Whispering_Jack

Right through the middle?

Apparently not. Casey Radio do local leagues on Saturdays and VFL on Sunday sometimes.

No surprise really since the country boys won twice as many games as second placed South Australia in the Division One games - Vic Country dominates U18 All Australian team Backs Nick O'Kearney (VM) Kieran Collins (VC) Eric Hipwood (Q) Jarrod Berry (VC) Jacob Weitering (VC) Riley Bonner (SA) Midfield Gach Nyon (VC) Rhys Mathieson (VC) Luke Partington (SA) Ben Keays (Q) Jacob Hopper (NSW-ACT) Kieren Lovell (T) Forwards Darcy Parish (VC) Aaron Francis (SA) Harley Balic (VM) Ben Ainsworth (VC) Joshua Schache (VC) Jade Gresham (VM) Interchange Jacob Allison (Q) Will Snelling (SA) Brandon Parfitt (NT) Sam Petrevski-Seton (WA) Coach Paul Henriksen (VC) Assistant Coach Adrian Fletcher (Q) And a good summary of the Division 1 Championships ~ Vic Country celebrate Division 1 title

Given that the head of the club's recruiting is a Taylor, I have no doubt Burton will be considered.

Just when we thought it was all over, the Under 16 Australian Championships get under way today. One interesting member of the Vic Metro squad is Andrew Brayshaw. Under 16 Championships

The second group from the AFL Top 25 Draft Prospects highlights the influence of the academies for the developing northern states. The flaw is that for some years we've been waiting for an uncompromised draft following the concessions granted to the new franchises. The academies might have been justified for Gold Coast and GWS Giants which don't have the benefit of the father/son system but why Brisbane and Sydney? And if the purpose is to foster AFL in the non AFL regions, why give GWS yet another leg up with a virtual zone in the Riverina district which has provided many VFL/AFL stars in the past? In a year when the draft is supposedly shallow, there are four clubs enjoying an enormous advantage even with the operation of the bidding system and providing us with yet another compromised draft. Hipwood and Hopper are both academy members while Dunkley is a potential father/son. "BEN CROCKER​ Oakleigh Chargers Fwd/Def 185cm Resembles: Robert Murphy A medium forward/defender with good competiveness and leadership skills, Crocker is strong overhead and excels in contests. He played one TAC Cup match in 2013 and around his commitments for Carey Grammar, played a further 11 TAC Cup matches in 2014. From these appearances he averaged 13 disposals and four marks with his best performance coming against Geelong, racking up 18 disposals, 10 contested possessions and one goal. FREAKO: Under-exposed and has now finished school, so we're looking forward to a full-on 2015." "CHARLES CURNOW Geelong Falcons Forward 187cm Resembles: Justin Westhoff Curnow is a late developer with an athletics background and is the brother of Carlton midfielder Ed. He started the 2014 season at full back and was a more than competent performer, however with key position teammates Paddy McCartin and Hugh Goddard also juggling school and state commitments, Curnow was swung into the forward-line with occasional stints in the ruck. A good size and still growing, his 11 performances across the season were more then credible, averaging 11 disposals, six contested possessions, seven hitouts and four marks per game. FREAKO: He will have a busy 2015 and we'll enjoy monitoring his progress." "JOSH DUNKLEY Gippsland Power Mid/Def 187cm Resembles: Luke Parker Son of former Sydney Swans Premiership defender Andrew, Josh is a midfielder/defender who thrives on the physical and competitive aspect of the game. With an emphasis on tackling, he is also a strong overhead mark who can shut down an opponent. At the 2014 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships he played five matches to average 16 disposals, seven contested possessions, four marks and four tackles, while from his 13 TAC Cup matches, averaged an elite 22 disposals, 12 contested possessions, seven tackles and five clearances. FREAKO: Second in Gippsland's B&F. Tackling machine who can play at either end." "ERIC HIPWOOD Forward 197cm Caloundra Resembles: Justin Koschitzke Hipwood is a left-footed tall forward who played for Queensland in the 2013 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships. His 2014 was curtailed by a preseason injury that prevented him from training with the Queensland Under-18 squad as a bottom-ager. As a result he played again in the Under-16 Championships as an over-aged player averaging 16 disposals, eight contested possessions, three goals and four tackles. He led these Championships in contested marks and scoring shots. He completed the 2014 season with two matches at NEAFL level demonstrating his versatility by playing in defence. Against (he Sydney Swans he racked up 20 disposals, 16 uncontested possessions and five inside 50s. FREAKO: Coming off a long run-up. Has a nice blend of attack and defence, and the size and build to go with it." "JACOB HOPPER North Ballarat Rebels Midfielder 185cm Resembles: Jobe Watson A GWS Academy player, Hopper is a very talented midfielder who has good speed and endurance and is very clean with the ball, particularly at ground level. He can win Lhe ball on both the inside and outside and is also a good decision maker. In 2014 he had an injury interrupted season, however, still played two games at the 2014 NAB AFL Under-18 Championship for NSW/ACT, along with six TAC Cup matches where he averaged an elite 21 disposals, 13 contested possessions, five tackles and six clearances per game. FREAKO: A hard worker who we hope is over his injuries."

