Whispering_Jack

My suggestion to Eddie is that before he sticks his nose in other clubs' business he should make sure that his own players are drug free and toilet trained.

Two weeks into the enthralling NAB Challenge season and the Bombers hold second spot (subject to an appeal by a number of clubs to the Court of Arbitration in Sport). Fremantle 2 - - 159 97 163.9 8 Essendon 1 - - 95 35 271.4 4 Adelaide 1 1 - 215 117 183.8 4 North Melbourne 1 - - 117 73 160.3 4 Gold Coast Suns 1 - - 68 43 158.1 4 Western Bulldogs 1 - - 104 73 142.5 4 Sydney 1 - - 81 60 135.0 4 Melbourne 1 - - 95 76 125.0 4 Richmond 1 1 - 134 123 108.9 4 Collingwood 1 - - 131 123 106.5 4 Hawthorn 1 1 - 86 136 63.2 4 Geelong - 1 - 123 131 93.9 0 Port Adelaide - 2 - 136 176 77.3 0 GWS Giants - 1 - 73 104 70.2 0 Brisbane Lions - 1 - 43 68 63.2 0 St Kilda - 1 - 73 117 62.4 0 Carlton - 2 - 67 148 45.3 0 West Coast - 1 - 48 148 32.0

Went with my grandson after he had his footy training this morning. We arrived fairly late but he was thrilled to get a wave from Dom Tyson and James Harmes just as they were leaving. Still cost a fair bit because I bought the young bloke a training jumper at the Demon Shop. Not cheap.

Just turned on the TV and saw the Crows running out at Mount Barker for their clash against Freo in the most hideous uniform I've seen since Hawthorn wore that jockey strip. That was enough for me.

More than a month has passed since I posted the above comment about Chanderpaul's retirement and, in the interim, the Aussies convincingly won two away test matches and are back on top of world in the rankings. And yet, not a peep around here. Have people lost interest in this aspect of cricket?

I think you've answered your question yourself Bob. Goodwin's position including some vague unsubstantiated rumours involving a supplement that's not illegal if you're not a participant were investigated as part of the AFL and ASADA investigations, Ziggy Switkowski's internal review and the Board, Peter Jackson and Paul Roos carried out their due diligence - all before he was appointed as the coach in waiting. He doesn't appear to have been involved in anti-doping rule violations. That's something entirely different to those of us who want to see breaches of the WADA Code at Essendon sanctioned, whether they be the appropriate penalties being meted out to the players or clubs, officials and staff involved in setting up and maintaining the programme. There's never been any evidence implicating Goodwin in any of those things.

DON’T miss the 2016 Melbourne Football Club Family Day proudly presented by New Age Caravans.Come down and meet the team and enjoy a great range of fun activities at Luna Park.Date: Sunday, February 28, 2016Time: Gates open at 9am | Free rides until 11am Location: Luna Park, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda Price: Free for all members, $10 for non-member adults, gold coin donation for non-member children

Agreed ... by a long margin. At least by the distance I can throw a frisbee. ?

You of all people OD. That's as surprising as our six goals to nil third quarter.

The Hawks are in a rut. They were involved in an ugly effort against Carlton which resulted in a very modest (by their standards) 21 point win and they were smashed today by the Tigers. They've slipped out of the eight before one of the sides has even played a game. Too soon to say the dynasty's over - I'll wait another week or two until their last NAB Challenge match before I sink in the slipper. Meanwhile, the Tigers have muscled their way into the eight just behind the Dees - Adelaide 1 - - 148 48 307.3 4 Fremantle 1 - - 90 30 300.0 4 North Melbourne 1 - - 117 73 160.3 4 Gold Coast Suns 1 - - 68 43 158.1 4 Western Bulldogs 1 - - 104 73 142.5 4 Sydney 1 - - 81 60 135.0 4 Melbourne 1 - - 95 76 125.0 4 Richmond 1 1 - 134 123 108.9 4 Collingwood 1 - - 131 123 106.5 4 Hawthorn 1 1 - 86 136 63.2 4 Geelong - 1 - 123 131 93.9 0 Port Adelaide - 2 - 136 176 77.3 0 GWS Giants - 1 - 73 104 70.2 0 Brisbane Lions - 1 - 43 68 63.2 0 St Kilda - 1 - 73 117 62.4 0 Carlton - 1 - 32 53 60.4 0 West Coast - 1 - 48 148 32.0 0

