Whispering_Jack

Right. Far too many personal attacks here and this thread is finished.

Dylan wrote a song about this sort of post and called it Mixed Up Confusion. Just for the record, could you provide proof or a link for your scurrilous allegation (other than ask where people have been for the last five years) that I'm happy to let a smear by implication run?

The problem with commentators in the media is that they sometimes strive too hard to demonstrate their capacity to be non partisan when discussing their (former) clubs. I'm not sure what Lyon was thinking when he wrote this story in this way. Too close to the bone and unnecessary because it was always going to end up reflecting on him and drawing the sort of criticism he's received. There are of course, other layers to the Jared Rivers story that Lyon failed to cover. Was Rivers really distracted by the goings on at the club over recent years? What happened to the former rising star and where was his progress as a footballer beyond 2004 when he had the world at his feet? Rivers isn't exactly on big money at Geelong but did Melbourne put up much of a fight to retain the 28 year old and if not, why not? How much of a loss is he to a young Melbourne list that contains names like Frawley, Garland, T. McDonald and Watts as its main taller defenders? In other words, there's another side of the coin that interests me but it's not Rivers because he means no more to Melbourne's future today than he did when the club reviewed its list at the end of the 2012 season and decided he wasn't worth fighting hard enough to retain. Same goes for Moloney and the others. I want to read what Lyon writes about Mitch Clark, Jimmy Toumpas and Jesse Hogan, not them.

Zaharakis was the sub. On what I saw of Trengove today, I think it would be best for both him and the team that he gets more runs on the board by playing at Casey than coming on as the sub late in the Port Adelaide game. It's a long season and one more game at this level won't hurt anybody.

Those who watched last night's game at Adelaide would have seen the pace at which the game was played and which is typical of your early season games. If you go into round 1 with too many players underdone, you do so at your own peril. On that basis, I would make only one concession - Clark at full forward - and no more. That means from today's game at Casey Fields, you take in Clark, Viney and McKenzie and leave out Blease, Trengove and the others from today who will play at Box Hill alongside Bail, Dawes, Gawn and McDonald.

With most of the Melbourne players taken off, Casey finishes with no bench. 19.12 to 8.14.62.

Casey newcomer Michael Boland goals to reduce the margin to 66 points.

Mitch Clark and Sam Blease hit the sheds. Early shower. No apparent problems.

Jack Fitzpatrick hasn't come back - possibly concussed. Port lead by 11 goals.

Doubt they've done anything behind the scenes. The line was a low key part of a fairly innocuous article which many might have missed on first reading. It didn't merit giving attention to this piece of carp.

I like this but it needs a fair amount of expertise on the part of our recruiting people in first, recognising the player we want and second, convincing him to throw in his lot with the club. I know Tim Harrington did well back in October/November under tough conditions to secure players from different backgrounds and different age levels but this is a challenge that that starts now. To get quality players ahead of the rest of the competition, you need to start early and be decisive in what you're doing. As for Colin, I would like to see him settled in a position where he can contribute the most to the team.

It's a good question and a nice thought but fairy stories rarely come true. Apart from the fact that Liam has other issues that he needs to deal with before he can even dream of making a comeback, he would have to relocate back here and convince both Melbourne and Casey that he wouldn't become a distraction here among guys who have put in a full and heavy pre season of training. Then there's the fact that Casey is not exactly flushed with funds after nearly folding over that failed porkies venture.As much as I'd like to see the club continue helping him as it should with all former players who need assistance in tough times, a reunion now would not be good for a range of reasons. I agree that he needs to get out of that environment in SA and back to footy which he's good at so perhaps Eddie can accommodate him in the Collingwood VFL side for this year? I'm being serious.

I like the analogy. I also think that the Bombers appeared really charged up once they got going and they might not be in the same mood for their next game. I'm still taking things one game at a time but if we get over Port next week this could be a really big game for the club with the faithful of both sides turning up. Pity it's an Essendon "home" game which means we'll probably have to wear the predominantly white "away" strip (even though the Bombers weren't made to do that last night against the Crows). Anyway, I hope we continue our recent winning form against them.

I've tipped Adelaide and West Coast. I expect tonight's game to be close because the Bombers really have something to prove and their pre season form has been good considering the drug furore surrounding the club. Adelaide has had it's share of off field controversy with the Tippett saga and the AFL's savage treatment of assistant coach Dean Bailey for some extraordinarily unusual behaviour some 4 years ago. I like the Adelaide midfield of Thompson, Sloane & Dangerfield and then there's the home ground advantage. Tomorrow, I'm tipping Casey to win the big one against Port Melbourne but I really don't care what happens in the game in Perth. It's a bit like barracking for the two participants in the Iran-Irak war. I reckon that WCE is a bit bigger like Iran so I'm tipping them to win big.

I think it's $5.00 for adults but your MFC season's ticket might get you in for free.

Wilson was in good form on 3AW tonight. In the space of ½ an hour she sacked Essendon CEO Robson, chief assistant coach Bomber Thompson and had Mick Malthouse under the pump at Carlton. It's what comes from working at Fairfax media where they sack people left, right and centre to the point where its so much a part of life that journos like Wilson must think sacking's an everyday occurrence everywhere.