It'a all a little surreal after the events of the week. Our last game seems so long ago ... so much has happened.

Condolences firstly to the family of Phil Walsh. There's far too much death on this planet as it is and this hit home hard for the football community. The matter is a sensitive one at the present time. Please treat this with respect and care.

The first of the AFL Prospectus 2015 Top 25 draft prospects. Harley Balic from the Sandringham Dragons first caught my eye late last year as a bottom ager who was playing as a half forward. He spent time at Melbourne during the pre season on the AIS programme and Terry Wallace has, on a weekly basis, linked him with Melbourne's first pick in his "phantom" draft on Nine's TAC Cup Future Stars. I'm not sure if that's due to some inside knowledge or the association of Balic with the Dragons where Paul Roos' son has played for the past two seasons and the TAC Cup club of Christian Salem and Angus Brayshaw. Balic early form in the Under 18 championships was very good but that was followed up with a couple of quieter games before his performance on Wednesday in which he was instrumental in Vic Metro's come from behind win against SA after a slow start. He will probably make the All Australian team to be announced today. Balic's not endowed with great pace but gets the ball and does good things with it and will most likely end up a midfielder in the AFL. As far as being picked up by Melbourne later in the year is concerned, I suppose it will depend on whether we are looking for someone like him or a player with pace who can play more outside like, say Darcy Parish. "CALLUM AH CHEE South Fremantle Mid/Fwd 180cm Resembles: Luke Bruest Ah Chee is a super quick medium midfielder/forward who is a penetrating kick and has great game sense, balance and agility. Also a good overhead mark, he represented Western Australia at the 2013 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships, also playing six WAFL Colts games that season, averaging 14 disposals, three marks, three inside 50s and three tackles per game for South Fremantle. His 2014 season was restricted due to an ankle injury. From his eight Colts matches, he averaged 16 disposals, five marks, three inside 50s and one score assist per game. FREAKO: A great talent who ticks all boxes." "HARLEY BALIC Sandringham Dragons Forward 186cm Resembles: Jake Stringer Balic is an athletic medium forward who is strong in air and is very good one-on-one. He is also extremely agile and is a good decision-maker. In 2014, despite missing seven matches with a broken hand, he had outstanding TAC Cup season, averaging 14 disposals per game and rating elite for a general forward in contested possessions and marks. These performances saw him finish seventh in Sandringham's B&F. FREAKO: From a basketball background with a lot of 'wow' factor. A class act." "BRYCE BATTY Eastern Ranges Midfielder 182cm Resembles: Dylan Shiel Batty is a left-foot midfielder who has good acceleration from the contest and uses his pace to push forward. He missed the 2013 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships due to injury, however, he played two TAC Cup Finals, averaging 11 disposals, seven contested possessions and two tackles per game. In 2014 he played nine matches in the first half of the season with averages of 15 disposals, seven contested possessions and three clearances per game, rating above average for inside 50s. He sustained a shoulder injury in Round 10 which required reconstruction and ended his season. FREAKO: Hard as nails and nicely balanced. Looking forward to his 2015." "RYAN BURTON North Adelaide Forward 189cm Resembles: Jarrad Waite Burton is a classy key forward who reads the play well and times his leads and positioning to perfection. Extremely athletic with a good leap and a penetrating kick, he also has strong reliable hands when on the lead. In 2014 he played the first three NAB AFL Under-18 Championships matches for a return of eight goals including a haul of five in his first match against Western Australia. He averaged 104 Champion Data ranking points at the Championships - ranked fourth for South Australia. At SANFL level, he played one Under-18 match, two reserves matches and four League matches where he averaged 10 disposals and scored five goals. His season came to a premature end when he injured his knee in late August. FREAKO: SA's No.1 key forward for 2015 if he successfully recovers from his season-ending injury." "KIERAN COLLINS Dandenong Stingrays Defender 192cm Resembles: Ben Stratton Collins is a reliable and strong key defender who competes extremely well either on the lead or in one-on-one contests. Astute at reading the play, he is a good decision-maker under pressure and can also win the ball back at ground level. Following on from his three matches at the 2013 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships, he played two NAB AFL Under-18 Championship matches in 2014. Around school commitments for Haileybury College, he also played nine matches at TAC Cup level where he averaged eight disposals, four contested possessions, three marks and three intercept possessions. FREAKO: A solid performer, with his contested and overhead marking a highlight."

