Its Time for Another

I like the fact Michie, Riley and now Newton (assuming we land him this week) are all players wanted by their sides but left for more opportunities at the D's. Straight out of the Roos/Swans recruiting playbook.

The second one is after the second list lodgement which is on about 15 November and the third is a week or so after the draft. So Clubs can reassess their lists after the Delisted Free Agency period and any players they have picked up which might cause other players to be delisted, thus creating new spaces that allow a delisted free agent to be picked up that couldn't have been in the first period. Same thing applies after the draft. Some teams may not have used picks they thought they would because players they wanted weren't available or whatever other reason so they have availability to pick up DFA's that they wouldn't have taken before the draft.

Agree. In Taylor and Team and Roosy I trust. If it's McCartin I have no doubt it's because they thought he was the best. I thought Mahoney has already made it clear what they are going to do when he said they would be happy with a mid and a tall or 2 mids. Sounds like McCartin if Petracca is gone or Petracca if McCartin is gone. Either way is good as I chose to trust them and if McCartin works out we have a spine for the next 10 yrs with Frost and him replacing Frawley and Clark so we have a spine to build around.

But do you take that risk especially when his team don't want to lose him unlike Membrey who was surplus to requirements at the Swans. Plus the Hannath factor. Once bitten twice shy.

So he was delisted today and Saints will pick him up tomorrow as a delisted free agent so they would have got "our" Frost in the PSD if we hadn't have used pick 23 on him. What do people think about it now that we know that. I'd say they made a bloody good call or we would have missed him.

So then we end up with Petracca. Who would you rather have? The press are all over Petracca being no. 1 despite the fact he is a half forward playing in the midfield this year and is 185 not 187cm. I don't know the answer to this. Does anyone have an informed opinion?

For what it's worth, Hird talking about when he was at the Bombers said he was the best development coach he'd ever seen. He was very highly regarded before that at the Cats. Could be a huge pickup on the development side.

Bingo! That'd explain it. Where? I bet I'd love to be on that ride. I'm just heading out here but it's just starting to warm up here. Must get brutal there for the next 5 mths

Can't say I head out too often for a 40k spin at 9.30pm. Great way to avoid the traffic. I'm in Sydney. Heading out early Saturday morning 63k's mostly hills. Inspired by Mick Rogers second Giro stage win this year. Hit a tempo and stuck to it. I try to emulate that whenever I'm dying up a hill.

Thanks bing181. I wasn't sure of those details but must be an indicator to what will happen here although he had a positive test result so direct evidence. He tried to argue he tested positive from an illegal substance injested from eating contaminated meat. This defence attempt failed and caused a lot of anger from Spanish farmers who denied they were producing contaminated meat. You might think it was fanciful but as you probably know Michael Rogers the Aussie rider tested positive for the same drug which he also claimed he got from eating contaminated meat in China. In his case the authorities accepted this argument and he was cleared, going on to win his first three Grand Tour stages this year. LEGEND! Does this knowledge mean you are a fellow rider.

So according to this article this could go on for years. These are the potential steps that could go on. How many of the 18 players left at Essendon now will be around by the end of all of this. Any? 1.Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel (This is the step that will occur probably before the end of the year) 2. Either party can appeal this decision to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal 3. Either party can appeal the AAT decision to the Federal Court. (If the Federal Court finds in favour of the players that is the end of the matter. If it finds in favour of ASADA it goes to step 4. 4. Anti Doping Tribunal hearing if the players don't accept the maximum penalty or the penalty offered by AFL/ASADA 5. Either party can appeal the Anti Doping Tribunal decision to AFL anti-doping appeals panel 6. Either party can appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration in Sport

Couldn't agree more. There seems to be some very bad judgments being made today. Ultimately the players might well have to fall on ASADA's goodwill for the severity of the punishment they face. I believe they will be working hand in hand with the Tribunal in relation to what they and WADA view as acceptable penalties. So to decide to attack ASADA on behalf of the players while they are facing charges of drug cheating is a shocker of a judgement call as far as I'm concerned. To use the press to do it is even more of a shocker of a judgement call. I would want to be represented by someone else at this point. All the AFLPA and their lawyers seem to be doing is following a policy of throwing petrol on the fire.

This happened in the doping case against Alberto Contador a couple of years ago. WADA appealed and eventually won getting a 2yr ban from the Court of Arbitration in Sport. Contador was allowed to continue to race for the 18mths after the notice and until the end of the appeal process. When he was found guilty he only had to serve the remaining six months of the two year ban remaining after the appeal but all his results during that 18mths were stripped from him including the 2010 Tour de France win and several other high profile wins. The stripping of results would not be relevant to Essendon. I suspect this mess has a long way to run. Because the stakes are so high for both parties I am very confident that whichever party loses in the hearing will appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport. That process can take a long time. In Contador's case as an example it was something like 6-12mths before the appeal was heard. They would be allowed to play during this period so would probably get through most of next year. By the end of next season another bunch of players will leave the Club so the damage will be less and less. It is already down to 18 from 34. From memory the players get a 6mth reduction if they prove they didn't intentionally or knowingly take the illegal substance which is likely to be the case here and a further 12mths if they co operate. As I understand it by insisting on going to the Tribunal hearing they are foregoing the 12 mth co operation discount and so on that basis they would end up with minimum 18 mth bans. I'm not sure if they will run from the time of these current notices, after the Tribunal hearing or possibly after an Appeal which could be middle or late next year. The AFL will also have to sanction Essendon for drug cheating and I would think those sanctions will have to be far more significant than the sanctions given out last year just for failures of governance. I would think at least a $1mill to $2mill fine possibly with some suspended, loss of draft picks, if the decisions are finalised before the end of next season then forced to play for no points (a la the Melbourne Storm sanctions for salary cap rorting). If they had co operated and taken the deal in July they would have been free to play by Christmas this year after serving 6mth bans and missing maybe 4-6 games. They are playing a lethal game gambling on the Tribunal and possibly the Court of Arbitration in Sport letting them off. Their legal team must be very very confident. Their head legal Counsel David Grace has had many wins against the AFL Tribunal in the past. Talk about conflicted, he is also the current President of Athletics Australia and a staunch anti doping campaigner.

