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Congratulations to Colin Garland who will play his 100th this Saturday against Adelaide. Without a doubt, he's been one of our most important and consistant players this year. Good on you Col!

Tim Watson is quoted this morning as saying "So if they (the AFL) know what they (the substances) are, why can't they come clean and tell the players and tell the parents so that we can all get on with our lives and stop being fearful about what they may have been administered?" Sorry Tim, I thought that was Essendon's responsibility.

As I have said before, What will most likely destroy Hird is how the players are going to react to him. Legal machinations may become irrelevant. Four substantial losses in a row and could get uglier. If they have turned on him he's dead meat just like Neeld was. At the moment we are hearing things like "stress is taking its toll" to excuse the recent bad performances. But I believe it is no co-incidence the drop off had started around the time Evans resigned. He was looking for the least harm option and protecting the players. Before that they were playing like super heroes. I question the support he has amongst the players. If they get thrashed this week his demise may be quick. I doubt the players have the will or stamina to fight it out to the bitter end just to save his skin.

Hird is delusional. He's still clinging to the no infraction notice and Aod isn't illegal lines. Regardless of this, the evidence is still plenty to pin him for bringing the game into disrepute IMO, and the AFL and their lawyers obviously agree! The mfc would have had a stronger case over tanking. I see this move by Hird to be akin to a bloke who has gone too far calling other players around a poker table. He's now gone 'all in' with a 2 & 3 and nothing on the flop or turn that helps him. He knows he's rooted but hopes the AFL fold. Hird is desperate

They are out of control if that is true. What a toxic, self centred, narrow-minded, work place. They have categorically failed at their most important responsibility - employee welfare... and Hird is worried crying that he isn't getting a fair go. Disgusting.

If we get Choco i will do cartwheels, film them and post them up on here!

Agree. That was the best offer going, they should have jumped at it. Robson got out clean "I didn't know anything and should have". Hird couldn't have exited that way because of the txts and the Reid letter - he knew plenty. I think when the ASADA investigation is concluded players will be be suspended. Essendon and Hird could have taken their punishment before it got to this.

If Hird had never played a game for the Bombers, let alone becoming a favourite son and club champion, most Bombers supporters would want him hanged by now.

From delist fodder in 2008 to where he is today... It's a lesson for those that mark too harshly and too early, and for players that hard work and confidence can get you places.

List decisions are being made because you have to make decisions, not because we have our coach and he is whispering what to do. The easy decisions are being made and the tougher ones will be made once we have a coach I am sure, but don't mistake a list decision as anything deeper than an easy list decision done by a club that has some easy decisions to make.

If you have not heard the anonymous players Mum on MMM this morning, do yourselves a favour. As a parent I was close to tears listening to it! Walls are crumbling at windy hill.

I don't follow how you would make the connection unless you were totally delusional. Perhaps you didn't hear the mother of the Essendon player talk about the effect of the supplements scandal on her son? Perhaps you haven't read Dr. Reid's letter? Perhaps you're not aware that Hird took responsibility for what was going on? Perhaps you haven't taken notice of the many facts that are not in dispute and/or have been admitted in the report commissioned by Essendon (The Switkowski Report)? I haven't put him on trial. I don't have to base my judgement on the outcome of such things but on what is accepted as fact and it's truly horrific although obviously beyond the comprehension of some individuals.

Lost me at that one.

I have the best source on this issue that I'll ever have on anything. Here's my latest facts from inside essendon: David Evans spat the dummy, left NO instructions, handover notes, gave nothing to PL. 'See ya later, your problem now!' According to PL, the board is full of ex footballers who don't say anything at meetings, just there for a lurk. Completely ineffective board. You can see the ones who played football here. PL to JH: "I will back you 100% just as long as you don't lie to me". Unfortunately for PL, JH doesn't lie because he believes his own [censored]. So this will go on. Make of this what you will.

Wow, it looks like some unbelievably poor decisions. Pederson and Rodan again. I just don't get this. What is the point? No Taggert. It looks like he isn't going to get a chance to show his wares. Davis gets dropped. I have no emotional investment left, and now we get this. Bored and p****ed off.

I don't know if it's been said before, but the only precedent for this in Australia is the Melbourne Storm salary cap breaches. I know there are differences in the offences, but its interesting to look at the response. The Storm took their medicine with unity and dignity. Played for nothing for the best part of a season, and emerged stronger. The best thing Essendon can do is to stop turning this into a lawyers picnic, admit wrongdoing, cop it sweet and plan for the future. This will not be buried in the Supreme Court (indeed, I believe it will be bounced back to the AFL Commission quick smart), and these tactics will continue to damage the club for many years if Hird and co keeps this up. I'm not worried about the pain Essendon will suffer (in fact I revel in it), but the damage to the code, particularly in expansion states, will be extreme.

