gone missing...

Rickster from LA...

seems like a few of us have gone missing, me included. i must be experiencing a slight writing slump but hey viewers don't despair i shall dig deep to find some inspiration to return to my former witty, writing style. well for one i can tell you exactly what has gone missing...GOALS. yes GOALS...where are those damn goals? 7.18...SUPER OUCH GUYS!!! did you hear me? bloody super ouch, no make that a stab in the guts keeled over in pain realising that the siren is about to blow and we have just run out of time to snatch victory. i do believe some serious goal kicking practice is due with a bit of old fashioned torture thrown in. how about for every goal you miss you have to do one hundred push ups? or a 1000? mm, sounds too easy. how about for every goal you miss you have to eat dinner cooked by my former mother in law? hee, hee. that sounds more like it and boy that accuracy would improve dramatically guys i am telling ya. (sorry joy division you never really cut it in the cooking stakes) and where we come from very few will ever be able to match it with lovie's culinary nous. perhaps i should be dangling a dinner prepared by the infamous lovie herself. i'm telling ya, you will be wanting to move in next but she won't be cooking unless you are winning!!!
     seven from nine this round, did not get port nor roos although i should have listened to my footy instincts and gone with the roos. i did actually say to lovie, what's the bet that the roos beat hawthorn? true viewers and if you want confirmation well then you can ask her yourself. fancy that ?the roos have beaten the top four sides. so you can imagine i for one wouldn't be crying if that did not make the eight. nor would i be if the crows miss out too because those two teams are too unpredictable and the ones likely to inflict some damage come finals time...
     well i was at the game with lady army in tow. it also happened to be son number two's bday but unfortuntaely i have lost him to the dockers. that has been brewing for quite some time folks and i will leave it as it is coz he still supports port in sa. as i mentioned before it is a dad thing. luckily for him he was at the game with his dad and brother so it somehow softened the blow and just confirmed to my teenager that he doesn't want to particularly come to the football with me. moi? well i was the ambassador of international relations, bringing along an AFL virgin from venice beach, california. and to make sure i got in first i have given him my port power cap to take back and spread the message. he loved it and i have requested a photo of him wearing his new cap in front of an iconic landmark or better still with a world famous celebrity. i think he is up to the mission, go the rickster!!! 
     in a nutshell? wet conditions maybe but essendon were tougher at the tackling and put us under enormous pressure. trengove and carlise missing? yes of course it hurts but good teams find a way to plug the holes and get on with the game. thought the defence held up pretty well but our goal kicking let us down and it has for the past couple of weeks. even in the games we have won we have kicked far too many behinds that if a few had been converted would have made the difference between four points and zero. in anycase i wasn't going to sulk or blame the umpires. in actual fact we ended up having a pretty good night. upstairs in the magarey room to show our guests the after game gathering. we even got to meet some of the players and got the rickster in a photo with boaky for a memento of his AFL experience. i did notice that the room wasn't as full as usual but i can't say whether that was due to a loss or the weather. i can say yes it was disappointing. top spot was up for grabs and we didn't seize the opportunity.in anycase it certainly makes for an interesting finish. it is gonna be tight viewers. big blow to suns who may lose ablett which will certainly impact on their ability to keep a foothold on eighth position. collingwood need to find some form and hawthorn could be the team to struggle to stay in the top four.they are going to find adelaide hard to beat particularly if the adelaide we have seen in the past two weeks ( even though i hate admitting it) is the the team that shows up on friday night. one part of me wants hawks to win ( i think it is the emotional me) but the logical me says for goodness sakes let the crows have another win to crow about because it goes to the port cause. oooh what is one to do?
      well what is one to do? CHILLAX folks. yep. what will be will be. i subscribe to what i have said on many an occassion, come september and then the real games of footy begin. as we have already seen injuries, a bit of luck and everything can change in a blink of an eye. personally i am not going to rise to any hysteria regarding port and the bait that if one is to take just distills confidence and increases fear. and it may surprise some of you but i predicted ports premiership would come in 2015 because i am a realist folks. time and experience will only strengthen this dynamic, talented side. and as much as i would be ecstatic if the flag came our way this year i won't be crying if it doesn't.  i am patient and am optimistic to believe it will come and there will be more to follow. that is what is exciting. don't lose sight of the long term vision my friends, until the next round if you are an adelaidean, rug up coz it's bloody freezing outside.
love FFFandF XXX

PS we happened to meet peter caven ( former crows premiership player) on our way to the train station with his mate who was an essendon supporter but gracious in victory. lindi and i had a great, in depth footy conversation with him, ( he is impressed with port's turnaround) nice bloke. also met sam gray's dad ( now i know where he gets his height from, hee, hee) but a fun and amiable man willing to stop and have a chat coz he heard me mention sammy gray. yes a loss viewers but still an entertaining night for the rest of us who happened to miss the train...i wonder why? can't ever say i have been short of a word. LOL. time to bounce back and turn those tigers into pussycats!!!