Jaded No More

Well he played last week didn't he? Or was that the week before? I'm losing track of all the injuries! They may have trained him during the week, and he came up. I wouldn't object to playing him out of the square alongside Greeny, which means he won't have to run around all day. As long as playing him doesn't further aggrevate the groin injury, I'd be thrilled to see him out there finally. Whatever happens, at least we have 3 exciting emergencies, and I wouldn't be upset to see either of them playing.

Indeed. All of his courage and hard-work to get back onto the field is really inspirational. Despite all the negative publicity footballers have been receiving lately, Rama is certainly a good role-model for not only aspiring footballers, but anyone who is going through adversity. Hopefully he makes it back into the Essendon side very soon and plays the rest of his career without any more health dramas. Looking forward to hearing about Weetra's game.

Ah, the Sylvia mystery continues. Maybe Moloney is expected to be a late withdrawal, which means Sylvia might possibly play?? Our backline looks horribly depleted yet again without Rivers. They'll kick over 100 point before three-quarter time, I can just see it now.

It would definitely bring a smile to my face seeing Byron and Carroll rough up the Carr sisters. They are both dirty players, and they both deserve to get some of their own medicine back. Having said that, beating Freo this week will be the best way to make not only the two Carrs, but the whole purple and white circus suffer.

I don't expect either Rivers or Moloney to line up on Sunday, and I'll be thankful to see TJ out there. But at least we've got some decent ins with Pickett and Dunn making their return. Hopefully we'll get to see Petterd debut as well!

I get it Dan, and it sounds like a good system. Some F/S picks, like say CJ, are not worth more than a 3rd round pick, but to think that Geelong got 2 Abletts, Scarlett and Hawkins for third round picks, is really just... well it's unfair.

I'd feel sorry for him if I thought he was innocent, but I don't... and clearly neither does the AFL because they let Headland off. It's all very confusing

Anybody else not surprised that both players play in the West? It seems Freo, and especially West Coast, have the AFL over a barrel. They can do as they please and the AFL just stands and watches.

No idea why this happens, and in fact it is way above my computer knowledge. Maybe you should ask our resident nerd and computer genius Nasher.

I love it, Graz!

I think that despite the heated debate, we've remained fairly sensible here on Demonland, which is a credit to everyone who posts here.

Well I'm a moderator and I sometimes get logged out while posting and reading... so there you have it, we're all suffering here! The way to solve this, is when you log in, make sure that the box 'remember me' is ticked. This way you will remain logged on (you can still log off whenever you want by clicking the 'log off' button at the top of the screen).

Yep, just like there is no drug problem in the AFL So if one of our players hits say one or both of the Carrs this weekend, can we plead 'exceptional and compelling circumstances' on grounds of them being complete tools and therefore deserving of a good beating?

The AFL is run by a bunch of scared little men. Instead of tackling this issue head on, they swept it under the rug by clearing both parties and wiping their hands clean without a guilty conscience. They've done the same with drugs, player depression, they've even managed to stuff up 150 year old rules. If they can't get a simple 'hands in the back' rule correct, what hope have they got of dealing with bigger, more concerning issues? But here's the stupidest part, by trying to get rid of this issue, they've opened up an even bigger can of worms. How long before a player pleads not guilty on the count of his victim's offensive sledging? What an absolute joke!

Once again the AFL gets it wrong, so totally and completely wrong. They clear Selwood due to lack of evidence, then they clear Headland for decking him, which is a clear indication Selwood did indeed make the comments. How can they not suspend Headland, when he clearly hit the guy, and how many players are now going to use the excuse of "oh, but he offended me, I had every right to punch him" to try and get off a charge? And if Selwood's comments justify Headland's reaction, don't they also justify some sort of punishment for Selwood? What the hell are they hoping to achieve with these decisions? Swiping the issues under the rug yet again, hoping to not upset either camp and make this whole thing disappear. How typical of Demetrious' administration!

Ummm... never? But I'm not going to cry if he gets suspend, that's all. Also, he looks like he'd throw a good punch.

I agree, and I understand your point, however... With no Farmer and no Medhurst, who do you think Bell should play on? He could always play a more sweeping role, taking over in the absence of Rivers. Alternatively, he could be put in the middle and throw his weight around. Put it this way, with such a depleted midfield, our backline is going to come under serious fire this weekend. But if we could somehow minimise the midfield damage, it will make the job of our defenders a lot easier. I'd be keen to see Belly tried in the midfield this week. Maybe not all game, but definitely for periods throughout. Occo, Daniel Bell is top 3 in our B&F at this point in time. The way he's going compared to the rest of the side, he could very well win the damn thing.

