Wells 11

I havent read the whole thread so apologies if Im re stating things here. Gerard was very pro us in the tanking saga I thought ( one of the very few) so he gets a big, long lasting tick from me. He was also one of the few who was trying to call the drug saga for what it was. Im a fan...I dont care what he or anyone thinks of us this season. I just want to be playing finals ...the rest will take care of itself!

I know, that bit still really gets under my skin even now. Also Watson handed back his brownlow. Except he didnt actually hand the thing back...never wanted to and only did so under pressure. Just so the AFL didnt have to "take" it off him. Which they should have done every day of the week. It all looked so different when were being hounded for the apparantly much more grevious sin of "tanking" I often wonder what would have happened , if instead of Essendon that club had been us, A club so many see as unimportant and without all the media chums that the druggies had. Neeld invited that idiot into our club also ...so we dodged a fatal bullet there by a few cm's only.

no doubt about it. But, given how well the last one went, the AFL are about as likely to open an investigation into that as fly to the moon! Maybe we can bring back Brock Mclean and he can say...that "everyone knew the cats were on drugs. We used to buy them off the geelong players after the game" Would it be wrong of me to hope for a situation like that? lol.

Without doubt one of the all time worst decisions. He probably would have won another the next year as scott did, and retired a multi premiership super coach AND premiership player. Obviously his stance on drugs has been questionable personally and proffessionally. There just HAS to be question marks over the cats flags now surely. Man the bombers really just keep digging their hole deeper and deeper. Feels good to be able to watch another teams train wreck instead of ours for a change.

Anyone having a small dejavu with the crows run of soft tissue injuries? It was the first sign all those years ago that the bombers were in fact drug cheats and that that was the cause of it. Surely no club could ever repeat that mistake?? But it IS interesting. I'll keep watching that space.

Im not sure it matters how well WE would play Jibroni. Im 57 and couldnt complete the warm up without fatiguing lol. But Oscar is turning into a super reliable player . His decision making and marking has gone through the roof. Shows you why its worth perservering with youth sometimes. Hoping Weid is in the same boat.

Good post. Im interstate and sometimes the game does look different at the ground. On the vision he didnt seem able to handle the slippery ball and made a lot of errors that were frustrating to watch...but its also true that richmond are the best high pressure team going around. He wasnt our worse but doesnt seem like he's making us too much better either.

Boils down to whether we still have confidence in Goodwin..and I , for one, still do. We're just so close to being a really good team atm. Let him get the coaches box just as he wants it so he can think through the style he wants to play with support. He's our coach and , for now, weve got to give him what he needs. Macca seems like a great shaper of young players...maybe the best going around. But in terms of strategy and handling of the more experienced players I think he is down quite a few pegs. So, Im happy to have goody pulling the reins without interference. IF that is indeed what was happening!

The way your talking about them makes them sound positively wonderful.I had a family member addicted to the pokies....and Im not talking about losing the odd 20 bucks on a Saturday night. BIG money goes into those things ..usually from the desperate and isolated...and in SO many cases ruins peoples lives and tears families apart. Ive seen it first hand...just being real. The dees are one of my big loves and I want them to prosper and succeed ....but personally Im glad we're getting sorted enough now to not do it using these god awful things. I felt so strongly about it I bought a North Melbourne membership when they took a stand...and I hate the roos lol. I also believe the noise about using them to support AFL clubs is only going to get louder and louder as the AFL tries to promote a "clean" image. Of course the AFL will always be covered in mud and their is hypocrisy is stupidly large, but as others have pointed out I think we're ahead of the game in terms of reading public opinion. Hoping we use the money to start a new home base and use THAT to make money.

