John Crow Batty

Too late. They already got my money on auto renewal 3 days ago. I was able to watch the women's game on a full size screen last week. There is a big stink going on at Big Footy about it.

The new AFL live pass for 2017 is now officially an effing joke and massive ripoff. Where last season one could watch a match on a full size IPad screen, the AFL and Telstra in their money grubbing wisdom now limit live games to a puny 7 inch screen on tablet devices. Replays can be watched on a full screen size after 12 hours delay. Subscribers to their horror only found this out tonight while watching the Magpies/Bombers game. Telstra and the AFL did not warn subscribers this was going to happen apparently due to the new broadcast deal. Was slyly added in the fine print under terms and conditions. All we got was good news in the past few weeks about great new features that were coming with the new app. What a disgrace.

I remember the stark contrast between the Northey/ Balme sides. One tough hard working, the other flashy Swiss cheese. Pagan then might have been the right man for the job and OX may not have gotten his injury and we may have gotten a couple of flags.

More likely due to the lack of a real form guide pundits went with known personalities like Cowan and Pearce as well as home ground advantage. Just like the dumb asses who vote for politicians because they are media celebrities.

Tuned in when scores were level at 25 points each. So I only witnessed total dominance. Looks like the girls found the line in the sand at half time. Any one notice Eddy's very red face in the crowd? Either a bad case of sunburn or choking in his own hubris.

I remember games at places like the Western Oval or Glenferrie where games in wet or windy weather were played on one side of the ground for the entire game. The only time the ball got near the middle was during centre bounces at start of quarters or after goals. Worst games ever to watch especially if stuck on the other side of the ground. 10 interchanges a quarter is fine by me. That will clear congestion and allow only meaningful rest for players that really need it. Just too bad if a player get injured and there are no interchanges left. Teams deserve to play short for being profligate.

It will still be fairytales for us if we demonstrate the same work ethic consistency as last season.

Typical Melbourne effort when overwhelming favourite.

I was fascinated by the first two games I watched on TV. The enthusiasm and desire was impressive though skill levels were quite ordinary and impacted on efficient ball movement and consequently scoring ability. Not as good as the Melbourne/Bulldogs games of last season. I guess this was expected with the dilution of available talent and new inexperienced teams. Still I think with time I women league will be a great success. As with many I am disapointed that the AFL went with the populist $$$'s first road by giving the marque clubs the opening game. An insult to the two clubs who were forefront in making all this happen. And to add further insult we get to play our debut game at the Sunday graveyard shift in the sticks with no FTA TV. Our game should have been played at the MCG or Etihad.

I hope that bail justice who gave him bail last week against police recommendations has trouble sleeping. Where do they get these idiots from? Friends of criminals they appear to be.

If any bullying occurred it was from Team Hird. He was threatening to sue left right and centre aside from the legal challenges he undertook. There were vicious attacks from his wife and media supporters and timed leaks to embarrass ASADA, the AFL and others. He also made vicious attacks against Demetriou who rightly or wrongly may have been trying to help Essendon from the beginning. And he admitted he took enducements throughout the whole process. Some would say this is akin to a form of blackmail. If I was on the other side of Team Hird during this ugly saga I would have been very nervous and intimidated by all his attacks. Remember the vicious attacks on ASADA chief then Ms Andruska.

Jobe lamenting the loss of his medal for going down to St James Infirmary for his jabs.

I am sure the medals notoriety will give it a considerable monetary value after it is found inside one of Jobe's old boots when he is about 65. A handy addition to his super. Might even be worth more than a legit one.

Not really. Rule applies to everything where power, money, ego and influence is at stake.

A quote from the Goebbels's diaries. Applicable to Hird and his apologists or even the AFL. Only needs minor editing. “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Liam Pickering gets involved. http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/former-afl-player-lashes-out-at-james-hirds-treatment/news-story/a632b43a64fcd8e7f9537bbe64133f49

Though the AFL must share some of the blame for their policing of the drug culture they are no different to every other sporting organisation. Money talks and conflict of interest is everywhere aside from the difficult practical task of effective policing of drugs in sport. Sporting bodies can never be trusted to do the right thing and the AFL is no different. It is a difficult almost insurmountable problem with the cheats having the tactical advantage and always one jump ahead of the authorities who may be complicit or not. I am quite confident similar undetected outrages have occured at other clubs but at least now a reluctant line in the sand has been drawn thanks to the dogged work of ASADA. But calling Hird a scapegoat is like calling Hitler a scapegoat for the excesses of the Third Reich.

I don't think injecting players with saline or vitamins makes them overnight muscle bound running robots nor causes the plague of soft tissue injuries many later suffered.

Worth revisiting this video too.

How about Bomber? The three of them were also together at Geelong where witchcraft may have happened.

By all the reports it appears the AFL warned Hird personally and not the club itself. They knew who was calling the shots out at Windy Hill.

How can you believe he is the scapegoat when just about everyone else in positions of responsibility at Essendon were sacked or resigned swiftly? It took untill the bitter end and millions of dollars in his pocket to get Hird out of the club. It was he who was in communications the most with Dank. He was the chief architect of the whole project. The perception that some hold that he is a scapegoat is a sign that the Team Hird propaganda narrative has worked to some extent. He may be unlucky in that he got caught out while others at recently successful clubs may have got away scott free with their own programs.

Well the Herald Sun was Hird's biggest media supporter along with Fox throughout the saga and still are. Make of that what you will. I got the impression the request for privacy had more to do with the media horde camped outside the Hird home.

After Tania's request for family privacy most people and including the media were ready to respect the family wishes but it appears Hird apologists have taken the opportunity to retake the high moral ground. Tania who was once head cheerleader has been quiet for over a year. It appears she wants nothing more of the media circus. HIrd's lawyer and Nathan Buckley's comments were not necessary and inflamitory and according to 3AW it was Hird senior who called them to vent.

Despite the call for privacy Mr Hird senior could not resist rehashing all the old gripes. Is that helping his son? The media have now joined ASADA and the AFL as bad guys relentlessly pursuing the Hird's. Once upon a time the Hird's always courted publicity when it suited them. The Hird mansion is perhaps the most photographed and filmed footballers house ever even before the doping saga. James Hird was never shy in keeping his wife and kids out of the limelight. The public image of the Hird family was that of perfection. I cannot ever recal seeing any other footballers home in the media and not often do other footballers parade their families in front of the media with such regularity. In the days when it was self serving for him, doorstop interviews happened frequently and the more journalists hanging around the better. During the eye of the storm of the doping saga there were frequent most likely planned door stop interviews by Tania usually when picking up or dropping the kids at school time to give her regular shrill blasts against the AFL and ASADA. Sadly as with all megalomaniacs who think they are perfect and invincible, their strategy when fighting losing battles is to fight harder and keep upping the ante because they believe they can't lose and before they know it they have destroyed themselves and those close to them.