Dr. Gonzo

If he does go it will be the biggest Hogan heel turn since Bash at the Beach 96

True - but he did already agree to sit and discuss - why then the need to close shop and so Nah, don't wanna discus until the end of the season now. We'll see, if he tries the same thing after the CBA has been signed then he's gone. I'm just jaded now after going through the Scully and Clark debacles. If Hogan does leave it will be such a giant kick in the nuts for this club it would set back the work that's been done since 2014.

I think you're giving us more thought than the wider footy public does.

Salem is a favourite of mine, the kid just oozes class and toughness. Can't wait to see him crack in and hopefully have an uninterrupted season.

Hogan by a hair over Petracca. He's the kind of guys that gets people through the turnstiles and I looked forward to watching him roam the G. Petracca will be great too, especially once the realisation hits the wider footy public that this is another hard at it, gun player that we've now got. Will be great for the realisation to dawn on people that we are going to be decent and not the pitied pushovers we've been.

They're so brave!

If he goes it is more likely it will be as a delisted FA than us getting a 1st round compo pick.

Having Heppell on is a disgrace.

That's the understatement of the millennium.

No chance in hell.

I'm someone who doesn't usually exercise much being in an office job and eats a lot of carbs - toast for breakfast, sandwich/roll for lunch, pasta/rice for dinner every other day. Last year I started making my own cereal ("paleo" Granola), eating chicken salads and roast veggies for lunch and eggs, tuna, steak with veggies for dinner. I wasn't a nazi about but did cut down on carbs dramatically. I also started doing some exercise every other day - 20-30 minutes on the bike and 45-50 minutes of weights. Within a few weeks I'd lost about 7kgs and was feeling great. Xmas got in the way and I fell off the wagon, it's easy making Pasta for dinner and hard fitting in exercise with two small kids but I can definitely vouch for this. I think the trick is to be flexible and make it a "low" carb not a "no" carb diet.

Link to online article?

As far as MFC goes it seems like it's all care no responsibility for Lyon. As far as him personally goes he just doesn't seem like a good bloke.

Franchise tag would only apply to the players current club. A franchised player could not be poached by another club in FA.

I wish that were true but without the media holding a blowtorch to them it will just sweep away eventually and things will return to normal. It's not like they're going to have another problem like WADA again anything soon, something that is beyond their control.

One of the best parts of that game was after the final siren - camera switches to coaches box and Roosy, with phone still held to his ear, let's out the ever so subtlest of little smirks/grins for a split second. I love it!

One of the arguments that keeps getting thrown up is clubs traded players after the investigation/infractions were issued (besides Monfries) so they took a risk knowing there was the possibility of suspension. Ok, that being the case the same rules should apply to the Bombers. Any players they signed to new contracts post the investigation/infractions being issued should be subject to the same criteria, ie Essendon signed them to new contracts knowing there was a risk of suspension.

Exactly what I was going to say. The governance of the AFL is a joke, if it were a normal business they would've gone under long ago. They're just lucky they have a commodity people have an unflinching loyalty to or they'd be in trouble.

He wasn't "made" to move interstate - he elected to enter a draft knowing it was more likely than not he would be draft by one of the 16 clubs not in WA. If he wanted to stay home he should've not entered the draft or figured out something else to do with his life. He signed a contract extension before he had shown anything on the field. So he wanted the security of the contract with GWS before any interest was shown from anyone else but after a half decent season has some other offers coming and doesn't want to live up to his end of the contract. Stuff him, where is the responsibility on the players these days? If there was no offer from Freo what would he have done? Continued playing at GWS? Or go home forsaking his footy career?

The draft is one of the cornerstones of the league along with the salary cap. When you sign up to play you know that's what you're getting in for. Don't like? Don't play. Comparing it to slavery where people were kidnapped, taken across the other side of the world in appalling conditions and forced to work for no pay under penalty of brutality or death is complete hyperbole.

There you go, my memory fails me!

Cotchin has more talent than Jones but Jones has more heart. I'd take Jones. Cotchin also misses far too many goals especially in crucial situations.

Interesting though that Brayshaw started as sub against Gold Coast in round 1 - Oliver won't have that luxury. I hated the sub rule but it did give rookies a chance to become accustomed to the pace of senior footy without having to run out a full game.

You also have to look at the environment/make up of the team they are coming into. Recruiting Parish into our 2009 team would have been a failure because he would have been thrown to the wolves and expected to shoulder the load without any protection from more senior/bigger bodied players. We now have that core of bigger bodied mids that would've protected him though (Jones, Vandenberg, Viney, Vince, Brayshaw, Petracca) making it an easier transition for him.

It will be interesting, hopefully we come out on the right side as I think the "veil of negativity" would be in full force if we had another draft bust. Simply looking at "types" I think we made the right choice as the skinnier kids find it harder to transition - however we went with this "type" back in the 2003 draft and ended up with Sylvia & McLean. That draft was pretty shallow anyway and Oliver seems to have a far better head on him but I think it shows that unless there is a standout sure thing it is hard to anticipate how well a kid will transition to professional footy.