Elusive Tunbridge

I just care about the movie script. After we break the drought and they make a movie, the Prince will be an awesome sub-plot. Like all stock standard rag tag team made good stories, we need to bring together an eclectic group of individuals. H is a good start.

A remake of Bad News Bears, though I'm not sure Roos is suited to the Billy Bob Thornton role. Still, if we can give him a drinking problem, he might do.

If he shut up about it completely we'd probably feel even more comfortable. Just another happy camper at Team Melbourne.

Interesting that we bid pick 2 on Heeney, I wonder if the club will try and poach him in the future

I think it was just Roos making sure the Swans didn't get away with murder. Pick 19 downgrades it to manslaughter.

ho hum

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/james-hird-likely-to-be-sacked-by-essendon-today-despite-surge-of-support-from-players/story-e6frf3e3-1227081061437

BTW, if you can't see articles at the HUN, just go to Foxsports. It's all one big happy Murdoch family.

Unbelievable. "Chairman Paul Little and chief executive Xavier Campbell have been told by senior players they want Hird to coach next year."

Who? How many? Robbo spinning crazily.

​I do wonder how Hird will come out of this. If he has the psychopathology I suspect, he will be vengeful, unrepentant and ready for new, promising ventures. If not, he'll be a train wreck.

Pretty sure I remember a video of him visiting some less fortunate parts of the planet years ago and using his status and personality trying to help their inhabitants.

Can't say where but I was impressed (and surprised given where his abode was).

It was the Congo, going in search of his roots. It had a big impact on him, hence taking his father's name.

A cursory glance in a dictionary would give you the metaphorical definition: self righteous, over sensitive, self absorbed etc. All adjectives which aptly describe Hertier Lumumba's behaviour on numerous occasions to date.

"Cursory" that's a nice one, I'll bet you didn't even have to look it up. But why so serious, Princess?

Watch these projective objections dissolve the first time H runs from HB to the wing and bombs it inside fifty.

Do they have a choice? I think the issue may be more that trading first-22 players against their will would have a damaging effect on other players' loyalty and generally harm the reputation of the club. Supporters wouldn't like it either.

If the Dogs understand what we want, and that the deal may suddenly disappear since we're floating a number of possible deals with other clubs, then they'll make up their minds very quickly. Pick 3 for 6 plus any one of three names we provide to them. If the phone doesn't ring, we keep on trading.

I don't have the impression that ASADA are at all interested in Thompson. I think the choice between Essendon and GC is now entirely up to him

Hird was one of the finest players I've ever seen. In a period when Voss and Buckley were at their peak, I thought he was a standout. I won't let his despicable behaviour blot out that memory.

My ignorant guess: we will get Pick 3 because, having denied us the PP, the AFL will be doing a bit of impression management. It's not that they're committed to equalisation - they're not - but that they're committed to appearing committed. Dudding us on the comp. pick would blow a hole in that.

This puts pressure on Essendon - I'd say the only way they can keep Bomber now is a quick defenestration of Hird.

Just wondering if Varcoe is one of those players who do best in a strong team. As we say in Canberra, is he a leaner or a lifter?

In all seriousness, how do you pronounce his name?

I've heard about 1,000 different versions.

Try air-it-yay. He might give a little smile, but he won't snarl.

And it's curtains for Terlich, IMO.

Things don't appear by accident on the club website. He's coming, and I'm guessing that Collingwood are not the only hard bargainers at the table. Straight swap plus a pick upgrade for us, I think.

Had Scully stayed, Neeld might have made him co-captain ... and we'd be playing tomorrow.

Must be hanging by a thread. If we need the spot, he's gone.

I wish we had worked on getting the basics right, ie high national draft selections, before we went chasing international rookies. Nothing against Maia Westrupp, but nailing our first pick in the 2012 national draft was a higher priority.

I'm not perfectly clear on the connection between the two. Please explain.

Assuming he doesn't improve himself, it will be at least two years before the list improves enough for him to be ousted.

I couldn't name the president of any of them.

That's still not 100% though, is it?

34/34 players not asking a question, raising a red flag, asking the AFLPA, talking to anyone about it outside the Essendung bubble...

Too hard to believe for mine. Either it's not true and someone's covering something up, or the players had reason to believe everything was legitimate.

or they believed they were going to get away with it.

It's common knowledge that the players didn't really understand the boring lectures on drugs and personal responsibility, and naturally trusted Hird, Dank et al. to do the right thing.

They were simply too trusting and naive. Blokes like Fletcher and Watson were just too in awe of Hird to question his directions. The idea that injecting supplements might give them an advantage in getting a premiership was unthinkable, although all players swear that getting a flag is their greatest goal. And David Zaharakis refused to be involved because he's a wimp about injections, not because he smelled danger.

Not.

They could have a plan to hobble through the next few years. First drag this out as long as they can so older players would retire anyway (hence my question earlier). Also they could plan to trade out young blokes whom other clubs will take knowing they may miss some months . They could trade these guys for some 'clean skins' to fill the holes over the next couple of years, swap some draft picks for more and even keep some younger ones on ice while they serve their bans or trade them next year. The AFL will help. They may not be a powerhouse for several years, but I'm sure the AFL would prefer that to them fielding a VFL side. Whether that makes any sense or not would depend on a detailed analysis of their list so I could be talking through my hat.

Of course there is also the possibility of a coup if they try to follow such a long-term course.

That would require a level of realistic tactical thinking not so far displayed.

They have no hope. They've gone kamikaze.

Sam Mitchell I believe?

My bile duct works better than my memory these days.