Lucifers Hero

I'll save Saty the trouble and enlighten the rest of you guys : From WJ's thread in the Goodwin Trade forum Saturday November 26 - NAB AFL delisted player free agency period (3) begins Sunday November 27, 2pm - NAB AFL delisted player free agency period (3) closes Monday Wednesday, November 30, 2pm - Final AFL club list lodgement So we have until next Wednesday to do a deal with H, if we want another player on our list. Let's face it - he hasn't played or trained since middle of last year. Has not started preseason. So its very hard to see how he can get fitness to play enough games in 2017 to trigger the contract extension for the following year. So his days as a senior player are numbered.

@george_on_the_outer As we are still in Nov week 3 might I suggest the current figure of 25,432 be shown on that line, in the tally thread - it makes the comparisons to prior years more meaningful. And, for consistency and comparisons, the Oct week 3 figure for 2017 should be 21,980, rather than 19,026. Cheers. From Oct week 3 to Nov week 3, we signed up approx 1,000 members per week! And we are at least 5,200 up on a similar time last year. That suggests a lot more new supporters rather than existing supporters renewing earlier than past years. Is it too ambitious to think we might get to 40,000 before round 1

Thanks dc. I thought the reference to 'not watching' was to do TV together. Did some googling and found this: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/james-hird-and-garry-lyon-in-talks-to-team-up-with-sen-radio-gig/news-story/79d88ec23bdf948341206dce1b23ae7d I felt physically ill reading it. I'm with you dc: Garry, don't do it! If Hird joins SEN they had better keep him away from Tim Watson!

Do you mean on FC or some other media outlet? Just can't see Hird on FC to be honest - doesn't fit the 4 person panel format - unless they ditch Hutchy or Lloyd. A number of posters have taken your Lyon/Hird media work as fact - wondering if this has this been advertised/written anywhere? EFC can't even get him back near the club so really wonder if he is going to front up in some media role.

On the subject of memento's, it is a shame similar originality didn't go into the 'Women's Foundation Member' pack. (I'm not suggesting a ring) but for the life of me I can't work out why they included a lapel pin - I mean who wears a blazer/jacket these days? And we already have sooooo many scarves. I do like the commemorative certificate tho'! So if you can cope with another scarf and a lapel pin, and help the team, sign up as a Foundation Member: https://membership.melbournefc.com.au/womens

Each Demon women's player will receive a commemorative ring, engraved with their draft year, mfc logo and the sequence number at which they joined the club (ala the Australian cricket team player number). http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-11-18/womens-players-receive-rings A very proud item for a player to have and each one will be unique.

Correct. Which is why the only plausible reason Dank has to call Cox as a witness is to discredit CAS. Whether he gets past first base is another matter. Yes, I also said it and Cox are irrelevant to Dank's ban.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/stephen-dank-to-be-questioned-in-open-court-over-doping-allegations/news-story/39bcb88f6f7aaff12c28d879bf96fd59 The appeal for his life time ban will be held in open court and is effectively a 'de novo' hearing. Interestingly: "The first witness in Dank’s appeal is expected to be Dr James Cox, a biochemist from the University of Utah who provided scientific analysis for the World Anti-Doping Agency in its case against the Essendon players argued last November before the Court of Arbitration for Sport" Not sure why that is relevant as Dank's life time ban was imposed before the CAS hearing took place. It looks more like a Dank ploy to discredit CAS! And the AFL thought the saga was over! It seems the 'Fat Lady' has an encore!

This article makes my head hurt: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/right-result-but-lachie-whitfield-case-is-afl-chief-gillon-mclachlans-tanking-moment-20161115-gsq79n.html For example: The AFL's release on the case on Tuesday makes for the same sort of paradox as the AFL's punishment of Melbourne for doing something, just not tanking. Whatever you wanted to say about Melbourne they didn't tank – because tanking didn't exist. They did something, we are not quite sure what, but it was not tanking... ...The AFL's statement reads like the tanking finding: the trio were suspended for long periods not for evading drug testers, but for what exactly? Gil has learnt well the pragmatism of Machiavelli - 'the end justifies the means'!