All fixed Actually, we really were hoping that the Eagles would turn up at the ground once known as Pattersons Stadium but our ruse didn't work. They're in Darwin.

Mystery injury of the week goes to Heritier Lumumba.

Queensland U18s win title against wayward NSW/ACT QUEENSLAND 2.1 5.5 8.9 8.12 (60) NSW/ACT 0.4 2.5 2.7 2.10 (22) GOALS Queensland: Keays 2, Filewood 2, Edwards, Scheer, Budarick, Buzza NSW/ACT: Tiziani, Hopper Best Queensland: Keays, William, Chol, Hipwood, Reeves, Wagner, Weller, Budarick NSW/ACT: Cornell, Baron-Hay, Himmelberg, Hopper, McFadden, Flynn, Hebron Vic Country win against WA completes U18 Championship domination VIC COUNTRY 2.6 7.9 8.10 8.15 (63) WESTERN AUSTRALIA 0.3 1.3 4.5 4.7 (31) GOALS Vic Country: Ainsworth 5, Schache, Maishman, Berry Western Australia: Waterman, Taylor, Schoenfield, Ah-Chee

Definitely Angus Brayshaw's brother and I believe there's another one on the Sandringham Dragons list too.

And an outsider's Midseason review from Bound for Glory News

This year's AFL Prospectus contains an assessment made of the potential Top 25 2015 Draftees compiled by Greg Planner for Champion Data. This list was drawn up at the start of the season and was therefore based on previous years' form and of course, is done without interviews, Combines, psych tests, medical references, profiles or social media phantom drafts. The list doesn't pretend to be perfect as some players will have come into contention by way of their 2015 form while others will drop by the wayside and Planner in fact, goes back to last year's list to demonstrate this fact. Champion Data's 2014 Draftees - Potential Top 25​ Drafted 1-25 1. Paddy McCartin 2. Christian Petracca 3. Angus Brayshaw 4. Jarrod Pickett 8. Peter Wright 9. Darcy Moore (F-S) 11. Liam Duggan 13. Lachlan Welter 14. Jake Lever 16. Sam Durdin 18. Isaac Heeney (A-S) 21. Hugh Goddard Drafted 25+ 30. Brayden Maynard 32. Tom Lamb 42. Billy Stretch (F-S) 44. Liam Dawson (A-S) 51. Jackson Nelson 60. Clem Smith 76. Alec Waterman Rookie 17. Sean McLaren Overlooked Matthew Ah Siu Daniel Caprion Liam Griffiths Jack Hayes Ryan Lim The AFL Prospectus selected 12 in the National Draft's first 25 and a further seven picked beyond that level. Sean McLaren was later rookie listed, whilst five missed out altogether. They overlooked four of the first 10 selections. Jordan de Goey had only played four matches for Oakleigh therefore slipped down the list over the summer of 2014/5. Caleb Marchbank was left out because he missed the majority of the 2013 season with stress fractures to his back while Nakia Cockatoo was another one they didn't have high on the radar as he had stress fractures in his foot. All things considered, it was a pretty fair effort given that it was compiled 12 months before the draft and Melbourne did well to pick up three players Petracca, Brayshaw and Stretch from the list of 25. Which makes it a terrific recruiting period for Melbourne when you add the likes of Alex Neal-Bullen and Aaron vandenBerg to the players traded into the club (Lumumba was a previous All Australian, Garlett consistently a productive goal kicker, and Frost and Newton who show promise) and the fact that Jesse Hogan made his delayed AFL debut this year as well. The cost to the club was minimal considering the only major player loss was Frawley whose input had diminished considerably since his All Australian year. With the National Under 18 championships coming to an end today, I will post the Prospectus Top-25 2015 Draftees over the coming days. I would imagine that whatever happens, it won't be easy emulating our recruiting performance of the last twelve months.

Victoria Country Forward Josh Schache talks all things AFL draft on 3AW

U18s: Tassie tyro Lovell inspires superb comeback win against Northern Territory TASMANIA 3.1 4.2 5.4 11.7 (73) NORTHERN TERRITORY 1.3 6.5 8.5 9.6 (60) GOALS Tasmania: Lovell 3, Dodge 2, Webb 2, Franklin, Smith, Franks, McGuinness Northern Territory: Rioli 2, Turner 2, Frank 2, Parfitt, Lawrence BEST Northern Territory: Parfitt, Tilmouth-Turner, Rioli, Taban, Barry, Maroney, Jeffrey Tasmania: Lovell, Reynolds, Quinn, Franklin, Rainbird, Pearce U18s: Ben Crocker's last-gasp goal gives Vic Metro win over SA VIC METRO 0.1 1.4 5.5 10.6 (66) SOUTH AUSTRALIA 3.6 4.9 6.10 8.13 (61) GOALS Vic Metro: Crocker 3, Kerbatieh 3, Gresham, Batty, Gallucci, Moore South Australia: Ladhams 2, Brind, Smelling, Olekalns, Redman, Tahana, Scharenberg BEST South Australia: Partington, Milera, Tahana, Combe, Parrella Vic Metro: Gresham, Gallucci, Balic, Moore, Smith, Silvagni McDONALD'S SA U18 LOSE TO VIC METRO

