Mazer Rackham

It's well known that Cousins was not squeaky clean. But as you imply, there really is no comparison. Cousins was into "recreational" drugs, and although they can be performance enhancing, that's not why he took them. (Or so it appears from this distance.) Also he was in it for himself, not for any footy related reason. And, he was cunning enough to time his use so that the AFL testing regime, such as it was, never caught him. He's no angel, and probably lucky. Compare that to the coach-instituted team-wide doping programme at EFC, unprecedented and breath taking in its audacity.

Gil likes a challenge. "Everyone said he couldn't keep it! That the rules didn't allow it. That there was no way the comp could permit it. Well, who's laughing now? (Apart from me and Jobe, that is.)"

The number one rule of the AFL is that there are no rules. They do what they damn well feel like doing.

This sports lawyer is so invested in splitting hairs and throwing up clouds of legal obfuscation that he seems to have lost sight of his own assertion: "surely it's a fait accompli that Watson's Brownlow Medal, earned in the Bombers annus horribilis, will be stripped". I have more to say but am too disgusted at the thought that the AFL will adopt this character's line of thinking.

It means, "man who disgraced himself by the bad influence of ignoble people but who was able to redeem himself by leaving them and surrounding himself with wise and upstanding people instead".

Well Leigh Montanya is Mon-tag-na. And Yay-ger O'Meara pronounces it Jay-ger. We'll just have to ask Yibbity Yibbida how to say his name.

You know ... coz Lewis said Hogan signing was a big factor ... take it down a notch in class for Hibberd/Pedo ... oh never mind.

That's why he has managed to find a home in footy media.

At least let us finish our cigarettes.

No necessarily. We might have decided to knock this deal over to leave time for doing others. Rather than still having horns locked with EFC at 11:45 tomorrow. Spending pick 29 on Hibberd is hardly a disaster. "Money" well spent in fact.

It's said that this year's draft is a bit thin, so if we're not in the first round, it's not essential to hold on to this year's picks. Better to hold on to next year's picks.

What do they care? They are beyond shame.

ASADA established that Charter ordered TB4, that the Chinese lab shipped stuff supposed to be TB4, that the Chinese believed it was in fact TB4, that Charter received the shipment thinking it was TB4, that the chemist mixed it up according to how you would prepare TB4, that Dank injected it in concordance with a regime of TB4. And there were these "consent forms" saying "I hereby give permission to be injected with thymosin". And the players did indeed receive injections. Hardly a botched prosecution. The AFL tribunal said, what if it WASN'T TB4!?!? What if it was ...... SOMETHING ELSE and the vials just SAID TB4!? In effect, what if it was really icing sugar and engine coolant? The only way to know would be to go back in time and have a lab analyse the exact batch of stuff sent from China. That's not comfortable satisfaction. That's not even reasonable doubt. That's looking for absolute proof. The tribunal said, if we can't know what was in that shipment, then there's no point going further. Case dismissed! That's why the tribunal decision was scorned. Even before the tribunal convened, there were warning signs. The members were hand picked by the AFL presumably because of a propensity for a certain way of thinking. Enter Jones, the chairman and esteemed beak who some years before managed to find Barry Hall not guilty of striking so he could play in a grand final.

This decision should be easy and should have been made months ago. What hold has Jobby got on Gil? Why is Gil dithering? What private commitment has Gil made to Jobby that requires time for Gil to work his deal making magic and thereby extract himself from embarrassment? It seems that Gil is trying to avoid a situation where Jobby runs to Robbo saying "Gil promised me I could keep it."

I had thought in my innocence that a CEO of an organisation is the one empowered to make decisions, on a daily basis. If his decisions go against the philosophy of the business then the board can step in. Or if he thinks a pending decision conflicts with said philosophy then he can kick it upstairs to the board. But when a CEO makes public statements that his business is committed to clean sport and wishes to protect clean players, then this particular decision is easy. If a CEO refuses to make decisions then one presumes the board is duty bound to step in and replace him.

It was Jobe who initiated the drive for "consent forms" for the players. Not the action of a man who thought it was all completely above board and comprising harmless supplements. It shows he realised there was potentially something wrong, that the players needed to be protected against. And before the drug years of 11/12 and his Brownlow, the thing Jobe was best known for was his aborted sit-down protest against umpires. I know he was a lot younger then but it showed appalling judgement.

This applies to the entire AFL comp.

Here we go. Laying the groundwork. "Well we CAN'T take it off Jobe, because Sam REFUSED to tell us why he should get the medal. You can't blame us! We're trying to go about this the right way, but Sam ... he REFUSED to front up!" "the AFL is fully committed to clean sport, for the sake of all players from all clubs" Yes, Gil. Pull the other one. It squirts AOD-9604 cream! A meeting in mid-Nov. A month to gauge public opinion and massage the non-decision accordingly.

Imagine what Dank might say if he was forced in court to talk. Might blow away the "innocent little lambs led into depravity" line they've pushed for 4 years.

Scene: AFL house, Tuesday night. CEO's office. Gil McLaughlin: Sh!t. Peter Gordon told me they'd get off! Mark Evans: You didn't believe him surely? GM: I know ... but he spoke so well. Pronounces his words so beautifully. There's something about a man in a horsehair wig that makes me go all shivery ... um, anyway, he swore they'd be fine. ME: Yeah, but it doesn't change anything. They're still cooked. But we'll have to get on to Jobe now. GM: There's a bit of a problem there actually. ME: The media? Oh, the players association. GM: No. Jobe. I already told him he could keep it. ME: What'd you do that for!?! GM: Oh, I met with him and some of his boys back when we were running the tribunal against them*. Told them to sit tight and everything would work out for them including the Brownlow. ME: Isn't that a bit ... out of order? GM: Hey. I'm Gil McLaughlin, pal. Brother of Hamish. (pause) There's only one way out of this. ME: Robbo? GM: Yes. Bring me the Fatphone. * = this part really happened!

I always meant to go but never tried to be upfront I went to Sydney "just to see", 'twas quite a cheeky stunt I lied to big Jim easily because I've so much front I'm cool about my wealth but not with being such a ... Damn, now I've run out of rhymes too.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/posts/42631559/

Can we get him to have a chat to Hogan?

These ones bat them into the crowd.