They are just paving the way for him to be admitted to the Hall of Fame after he retires. After all he is such a good bloke and he saved them the trouble of stripping him of it... The AFL has not accepted he cheated. They would would say they did not ban him, nor take away the medal - its those nasty CAS people (and their stupid forfeiture rules) who have no idea about AFL and how things work down here. AFL would point to the AFL Tribunal findings exonerating the players therefore according to their logic, on matters to which CAS has no jurisdiction, they apply their Tribunal findings: Innocent!!. The AFL - a law unto themselves!

Are they the jumpers currently being sold? Peter Jackson announced at the B&F that AHG will renew their sponsorship which expires about now. But he didn't say how much or for how long. Hope PJ has someone else lined up for the back, if AHG are scaling back their sponsorship.

Lets appreciate NB. Being an international gives us some assurance. Unlike the 6 AFL clubs who have BLK as their sponsor/supplier - which just went into liquidation 'external administration'. Its not long ago we had no sponsors. If people dont like NB products don't buy them. I applaud them for putting money into and backing our club when it was in it's knees. Edit: @Delusional demon 82 re your early post - BLK going into liquidation helps explains why the Bulldogs switched to ASIC...and possibly a better sponsorship offer. Edit: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-11-16/uniform-strife-as-supplier-goes-into-receivership

The mfc statement says: “We are confident that, with the program we will put in place, that he will not only learn from this incident, but also play a role in ensuring other young people do not make the same mistake.” This suggest a rehab/community work program as a 'penalty'. Unless he had a high reading or has had behaviour warnings form the club/leadership group in the past, I suspect that is the last we hear of it. Releasing the statement on the day the AFL announced the Brownlow/Whitfield decisions was a premeditated, clever piece of work by Mahoney and co. A really good way to keep any media pressure off Oliver. If there is to be another mfc release, the morning after draft the would be a good choice!

Agreed. We have a much better culture than when Maloney and Sylvia were getting up to mischief. Today's leadership group will do what needs to be done, considering all the circumstances (which we don't really know). If they decide on charity work so be it or missing a few games so be it.

Good on him! Not easy to 'get back on the horse' so to speak. Wish him well and look forward to seeing him talk footy again.

A great decision! No way could Watson stay as the notional winner, with or without an asterisk!! The integrity of the Brownlow 'Best and Fairest' has been restored.

In an article last week Chip Le Grand wrote that in the evidence Jobe gave CAS he said his injections ceased in May (later changed to maybe early July). It is interesting that Jobe received 26 of his 30 votes in the first 13 rounds of the 2012 season. Of the last 9 rounds (ie after the injections stopped) he polled only 4 votes in just 2 games!! Now, I have no idea what Dank gave him or whether Jobe knew what he was getting but it sure looks odd that once the injections stopped his form fell off the cliff. So yes, the 2012 voting looks tarnished and removing Jobe's votes (as they would any other suspended, ineligible player in any other year) does not and should not deny Cotchin and Mitchell their right to the medal. The AFL fear giving them the medal as to do so it effectively accepts Jobe's suspension was as a drug cheat; that he won it unfairly. It enables them to maintain some pretense about legal necessities and window dressing ie some anonymous, international body 'forced' him to give it back, we didn't strip him of it, we did not suspend him etc. Until they award it to Mitchell and Crotchin - Watson will remain the notional winner. That cannot stand in the record books.

The Age is reporting that Allen will likely lose his job at the Pies and not return after the suspension. Apparently he signed a 'stat declaration over his role in the Whitfield matter' (the Age didn't say what it said). I recall Eddie went ballistic when the Shaw brothers and Didak lied to him to him over some off-field matter. Eddie doesn't take being lied to very well which is quite admirable. It was rather smart of the Pies getting that stat dec and really, really dumb of Allen to sign it.

