sue

I was pretty happy. If you take out the goals from the supposed out-on-the-full free, Fitz's scoop goal and Dunn's bad kick out we were very close. In particular the come back in Q2 will be great for their confidence. We all know what usually happens when we fall behind by a few goals. Great to see that did not happen.

Would depend - has Murdoch moved into transport?

So Daddy Watson thinks that his story that the AFL were trying to cut a deal just before the Tribunal announced its decision proves the Tribunal was independent. Strange that he should bother now. But if the story is true then it is possible the AFL knew they were going to get off and they were certain that WADA would appeal which would mean the saga would drag on for even longer with a possibly worse outcome. In the absence of facts, wild speculation is fun.

Depends on what he means by 'appropriate'. WADA doesn't pay for the interview.

Drop him. He didn't lay enough tackles in that game.

Re your last sentence : Of course - I hope you are not basing that self-evident statement on what I wrote. We are all talking about probabilities. But to counter your line in bold above, do you think WADA has learnt nothing from those losses? Do you think they haven't taken the result in those cases into account when appealing now? Do you not think they rate their chances higher? Of course they do or they wouldn't do it. So thank you for bringing to my attention those cases WADA has lost. It is good to know they won't be entering uncharted waters. It is sad to think that an EFC supporter who shows so much intelligence would take so much trouble to try and justify his team getting off when it is clear they were up to no good. I'd put my head in the sand and wait for it all to go away. The few EFC supporters I know are disgusted and are now following soccer. I don't think reading your posts would change their minds. What may change their minds is a thorough purge of Hird and co. Put your efforts into that if you really want to help the club and the AFL.

LU if I was an EFC supporter I'd take less comfort than you from the cases WADA has lost on appeal. WADA will be more aware than any of us of the strength of their EFC case compared to the ones they lost. They must have added all that up and decided to appeal nevertheless. I'd start worrying more if I was you.

It seems there are limits to drug therapy: "The way we're kicking the ball is not what we would like," Hird said post-match. "I don't think it's crisis time. We can't cut their feet off and put new ones on. If we could we might have tonight, but we can't.

It's not worth wasting breath over this point of LU's. Even if he is right and other clubs have been guilty, he is like a driver caught doing 150km/hr in a 40km/hr zone who tries to excuse himself by pointing to the drivers who were going 42km/hr.

Unfortunately Lance I don't think the 'fact' that other clubs may have done something similar cuts any ice with many of us. That does not turn black into grey (or even white as the EFC propaganda machine would want us to believe.) If any club injects experimental substances, the people responsible should be in deep trouble. Players should not be guinea pigs even if they volunteer unless the experiment is subject to the same constraints that would face a team of medical researchers in a university.

Good. But there is more to this than proof of cheating. Let's assume that there is none and even that proof emerges that they didn't cheat. But do you not blame 'those responsible' for an 'experimental' program where no one knows what was injected, just that it must be OK for the players, maybe it even cures cancer etc. Why do you, as a responsible EFC supporter, not demand these blokes never darken your hangar again?

OD always predicts the worst outcome. Then if by chance things turn out better he can be happy. The standard pessimist's win-win strategy. The real worry is when he says something positive about the MFC as he did recently. Then I get even more confused than usual.

Probably correct. But what if it was held in Sydney? If they could be compelled here (no idea myself) then I can imagine that they could be compelled to at least do a video-link to Switzerland. If they refused, then what ever legislation required them to appear here might suffice for an extradition. Might well be delusional, but fun to contemplate.

I know this is off-topic, but perhaps it indicates more of the man's character. Perhaps it is a fake..... https://twitter.com/EssendonFC Essendon FC@EssendonFC Hird: "I read that Buckley tore his hamstring off the bone. It's pretty funny."

Unless the AFL supports the issue. For example, they have policy against illegal drugs. You can do them 3 times more in the AFL than elsewhere.

Ha. My name may be an incitement to action, not necessarily an indication of gender.

I didn't want to be accused of being biased against the venerable institution. There is always a first time anyway.

Yes, but the effect on the weak clubs will be much more, especially after the recent establishment of 2 new clubs. So we have an extra incentive to hope the AFL does the right thing. (sorry, I realise I have just stated an improbability.)

The difference is that being a newly founded club they had an excuse to hide behind. Our players did not - after all most posters here bristle if an excuse for anything is offered.

It may not matter to the CAS decision but it will to what happens next. If they are found guilty, then there will be loads of sympathy for EFC and the AFL will have no hesitation in helping them out of a hole (which will be to the great disadvantage of clubs like ours). If innocent, knowing the AFL, they will probably give them an extra early draft pick to compensate for all the pain and suffering they have undergone.

I think you misinterpreted what I meant. For a start, come backs against us don't require a fluke. They require exactly what you said. I am saying that a comeback by us is what is needed to regain confidence - once our players know they can do it they won't fold when they get behind like they do now. But sadly I'm saying it will take some series of flukes for us to get that first comeback (since we don't seem to do it the normal way). But fluke goals do lead to momentum changes quite often, so I'm still hoping.

I suspect the best and maybe only way confidence will return is when we actually come back and win after being well behind. Judging by recent years, it may take a few flukes in a row in the game for that to happen but once it does, I'd expect the corner will be turned.

I'm not so sure that there will be any plea bargaining. If someone gets a light sentence, then it will be clear they were the one(s) who cracked. Current players at EFC wouldn't dare, and probably nor would those playing at other clubs. Ex-players might, though if they still wished to keep playing in some league, then they might decide to stick with denial and cross their fingers. And if they have completely given up footy, perhaps they wouldn't bother to dob people in, especially if they wanted to maintain friends in the footy world.

Perhaps because they don't take such a public stand on the issue of racism. As for the 13 year old girl incident, I'm surprised how confident some are that AG could tell her exact age in the circumstances and then condemn him. If I have a quick look at a crowd I doubt if I would be able to judge age well - and I'm not exhausted from running around, getting bumped and haven't been abused.

There are plenty of arrogant players who do thuggish things and stage for free kicks. Why is it that they don't get booed as much?