Lucifers Hero

Yes, that is what I am suggesting. I would also hazard a guess that Roos would give Weid a rest at Casey as he did with Oliver last year when he lost form. It is a long year in the seniors and Weid could easily get burnt out. Goodwin is doing things his way which is his right. I haven't seen enough of him and how he operates to see how he rates players or what his 'system' really is.

Last year Roos let Goodwin take the reins from time to time. I suspect Gus on the flanks in 2016 was one of those times. As time goes on we learn more and more from both Goodwin and Roos as to their respective influences in the last year of Roos' tenure.

Thankfully he has Type 1 - http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-27/going-places-the-medical-diagnosis-that-almost-stopped-draft-prospect-paddy-mccartin-in-his-tracks It doesn't sound like they were on top of it at the time of the draft and he has had a few setbacks. Its probably a case of getting the medication/diet/exercise balance right. A different disease but the circumstances are not dissimilar to the situation we have with Salem and his Thyroid. Perseverance and patience but it must be tough on the player. Paddy needs time and I really hope he makes it and based on your comments there is every reason to think he will.

Am article with much high praise of Oliver http://www.theage.com.au/afl/melbourne-demon-oliver-leads-army-of-stars-20170407-gvgbek.html Some snippets: "He is like Cripps or Sydney's Josh Kennedy, a tall and strong midfielder who with longer arms have better reach to be able to get clear of a tackle and still get a handball out... The difference between Oliver and Cripps or Kennedy is that he is quick..." "He accelerates through the contest," Melbourne player/coach performance manager Brendan McCartney said. "He is electric. He just has great power". "Even for an AFL player Oliver has a fierce competitiveness in everything he does. Which means not just getting the ball and winning, but even making sure he gets the last word in an argument". Final word to Macca: "He was a really inspired pick by our recruiters,"

Watts can't take a trick on Demonland, Lord T. -Always criticised for lack of aggression. -Gets aggressive, is in a scap and gets criticised. I don't get why people are so upset about Jack not being at the bounce. Anyone had a look lately, at who Richmond, Geelong etc are nominating (not nominating for a bounce/throw in). And the umpires are confused: giving free kicks away for blocking a ruckman who didn't ruck, arbitrarily nominating a player to ruck, bounce/throw in with only one team's ruckman nominating, stopping a player from taking a bounce. Right now the umpires don't know how to manage the 'nominating ruckman'. So they were the cause as much as Jack. Any signs of aggression from Jack is a step forward. We lost nothing from the episode. I'm glad Oliver saw what was happening and took the initiative!

Interesting that Macca suggested he latch onto Viney and Stretch and learn from them - just shows how highly Stretch is thought of. If last weeks BOG performance was classified by Macca as 'just scratching the surface of what he was capable of...' then other teams had better watch out. For us: Happy Days Roos always did have a good eye for talent!

...and Roos knocked that out of him quick smart by making him 'pay' (ie wait and wait to debut) for injuring himself playing basketball in the preseason...

Finally, someone in the media wrote it: "Fairytale’ is not to be used when describing a Round 1 victory of a team that had six players return from their 12-month suspension for doping offences." http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-outsider-two-genuine-footy-heroes-prove-why-football-fairytale-term-cant-be-overused/news-story/e820d10556cc732b28d2bf2829f31cbb A Good story about real AFL heroes: Jason McCartney and Jarryd Roughead. It took someone outside the AFL media bubble to call out out the hypocrisy of the bomber players return fanfare. Those inside the bubble will never say it. (In fact I'm a bit surprised fox footy even published it!)

I've noticed that some mouthguards are transparent rather than white or coloured so he might be wearing one. ...and remove the AA Captain, currently the most marketable face of our football club and all round champion. Our colours were blazoned on tv during the weekend football coverage in the NAB ads with Daisy and little kids in mfc jumpers. Any idea what that will do to gain future supporters. Remove Daisy...Bad Call. Disrespectful call. If Oliver continues to earn his stripes, just add him...no need to remove anyone - unless you were making some other pointed point...

The EFC win just proves how badly they tanked last year. Their 2016 season and the #1 pick were a complete farce. Worsfold had form! In 2010 he tanked WCE to the bottom of the ladder collected the top draft pick then played the prelim final the next year! Only difference is last year he had the AFL's blessing. Didn't see much in the media after the game about Roughy's comeback! Nauseating media coverage of last nights game!

You are quite right about the issue really being PE drugs. My post that you quoted was in the context of the posts before it about the WCE grand final, not EFC saga.

