Whispering_Jack

Caroline Wilson explains why the football world has written off the AFL careers of Andrew Lovett and Brendan Fevola in this compelling article - Final drinks called at the last-chance saloon. The clubs are all saying they've had enough of errant behaviour from footballers. "Lovett and Fevola have already had their second chances and blown them". That's all well but what of Travis Tuck? When this thread was started in late October it was thought that he would train with us during November "in the hunt for a chance to join the MFC list" after finishing 4th in the voting for the Liston Medal. But nothing eventuated and it seems that Tuck won't even get his second chance.

Those who follow the news from the Northern Territory would be aware that the football community up there was disappointed that not one local player was picked up in last month's AFL national draft. There aren't too many stand out prospects around for the PSD and rookie draft and their best chances are Gibson Turner, medium forward Will Farrer and former Saint's rookie Ross Tungatalum who is a small forward. Anthony Tipungwuti (174cm) from the Tiwi Bombers has been with the Gippsland Power Under 18 team for the past two seasons is an outside chance to be picked up. Waylen Manson, who is playing for NTFL club Waratah is likely to be taken as a rookie but he's really from WA and not a Territorian. After a couple of weeks back home in the Kimberleys, Manson returns today along with fellow forward Brendan Fevola who also missed the last two weeks. Also in the side is former Richmond utility Marc Dragicevic. The game today against the Tiwi Bombers is a big one as its 2nd v 3rd. The Bombers have been rocked by the suspension of four of their key players because of "poor travel behaviour". Big forward Ephrem Tipungwuti, Roy Kantilla, Samson Mungatopi and Nathan Pilakui have been banned for six weeks. A couple of former Demons are also in the news. Austin Wonaeamirri is expected to resume his NTFL career with the Bombers next former rookie Joel Campbell is lining up with them today.

Here's an interesting view of Tynan taken from a review of players in the TAC Cup finals overview by FOOTY TRAGIC. "Joshua Tynan is another good medium sized defender to come out of this draft. He is as much of a ‘sure thing’ to come out of this draft as you’re going to get. He reads the play really well, but it’s his kicking skills that are just fantastic. In the first final, he racked up 27 kicks alone, 23 of those were effective. In the second final, same result, 14 kicks, 13 effective. Any club that picks him up after pick 20, will be getting themselves a bargain in my opinion."

I think there's a fair amount of consensus around here that the rookie draft is more exciting and far more interesting than the national draft or the PSD and I think it should be promoted as such. How about us lobbying the AFL to become a bit innovative and to upgrade the image of the rookie draft so that it's actually held before the national draft? That way, the prestige of being the #1 national draft pick would be diminished and we probably would be spared some of those interminable daily self-serving propaganda pieces about He Who Must Not Be Mentioned fed to the media by the AFL and GWS desperate to improve the kid's image before he's nemed captain or vice captain () of the Giants. I think our very own Jordie McKenzie is a past #1 rookie selection and that's the image the game should be projecting. He's a nice, wholesome young lad. Honest and fiercely loyal to his club and teammates. The type of bloke you want to have with you in the trenches. How many days to go? Ten? It's worth the wait (I hope you haven't got it wrong this time Redleg)!

Additions to the Permission to Train list as of today: • Essendon - Aaron Day (Woodville West Torrens) • Melbourne - Leigh Williams (Norwood, EFL) • Western Bulldogs - Matt Jones (Labrador)

Good to see 426 and Benny Holland are still going around at suburban level.

Agreed. In this day and age it shouldn't be necesssary. I hope Waylen has a good day tomorrow and that he gets drafted - any club will do although I hope he finds a friendly environment like the MFC.

I assume we're on at Gosch's Paddock - any news?

I don't think many are having a go at phantom psd and rookie drafts because the AFL hasn't issued the order of the drafts yet. I believe that might happen today.

Indeed. By singling out four individual players at the club, pinpointing perceived deficiencies in the way they play and linking them by their race, Barry Dawson is guilty of racial sterotyping of the worst order. It's offensive and unacceptable anywhere. In the normal course, I would discuss a sanction against Barry Dawson with the other mods which would involve at the very least, the removal of his posts (which are an embarrassment to me and to the site), but I thought it might be better to retain them as an example of the sheer ignorance that racist talk entails. In the last century, we saw several instances of what happens when racist stereotyping is accepted and becomes rife within society. In the extreme cases, it led to the deaths of millions of Jews, Gypsies and others who were not to the liking of a pathological murderer in Europe, a million and a half in Cambodia in the 70s, a similar number of Armenians at the hands of the Turks almost 100 years ago and close to a million in Rwanda in the 90s. And we never seem to learn because fifty years after Hitler, the massacre took place on European soil of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, there are parts of modern, liberal Europe where the old hatred of Jews thrives and there are countless parts of the globe where the killing and rape of innocents on the basis of racial and/or religious differences go on unabated. Our own Indigenous people suffered similarly when the white man turned up here and the killing began and went on until they were utterly decimated. Our former prime minister issued an apology for what our forebears did but it seems that it passed over some people's heads and that bigotry is still alive and healthy even here. But racism at the Barry Dawson level, whilst it might not kill or injure physically, is often deeply hurtful to individuals in a society - it's a cowardly form of bullying that we don't have to accept from anyone these days - certainly not here. You can criticise any individual player as much as you like on this site as long as you do so constructively but if you associate that criticism with the person's race or religion, you cross the line into an area that is grossly offensive and unacceptable and won't be tolerated.

