Mazer Rackham

It's funny how Hird is blameless for all of Ess's current issues, according to the article. Poor James! What a fighter. .... or it would be funny if we hadn't heard it all before multiple times from the #standbyhird crew.

I'd be more worried about CAS than the (very sad) Walsh situation.

First it was Hird/Essendon, now Bennell/Gold Coast have been fitted up. Is there any limit to the AFL's pointless and arbitrary vendettas? Who's next??

Lance Uppercut. I see on bigfooty you are arguing that's it's far fetched to suggest that News Ltd are running a campaign to push the Hird agenda. If you think that's far fetched, then you don't know much about the world of Murdoch. (Murdoch himself probably knows nothing and cares less about anything to do with Essendon.) News constantly run campaigns against organisations and individuals, and it's not alway to do with Murdoch's bottom line. Sometimes it's just because. Take Robert Manne as an instance. Or anyone who crosses them generally. A million more examples came out in the phone hacking scandal in Britain. It is entirely believable that News would take up the cudgels on Hird's behalf.

The Hun has that perfected that Murdochian combination of slavering voyeurism and tut-tutting puritanism. They're [censored] hypocrites like all Murdoch rags.

the idea that part of the "solution" to drugs in society is to get the crims out of the game has been canvassed by several here.

This policy works beautifully, right up until the moment when it turns out it's your marquee player that's been caught. You're not far off it ... the pampering and cuddling you will now see will be of the AFL. Bennell may or may not be collateral damage, but the protection effort will be in order: AFL, GCS, Bennell & his gang.

Seeing those pics in the Hun ... no wonder Grabblett and his mates were having prayer-a-thons, with SATAN in their very midst!

The AFL have long tentacles, don't they. Imagine fitting up Brynne Edelsten just like they did James Hird. I wonder what she did to cross them. (Probably nothing, just like Jim.)

Not to worry Brynne. "The Man" has to place that MDMA* in each and every one of your mouth; if they can't do that to comfortable satisfaction, it means you never took anything. * = that's if it even was MDMA. Those bikies may have swapped it with something else!!!!

WILL YOU STOP F***KIN' TALKING ABOUT IT FER CHRISSAKES? You're making the AFL look bad! In the words of our PM, whose side are you on???

So he's on to us!? Our security has failed. Or maybe we have a mole... I can see I'm going to have to call Obama again to get this sorted. Thanks for the intelligence. To the red phone!

Translation: Evans warned players not to repeat the supplement scandal sledge, saying they should consider the AFL's reputation before making another similar gesture. (Players) have to accept they are displaying themselves publicly and it will be a reflection on the AFL, Evans said.

"AFL arranged"? To "welcome" Hird back??? Ye gods. Well, any respect I had left for the AFL -- wait a sec. *checks to see if there are any dregs of respect left for the AFL -- finds there are none* Carry on.

Yeah, well. It's their divided loyalties that's the problem. If the coach says, from now on we are going to covet our neighbour's oxen, he can't be sure the whole playing group is buying in.

The biggest parallel is that he's "putting off contract talks until the end of the season". He's as good as gone..

Not exactly sure what you're trying to say here, other than you don't agree with me. I am not a user. I don't pretend to have all the answers, or even some of them, but the current approach, fully endorsed by our politicians of all stripes (ie, "tough on drugs"), has failed. Even you admit than in areas with harsh penalties, drugs are still freely available and therefore (one suspects) purchased and used. I say, take out the criminal element -- have the govt supply them under controlled conditions and known quality. Send the prices through the floor and put the crims out of business. Take away the glamour element: dispense in boring unattractive clinics. Stop clogging up our courts and law enforcement: decriminalise. (Note: that is not the same thing as legalising, in the way smokes & grog are legal.) What can we do about the current addicts? Well, they're addicted. Give them their stuff under govt supervision and try to get them unhooked. Probably a losing battle, but at least they won't die in a gutter. Ultimately, I think the only thing that can stop the uptake is to have drugs viewed by young people as the kind of thing their parents would use, or even worse, their grandparents. What I suggest may go some way to achieving that.

No. No. Aussies don't cheat and especially not with drugs. Imagine what would would happen if we did. We wouldn't be able to get on our high horse and point the finger at those other despicable drug cheating countries. The edifice of sport would fall apart. So, no, we don't cheat and no, we definitely don't need a royal commission. Or inquiry of any sort. Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!

So the strong deterrent obviously hasn't stopped everyone from staying away from hard drugs ... that are very cheap and very potent. Why is that?

1. And yet people keep starting to use drugs. Why is that? 2. Who said that cheap, readily available, mind altering drugs are a good thing for our society? Or any variation of that statement.

They should decriminalise these drugs and have them available from the govt for those who need them. Eg. for medicinal use, recovering addicts, etc. Licence required. Having a licence from the govt = not cool. Would take away the attraction of the illicit. And heroin addicts would at least know that they are getting consistent quality if it's the govt supplying it instead of crims.

Maybe. But don't be too surprised if we happen to have one or two of those in our team. Young men + boredom + plenty of cash = trouble. Being a mighty demon does not immunise you from that.

Doesn't that article merely back up what everyone (even Hirdites) thought was happening? But don't let that distract us from the main game. They drugged up; what with; who is reponsible; why aren't the players marching on Tulla with pitchforks? And, goodbye Brownlow.

In the generational war against soccer and RL, Tasmania is behind our front lines. They're already an "Aussie Rules" state. Not much to be gained by parking a club there. Whereas north of the border, there is potentially much to be gained, and in the worst case, a resistance movement against soccer and RL. They're not doing this for spits and giggles. This is about where Aussie Rules will be in 50 years time. Still dominant, a niche game like lacrosse or squash, or extinct.

Sp the unfailingly even-handed, never arbitrary, and non-vindictive AFL ought not do this?