Chris

It is called accountability Ash and making a clear and clean stand against drug cheats. Something the AFL, AFL media, AFLPA, EFC, etc etc have failed miserably to do. All in officialdom, except ASADA and WADA think this is a massive injustuce and all their poor little boys should be let off. It is sickening. That is where a string stand like removing the team for a year comes into it, yes there would be a small financial hit but it would make the code stronger long term. On the Bock case, it is still being investigated due to new evidence which may be completly unreliable. What clear evidence do you have outside of the word of Charters? As you may remember he isnt the most reliable witness, as confimed by the AFL tribunal and CAS. Bock may well get away wuth this but you need evidence, they had that against the dons which is why they went down.

I don't have the spare coin at the minute but out of interest how much are the sponsorships?

Be careful, if you will be that strung up an hour twenty before the game I am worried you wont make it!

Heard it on 360, you know that show with the greatest EFC apologists known to man as the host!

We saw that Ash, just don't have any faith in the AFL at all to actually follow through with it. They have tried from day 1 to get the bombers off and have even said publicly that they want them up and about again in a most inappropriate fashion.

A few stats for those interested. Taken from full 25 man squad. I have added a bit at the bottom directly comparing backline vs forwards for comparison. MFC WBFC Diff Average Age 23.2 23.6 -0.4 Average Games 59.9 69.5 -9.6 Back Line Ave Age 23.7 28.0 -4.3 Ave Games 64.2 137.5 -73.3 Fol (includes wing) Ave Age 24.0 23.0 1.0 Ave Games 91.7 64.7 27.0 Fwd Ave Age 23.8 24.3 -0.5 Ave Games 64.7 73.8 -9.2 Int Ave Age 21.4 19.7 1.7 Ave Games 24.9 11.7 13.1 Melbourne Games Backline Fol Fwd Int total 0-50 2 2 3 6 13 51-100 3 2 1 1 7 101-150 1 0 2 0 3 151-200 0 1 0 0 1 200+ 0 1 0 0 1 25 WBFC Games Backline Fol Fwd Int total 0-50 2 2 2 7 13 51-100 1 4 2 0 7 101-150 0 0 1 0 1 151-200 0 0 1 0 1 200+ 3 0 0 0 3 25 MFC Back WB Fwd Diff Age 23.7 24.3 -0.7 Games 64.2 73.8 -9.7 MFC Fwd WB Back Age 23.8 28.0 -4.2 Games 64.7 137.5 -72.8 This week is fairly close in age and experience except for their backline which has a lot of experience over our forward line.

Looked it up and they had us as the fourth hardest draw for the year. Would be interesting for them to re do it using the same methodology for the rest of the year givent he form of some teams. There would need to be adjustments due to the fact not all teams have played each other but statisticians could work that out.

Maybe they take travel etc into account at champion data? Not sure, just know they ranked us as one of the hardest.

According to the champion data (I think it is) ranking before the year our draw was the 4th or 6th hardest. I remember thinking about the whole AFl bottom teams get easier draws thing and wondering how our draw ended up as it did.

That is an incredibly flawed way of looking at it, basically they are saying that if a team gets beaten by lots then they are easier to beat, no matter who they have played. Essentially every time you give someone a shellacking you are making the draw seem easier for yourself whether that is against a bottom side or top side. So if you are playing brilliant footy and have only played the top teams but beaten them convincingly then you have had the easier draw as their average margin will be made higher (in the losing sense) due to you winning, yet in reality that may have been the hardest draw and you are about to win everything by 100+ against the bottom teams. Really is using stats to say what you want them to say!

A certain senator who could help instigate a royal commission is currently in senate wasting everyone's time with trying to bring down ASADA!

Where is Earnest when you need him?

That's just how it works around here, we lose to the Saints and Roos should be sacked along with most of the players as we are deplorable, win against the suns are we are world beaters. It is actually quite fun to watch. As long as the players stop going on the same roller coaster then things will improve.

