djr

I watched him here in Alice Springs live and he is heads and shoulders above anybody else on our list. He is a serious talent and no doubt Peter Jackson will try and sign him on a Tom Boyd type deal sometime next year. He is that good that he could play midfield and do some real damage.

There are 2 things that I would like to know. 1. Will the CAS hearing be an open court where we will for the first time hear all the evidence? 2. Can witnesses be subpoenaed this time?

It appears from a report on Channel 7 news that Mitch's battle with depression has flared up again after Friday night's match. He was in tears after the game and was unable to participate in the team song and was consoled by Chris Scott in another room. Apparently there was no abuse given by any Collingwood players or supporters. The report said that he will be taking further time off and Geelong will obviously support him through this period. It is so sad to see an absolute gifted player go through what he has. It must be shocking to have this mental disorder and I really do wish him the best of luck and hopefully be able to play AFL football again. I do enjoy watching him even in Geelong colours.

What injury did Salem received?

Interesting stat, Fyfe has had 18 possessions for negative 29 metres gained. Is he really hurting us? Unable to watch.

I think you need to lie down

just wondering how safe our future coach is.

You might be right but the Essendon elation will be short lived and even if it takes another 12 mths and the Essendon list get turned over even more, at the end of the day WADA will succeed in suspending players and more importantly will go after the club. Who knows how that will end up.

I think learned people are now thinking that the worst case scenario for Essendon is for the tribunal to hand down a not guilty verdict for the players.

Unlike you I am not convinced that they will be penalised. Thankfully WADA is there to take over. In the meantime if the players get off we will have to put up with all the media crap of how badly that they have been hard done by.

Unlike you I am not convinced that they will be penalised. Thankfully WADA is there to take over. In the meantime if the players get off we will have to put up with all the media crap of how badly that they have been hard done by.

No it wasn't the rumour file. he said it talking to Jon Anderson.

Just heard on 3aw breakfast that Ross Stevenson has heard from legal sources that the verdict will be that the players have no case to answer which Ross believes is the worst case senario for Essendon as WADA will then takeover.

This would have to be the most boorish training thread yet. Why don't you guys just shut up and grow up. The sniping has been done to death.

I understand what you say about Dawes' workrate but I think we now have genuine alternative offensive options that can make a difference on the scoreboard. Jamar and Pedo have solid one-grab hands and their defensive skills are good enough to keep Dawes out at the moment. That all said, I agree that Gawn is the dark horse and has an X factor about him.

I have been to a number of training sessions this pre-season and was there yesterday and here is a few of my observations: I will be very surprised to see Brayshaw line up in the seniors before at least mid year. Certainly not in the midfield. As a rookie he needs to learn how to play the midfield role and learn off the likes of Nat Jones and Tyson. He appears a little lost in the match sims and his disposal needs more work. This is all to be expected. 6 mths at Casey, injury free, will do him the world of good. Aaron Vandenberg seems the most likely to be elevated from the rookie list. That said, from what I saw yesterday, he trained well up until the match sim where I think he ran out of condition and Jordie easliy picked him off. He is a huge specimen and if he can improve his fitness he could make it and surprise. I loved it again yesterday when Christian Salem did another short pin point arrow kick to a team mate a la Port Adelaide game at Alice last year when he passed to Bail for a goal. As you don't see it very often to that level of skill except if you are watching Hawthorn you appreciate how good Salem is and will be. I agree with Saty re Viney. I don't think he has had a huge pre-season. Yes we have seen his defensive skills on display but I was looking forward to see more of his offensive / creative skills develop. The big positive is that he has kept himself injury free. Boy its striking to see the difference in skill between Dawes and Hogan. Jamar and Pederson are far better marks than Dawes and I would not be rushing the former Magpie into the side for Round 2. Speaking of Pederson, he also has had a big pre-season and has lost a fair bit of weight. He is still underestimated even with his breakout year last year. Have been very impressed with Mat Jones this pre-season. His increased speed and ability to run and run makes him a certain starter in Round 1 IMO. I think we have made real progress this pre-season and the list looks quite healthy especially the big men. I am quietly confident that we will be competitive and more attractive to watch and even surprise on one or two occasions. How many wins that translates to, we will see but if the list remains injury free then 6-7 wins would be a good result .

What a ridiculous thread

If he gives up the smokes

I think you need to lie down.

I've been there many times and it is windswept. Players always got lost on the outer wing. Its very, very wide and not overly long. Its has a huge camber like Casey. Not that intimate / pleasant for watching football. For this to go ahead, I would assume that the ground will be re-surfaced and state-of-the-art drainage installed. Its definitely not to Gosch's Paddock / AFL standard. A lot of money will need to be spent on facilitates.

I thought you meant McDonald. My apologies.

Why do you think Bailey had nothing to do with his departure? Where did you get that from? Apologies re Green but the point is still valid.

That's what Bailey thought when he dumped James McDonald and Brad Green.

You contradict yourself twice. I would expect the whole group to be doing this level of training over the Christmas break but would not have expected the new draftees to be involved to that extent. As for not being robots.......that's exactly what professional footballers are. They are told what to do and they do it.

As much as I admire Angus' dedication and commitment in running 100 100's I'm not sure why he is singled out as being someone special when I would expect the whole list not in rehab to be putting in the same work. What I am impressed with now is that it appears that we have players that are far more focused on being the best that they can possibly be. This is a big change from the Bailey years. I give a small thanks to Mark Neeld in starting to change that mind shift.