Lucifers Hero

AFLCA votes 10 Higgins (NM) 7 Hogan (Melb) 6 Cunnington (NM) 5 Goldstein (NM) 2 Thomas (NM) Lots talking up of Dawes and DL votes for him but the coaches didn't share the view that he had a great game.

This may be true but the Board have a Corporate Governance role which they have failed in before and seem to be doing again. Part of that role is to ensure checks and balances are in place, not only for processes but also accountability of staff. If they are all Hird's buddies there cannot be such accountability...it just repeats the controlling environment Hird had before. This should be ringing alarm bells at the AFL!

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendon-shuffle-deckchairs-as-damage-from-drug-scandal-continues-20150810-givmd2.htmlis about the forthcoming Essendon review written by Carro. Some extracts: - Essendon chief executive, Xavier Campbell, only guaranteed one position in the review and that was Hird's. - ...the review...had little to no input from football department bosses Neil Craig and Rob Kerr. - The strong impression is that another legend Tim Watson, is losing faith in Hird. - Thompson nominated...those three men (Dank, Robinson, Hird) as the key architects and instigators of the program which was heavily punctuated with injections. He said that some board members knew what was happening also. - the move to install Craig and Kerr at the head of the football department has not sat well with Hird - appoint (Campbell) such a relatively young and inexperienced chief executive into a crisis management situation - particularly one so linked to the then suspended coach - was another misstep by Little. So Hird and his CEO mate, Campbell are having the review to get rid of the people Hird doesn't like! To entrench their own positions? It beggars belief but it seems, Hird is firmly in control! Where is the Board! They have abdicated their governance responsibility, again! Where is Little! Looks like he has put his head in the sand. What does Hird have on these guys!

That would present a real trade dilemma for us as Brisbane's 2nd, 3rd, 4th, picks are tied up for academy players. They will probably have the 1st pick in the PSD so will have a lot of bargaining power as Howe can go there for nothing. Which only leaves a player swap, or a 2016 draft pick. So we pray very hard that Howe desperately wants to go elsewhere.

I noticed that as well tu...it just shows how ordinary all but the top 4 teams are this year. I guess they can only beat who they play and they have done that very well. Such is the good fortune when a bottom 6 side has talent and hits form. Port were bottom 6 and had a 'soft' draw in Hinkley's first year. They also made the most of the opportunity. It is a fabulous time to build belief and confidence that comes from winning regularly. Of course the following year the draw is harder but some of that 'winning culture' carries over. Next year will be our opportunity to take advantage of a bottom 6 draw! Learn to win! Then, learn to 'put teams to the sword'!

That is terrific news! Thanks Chaser. I detect a significant shift in our list management strategy this year. Last year we were chasing Hannebery and/or Dangerfield ie mid age, elite players to impact now. Not getting them but getting Petracca and Brayshaw, probably had the Club decide to not worry about the 25-27 yo. gap. I suspect the rate of development of our < 20 brigade further convinced the Club to shift its strategy this year. A by-product of our players 'coming thru & peaking together' could be a deterrent to leaving as FA's (if we climb the ladder). A by-product of not getting Danger or Hannebury is it conserves $$$ to spend on our young brigade. I really, really like the list management shift to a 'natural' growth, 'build the future' approach. It makes me feel a lot more confident about a sustainable future than importing big names. We are in very good hands!

Carlton will be happy...they are now in line for pick 2! Carlton vs Lions next week, whoever loses gets pick 1! If Carlton lose next week they will tank vs us to keep pick 1

Thanks for the reassurance, SirPR. Must admit I didn't find the Manager at all convincing. All that he said (or was quoted to have said): has informed the Demons the top ball-winner will honour the final year of his contract with the Suns next season. If Prestia was really committed to the GCS he could have added 'and we will be discussing another contract' etc. If he isn't committed to GCS beyond next year he is better off going and they all move on. No, the Manager wasn't convincing at all. Will put my faith in you, Sir!

