Smokey

Nothing in it. The watering down of our great game continues. Tough one for MFC - our backline is better with him there, and we could probably account for Port without him. Do we really want risk not having him available to match up on Hawkins in R2? Hawkins has a track record of belting anyone else we could put on him.

Is it just me or is advocating for legalisation and demanding more invasive testing for little reason fairly oxymoronic?

There is no doubt to the addictive qualities of meth, good luck finding someone that will argue you on that point. My point is a simple one though - the current system for dealing with drug abuse clearly isn’t working (it never has actually) and we as a society need to start questioning the value of our current methodology and open our minds to alternate concepts. And if we can’t do that, at least recognise the data that is beginning to exist that favours as far more progressive approach.

It's a hard pill to swallow (ha!) and goes against most peoples intuition on the subject, but we are seeing more and more examples that legalization/decriminalization when combined with targeted mental health frameworks to support addicts actually reduces addiction and overall usage. People take drugs for a variety of reasons, but usually it comes down to something pretty simple - their life sucks. They are unfulfilled, be it a meaningless job they hate, a family who is unloving or distant, or no family at all (just to name a few). These people need an escape, which is quite a natural reaction for a human being who has the capacity for this type of awareness. Some choose escape with alcohol, some with prescribed opioids, others with meth. Until we understand and treat the underlying reasons that trigger substance abuse for these people, no amount of policing and litigation will ever amount to positive change. We need to think outside the box, because at this point we are just banging our heads against a wall and expecting different results. Legalization to reduce usage is a bold idea, but we are starting to see really positive results in those countries brave enough to try it. Decades of prohibition indoctrination has most people blind to these new concepts, but at this point we need to either try something radical which may work, or continue on the current path which DEFINITELY doesn't work. Small chance of a result is better than no chance, right?

This type of conservative thinking paves the way to a hyper-nanny state which is terrifying to imagine. To suggest conducting drug testing in jobs beyond those that would benefit from performance-enhancing drugs or pose serious physical safety issues is as invasive as it is downright stupid. What on earth would a positive drug test from a office staffer prove (other than potentially ruining someones livelihood because they prefer some ecstasy on the weekends instead of a bottle of scotch)? Come on, its almost 2020 - can we please consider moving away from this ridiculous hard line approach to the war on drugs that that puts trillions of dollars in the hands of criminal groups globally, poisons our children with substances they never intended on taking and criminalizes addicts for life instead of treating the addiction with medical/psychological intervention? Switzerland made heroin completely legal and free to obtain in clinics and the stats are in - heroin use is significantly down in that country. Instead of criminalizing users with endless litigation and police resources, they diverted that money into mental health initiatives for addicts, which in turn uncovered the underlying cause of their use and saw an overall drop in usage, despite its open availability. Modern problems require modern solutions - prohibition didn't work for alcohol and your a fool to think it will work for other drugs (I saw other drugs because alcohol is no different, other than being legal and socially acceptable). There are other examples of effective progressive thinking like in Portugal or The Netherlands, but I digress ... The main focus should be to catch players using performance enhancing substances, which I'm all for as no-one wants to see a game played by people with unfair advantages. Recreational testing should be for impairment on game day only, not for the presence of substances in the system outside of game day. Instead of teaching kids that adults, including their footy idols, take drugs - let them figure it out the natural way; in a seedy nightclub after their 18th birthday surrounded by friends and questionable loud music (unless you live in NSW as I don't think you guys are allowed out after midnight anymore thanks to your "liberal" government)

I wouldn't think too much into this. Playing footy in 40 degree weather doesn't tell us much other than it's too bloody hot to be playing footy.

At what point are we done chasing new players and more concerned with keeping the current group we have together? Now, or if not soon I would imagine None of these names jump off the page for us anyway

Things I'd like to see in JLT 2: Pruess to time his jumps and use his body size to impose himself in the ruck more. Feel free to hurt someone legally for my amusement also. Hunt to show us he isn't just a gifted runner and has improved decision making and disposal. If he can't get it right now then my hope for him becoming anything more than the embodiment of roadrunner will start to fade. Tmac to kick a bunch and turn around last weeks thumping so he can go into round 1 with a clear mind and no second guesses Meaningful inside 50 delivery. Please. Goody to pull out a few tricks I'm not nearly creative enough to imagine myself Zero injuries. Not even a hurt feeling.

Admittedly I don't follow Casey that much, but he has seemingly come out of nowhere and showed plenty

I haven't even seen the stats mate, I watched the game and have noted that his disposal could slightly be cleaned up. Slightly is the keyword, I didn't suggest it was poor by any stretch. Believe or not - I understand the modern game and have 2 fully functional eyes.