The thing that still amazes me is the essendon mob seem to completely miss ie. choice to Is that it was not the AFL that went down their supplements path. It was not the AFL that ran it in a shambolic way. It was not the AFL that hired people of doubtful quality with no checks. It was not the AFL that had to admit in February 2013 months after the program finished that they had no idea what there players were given. It is not the AFL that said in that same meeting that as the Coach I accept full responsibility for what went on in 2012. It is not the AFL that is under investigation by ASADA and the ACC. Give me a break essendon you screwed up in a major way. Now stand up and take what is due.

I'm just so impressed that he has seemingly removed the handful of brain fades he had each game. Now I feel comfortable with the ball in his hand and the leadership he has shown this year has been exceptional.

Agreed. For the question of why now - well why not now? This would be unbelievably stressful for a 20 year old athlete who has naively placed his trust in his senior peers at Essendon; especially a charismatic club legend like Hird. And I agree with you, it would be an absolute kick in the guts to see Hird carrying on like a pork chop in front of the cameras as he should be.

Ive raised Freeman a couple of times in dispatches and I like both of these players. Salem at this stage has been played more outside in order to utilise his foot skills. He runs hard to receive makes good decisions and can kick goals. Is more outside at this stage, but can win his own ball and looks like he loves to tackle. Can go missing for periods of games and was disappointed that he wasnt able to elevate his game against the higher quality teams at the champs. I think his ranking has held and will continue to hold steady till draft day. The 10-15 range is about tight for Salem. If I had to choose between the two, Freeman would be the one. Very unique to have a player on the inside with his breakaway pace. He also has the body shape and size to play AFL seniors right away. I suspect the reason his name hasnt been promoted previously is because he was unable to participate in last years champs and has had injury issues previously. He was solid at this years Champs without being a standout, but another one (like Aish and Billings) who was coming back from injury. Hes currently bolting up the rankings due to hes post Champs form (APS & TAC Cup), and he could end up a notch or two higher if Sandy make the finals and Freeman contributes to a deep run. Watching him on the weekend, hes always on the move at stoppages and his ability to go on multiple long runs indicates a reasonable endurance base to go with his pace. Is also one who is constantly barking out instructions from the bench when resting, so hes either got leadership potential or potential to annoy. I suspect the former. Im very much of the belief that we should push hard to acquire a mid first round draft pick in order to acquire someone of the ilk of Freeman, Crouch or Sheed.

Behaviours and symptoms that are associated with a sociopathic profile. Makes interesting reading Glibness and Superficial Charm Manipulative and Conning They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims. Grandiose Sense of Self Feels entitled to certain things as "their right." Pathological Lying Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests. Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.

Well done Beaker Fitzy!

I notice the first photo refers to an "Altitude room", whatever that is. I wouldn't mind if we also had an "Attitude Room".

I couldn't care less what Sam Newman said about any subject and specifically football. The man is irrelevant.

On SEN, when they replayed the mother's phone call (Sarah) on Kevin Bartlett's show, he said that the caller had been verified as an EFC player's mother. The Age is reporting that at least one player is in touch with a compensation lawyer. Hird and Co. are finished. Essen-done might be unable to field a team if the Mexican debacle is proven to be true.

I am becoming more and more convinced that Craig is not the man for the job. His lacks tactical awareness during games and his selections are mind-boggling at times. Davis, after a year of great form at Casey has been given two games playing out of position and then dropped again. Magner gets 51 touches and isn't played. Taggert gets five goals and can't get a shot. Meanwhile he's still wasting everyone's time with Pedersen. Surely if he's at all serious about getting the job he should be rewarding the players who produce and seeing if they can do it at the top level?

Hird may win the battle but I doubt he'll win the war. He may win the independent hearing or the delay but he is just delaying the inevitable.

They have to be granted an interim injunction. Then they have to be granted an injunction. Then, if that's successful, the AFL has to determine how the charges will be determined if it isn't by a commission hearing. Then the charges have to be decided. A 'retired Supreme Court judge' might be less favourable to them than the AFL commission. Essendon's position is not resolved for another twelve months. They may well dig a deeper hole for themselves. The other 17 clubs get more annoyed about the lack of resolution, more and more facts come out in the media (including possibly Dank's records), the parents, the players and the public get more angry. If they lose in the end, they're worse off. It's a huge risk to take. Is it what they really want? More importantly, is it good for the game?

