Lucifers Hero

Slater and Gordon shares suspended. It was only a matter of time!! http://www.theage.com.au/business/markets/slater--gordon-shares-suspended-ahead-of-earnings-20160223-gn1yy5.html Shares of Slater & Gordon closed on Monday at 0.83¢, valuing the law firm at just under $300 million. In late March, the personal injury law firm's market capitalisation peaked at almost $2.75 billion. I suggested on DL a few weeks ago when there was wind of this happening that Prismal and Crameri should find themselves new legal reps to a firm who does not have a conflict of interest with their Club's president. Believe that more so now!

What continues to astound me is that no high ranking sports authority has taken the AFL to task. I long ago gave up any hope of Athletics Australia doing so as David Grace QC is its Chairman (and has also led the players vs AFL/ASADA/WADA/CAS campaigns. Ditto for the Australian Sports Commission as John Wylie its Chairman is a close mate of Mike Fitzpatrick and was asked by Fitzpatrick to be the go between with Essendon in August 2013. In short, these terribly incestuos connections have compromised clean sport in this country. Perhaps, the most troubling of all is the position of John Wylie as the ASC has a big say on funding and sponsorship for sports. All sports appear to have gone quiet, perhaps 'muzzled' by the fear of losing funding. So no point expecting politicians or sports administrators to stand up for clean sport. It is incredibly disappointing that not even IOC reps have spoken out. eg John Coates, an internationally respected sports administrator, Susie O'Neil also highly regarded etc. I would imagine a fair bit of sledging will happen at the RIO games in a few months! I guess our athletes can't complain about 'being tarnished with the same brush' if their sporting bodies are not prepared to stand up and be counted when necessary!

An interesting article on F/S and other prospects - Josh Daicos one of many father-son prospects on the radar this year The exciting part: Hamish Brayshaw is a hard-working midfielder from Sandringham Dragons cut from the same cloth as his brother, Melbourne midfielder Angus Could we lucky enough to have another big/little bro combo! While we don't yet have a 1st rnd pick it looks like a few clubs will want to activate their F/S draftees. If so they will be like Academy clubs and want to trade a high pick for a batch of low pics (which we should have if some of FA's move on). So there is every chance of getting Hamish, if he is available at whatever pick we have!

Tricky thread title there LD-vC. Don't really know about coaches and wise decisions. But Clarkson would laugh and laugh at missing out on a mickey mouse award... ...he has 4 premiership cups that says AFLCA are idiots!!

An interesting article about the CAS decision and why the players could not get a 'no significant fault' discount' ie to do so you need to admit it got into your system, which the players vehemently chose not to do. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/bombers-case-lowers-bar-for-guilty-verdict-says-athletes-advocate/news-story/e84c28265b4b4d984309394ea5c5199e The article (inadvertently) highlights another epic fail by the player's legal team: 'The dissenting panelist is ­believed to be...appointed by the players to hear the case'. Mr Jacobs, who has argued more than 35 cases before CAS said. “It is three arbitrators and it is generally a majority rule. So you can pick someone that you are very confident is going to go your way but, unless that person is going to be able to persuasively argue to the other arbitrators and have credibility, it is not going to help you in the long run.’’ This suggests the legal team again failed to understand the subtleties of how the CAS arbitration system actually works in practice.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/melbourne-coach-paul-roos-happy-to-do-away-with-scrutiny-that-accompanies-his-role-20160222-gn08hw.html We have finally reached the stage where we have a dozen on-ballers who can play between HB and HF, like the best teams! In that article Roos refers to: Lumumba is a player who has gravitated between defence and the midfield, and Roos said there were plenty of other Demons who could be shifted around the field this year. Former captain Grimes is set to continue on the wing after playing there in last week's intra-club encounter, Roos forecast even more flexibility. "[Angus] Brayshaw will play obviously mid/forward, but we might play him off a half-back flank as well. [Christian] Salem half-back/wing. I think we're pretty interchangeable anyway because we're still finding out about a lot of players." Roos also says Lumumba is not far off round 1 and may play the last NAB game.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/dyson-heppell-to-appear-on-fox-footys-afl360-while-serving-doping-ban/news-story/3fbea5d4c320caa1e7d62aff2cd6b363 Looks like Roos won't be on AFL 360 this year: "...Geelong coach Chris Scott will sit alongside Nathan Buckley on Monday’s Coaches Night". I have mixed feelings on this. I don't have foxtel so don't watch it but I did like reading on DL what our coach had to say. On the other hand a few of his comments last year eg veil of negativity hanging over the whole club (for which Jackson took him to task), player's mental demons etc just gave the press more ammo to criticise the club and it looked like Roos was shifting the blame. I don't think he was but it wasn't a good look. On balance the club will probably be better served by Roos not being on TV every week.

