BomberTalk, as some might know, was the brainchild of Brad Paton. He developed what was probably the first of what is now commonplace, a football club-oriented website with stats, interviews, game reviews, player profiles and membership information. Groundbreaking stuff for 1995 (Indeed, that site still exists today albeit out of date), back when the Internet was powered by steam. I don't believe the AFL itself even had a website back then. Brad moved on to develop essendonfc.com.au, and to this day his company maintains the club's official independent website, the only one of it's kind in the AFL.
Sometime in the mid-late 1990's (best guess is 1996 or 1997) Brad developed BomberTalk. Originally run from his Monash University homepage, it ended up being hosted at essendonfc.com.au (except, possibly, for a short time hosted by vicnet), and subsequently, thanks to a few enterprising individuals, the site was relocated to it's current location.
The internet has only been around in its current form for 20 years. For anything to be able to trace it's history back 15 years means that it has enjoyed significant longevity. Indeed, you think of any football-related website around today, and it would be a good bet that this website, though it has been through some significant changes over the years, would predate each and every one of them.
So on this, the 15th anniversary of BomberTalk, I've taken the opportunity to look back. Last night I went through the dark, cobweb infested small crawlspaces of the internet and came across some solid gold. Spasmodically over the next few weeks I'll bring back some of the threads that live in infamy, threads that, through the benefit of hindsight, should live in infamy and threads that have been forgotten but need to be addressed.
(I stand corrected on all of the above. I haven't been around for all those years so I've just pieced together what I could)
First off the block
There is a thread from 2000 on Bigfooty that keeps coming up whenever I Google "BomberTalk". Back then, them themselves were looking back and talking about all the old guys that used to use the site in the late 90's. Any of these names ring a bell?
(Ricey)
Hi people
I wonder where the old Bombertalk veterans have gone, now it's pretty much dead? I know Arch, Dutchy, Sandie, Walshy, Dan, S. Robbo, James2, Max Power and myself used to contribute, anyone else on BF?
Remember the acid tongue of "The Doc" also JohnG, Feltchmonkey, Topdon, Wayne Otway, just to name a few. Remember the stoushes we had with opposition supporters after the Prelim. in '99, he he he that was fun, bit of a release. "Rooboy" always provided intelligent posts for an opposition supporter, I reckon it might have been Shinners actually. They realy should get their act together and replace that dead duck with a forum like this one. I think it's important for the club to have a forum, even if the contaent isn't always complimentary.
Hey mate,
RoBomber here from BomberTalk.
It is dissapointing that Bombertalk has finished used to be a lot of fun with constructive arguments.
Does anyone know when it may be back online...
I remember the stoushs well Ricey, my favourite were the ones involving that West Coast fool, Eagle Dick, I mean Eagle Nick. JohnG can be found at other football sites, whilst Wayne Otway/Skills, has posted once on this board (check the topic on James Davies).
(Max Power)
BomberTalk is dead as the dodo it seems.
Shame really.
Brad no longer has anything to do with the EFC site I was told and I doubt that a new messageboard will be put into place as most AFL clubs are cracking down or taking them down on on their official sites.
I can go way back with the messageboard to the days when Brad ran it off his Monash homepage - more names to throw around from the past. Laurie Daley, Adam Gallasch (alleged jailbird from Adelaide) and PeterC and his right wing fascist views.
Hopefully, just hopefully I might be in the situation to announce something that ex-BomberTalkers may like in the next week or so. Just waiting for some legal jargon contracts to be worked out.
(Arch)
yeah- I remember reading the old old bombertalk page for about 6 months before I had the guts to post something myself- back in about mid 90's when I first ever got online. I remember Gusto esp, and people like Mel, The Doc etc, then in 99 we had a kewl crew includiing feltchy (Dan24's arch-rival), Egg etc etc, until the site gradually came to a halt. I posted a message on BT after the GF win- as Feltchy had posted a "where are these guys" type message asking where all the old regs had got to, and there was a response from almost everyone !!!! (mine dissappeared two days later- thus ending any patience I had left with the site).
But hopefully it'll get back up for the good of the club- Id prefer posting here now anyway- but the club does need its own dedictaed forum.
(Dan26)
I prefer this format much more, because you can see the past posts in one giant thread. Unlike BT, where you could only see one message at a time.
Where is Feltchmonkey anyway ? We should get him on here. And Egg ? And Skills too....
Ricey..I was the original Rooboy on Bomberchat..I think the Bigfooty Rooboy may have been Rooboy96 and the Dutchman may have
been Max Crow..and Dan24 ..well he was just Dan..annoying on both chat forums.
Always liked "Manton" on the old bomberchat..a real piss taker was "Manton"
