The thought of them getting pick 1 as a result of having 12 players suspended for drug cheating disgusts me.

19 hours ago, Peter Griffen said:

plus the serious potential of snagging pick 1 in 2016 and welcoming back Hurley, Hooker, Heppell and co for next year, I don't imagine Watson will come back.

I think Watson will come back. He'll be 32 at the start of next year. He should be able to squeeze a couple of years out of himself. I actually think Watson might be one of the few players that will relish the time off. He'll be refreshed, he was clearly feeling the effects of the saga, and looked mentally drained the past couple of years, he probably wasn't sleeping, eating, etc, he looked like sh*t at times. I think he can bounce back. He won't have his medal though, that is as good as gone IMO.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but there's a special edition of AFL360 on Fox Footy at 7:30 tonight.

Robbo will be even less coherent than usual.

11 hours ago, beelzebub said:

Let's the lawsuits commence !!!

well the decisions down & finally the dust will settle & this competition can lick its wounds.

....that club was dragged down thru the sewer,  by a handful of individuals who thought they knew what the right thing to do was to get an UP on the competition.

those individuals are the real guilty, & to a lesser extent the players in step with that direction.    directions are set within the offices off field.

you were right Blzb,  & I am glad its worked out this way,,,  with trust being able to be felt once again in the competition's integrity,   Via this pain dealt out.

2 minutes ago, Kumamoto_Ken said:

Not sure if it's been mentioned but there's a special edition of AFL360 on Fox Footy at 7:30 tonight.

Robbo will be even less coherent than usual.

Been on it all day, he'll be lucky to make it to the show.

That Essendon don't, and never have , quite understood their mess ( of their own making ) is that they somehow think this is over.

As Richard and Karen may well have once suggested...'this has only just begun'

Tullamarine radar detects huge gatherings of vultures.

3 minutes ago, biggestred said:

The thought of them getting pick 1 as a result of having 12 players suspended for drug cheating disgusts me.

May be a good year to introduce a lottery system as seen in the US.

Bottom 4 teams are in a lottery for the 1st four picks with the team finishing on the bottom having the best odds of obtaining the no. 1 selection.

43 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/essendon-verdict-players-not-at-fault-says-bill-shorten-20160112-gm42j8.html

It is disgraceful that the Leader of the Opposition (our alternative Prime Minister) is effectively undermining CAS's decision, without any consideration for the clean sportspeople that represent our country. 

He clearly hasn't read the judgement so appears a bit of an uninformed dill!

 

It was the same Bill Shorten who was asked if he agreed with something Gillard said....can't remember the detail......

his reply (paraphrased) "I don't know what she said but of course I agree with whatever she said"

Needs to learn to engage brain before tongue  - maybe there just aren't the synapses  

Clearly he didn't read (or maybe didn't understand) the bit about the players being asked if they had been given anything and answering "no"  ........  or maybe having spent his life in Unions and Labor politics just doesn't believe that telling the truth matters  

 

 

1 hour ago, Raul Poos said:

Mark my words, Jobe will keep his Brownlow. The betting company money coming into the AFL will see to it.

 

1 hour ago, nutbean said:

I cannot see how it is possible.

(however consistent logical decision making has not been the AFL's strong suite to date)

Anyone hang on to their Trent Cotchin Brownlow winning tickets from 2012? 

1 hour ago, Seraph said:

Essendon presser now...

Still claiming innocence for the players. Idiots. 

Exactly my thoughts - time to cop it sweet, accept 100% culpability, start with a clean sheet <add your own cliches here>. I expected better from Lindsay Tanner. Each time, EFC has thrown away the opportunity to start afresh. How is that working out for them?

Call me an idiot (shut up OD! ), but I think the players got off lightly. CAS seems to be saying that there was no co-operation from the players etc. but they still end up with what is effectively a 10-month suspension, which is less than what Ahmed Saad and Wade Lees copped for lesser offences. The fact that some of them did some sort of phoney suspension from competition during the last pre-season seems to have carried some weight, which I find ludicrous. Perhaps the Bomber [censored] brigade had some effect after all ...

I know it doesn't currently work like this, but I am also thinking that a guilty finding for any sportsperson should imply automatically a similar suspension for all officials directly involved. So if an athlete gets suspended for taking steroids, then their coach, doctor etc. cop the same suspension. 

8 minutes ago, ignition. said:

May be a good year to introduce a lottery system as seen in the US.

Bottom 4 teams are in a lottery for the 1st four picks with the team finishing on the bottom having the best odds of obtaining the no. 1 selection.