Part of this article is on Jeremy Howe's futurehttp://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/37991-jeremy-howe-contract-talks/page-27?hl=howe The article says there is keen interest from several clubs. His Manager says: “We want them (ie MFC)to put their best foot forward, I’ll look at what his alternatives are and then I’ll sit down with him and he can make a decision...We’re doing what you would expect us to do and that’s maximise his position. It’s a massive decision, so wouldn’t it be smart to get all the information and all of his options? Then he can make a decision with it all in front of him.” Add to that this comment from Roos yesterday: “We want our players to play and we want them to play well, and we want the player to give the manager correct feedback. If he does that then everything normally turns out pretty well.” Even tho Roos said he wants Howe to stay the cynic, in me thinks Roos' last line indicates things will not turn out well. For me, those quotes virtually confirms Howe is gone! To my mind his performance based value are nothing like his 'market value' or 'marketing value'. So if his Manager wants to chase $, then fine. We now have a stack of players with high 'marketing value' that by virtue of their performance will promote our club. We no longer need his high flying species for a high club profile.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/max-gawn-unlikely-to-leave-melbourne-jeremy-howes-future-unknown/story-e6frf3e3-1227473173437 On Gawn: "His asking price appears to be growing by the week, but there appears little doubt he will stay with the Demons, who are locked in talks with his management...but he is extremely unlikely to turn his back on the Demons." Some posters will say: "I'll believe it when its announced" but I would say the odds would now be very short. Maybe a nice announcement coming up before eos!

So, Essendon is doing a review of its Football operations! http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendon-reviewing-football-program-20150806-gitib7.html So transparent! We know it is code for let's find a way to get rid of the coach! But they might need a crow bar or two. Or a few more $mill. But it adds another bit of theater to this saga that just keeps on giving! Even if they don't remove Hird they will certainly look to clip his wings! Maybe they are hoping he will have a 'crash landing'!

The head of WADA, David Howman, is coming to Australia in October: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/wada-boss-david-howman-coming-to-australia-20150806-gitahj.html He is coming as a Speaker at a 2 day conference at the MCG that was arranged about a year ago. Timely nonetheless... WADA wouldn't say how long he will be here or what else he might do while here. However, the article says: "In forecasting his intention to fully review the recent and highly damaging episodes in Australian sport, Howman also affirmed his absolute faith in the efficacy of the WADA code in a team setting." Read into that what you will! I doubt he will breaking bread with Hird, Little or McLachlan!!

Yes, quite interesting. Shame he doesn't explain how Tim Watson knew 4 weeks ago and why he had rights ahead of some players! It could be that Campbell is saying some players didn't know to shift the focus somewhere else. It could be that the players that didn't know aren't in the 34 or are no longer on EFC list. But it could be that only the 2 players affected (and their parents) knew the details. This would explain how Tim Watson knew and that points to Jobe maybe one of the 2 players. Methinks Tim said too much to the press when he said he knew '4 weeks ago' and had discussion with the lawyers! I think Campbell is talking thru his hat!

To add to this post. http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/wada-reportedly-find-abnormal-levels-of-tb4-in-samples-from-two-essendon-players/story-e6frf3e3-1227471708250 Extract from article: "Club great Tim Watson and father of skipper Jobe said he had known of WADA’s apparent evidence for four weeks, and thought it was confidential...I don’t know how significant it is, because it was buried in WADA’s submission...Having had a discussion with (lawyers) after they read the submission I said ‘OK, is there anything in there that you’re concerned about’, and they said their levels of confidence in the players being cleared again … of there being sufficient evidence to charge the players with anything, that hasn’t changed at all". The '4 weeks ago' tallys with the first week of July and the July 5 St K game debacle and Jobes maybe retiring from football. I wonder why would Tim Watson be talking to lawyers? Yes, an interested father but could it be that one of the 2 players is Jobe? Maybe that explains the 'shoulder' injury and getting as far away as possible. Maybe he knows his Brownlow will be taken away.

An animated version of your moniker!

Hird's antagonistic behaviour also started after the July 5 game vs StK: - At his StK post game press conf Hird: - blames the players - goes on his provocative "AFL is made up of ordinary people/they don't want the truth" campaign, apparently breaching his 'no criticism' contract clause with the AFL. But the AFL are also a cunning lot! They chose not to sanction him for this apparent breach. They can see what he is angling for! - last weekend vs the Bulldogs, Hird again blames the players - this week he sues EFC's insurance coy! So now he wants out and he wants buckets of money to take and will devise all sorts of cunning ploys to achieve that end. But there is more to this complex, Narcissistic character. He long ago thru his then best friend David Evans under a bus and then went to war with his Club and the AFL. But now he has reached a new low and fully and totally abandoned his players. Yes, the same players in whose interests he has been acting all along. Of course no-one ever believed that line! He should stand shoulder to shoulder and face the music with the players. He won't. He is looking like a coward.