If that's Phil Scully then he's obviously not as bad as everybody around here is making him out to be. The moustache indicates he's gotten involved in Movember which is a worthwhile charitable pursuit. Good on him!

The Scullduggery bandwagon moves on with a new report from former Bulldog and Swan, Neil Cordy in Sydney 's Daily Telegraph suggesting that the Swans thought Phil did a good job when he was a part time spotter for them - Swans give Phil Scully a glowing recruiting reference. First, the small point. Cordy says Scully Senior was earning a "reported $10,000 per year" but Michael Warner's report from 16 November in the same paper stated it was "less than $10,000". My sources tell me it was quite a bit less than $10,000 but we'll let that one go to the keeper. The main point is that it doesn't matter how good Scully Senior was at the job which former GWS CEO apparently kept secret from his board. The question is whether there was a connection between his employment with GWS (one that was offered in November 2010 and which was not advertised on the general recruiting market) and his son's contract. AFL salary cap investigator Ken Wood decided that there was such a connection and included Phil's remuneration in the GWS salary cap. That should be the end of it, so why come up with this pithy little story about the man who worked as a recruiting scout for the Swans during the 2011 football season notwithstanding that way back in November 2010 he was negotiating a recruiting position with another AFL club? The Swans are obviously unconcerned about any conflict of interest that might have resulted and the risks that such a situation might have presented to their recruiting going forward beyond 2011. Especially if Scully was doing such important work for them. All the Swans want to do is to tell the world that Phil was good at his job. They could well be nice guys but the cynic might say they could be currying favour with the AFL and helping it out of a tight spot. And if you asked the cynic why would the Swans be doing that, then the response might be that the answer can be found at the end of Cordy's article. My bet is that if Barry Mitchell gets a job in list management with the Swans, the AFL will correctly rule it to be kosher. After all, he has a long history in the sport that eminently qualifies him for the position.

No.

Aussie had ankle surgery late in the season after injuring himself playing with the Casey reserves on his return from his extended period of mourning. It's been well documented that he was delisted after failing to contact the club or attend his surgeon for a routine appointment. On that basis, and the fact that Aussie hasn't played for months, I would be surprised if we see him playing at any level for some time.

I think we need to start getting used to fresh new faces simply because of the state of our A+ side - age, injury and form wise. There's a young batsman named Hanscombe who is on the verge of selection for the Bushrangers who I'm told will be very, very good. He has all the makings - technique, temperament and the South Aussies tried to steal him away.

Please note you've been warned - in discussing this subject matter, we do not allow fat jokes.

Thanks for the warning jayceebee31. I'm truly shivering in my boots concerning the revelation about having Demetriou on my back. Should I hire a bodyguard?

This is all a publicity stunt and it's working in Melbourne at least. The AFL won't overrule Ken Woods' decision. Too many of its apparatchiks including Demetriou and Anderson have already slapped themselves on the back by using it as an example of the AFL's evenhandedness and transparency over the matter. If the decision were to be changed I could see Ken Woods handing in his resignation over this. In any event, the AFL could easily neutralise the decision by giving GWS an increase of a little over $100k to its salary cap. Any excuse will do and who, apart from some members of the public, would complain?

I haven't always agreed with him but he truly has been a giant in his profession. I hope he can now devote some more of his time watching the team he supports.

Cameron Bruce and Kyle Cheney remain on Hawthorn's list as does Simon Buckley at Collingwood. PJ is on Hawthorn's permission to train list and likewise, Maric is training with the Tigers.

Those who say we should move on should be aware of the distinction between the need for our club to move on from the Scully scandal and the position of individual supporters. I believe the club moved on from this immediately after the post Scully press conference which happened on the day of the defection. I also think the club did it brilliantly and with class and in direct contrast to the shameful way GWS, the AFL and Demetriou have handled themselves in the aftermath. That our club has distanced itself from the farce and so capably managed its coaching appointments, the trade week and even the draft is an incredible result in view of the disarray that was evident in July and August. As for we supporters, given all that's transpired, surely nobody can stand in the way of us died-in-the-wool fans lapping it up as we watch the embarrassment of a shonky bunch of as they sink further and further in the mire? And this ain't over yet.

... and how fortunate for the Clutterbuck clan was that? Frankly Franky, your timing is out by 906 years because the book you loosely refer to was actually the Domesday Book. Doomsday Book is a 1992 science fiction novel by American author Connie Willis which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

That's exactly how I took it. Believe me jayceebee31 if I thought there was any racism in those or any other comments I would have done something about it. I think it would be great for the game if Lin Jong made an AFL list and the same goes for Freddie. It's just sad that the late Jack Dyer is no longer around to do football commentary because if he was and Freddie's playing, it would put the radio station off the air.

Because under the AFL rules, GWS doesn't need to get permission for anything.

This is a major blow. What am I going to do for the next six days while we get back to 9 days to go?