Mazer Rackham

I reckon there was a very early impulse to "head em off at the pass", which largely succeeded in setting the agenda. A known EFC supporter in charge of the Herald Sun, a number of EFC supporting individuals in various media, certain red faced buffoons with a voice, all promoting that the sports scientist went rogue, the players were duped, etc, which mostly stuck. One prominent individual who is an EFC supporter and somehow counts as a journo, ended up on the payroll of the Essendon lawyers, advising them! I wonder if the "advice" was actually in the other direction. Not to mention media accreditations that can be renewed or annulled at the whim of the emperor.

I don't excuse them, they are guilty. As a group, they knew there was monkey business of some kind, and decided to cover it up. Just trying to explain the dilemma of a new player trying to reconcile his ASADA lectures with what Jobe & co were doing. (In this case Jobe & co won out, but it's easy to imagine the cognitive dissonance of trying to straighten it out in your head.)

Bear in mind that it is really their older, more worldly managers who are doing the saying. IMaybe you can recall old stories of awe-struck players being recruited literally for 10 pounds, 3 pelaco shirts and a slab for the old man. Players won't have changed. It's the system that's changed. Players no longer get diddled by clubs, and it's because of the player managers who have no fear of telling clubs to stick deals up their jacksies. Nonetheless the managers can't be with them 24/7. It's easy to see a wet behind the ears recruit, who doesn't know what's normal and what's not, going along with the other players and lining up for his stomach jabs. As elsewhere mentioned, the really culpable ones are the ones who had been in the system to know "something" was going on, who had the experience and the clout to make waves, and lined up for their jabs anyway.

Unfortunately yes, and this same discussion will be going on for Crameri and the others who changed clubs. The players, no matter what they do from here, and for which club, will always have an asterisk next to their names. The damage EFC have done is far reaching and will take years to fade away.

Why don't you take them some of your "powders over the counter that increases muscle growth" that are "not banned" then? Preferably before tonight's game.

Red herring

Explain your reasoning. ASADA charged players, AFL tribunal let them off, WADA appealed, CAS heard the case anew and suspended the players. I spot a travesty in there, but I don't see where WADA have erred.

How is this relevant? Anyway, all your pal is saying is that the AFL shouldn't have run the tribunal in the EFC/Dank thing. Conflict of interest. And from the finding they handed down, we can see why.

Why does there have to be? Does this really require an answer? There are too many substances out there. They cannot test them all. The funding for the cheats outstrips the funding for the ASDAs, USADAs, etc. There is no way they can test them all. Not time nor money. So they have "catch all" sections in the code. Not approved for human consumption? Banned. Too similar chemically to a known banned substance? Banned. You seem to be blaming the agencies. They are fighting an uphill battle. Underfunded, under-resourced, often deliberately by their controlling bodies.

Oh right. Maybe they were disadvantaged? So cheating should only be condemned if it works. Got it.

So you think it is possible that Dank/Charter/Hird said "here's some stuff we'd like the players to take. We don't know if it's performance enhancing. In fact it might DETRACT from their performance! But let's stick it in 'em and find out. What's the diff? What's one failed season of footy, it's not like it can affect anyone's career." Here's another possibility for you ... They knew full well it was performance enhancing the whole time.

Doh! Can't the bugger stay at home with his young family instead of going out with his mates all the time?

Bucks: It's the injuries. We can't get a consistent line up on the park. Eddie: Oh, I know, Nathanial. I know. B: We've got some youngsters coming through. Moore is progressing, Aish is starting to show some form. E: I know. You look so handsome tonight Nathaniel. B: It's the unforced errors that are killing us. And some senior players are well down in form just at a time when we need them. E: I know Nathaniel. I know all about ... needing someone ... B: We're going to have to think really hard about trading Cloke. E: Oh let him go! There's only one man I want in *my* team. B: Trouble is we don't have much trade bait apart from him ... E: Oh, Nathaniel! Let's not talk about boring old football! B: We need more skill around the packs but we can't wait for draft p---- what? E: Nathaniel .... kiss me you fool!

Bucks has mastered the art. Under him, the Pies have had fewer wins each year, lower percentage, lower ladder position than the year before. Showing all the sublime skill and super consistency that he did as a player.

I remember that game. Last kick was to a squib called Marshall who performed the most red hot dropping he ball you will ever see in your life. Called as holding the man. Just about ate the bean bag I was sitting on, my mind was blown so bad.

Hey ... Neeld tried that same approach. Only he had such high regard for his players, he did it to all of them. Dunno why it didn't work. Maybe it diluted the excellence too much.

A million dollar forward wouldn't miss the ones that Jesse does. He does need to work on his run up. "It's the ball drop!!!" I hear you scream. The run up is different every single time. His ball drop is variable because of it. He needs to come in off 5 or 7 paces instead of a Wes Hall pushing off the sightscreen run up. He can't reliably kick more than 40 metres, another thing a million dollar forward should be able to do.

It's a place where people smoke and chat and generally laze about dreaming of places with beaches and sunshine.

Yes, but have you got a giant ferris wheel overlooking an industrial area?

It would work better on Yahoo Answers. "Q. OMG my fave player is LEAVING do you think he will leave or not???" "A. If he tries to leave tap him on the nose and say NO. If he tries again tap him again. Eventually he'll get the message. Don't forget to reward him with a long term contract when he gets it right."

I see it now. The MFC wants him to go to Freo! That's why Roos is leaving. To take up the reins at Freo. That's why Lyon is deliberately losing those games. So Freo can sack him to clear the path for Roos and Hogan. This is all the work of umpire Pannell. I see it now.

Wouldn't be Karl "worst CHF since Craig Starcevic" Langdon doing the talking would it? He's now got a vested interest in Hogan leaving.

Yes, and Viney's re-signing was an obvious ruse. I mean he never posted the contract on here did he???

For your heresies you are hereby outcast from the Nervous Nellies and Chicken Littles Society (A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the MFCSS Society).

One thing that has helped us is the new low-interchange fast flowing style of play. The rolling maul, seagulls fighting over a chip style played for the last few years ... we just weren't very good at it. Whereas Freo were experts at it. That rugby maul style was near unwatchable. God, it was the opposite of entertainment. Even leaving out that we weren't winning. Now it's consigned to the dustbin of history and our players are loving it.