Whispering_Jack

Unfortunately, in AFL circles, signed contracts don't necessarily mean that the agreements in them will necessarily be honoured.

Former Hawk star and recruiting guru Gary Buckena has come out with this Top 10* 1. Jacob Weitering 2. Joshua Schache 3. Kieran Collins 4. Aaron Francis 5. Darcy Parish 6. Jacob Hopper 7. Darcy Tucker 8. Sam Weideman 9. Charlie Curnow 10. Rhys Mathieson * sorry, don't have the source.

TAC Cup Finals Wrap: Week One Review Curnow and Parish both played well in losing sides. Weitering and Collins continue to impress.

The four northern states run academies for players within designated regions and they have first call under the bidding system which works the same way as bidding for father/sons i.e other clubs can bid for an academy player and (in the case of a Sydney academy player) the Swans could match the bid and take the player. In the example you quoted above, Carlton would have bid for Callum Mills which forces Sydney to take him at 4. The AFL then attributes a price on a points scale and, as a result, their later choices would be diminished. The AFL is applying the academy system only to the northern states because it can ... This is Plough's TAC Cup Future Stars top 20 from last week - 1. Carlton - Jacob Weitering 2. Carlton - Joshua Schache 3. Sydney* - Callum Mills 4. Brisbane - Charlie Curnow 5. GWS* - Jacob Hopper 6. Gold Coast - Aaron Francis 7. Essendon - Darcy Parish 8. Melbourne - Callum Ah Chee 9. Brisbane* - Ben Keays 10. GWS* - Matthew Kennedy 11. St. Kilda - Darcy Tucker 12. Collingwood - Rhys Mathieson 13. Geelong - Harry McKay 14. Port Adelaide - Sam Weideman 15. North Melbourne - Kieran Collins 16. Adelaide - Wayne Milera 17. Western Bulldogs - Harley Balic 18. Richmond - Jade Gresham 19. Brisbane* - Eric Hipwood 20. Carlton - Bailey Rice ** * Academy bid ** Father/son

I'm being both magnanimous and possibly naive but more importantly, the Worsfold issue is IMO not as important in the scheme of things as is getting to the bottom of the drug scandal and I think the whole discussion deflects from the major issue which is exactly what Essendon has been trying to do from the get go. This article is from some time ago but this is what it's about ~ Bravo WADA, do not let AFL remain a laughing stock i.e it's about the supplements saga ... and as far as I'm concerned Worsfold is a side issue and Essendon haven't committed a major crime of any comparison with the doping issue by approaching him.

Laurie Fowler - tough defender who won a couple of Blueys

To their credit, they have issued an apology and expressed regret which is something they never completely did over the drug saga. At least this demonstrates that they are learning because the consequences of their denial over the drug issue have been far more dire and far reaching than had they done the right thing in the first place and not tried to hide what went on during the period when players were routinely being injected with supposedly unknown substances about which there is no record. That said, there's no need to bash them over the approach to Worsfold if they're genuinely showing remorse.

The answer is simple. If Brisbane and/or Carlton apply for special assistance on the basis of their current predicament, we apply on the basis of our history over the past 9 seasons. Then we see what happens. In any event, if the others apply and we don't then it would be commercially irresponsible not to do so in the circumstances.

Please treat this issue with respect.

Like all large organisations of its type, the AFL makes mistakes from time to time but I'm not sure that it erred with the Frawley situation. Rather, it was disingenuous in the way it treated Melbourne's application for special assistance which was appropriate under its rules and was not, in my view, treated with the regard it warranted. Given that we've once again finished in the bottom third of the ladder, we should be entitled to a fair hearing on a further application which we won't get if we bother to make one. The AFL will however, manipulate the Carlton/Brisbane situation to suit itself anyway.

Good to hear the no dickheads policy remains in place.

There were many reasons to savour Melbourne's victory over the GWS Giants including the fact that we managed to rise above St Kilda on the final home and away ladder. I know the Saints beat us twice this year including once under controversial circumstances but the fact remains that, apart from those two victories, they won only 4½ games for the season. Yet every man and his dog is predicting that the Saints are the next big thing along with the Bulldogs. This is what Shane Crawford wrote in the Sunday paper:- Shane Crawford looks into his crystal ball and predicts what 2018 will look like It's not only Crawford talking up the Saints. I heard Tim Watson saying much the same thing about them on SEN this morning and previously, other commentators have also been bullish about them.So what does Crawf have to say about the team which finished up one place in front of St Kilda:- Fair call. We are going through a long rebuilding phase but in my book, we have better youthful talent than St Kilda and one of the main reasons why they beat us twice was the influence of their more experienced types. In 2 to 3 year's time they won't have the likes of Riewoldt, Montagna, Fisher, Gilbert, Dempster and Ray in their lineup so I'm not buying the Saints hype.