I wonder how many clubs have won games, finals or premierships with players under the influence of illicit drugs? Maybe even won premierships with players on one or two strikes. Wasn't it Robbo who this week last year wrote an article about the high percentage of Collingwood players testing positive to illicit drugs. I saw a table posted on DL before it was taken down (appropriately) by moderators that showed some very prominent teams' players being right up there and higher than Collingwood on that list. And wasn't there a case where medical records were found strewn in an Ivanhoe street that implicated some neighbouring AFL players about 10 years ago? And who was the Sydney player around that time that claimed illicit drug use was rife in the AFL. Andy D canned him big time in the press and his reputation never recovered. Just can't recall the players name but I think it was around the time Sydney won the GF. I don't condone drug use at all. But the bluster in the press about WCE 'tainted' premiership is just bluster. It is naive to think it hasn't happened since. Unfortunately for WCE they have had some high profile, very tragic fallout from that era. I would bet my bottom dollar they aren't the only team to have won a premiership with players taking illicit drugs. The others have managed to fly under the radar.

Clearly I missed that little word 'not' but the context would have implied it .... Hird is still not contrite.

Your mate is dreaming DA! If a team ever needed a pp it was Brisbane last year. They got one but it was end of first round. That was the first pp since the new (at AFL discretion) pp system came in (to stop tanking). So can't see the AFL giving pick 2 to the bottom team, in a hurry. And, Carlton recent history: 2016: 7 wins (14th) 2015: 4 wins (18th) 2014: 7 wins, 1 draw (13th) 2013: 11 wins (played finals and finished 8th... 9th if Ess hadn't been dumped) Bottom 4 only once in last 4 years (...didn't they tank their last game vs Brisbane in 2015 to make sure of 18th...) They can tank again (after all they are the masters at it) and they might finish last but their recent history won't get them a pp and certainly not pick 2. And as Mike Fitzpatrick is no longer Chairman they won't have as much clout.

Bit of a surprise that Hird suddenly turns up in the media. The AFL pulling some strings? I don't begrudge him a path back to good health but I really hope he doesn't use his column to preach about the drugs saga - a column of 'Fake Facts! Interestingly, EFC have scaled back the round 1 comeback campaign of 'welcome back our 'heroes'', walk to the G, etc. Maybe they recognise they aren't the comeback story of the Haw vs Ess. That honour belongs to Roughhead. And/or, the fanfare last week around the Wallis/Elliot/Gatto allegations have forced them to pull their heads in!

Contrast that article with the real comeback story of Jarryd Roughead: “I don’t think it will be emotional. It is a little bit about me (coming back), but I don’t really want it about that either..." http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/jarryd-roughead-doesnt-want-the-attention-to-be-on-him-ahead-of-his-afl-comeback/news-story/b385bddf1ef71429d793533db02da1b5 Roughhead is humble. Hird is still contrite. WE all know who the real hero is! It is sickening that Ess are still harping on 'comeback'!

The gall of GWS! They: have benefited from some loose definition of GWS Academy for a number of years succeeded in making the AFL defer the draft penalties re Whitfield until after the 2016 draft then managed to get the Whitfield penalty watered down to 'draft points' rather than 'draft picks' want to continue to claim players with only vague connection to parts of the Murray region as 'Academy' players, even tho they have never put a penny into their development. have a generous (not!) plan should they lose these rights: Sydney should be '... forced to potentially sacrifice local talent altogether should it finish in the top four or even the top eight...' But no proposed penalty for GWS should they finish in that range! The hypocrisy in that...words escape me! Defer the loss of rights till after the 2017 draft. Where they just happen to have two top draftees in their sights. Probably no talented kids coming from that area after 2017 so having the removal of rights deferred is no detriment to GWS at all. Their list will be set up for the next 10-15 years. How very generous of them! Probably setting up an ambit claim to AFL House: "Give us claim 2 and we will drop claim 1" (which could never have had any credibility in the first place). GWS can no longer be allowed to call the shots at AFL House like they have over the last 12 months! Otherwise the perpetual cycle of: Step 1. draft in top 10 talent, Step 2. keep the cream of the crop, Step 3. trade out the others for top 10/1st round draft picks. Step 4. Repeat from Step 1, will continue. Take this 'zone' from GWS this year! Good to see all the interstate clubs support the Vic clubs on this.

A good read, thanks. Quote: Clayton Oliver has shed 5kg in order to take his game to the next level and has credited a drink-driving charge as the spur behind his big pre-season... Oliver escaped suspension over the drink-driving charge, but said the infraction had motivated him. “It was pretty embarrassing,” he said. To think that some posters on here wanted him disciplined or suspended, some even wanted him suspended for Rnd 1. Thank goodness the club didn't see it that way. He has learnt from the experience and is set to repay the faith, in spades!

