iv'a worn smith

Yep, I understand that, but as has been pointed out here, his entire season was affected, in terms of his form. In this case, this is not a scenario of an indiscretion which saw a player suspended after an incident which occurred in one game only.

It may have been said on here previously and if so, I apologise. However, while I am not a mathematician, who can examine various computations, is it not feasible that had Watson not receive the votes he did, they could have gone to other players and therefore an entirely new scenario may have arisen, which may have seen an entirely different outright winner. Unlike a foot race, where the place getters are clear, the vagaries of a prize obtained through a voting system is not a clear. While I would not begrudge Mitchell or Cotchin being granted a medal, I just don't think it can be as cut and dry as that.

Precisely

The point I am making was that ALF executive have been relieved of making what, by any measure, would have been an unpalatable decision for some, but that is what management is required to do from time to time. In my view the AFL continually abrogates its commission, which is should be required to discharge, rather than make the hard decisions. They have a history of fluffing around.

Once again, the AFL get what they were hoping for. Now no hard decisions have to be made Gil. Mate, your brother is in a world of pain after being trampled by a horse and you must be as well with all those splinters in your backside after so much fence sitting. Get out of jail card given to you by Jobe eh?

Absolutely

I rest my case.

What I am saying DC is there are many on here who believe they know all of the facts, pertaining to this case. No-one on here does know. My point being that the entire issue had its genesis for entirely the wrong motivating factors. If the substantive basis of guilt is predicated on the players lying to ASADA about what they did or did not ingest, surely this is a fairly easy basis upon which ASADA could have prosecuted the case, through the agency of the peak sporting body, being the AFL. Is there not a chasm of a lack of logic in that alone and why does it exist?

What was the "burden of proof"?

No, they were inept.

Then why did ASADA fall over with its prosecution of the case?

The relevance is this was to be a cause celebre from day one, for political expediency. Trot out the heads of the relevant sporting codes, including Demetriou to look even stronger. ASADA didn't have the bottle to prosecute properly; enter WADA. Demetriou thought it would dissipate as the political cycle turned.

Politics? A Federal Government on the nose in the electorate, which was desperate to get back some political capital. What better way of doing it than by portraying yourselves as the white knights being tough on drugs in sport? https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blackest+day+in+australian+sport&spfreload=10

What was the lie? How did the lie manifest itself on multiple occasions?

I am not talking about that OD. It is pretty simple really. He's has been found guilty by the relevant jurisdiction, had an appeal which was not only not heard, but summarily dismissed. There is no choice but for him to lose the medal. It is the AFL that has botched that side if things. I have no issue with that. But to use epithets like "Jab" in place of Jobe, pillory the rest of players involved which includes Jake Melksham and pretend to know everything about what occurred regarding the injection regime is just juvenile.

Yep, makes sense .............. I think. There is quite a bit of 'legal' negotiation going on as we speak. I very much suspect that the rider on any settlement, as is most often the case, will be a confidentiality clause. In other words, you will never know what went on at mediation.

I have no argument with this point of view. The AFL is moribund on a lot of issues. But no-one on here is across all the facts.

I have absolute empathy with this position, but to put Watson in the same boat as Armstrong, who knowingly, systematically and was entirely complicit in the engineering of his own doping program, is drawing an extremely long bow. I'll say it again, it is my belief that the Essendon Football Club has got off extremely lightly in this saga, but the salivating and frothing at the mouth over Watson and the rest of the players involved is just not edifying at all. Many of these young men may never be the same again. To keep them in the stocks so that more offal can be thrown at them, serves no purpose whatsoever.

Agreed, but why should we be surprised as to how they handle anything. At the risk of raising the old chestnut once again. When the MFC were in the gun, Demetriou trotted out Gil, because Demetriou was on public record that he did not believe we had done anything wrong. So to safe face, he gets his then 2ic to fire the bullets. Not guilty, but fined. The Star Chamber is alive and well in the AFL

Some on here clearly don't DC.

Dank has been banned for life from participation within any sporting organisation. From day one, this miscreant refused to co-operate with any investigation. Writs were issued, with the objecitve to compel him to give evidence and the Supreme Court dismissed the application. No doubt, the players failed to give account, on the required form, that they were being injected. That is their major source of guilt. However, the relevant sporting jurisdictions only needed to be reasonably satisfied of the breach, due to the circumstances which gave rise to this whole mess, but unlike a judicial court of law, there was no requirement for a burden proof which sustained a case beyond a reasonable doubt that performing enhancing drugs were being ingested.. Those frothing at the mouth and rabidly attacking the 34 players concerned, I'm sure will boycott any games in which Jake Melksham plays for the MFC. After all, a drug cheat is a drug cheat, n'est pas?

Um Yes. I think that is a good idea.

What Chook? I'm still trying to find it

Being magnanimous as he is, Chris gave them to me. But I have misplaced my wig and make up bag, not to mention my Gossard wonder bra and stilettos, so I can't make it. I just can't afford to ruin my brand.