Whispering_Jack

Based on reports I have read about the queries NLM made to Reid, Jess seems to be dealing with different sets of injections. In any event, the CAS Arbitral Award dealt with this issue. Further, NLM's Counsel at CAS did not object to the jurisdiction, procedures or fairness of the hearing both at its commencement or conclusion. If the cost of such an appeal is to be borne by the AFLPA, if I was a player I would be outraged at the use of association funds for this futile exercise. On that note, there have been numerous exercises in futility over the course of this long running saga, but this would have to be the most futile. The only benefit it would seem to have is free publicity for a player manager and more opportunities for the media to discuss the situation and in Robbo's case erroneously and ad nauseum.

When I saw him at training last Friday, he appeared to have grown a little bit - either that or he was standing tall, confident in his fitter state with the knee injury behind him. I could be wrong on that but the way he was moving suggested to me that he's in for a good year.

Former test cricketer who toured England in 1972 and played three tests. Later organised cricket tours of South Africa during the apartheid period. More lately, a prolific producer of improbable, long winded rants defending Essendon's 2011/2 peptide regime.

Adelaide radio station 5AA is reporting no top up players for Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and Melbourne.

That's correct - not aimed at the OP but at an unnecessary comment in the next post. Discussion on training and players is always welcome.

Let's make this a training report please - unnecessary side comments which can lead to derailing the thread will be removed.

I believe Ox's information is spot on and simply highlights the AFL's incomptence in the way it has conducted this process.

The most incredible aspect of this entire Essendon shemozzle that Dank needs to explain (and I bet he won't) is the consent forms that was given to the players. Leaving aside the convenient red herring of thymomodulin (which was not on the list) which looks like a contrived afterthought desperately thrown into the ring to deflect the truth, there's the characterisation of thymosin simply as "thymosin". Jobe Watson has been quoted as saying, "I talked to Stephen about Thymosin and he said there's a bad one and a good one, yeah," and if that's true then the consent forms should surely have specified which one it was - the fact that it didn't means that, as a senior member of the playing group, Watson had to get some independent advice about exactly what he was having ingested into his system. Instead, he relied solely on Dank, not the club doctor or his family doctor and not even Professor Google. Fat chance that Dank will ever get him or the players out of the mess he helped to create.

Demons seek top-up rookie for suspended Melksham At last we've shown our hand and ... Gerard Healy says we should be granted a top-up player.

Photo gallery: 1 February 2016

If anyone's wondering about Heritier Lumumba's cameo appearance at training on Friday, there's an Instagram post from Melbourne strength and conditioning manager Rob Jackson with a photograph of The Prince doing a rehab session at the Casey Race Sports & Aquatic Centre which is just down the road from Casey Fields. Jackson's comment is that Lumumba is a "remarkably quick healer. Some great genetics combined with diligent behaviours."

Unless something extraordinary happens, it's too late for that argument. The CAS hearing has taken place and won't be reviewed unless an appeal to the Swiss Federal Court successfully results in such an outcome. IMO, there's a very small chance of that happening and an even much lesser chance that a review would involve a rehearing of the facts of the case.

Dion Prestia has been appointed as one of three joint vice-captains at the Gold Coast Suns - Top 10 for Suns as they expand leaders' group

An interesting article in today's HUN:- Dom Tyson says Melbourne’s young midfield is ready to ease the load on Demons stars Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince Tyson injured a medial ligament in the Anzac Eve game v Richmond and this hampered him for the rest of the season. “Going into games I reckon was five per cent off and I probably just wasn’t as confident,” he said. “But I’m healthy now and ready to roll.” He really looked bigger and stronger at training on Friday so he must be doing something right.

AFL: Generation next travelling well It won't be long before some of the participants become household names. Hugh McCluggage is already a favourite of mine.

You could never use the term "breakout year" with Jack Viney - it will be a crash and break through year in my opinion. Christian Salem for the breakout.