Obviously Evans is to blame for not knowing how to run an administration that could hide things better!

School and a couple of seasons of juinors at u15 and u16 level. Played the age group above in a team that only fielded a full team twice in two years, won two games in two years and usually got smashed. 44 goals 22 to 1 point is the most memorable. Played all positions except forward pocket and ruck, kicked 20 odd goals as a full foward generally playing on 3 backs (as we didnt have a full team) and the team probably only got 50 for the year. If I played in my right age group i would have been with Luke Power and winning consecutive premierships! Sailing was more my focus going through the junior, youth and development state teams. Never quite made the VIS/AIS due to lacking the last few percent of talent. Could never quite make that last step and the kids I was up against have picked up numerous world titles, gold medals, and an Americas cup or two.

Watts played decoy most of the night. Both he and Hogan were well held/double teamed but both at times lead purely to create space. Was a good game from both for the team but not great for their stats.

BT is by far the worst commentator I have ever heard. I pity for our society due to the fact so many people seem to like him. His audience is the lowest denominator.

There is plenty of research that has been done that putting protective gear on people means they take more risks and that negates the affect of the protective gear. The one I am most familiar with is bush fire fighters, before they had the protective gear they got out early and took far more care, with every new thing put in place to protect them the rate of fire fighters putting them selves in increasingly dangerous positions has increased. This is seen with an increase in burn over rates for trucks etc. People come to really on the protection more than relying on their own self preservation intuition. In short, helmets arent the answer, but I dont know what is

At the point at which another player is banging down the door who is better.

There is no need for natural justice, him losing his medal is not subject to a hearing or him making a case either way, it is subject to the clear rules around eligibility. If any player is suspended for their actions in a given year then they are not eligible for the medal. The hearing comes into play in determining if they have actually committed an action that requires a suspension, that is were procedural fairness comes into play. There is nothing to stop the AFl saying that 'If Jobe is suspended for his actions in 2012 then he is no longer eligible for the medal. We (the AFL) will wait until Jobe has exhausted all avenues in determining his suspension until we act in accordance with our rules. If he is suspended then he loses the medal, if he is not then he keeps it'.

Do both. The saints tries the same in Seaford and the players and staff hated the drive. Casey would be the same for us. Better to have out home at our home and then have some training and the VFL affilate somewhere like Casey. I think the players and staff are pretty soft about the drive, I have worked both in Casey and well south of Seaford while living within 15k or so of the CBD. It is all against traffic and doesn't take that long. I was working in Traralgon while living in Glenhuntly for a while. That travel will do your head in after a while!

I think that is probably fair enough, the first goal for Jack is to get back playing footy, then having confidence in his footy and his body most of all, and then look at the specifics of what he needs to do for a spot in the ones. He isn't a first year player so he should know what to expect and therefore shouldn't need the guidance a young player would. Leave him be to do his thing until he knows he is right. If Roos is good at one thing it is managing people and personalities, he would have given this thought and he would think that this will be the best way to get the best from Jack.

Just read in the paper that their is talk of covering the train line between the g and Melbourne park and putting parks and bars and the like in there. I think the club should get on their bike and lobby the state government to help provide a training ground for us in this plan. The area just to the west of the G would do nicely and if the area is used it would give us great publicity. It would also provide us the chance to potentially have all our organisation, including gyms etc within cooee of each other, maybe even under the one roof, and it is essentially based at OUR home. Eddie of course will try and stomp all over any such plan but it is about time us and the AFL told him to pull his head in.

It is the Essendon way, when ASADA and WADA produce lots of evidence they say there is none, yet when James produces none I am sure they will say there is heaps. Still no sign of any records for anything though

The Little benefactor picked up the costs for the first court case. Hird thought his appeal would be covered by insurance (I wish I could find an insurance company to cover me starting legal proceedings, I would sue heaps of people just for fun!) so he took the insurer to court for not covering the costs of the appeal.