dpositive

Thats not such a bad reference Rusty. Would do no harm for our coach and players to look at this together. While times and the game have changed some things are continuous Tenacity, Confidence, Dynamic, Powerful, Pressure, Commitment, Hard Work Team wanted to win, Hearts and mind on the job Pride for self coach crowd Support teammates, happy worthy winners The joy and good feelings will last for 50 years or immortality Got to start somewhere.

Was blocked when in attack and in contests keep him deep and one on one. If he is taking on two then one of his teammates is free There are many ways to counter ineffectiveness. Didnt notice him being blocked when he was clearing and marking in defence

Actually thats not a bad idea How do these guys get along Pedo was a player at North who didnt meet expectation He plays with a tad more desperation now than when he was at North Perhaps having Pedo talk to Jack about how important teammates perceptions are might alter the jacks effectiveness. Perhaps they may think they are playing for the same spot and so will not want to share but there sure could be some benefits if they shared experiences. Jack might improve pedos skills

No offence taken but it is so much on message that is almost an assumption that not guilty means innocent. I thought you may have interpreted my mention of not guilty in that light. It is a distinction that has to be made repetitiously to anyone not just Essendon supporters. I guess it stems from our natural justice base of assumption of innocence.

I did not say they have been found innocent just that they have not been found guilty and like you I hope that is a temporary status I also said their protestations of innocence which I hope can also be found fallacious. With serious penalties really the only option to regain lost respect for Australian athletes.

I have said before ( understandable ridicule not required) that he could be a model of leaper Lynch (Roos teamate at Fitzroy)The game was certainly diferent then but Lynch had a limited number of tricks but developed into a reasonable forward after spending some time in the back half. Hogan seems to have a great motor and has good skills at every level so plays a very mobile role and could be at CHF with Leaper Howe told to stay within the forward 50 at all times. He does have reasonable skills as those wanting him to play in the mid field attest. Is he lazy perhaps so but let him know that he is to keep moving around the forward 20-30 metres to keep his opponent unsure of what direction he will be leading or coming from and so stop the interference he has suffered in the past. It probably wont matter which direction he goes as delivery will not be perfect and he will have to alter direction anyway. If his opponent is reading where our attack is coming from he should keep an eye on him and come in late. God he can outmark most players or at least make a contest as he has shown that on the backline. Like most of our players he needs to take the game on using his knowledge of teamates and his own skills. Stay at home in the 50, keep moving and hope that out of the congestion a ball will come in your general direction giving you time to seperate from your opponent or to contest late. It must be frustrating to have so few deliveries into the 50 and that is why Jesse and all forwards are sucked towards the contests at the centre. But Howe must stay deep forward.

Thats pretty strong MD. While I agree that Hird and Little have lost any respect they may have earned, this sad and sorry exercise where they pushed the boundaries, to undertake a pharmacological experiment on their players to gain an advantage, doing whatever it takes, which has exposed them with the lowest possible standing, they have not been found guilty. There is no evidence , they have not been found to have destroyed the evidence. They probably believed that they were merely doing what every other club in AFL was doing (and they may have been right). They have been supported in their delusion that the support of the AFL and a compliant media would make any transgression disappear. Their protestation of innocence give an appearance of lying, but they may definitely not know and have been convinced that they did nothing wrong. I pity them for their arrogant disdain and distorted representation of the search for truth and for their failure to acknowledge the significance of their program. I am sorry that they did not have enough honour to acknowledge their wrongs and accept the penalties. Without them and their actions however the revelations of lying and cheating and the ramifications of performance enhancing and other drug use would not have attained the notice it now has. Australian sports people including scientists, support staff, administrators etc will now ensure protocols and standards are enforced to ensure no drugs in sport. If Essendon were allowed to maintain the "there are no records and we did nothing wrong" approach it would indeed be a black day for sport.

Good stuff not so cranky franky

Well it may not make that much difference to EFC as the delaying tactic means that the players will have moved or been moved on. Jobe will still have his Brownlow as the local xenophobic press rail against the injustice of this foreign body ruling on our game. A far more meaningful result would be an imposition of rigid testing procedures which would no doubt cost the competition a lot of $. The international body has been made aware that our Aussie rules athletes and the competition is awash with funds and will be happy to participate in the redistribution to their cause.

Oh and I think we will probably be beaten but Ive picked us in the footy tipping and will be delighted if somehow we do perhaps if all the match ups work our new selection splay above themselves and the Hawks have a shocker.. GODEES

I think that Jack Watts is what he is. I cannot recall any player even a Brownlow Medalist who was best on the ground every week. Bobby Skilton played in pretty ordinary teams when he won his Brownlow in a competition very different to the current . The teams Jack Watts has been in have been more than ordinary and he has been subject to a degree of scrutiny that is extreme. He has managed to retain his mental state and his personality it would appear His playing skills have to the most extent been maintained with obvious failures which are usually obvious blemishes against a reasonable performance. His stats show that he has performed at reasonable output for his whole career. These same stats are not outstanding and probably not sufficient for the hype and obvious talents he has. However the coaches shoild either improve his performance or improve the team to maximise his talents or trade him out as unsuitable. I have faith this will happen even though as a Melbourne supporter for 55 years my faith has often been tested and certainly my expectations often cruelly savaged. I have enjoyed the ride and would love some success but it is what it is I deeply and sincerely wish it were better. Every Melbourne player has been exhilarating and disapointing. I deeply and sincerely wish Jack Watts was a champion. But he is what he is. He certainly has provided a great deal of off field diversion and thought

This is an interesting commentary on the process that the AFL is taking no part in They already know these are the "not guilty Bombers" http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-05-12/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about-wadas-appeal-against-the-not-guilty-bombers-?camefrom=EMCL_631316_27260120

Francis Leach on ABC we pretty reasonable in the "surely we have the right to recognise the prosecution right to peal" "the players have not been found guilty" "this is bigger than a minor backwater" arguments. Particularly arguing against KateCarnell of Chamber of Commerce who wanted it all to go away

Taken one step further this churn rotation will be used across the squad as players are rested to recover or rejuvenated for a match up in a future game.