Geez, I love this competition Adelaide 1 - - 148 48 307.3 4 Fremantle 1 - - 90 30 300.0 4 Hawthorn 1 - - 53 32 165.6 4 North Melbourne 1 - - 117 73 160.3 4 Gold Coast Suns 1 - - 68 43 158.1 4 Western Bulldogs 1 - - 104 73 142.5 4 Sydney 1 - - 81 60 135.00 4 Melbourne 1 - - 95 76 125.0 4 Collingwood 1 - - 131 123 106.5 4 Geelong - 1 - 123 131 93.9 0 Port Adelaide - 2 - 136 176 77.3 0 GWS Giants - 1 - 73 104 70.2 0 Brisbane Lions - 1 - 43 68 63.2 0 St Kilda - 1 - 73 117 62.4 0 Carlton - 1 - 32 53 60.4 0 Richmond - 1 - 30 90 33.3 0 West Coast - 1 - 48 148 32.4 0 Warning Demon fans. Don't get carried away. Our opposition today hasn't beaten anyone yet.

Love the timing of the siren.

I like the cut of Clayton Oliver's jib.

Now moving right along to today's game which starts in little more than an hour, I must say that I'm not really hyped up for the game yet. Is there anyone out there at Playford Dead or Alive Oval who can paint a picture of what's happening there? How's the atmospherics? Is the crowd building up, are the food vendors trading well? How far is the ground from the Barossa Valley?

There are so many rumours/urban myths about Mark Neeld. That's just another one of them that is untrue. It's been reported many times that the recruiting department considered the situation closely at the time and, like most keen observers, had Toumpas ahead of Wines. They also wanted to have a more outside running type in the team. Let's not forget that Todd Viney had a very close knowledge of Wines and it was entirely appropriate for Neeld to defer to his recruiting people on the matter of draft selection. Mark Neeld might not have turned out a good coach and he confronted numerous obstacles as an inexperienced person in the job but he wasn't Hannibal Lechter.

Wishing a happy birthday to the greatest Demon player I've ever had the good fortune to witness gracing the footy field. Every player stood tall having a teammate like Barass - no coincidence that after his debut season, we made the finals for 11 consecutive years and won six flags.

True Saty but all three are relatively spring chickens. Col is 27 and the other two are 26. The elder statesmen of the team with the exception of Dunny are out of the team today - Jones, Vince and Lumumba.

We will have our best available team on the park but that would be a fair way off our best 22 or 26. Not in the Melbourne squad v Port Adelaide 2. Nathan Jones 5. Christian Petracca 6. Chris Dawes 8. Heritier Lumumba 9. Jack Trengove 18. Jake Melksham (suspended) 19. Ben Newton 23. Bernie Vince 24. Jay Kennedy-Harris 26. Sam Weideman 27. Liam Hulett 33. Jake Spencer 34. Mitch King 41. Mitchell White (r) 44. Joel Smith (r) 47. Max King (r) The real missing ingredient today will be experence - Lynden Dunn is the old man of the team.

All jokes aside, it made excellent viewing but in reality the game was an anachronism - a retro view of what football was like 10 years ago and beyond but when points are at stake, that sort of thing will be rare as hen's teeth. Both teams played without a defensive side to their games and when they had a run on, there was no response in terms of slowing down the tempo or changing tack. The Geelong side was top heavy and in a game where fitness and running were super important, it was inevitable they would slow down after half time and Collingwood's 11-goal third quarter was the result. A good game to watch for once (helped by the fact that it was played in front of a crowd and not a herd of farm animals in the background) but I wouldn't put to much store on its value as a counter for the season ahead.