Some random observations; Pruess - I'm far from convinced, but will reserve judgement for now. Looked classes below at times and I honestly thought Keilty was better in the ruck from a technical standpoint. Brayshaw - prolific, although would like to see him clean up his disposal slightly. Does he have a right foot? Petracca - I thought he was alright. Imposed himself in the contest at various times to great effect. Goal kicking still a huge concern. Clarry - a class above. He'll win the brownlow same year he takes us to a flag. Hoping its 2019. Frost - vintage disposal on display at times. Hoping he hasn't taken steps back from his improvement in that area toward the end of last year. Tmac - Destroyed on all fronts. Chalk up the L and move on Tommy. Fritsch - all class. Fast becoming a favourite of mine. Pure footballer, can't speak highly enough. Kelity, Petty and Hore - some pleasing displays. Hope they can build on it. Garlett - liked his first quarter, didn't get much opportunity after quarter time then forced off. Judgement reserved for now. Omac - continues to be exposed when he's number 1 down there. Expecting that to be corrected when May comes in next week. Disposal has improved though, to his credit. Hunt - not convinced yet, although it is always enjoyable to watch him spool up and tear across the park.

I’d be pretty concerned if I were a Richmond supporter, they only just got up in the end vs a very undermanned team. We kicked 100 and with minimal damage injury wise. Put Steven May out there and we win that game. Add a few more and we do it comfortably. Goody seemed to try a few new things, which in the end is all JLT is good for. Plenty to like.

I really wish the boys would stop saying "obviously" so much in interviews. It really is bothering me more than it should. I've officially run out of meaningful things to complain about with regard to the Melbourne footy club - how good is that!

Your use of the letter Z here is hilariously ironic (pronounced 'zed' thank you very much) I agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly however

5 KPF's and no crumber up forward. Horrific.

Lol okay Dane. Why not drug test the supporters before gaining entry to thew G while your at it. Love to see how he himself would fare on a urinalysis. Poorly I would assume.

Thanks ET - my exhausted brain was unable to complete the list

1. Had my first child 2. 3.

It makes sense to me. Whilst I enjoy Jack Viney's leadership on the track, I think he is pretty average in front of a camera. And by pretty average I actually mean quite poor. With all due respect, he doesn't have the tools to be able to reflect on questions and answer them meaningfully without repeating the same old cliches like a broken record. Tmac on the other hand is extremely well spoken, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him follow the post-career media personality route as many before him in recent history. Re: him not being leadership group, I think it would have come down to him or Nev. Both were excellent and deserving options.

I love his media appearances. Unlike other Melbourne players, he doesn't start every sentence with the word "obviously" which pleases me.

Racist behavior should always be called out, with perpetrators named and shamed. The problem with this of course is that in calling it out in this fashion, you are giving the people responsible for the comments exactly what they want - a reaction and exposure. Psychologists have long established that so called "trolls" seek exactly this. And in reality, media outlets jumping on anonymous comments like this almost glorifies the action and encourages others who may be inclined to behave in this way to do so. I've long been an advocate for the diminishing of any rights to be anonymous on social media platforms, and this is one of the reasons. Given how entrenched the internet is in our daily lives now, I see a lot of value in persuading the giant social media platforms to enforce policies of positive identification for the creation and use of social media accounts. People will inherently be less likely to behave in this way if there was no mechanism to remain anonymous, and could be held to account for hateful speech like they would outside of social media. Some of the numbers around youth mental health issues directly correlated to online bullying is nothing short of heartbreaking, and frankly an issue no generation has had to face until now. Social media anonymity should not be a basic human right, therefore should be treated as any other privilege is in that it is subject to checks and balances that prevent human beings from intentionally harming others. We are living in unprecedented times and a more proactive approach in terms of legislation is required in these areas, or we will continue to provide the soap box of a lifetime for people who want nothing more than to get a reaction out of people. As a cyber security professional (architecture) you could argue my opinion here is biased, and perhaps it is, and I appreciate the logistics of what I am suggesting is incredibly complicated and difficult on many levels. I only suggest that we start to open the doors to these discussions around long term strategies that deal with these new ages problems, because things like the increase in youth suicide rates directly attributable to social media anxieties won't go away on their own. Feel free to pick apart my opinion, I enjoy the discussion this normally generates.

Sorry but I think you are way off the mark here. Harmes has displayed far more than the two you mentioned combined. The scalps he claimed last year speak for themselves, and when combined with his average possessions and score contributions its hard to argue that he is an unproven commodity.

I really hope May lines up on Hogan this year and the many months of arguments on DL are put to the test

Are you suggesting a statement cannot be arrogant because it is a "genuine personal opinion"? What planet am I on today lol

And I think you mean pastime ... how awkward Feel free to read my comments more carefully. I think you'll find our opinion on UFC and eSports are actually the same. (spoiler alert, I don't like them either). I just don't see the need to cast other peoples interest's as irrelevant because I'm not interested in them. Live and let live is the moral I guess.