bing181

Something you've heard, or something you're proposing?

Given what we've experienced across this season (especially the latter part), I'd be making "competitive" the first requirement. No point being fast, skilful and blessed with a footy IQ if you only use it every other week, or 3 out of 4 quarters.

It's the draft ... comes with the job, and it's the same for all clubs.

Would be an improvement on our current fifth or sixth midfielder. Once again, I trust Goodwin and McCartney (and others at the club) on players they've worked with.

This is very very different. WADA didn't take anyone to CAS for starters. I'll be very surprised if there are no penalties, but with the 6 months already served (provisional suspension), and a reduction for no significant fault, it could come down to 12 months or so to serve = 1 season (or even less, though hard to see how given the rules in place). Presumably that's being (or has been) weighed up.

Given some that were on our list this season, not sure that that would be any different.

Speculation.

Or Essendon.

Monday October 12, 10am - NAB AFL Trade Period begins

Will be interesting to see if someone gives Fitzy a second crack. 1-2 year contract on minimum payments mightn't hurt, for a tall he's still comparatively young. Either that or he finds a home in the SANFL.

Well, we all get feelings in our stomach from time to time, but they're usually related to food (or a lack thereof), rather than coaching appointments. Still, if it works for you ...

Perhaps wait for actual trades to go through?

McCartney and Goodwin both coached him at Essendon.

There is no provision in the rules for that. Guilty = banned. The only question would be how long.

That's what has been reported, but whether that's the case or not, we don't know. And never will. I'd be worried about the WADA situation more than anything else. Not going to end well I suspect, and then what?

You would think so.

Drums beating fairly loudly on this one. http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-trade-period-2015-jake-melksham-to-be-either-at-essendon-or-melbourne-in-2016-20150912-gjl0ka.html

Perhaps. But we could also do a lot worse, and given where we are ...

No, of course he wasn't that bad. In fact, I'd say it was his best game for the year. But this is Demonland.

The Theory of Everything, the film based on Stephen Hawking's life/relationships is worth a look. Remarkable acting from the two main characters playing Hawking and his first wife, Jane Wilde, mutterings of Oscar nominations etc. etc.

Ahem, having lived in Belgium for a number of years, it's both. Almost. The official name of the town is Brugge: it's in Flanders, and "brugge" is the Flemish (i.e. Dutch) word for "bridge". Bruges is the French version of the name, and the one that is used internationally - at least for the moment. Which reflects the history of administration in Belgium, which was French-speaking until the Flemish had had enough around the time of WWII. The local first division football team there (not too shabby either), is Club Brugge. FWIW, the same situation applies to a number of Belgian towns/cities. Perhaps some here might have heard of the WW1 memorial in Ypres ... though if you go there, the only signs you'll find use the official, Flemish name, Ieper. Similar towns that might ring a bell are Leuven/Louvain, Liege/Luik, and some which get rather odd: Mons/Bergen. Think of it as a bit like Ayers Rock/Uluru, or even Mumbai/Calcutta - complete with all the political subtext and baggage that that implies.

It'll take more than one pre-season.

He forgot the 3 in front of that.

None of us know the exact situation, I wouldn't be too quick to judge. These are professional footballers, with a short career that could be ended every time they step onto the field. I don't begrudge them their right to maximise their income. In any case, not sure what more Beams could have done to get to Brisbane? But now the cat's out of the bag, hard to see him going back either - though Dustin Martin tried his hardest to leave Richmond and had to eventually back down. On that note, will be interesting to see who calls whose bluff re Griffin/dogs.

Well, if I may, we don't actually know. His grandfather died, and along with a few other players at the club, he'd been sick with some gastro thing. Quite how much the two affected him, only those on the inside would know.