Will there actually be any? Excuse me if I'm sceptical, does anyone seriously believe it would be the same if this were happening to us or Richmond or any other of the "expendable" clubs?

The Age article below refers to the ingrained drug culture at the Eagles that they've actively hidden. Caro is still punching away and now the fight seems to be taken up by others in non AFL states.

http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/eagle-sa...2300952277.html

So the club that sacked Ken Judge when he wanted to change the culture, told it's players to shut up (in some organisations that's called corruption - but I guess only in those that have moral standards) , referred to 25% of it's senior playing list as a "small minority" and took measures to address the culture by sacking one 31 year old player looks like they will escape further punishment.

The club has specifically said that it wasn't aware of any problems until about 2006. If the AFL really wanted to restore credibility to the game they'd go Spanish Inquistion style on the Eagles. They won't. The Eagles are running this show and the AFL are like an ineffectual school teacher watching his class run amok and satisfied with [censored] excuses. I hope there's enough people like Mike Fitzpatrick that are getting pretty jacked off with the whole situation.

I think Mike Fitzpatrick want's to do something about it, Demetriou clearly doesn't - couldn't have anything to do with his rumoured close friendship with the Eagles power brokers. You'd like to think he'd leave the decisions to others to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest, but we know that's not how the AFL does business.

Surely you're not suggesting that the AFL would suddenly grow balls when it comes to dealing with the interstate power clubs as opposed to the way it has dealt with Victorian clubs in the past?

Remember, Melbourne's salary cap penalty back in 1999 - the one that covered two National Drafts and severely damaged our development as a footy club?

We were hit hard with a sledgehammer and it was done without the sort of clear and unambiguous warning that Fitzpatrick gave to the Eagles back in April. In less than six months it's clear that the Eagles stuffed up and I'm reasonably sure that the AFL will back down and leave Fitzy looking like a goose.

There's no level playing field in this competition. We can thank the Fonze for that!

reported on SEN new (so not just the run of the mill jibber jabber) that the AFL hasn't ruled out draft penalties

reported on SEN new (so not just the run of the mill jibber jabber) that the AFL hasn't ruled out draft penalties

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

You watch, they'll get off and the AFL will deny that there is a drug culture amongst its players. We'll just hear over and over how Cousins is a unique case and a very sick man who needs help that is beyond the capabilities of West Coast. Never mind that a former AFL player just died from an overdose, never mind that a number of players have been tested positive twice and are seeing doctors to try and get better... we'll just sweep it up in a neat little package and wait until someone loses their life.... oh wait....

Meantime, this is the sort of crap that the AFL thinks they should be seriously discussing: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/com...5E20322,00.html

Caroline Wilson:

But commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick issued a serious warning to the club during an extraordinary meeting with West Coast's leadership group and officials in April that any further misbehaviour would result in a hefty penalty.

"The Eagles have been put on notice that if they appear before the commission again, they will be subject to the full force of the 1.6 rule of conduct unbecoming, which can lead to a fine, suspension, loss of draft picks or premiership points," Fitzpatrick said at the time.

.....

"We have no doubt that if there is a material incident which involves one of our players, they will come down on us like a ton of bricks. It is a risk and that is why the conditions we will ask for in Ben's contract are non-negotiable," (Eagle's Chairman Dalton) Gooding said.

That sounds like sanctions to me.

They might issue them a fine, suspended for 12 months pending further indiscretion. It would be the soft heavy handed approach

The WCE would be hoping for just a big fine. They have heaps of doe. The AFL has to cut some draft picks but probably will be for next years draft as not much time between now and 2008 draft.

I do not think anyone would dispute that this is heaps worse than our piddly salary CAP indiscretion in the late nineties. We still have not properly recovered from those draft pick penalties .

This will test the back bones of a few at the AFL.

Playing Cousins last season showed WCE put results over player welfare and team discipline and culture - not a good look. So i say take draft picks off them.