Whispering_Jack

The application we've made is for draft assistance. Funding is a separate issue and all clubs receive a hand out from the AFL coffers every year. Equalisation of funding is a different issue to draft assistance which can apply in special or exceptional circumstances. Because any draft assistance will involve the order of the draft, it's only going to be natural that other clubs aren't going to be happy if they're moved a notch or two below their pecking order. The situation will be emphasised even further if, as expected, Frawley leaves and we also get band 1 compensation for him. Those other clubs and supporters who want to protect their draft positions will cry foul and claim we're getting too much by conflating the issues. This shouldn't be considered in terms of hand outs because it's a one off and, if accepted by the AFL (as I believe it should) then it's all within the rules as above. After that it's up to us to use all of our draft picks wisely and for Roos and co to continue to develop the culture of the club and the new and old players in our system.

I've been a Dangerfield sceptic from the start and based on what I've seen and heard from and about him in the last 24 hours, I would say that anyone who thinks there's any truth in the story that he's coming to Melbourne next year is dreaming.

The quote fairly much encapsulates my thinking about the whole case. Counsel for Essendon and Hird in particular took up a lot of time arguing about the way the AFL handled the matter and not enough about the illegality or otherwise of ASADA's processes. In my view they didn't do enough to prove their case.Notwithstanding, the wet lettuce might still come in the aftermath because ASADA and McDevitt, by their treatment of the NRL players, seem more concerned with eking out admissions from players rather than fighting the big fight and exposing the full breadth and depth of the Essendon chemical experiment. I hope political expediency doesn't result in a whitewash of what is to date one of the world's foremost team doping scandals and I don't think the legal system will do that today.

Fifty years ago today, Melbourne won its 12th premiership defeating Collingwood by four points in an exciting action-packed grand final at the MCG in front of 102,469 fans. GRAND FINAL Melbourne 2.6.18 5.7.37 7.10.52 8.16.64 Collingwood 2.5.17 5.9.39 5.11.4 8.12.60 THE TEAM B: Neil Crompton Bernie Massey Bob "Tassie" Johnson HB: Tony Anderson Brian Roet Frank Davis C: Brian Dixon Don Williams Frank "Bluey" Adams HF: Bryan Kenneally Graeme Jacobs Barrie Vagg F: John Lord Barry Bourke Ken Emselle FOLL: Graham Wise Ron Barassi "Hassa" Mann 19/20: Ken Emselle Peter McLean Goals John Townsend 3 John Lord 2 Barry Bourke Neil Crompton "Hassa" Mann Best Brian Dixon "Hassa" Mann Brian Roet Frank "Bluey" Adams Bob "Tassie" Johnson Tony Anderson Over the coming weeks, I will describe some of the events on that historic occasion when the Melbourne Football Club triumphed for the last time to date in a grand final on a day that ended with captain Ron Barassi holding the premiership cup aloft for the cheering Demon crowd. We didn't know then but he had played his last game for the club.

OK. Everybody starts these when a bloke gets dropped from his team in the middle of the finals so what's wrong with Brad Sewell? All we need to do is dredge up Ryan Ferguson from the VFL (Williamstown?) and offer the trade ten years down the track.

TAC Cup Grand Final Calder Cannons v Oakleigh Chargers Sunday 21st September 10.30am at Etihad Stadium Calder Cannons​ B: James Gawthrop Stillman HB: Ryan O'Brien Carboni C: Smith Miller Ahern HF: Cavka Wright Moore F: Cauchi Foster Kerbatieh FOLL: Kovacevic Goodyear Wunhym I/C (from) Allan Christensen Conn Donoghue Laguda Latham Nilsson O'Kearney Oakleigh Chargers B: Crocker Whitehead Carter-Taylor HB: Gowers Beasley Halsall C: McKenzie Urban T Phillips HF: De Goey Moore Pearce F: Answerth Waddell McLean FOLL: Pittonet Jackson Sinclair I/C (from) : Cuningham Dove Houston Kinsella Ledder Mahon Oppy Rivett

You'll never get past first bass with that attitude.

