Outside fifty

Without doubt the finest sports writer in this country. Whilst so many of his colleagues seem determined to lower the bar, Flanagan refuses to join them.

Fifty-5 this has little to if anything to with the MFC.This is all about the integrity and transparency of the competition, or in this case a lack of. It amazes me that the AFL can't see the slippery slope that they are perched on.

Looks like there are no more leaks from the inner sanctum, that gotta be a good thing.

I'm stunned. There are fish in Moggs creek?

Thank god Harry is capable of a little more eloquence than yeah nah. I'm sick and tired of bland Footballers being sh scared of expressing an honest opinion about anything. I don't care if he's bat sh crazy. To be honest I don't even care if I disagree with his rantings. I love passionate people who want to change the world for the better. In a sanitised world we have become scared and weary of the passionate. I for one will welcome the Crazy Bastard. Shine on you crazy diamond.

I was one of the lucky ones. Many a time I watched that skinny kid dance in the long afternoon shadows of the members stand, He danced like a demon and mesmerised them all. He turned football into an art form and the "G" was his canvas and his alone. And all the while he looked as if he had no right too. But dance he did, a dance burn't into the memory of all that witnessed it. Vale Robbie

Watson is simply being a Father trying to look after his Sons interest. Sure it is breathtakingly hypocritical but understandable. What I find unacceptably galling is the complete lack of contrition from this corrupt organisation. Once I had some sympathy for the players, but my good will toward them has evaporated the longer this saga has dragged on. Now I find myself questioning the players integrity. How could they in all consciousness still standby such an unethical and grubby organisation, unless of course they too are devoid of a moral compass.

Actually I saw Jesse at the Bulldogs match with a very attractive young female companion in tow. Either that or she was stalking him, so hard to tell these days.

Not only is the ad outrageous but Melbourne Airport parking in general is the closest thing to legalised theft that I have ever seen. It makes printer cartridges and bottled water look like a sound investment.

Not sure on this. When USADA pursued Lance they were able to accommodate out of season bans for several riders who gave testimony and in doing so implicated themselves. It took many months of negotiation to orchestrate this, but in the end USADA got what they wanted. My gut feeling is that ASADA will take the same approach, particularly given that they are being advised by one the leading lights of the USADA investigation into Lance.

The one thing about the bombers supporters that does impress me is that they all sing from the same hymn book. Their denial is absolute. Unfortunately I'm surrounded by them at work and too a man they cannot or will not accept that they have done anything wrong. It's as if they are members of a cult and have taken a drink from the cool aide because St James told them to.

BB I would not consider her latest piece great journalism at all. She has taken a subjective stance of the Essendon doping saga from the start. In many ways she is not much better than Robbo. I will concede she is an infinitely better writer than Robbo, but then again so is my daughters hamster. Whilst I will admit to enjoying her more recent articles this is only because they don't refer to the MFC. I am more than aware how biased they are, it's just that I share the same bias, this however doesn't make it right. The truth is that the two major Newspapers in this town have both taken an opposing stance that is subjective in nature. That can never be considered good Journalism.

A wonderful summation Whispering, particularly the doomsday scenario. Little's bullying and intimidatory tactics won't influence ASADA and more importantly WADA one little bit.

Love reading Brett Allison player reviews. Interesting to see a couple of Demonlands favourite whipping boys in Nicholson & Mckenzie are addressing their shortcomings and doing well according to Allison. Hope the improvement continues.

Watson can plead all he likes for a quick outcome, but it will fall on deaf ears. ASADA don't work to a time frame. They will release the information when they are absolutely certain that they have crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's and every box has been ticked. The truth is they are just as much under he gun as Essendon in this situation and know they can't stuff this up. When they do issue any show cause notices they will be very strong.

For what it's worth I believe both the AFL and Essendon have read this situation incredibly poorly from the get go. They misjudged ASADA's patience for weakness and tried to bluff their way through, believing that the AFL and by association Essendon were beyond the reach of ASADA. By saying that I mean that they believed that the AFL as a commercial entity was large enough and powerful enough that a deal could be brokered. In the commercial world everything is negotiable and principal is something you pay off on a loan. To a law enforcement bureaucrat principle is everything. It is their reason for existence. I can imagine both Little and Vlad believing that they could negotiate an outcome and still probably do. McLachan may have a better understanding of the situation but I wouldn't be surprised if Essendon still believed their own rhetoric. Given the bad blood between the AFL and Essendon I wouldn't count on the two parties sharing too much information.

Which if true indicates that the writing has been on the wall for a long time. Given Essendon's monumental arrogance I can't muster have a shred of sympathy for them. Given the AFL has had enough time to formulate a plan then I gather that even these arrogant tossers have a contingency plan in place.

Well said PSD, the more we acknowledge his existence the more power and influence he has. Treat him with the disdain he deserves and ignore him.

Wishing Mitch all the best with his battle with the black dog. Take care, look after your self and thank you for some fantastic memories.

Neil Daniher brought a great deal of joy into my life over the years, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you Neil.

Being a modern man of science I scoff at such superstious mumbo jumbo. On the other hand being a Melbourne supporter come the full moon on the 31st I will chanting the house down. Not only that I will do it naked. I don't know if being starkers will help the cause much, but it can only add to the general ambience of the moment.

I would love to hear from Hogan and Salem.The problem as I see it, is that I would have to watch the footy show. Sorry lads.

So saddened by the news of Deans passing. To his family I offer my deepest sympathy. Today we have lost a man of the highest integrity. A man of great compassion, humour and intellect. Today we lost a good man. RIP Dean.

In all honesty Rupert wouldn't give a fat rats clacker. It's more a question of media organisation wanting to run the agenda, something that News Limited papers have perfected after years of practice. The HUN is simply following the formula. Early in the piece the paper decided to take a subjective approach to this story and chose to champion the Essendon cause. Yobbo may have or may not have had some influence in this decision . What is of concern is that this leaked information has existed for some time and is now only being released. As for Smith I doubt the Australian cares less what happens in the world of AFL.

Yes OD the Herald and Weekly times is a subsidiary of News Corp so we shouldn't be surprised I suppose.