Given that there's some debate about whether the 2012 Brownlow should even go to the next highest voters if Jobe lost it or returned it, I'm not sure that scenario is valid. The matter should in my view be handled by the AFL Commission without consultation of the clubs but if they are asked to vote, then it should be on the merits only and not because one of your players stand to win the Brownlow as a result of the vote. There's only one reason why the decision on the Brownlow can be delayed and that is because there is a right to appeal against the CAS decision which runs out on 10 February and, as long as that right exists, it would not be appropriate for the decision to be made.

Some of the stuff in that article is really precious. Dank v Charter - two witnesses with close to zero credibility whose evidence was never given in person to either the AFL Tribunal or to CAS. Which one is going to tell the truth in court?

I think Red's pulling our legs, Bub.

Essendon & Footscray

I'm not suggesting all four at once but rather that they are the ones in the mix.

Oops, my bad ... and one of the first thing I noticed was his big smile. Of course, I'll edit the story to include him. I also left Mitch White out as well. ?

I'm not really all that well versed in the AFL's structure but I think it would be enormously difficult to unseat the entire AFL Commission. On the other hand, it might not be that hard for the football community to impress on the AFL its concerns with the direction of the game. The AFL seems to see the pinnacle of its success in terms of the amount of $s it achieves in selling the media rights every five years. I'm not sure that the game is growing in terms of grass roots football or popularity with the young and we are being surpassed at junior levels by other sports including soccer and basketball both from a participation and interest point of view. The way the AFL through the commission and publicly through its CEO's has been handling the many difficult issues it has faced in recent years has been appalling. These things influence the interest of the market but if you're not attracting the youth, the effects might not be felt until well into the future. In the meantime, the membership numbers for clubs might still be growing for a while for the time being but things might turn around before we know it. The game's only bright spot in terms of growth is the participation of females but that won't be enough if we can't clean up our act on a number of other levels.

Following the CAS judgement on the Essendon 34, the AFL immediately put into place a set of rules relating to clubs affected by the loss of suspended players. These were made apparently without consulting the other AFL clubs and this was done on the basis that it would have been a health and safety issue to force the Bombers to go into a season 12 players light. The concessions to Essendon, the offending club in this sorry mess, were far ranging and generous. The AFL allowed the Bombers to elevate all rookies immediately and gave them the right to promote another ten players to their senior list from outside current AFL playing lists without affecting the club's salary cap. The Bombers have already been able to add a number of experienced former players and are continuing to comb the country for more players with which to replenish their list. As for the other AFL clubs who lost players to suspension, they were allowed the immediate right to promote a rookie and that's all. While it can be argued that the clubs in question don't deserve any breaks because (with the exception of Port Adelaide with Angus Monfries) they recruited players already under investigation/charges for breaches of the WADA Code, this really begs the question. The AFL has made concessions to a club which was the offender in the drugs situation and yet the innocent clubs must go into the season short of players or, if they are belatedly allowed top up players, the Bombers have been allowed to jump the gun and sign players. Now this - Essendon and Port want Jamar "The AFL has asked all clubs for their feedback on allowing affected clubs other than Essendon to be given special consideration. The clubs are expected to give a response by early next week." How insulting is this part which suggests that the AFL will be influenced in its decision on top up players by the other clubs given there was no consultation on the Essendon concessions? The AFL consults when it feels like it and likewise doesn't consult when it feels like not consulting. Like when other clubs put pressure on the AFL to not give draft relief to Melbourne on cockamamie grounds when the club clearly deserved a priority pick but was seen as a recent offender against AFL rules over tanking. Similarly, the AFL can't make a ruling over Jobe Watson's Brownlow by itself but has to consult with the player. We're fast becoming a mess and risk losing ground to other clubs. The game needs competent decisive leadership, not the weak efforts we see from Gillon McLachlan.

I'm writing an article for the site which should be up some time today where I cover my impressions of the players including the new boys. It won't strictly be just about the training session - it will also be a look at our list for 2016 on a limited basis. There's so many different things going on around the ground that it's difficult to concentrate on one player but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by Joel Smith. Given his elite youth basketball background I expected him to be athletic but he also appears to have some footy nous, inherited or taught by his father.