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A week and a half before a ball is kicked in anger..Demonland has gone into meltdown We win a game against the tigers......All of a sudden we are going to win 6-10 games No worries......Our midfield is great....Al our recruits are going gangbusters....Smiles and confidence abound We have a close game against Geelong, make a few mistakes, but still took it up to them for the whole games.....Reaction same as above We get smashed by the best team in the competition ....All of a sudden we have the worst list in the competition .....Players have to go.....Why didn't we pick Wines, Darling etc...etc ...etc ....Toumpas is a spud after one season..... WYL....Is banging on about the past seven years and 186(again) Old Dee....Is looking forward to doom and destruction for the rest of his life All of a sudden people want to get rid of our experienced players (Dunn/Frawley) to get higher compensation in the draft.....I thought that was our downfall when Jr and a few other were delisted or forced into retirement...... All I ask is that we look forward to the 2014 season without sacking most of the players, coaching staff, football dept, boot studders, I wish all D/L's the best for the footy season.......Hope you can enjoy the ups and downs it will provide Thanks Bossdog.

Well I will be buttered on both sides after four years it has finally happened.PJ just made the announcement. Announced on Fox Footy

I was told we were after China Southern at least 4 years ago and i thought it was a lost cause; well done.

he's played in 3 grand finals vs Hogan's zero afl games fcs

I thought Dawes was fantastic in the games I saw, given he was being fed by a non existent mid field. His work rate was inspirational. He would run to the wing on a lead and then run back chasing a kick. He is a genuine power forward and provides leadership through example. His injury is a worry but I am confidently anticipating big things from him given our new midfield. Any two of Dawes, Clark and Hogan on the field at once will give us targets we haven't had for years.

I can't believe the number of people who've posted along the lines of 'it's pretty much just been poor drafting'. The concept of development (yes, a pretty nebulous word) is so much more than just sitting around a table and picking good players. You can bring in as much junior talent as you want. If there is no leadership, no genuine culture about the club, no setting of standards, and (comparatively) poor coaching, you are not going to reach whatever potential you have. We haven't had a feel, a culture, whatever word you've wanted, since, well, who knows. We haven't had genuine leaders, either on or off the field, since Neitz and McDonald (one of whom we kicked out the door). We haven't had players who set examples on the training track until recently. We haven't had coaches who are were industry-standard. We've pushed players into retirement when we shouldn't have, we've asked players to play so many positions they become a jack of all trades but master of absolutely nothing (Dunn is a perfect example, Cale Morton too). We reportedly went from being far too lenient on players to being far too tough on some players. We also put our players through the 'tanking phase' (whether you think we tanked or not, or whatever, that period was nothing other than a negative for the club). There are so many things that have been below 'par', if you will, with this club. Drafting was one of them, but there is so much more. It's just crazy that so many people on here, who you would think would appreciate the situation we've been in (and are still in) could wave it all away and put it down to drafting alone.

all greek to me

I am nearly unemployed and will be actively seeking work, but have leave that they want me to burn so payout is not larger, so going to go Friday morning at this stage, will put a report on this esteemed forum, doubt whether there is an Intra Club as somebody said, think Casey have another practice game lined up this weekend so assume there will be some MFC players playing. As for the group, spoke to Jack Grimes, everybody is still on the same page and know they either perform or spend the year at Casey, so I assume when I go to training it will be full on

no doom and gloom for me bosshog. ive predicted 8th place and firmly sitting on the bandwagon. theres room for all to jump on.

That made sense... You must be a witch... Burn him! Burn him! Burn the witch!!!

I'll miss him, if he goes...

They probably just found out Schwab has left the club & decided to get on board.

About $500K a year according to my sources within the club. This is, I believe, the fastest growing airline in the world. I real coup.

weird to be discussing our next Coach a week before our new Coach coaches his first game... Only at Melbourne...

So what he really said was that, it is possible that there is a possibility. Or in English, Not a hope in hell!

The players knew the program was "on the edge" they said so They knew they were to have an extensive and prolonged program of abdominal injections They knew the program was intended to improve their performance They signed a waiver They claim they don't know exactly what they were injected with They weren't all kids Yet....not one seems to have sought outside professional advice despite their asada-related education You would have to agree their behaviour (at least as reported) was highly reckless

All articles that have appeared this morning definitely seem to think that if he does go then it'll be automatically a first round pick because of his age and likely contract size. The Age story also states that most oppo clubs actually believe he'll stay as he wants to see the club have some success. For what it's worth, I completely agree with munga AND RPfc - our inability to achieve any success over a sustained period of time has us cast as a mid- to lower-tier club like north, footscray et al, and the big clubs will cherry pick from us. It's a perpetuating cycle, and free agency is a boon for the likes of Adelaide, west coast, hawthorn, Collingwood etc, while an absolute disaster waiting to happen for the likes of us. I hate it, and never wanted it in the afl. Once thru remove compensation in a year or two ten we will REALLY see the small clubs such as ours suffer.

