Its Time for Another

Also, now that I think about it, if they don't get suspended they then get a massive advantage of being fixtured out of their "division" under the new fixturing system and would get the easiest draw of any team in the competition including the bottom 6 by only playing the bottom 6 twice. So they would get a great big reward for causing all this drama and getting away with it. By the time the decision comes down I guess it is too late to revisit the fixture which would be the fairest thing to do to preserve the pointy end of the competition.

And what's worse, the rabble, ring in version just beat us. So some might still argue the same applies to any games played against us this season. I raised this issue on here some time ago. It will have a massive impact on the make up of the top four and beyond. Sydney play them once in rd1, Hawks play them twice by about round 11. Port only play them once around rd18. Hawks could get a 10% boost over Sydney and a 20% boost over Port and Sydney up to a 10% boost and both potential bonus wins over Port, who may play a full, fit and fresh version by rd 18. Same applies to Cats who only play them once in rd 10. Freo play them once in rd 6, so on a 6mth suspension would probably play the last round of a weakened team. You can't say this won't have a massive impact on the competition between these likely contenders for the top 4. Cancelling results won't be the answer because then the teams playing them twice have a massive disadvantage. Hard to know what the answer is but it will have a big impact on the competition this year. If the AFL were smart they would have set up the fixture so that only the bottom 6 teams played them twice and the top teams only played them in the second half of the season. At least that way it wouldnt' threaten the outcome of the season. Don't know why they wouldn't have thought of that ahead of time.

I tend to lean to your explanation. Timing is probably due to being pushed for the interview and asked that specific question. Sue I'm sure if WADA wanted to make a statement to the Tribunal they would have had many ways to do that well before now. It would be virtually too late to leave it to now. I have absolutely no doubt they will review everything that went on in this case win or lose. I would hope they would want to make sure that in future the process is much much more quick than this fiasco. Plus I would say the discussions with the Aus Govt would be about changing the legislation so that in the future if there is positive evidence of a substance being taken, like there was here, that the onus will fall on the athletes to prove what they took. It is ridiculous that the onus is on ASADA to prove what drug the players took when they have no idea and the players are the ones via the Club who took the substances.

Thirdly, maybe it isn't about him at all. Maybe it's about the fact that Frost was recruited to replace Frawley but has shown that he might be more important filling a role in the forward line replcaing M Clark, than replacing Frawley in the backline. If that is the thinking then they need to find someone else to be the big gorilla back and maybe Fitzy could be that with his height on the increasing number of 200cm forwards. Think what Daniher just did to us because amongst other reasons we didn't have a tall enough back to line up against him.

21March 2014 31,712 The gap to last year is widening not narrowing. I would have thought with all the positive signs offeason we would have seen the numbers beating last year. I guess there was a lot more optimism for the Roos effect before last season started and this year people have been hit by the reality bus last year. Let's hope the offseason improvements lead to on field improvements and we get a rush of sign ups after the first few rounds. I can't help thinking wins against GC round 1 and GWS round 2 would make a massive difference. Who would have thought even 2yrs ago that this would seem such a stretch. 2 years ago we would have been salivating at getting these two expansion teams in the first two rounds.

Got a big smile out of this. Hope those arms aren't from one of our players.

This signing says a lot about the state AFL is in. That Clubs feel compelled to have to sign these junior players so early and publicise it. I wonder if this signing and Brayshaw has anything to do with paying 100% of the salary cap this year and freeing up money over the next two years to try and sign a couple of expensive A lister midfielders. Interesting that Petracca hasn't been signed on an extension. Maybe because he's injured this year they can't forward load his contract so aren't worried about extending it at this stage.

Looks like an U5's version. A baby Demon. I'm sure they would like it.

The Grand Old Flag.

Who has the ability to sit back watch a game and keep track of this, not to mention all the other rotations. At any given time if you took the time to look right around the field you could find a very different team to the one that started at the beginning of the game. It's amazing sometimes to sit near the interchange and see how many are going on all the time.

If they knew what it was and it wasn't illegal that would be a grounds for being confident they will get off. If they knew what it was and it was illegal you wouldn't think they'd be mouthing off two weeks before the decision saying they are confident they will get off. Then again any sane person would just say nothing pending the decision. It unfortunately gives us a taste of what we are in for if they get off. Insufferable.

I don't hate Essendon and I don't hate the players. I feel a sorry for them being caught up in this s%&t storm, even if by not following the correct protocols they have made themselves responsible for the outcome. But having said all that I really can't stand Messrs Hird and Little. Their performances yesterday just reinforce my growing abhorrence of these two. To get up in front of the season launch and in the face of the impending decision come out and say they are confident the players will be cleared is beyond belief. Although not beyond belief for these two utter D'heads. Utter contempt for the whole Tribunal process. The fact is even if the players get off on the technicality that there wasn't enough evidence to find them guilty, that doesn't mean they are innocent. Neither Hird, Little or anyone else can say with 100% certainty that they are innocent because they have no idea what they took. The sooner these two are expunged from the sport the better. The thought of not being able to avoid these two gloating if they get off is going to be more than I can stand and for that reason beyond all else I hope like crazy the players go down.

