Whispering_Jack

If Nathan Jones win I have the top 5!

Syd Anderson Memorial Trophy Club Champion Second ~ Dom Tyson

Ron Barassi Senior Memorial Trophy Club Champion Third ~ Bernie Vince

Ivor Warne Smith Memorial Trophy Club Champion Fourth ~ Lynden Dunn

Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy Club Champion Fifth ~ Daniel Cross

Lynden Dunn leads Nathan Jones by 7 votes after 17 rounds. Bernie Vince is up there too.

James McDonald Trophy ~ Daniel Cross

Harold Ball Memorial Trophy best young player award ~ Dom Tyson (with arm in a sling)

Yes, a very good reception and, as one would expect, spoke very well as did Neville.

Norm Smith Memorial Trophy coaches award ~ Neville Jetta

Ian Ridley Memorial Trophy Club Ambassador award ~ Jack Watts

Ron Barassi Junior Award for leadership ~ Lynden Dunn

Some of the women's team has just been introduced. They showed some vision of their game v Bulldogs and #31 goes well.

Craig Willis (yes, he's still alive )

After eight rounds Daniel Cross leads Nathan Jones by 4 votes with a bunched up field behind them.

She's not here. My son is though.

Max Gawn wins Troy Broadbridge Memorial Trophy for best player in VFL. Has shaved his beard. Made a great, mature speech.

Glen Bartlett has announced PJ has put pen to paper & is continuing on.

I'm here.So is James Frawley, I believe.

Burgo's view ~ Jones to win his third Bluey in a row

I don't have a link to the article but Nathan Burke has written a piece in this week's Inside Football entitled "Why I have no faith in defence first" (@ p8) He opens with, "Paul Roos is spinning the season as a step forward because of a small improvement in percentage. I'm not convinced". Burke is critical of the concept of teaching how defend before learning to attack and adds that he has "absolutely no doubt that coaches can reinforce how to defend and attack at the same time". While he does make some good points, Burke is overlooking the fact that the process is one of stages and we're still in the first stage of a process that will necessarily take time. The club has been a long way behind most of the rest of the competition in terms of both defensive skills and talent so that it is unreasonable to expect it to get every aspect right in a single season, particularly after two prongs of the club's three main key forward set up (Clark and Hogan) failed to play a single game and Dawes' start to the season was also delayed by injury. Like many supporters, I was also disappointed that we didn't move into a more attacking mode in the last two months of the season but I recognise that our capacity to do so was limited. Let's see what happens with another pre season and another recruiting campaign which will no doubt produce a list of players better equipped to combine attack with defence before completely running down what Roosy's trying to do to resurrect the club.

If being a DH refers to errant behaviour off the field and you're looking for a current day player in a successful club then how does Buddy sound?

As long as there's a whiff of a chance that Middleton J might rule in Essendon's favour, he really would be advised not to do that.If the investigation is ruled to be in accordance with ASADA's powers then if he's received a show cause notice then he should try to seek a deal if one is on the table.The deal couldn't possibly be the same as the one for the Cronulla players mainly because the Cronulla co-operated with the NRL investigation. You couldn't say that about Essendon.

The differences being threefold:(a) "if there's any truth" assumes definitely knowing that his intentions are to leave the club. Paul Roos has commented on more than one occasion that if knew for sure that Frawley was going, then he would be playing him at Casey; (b) this week's elimination final is a more important game than the dead rubbers that Melbourne have played over more than the past couple of months. Certainly, our game against North on Saturday night barely registered a blimp on the Richter Scale next to Essendon's game against the same club at the weekend. I'm sure Bomber Thompson would want to know that every player on his team has his heart 100% in a successful result and not be thinking of next year up north. © if Frawley goes its to better his career at a stronger club on favourable terms and conditions. He's a free agent unlike Ryder who would be seeking an out on breach of contract grounds which is a far different and more serious scenario for a player wanting to leave a club.

He could have the means to walk out on his contract ~ Clause in CBA agreement between AFL players and AFL gives scope for Essendon players to walk. Problem would be if the saga wore on and on as a result of the Essendon/Federal Court case, especially if there was an appeal or more dithering on ASADA's side or if WADA took it to CAS. Would you take Ryder if you knew he faced a ban of any length from half a season upwards? Also, if there's any truth in this story at all, how can the Bombers select him to play in a final at the weekend?