Sensational kick. Impactful defender. His detractors are clueless.

Not sure if serious.

Who cares? We got Jim. He plays for us. He's a young player just strarting out his career. Its ridiculous to compare him to someone else based on 12 months. Let's try somethimng new fo D Land - support him

Good $$$$ for a third tier sponsor.

南航官方网站，中国 China Southern Airlines Co.,Ltd.公司简称南航，天合联盟成员。 南航是国内运输飞机最多、航线网络最密集、年客运量最大的航空公司，荣获中国 ...

Yesterday the 11th of March. Heart flutters all-round . Extreme sadness in Dean's Passing. An excellent coach and coaching under an extreme set of guidelines for much of his tenure. The MCG Freo game with Jurrah Flying everywhere and marking everything was one of the highlights for me under the Bailey Tenure. That one game alone was worth a years membership! Dean's honesty, straight forward, positive no nonsense approach to Coaching and life makes him irreplaceable . A sad sad day. A delightful man and deserved better from Melbourne FC.

So a Round 7 return if Misson's past reports are anything to go by.

I significantly doubt any of them will play round 1. Realistically the only two who are a chance are Gawn and Tappy as they are playing this week. And Gawn or Jamar aren't getting passed Spencer who's been ok without showing some solid form. Same with Tapscott he's not getting picked on the back off 1 VFL performance in which he's unlikely to play big minutes. Can you realistically see them risking Dawes or Hogan without them proving their fitness in the VFL? Maybe Hogan but not unless he's had at least a couple of weeks of training which means he's ruled out as well. If Dawes and Hogan played in the VFL next week so they were fit for round 2 that would be a great result.

As a complete aside...its amazing what you hear of people doing as their livelihood. Making long bows and training actors to use them!! My squeeze has a cousin who travels around Europe cleaning statues and then has the sole rights to a little device that he attaches to them - sends a mild electric current through them to stop birds sitting (sic) on them. He has enough work for the next 100 years.

I have no idea wyl but I have no doubt I qualify.

I know you wouldn't approve of a 'wink wink' situation. But your approval or otherwise is not in question. The issue is that if the rules allow dishonest players to think they can avoid penalties by some scheme to shift the blame, then they will do it with or without the connivance of their club. And they will then force more honest players to follow them or come last. Net result, drugs rife in sport and young people risking their log-term health for immediate glory. I would agree with you that if players can prove conclusively that they were duped and that they had made a thorough and sincere effort to establish that what they were taking was legal, then penalties would be inappropriate. But this is difficult to establish without risking the deterrence effect. In any case, I think you are in a small minority if you think the Essendon players could conclusively prove that they were duped and that they had made a thorough and sincere effort to establish that what they were taking was legal. They might say they were duped, but there is no way they could claim the latter. Edit to add: The issue of 'should have suspected' in the tanking saga is totally different. I don't many of us didn't suspect we were tanking. We argued about the vagueness of what tanking was, or just thought the rules promoted doing it and others had done it without penalty etc.

you love reading about 186 Stuie. The greatest day. When your hero Beamer was asleep by halftime Bails lost his job whilst the CEO kept his. Such a proud day it was..... I do it for you Stuie...

I am actually so excited that the wait is almost over... I just wish that there wasnt a split round this first one.. i just want to see our boys play this year.

The players were apparently told not too tell anyone because the program was their confidential advantage. I understand that may have scared then out of telling family or managers. But it doesn't excuse them not calling asada to check or googling the substance names on their own. The consent form they signed listed a number of illegal substances. They were duped into receiving illegal substances while insert the impression they were being given something else. They all knew what they were getting. They were negligent in not checking the rules themselves.

I really hate this sentiment. I haven't played AFL so I can't tell you which position is the easiest to play at AFL level? You can come down of your high horse, you look out of place up there. I can tell you from the experience, however limited, that HBF is the easiest place to play on the ground in a football match of Aussie Rules. I don't need your affirmation - I can own my own opinion.