Oh great, just great. If anyone deserves to be suspended, it's that low-life snipper. Who the hell needs evidence when it comes to Josh Carr? Of course he hit someone, it's second nature to him! I guess with half our midfield out injured, and the other half filling holes up forward and down back, he can line up on Godfrey and Godfrey can hopefully whack him one back!

I guess I should have said, they pushed him too hard too soon. Playing 70% of game time is a big load for someone who spent virtually all of last year and this pre-season, nursing his groin. Why was he brought back onto the ground in the last quarter anyway? They shouldn't have let him move from the moment he felt a bit of pain. And you know what they say, when one door closes, another one opens... Roll on the kids! Edit: This is taken from that Wikipedia link: "Surgical intervention, such as wedge resection of the pubis symphysis, is sometimes attempted in severe cases, but its success rate is not high, and surgery may lead to later pelvic problems." I guess it is up to the individual whether they are willing to take the risk that comes with surgery.

Funny that. Good family friends of ours are Richmond supporters. Last weekend they took their 5 year old to her first ever match, all decked out in yellow and black. The following day, I asked her how she enjoyed her first match. Her answer: "It was good, but we lost". I didn't have the heart to tell the poor soul that she had better get used to it. It's absolutely criminal to force your children to barrack for Richmond if you ask me.

I don't know too many players in the system who have suffered from OP for 4 years, to the point where they couldn't get on the field. Luke Ball managed it, as have others. I remember Stephen Powell had it operated on, spent a year on the sidelines, and made a full recovery. If that's what it takes, then just do it. He cannot continue to survive in this game if he can't play more than 2 VFL matches in a row. It must be terribly frustrating for him, and I wouldn't blame him if it completely wore him down mentally as well as physically. We can give people new hearts, lungs and kidneys... surely there are medical solutions to this problem. Even if they are drastic, after 4 years it seems that we are well and truely ready to take drastic measures.

Jesus, that article is horrible. The fact that Petterd or Garlan MAY debut this weekend, doesn't really make up for the fact that Rivers, Moloney and Sylvia have all been ruled out, while TJ is no certainty either. What the hell is going on with the OP epidemic down at the club? Surely, after 4 years in the system, you would expect Sylvia to be fit and ready to play. As for Moloney, they clearly pushed him when he wasn't ready. Grrrr. Depressing!

As I said in the initial post, all of this is nothing but mere allegations, and we'll probably never know exactly what took place. Selwood will keep defending his position, and Headland will defend his. The issue for the AFL is now bigger than just this incident though. They will surely examine sledging, just as they have high-tackles, tripping, eye gouging and so on, to try and establish some sort of guidelines. People will say that sledging is in no way dangerous like high tackles may be, or eye gouging, and that's true in a physical sense, but who are we to judge what emotional pain comes from these incidents? Already we know of players suffering from depression. Who knows what your opponent is going through behind closed doors, or what highly personal and inappropriate sledges may do to their well-being. The AFL has an obligation to keep its players safe and healthy, and this is part of it. Any workplace with decent OH&S laws has rules in place in regards to bullying and verbal taunting. I'm not saying we should completely eliminate talk out on the field. We don't want to sterilize the game to the point where it's boring and lifeless, but some things are not fair game and there is a point where 'white line fever' becomes a poor excuse for stupid and hurtful behaviour. BTW, claiming that anyone on has commented on this issue supports child abuse or pedophilia is completely ridiculous and unjustified. Nobody has come out and condoned child molestation and if they did, they wouldn't post here anymore.

It is pretty ironic that Melbourne fans come on a Melbourne site to complain about being Melbourne supporters. Football has its ups and downs, but it's not a must and nobody is forcing you to stick around. Being a Melbourne supporter is a tough job, but I firmly believe that we're all stronger people for it

Nope, but it [censored] me off, and we all know you don't want to mess with me! <_< I hope I deleted it before anyone got a chance to see it, especially the poster in question. And another thing, I started this thread hoping to get some mature discussion going on, given everything that has been happening at our club lately. If people can't discuss or argue their point in a mature way, and feel the need to abuse one another (and this goes to everyone, not just you SS), I will lock the thread... which will be a shame because this is actually the first non 'Melbourne is crap' thread we've had on this site since Round 1.