The commencent dinner's a great concept. You rub shoulders with the greats of the club and the game as well as with dedicated Demon fans and the players. Towards the end of the night I chatted briefly with Ron Barassi and showed him a picture of my grandson wearing 31 when he was a team mascot a couple of weeks ago at the Casey Fields NAB Cup game. It got a big smile out of him. I sat on Max Gawn's table and he's raring to go. He won't be playing for Casey this week but should start his comeback the following week in Casey's final practice game v Box Hill Hawks. He has a fantastic attitude and I reckon will go far, not just as a player but in all facets of the game. Not that it's exactly the pinnacle of the sport but if he can become a regular and start playing good footy on a weekly basis, I can see him as a regular panellist on the Footy Show and in the media. Of course, there's a lot of hard work to be done before he gets there. Speaking to the players there's a quiet air of confidence that we're going to be better than most of the critics are suggesting and I got the same feeling when Mark Neeld spoke later in the evening. On that score, I reckon the coach seems far more composed and comfortable in the role now than, at the start of last season when the team performed so limply and he was personally subjected to attacks in the media and to that fabricated racism slur. The evening was compered by Sandy Roberts who was in good form and showed that he was more than just a sports newsreader. Don McLardy was good, briefly opening with the tanking investigation, thanking those board members who worked on our defence and promising that the club was no longer going to be silent in the face of some of the unwarranted attacks on the club we see in the media. About time. The life member, hall of fame inductions and our fifth legend presentations were all well received and the blazers are growing on me. I don't think the players have a problem with them at all. As for what's happening in the immediate future, I think Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes and James Frawley are all good chances for Sunday week but Tom McDonald is in doubt. Jack Trengove and Sam Blease, because of the positions they play, might be a week or two behind that. It comes as no surprise for me to suggest a large number of new players will represent the club for the first time next week and in that respect, we will need to break new ground because history says those sorts of teams take a while to gel together and produce winning form. However, the consensus among the players seems to be that those who have departed were in the main, not the hardest of workers on the track, and things are very much different now. If that's true, the Neeld/Craig/Misson combo is starting to turn around our (for want of a better word) culture. And, because a discussion on the current team can't take place without mention of him, I just want to say that Jack Watts looks to have matured physically and will be a far more influential player than many people think.

pitmaster. I've been constant in my belief all along that Liam would be aquitted and I did say I agreed with you when you said you "can't see a 'beyond reasonable doubt guilty' finding here", but such agreement was based on what I'd read about the evidence. None of us sat through the 7 or 8 days of the trial so we couldn't see how the jury reacted etc. The evidence as reported both at this trial and the earlier committal hearing were however, compelling for an aquittal.Ultimately, it was a win for the jury system but IMO not for the justice system in this country. Justice was carried out poorly in this case and in that respect, I'm referring to the overall result for the people of Alice Springs and Yuendumu. The court system dispensed the law in a clumsy manner but the government authorities, who surely have a role to play in helping clean up this mess, seem to be sitting on their hands unable to do anything for those people while the people themselves seem incapable of doing anything to resolve it themselves.

I think you might find that a couple of others also accused have been found guilty of the crime and are awaiting sentencing.

Inevitable on the evidence we heard and an indictment on the legal system that it went this far because it could easily have been disposed of the committal hearing stage which was when it was clear that there was so much conflicting evidence that it was going to be extremely difficult to prove anything beyond reasonable doubt. Was this justice? I think not. Whichever way you look at it, and Liam made mistakes, this has probably destroyed his football career and apparently his relationship with his partner. It has left Liam a broken person who needs a substantial amount of help to get his life back together and it hasn't done anything positive to bring about reconciliation within his own family let alone his community. It leaves me cold.

Not the slightest chance on the face of this earth.

I agree Pitmaster but we haven't sat through the proceedings for seven days or really had the opportunity to gauge the atmosphere of the trial and, in the meantime, Liam Jurrah's fate hangs in the balance. http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2013/03/19/liam-jurrah-guilty-or-victim-of-a-botched-process/'>Liam Jurrah: guilty or victim of a botched process?

Redleg, what did you expect from the trio who set the scene for the tanking investigation? They didn't ask Brock McLean the one question that begged to be asked by any interviewer with a keen analytical mind. Their subject claimed he left because he didn't like the culture of "experimenting" yet he went to the club that made tanking an artform. That they didn't ask that question and now ignore Carlton's tanking over three seasons during the last decade suggests they are more than gutless or weak. They're rank hypocrites into the bargain.

SATURDAY MARCH 23 Casey Scorpions vs Port Melbourne at Casey Fields DL 11am VFL 2pm Up to ten Melbourne listed players including Mitch Clark and Jack Trengove could turn out for Casey Scorpions in this Saturday's practice match against Port Melbourne at Casey Fields. Dees wait on VFL form of Mitch Clark and Jack Trengove before elevating to Round 1 action Sam Blease, Chris Dawes, Tom McDonald and Jack Viney are all in the mix to play in advance of the club's season opener against another Port team - Big names set for Casey hit out

If anyone needs to build a bridge it's Wilson. She clearly harbours some long term grudges as we saw once again last night on Footy Classified when she tried to fire another shot in her ongoing war with James Brayshaw. The feud she has with Cameron Schwab has been going longer than the Hatfields and McCoys and must be an embarrassment to Fairfax.To his credit, Eddie McGuire seems to be one of the few who has the nuts to stand up to her and he gave Wilson her rightful whack last night on Open Mike making it very clear that she's fast becoming a joke in the industry with her constant calls for resignations. She of course, is the chief football writer for a newspaper that's going down like the Titanic.