Could be right there Mp as total ticked over a little more - today it is 29,022. (26,639 at same time last year). Lets hope there are heaps more on someone's desk and we can at least keep up with the likes of Saints and North

The 23 includes rookies: King ®19, White ®18, Wagner®, Smith ®20, Michie ®23, . OOC from rfpc's contracts thread: Trengove 22, Dawes 26, Grimes 25 (RFA), Watts 24 (RFA), Vince 29, Tyson* 21, Kent 21, M Jones 27, Spencer 25 (UFA), T McDonald22, Terlich 25, Jetta 25, Garlett 25, Frost 21, Newton 22, O McDonald 19, Pedersen 28, Hunt 19, Harmes 19. After 3 years of massive turnover, the club would want real stability: to reap the benefit of investment in development and the more they play together, know the game plan etc the better. The ones most at risk IMO (for different reasons) are in bold. But we can't lose them all as we would lose far too much experience (and protection for the young guys). The one we have least control over is Spencer and I'm not sure we have a backup for Gawn. On the subject of compo picks (if they still exist) we would likely get 2nd/3rd rnd pics which can be traded to one of the Academy teams for a 1st rnd pick altho other teams will want to play the pick upgrade game so that may be a bit harder to do this year.

Many thanks Stephen247! I have a Samsung smartphone (with 4G) and a Tablet (uses home wifi) so will try both with the two apps you suggest. Cheers. On a related note, I have a standard 'bigpond' modem which is ok for pc/tablet but a bit rubbish for TV. So does anyone know if a modem should be a minimum capacity/speed to avoid live telecast dropping out or slowing down on a TV? Or a recommendation for a good modem would be useful.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/a-bombers-cash-grab-that-highlights-the-clubs-hird-mentality-20160220-gmz5pa.html The corporate world understands what Hird has done and that he is on the nose, so to speak. EFC are trying to sell naming rights to James Hird Academy: "The James Hird Academy wishes to announce the availability of major and individual player sponsorship opportunities for season 2015/16, reads the pitch, which was sent out just before Christmas....This is a fantastic opportunity to promote your product, service or corporation in conjunction with the academy." Needless to say, there hasn't been a thundering herd of takers for Hird. This is despite the fact here are some legendary surnames on the academy list. Hird has three sons in the program, and names such as Neagle, Daniher, O'Donnell and Alessio abound...Maybe that explains why the academy recently started using the name "JHA". Using just JHA, the golden boy's intitials...another piece of EFC trickery! They should rename the Academy to someone more worthy: Daniher, Watson etc While I'm at it the AFL should remove him from the Hall of Fame.

Quite right Lad-vC! My bad...I meant to right 'Median'...will go back and correct

True. I took that to be a medium term/potential type comment. Most of the 20 to 23 are still very young and will need to be managed and be rested at times. Would expect their performance to drop off as they will not be able to sustain 120 min for 22 games. Maybe a 'handful' understates it and it is probably closer to about a dozen will be walk up starts.

The State of Our List? Overall Picture: - We have 17 players from the Neeld era or prior -Roos has insulated us from the ‘go home’ factor: 78% of the list are from Victoria or other clubs. The only notable risk is Jesse (discussion in another thread). -From an article this week: the Demons believe they have 20 to 23 "good" players, up from "13 decent players" in 2013… Their analysis shows the top-four teams have about 27. List Profile: -We are much taller than ever before: 2 x 200+cm players and 13 x 190 to 199 cm players. -Our average age is 23 (and for those who prefer the Median, it is 22). No one is over 30; 5 are 28+; only 12 in the critical 24 to 27 age group. -Our average experience is 51 games (the Median is 32). Only 9 players over 100 games and 7 players in the 50 to 100 game range. Conclusions: -I would expect any player who still has ‘mental demons’ will not get a game. -Only a handful of players will be a walk up start in the 22 each week but given Roos’ history to date once in the team the spot will be a players to lose. -Quality of our list is catching up to that of top 4 teams. Experience is the big gap...experience not just no of games but also in winning and finals. -No elite players yet but it would be staggering if a few don’t develop from the ‘20- 23’ good players we do have. -A very young, very inexperienced team so we will have inconsistent results, maybe some bad (not crushing) losses but also more surprise upsets. -Team solidarity and enthusiasm seems to be at an all time high so may sneak in an extra win or two. -If we get to finals this year we are really ‘punching above our weight’. -On this climb of Everest we are at Base Camp...all resources ready for the climb up!

Can anyone give similar info on how to do this with an android device to a Samsung Smart TV, please?

You are right there PG...some people are getting to far ahead. I feel that any extension is a good one. He is currently contracted to end 2017. So a 3 yr extension ends in 2020, 5 year in 2022 etc. You know, I would be happy for a 3-5 year extension because if we haven't been in a few GF's by 2020 or won one by 2022I wouldn't blame him for going elsewhere. Clearly he wants success and he seems prepared to make it happen. By 2020 or 2022 he will have earnt the right to leave (altho it would be shattering).