So Bing excuse my ignorance. How was the banned substance present in his body discovered if both his tests were negative. Given the Contador case, I was, to say the least, surprised that his defence of ingesting the clenbuterol from meat in China was successful. I understand there have been no cases in Europe but some in China and Mexico. But even so. I would say he was pretty lucky. I remember the Spanish cattle farmers being outraged with Contador suggesting they used Clenbuterol in their cattle.

The team is called the Demons. The point of Checker Hughes changing the name from fuscias to Demons was to get the players to play like Demons. Lets see a ferocious Demon on the away and clash jumpers instead of the logo of a cricket club. Even if it is the Melbourne Cricket Club but with an F for Football. The Doggies had a great logo of an attacking bulldog on their guernseys. It looked great. Lets get something like that but a Demon that shows the original intent of the style of play. As for the logo. I have no problem with either. One is a throw back to the Cricket Club but is fine. Reminds me of the New York Yankees. Maybe that was Bartlett's reference to them. I'm not so sure we have to align our image so entirely to the MCC. The other was an intelligent reference to the Club's history. I refuse to allow a few bogans to hijack my appreciation of the Southern Cross as a symbol of where we are geographically and our historical larrikin fight for freedom against institutional oppression. I'm very happy to have it on our logo.

15 March 2014 30,421

Athletes are entitled to have two samples tested. If the A Sample indicates positive they are allowed to have the B Sample tested and if it isnt' positive they get off. Apparently the Notice only went out after the B Sample was tested and was also positive. I believe Michael Rogers the cyclist, had an A Sample test positive but his cycling team immediately suspended him from competing. I believe his B Sample was negative so he was cleared but he had already served a 6mth voluntary suspension.

People never mention that Port's list was in a very different position to ours, even then. They had a much more even spread of ages through the group and plenty of hardened experienced players plus a bunch who were at the age the bulk of our list is just reaching now. They had a heap of injuries to the majority of their KPP's the year before the new regime and they all came back and were good. Having said all of that Burgess seems to have had an incredible impact on their conditioning but you've got to take into account a more mature list and they were probably starting on a better base than our boys were when Misson started. People keep wanting to compare Port to us but in many ways you can't. I'm still suffering from what they did to us Rd1 2013 when we thought they were a basket case and we'd beat them comfortably.

Bing can correct me here but as I understand it you've got this the wrong way round. If it is established you have taken an illegal substance whether you were conscious of it or not you are automatically guilty. If you can prove you were unconscious and I don't know what this requires then you can have your 2yr sentence reduced by 12mths. Many people on here have pointed out the ways they could have checked over a long period of time so I can't see how they would get away with the unconscious defence. Some have argued including even if they asked Doc Reid and he said it was legal. I'm not so sure about this.

You're right. Certainly looked that way. What a strange era we are entering into when we are getting relieved about signing extensions on players who haven't even played a game yet.

Good point. I wonder why one and not the other. Wonder if they tried and he wasn't interested or they haven't tried. I would have thought the Big P was more of a concern to do this than Brayshaw. Either way its still great to get one locked for a few more years.

I don't think its that complex. If the Tribunal decide each players is guilty of having at least one injection of a banned substance then the penalty is 2yrs reduced by 1yr if they are satisfied that the players had no idea that what they were taking was banned and 6mths for co operation. I dont' think you are going to find the facts outside of proof of one injection matter.

The Open Training session seems to have been a break down in communication between the FD and the Membership/PR Depts. Not just a lost opportunity. Much worse than that. Mystery why they didn't have membership tents at both events. This is when all this counts the most.

11 March 2015 Approx 28,750 13 March 2014 - 30,000 Hmmm! Wonder if the Family Day had already happened by that time last year. Hopefully we will get a big hit from that on Sunday.

It was 1224 on the old Board on this topic before it was locked. We all had at least as many if not more in most cases. Do you see anything wrong with the picture of you criticising others for spending time posting on a topic they are interested in and you getting on the Board you claim not to be interested in but spending your time keeping count on how many posts they are making. Who do you think should be staying away from this Board them or you.

Michael Warner!!!! Say no more. Clueless Muppet!!!!!! There are a few journo's around, actually more than a few, who make you wonder how on earth they got a gig and how on earth they keep them. This one is right at the front of that queue. A journo either has access to sources that over time prove to be reliable so you can trust the facts they write about and/or have opinions based on experience and knowledge that is worth reading. Is it just me or do others feel like there is an increasing lack of any of this. For the life of me I can't understand how this bloke still had a gig. And he's not alone.