Na just give em pick 18, 36 etc

Just now, biggestred said:

Na just give em pick 18, 36 etc

Hahaha yep much better idea.

37 minutes ago, poita said:

The only downside in this situation is that the AFL doesn't have a promotion / relegation system. I would love to see Essendon spend the next ten years working their way back up from Division 4 in the amateurs, as Juventus had to do in the Italian Serie A.

As for Melksham and Goodwin, I can't see why we would want either to be at this club. Melksham - very average player and confirmed drug cheat. Goodwin - no coaching experience and present at Essendon at time of said drug cheating. Really disappointed that both are here.

A bit harsh don't you think, Goodwin does have coaching experience prior to joining us, whilst he was at Essendon during the saga he by no means had a big hand in administering or pushing the supplements. Give the guy ago, Melksham on the other hand has shown he has all the tools to become a decent player, only time will tell but we have something to work with, the MFC players from reports love Goodwin as a person and full time coach to be, Ease Up!!

 

Still seeing people on Twitter saying players are innocent Club is innocent it's all a wada afl asada conspiracy. 

We truly live in the age of "my opinion is correct and no evidence can change that"

I wont say I told you so.

But since day 1 they have been guilty. Nothing has changed.

This cheating excuse of a football team, has been been found out for the mongrels they really are. The fights they did out at Windy Hill, just to win a game. Something must now be asked about the improvement of Essendon from 1999 to 2000  and also the amazing recovery from injury their puny built captain did in a few weeks, when he got his head smashed in and had a recovery that would have had normal recovery taking 12 months not several weeks.

surely that had some other outside interference of some form!

I know nothing will happen as long as there is persons on the commission that have bias related to clubs they they once represented.

What we need s a totally unbiased commission.

Until we get this we will always get cover ups.

some reporting saying hird will be interviewed by tracy holmes on abc on sunday night?

26 minutes ago, H_T said:

I think he was referring to the Essendon bubble he lives in. Surely...

 

 

Indeed. Perhaps he meant 'FEW of the people i regularly drink and share texts with predicted today’s guilty outcome'

10 minutes ago, Red and Bluebeard said:

Call me an idiot (shut up OD! ), but I think the players got off lightly. CAS seems to be saying that there was no co-operation from the players etc. but they still end up with what is effectively a 10-month suspension, which is less than what Ahmed Saad and Wade Lees copped for lesser offences. The fact that some of them did some sort of phoney suspension from competition during the last pre-season seems to have carried some weight, which I find ludicrous. Perhaps the Bomber [censored] brigade had some effect after all ...

Understand where you're coming from, R&B. They have been suspended from playing in games that they have already played.

But the real penalty is not so much the number of months. It is that they have been found guilty at all. They are now officially drug cheats and that will not change. Jobe & his Brownlow. Player lawsuits. Hird's reputation permanently tarnished a la Lance Armstrong. Those things can't be undone, even if it was a 2 week suspension.

15 minutes ago, Red and Bluebeard said:

Call me an idiot (shut up OD! ), but I think the players got off lightly. CAS seems to be saying that there was no co-operation from the players etc. but they still end up with what is effectively a 10-month suspension, which is less than what Ahmed Saad and Wade Lees copped for lesser offences. The fact that some of them did some sort of phoney suspension from competition during the last pre-season seems to have carried some weight, which I find ludicrous. Perhaps the Bomber [censored] brigade had some effect after all ...

Not to mention, "the players were duped" no longer cuts any ice. The players aided and abetted the duping!

5 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Wow, Princess Leia and Jabba the Hutt did have a lovechild after all.

54 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

i listened to a (current) afl player (anonymous) giving an interview on 3aw with tony jones (ess supporter) this morning.

he basically disputes your first para. he claimed that from tac level on the players are continually warned and educated on the taking of substances. they are trained to trust no-one, club, coach, players, manager, doctor etc. that they are solely responsible and they are personally given numbers to call to check. he went on to give a lot of detail and examples

jones kept butting in with all the usual but...but.. type arguments and he swept them all away with lots of knowledge and first hand examples

Happy to disclose one name as I asked the exact  question at a public event from the audience  - Dane Swan - maybe not the best person to be relying on for insight of this sort.

Reading one of the BF threads and it is absolutely GLORIOUS seeing LanceUppercut flailing around trying to defend his Drug cheating scum of a team.

Arrogance, mixed with denial, topped with desperation. (Oh and its all someone elses fault)

Just glorious .................

Today is a very very good day. 

Lance Uppercut...How is he?

have so missed his unwanted bile on a Demon Site...

the exact Bomber Supporter i shall enjoy watching suffer for years to come...