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Healy: Bang bang, the sheriff shot the show pony of the West
Gerard Healy • March 24th, 2026 8:21 pm
Last night it happened again.
The big man from the North, Footy's John Wayne, again rode into town on his big white horse, clippity clop, clippity clop.
Just as he did six months ago. I must admit looking back, I was a bit concerned at times last year, at his reluctance to act on issues that were actionable.
Allowing Toby Greene, for instance, to go unpunished for his back heel into the nether regions of Dane Rampe, was alarming to me.
This wasn’t the new sheriff I knew and admired.
But as I outlined a few weeks ago, he was much smarter than me. He was simply getting comfortable, staying quiet in the recesses of his office, low-key almost invincible.
Then, when the Sherrin was bounced for the final time in 2025, the big man bought out the colt 45 with the speed of a striking Cobra and went bang bang.
The bounce was dead before anybody knew it was missing.
None of its historically staunch defenders have uttered a word since. They’ve gone missing abandoning the bounce as politically too hard.
The last disposal out of bounds? bang bang the game got better.
And last night, he was at it again.
This time there was no affable, “howdy Pilgrim,” or, “howdy Pony”.
It was simply bang bang, taking down the show pony of the West.
We all love the Pony, but even the best have to be broken in.
His message was clear. It’s easy to taunt when the tauntee can’t respond, like in other eras when Dipper, Dermott, Diesel, Big Roger or Don Scott would’ve put a large degree of separation between the Pony’s face and his nose for a similar action.
It was then a self regulating system.
Act and reaction.
Strike and retribution.
Taunt and prepare for payback.
But in this area of no retribution, it’s rubbish.
While some were lauding the demeaning actions of the show pony, the AFL's sheriff, sensing a serious problem for the game, casually put on the badge and the holster and simply went bang bang, didn’t even get out from behind his desk.
Problem solved before it had really become a serious issue. Evidently he’s just getting warmed up. I like it.
Now this wasn’t a lethal shot, just a warning, a glancing bullet wound to the ear, to calm down the pony, but more importantly to send a powerful message to all levels of the game.
Demeaning a defenceless opponent isn’t being tough. It isn’t being a character. It’s a cheap shot and won’t be encouraged by the sheriff, by declining to deal with it.
Bang bang. A quick warning shot from the sheriff and the game is again better for it.
I just wonder where he’ll aim his gun next?
Is it possible he could walk into the next commission meeting and go bang bang.
Maybe that would wake them up as surely as it’s woken up the prancing Pony.