While in part I agree....there is also the prospect of EFC again pushing the retarded notion of being the innocent, hard done by party. Part of me is disgusted with the bombers, part of me wishing the dees had had the money and/or the balls to take the AFL on in the same way over the tanking saga. I dont see any "welcome back to football" stories for chris connoly for example. Yes we tanked....as did everyone back then, but we let the AFL royally f@ck us up the Arse, as the sacrificial lamb it needed in order to make its point on behalf of the gambling money that had come into the game. Essendons actions and approach to this , while infuriating and disgusting, has also demonstrated what a powerful club is able to do to push back .....and, sadly, we are a long way off being one of those.

put your foot down dude! talk some sense into them lol. 2018 is the year we've been waiting on since 2006. Big things coming

Ding...if you're not renewing ( and its not a financial imperitive) in my mind you lose a bit of cred on this site. Still, ok thats your choice ....but would you mind not trying to talk other people out of jumping in at whatever level they feel to. FFS dude.

Bang on. Seems like everyone is full of negativity at the mo. We just landed a big fish. yes we paid 2 x 1st rounders but we got a second rounder back and to me it looks about right.

an " escape goat"? ...I like it actually. it works

Agreed. From Walker to Burton and probably many more around those two. They force a 21 yr old to declare his intentions 4 weeks out from the finals so they could up an offer to Mcgovern. He takes care of the club with his honesty when he could have easily stayed mum.... and they shame the [censored] out of him, then bag him in the press. Im not saying any club would be happy to lose a quality young player ( we wouldnt either ) but the way they have handled themselves sends out a very reflective message about the club I reckon. No wonder everyone wants to leave!

I hope when he finally lands with us that the club steps up and STRONGLY defends him. Feel like their attack on him is getting quite personal and hope we the balls as a club to stand up proud....and not cop all this shite. Id like to see the crows do this to a player that was leaving for collingwood.

Jed sounded pretty reasonable.... from our side anyway. But I can imagine the day when a hogan or petracca or Oliver walks and we will all be wanting overs. Its the way the game is evolving isnt it. I do Feel [censored] off that Jake was attacked by Burton and Walker tho. Unfortunately all that does, in this day and age, is make Adelaide a less attractive destination for interstate players and turn them into utter hyprocrits the next time someone comes their way. Hoping none of it impacts Jake too badly and he's welcomed into our team , as it seems like he's been super upfront about things w everyone.

well I hope the players are ALSO angry about missing out on the finals. This guy can make that dream much more possible. Plus I also think that anyone recruiting Lever would be paying around this much.. So we shouldnt make a play for him as players will be angry?? Of course a united playing group is crucial, and I do hear your point, but this team needs improvement or none of them ( or us) will ever taste a premiership. Surely players would be happy knowing that we're a team that can recruit and build our way to success not settle into the middle.

At east Damo called it drugs and not "suppliments" which was one of the great lies of the whole eisode.

They say that because he's leaving.....as we would if we were losing a star also.

they were SUCH horrible years. Ive often wondered if Prendergast really was the magnitude of the stupid F@ck he looks like or he had some other stupd F@ck telling him to pick a certain type of player ie someone higher up and more stupid absolutely misread the way the game was going. in other words did he plot to kill the club alone or was there a group of them? Anyway...no point dwelling on the past. We're sooo close to living in happy times,

Personally I would have been over the moon if we'd landed Zac. Bernie and Jordan in their last year or 2 .....we need some mids.

Agree, and think he is developing into something special. Not sure how great the cost but surely the club would be at least looking at it. If so we definitely have the inside running. One thing about the dees since Roos we're almost never listed as being interested in anyone...tight ship these days and its how I like it. Let the Roos be interested in everyone and be laughed at when they get no one.

Hope you're right Abe. If he is, we could be really be something special as a team.

Was trying to compare them to their first years Saty. Both were match winners on occaisons before they became who they are now. Granted its tricky with Trac missing a year. Dont get me wrong Im a trac fan...I just remember waiting around for Morton, Cook, Gysberts, Trengove ( heartbreaking) etc to be "stars" so Im sceptical now when we're claiming one. I just want to see him really express what it looks like he has to express a few times before I get too excited or smug re Mc Cartin.