All gone very quiet... Bombers gone to ground, after EFC Chairman 'clarifies' his statement that they did not have dealings with Gatto Heppell withdrawn from Jonathon Brown's radio program (JB called EFC 'weak"). Nothing in the media yesterday except a rehash of the Gatto/The Footy Show story. Not even in the HS!! Don't expect to see many media appearances by EFC folk in the near future. Maybe what Elliot and Wallis had would expose the skeletons in the closet. I wouldn't be surprised if the media has been muzzled and told to back off! Too much at stake for too many people!! And no prizes for guessing by who!

An interesting time line is evolving: Nov 14, 2014 Elliot claims that is when he was asked to arrange a meeting with Gatto. "In November 2014 I was asked ... to set up a meeting off-site with Mick Gatto, who was an external well-known dispute resolution specialist,'' Elliott alleged. "The purpose of the meeting was in regard to obtaining information from Shane Charter,.." Nov 20, 2014 Gatto says he had tried to sell Carter's story to the media. Carter wanted $400,000. No takers. EFC also declined the offer. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/mick-gatto-says-he-was-enlisted-to-spruik-shane-charters-untold-story-to-media/news-story/90e3281926eac55da82b57d26f6adefd Gatto doesn't say when he did the spruiking but it is highly likely that his spruiking is what led to EFC asking Elliot to arrange a Gatto meeting. The article you quote shows that Salvo arranged such a meeting between EFC reps (including Xavier Campbell) and Carter which appears to have occurred late Nov to early Dec 2014. Early December, 2014 Carter refuses to appear at the AFL Tribunal. Another EFC cover up brewing? Update: The HS is reporting Gatto said he was approached by a senior Essendon official but it would be 'unprofessional' to say who (LOL). So much for Tanner's comment that they did not have 'dealings' with Gatto. Elliot's statement is looking more credible.

Looks like my posts were very close to the mark re the allegations being known to EFC some time ago, the demands and threats having some substance and that a settlement will be negotiated. Tim Watson: “I’ve been aware of this for a while, in as much as I had a conversation with someone at the club and they said, look at some point this may surface,” Watson told SEN...“This is what’s going on, it’s all broken down and there is a threat that they’ll take the information they have to the press...“There’s been a breakdown in the negotiations and then there’s been threats about, OK this is the course of action we will take now, from here on in..." Based on that, EFC going to the police seems a red herring. ...and as for Mick Gatto. Calls a press conference to say I have nothing to say so watch The Footy Show tonight!: http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/underworld-twist-in-essendon-drugs-saga/news-story/4c891a2e0afe93b7eec2808d05d0b9df I certainly won't be watchiing!

Yep...EFC have learnt their lesson, right? 'Must Keep Records' is the new mantra (when it helps against their enemies!) Maybe, Elliot and Wallis kept their own records, for a rainy day perhaps . Their alleged 'inappropriate demands and threats' would have to based on something otherwise EFC would not have called in the police... ...watch this space for an early settlement of the 'Worksafe claim'. EFC don't want copies of records the dogs ate mysteriously turning up on a journo's desk...

The police! May as well have reported it to the janitor! Leading Essendon connections/supporters: Current EFC Club Chairman: Ex Federal ALP Minister Current EFC Club Director: Ex Chief Commissioner of Police, Victoria Victorian Premier Victorian Governor Past No 1 ticket holder: Ex Federal Liberal Treasurer/Deputy Prime Minister I don't have much confidence the Police finding concrete evidence to support Wallis or Elliot's worksafe claims. But they may well find sufficient evidence to support Tanner's complaint of 'inappropriate demands and threats'. The little guys don't usually win when faced with the might of the big end of town.

The AFL website article: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-03-09/dons-deny-club-reached-out-to-underworld-figure It quotes Lindsay Tanner as saying: "Allegations of ... dealings with Mick Gatto are false. Inappropriate demands and threats made upon Essendon Football Club have been reported to the AFL integrity department and on its advice, Victoria Police have been contacted." Elliot's allegation is reported to be a request for a meeting with Gatto, not 'dealings' as Tanner puts it. Elliot is not alleging a meeting or 'dealings' took place so he may be correct. I could guess what the 'demands and threats' were! Does anyone else get a sense those were made some time ago and the Worksafe claim is a result of no satisfaction from EFC. Wallis and Elliot are disgruntled. It seems most other people walked away with a bit of coin in their pockets but they didn't. A Worksafe claim for stress is their way of getting it. The bombers should have paid them off as well. Popcorn time again!

Someone was certain to spill the beans at some stage. Looks like it is only just starting! Wallis has always played mean not caring who he hurt in the process. Hasn't changed. Just hope our coach is not brought up in the allegations related to staff injecting. The AFL declared him innocent so not a problem but that wouldn't stop media making a fuss if they want to deflect attention. Goodwin is now the most senior ex Ess person still in the AFL so would be an easy target. It would be a terrible distraction for us.