Mazer Rackham

Since getting into bed with McGuire he has totally lost his street cred. Now he's just another of Eddie's toadies.

Except ... since that this has come out, it has emerged that it seems a lot of cyclists and swimmers have these asthma problems. Bradley has done nothing illegal. But then a lot of pollies claiming travel expenses have done "nothing illegal" but to us ordinary plebs it looks very bad.

How would we know? He always seems to find a pack less than 5 metres away and runs into it.

Who at the start of the year would have thought Hunt would be regular 22? What about OMac? What about Salem? Whose "best 22" at the start of the year bore any resemblance to the actual 22 running out in the last month of the season? Things change, players come in and out of form. Players hit a hot streak. Others hit a cold streak. I'm not predicting anything for Trengove. Not saying he "will" be best 22 , regular 22, or regular Casey. But things change. If he's given a role, and performs it consistently, he can end up regular 22. Same goes for any player.

The whole thing came to light because of an Aus Crime Commission investigation that was checking out bikie gangs. It then unearthed Dank, then EFC. The ACC went to ASADA and the rest is history. Except that the info ACC gave to ASADA could not be used as evidence! I'm hazy on why but it had to do with cross-agency intelligence and not compromising future court cases. ASADA had to go and dig it all up from scratch. (What was left of it that is.) Supposedly, one day the ACC report will be tabled in parliament and then we'll find out a lot more as to what really went on.

Maybe some merit in that but I think more urgent is to reduce the salary cap floor. Forcing all clubs to pay 95% - 100% is absurd.

Oh right! It's all the agencies fault! In that case, the players ARE hard done by. They ARE returning heroes. Jobe CAN keep his Charlie. And let's get stuck in to those awful anti drug agencies for fighting an uphill battle trying to protect clean athletes from the ones who will happily cheat for wealth fame and glory. We're on to you ASADA and WADA! The jig is up, thanks to the keen perceptive mind of the Satyr. Well done Satyr!

Who's the most prominent drug cheat in Oz sport? Warnie. And where's he? Oh yes. Still national hero. Coz Aussies don't cheat, you see. It was all some kind of mistake.

Take your point but this is what bringing the game into disrepute means, in practical terms. Fours years later and we're still burning about their attempt to cheat their way to flag.

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.

Ha! Somehow the AFL let that one pass but when other players (their managers more like) wanted to get on the bandwagon the AFL had a sudden attack of the integrities. Those days are gone ... What we need is to convince Gil that the TV ratings will be higher if Hogan stays at MFC.

They could have done what they're trained to do and PHONED ASADA

Here is where it starts to break down. Why the [ ] are the PLAYERS signing forms saying that the program was approved? Why isn't the CLUB signing them, or ASADA? If the players were concerned enough to want to do this, why didn't they go to ASADA? Or to their lawyers? It's backwards. The forms indemnified the CLUB, not the players.

Doesn't really stack up, does it? Put in this awful situation by the club, all these years of anxiety and grief, reputation damaged, Charlie at risk, and he walks back in the door. Alternate explanation: he was in on it the whole time. Maybe not on top of the details but knew that there was "monkey business". Can't really say the club betrayed him then.

Goffy, did you have some mushrooms like that guy in that other thread?

Yes, because people are here for only the most serious, the most learned discourse, centred around kicking a ball. It's more like a Greek school of philosophy than an internet chat forum.

We need to trade him for some lead flashing and a bag of briquettes before his trade value dries up.

You're wearing out your keyboard needlessly, Red. (In olden times I would have said you're wasting your breath.) Because ...

In Harry Potter, the bad guy had some magical thing going whereby if anyone mentioned his name, he or his goons would transport to that spot to attack them. Eddie must have found a phoenix tail wand or something. (Magpie tail and gum tree?)

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

With a bit of luck, they will win some early matches, a relieved Eddie will extend the contract, then they'll hit the wall as their old büggers run out of puff.

Ultimately I'm saying, I don't believe he will sign this off season. Setting us up for a year-long circus that will make the Scully situation look small time. Our bargaining position next year will be worse than this year, so I'm saying let's go for it this year. I have strong doubts that showing loyalty makes any difference to not showing it. The player managers are hard-@rses who wouldn't know the meaning of the word.

"We lost Hogan, but at least we opened a huge can of worms about free agency." Just quietly, free agency is already a huge can of worms.

If we're in this same position in 12 months time, what kind of deal do you think we can do then?

Maybe not the same level. But the speculation would still be there. The "going home" rumours have been around almost since day one.