Views in Verse on the die hard fan!

The Sydney Swans last night powered into their second Aussie Rules Grand Final in three seasons as their champion Adam Goodes celebrated his 350th game for his proud club.






The Swans (or Bloods), as they are often known with their South Melbourne heritage, were far too good for their North Melbourne opposition and will now meet either Port Adelaide or Hawthorn in the big game next week. Adam Goodes - a greater player Sydney has not seen!

Goodes is a gifted and proud indigenous player and also current Australian of the Year! He seems to be belying his 34 years and had a wonderful game just when it was needed - igniting his side to dominate from that time. Tippett, Franklin, Rohan, Parker, Jack, Kennedy also had marvellous games.The defensive unit was also outstanding constantly blunting the oppositions forays to goal.

The Melbourne dominated media chaired by the irrefutable Eddie McGuire could not help but immediately decry the Bondi Billionaires tagline after the match. McGuire also the chairman of rival club Collingwood, who performed poorly this year, is desperate to redress the balance as Sydney (with their remarkable depth beginning to show) appear on the cusp of a golden decade.

Perhaps Eddie should be more respectful of the culture that this club has now on display at all times. This factor is the true envy of the other clubs regardless of how much money they have.

Next week may see the Swans ascendency really firm although they can seriously expect a tougher game than last night. Perhaps the North Melbourne Kangaroos played their grand final last week after qualifying in from the bottom of the draw.




The Die Hard Fan

What is this light
That dances round me?
My skin is cold within
Am I watching
Am I sleeping
Is this face my kin?
I hear soft grumbling
The image mumbling
There's no clear lines I see
What's this happening
Surely dreaming
A chill sweat covers me

I try to move
But nothing's moving
Confounded by the light
I'm now awake
On that I'm clear
Fumbling in the night
Blimey! ...not Dad?
...reaching out...
...he's long past skin and bones...?
Now he's touching
I feel his breathing
I hear his gravelly tones:

"Son, we worry about things
that our life brings
We're not happy till it's done
We lock ourselves up tight
Day and night
Much like a train we're riding on
I don't know the answers
As I'm telling you this
My life was lived the same
But I need to know
before I go...
Did the Boys win that last game?"

"Did they smother Plugger
That big hard bugger?
Did Kelly make them pay?
Did Tighe do it tough
Down the guts
To steal the game away?
No apartheid fall
No Berlin Wall...
My life wouldn'a bin the same
I've just gotta know
before I go...
Did the Bloods win that last game?"


Sent from my IPhone - Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on mindfulness

Mindfulness

The new corporate 'must have'

Delivering Buddhist 'be in the now' composure 

to the better known 'I thought you did this yesterday' culture

No doubting the power of personal mindfulness; but can it be deployed in the manner in which we usually see corporate projects deployed? There is only one answer to that. Yet it won't stop us from trying.

Mindlessness

The Buddhist monks have given their all

A panacea, a corporate call

A silver bullet to be precise

To transform our culture to warm and nice

It’s a state of mind we’ll all be showing
When the pressure's white hot glowing

You'll zone in with all your thinking

Into ‘the now’ …key factors linking

It starts out with the CEO

Who declares it as the ‘way to go’
Drilling into where it’s needed

Right to ‘the floor’ to be seeded

But it can’t be just a 'softly' code

Where the ‘rubber hits the road'

For this to get up we’ll need to try

To marry up key KPI’s

With line of sight we’ll execute

Focussed mindsets to really suit

While the unions shouldn't interfere

To kick it back that extra gear

Yet lip service will clearly not be enough

When the going gets real tough

The odd angry shout we'll understand

It’s rough out there in corporate land

And being sure it’s HR’s stand

Should resonate in budget land

Can’t see ‘the beanies’ really caring
Given they like that 'something daring'

And don't be concerned that proof is lacking

to warrant this scheme deserves our backing

Innovation demands ‘the smart ones’ bring

The new ‘must have’ …the next big thing!


They've tried it at the Aussie Rules
'Roosy' says "hey...the boys are cool"
"The coaches say they'll fall into line"
"Malthouse may take a little time!"




From the desktop of Grahame J Flynn

Views in verse on 'sports nuts'

Aussies love their sport

"Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ...Oi, Oi, Oi" ...you can say that again!!!

Just off the Soccer World Cup and now the nation 'takes a seat on the couch' for the Commonwealth Games starting this week in Glasgow. 

This is allowing for the fact that Australians actively follow three major football codes during winter: Aussie Rules, Rugby and Rugby League. Last night seventy thousand fans in Melbourne went out to see a club game (Swans v Hawthorn) and that same night forty thousand fans in Sydney went out to watch two local Super 15 Rugby teams (Waratahs and Brumbies) battle it out for a seat in the final next week. Rugby League is also a huge drawcard on the east coast coming into finals time. Free to air and Foxtel football are huge drawcards in prime time. We love our winter football codes.

But none of this will stop us sitting up and watching our athletes fighting it out in Glasgow. Australians are expecting their team to bring back about half the medals that are on offer; any contest with 'the mother country' will always guarantee a competitive response from all Aussies. So the interest will be intense.

There is no doubt that the average Aussie is a 'sports nut'. And ...we wouldn't have it any other way!!!



The Die Hard Fan

What is this light
That dances round me?
My skin is cold within
Am I watching
Am I sleeping
Is this face my kin?
I hear soft grumbling
The image mumbling
There's no clear lines I see
What's this happening
Surely dreaming
A chill sweat covers me

I try to move
But nothing's moving
Confounded by the light
I'm now awake
On that I'm clear
Fumbling in the night
Blimey! ...not Dad?
...reaching out...
...he's long past skin and bones...?
Now he's touching
I feel his breathing
I hear his gravelly tones:

"Son, we worry about things
That our life brings
We're not happy till it's done
We lock ourselves up tight
Day and night
Much like a train we're riding on
I don't know the answers
As I'm telling you this
My life was lived the same
But I need to know
before I go...
Did the Boys win that last game?"

"Did they smother Plugger
That big hard bugger?
Did Kelly make them pay?
Did Tighe do it tough
Down the guts
To steal the game away?
No apartheid fall
Nor Berlin Wall...
My life wouldn'a bin the same
I've just gotta know
before I go...
Did the Bloods win that last game?"


Sent from my IPhone - Grahame J Flynn