An interesting timeline at play here: -WADA handed its brief (with the new TB4 evidence) to other parties on July 9. -Players would have had a verbal 'heads up' on what was in the brief in the week of July 1. -About July 2 Jobe started talking about 'not enjoying footy anymore' and retiring at eos! Just laying the groundwork for an announcement...! -Ess collapsed against StK on July 5. -On July 6 they have a pow-wow and decide to 'play the kids' (getting ready for suspensions of other players next year I suspect). -On July 7 Jobe Watson pulls out of the rest of the season with a 'shoulder' injury. I would bet my bottom dollar they all knew about the TB4 tests going into the StK game. Its why they continue to play like cra p.

Fitzpatrick by-passed that with the most recent appointment (forgotten his name). The process you speak of is casual and not written into any AFL processes. That he is prepared to ignore the appointment process, albeit casual only adds to the list of reasons why he is no longer relevant and should go. The reasons I gave for him to go, go back years and not a reaction to the latest headlines.

Eddie's summary of the AFL role in the Buddy deal': “He (Colless) has accused the AFL of systematically cheating the salary cap, the trade rules, the free agency rules (and) collusion behind the scenes. It’s staggering." The expletive laden tirade from Fitzpatrick to Colless at the time explains why the AFL punished the Swans with trade restrictions for two years, for following the rules. Vindictiveness for the Buddy deal can be the only reason. I'm not a Sydney fan but it is appalling the trade restrictions the AFL have imposed! Fitzpatrick is a disgrace. He has too many personal conflicts of interest: ANZ stadium key investor, Carlton affiliation (think Friday night Blues games; think tanking non-investigations etc), had his mate Wylie secretly negotiate (interfere) in the Essendon drug negotiations, arbitrarily appoints Commissioners. Add to that his lack of leadership, lack of AFL consistency in applying AFL rules, his self righteous press release this week on the Goodes booing etc etc. He should go! Not only should he go, Commissioners should be voted in, as is a Board of Directors members are in the Corporate world. Its good enough for AFL Clubs it should good enough for the AFL Commission. Let them show that not only can the AFL independent it can start to become democratic and put in elections!

The specific question asked in my email was: When a person buys a membership for home and away games in Victoria does all that money stay with MFC or does some or all of the ‘away’ game money go to the other club? As you saw from the response the money stays with the MFC, same goes for Collingwood et al. Think about it. Using the QB game as an example, how would MFC know how many Collingwood members come to the game to claim revenue from Collingwood. Yes, Collingwood's computers could tell them but there are so many classes of membership apportioning the right $$ to each different member type for the QB game would not be easy even with computers. We may not like it but Collingwood keep their members money when they come to our home QB game. As we do in reverse.

That is how it works dc. I contacted the club last time this came up and the response was: Thank you for your email. If you purchase a home and away membership, all of the money from the membership goes to the club. Please let me know if you have further questions and I would be happy to assist. Kind regards, So as Macca said this greatly reduces our revenue from the QB game. It isn't as lucrative as most people think, or Eddie would have us believe. But I did enjoy that we had a 66,000+ crowd on QB and their home game on Sat was only 37,800k!!

Coaches votes: 10 Bernie Vince (Melb) 6 Jesse Hogan (Melb) 4 Max Gawn (Melb) 3 Jack Viney (Melb) 3 Jack Watts (Melb) 2 Colin Garland (Melb) 2 Dane Swan (Coll) Almost a clean sweep! Good to see Garland get a few. Heard today Jesse is now a hot favourite for Rising Star.

No chance Lions will get a priority pick now! Leigh Matthews has poured cold water on it! (from The Age). He thinks the old system of 2 years of < 4 wins is better. At least the drama is avoided for another year! BTW, Leigh is a Lion's Board Member Unfortunately, I can't post the link as my 'paste' icons aren't working but it is a really objective interview.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-08-03/goodes-set-to-return-this-week?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS+feed%3A+AFL+Latest+News Good to see Goodes come back this week vs Geelong at Kardinia Park.

Just listening to sen and they said Melbourne really into Tom Lynch (24 yo)from the Crows. He wants 3 years, they want 2. Of course its idle talk at this stage but I wouldn't mind him as our 2nd tall forward. He kicked 33 in 2013 then Viney broke his jaw in 2014, and he had a neck fracture later in the year. Great replacement for Dawes! He would have played with Goodwin (and Vince) so they may be working their connections.