If you don't care about the legalities and I do accept that as your position, then you've left no room for any debate because in the real world the kids who in your opinion have "suffered enough" are not above the law or beyond it's reach (I would strenuously argue that nor should they be) and whether you or they like it or not, their suffering might well not have even started yet.

not sure you could anticipate the formula the afl would use to determine the top 25% wage earners when contracts are involved

Why don't you really upset Olisik and name your cat "Dunny"?

What you are actually saying is its okay for sports people to take anything they like as long as they are told by there coaches and trainers it is a legal substance and dont ask any questions. Cant you see how easy this would be for crooks to utilise? None of us know what Essendon said behind closed doors and whether they intentionally breached the code or not. The code is written specifically to prevent this defence for a reason. Players, adminstrators and coaches arer all trained and aware of there responsibilities. This is not secret. ASADA are very clear that the player is responsible and they have processes and procedures in place and spend a lot of money annually to ensure that players can make informed decisions about the supplements they are taken. If AFL players absolve themself of responsibility and place trust in the club then so be it. But that is an informed choice they have made and now they need to wear the outcome.

Again, can I ask that we confine ourselves to paying our respects to Dean and his family. No need at this point to discuss articles by media commentators or speculate on the cause of Dean's illness which might result in unnecessary distress to Dean's family and friends. Thanks for your consideration.

Possibly all of the above Nut but if you dont have the right fabric in the first place youll only ever end up with a 2nd rate suit no matter whos cutting the cloth.

That's not actually a defence under the WADA code. Which the AFL is signatory to, as are all players: 5.3 c) It is the obligation of each Person to whom this Code applies to inform himself of all substances and methods prohibited under this Code. It is not a defence to any claim that a Person has breached this Code for that Person to contend: (i) ignorance that a substance or method is prohibited; (ii) an honest and reasonable, but mistaken, belief that a substance or method is not prohibited under this Code; etc.

I haven't read beyond about the first dozen posts, so I may be repeating an opinion made elsewhere... Restricted or unrestricted virtually makes no difference. If a player wants to go they'll go and the club won't stop them. Name a restricted player that wanted to go, but was stopped by his club ? There may be one, but there wouldn't be much more. He'll stay if he sees a bright future and he'll go if he doesn't. Restricted or unrestricted doesn't matter.

Some people seem to equate "I'd prefer Lynden Dunn stayed but wouldn't lose any sleep if he went" to "I hate Lynden Dunn and can't wait for him to leave". Frustrating.

His contract was signed 2 years before FA was introduced it hardly seems fair I hate CS but he can't be blamed.

What a rant... We have been the beggars to our own fall since 2006, the decisions we have made and the poor drafting we have done has led us to thins point. This is not some institutionalized rich/poor divide like in the EPL - we have done this to ourselves. And it isn't written in the stars that we have to continue to be everyone's [censored]. We used FA to our advantage with Sylvia and Vince. It is not our lot unless we let it be.

We got Clark and Dawes, yes we traded for them but I'm pretty sure Lions fans were pi##ed as losing Clark. We win some, we loose some.

The anti doping laws don't work that way. The players will only get off if there is insufficient evidence of a breach of the anti doping laws - not because of what the spin doctors say or do or any other reason and that's how it should be.One should never underestimate the deterrence factor. The nature of sports and the rewards on offer make deterrence an important element of anti doping policies and anyone who is concerned about the health of athletes should be seeking sanctions against the Essendon players (if the case against them is proven), not hoping that they are let off the hook. Otherwise, the health of more generations of sportspersons will be placed in jeopardy in the future.

He has been on the list for 10 years, olisik. If he is 'in his prime' it is the near the end of it - that is how long he has taken to become a productive role player. And it is a HBF - I am sorry to all the HBFs out there but it is the easiest position to play in the world ever.

It doesn't make any difference because clubs don't match offers if he's gone he's gone they wouldn't make him stay.

This is terrible news and terrible policy; it should be average salary over the life of each players current contract. This hurts the clubs that couldn't pay the salary floor because there was no decent players to pay - front load contracts to reach the floor and be hurt when they come out of contract. We should appeal this, if in fact, it is a decision by AFL house that has been reflected by the website.

35 pages of unchangeable history. FMD!!!

I was helping my Dad sign up yesterday and the site wasn't allowing him to create an account as it said his email was invalid. I ended up just using my gmail account for his membership and all was good. For the record, he is one of the "lost" members that PJ was referring to that has come back thanks to Paul Roos (and my incessant nagging).