binman

Very wise. As a betting man given our form in terms of terrible years i'd lay short odds on the possibility of having a worse year next year than one we're currently having

Que?

I think it would be more about the commercial benefits of having Roos. I suspect he would more attractive to potential sponsors and that we would sign up more members. An extra 5 - 10k members would almost pay the gap. We also might be confident of keeping and attracting players with Roos than the other two. Still $1.5 mill is pretty steep. Apart from the fact i'd win money if Roos is appointed i must say i starting to warm to the idea of Eade.

Yes all very good points. Again it is ridiculous for EFC or Hird to claim no infraction notices to players equals vindication.

Spot on Rhino. Well said. I'd add that beggars belief that Jobe Watson or the club could say they have been vindicated. Nothing could be further from the truth. The players haven't been cleared of using banned substances. ASADA seem to have said there is not sufficient evidence to prove an individual player has. Big difference. As i have said all along the legality of the drugs was a smoke screen. Essnendon have been running a campaign of players cleared equals no case to answer ( Good Times Grimes argument above is the same logic in a nutshell). The AFL could have charged the EFC for bringing game in disrepute on the basis of their own internal report, which as Rhino points out was absolutely damming (the public summary was damming enough, one can only wonder how more critical the full report was). If EFC had not embarked on their crazy supplement program the game would not have had 6 months of negative exposure. Simple. it is puerile to the extreme to blame the AFL.

I think you're being a little optimistic there Nasher. With the standard of MFC comms over the last few years (admittedly under Shwabb not PJ) i wouldn't believe the MFC website. I'll wait to i see a bloke in a Melbourne tracksuit taking pre season training!

I'm more and more confident that a) someone has hacked Jumbo's account and has taken over, perhaps Rangy who has been suspended as far as i'm aware or even Jose? or, b) he has snapped (understandably) due to too many years supporting a basket case of a club, i'm mad as hell and i'm not going to take any more or c) he is going off radar, black ops, off the grid, gone rogue, broke bad, is waging a misinformation campaign

To check on the latest Essendon drug news i occasionally look at Bomberblitz (its also good for a laugh - some many delusional people in one cyber spot). Just had a squiz and their server is down. Perhaps some news has leaked and out and all the bomberblitz fans jumping on the site to check it out have crashed it (joking btw, lest some techno nerd feels the need to point out how much traffic would be required to crash a site etc etc) Edit: just noticed a tweet by Robinson saying 'meeting at Windy Hill tonight. Armageddon looming' so perhaps my joke might have a grain of truth?

Probably just demon fans projecting their fears and anxieties DZ. Don't let the DL Greek chorus get to you. Wouldn't it be great if the MFC was in such good shape that Hoges was desperate to re - sign. Says good things about where GC are at that JM was prepared to. Oh to have hope!

I heard a terrific interview with the Johm Lord on SEN last night. He played in four premiership sides including a BOG in our last. He was saying that in his view there are three essential elements to a successful club (which the dees had in his time) - A great coach, a great committee and a great president. He said since 64 the dees have times where we've had one, maybe two of those elements but never 3. Mentioned Collingwood and Cats as two current clubs who have all 3. Simple stuff i suppose but he is spot on. I would add the need fro a great CEO in todays game. Roos will not sign if all the elements are not in place but i believe he may well if they are.

And somewhat symbolic of our last few years. Even when we are the worst side we can't manage to get the number one pick

It gives me chills to think of our trough. Double chills in fact. One lot of chills for the thought that that game represented our nadir. A greater chill to think that perhaps it didn't

We will win this game. Take it to he bank.

Let down your hair repugnant

I like the Toump. He has exactly what we need in terms of skills by hand and foot. All game plans in modern footy depend on players having the ability to hit targets. We are beyond woeful in this regard. My query on Toump is his fitness and his speed. I know he had hip problems and did not have a full preseason as a result but i was behind the goals on the weekend (city end) and there was one play in the forward pocket where the Toump had to chase a man. He was too slow to catch him (i forget who kicked it but he got a goal) and he was completely exhausted after it, despite it not being a huge chase.

