monoccular

Great words, Mr Lennon. Sadly I doubt if D'land will ever be as one. I can envisage as Nathan Jones accepts the 2017 Premiership Cup on our behalf, some here will whine about the missed pass in the second quarter, or bemoan the fact the <player x> missed a tackle in the third, or the failure to convert the 95 point win over Hawthorn to over 100 due to a poor set shot in the dying minutes. Some will never ever be happy. Sad souls. You can guess who they are.

Agree with P man 12/18 playing finals is just too much reward for mediocrity

I doubt it - that is what got them into trouble in the first place I guess, as they are suspended, what club would take them. Sure, at the end of their suspensions..........

I thought that I had probably heard it all, but that is a new one for me. Very descriptive though.

He was pick 57 as I recall: not a huge risk but potentially a steal. Fot the first time he has an opportunity to show the club, himself, and both supporters and skeptics here what he is actually worth. Sounding like a cracked record (for our younger readers that means one of those flat discs which preceded tapes, CDs, iPods, clouds or whatever etc as music media, prone to cracking or scratching, causing repeats, repeats, repeats etc etc etc) but only time will tell. I feel that prejudging him as a flop, dud, spud, or on the other hand a gun, superstar is just a tad premature.

Maybe all that this says is that psychological profiling is an even less exact science / art /craft than is recruiting?

So, SWYL, you know exactly what investigations he had, and the results of these, and which specialists he saw and their opinions?? His injury is one that is notoriously difficult to diagnose, and many players suffer foot pain for a variety of reasons. I am glad that his injury was eventually diagnosed and treated and I, like the vast majority here, wish him well and sincerely hope he makes a full recovery and regains his pre-injury form We also know that is a big ask, and that were he not prepared to put in a hell of a lot of hard yakka he would have no hope: he has done that work so has some hope. Only time will tell. If he isn't up to it he will not play Pure and simple Are you suggesting otherwise? My thoughts exactly.

Powder!!! OMG!!!! Dank isn't anywhere nearby is he?

Mods - any chance of a major cull / edit and transferring a huge chunk of this derailed threat to a "Jones v Cotchin" new thread?

Sure.......but the TV deal is really important. Suspension of an entire club would hit revenue deeply, especially an "important club" Interesting that Peter Gordon, with all his legalese, hasn't mentioned this huge conflict of interest issue.

Well, I guess a few more qualified and informed insiders at the club view things quite differently ....... such are the joys of having a forum such as this. Only time will tell. I (and hopefully you) hope you turn out to be horribly wrong.

And isn't it great to have youngsters competing for places. ?

I guess most are or should be hoping for the day that Nathan doesn't get the best tagger because others do : then he may become white collar. But if I recall, this is a Clayton Oliver thread : one an hope, reasonably, that Clayton may become one of those who take the tag away from Nathan

I agree that there is far more than money involved Chris loves playing footy but can't - must be incredibly frustrating That said, with greater depth he will not be missed as much as a few years back. Good news for [Pedersen] Thanks for that report. Pretty happy overall.

I am sure that the AFL will work out some one off ad hoc arrangement that doesn't disadvantage EssUndone too much

Aren't Chemist's Warehouse a sponsor? LOL The great supporters of integrity, the AFL, of course had a contingency plan...their usual one....make up a rule on the run. Have the consent forms ever been seen in public? What did they actually say? Or were they all lost too (in St James; vault in a Swiss bank perhaps). OMG what an impossible conflict of interest. What an incestuous lot they are - no wonder there is no integrity.

Uncomfortable perhaps but, it appears, of no interest to ASADA WADA CAS.

Corrupt organisations rarely deal with common sense. Gil et al are actually destroying our game. They just don't get it.

His back seems to be coping with some serious weights, judging from the photograph. I too am looking forward to him. He sure has bulked up!

Chopstick restaurant in Prahran springs to mind.

Come on. Dream on. Melbourne, Port, Footscray and St.Kilda are nobodys in the eyes of those who are (ruining) running the game NB McLaughlin and Fitzpatrick. But EssUndone have to remain competitive !!!! Bastards.

And why shouldn't they be cannon fodder? The EFC should be made to suffer, badly, not be in effect compensated by the AFL Yet another glaring example of the lack, more like total absence of integrity at AFL HQ We all know that contracts, especially coaching contracts, mean absolutely nothing in footy But it is. That's the point. They have bent over backwards, and bent other effected teams over forward, to help bail out a club that was caught out deliberately cheating the system. What sort of message does that send? Now that does seem an almost fair compromise. Is that what happened in the NRL over some cheating incident? I guess, were it not one of the "elite clubs" then that may have occurred No doubt the good folk at AFL HQ will make up some favorable ruling on the run when the time approaches. How do Gil and Fitzpatrick look at themselves in the mirror? How do they sleep at night? I guess Pol Pot and Stalin managed somehow, so why not them?

LOL

Back on topic.......does anyone have any factual updates on his injury and progress?

No But oh, the irony: EFC have (i) signed Crowley, a convicted drug cheat to "top up" their convicted drug cheats. And (ii)John Worsfold, B Pharm.