I agree and think that the next identified strategy will be the "churn" There will be contests but players will run to spaces created because of the contest. A player following his opponent to retain a one on one match up will leave a geographical position knowing that a teammate will flow to that position. Forwards will rotate constantly through the geographical position to provide multiple options. Congestion will be decreased a players will not congregate but rather spread. Rotating players will only come off the ground when near the bench rather than running across the ground to be rested . Some of this is happening already and is facilitated by the greater numbers of generic players, all tall, all mobile.

I have supported BB WJ dee2014 and the many learned and reasonable comments on this site and said for some time that the whole story was outrageous. That Essendon sought to gain an advantage doing "whatever it takes" using performance enhancing drugs. That they were perhaps doing in a massive way what the rest of the AFL clubs were doing in a minor way. That Hirds status intimidated players media supporters and the public. The AFL may well have assisted in disclosure to make this go away. That records were kept and have been destroyed due to internal doubt about the legality of the program. That Danks who has insisted that he will disclose to an appropriate jurisdiction (perhaps the Supreme court will provide that) is the weak link in the EFC defence. That the EFC tactic (perhaps supported by AFL) has been to delay until such time as majority of players are retired and/or no longer affected by a ban. That the drug testing regime of the AFL has been shown to be less than rigorous. That Jobe Watson winning a Brownlow when his club was engaging in "whatever it takes" and having admitted having unknown injections has tarnished the highest award in the game. That the EFC /AFL actions in condoning the regime using the lack of anyone coming forward with facts to an authority charged with ensuring there are no drugs in sport is contributing to societal drug problems . I have sent a message to WADA as suggested by posters and am thankful that the investigation will continue. I hope that the outcome will improve the reputation of Australian sport and not harm it. I hope that all our International; sportspeople are abiding by the rules of their sports and their results will be untarnished by the actions of EFC. Orica and our cyclists are performing on a world stage in an a sport that has been forced to confront these practices and has come out stronger for it.

I thought he received as much coverage as usual. A shot of him taking off the vest to put on a jacket was a highlight

A couple of things I noticed Sydney players get the ball to a player who is balanced helps delivery they do this by handing off and shepherding space or create a lose man by one on two in the challenge o create a loose ball= no pressure good delivery We hand off and don't protect the person we give it too =always under pressure poor delete very

Or perhaps WADA could not appeal, saying it is not in the interest of further retrospective analysis given the lack of records and noted intransigence of the EFC and professionals involved blah blah bla. However to ensure the purity and therefore integrity of the sport a new and more rigorous testing regime will be put in place which will be funded by a levy from the Australian body currently responsible for funding the body that is responsible for ensuring there are no performance enhancing drugs in sport. Then these bodies may like to recover this additional cost from the root cause, AFL and to EFC, or may demand that someone comes clean so that those directly involved take their punishment and we revert to the previous lower costing testing methods.

Has Eddie taken the EFC model to its next conclusion. I saw him asked about the fate of the 2 Collingwood players charged His reply "I know nothing" presumably there are no records of what they did and are doing to ensure there are no links to their activities and the club. Its a new management style introduced by EFC

You may be right but I think they need to tell both sides of the equation Wattsy the boys are not gonna be able to deliver it to you on a plate expect that. But you are good enough to still get it if you make that extra effort and exhaust yourself. By then someone will be near you and will be able to take your better disposal and do something with it. Use them. Boys kick it somewhere near Jack and follow up , he will now try that little harder at that point and get the ball to you cleanly and in good position to do something with it. Expect that. Use him Probably too much to ask

I suppose Watts play may have been perverse thus keeping him ahead of Dawes Interesting take on performance and so much more of an intellectual argument than the usual he was [censored] weak, useless, [censored],chiken livered, censored, censored%$#^& drop him

n announcing his decision not to take the matter to the AFL appeals tribunal last month, McDevitt indicated he wanted the case examined by a tribunal outside the AFL's jurisdiction. “I am conscious that ASADA does not have a direct right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the only appeal avenue open to ASADA at this time is to the AFL Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal,” he said on April 20. “I am also aware that appealing any of these decisions within the AFL framework would ultimately serve only to delay consideration of these matters by WADA.” McDevitt has received strong support from the heads of anti-doping bodies around the world since the AFL tribunal verdict." I find that section most interesting and particularly in regard to my thoughts on the "intent".there is clear evidence that they undertook to do whatever it takes, it is clear that evidence was destroyed. If the tests were clean why were the details destroyed. Maybe Danks under oath will continue his story that the drug was approved by verbal undefined ASADA source and was ok anyway. He may want to resurect his opinion that what he was doing will revolutionise programs and will be good for all. Appealing to his ego may well draw these responses out. He remains adamant that records were kept . So where are they and why were they destroyed can again be at the core of any investigation

Totally agree Robbie And are we certain that they are sill not using some alternative performance enhancing substances but just making sure their internal records are not maintained. So many situations that have not been adressed or at least advised.

Jack does contest but does so in an intelligent fashion. He does avoid contests and does seem to effect to corral a player rather than contact them. However he seems to effect turnovers and does have great release disposal usually. More I reckon he does not throw himself around and get injured thus he is able to perform each week at a pretty high level. Hogan has already had a serious delay in his career through back injury. I hope Jack can keep himself injury free and continue to impact on games as he does. I think his best is yet to come and his worst is better than most.