SaberFang

That was my first thought. It's basically a plain white guernsey with a gigantic logo in the middle.

Those with sensitive stomachs, look away now. https://thedemonshop.shopdesq.com/summer-2017/2017-clash-guernsey-pre-sale-1 In a word? Horrific.

I'm sure, whatever the outcome, the AFL will negotiate a punishment that still allows them to get all their Academy players regardless.

Is the insinuation that he lied in his stat dec? Isn't that an indictable criminal offence?

Not to derail the thread, but as much I agree with your sentiment on drug cheats, that flippant throwaway comment about gay marriage being a waste of money is really unnecessary. They'll lead you to think otherwise, but governments can focus on more than one issue at a time, regardless of where it ranks on your priority list. One is an issue which could be resolved overnight if they so desired, the other deserves far more government funding to ensure clean sport, if we want to have any integrity on the world stage. I'd certainly hope almost everyone agrees on the latter, at least (unless you work in the AFL Integrity department, of course).

I'm done.

It's only $800k a year... Love his endeavour though; he's certainly aspirational if he thinks he can take Richmond to September. If nothing else he'll fit in with all the other delusional people at that club.

Unsurprising. An inconvenient truth that completely destroys the entire narrative he's spent years fabricating. So what does he do? Sweep it under the rug, pretend it never happened, and within 24 hours he continues on his merry way! First rule of media propaganda: ignore the facts that don't suit your agenda.

I don't know Zaha personally but I'm assured he knew exactly what was going on (as did all players) and wanted no part of it. The "don't like needles" excuse was a fabrication to get teammates off his back. It's interesting how he was shunned from the leadership group and treated like crap by Hird in the years following his refusal to partake in the program, isn't it?

I'm trying to see your point of view on the topic but is this your main point of contention? That ASADA have fabricated evidence or rigged the system to find the players guilty? At no point has any player accused ASADA of fabricating evidence. No player has ever denied lying to interviewers about their off-site injections. If ASADA were inventing evidence to find them guilty, would every player and their pet dogs not be screaming about this to the media? Would there not have been a reference to such an accusation in any of the multiple court cases over the years? And would the media narrative not be slightly more substantial than, "they were all duped, but they're all really great blokes"? I'm not saying ASADA are infallible; I think they've been made to look fairly incompetent throughout this entire saga, largely due to the endless obstacles and roadblocks put in place by both Essendon and (more discretely) the AFL. Not one party involved with the AFL has made the process easy for them, obfuscating at every turn (not to mention tip-offs to destroy evidence before investigators had a chance to reach Windy Hill).

T'was a typo, have fixed that one (meant to say all of the players lied). It was established in the brief of evidence following one of the many verdicts that the players, who were receiving off-site injections, did not disclose this information to ASADA when specifically asked if they were receiving off-site injections. Every single player lied to ASADA's interviewers when asked this question.

Goodwin has never denied his mistakes; rather, has been upfront about his past shaping him into the person he is today. Not just the Essendon saga but his gambling addiction beforehand. You can't seriously be comparing Goodwin's behaviour to repulsive ilk like Hird and his endless abdication of responsibility. As for being a "moral crusader" because I abhor drug cheats and performance enhancing drugs in sport? Well, now I've heard it all! I'd hate to think what label belongs to a person who'd prefer to sweep such unpleasantness under the rug and stick their fingers in their ears (other than 'AFL Integrity Department', of course).

Quite funny how Robbo never had an article pondering why none of the players admitted to ASADA interviewers about receiving off-site injections. Every single player, to a fault, lied when questioned about whether they were receiving injections. I guess that's just an inconvenient element of the "good guy" narrative we'll sweep to the side, hey?

Oh come on... let us have our fun!

Zaharakis had no issues refusing to partake in the program. Every player had a choice, naivety is no excuse for willingly allowing hundreds of mystery injections enter your body. Nobody had a gun to their heads.

Robbo presented another view? Well yeah, if a subjective, wholly biased Essendon supporter using blatant lies and mistruths to present an "opinion" that he's been instructed to present by high-ranking Essendon fans who hold senior positions at News Corp is your definition of presenting another view, sure. You're well within your rights to not consider that rubbish. Personally I'll take the side of ASADA, WADA, the Swiss High Court and the Court of Arbitration for Sport who all agreed these players are convicted drug cheats, over the gutter journalism of a drunk. And I have no doubt there are people who have fallen for the systematic, media-driven "poor players" narrative. I'm very relieved the overwhelming majority see right through it (and I'm certainly not getting my statistics there from the "pack mentality" of Demonland).

Well they only need to wait 6 months to witness yet another wasted season.

Didn't you hear? Their coach said they're going to play finals!

Frankly this makes Jobe's inaction, as a leader and captain of that young list, where newly drafted players were looking up to him for guidance and leadership, all the more shameful. The endless "good guy" narrative wore thin years ago. It's reminiscent of the endless anti-Trump media campaign in the US. People saw through it and got tired of being told how they need to think and behave, what is acceptable and what isn't. Just as people see right through the mindnumbingly biased pro-drug-cheat propaganda that's been pedaled by brown-nosing journalists desperate to curry favour with AFL HQ and maintain their cushy media accreditations. And for the record, I was not pro-Trump. Merely drawing a parallel that people are getting fed up with the media telling us how to think. I would struggle to find a single non-Essendon supporter who doesn't see through the rubbish that Robbo is pedalling. The damage he's done to his own and News Corp's reputation (if gutter journalism is a reputation you can even damage) is incalculable.

I'm currently inclined to think this is all stage management from the AFL and ASADA have not played their cards yet. The AFL have tentacles throughout the media; for Christ's sake, anyone reporting on AFL matters has an AFL accreditation and News Corporation own more than half of the broadcast rights! Put two and two together and see what the vested interests here are.

What a twisted world we live in where players get to "agree" on a ban for breaching tehir code of ethics relating to performance enhancing drugs. The current management of the AFL is insufferable with their endless manipulations of truth.

I don't think there's anything wrong with having an open discussion or well-argued disagreements. I think DJD is just saying try not to labour on repetitious points that aren't grounded in reality; ie, trolling for the sake of trolling. I haven't got much else to say on this matter. With Jobe handing back the medal (undoubtedly after being tapped on the shoulder), the matter is basically finished. What a downright shame we have yet another stage-managed drug fiasco for the AFL to move onto.

Brilliant reporting DeeSpencer, much appreciated from those who can't make it to training (even if by pure laziness!)

Christ, they are beyond incompetent. So many signs of malicious intent to withhold the truth.

Pathetic. The AFL are becoming the new FIFA. Are under-the-table political donations their next step to forming their own drug code, where they can do and say as they please and sweep everything under the rug for good?