A few journos have reported this week that contract talks are up and running. (Really, they started last Oct and never really stooped) Either they are all jumping on the bandwagon or something is afoot. Just in case people can't get behind the paywall of the Denham article in the last post, here is some dialogue from Roos this week, who plays it with his usual straight bat: Earlier in the week Roos said Hogan’s tenure at Melbourne could depend on factors outside the control of the club, but said the Demons remained comfortable with their position and the future on offer for their younger players. One example Melbourne used this week was their beefed-up development program, including a massive increase in staff, something that had been largely overlooked before chief executive Peter Jackson secured Roos in his first year in the job. “We have delivered on things we have talked about,” Roos told the AFL website. “The next phase is probably for Jesse to feel part of this resurgence. “It is up to Jesse to believe (success will come) but also be comfortable in Victoria and Melbourne and with his friends and things like that, so some things we can control, some things we can’t.” Following a briefing with Melbourne late last year, Hogan said he was satisfied with the direction of the club, now in the final year of a coaching succession plan that will lead to Simon Goodwin taking over at the end of the season. The talk back at the time of the RS award was that Hogan would re-sign over the summer. His manager hosed it down which was fair enough. Could it be that talks have started in earnest and he will sign before the season starts? But as Roos said it is all up to Jesse. All looks very promising but with remnants of MFCSS still looming large in me I shall wait till we have his signature before getting too excited.

Dare we hope? http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/hogan-all-class-as-dees-reach-for-chequebook/news-story/4bfb8723db382eca3b357bc2c6e693b8 Denham says: "Family members have confirmed to The Weekend Australian that Hogan has no intention of returning home to Western Australia in the near future which appears certain to lead to a new deal with the Demons". Denham has for a long time treated mfc with great contempt so I am no fan of his. He sinks the boots in every chance he gets. But he is from WA and still has good contacts over there so I am inclined to believe him on this one!! Fingers crossed!

Clearly the work of a troll! Purple has a good track record with rumours but if that is what he is relying on for his source he has slipped down very badly.

Roos just interviewed now on SEN: - no injuries today...one small niggle but I didn't catch who it was. - Gawn terrific today. - Salem in best 3 today (maybe BOG) along with VanD and Tyson. - Kennedy and Bugg played well today and performance have spiked since Christmas. They are both 'competitors' - Oliver was fantastic around the ball. Weidman was very smart in the forward line...(I think he meant he has good footy IQ). - Casey players did well...Plapp doing a great job and they got our game plan really well. - Need to temper Melb supporter fans' expectations of Hogan...it is only his second year and needs to be a team effort. - Consistency of mids to improve for us to be more dangerous.

I would think so. In a similar role Tom Lynch hovers forward of the defensive 50 so doesn't do too much 'forward pressure' work but had a terrific 2015 - from afc website: 'He kicked 32 goals for the season but also worked hard to bring his teammates into the game. Lynch led the League for goal assists (30) and was equal-fifth for total score involvements (159)'. Given we went so hard to get Lynch it seems that forward/link-up player is seen as a key role and it looks like Watts is being groomed for that. If so, it is a lot easier understand how so many tall forwards Hogan, Frost, Watts, Pedo/Dawes/Weideman and resting ruckman can fit in the forward line. Also, the link-up role is essential if we are to be more offensive in our game plan and that seems a perfect role for Watts, his skill set and footy IQ. Can't think of a better person for the job!

Melbourne FC ‏@melbournefc 1h1 hour ago A nice passage of play: Kennedy runs down the wing and finds Hogan. He quickly turns and pops the ball to Harmes. Harmes slots the set shot. Given the bro love between Hogan and Harmes both would have enjoyed that piece of play! MFC twitter feed indicates that Watts did some really good things: lead well, good link-up work which ended in a few goals etc. Maybe Watts' forward role will be more like the forward/link-up for which we tried to get Crows' Tom Lynch.

Like the HS, Stevens has embellished what happened. Jesse was gung-ho at the time he won RS (Oct) and sounded genuine but probably had a bit of post RS euphoria about it. Then his manager slowed things down as ProDee has described. Since last Oct, Jesse et al have seen some great drafting, what life will be like with Gooding as coach, a new sponsor come on board, etc. These are all things that give him and his management have greater confidence about the club an its future. Jesse may well sign over the off-season but I'm relaxed if he doesn't as I have no doubt the club is doing everything possible on and off the field for him to want to extend his contract. The club can do no more. Quietly, I reckon Jesse will extend long term

Agreed Saber. The HS are guessing and using old info to fluff out a story. We started discussions with him 5 months ago so no new news on that one. Then everyone decided to wait a while...Jesse had seemed gung-ho but his manager tempered things which was the right thing to do by Jesse. The $700K, who knows where they plucked that from! Not much incentive to sign a long-term deal for someone who is already getting $500K!!! The HS have no idea what is happening at mfc!!

Family Day is on Feb 28: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-02-17/family-day-at-luna-park Last year it was in early March. The revenue for Rich/Coll/Haw is massive as a result of high membership numbers. On average a member is worth about $200. Those clubs get an extra 35,000+ members ie $7 million!! Not only that they also get heeps more revenue from members buying merchandising etc. There is further spin offs as they attract more sponsorship $$ who can market to club members. Membership numbers are critical for financial well being and to provide facilities for players. I heard to day that facilities is one of the top drawcards for FA's. Needless to say we need every member we can get.