rjay

No matter how it gets spun, this is the benchmark for AFL as a spectator sport. I'm happy for the girls to be playing and for them to get this opportunity but I'm not particularly interested in watching apart from going to see my nieces play from time to time. Not sure how it will draw over the long term but lets wait and see.

From a purely selfish point of view we can't afford our player to strike. We are a young developing team and need as much footy as we can get and we need it with our senior leaders on the park standing up showing the way. Let Pendles and the old timers from other clubs take their eye's of the ball and carry the can on this...

Yes it should have been the Dogs and us. ...but I think they've gone early. The standard in nowhere near good enough to base a national competition on yet. Will be interesting to watch the TV and game day numbers over the next few weeks. My bet is they will drop off after the hype settles and reality steps in. I know there will be many with rose coloureds but the footy was very average.

...or free Fox Footy.

He's the key to our winning contested ball...and missed badly when he's not there. Viney and Jones in particular rely a lot on Dom's strength around the ball to get things moving.

Maybe you should use AFL resources rather than wiki for your facts.... http://www.afl.com.au/afl-hq/the-afl-explained/rule-changes-18582013

The centre bounce rule was changed in 2005, White was All Australian in 2004.

Have met Sheeds a number of times too 'Ron' and he is good for a chat and good for the game...a likeable larrikin. ...but I don't think he would know much about the relative merits of either player given as I posted recently he was going to sign an autograph for Phil Davis not knowing who he was, the co captain. Also McCartney was quoted recently as saying Tyson will be an absolute gun... Hey, we could end up with the 3 of them. Kelly certainly fills a gap in our list.

Kelly would be a better fit...

Salem, Hunt....put the band back together with Kelly. Why not?

It's only a matter of time... One man running clean & winning against the rest...call me cynical but I've heard this story before.

No Yes

'daz', not answering for 'Vogon' but on having seen one training session I thought Trenners looked good, really good. I wouldn't make a call just on training and also just on his pace. I think the biggest thing that held him back was his lack of power in the contest post injury. He was a strong tackler and good in close and he lost all that. ...in the end I don't think we will really know how he stacks up until the games start this year. As you know training is training, games are a whole different thing.

I agree with you 'willmoy'...I love that he's back fit & well but surely he doesn't need the weight of the captaincy at this time of his life. It's going to be enough to survive the battle for a start and to play is a bonus. The captaincy, whilst it carries an emotional edge for him and his teammates may be asking a bit too much.

Great to hear Roughie is up and running, good choice of Captain by the Hawks....a real good news story and boy does the AFL need one. Who are the others you are talking about?????

I would be... Jones is the Captain, Lewis is a natural leader around the club with no reason to give him a title.

I would add Carlton and the Tiges to those 2 and put Collingwood in the extremely doubtful with Freo. Not convinced with EFC either but we will see...

Carlise is a defender...Bruce a handy 'B' grader and McCartin yet unproven... Nick is still the man, with him gone or on the wane the pressure goes on the others. A Nickless forward line is hardly far more advanced than ours. I don't think they are bad I just think we are better positioned to make a good run at it.

Agree, it seems he has been very poorly advised... ...then again it could be that he would only listen to what he wanted to hear and wouldn't pay any regard to anyone with a differing view. Maybe he surrounded himself with sycophants.

One of Hird's many mistakes...

Scapegoat is probably the wrong word, and don't get me wrong he should have been held accountable. ...but in this case the AFL were aware of the problem very early on and should have stopped it. To cover their own ineptness they wanted to make Hird the fall guy then move on. Unfortunately for all parties including himself he wouldn't take the fall. As you say the AFL is like other sporting bodies and can't be trusted to run a clean sport. I'm as sure as I can be that flags have been won by drug cheats... As for the Hitler analogy, nice story but not quite so sure it applies here.

He did wrong no doubt about it. He was the man in charge who either implemented the program or was ignorant of it, he had to fall on his sword. He wouldn't accept being the scapegoat although I have no doubt the AFL where setting him up to be it. They had a couple of things on their agenda here. One too them being there own culpability in the whole affair. They knew it was going on and did nothing to stop it apart from a quiet word. If Hird had have gone along with it the whole saga would have ended years ago and he would probably still be coaching EFC. So yes he was at fault as was the AFL, they wanted him to lie down and he wouldn't. I also think the AFLPA have gotten away lightly here.

Robson is another. Whether it was honourable or just cutting their losses it was a smart thing to move on and away from the mess. I think the AFL did want Hird's scalp as some kind of symbolic gesture but whichever way you look at it he had to carry at a minimum some responsibility. The buck always stops with the coach like it or not. I think Hird was very badly advised or chose not to listen to advice all through this time. This probably gives a clue as to why he brought in Robinson & Dank...I wouldn't be giving Hird a job in executive recruitment that's for sure. I also believe the AFL & AFLPA have played a deceptive game in this whole saga...the AFL knew about the program and as they run the game should have stepped in and stopped it. They can order a club to wear clash jumper but they can't stop a supplements program that looked decidedly dodgy. Head in the sand. They've managed to sneak away from the whole thing without anyone losing their job at AFL house...although AD did sneak off to greener pastures with a nice payout.

I find it unusual that he hasn't yet made the trip to Melbourne to see James.... There may be a good reason but out of anything he had to say this is the only thing that stuck with me.

Well deserved...