A very genuine interview. I have been slow to warm to Goodwin but articles like that take me a long way to being a big fan. He has more in common with Roos than some think: a personal journey of self-awareness/self discovery (via different methods), coaching is about understanding the players and managing them fairly but individually and trusting the people round him. He highlighted the experience around him: Jackson, Misson, Viney, Taylor, Mahoney, McCartney. Must say, that is as good as any off-field team in the league, if not the best in every role, certainly up there with the best team! As each day passes, I look forward to the 2017 season more and more.

New Balance invested a lot in designing the jumpers and shorts with state of the art technology: "On top of its new deal, New Balance has also redeveloped Melbourne’s guernsey to a lightweight performance with patented New Balance dry moisture wicking technology for players’ jumpers and shorts." So it is hard to see NB (or any sponsor) jumping off the Demon bandwagon; especially now when we are on the cusp of success and they can reap the rewards of their loyalty and their investment.

WOW. That would be disappointing. We can have 3 B rookies. We have Smith and Maynard. So unless we have someone else in mind for the 3rd spot I see little risk in taking Allsop, especially as we have already nominated him. I can't imagine mfc going back on that without a very good reason. How confident are you in the source that mfc may waiver?

Yes, hard to believe but it may just happen: 'Whitfield, Allan and Lambert all want assurances from ASADA and theWorld Anti-Doping Agency that they would not face separate charges under the anti-doping code if they pleaded guilty to the conduct unbecoming charge". GWS face loss of draft picks over Lachie Whitfield affair Its a slippery slope when ASADA start doing deals like this. To my mind it is one thing for ASADA to deal on penalties related to an anti-doping violation and a totally different thing for them to substitute lesser non anti-doping charges to avoid applying their rules. As I've said above - if they were guilty apply the regulated penalties, if not let them go scott free. BTW - not sure where 'conduct unbecoming' came from - Is that a watered down version of 'bringing the game into disrepute'? Sounds like the convoluted wording the MRP comes up with when it suits them. Just very sad if ASADA/WADA would be a party to this.

Just opened this thread with some trepidation. I can only say what a delight it is to just read training reports and tidbits and see how much great info posters collect, especially Saty. Thanks folks. I'm getting a clear picture that just about all players have come back in great nick. They heeded Roos challenge at the BnF '...success starts now - not when preseason begins...' It bodes very well!

As I said I think the penalties are fair (but overkill for an 'In Dispute' charge). It is ASADA's apparent agreement to the 'In Dispute' charge that is the issue here. They either broke the code or they didn't. Punish them or let them off. ASADA may find such a compromise (if in fact they did/do) will come back and bite them, big time!

Looks like the AFL has done what it does best - struck a deal! http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/demons-coach-goodwin-impressed-with-jesse-hogans-attitude/news-story/324b0735d10834ee945bd3a66e57100d "... the AFL executive and ASADA ... believes it can charge Whitfield, ...Graeme Allan and ...Craig Lambert with bringing the game into disrepute...'' The Australlian understands: 'that a six-month ban on Whitfield...and one-season suspensions to Allan and Lambert would be seen as appropriate by ASADA if the trio were found guilty'. These penalties would more than likely avert any further action from Australia’s anti-doping body in the form of show-cause notices". So the AFL slaps a drug code breach level penalty on a 'Disrepute' charge! BTW, I don't see how GWS can escape a penalty for the sins of its staff as per Crows (Tippett storm in a tea cup), MFC (not tanking), EFC (the 34 drug cheats). If there is one it will be a fine, not draft sanctions. Gets the AFL out of a sticky situation with their baby, GWS! I do think the penalties are fair but it is the manipulation of the charges that gets me: They breached the drug code or they didn't!! If they did - apply the rules. If they didn't let them go. Simple! That ASADA would allow an innocuous charge of 'Disrepute' be brought over the far more serious charge of drug code breaches is just astounding!