I read past the headlines...... until the quote "I’ve said to both of them definitively that I’m not interested in doing it." I believe him (he is no James Hird).

i don't quite get your point iva are you suggesting that any qc who represents a guilty client or a lost cause is unprincipled? you can't judge the strength of hird's case based on your opinion of his qc's ethics and principles bottom line is the fact that burnside as his qc/legal advisor is irrelevant to the merit of his case

The writ is interesting. http://resources.news.com.au/files/2013/08/22/1226701/993571-hs-file-hird-court-1.pdf Amongst other things, remembering of course that it is prepared by the Plantiff (James Hird), I found it bemusing, and somewhat ironic that the statement of claim opened with: "The Plaintiff, James Hird (Hird), was a champion Australian Rules Footballer.....". Speaks volume of the level of humility that this guy is showing right now!

I think that call from Mrs. S.......g was genuine. If it was planned, it'd have been more coherent, with articulate points raised in between the sobbing. In the end it was just a rant, but it perfectly conveyed the feelings on the players' parents.

maybe but the issue of substance use and therefore charges against players is firstly the call of asada it is difficult for the afl to comment too much on this until asada bring down their final report i think there is every chance asada will rule prohibited substances were used and therefore players will be charged it would be difficult for asada to allow 100% deductions of penalty (for mitigating circumstances) and have wada approval this then gets very ugly as everyone starts suing everyone wada also has rules that prevent a team competing if a certain number of players are found guilty of substance use it can only get worse from here on in......meanwhile golden boy et al remain in denial while windy pill is consumed in the conflagration couldn't happen to a nicer club

Wow! That poor mother. If my boy was a Bombers player I would be throwing punches at the bastards who injected the players. But as long as that selfish bastard in Hird gets off it's all good according to the bombers. I hope the AFL hear this and continue to go hard. Go to Hell Essendon.

stmj, you are the one who wants to back in our new FD and player developemnt capability when it comes to a prospective recruit in Chris Yarran. So do we extend that to Watts? Ultimately, the club might not have the luxury to choose what they do with Watts. But when it comes to list management I am ruthless and dispassionate - there is no personal feelings to be hurt by comments in public, no expectations to be disappointed - we have X amount of assets for next season, let's use them in an resourceful manner to get better for next year. If he is worth more to us then what we can get for him - keep him.

Love Garlo, and admire the way he has gone about his footy, especially this year. He has really taken it upon himself, along with just a handful of others, to turn this club around and stand up when it counts. Congrats on 100 games and here is to 100 more, and hopefully some wins in there too.

Well done Garlo, hopefully we'll see him running around for another 100+ games.

Feels like he's been around forever doesn't it? He is only 25 and is now a solid, reliable defender. His improvement has been there for all to see over the years, and this year he's taken it up another level again, showing many of our other players the way they should be approaching the game. Well done Colin, you're one of the few that has done me proud this year.

Admire Col Garland greatly. I hope the Dees improve quickly and play finals soon to reward players like him who have endured so much strife. Congrats on 100 games and a wonderful 2013. On another point and a bit of a tangent, is he a smoky for captain in 2014? His media work is better than anyone else at the club, he is articulate and thought provoking, he has genuine passion for the club and the jumper, leads on the field even when we are losing by 100 points and has had to work hard to get to where he is. Thoughts?

I've read of claims that Dank has files with records of the drugs given, to whom, quantities and dates ... data that Essendon has either neglected to record, failed to release, or maybe even disposed of. There seems to be a problem with the power to subpoena Danks' information (if it exists). I thought ASADA might have such a power but so far it hasn't been used. I'm wondering if Hird (or Essendon) go to the Supreme Court whether the AFL could then subpoena that information and it could be discovered. It could be the danger for Hird and Essendon taking the matter to court. Redleg or Whispering Jack? On another note, even Lance Armstrong had a loyal band of supporters who refused to believe he was implicated, even after he was guilty. Hird will have the same. I wouldn't put too much store in what they and Bomber Blitz are saying. Most of it's denial, delusion or just plain failure to understand.

My god i just spoke to a Bomber Supporter mate. He considers the article produced a [censored] weak joke and looks forward to the court case. They are mad!! Seriously.

Hird has nothing to lose. To admit fault is to concede his place in AFL history as the Games biggest cheat. His record as a player will mean nothing. The scary thing is that he appears to be willing to destroy the club he supposedly loves in the process. Just as Lance Armstrong was willing to bring cycling to its knees so is Hird. His delusional ego is willing to take the game to the brink in a bid to save his reputation. High stakes indeed.