Today's games were in a way a mirror of yesterday with the Ranges dominating the Calder Cannons followed by a close one. Eastern Ranges 6.3 11.5 16.7 17.8 (110) Calder Cannons 2.5 5.8 5.9 11.10 (76) GOALS: Eastern Ranges: Clarke 4 Hardwick 3 Collins 2 Garner 2 Stephenson 2 Mitchener Cotte Jacotine Jeffs Calder Cannons: Brown 4 Wunhym 2 Moore Flower James Tarczon Kerbatieh BEST: Eastern Ranges: Batty Clarke Cotte Jeffs Clarke Parsons Calder Cannons: Wallis Flower Moore Allan McDonald Stillman Dandenong Stingrays 3.4 6.8 8.10 10.13 (73) Murray Bushrangers 1.1 6.1 8.5 10.7 (67) GOALS: Dandenong Stingrays: Young 4 Battle 2 Prior Freeman Williams Di Pasquale Murray Bushrangers: Canfield 3 Simpkin 2 Schache 2 Smith Sproule Payne BEST: Dandenong Stingrays: Nyuon Weitering Young Holden Collins Rouse Murray Bushrangers: Morrison Oliver Tanner Waite King Payne

Can we draft him under the father/son rule?

If ... (and I mean "if") Jeremy Howe goes to another club then Jake Lovett could be his ideal replacement going by the speccy he is reported to have taken in the TAC Cup final today.

No problem. I think the site was just emulating the club's performances over the past month (today excepted of course )

Can we buy a goal from somewhere?

Casey trail by three goals but haven't really been able to take advantage of the wind in the last ten minutes or so.

I can verify that 5 goal game but it was Wayne Milera - against Glenelg two weeks ago.He should be lining up against Norwood in the elimination final. Meanwhile, here's some vision of Curnow in a full game:- https://vimeo.com/126454828

There were two completely different games played at Ikon Park yesterday. The first was a one sided elimination final which the Oakleigh Chargers dominated after quarter time and the second was an exciting semi final which saw North Ballarat come from a long way behind to win. Oakleigh Chargers 2.3 7.8 10.10 19.12 (126) Gippsland Power 2.1 2.5 6.5 7.6 (48) GOALS: Oakleigh Chargers: Phillips 4 Crocker 4 Kerr 3 Johnstone 2 Adduci 2 McLarty Lane Walker Duman Gippsland Power: Papley 5 Hobbs Ainsworth BEST: Oakleigh Chargers: Byrne-Jones Wenn Answerth Phillips Beddison Cuningham Gippsland Power: Papley Patullo Beck Buykx-Smith Hillier Dessent North Ballarat Rebels 2.3 4.6 11.11 16.15 (111) Geelong Falcons 7.2 9.4 14.5 15.9 (99) GOALS: North Ballarat Rebels: Rioli 4 Cowan 3 Hopper 2 Johnston 2 Tucker Wellings Byrne Wheelahan Eades Geelong Falcons: Blair 5 Curnow 4 Kol 3 Mathieson 2 Sexton BEST: North Ballarat Rebels: Lloyd Cowan Meek Eades Hopper Simpson Geelong Falcons: Curnow Blair Parish Kershaw Zdybel Doedee

As the list of "outs" through retirement grows, you can see how Geelong is going about the task of making room for Dangerfield.

I don't think it was necessarily Stephan who chose the path; rather it was chosen for him.

That's a joke, right?Actually, our draft position is potentially plummeting by the day with Kreuzer and Leuenberger likely to be picked up as free agents and the AFL giving Carlton and Brisbane compo picks ahead of us.

The final round of the season was once the day upon which the fate of many players was finally decided. However, I suspect that these days such decisions are already made well in advance and the club's (and in some cases, the players) mind has already been made up. The fate of many has been signed, sealed and delivered. The past month has seen a different mood among the players from the very top down and pronouncements from the coach about the players and their history and of the need for the club to go to "another level and acquiring talent from rival clubs" suggests that we are about to see another exodus of the not quite rights and I suspect that many are aware that today marks the end of their careers at the club, and most likely in the AFL. Sadly, if the last month is anything to go by, we can't even expect them to give it their best shot which is, of course, the ultimate vindication of any decision to let a player go.

Yep, that sounds like a winter to me.