Mazer Rackham

Harry used to get horribly frustrated by "tiggy touchwood" free kicks. So much that sometimes he could barely speak as he raged over these .... these .... tiggy touchwood frees! No one ever knew exactly what he meant as he never went into any detail but it was assumed he meant the soft frees that were "technically" there but which fans often don't want paid (especially against their side). He wanted 20 frees paid a game. Circumstances be damned. And this was when he was the umpires' boss! The first advocate of not umpiring according to the rules. Maybe that's when the rot started to creep in.

Let's cross to Tommy down in the rooms. Are you there Tommy? I'm ere Arry. Can you hear me? Tommy, have you got Phil Carman there? I don't fink so Arry. I can't see anyfink because it's dark in ere Arry. I fink I've locked meself in the broom cupboard Arry.

Hird's "good bloke" genes must be something powerful to overcome landing the AFL in its biggest scandal in its history. game in disrepute bees d*ck from an entire team being suspended swathe of sackings and resignations fines galore possibility of future health issues ... stacked up against: good bloke

Just like the AFL exec. Going hard on the easy targets and looking the other way the rest of the time. Could be an admin role in Jobby's future! AFL football ops manager, after an apprenticeship as personal barista to Gil.

Wow, the drugs must have finally worn off.

They tried to cheat their way to a flag, but it is for the above reason that they deserve the eternal condemnation of the footy loving public.

Dank is the guy who gave growth stimulants to a rugby player who had had cancer, who later died of that cancer. If there's one thing cancer cells love, it's a growth stimulant. Dank also sued reporters who said he gave warfarin (a blood thinner) to Cronulla players. (Do you reckon they get many bruises?) He won the case but was awarded minimal damages because the jury accepted he had done much worse things! Who wants this bloke injecting ANYTHING into them?

They took drugs meant for horses and they took drugs meant for treatment of multiple sclerosis. Very very fortunate to only go down for TB4. Dank was reckless beyond belief and EFC and AFL have just stood back and let him get away with it.

If he took it further EFC might have to prove that their drug regime DIDN'T cause the kid's condition. Difficult proposition. Presumably they would then have to cough up a list of drugs that they gave. Can't see how it would be a criminal proceeding, I think reasonable doubt applies only to criminal. NLM not checking with/lying to ASADA is a sporting tribunal matter and the supreme court wouldn't care. They'd probably be more interested in whether NLM gave his consent.

I think this is covered under the "so brave" clause in the secret agreement between the AFL & EFC. (Probably Masonic.)

Still "celebrating" yesterday's win?

The Fitzroy (Brisbane Lions) team of the century poster is a beauty, set against the backdrop of the old Brunswick Oval grandstand, with Butch, Murray, Bunton, Quinlan, some bloke called Roos.

I'm happy to keep talking up the EFC/AFL failings until the cows come home. Never forget!

Look at it this way. Why did the Bombers lash out at the AFL, ASADA, WADA, etc, etc, sack their CEO, sack their football boss, sack their high performance manager, wage a PR war through the media, try to get the Feds to kill off the investigation .... But the bloke who did the injecting has been treated with kid gloves. It's like they don't want to provoke him. Why?

Hear hear. They tried to dope their way to a flag. Not a few rogue players trying to get an edge. The club. Nearly the whole team, with the connivance of the coaches and administrators, were on a cocktail of performance enhancers. When the AFL found out, they tried to cover it up. They weren't interested in the corruption of their comp, until it became public knowledge. Only then did they haul arse to "get to the bottom of it" while at the same time trying to minimise the punishment. We won't hear the whole story until a jacked off player spills his guts, some 10 or more likely 20 years in the future when it's ground away at him to the point where it's too much to bear any longer. TL;DR: the club doped up big time and the AFL tried to get them off. Never forget.

Classic logic error. "If the police had been on the ball they would have put in place better security and I wouldn't have been able to rob that bank."

God. it must burn Hird up. Knowing that they'll all be in a very good place when the truth comes out. I suppose it's the AFL, Demetriou, McLachlan, ASADA, WADA, CAS, Fed police, ALP, Worksafe, and the boy scouts all colluding to prevent it. Can't be any other explanation.

Double negative. "Thompson never understood why Essendon self-reported on that fateful February day in 2013 because the key figures in the football department were adamant no prohibited substances were given to their players." Fixed.

How about ... under certain circumstances. The Pies to win, with each of their 22 belting an EFC player and copping 6 weeks.

You are forgetting that on April 25, they are "heroes". (Somehow) Best result: Collingwood thrash them. Then Eddie on an emotional high extends Buckley's contract for 2 more years.

Fear not. There is rich assortment of numpties from all clubs regularly calling in to SEN.

Bringing the game into disrepute ... Jesus, don't try that one on. Dean Bailey banned from coaching. Chris Connolly ... banned from and and all admin roles. Very protective of the good name of their comp, the AFL are. But somehow ... Trevor Nisbett ... still CEO of WCE. AFL. Don't try them on when it comes to drugs. They're tough as.

It's an editorial decision. Any criticism of Hird would be bad for his mental health. (Robbo's, I mean.)

Don't really want to debate the whole thing all over again. Agree others have culpability. But one bloke set the thing in motion.

Of course he does. When the whole thing blew up, his first thought was to cover it up. He was prepared to let large scale drug cheating go unpunished, to protect the income stream. But. He tried to warn them off it, months before. And as he said, he didn't inject anyone. Who started the whole mess, who didn't heed the warnings, who recklessly brought this disrepute on the game, still affecting it years later, who has failed to take responsibility? The heat is not disproportionate. No, Oz head of News Ltd (EFC supporter and Hird tragic), pulling some strings.