My sense is that the lack of changes is more to do with Craig believing that sides need consistency than making a statement about the need for Casey players needing to earn their spot. In any year the sides that do best are the ones with the least changes. look at West Coast, a good side that due to injury has just not been able to settle. The dees have also suffered from injury this year but Neeld took a yo yo approach to selection which hurt the side. Instructive that Craig has kept Byrens in recent week and didn't drop the toump. Both would have been dropped by Neeld. Well played Craigy

Funny this thread should have been bumped. I was thinking during the last quarter that Hurley might have hit his ceiling and i wondered about the comparisons on demonland a couple of years back between him and watts. There was quite a few dl posters who laughed at the idea Watts was a better player and would end up going past Hurley ( i was not one of them). I like Hurley but as i thought 2 years back i reckon he has limited scope fro improvement. Great heart, good footy brain but one paced and poorish kicking skills. Watts has heaps more upside and we've yet to see his best. Good comparison to Neitz btw. Sorry to say but i reckon whilst being a great dees man he was only a notch or two above a good to average player.

Oh, i thought it was his son. Still i'd take that connection - man from unlce

As a young fella in the mid to late 70's i was much more interested in the SANFL than i am now and loved the redlegs (and port Melbourne in the VFA for that matter). There was a certain mystique then about the SANFL, prior to the the AFL being formed and taking the best young players. There were many players that made their name in Adelaide before coming to Melbourne as established players, some as stars of the game. Cornes and Egbert being two examples. My favorite player in the SANFL was Michael Aish but unfortunately he never came to the VFL. I was desperate for him to come to the dees and for years there was talk he might. What a dream that would have been - Flower on one wing and Aish on the other. I reckon he was Flower's equal. A beautiful mover, who oozed skill and class. Now we have a chance to get his son and i really hope this time we get our man.

I'm still confident we'll get Roos. He has not ruled himself out nor has the club (contrary to weird Hun articles and headlines). I would assume the club and roos both were keen to hose down the constant speculation and associated noise as it is distracting and unnecessary. Roos will wait 'till he knows what other jobs are on the table, what concessions the club might get and who the prez is before deciding. Why would he do otherwise? In the mean time play shtum and the media and public, both of which have the concentration span of a goldfish, leave him be.

Given the drug shouldn't that be the skinny on the essendon scanadal

jumbo has someone hacked your account? You are generally one of the more measured posters but you seem to have gone off on a tabloid, hyperbolic tangent.. The Geelong game a disaster? Hardly. 186 was a disaster. The game against Essendon this year was a disaster. Keep in mind that Freo could only manage 1 inside 50 in the 3rd quarter in dry conditions in their game down at the Cattery. Also keep in mind that contrary to popular belief wet weather accentuates the skill gap between good and poor sides. I thought we resisted them quite well actually. Saturday night not much better? We were competitive through the whole game and played with spirit in trying conditions. In the immortal words of the little fella from different strokes " whatch ya talking about Willis?" The reactive CEO sacked the coach because of a player revolt? Surely you jest. The coach sacked himself. A coach never survives repeated maulings of the sort we received, would have continue to receive if he had stayed and have not been on the end of since he was sacked. Bad hair day Jumbo?

I'm not getting this idea that Toumpas is soft. What absolute rot, particularly if the evidence is dropping his head when going for a mark in the second quarter in their forward 50 (the mark was intercepted and they goaled). I was at the game and right behind the goals. It was poor play by Toupas but he absolutely did not drop his head or squib the contest. His mistake was the ball was crossed to him and floated a bit and he didn't move towards the ball which allowed the cats player (who he should have sensed was there) to come in and mark. Not great play but not soft.

I haven't

And as i have noted previously leaving aside the issue of its use to enhance performance what were they doing giving a drug to their player that had not been approved for therapeutic use or adequately tested? By one account Hird approved the supplement program on the basis that any drug used was WADA approved and safe. How could he (or Dr Reid for that matter) be confident AOD was safe to give players? Because Dank, who is not a pharmacist or doctor said so? Pathetic. And whilst i fro one hope the players avoid suspension i do wonder whether any of them bothered to check how safe any of the drugs used were for them. Yes you might go on the clubs advice but are they sheep?