The point of the article is valid with or without the COLA. You need to start that culture with the right individuals and the likes of Maxfield and Paul Kelly were there when they were staring down the barrel in much the same way we are now. Maxfield played in the same junior competition that my oldest son played in at one stage in the 80s. I remember seeing him up on the dais at one of the presentation nights and one of the coaches pointed out that he was a determined young bloke who was "going to make it". He went to Richmond where he was always on the cusp but not quite there, was dropped off their list and found himself at Sydney where he worked hard and became an inspirational captain, played in a premiership and 200 games with the Swans to finish on close to 300 games all up. In short, he got the most of himself and was part of the inspiration for what that club is today. That's quite the opposite of what we see from many of Melbourne's current and recent players but we know that there's a link between Maxfield and Melbourne - Paul Roos who will, I believe weed out those who can't play a role in our new culture and bring in a new breed. I can sense it coming.

Boom boom

Should the CEO be talking about football matters?

A word of advice DOF. I don't fiddle around with people who try to make fun at my expense around here. After all, I'm supposed to be a cymbal of authority on Demonland.

I'm not permitted to tinkle with the site.

Is he related at all to former MFC player Leon Cello?

What a waste. They don't even have a concert hall over at Alberton.

Blease and Tappy not happy at Melbourne either

@abcgrandstand: #BREAKING: Brenton Sanderson has been sacked as Adelaide Crows coach. #AFL No news about Dangerfield. Could it be that there's a connection between the sacking and concerns about losing their star player?

Somebody heard you singing - Dees and Blease agree to part ways

Redleg. You know Ralph. Why not give him a call and ask him how much he gets paid per article and perhaps he might find his way to donating half to his favourite charity on my behalf? Or at least shout me a diet coke when we have our next annual Phil Scully "eat all you can fit in" Dinner at Wongs?

One mystery was why he was left out of the side for the final match of the season against his old club North Melbourne. Two weeks earlier he was Casey's best and kicked three goals in a losing side. Team balance or did the selectors not want to do the obvious and drop someone else who didn't really deserve his place in the team?

So the secret rules about draft assistance were devised by an economics professor and the exceptional circumstances were designed to help clubs that were in a situation like Fitzroy and we have a worse record than that club had at the time it folded. Well, I suppose the outcome will certainly tell us a lot about the AFL Commission and the way it runs the competition.

Is that not a usual pronouncement in such cases at the Federal Court?

No, not the North Melbourne KPP but another Aaron Black. This one was mentioned in despatches a few years ago, wasn't drafted and last night, he won the Sandover Medal Sandover Medallist Aaron Black looks to AFL dream

What no Dangerfield? Well, that's it then. We don't need him if he's not good enough to get AA honours.

Yes, I've been around long enough to know there's no such thing as a messiah on the MFC scene but nevertheless, Garry Ablett Junior says "hello". Not that I'm suggesting Dangerfield is in the same league as Junior but look at how the Suns stand up when he's around and how badly they folded when he was injured in the last two months of the season. I also wouldn't advocate putting all of our eggs in one basket either - Roos didn't stop at trading one player last year so the addition of a top shelf marque player and 3 or 4 others together with those coming back from injury and those with plenty of natural improvement in them could make a hell of a lot of difference to the team and the to way Roos coaches them.

If he is out of contract at the moment then our only chance would be to make an offer he can't refuse - an obscene one along the lines of the one GWS gave Voldemort or Sydney gave Buddy. The offer that the Crows can't match and would leave them to negotiate the best deal they possibly can. I wouldn't worry about the success factor - a marque player like Dangerfield would likely have an enormous effect and lift the rest of the team. I remain a sceptic but it's possible if Clark and Frawley are off our books.