sue

Ash - you can argue the hind legs off a dog, but I'll be more ready to listen when the club formally apologises and stops trying to blame everyone else.

I'd be content with no further penalties if the club made a clear statement that: 1. the former administration cheated and tried to cover it up 2. made it clear the club would not welcome back as 'favoured sons' any of those involved until they expressed remorse (and not just for having been caught) 3. stated that those who want to shift the blame to ASADA and WADA should pull their heads in, as while there might be the odd problem with those organizations, it was our club that broke the rules. Of course none of that will happen because of effect on potential legal actions.

Thanks Grapeviney. Here's something I didn't dare write recently. I've noticed that when trying to mark deep on the forward line he often seems to run under the ball a bit. Am I alone? incorrect? If correct, any speculation on why?

thank you. I'll revisit this thread later this year.

I repeat my plea to the mods: Can we please have a thread labelled something like "Hogan - will he re-sign" and another where we can discuss everything else about him. So we don't have to wade through all this speculation if we just want to know/discuss other things about him. Pretty please.....

There are several clubs I don't like (as DC said, that's footy), but I have blind hatred for only one. What Essendrug have done is far far worse than any other scandal in the AFL. Draft tampering, tanking, over-cap payments, brown paper envelopes, dodgy 'ambassador' jobs for star players, etc (even things which I hope have never happened such as bribing an umpire or deliberately spreading flu about an oppo team) all pale into insignificance compared to EFC's 'pharmacological experiment'. My wide-eyed hatred will endure until they get rid of everyone associated with it and stop painting them as innocent martyrs.

You seem very certain that all is lily-white based on "but I reckon I heard not too long ago on AFL360....". Where was it reported other than on AFL360? Surely such a major point of concern to all clubs would merit follow up by other media? Looks like at least one non-EFC/AFL hater missed it too. Anyway, those of us who have even limited hatred of EFC and only faintly suspect the AFL is driven by $ and little else will believe it when they see it. Oldest trick in the book is to say it is monitored and then look the other way.

So what. There could be several reasons for that. For example, perhaps he thinks keeping oppositions guessing is more important than satisfying the curiosity of the very few supporters who feel a need to know this information a couple of days earlier.

Sorry to start a new thread, cant find the old one (anyone know how to search for an old thread which hasn't surfaced for weeks?) Eade is suggesting allowing a sub to replace an injured player who then cannot play the following week. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-05-12/bring-back-the-sub-for-concussion-cases-says-rodney-eade I can see that being loop-holed (if there is such a verb) quickly. Just replace the 'injured' player who is playing badly and whom you'll probably want to drop next week anyway.

My gut instinct is that it probably says more about the person making the gut instinct prediction than it does about what Hogan is likely to do. And yes, that applies to my gut too.

This thread should be renamed "Hogan - reading the tea leaves"

KB's comments leave me extremely cold saying we need more close-ups. Does he really like the handball going out of frame to be taken by an unseen player (or opponent)? I'd like to get some feel for what is ahead of and around the player like you can when you are at the footy. If the camera pulls back, KB says he only sees "ants"? He needs a bigger and better TV. http://www.sen.com.au/news/afl/05-16/kbs-take-channel-seven-must-improve-afl-camerawork

Surely he is misquoted in this article? What can he mean? "I’m out of contract so there’s no pressure on me to perform or anything like that..." http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-trade-and-contract-news-lewis-taylor-dean-kent-and-josh-jenkins--afl-market-watch/news-story/139642312ffcfb8b59b0f541e9bebf0e

So the real outrage is the investigation of the crime, not the crime itself. And if there was no crime, what does this mean: Hird said his son could not have done more in terms of avoiding this mess, declaring James had made it clear the injection program be WADA compliant. He insists blame largely lays with former chairman David Evans for appointing a chief executive, Ian Robson, whose strength was generating revenue, and not administration. Blame for what?

Gothebiff - I thought a year or so back they said they were going to pay frees for ducking, not just ignore the high tackle. They do the latter occasionally, but it's only the former that will stop it because as you say, "the penalty for ducking is negligible and the possible benefit is a free kick (incorrectly paid"

Pity the AFL does not instruct umpires to do so. I think they did for a nanosecond or so but obviously not doing it now.

I'd like to see that second goal from front on to see clearly what he did. Anyone seen such video?

I can understand all that, but it still seems to me that if there is a crumple zone around the head, the impact that gets transferred to the brain to slosh around must be reduced. So the number and extent of concussion must be reduced at least a bit. So does experience show that the effect is small and outweighed by the 'unrealistic sense of protection' problem? I wonder if the enormous space taken up by a gridiron helmet was a large lump of foam, would the protection effect then become substantial? Would look ridiculous of course (like gridiron players already do). BTW, if the protection is a large lump of foam, I can't see how you can use it as an offensive weapon like a gridiron helmet can be. Though doubtless offensive to the eye.

He's playing AFL, not farnarkling which is a much more difficult sport played in NZ.

I don't think that is right. I often see houses being built with a couple of security cameras installed with wireless comms back to a server which records all day long. If it cost them more than a couple of hundred I'd be surprised. The main cost for the AFL might be the hire of a cherry picker required to install them and change the batteries.

The TV broadcast is so bad. Endless close-ups of the bloke on the mark or about to kick giving the viewer no idea of what is going on. They used to do this a lot - in fact I hadn't noticed they had stopped doing it so much until tonight reminded me of the bad old days. Looks like the old director and camermen have retired to the gold coast and get dredged up to do these matches.

True, but do we over-pay high level executives to take the easy option when it is the wrong one? (rhetorical question). Anyway, how hard is it to just say "I can't comment until all the proper processes are completed'. I'd take 2% of Gil's salary to answer for him in future.

The original point made was that inexperienced team will have inconsistent results. St Kilda is also inexperienced and is also playing inconsistently. So no point in arguing over comparing their older players vs ours etc etc. But better in the Hogan thread than discussing 'will he or won't he' endlessly.

nor should they make any comment about 'difficulty' etc. Amateur hour.

must be trying for stand-up comedian of the year. Here's an idea - why not have 18 teams in the finals and do away with the home (and not so home) and away season.