterday.” There had been almost constant rain the previous day, never heavy, but enough to make the football
  24. I know I'm biased, but I don't think his dissent was particularly convincing.
  25. Happy Birthday! :music: :music:
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