Final game for Vic Metro

There was very little change to the top 20 on TAC Cup Future Stars 1. Gold Coast - Joshua Schache 2. Brisbane - Jacob Weitering 3. Carlton - Aaron Francis 4. GWS* - Jacob Hopper 5. Sydney* - Callum Mills 6. Melbourne - Harley Balic 7. St. Kilda - Rhys Mathieson 8. Essendon - Darcy Parish 9. Port Adelaide - Harry McKay 10. North Melbourne - Luke Partington 11. Geelong - Charlie Curnow 12. Western Bulldogs - Sam Weideman 13. Adelaide - Darcy Tucker 14. Richmond - Kieran Collins 15. Collingwood - Josh Dunkley 16. Hawthorn - Riley Bonner 17. West Coast - Callum Ah Chee 18. Fremantle - Jade Gresham 19. Brisbane* - Eric Hipwood 20. Brisbane* - Ben Keays * Academy bid

You can come to my place and watch those gripping final 3.5 minutes. I haven't wiped the game off yet.

As difficult as you might find it Lance, it happens often in the world of litigation and, when appealed to higher courts, decisions in the courts below are often overturned. The CAS hearing will be different and, as you pointed out in the Q&A response, the procedure adopted will be different i.e in accordance with "Code of Sports-related Arbitration". I believe that in itself represents a departure from the AFL Tribunal hearing which might be significant and which, I suspect might lead to a different outcome in CAS. I guess we'll find out in 6 to 12 months.

U18s: Likely Giant impresses in NSW/ACT win over NT NSW-ACT 3.4 7.7 10.10 14.10 (94) NORTHERN TERRITORY 0.1 1.2 5.2 9.3 (57) BEST NSW-ACT: Hopper, Cornell, Macreadie, Baron-Hay, Himmelberg, Flynn, McFadden 
Northern Territory: Parfitt, Hagan, Maroney, Tilmouth-Turner, Rioli GOALS NSW-ACT: Cornell 4, Himmelberg 2, McFadden 2, Hopper, Flynn, Macreadie, Minogue, Tiziani, Sproule Northern Territory: Hagan 2, Rioli 2, Jeffrey 2, Turner, McMasters, Frank U18s: Lions academy players star for Queensland TASMANIA 2.1 3.3 3.3 4.3 (27) QUEENSLAND 1.3 5.3 7.7 8.18 (66) GOALS Tasmania: Pearce, Sushames, Webb, Rainbird Queensland: Hipwood 4, Buzza 2, Allison, Wagner BEST Tasmania: Pearce, Hayden, Lovell, Gardner, Reynolds, Webb, Donnellan Queensland: Hipwood, Weller, Allison, Dennis, William, Keays

The way I see it, the Tribunal members were aware of the standard of proof they were required to apply but they are all so enmeshed in the ways of our criminal justice system that they simply got it wrong and ended up applying a far more rigorous standard than mere "comfortable satisfaction". Now that the case will be reheard in its entirety, it remains to be seen whether the CAS panel takes the same view. I doubt it. I also believe that WADA will prosecute the case differently and if the rogues gallery of witnesses refuse to give evidence or are not called by the players' advocates, there may be some inferences drawn that might not bode well for the players.

It's not that we don't know the type of drug he was pretending to inject. We know full well that was TB4. Rather, we're unable to say that with any degree of comfortable satisfaction because we don't know whether the substance delivered to the Bombers by the supplier who exports TB4 actually supplied it. Dank himself of course is guilty but not the Essendon coach or his players.

We've spent the last two years building up our midfield and I expect that to continue with both our trading and drafting later this year. Even if we get midfield players in the trade/free agency period, I still think our target will be a mid assuming we keep our first round draft pick.I was impressed by Darcy Parish in the vision of his first game back for Vic Country and although his form dropped off a fair bit yesterday (which could be explained by the fact that it was his second or third game back after time out with an injury), he's clearly a class act. What makes him a "like" for me is the fact that he has good pace and, in the early days of his AFL development, he could also fill that hff role that Biffen mentions. Rhys Mathieson is the other player in contention for where I expect our pick to be and he looks very classy as well. Then there's Harley Balic from Vic Metro who hasn't been outstanding in the last few games but has been impressive at the Dragons and for the AIS and early on in the carnival. However, he doesn't have the pace of a Parish and in fact, could be classed as a bit slow but that's what they were saying about Ollie Wines a few of years ago.