No it's not. This is the MFC you're talking about. Nothing new. No sense for common sense. Been like this for 3 to 4 decades. Regular "average" performers rack up game after game at this club whilst those who seemingly deserve a game (from the outside looking in anyway) ignored for far too long or just completely left to rot. The 2 highlighted are getting most of their possessions on the "outside" (uncontested) which would be nice IF they impacted on the scoreboard or through decent number of goal assists etc (Byrnes ranked 11th here on average and Watts 16th). While we desperately need inside mids to clear and get first possessions, as well as tackle and lock downs for repeat stopagges. Magner would also have been handy as an additional number just to rotate through the mid and give the likes of N Jones a rest more often, either on the bench or resting forward. Yet another perplexing decision by the Melbourne Pigeons FD. The club is rediculous as a whole and has been since 186. That's why it's a laughing stock. Firstly, that isn't what Magner's built for. Inside mid all the way. Not sure why you're wanting to turn him into an outsider. That's what we recruited pickles, Blease, Toumpas etc for. Would you expect Jack to be a major outside "uncontested" ball winner rather than his contested and clearance work? I hope not. With regards to the players you highlighted, here are the average stats per game for each player up to round 15 and their rankings in the various relevant categories that relate to general mid field/stoppage work. I've included uncontested to see where they sit there as well from a versatility/spread/endurance point of view..... Contested 1. N Jones (10.43) 2. Magner (10.00) 3. Grimes (9.17) 4. Viney (8.67) 6. Sylvia (7.64) 7. McKenzie (7.63) 10. Trengove (6.00) Clearances 1. N Jones (5.64) 2. Magner (5.00) 3. Viney (4.17) 5. Grimes (3.33) 6. McKenzie (3.13) 7. Sylvia (2.91) 16. Trengove (1.33) Tackles 1. Magner (6.0) 2. Trengove (5.25) 3. Sylvia (4.64) 6. Grimes (4.17) 7. McKenzie (4.13) 9. Viney (3.83) 14. N Jones (3.00) Uncontested 3. N Jones (12.79) 5. Grimes (11.67) 6. Sylvia (11.55) 10. Magner (10.50) 10. Trengove (10.50) 15. Mckenzie (9.13) 24. Viney (6.67) Effective Disposals 1. N Jones (17.00) 3. Grimes (15.67) 6. Magner (13.00) 9. Sylvia (12.55) 11. McKenzie (12.13) 14. Trengove (11.00) 21. Viney (8.50) Other than being a few places behind Grimes in "effective disposals" and without placing too much emphasis on uncontested given it's more outside work for those suited to it, as you can see Magner is ranked higher than the players you mentioned (ie., Viney, McKenzie, Sylvia & Grimes) in Question 2 in all other stats. In relation to Question 1, based on these stats i'm not sure many of our mid field stocks are AFL capable at this point with the exception of N Jones, Grimes and possibly Magner. That's not to say Magner would be capable of keeping up this standard through an entire season (or a more meaningful number of AFL games), but it would seem he'll never be given that chance from here even though he earned it in the few games he was given before being dropped. Although i haven't included Viney, i don't think i would be alone here in believing he is more than likely going to overtake the others given enough pre seasons, decent coaching and luck with injury. In fact if all goes well, i'm sure he could be our first champion since Mr R Flower graced the hallowed turf of the G decades ago.

Do you think that the AFL will give us a priority pick in this year's "HIndsight Draft"?

Yes it can all be subpoenaed either directly or through what is known as Third Party Discovery. Failure can lead to contempt charges and even jail if wilful.

Nathan Jones was very impressive in his first year. won a lot of possessions, he got thir and fourth year blues when he tried to play over-attacking footy taking blokes on and trying to pinpoint passes into the corridor. Let's not revise history. Jones showed a lot from game 1. NB: He is not a superstar either.

The fact that the Bombers are taking this all the way to the top to fight for their name, respect loss and what they feel is unjust against them as a club and WE were fined for something we were found not guilty for, yet we copped it on the chin with our tail between our leagues actually aggravates me a huge amount. It is so endemic of the MFC weak as wee culture and i am confident that with PJ and Bartlett now in charge this will finally change.

Probably wont't be Roos, coach will sign when team is finished with finals. Must have given the nod on Fitzy and indicated that Flash will no longer be required.

Interesting mention on the show of rumoured suggested penalty by agreement was $2.5m fine, loss of two years draft picks, didn't specify which ones and 12 month suspension for Hird. Bombers and Hird knocked it back. I think that is pretty light, considering it is the worst scandal in the history of the game. They must now be looking at more, when they go down.

JOnes was a first rounder.. what did he have to overcome apart from going bald at an incredibly young age