The Herald Sun took a trip down memory lane today with former St Kilda player Warwick Green recalling what life at a Victorian footy club in the late 1980s was like, just before the VFL became the AFL and footy went professional.
It doesn't seem that long ago, but in football terms, 20 years is an eternity, with the differences at a footy club then and now as stark as day and night.
Green, who played nine senior games for the Saints in 1987-88 under Darrel Baldock, outlines just how different life at a footy club was back then.
There was a reserves team and players were often sent there in front of their teammates, forced to train on an uneven paddock that often doubled as a carpark. These days, few teams have a reserves side and they certainly don't train on anything but pristine surfaces.
Training was only three days a week, the players had jobs and team tactics were discussed over "steak or lasagne" with "condiments and utensils [often used] to demonstrate tactics".
Now, team meetings are plentiful, clubs closely monitor the diets of players and computers and video analysis have taken the place of the tomato sauce bottle and the dessert spoon. Never mind the ice baths or the altitude training.
Footy was on a Saturday afternoon at suburban grounds. Today, it is spread over the course of a weekend, across Australia, in giant stadiums, with every game televised.
Jumpers were woollen. Some players smoked in the sheds after a game. Results were celebrated or commiserated with meat pies, beer and soft drink. Grounds lacked drainage.
Those on the bench waited there for half a game, not half a minute. If you had a few too many at the disco, it wasn't written up in the papers the next day.
Green puts it down to the nature of society: "We all busted a gut to win, but it's fair to say nobody took football as seriously as they do now. But nobody took themselves as seriously as they do now, either."
Media Watch thinks it might be more to do with the rise of the game though.
There is an insatiable appetite for football these days and that appetite has led to an almighty growth in the game over the past two decades. Player wages rose, clubs became more professional, the game became a business.
This is what the public demanded and this is why Australian football is consumed at the levels it is.
Wonaeamirri stays home
Young Melbourne forward Austin Wonaemirri was granted compassionate leave a month ago to return home to the Tiwi Islands and it now appears the 22-year-old may stay there indefinitely, according to The Australian.
Contact has reportedly been at a minimum in recent weeks between Wonaemirri and the Demons after Wonaemirri returned home to be with his family following the loss of his father, Matthew, as well as Maurice Rioli, late last year.
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey said in late May: "With him going home for a period of time, and hopefully it will be a short period of time, he can reconnect and feel a part of his culture."
It certainly doesn't appear as if that trip will be short though, with Stephen Reilly of The Australian writing "it is unlikely he will be seen at AFL level again this season" with Melbourne football manager Chris Connolly saying the Demons were giving Wonaemirri "all the time he needs".
Wonaemirri has kicked 37 goals in 31 games, including five in five matches this season. He has been particularly effective at the MCG, kicking 21.10 in 15 games at the venue. He is an undoubted talent whose brilliance is undeniable.
Media Watch certainly hopes he gets done what he needs to get done because at the end of the day, family is the most important thing.
And one day soon, hopefully, we will see the exciting Wonaemirri back in the Melbourne forward line.
Ward in two minds
Callan Ward is the latest player to be caught in the crosshairs of Greater Western Sydney with The Age reporting that the Bulldog is tossing up whether to stay at the Western Oval or move north as the Giants' first marquee signing.
The 21-year-old reportedly met with GWS officials for a second time this week where "a five-year offer of lottery-win proportions was laid out; bells, whistles, carrots and all."
The Age says Ward, who grew up in Melbourne's inner-west, would, conservatively, "sacrifice as much as $2 million over five years to stay a Bulldog".
Ward has a massive decision to make and that kind of money could be hard to resist. The Bulldog has plenty of potential and would be a huge loss if he decided to head north.
The Dogs will be doing all they can to keep him but their best may not even be in the ballpark of GWS's offer.
In Short
Former Hawthorn and Fremantle player and proud West Australian Ben Allan has called for State of Origin to be revived, telling The West Australian that WA was as well placed to beat Victoria now as ever: "We've got the player who will be the Coleman medallist, the All-Australian centre half-forward, the All Australian centre half-back and everyone knows that Aaron Sandilands is the best ruckman in the league".
The Advertiser reports that Port Adelaide coach Matthew Primus will "use the next 10 weeks to make assessments of his younger players" with the club preparing for "the greatest re-direction of the Power list since its AFL entry in 1997".
Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw thinks his 1990 side would defeat the 2010 Pies, telling the Herald Sun "Physically now, because it's 20 years later, they'd be too powerful, but up here and footy smarts, I'd back the boys of 1990 - but I'm biased of course."
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that talks between Dale Thomas and Collingwood have "cooled" but "the odds of player and club parting ways at the end of this season are long".