What else on a day that we've been waiting for almost five months? The first NAB Challenge match against Port Adelaide at Playford Alive Oval today at 2:00 PM A 29 man squad announced earlier in the week will be trimmed to 26 players ahead of the match. Melbourne squad v Port Adelaide 1. Jesse Hogan 3. Christian Salem 4. Jack Watts 7. Jack Viney 10. Angus Brayshaw 11. Max Gawn 12. Dom Tyson 13. Clayton Oliver * 14. Lynden Dunn 15. Billy Stretch 16. Dean Kent 17. Sam Frost 20. Colin Garland 21. Cameron Pedersen 22. Viv Michie (r) 25. Tom McDonald 28. Oscar McDonald 29. Jayden Hunt * 30. Alex Neal-Bullen 31. Jack Grimes 32. Tomas Bugg * 35. Ben Kennedy * 36. Jeff Garlett 37. Aaron vandenBerg 39. Neville Jetta 42. Josh Wagner (r) * 43. James Harmes 45. Matt Jones 46. Dean Terlich * first game for MFC ... and despite the fact that Melbourne has selected its best available team, it's looming as a Goliath v David clash with betting agencies having the home state team at $1.13 to win against $6.00 for Melbourne.

The 2016 edition of the Football Almanac has a section on the top 25 draft prospects from this year's pool of players. Here's the first group of six players (interesting that two of these youngsters are tied to northern states academies) Ben Ainsworth Mid-Fwd Victoria Plays like: Jamie Elliot Averaged the most Champion Data ranking points of any mid-forward at the 2015 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Kicked the second-most goals behind Josh Schache. Jacob Allison Midfielder Queensland Plays like: Elliot Yeo Brisbane Lions Academy member. Playmaking midfielder, he averaged the most Champion Data ranking points of any underage player at the Under-18 Championships. Jarrod Berry Defender Victoria Plays like: Corey Enright Hard-running intercepting defender, averaging five intercept possessions and two intercept marks at the 2015 Championships. Braidon Blake Forward Victoria Plays like: Jordan Roughead Shutdown defender, he showed flexibility, playing through the ruck and forward line, averaging five hitouts and booting four goals. Jack Bowes Midfielder Queensland Plays like: Harley Bennell Gold Coast Academy player. He played one NEAFL game last season for Gold Coast, producing 22 disposals and one goal. Will Brodie Midfielder Victoria Plays like: David Armitage A strong bodied midfielder, he averaged 20 disposals and five clearances across his six matches for the Murray Bushrangers in 2015.

A dead heat tonight between the footy and Judge Judy but the good news is that we are less than 24 hours away from the first NAB Challenge blockbuster of 2016. The ladder is getting more and more interesting by the day:- Adelaide 1 - - 148 48 307.3 4 Fremantle 1 - - 90 30 300.0 4 Hawthorn 1 - - 53 32 165.6 4 North Melbourne 1 - - 117 73 160.3 4 Gold Coast Suns 1 - - 68 43 158.1 4 Western Bulldogs 1 - - 104 73 142.5 4 Sydney 1 - - 81 60 135.00 4 Collingwood 1 - - 131 123 106.5 4 Geelong - 1 - 123 131 93.9 0 Port Adelaide - 1 - 60 81 74.1 0 GWS Giants - 1 - 73 104 70.2 0 Brisbane Lions - 1 - 43 68 63.2 0 St Kilda - 1 - 73 117 62.4 0 Carlton - 1 - 32 53 60.4 0 Richmond - 1 - 30 90 33.3 0 West Coast - 1 - 48 148 32.4 0

Yes but look at what it's up against. Shane Warne and a bevy of wanna be celebrities doing silly stuff. That would be enough to drive anyone to watch a soulless and meaningless game of what passes for footy. Heaven help us all.

The NAB Challenge is hotting up if last nights second round opener is anything to go by but the big game is tonight and then the close to full strength Demons get their chance to strut the stage. Meanwhile, the ladder looks like this: Adelaide 1 - - 148 48 307.3 4 Fremantle 1 - - 90 30 300.0 4 Hawthorn 1 - - 53 32 165.6 4 North Melbourne 1 - - 117 73 160.3 4 Gold Coast Suns 1 - - 68 43 158.1 4 Western Bulldogs 1 - - 104 73 142.5 4 Sydney 1 - - 81 60 135.00 4 Port Adelaide - 1 - 60 81 74.1 0 GWS Giants - 1 - 73 104 70.2 0 Brisbane Lions - 1 - 43 68 63.2 0 St Kilda - 1 - 73 117 62.4 0 Carlton - 1 - 32 53 60.4 0 Richmond - 1 - 30 90 33.3 0 West Coast - 1 - 48 148 32.4 0

I'm grateful that the club has gone back to the 9.45 am starting time. Beats having to turn up at Gosch's Paddock in the middle of the night and discovering the place is inhabited by bats and Victory fans.