nutbean

No joy here - just saddened that the sport I love is now "officially" tarnished with drug abuse. ( not just Essendon)

When has this ever been about guilt or innocence - cheating or not cheating ?Like all justice now - it is only about what can and can't be proven - nothing more nothing less.

I understand the consequences of not telling the truth under oath. Again - if you believe that raising the hand and swearing to tell the truth is going to actually get the truth...well...hmmm....

I hope so. As I said before, I have some sympathy for the players but understand why they need to be whacked, but I feel that officials/coaches/management at Essendon got off way too lightly. Rubbed out of the game for life as a minimum for me.

I haven't followed this as closely as others - but the abuse of power by those in charge of Essendon is staggering. They haven't nailed them yet and I am not as convinced as others that they will be nailed. To me this is not about guilt or innocence because with the plethora of information we have a reasonable person could only reach one conclusion. However, those with knowledge that could make this process simple and clear haven't rolled over yet and I don't expect them to do so anytime soon.

I do need to ask - since when did questioning under oath produce the truth ?

The conventional positional names of yesteryear just don't exist these days. We have key position players. - usually 3 tall forwards and 3 tall defenders to play on the opposition 3 tall forwards ! We have small/crumbing forwards We have a lock down defender on the small forward We have a ruckman We then have this huge bucket of running players that occupy wings, flanks and midfield. One or two them may be hard taggers or run with players. The harder bodied players occupy the midfield from day one - but we have even seen the small forward Gartlett with runs in the midfield. The examples of Toumpas and Salem as flankers doesn't sit with me. They are just two more in the running player bucket. I think Salem is a good case in point - Under Roos - used sparingly in his first year - out of the heavy action. Second year he has a position as a HBF'er - probably to really teach him his defensive side - I believe either next year or the year after he will sitting right in the middle of the ground as a mid for the opening bounce. To define a player at recruiting time as a "flanker" is just not accurate - that is how many have turned out ( many have turned to be really good playing centre half bench and left right out)

Tim.. Dave Graney is playing memo in August - doing The night of the wolverine beginning to end....

Besides talent and how much defensive pressure the opposition put on you, it is a huge confidence and trust trait that must not only be instilled but retained to "back yourself". You can see how fragile it can be - We have backed ourselves occasionally this season - the longest sustained period was against Richmond in the second half - GWS looks awesome when they back themselves and did this against Hawthorn but it went missing the week before. The very team you mentioned - Port Adelaide - did not back themselves on the weekend.

Big fan of T-Mac - and he has matured but I think his best football is still seeing the ball coming at him. There has been a knock on some of his decisions (and kicking ) at times. I am not sure he has the skill set to be a mid. I agree that his attitude is and always has been 1st rate.

That's what I don't get...lots of if if if's. If they hadn't slacked off they would have killed us by 100 points. If they had kicked straight they would have killed us by 100 points. If they hadn't this and hadn't that.... If my sister had balls she' be my brother... Irrespective of the reason - we stemmed the bleed in the 3rd and came back in the last. All the rest is if and conjecture.

no - the players are slow and indirect.

That's also because the short answer is he has more talent.

Ill wager a tattslotto ticket that Grimes gets another game before seasons end. To me it sends a clear message that they are not good enough to be in the team at this point of time. If that continues until the end of the season then they will be looked at for next year. Every player knows that they are only good as their last game( some players have more credits in the bank than others). Coaches thankfully don't think in terms of "your time is winding up" ( the exception being when you are rebuilding with youth - veterans sometimes get told that they wont get picked) - they think in terms of not getting a game unless your form warrants it. Why would you even need to send a message that you won't be here next year. Players know it. McKenzie was not dropped because he wont be at the club next year - he was dropped because his form wasn't good enough. Posters on here may want players axed now and cards stamped never to play again. Coaches don't think that way (again unless you are serial offender like Sylvia). And coaches don't need to. So again - WYL statement that the cull has begun is just not correct.

you missed my point... I have no doubt that there will be another significant purge/cull at seasons end. I have no doubt that Roos has players earmarked that need to show him something or they will be gone but I don't think anyone has their ticket marked at round 5. The Nev Jetta example is why you don't mark someone as gone in round 5. he got his rookie lifeline based on the last couple of games of the season. Everyone is on notice all the time - but no one needs to be gone until seasons end - what if Spencer has a turnaround for the balance of season ? And before you poo poo that notion - again - Nev jetta - how many had him gone ? So in response to your statement - the cull has begun....no it hasnt nor does it need to until seasons end.

So the below article - just a load of nonsense ? http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2014/feb/12/global-warming-fake-pause-hiatus-climate-change still didn't answer my question and ill slightly change it- are you 100% sure that climate change is a crock and if not do you think we as planet can afford the consequences ?

No. it hasn't. The cull will begin and end at the completion of the season. By your logic, commencing the cull now would mean the Nev Jetta would no longer be on our list. I am agree that many are playing this season for their careers but that is no different to any other season. I agree that Roos has in mind some that probably won't be in his plans for next season but he also knows that those very players have the opportunity until the end of season to turn it around and be on the list next year.

On Jamar and Spencer. Spencer is now 25 - he has played 29 senior games - it's now or never (as in this season). For me Jamar offers zero outside ruck contests. Spencer has been good at VFL level - all you can do is promote and hope he can bring the same form into the AFL. So far he hasn't but that shouldn't stop you promoting him. The most disappointing for me is Gawn - he has shown he has the most tools of all our ruckman but displays them with least consistency.

Do you think Roos works in isolation ? From all reports he is one of most collaborative coaches in the competition. You don't think this is discussed with coaching panel and at selection - it is just an Abbott "captains pick" ?

Or they won't this week and will next week ? You are prone to the big statement....

means zero - Tyson is never named on the bench and nearly starts every game on the bench - he is first rotation onto the ground after 3-5 minutes. Where they line up or are named is fairly immaterial.

It's pretty simple - it is much easier to keep players when your club constantly wins and plays finals or at least the players can see a positive direction the club is taking. As much as I love my club, mid Neeld era I would have had some understanding for any player wanting to jump ship.

The Ox is an interesting example - he calls it as he sees it - but he wears his heart on his sleeve more than GL. He has said things that to me are not in the best interest of the club but it is patently clear how hurt/angry he gets when we perform poorly and how pumped he is when we do well. He keeps his passion in check, keeps his comment balanced even to the detriment of the club but I don't doubt for a moment what the MFC means to him.

me too....wait...what ?

I strongly believe that we are conditioned (dare I say led) by the media. If you compare the coverage the Bali Nine duo received compared to Nepal it was very lopsided - but then one was tragic natural disaster of massive proportions but devoid of intrigue - the other had twist and turns, corruption and also plays on some peoples base instincts of dislike of things "foreign". I remember the amount of coverage Schappelle Corby received. Whilst I was angered at the amount of jail time she received I did wonder that if she wasn't a "pretty female" what sort of attention the case would have received. There certainly was a sense of some jumping onto a sensationalised issue and I do agree that it would be nice to have the same passion being poured into issues that are not quite as high profile.