I was saying this about Sylvia. It hasn't happened. In fact quite the opposite. I said it about Travis and Leigh Matthews couldn't make it happen. Unfortunately same will happen with Blease. When he was first drafted Brian Royal said he was going to be a project player who had to learn the defensive side of his game. 5 years later he still hasn't learnt. His last game was a shocker. Blazing away at goal from the boundary line ignoring several options in better positions. It looked like an FU to the coaches. Cats are a much harder both way running team than us. He doesn't have a chance with his current attitude and I can't see that changing. Has the physical attributes to be a significant player but doesn't have the brain. Same as Sylvia.

Swans also offered Jude Bolton for trade around 4-5 years before he retired and he stayed when a suitable trade didn't come up and was very successful.

Brayshaw v Petracca. What are people's view. The consensus in the press seems to be that Petracca is the better but from what I've read Roosy and D's seem to have been heavily into Brayshaw right from the beginning of the year. What are the comparisons between the two.

From what I gather Lever is behind McCartin in straight talent. Lever is a backman who might end up in the midfield but at 194 that is becoming less likely. Sounds like there is a clear top 3 this year and then a drop off to Wright who has an element of risk but could end up being the best and then daylight to pick 5. I think we'll go the best available at 2 & 3. So whoever is left after either McCartin or Petracca go at 1. Whoever is left out of those three will be best available at those picks and incidentally will fill a desperately required position.

Ha! Made me smile.

Ya gotta love this place. People who have never actually seen a player play watch a highlights reel and decide who they want to draft. That's like 5 good things out of 300. Thats what Barrett does. Come on we're better than that aren't we. Please someone comment who has actually seen him play a few times.

I find the value of a pick an interesting question. Who says pick 23 is overs. To say that, you have to know who the players are around that pick and compare them to Frost. Who on here has done that. I wouldn't have a clue but you know the recruiters have. Does anyone know what he's actually like instead of just blabbering on about how we paid overs. I've heard he is faster, taller and a better kick than McDonald. What's not to like about that at pick 23. Mahoney mentioned on Trade Radio that they watched him all year and he did a great job on some of the key forwards. Heath Grundy plays CHB in arguably the best back unit going around and he's not an out and out star but holds down and executes a critical role. He looks like he has the potential to be a lot better than Grundy who isn't a fast player or accurate kick. If he ends up being like that we're not going to care about pick 23, it will have been a bargain.

Don't you just love how Hird always said wait for the truth to come out and we will be cleared. Then lo and behold he issues legal proceedings to stop the truth coming out that the AFL/ASADA had collected. And then he appeals saying he would be living a lie if he didn't appeal the judgement. But of course all he is doing is trying to suppress the true facts of the drug cheating. Now we are seeing what the "truth" looks like. It aint pretty Mr Hird and Mr Little. You've got to feel for the players. They're the one's who'll be banned for 6mths. Wonder what sanctions the AFL will bring now that drug cheating looks like it will be proven. Given that the last sanctions were only for failures in governance and expressly not for drug cheating.

Whatever it is you would have to think they negotiated it with whoever the third team is before doing the deal to get it. You'd have to think something significant is therefore going to be announced before the end of trade week. I was totally left fielded by the Tyson deal last year and everyone was in a frenzy of theories but no one had that one. So I suspect something like that will happen again. I for one have no idea but I'm guessing that like last year it will be something no one expected.

For once it's going to be a very exciting draft. Seems like the least predictable draft in a long time. Won't be sorry if he goes 1. Means we will get Petracca and Brayshaw. That's a big kick start to the midfield. Or if Petracca goes first which is my prediction the we could get McCartlin and Brayshaw. Also a pretty nice outcome. There doesn't seem to be a midfielder other than these two who stands out enough to be picked ahead of McCartlin. So he'd be my guess for pick 3 if we don't trade it and Petracca goes 1.

Is it just me or did anyone else think he looked a trifle less than enthusiastic in that interview. Looked like he was pushed rather than jumped. MM must really have had a beef with him. Wonder what that's about. Hopefully whatever it was/is will be gone. Assuming they are this could be one of the MFC's few steals in recent times. Nasher what charges were you referring to. On another note. Aren't genetics a [censored]. Buddy is his first cousin their mothers are sisters. Buddy is 198cm's and built like the proverbial and Jeff is 180cm's and built not like the proverbial.

Hi Ethan, did your father get a chance to ask Barass at the GF what this means