Bluey's Dad

I reckon gambling revenue might have something to do with it as well. There are conflicts from everywhere.

I completely agree. It's the 'adding and removing' things from the 'report' (whichever that may be) that interests me in that article. We'll never know the full story and the full extent of who was complicit (and conflicted) in what action. The whole thing is dirty. Still no club-wide punishment for the doping. Only governance failures. WTF.

Yep, maybe. Either way, the fact that stuff has been removed and inserted into a report is troubling.

Bomber Thompson complaining that it ruined his life: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/mark-thompson-says-the-essendon-supplement-scandal-will-probably-end-up-killing-him-20170420-gvogq5.html This is the bit that interests me: "I know what happened. I know that there was things that were added to the report, things were taken out of the report not to be seen." According to him, we are still blind to some of the events. The conflicted nature of the bodies involved compromised the contents of 'the report' (I assume this is the initial ASADA report?). He later implies the whole thing is the AFL's fault for not enforcing WADA's rules when Dank was at Gold Coast. His theory is that if they had, then Essendon wouldn't have hired him and none of this would have happened. I don't buy it. Essendon knew who they were in bed with IMHO. They are not the victims.

Oldest team v newest team. Has a kind of symmetry to it. I like it.

I agree that the heat is disproportionate. The club itself was not banned, as would be the case in other 'team' doping convictions. The club still hasn't actually been punished by the AFL for the doping charges, only the initial 'disrepute/admin' stuff. The players lied on their disclosure forms. They knew - but they cop very little heat.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/nine-network-buys-st-kildas-infamous-gatwick-hotel-20170315-guyp79.html Apparently the purchaser of the Gat is the Nine Network, who'll likely be using it for The Block. Possibility for Biff to somehow return to his former nest as a contestant? I'd watch if you were on @Biffen, then I'd tell everyone who'd listen that I knew you before you were famous in an effort to milk some reflected glory. You could use your knowledge of the Gat's darker corners to outfox the other contestants. They'll never know why their tools are always going missing. You could even help them identify the contents of the syringes they find! The more I think about this the more I think it's a good idea. Who wouldn't watch Biff, draped in a blue singlet, tattered shorts and boots, taking a sledgehammer to a GAT toilet? I think I might need some of @Wrecker45's tissues...

I heard that comment too. Not sure how a newspaper can justify telling just one side of the story. The Age at least has come at it from both sides via Caro and Connolly. The Herald Sun has been a bastion of EFC cheerleading, led by Robbo. It staggers me how that man is the head football writer of a major newspaper.

Although one could also look at Robinson's payment as hush money. If you take that track, then these two 'disgruntled employees' might be saying the very things Robinson was paid not to say, instead of looking at a big compo cheque and saying "me too please". It's all conjecture for now. TBH I wouldn't put anything past the EFC though.

lol, I was indeed trying to convey that very notion. Everything is the fault of the patriarchy!

Yeah nah still lost sorry. Either I'm an idiot or it's too subtle. Out with it man!

Why would it be? Symmetry is a tool of the patriarchy.

It's ok BBO. I am here to save the day:

Exactly. For mine, this is something we all knew was happening, but couldn't be proven. Now we can see Gil making assurances he can't have made and the EFC being angry they weren't kept. For that's the drama. The attempted subversion of the anti doping rules by the AFL. Gil's the one who should be under fire here.

It's probably in his Feminist hat. He just can't find it because his head's too big.

I think someone said it already happened with a multi-page spread in the HUN when they returned to training. I was certainly rage-filled after reading an Age article on Heppell somehow being more qualified to be captain after completing his goddamn MANDATORY SUSPENSION FOR DRUG CHEATING. You're probably right though, their first game will be far worse than anything we've seen so far. We need a place to rage.

He couldn't possibly have known. He is after all, a Top Bloke and Feminist.

No, but symbolically it does make a statement about the contrived nature of the AFL, and Watson himself - who said one thing and did another. You're right the physical medial isn't a massive issue in of itself. But what it says about those surrounding the issue I would argue is quite significant. The fact that he retains the physical medal is a sly acknowledgement that the AFL don't actually believe he's a drug cheat. It's wrong, and it send the wrong message. It also undermines the symbolic value of the other two (legitimate) medals.

Says he'll give it back. Doesn't give it back. This is 100% consistent with the way the entire journey has unfolded.

You're probably right there DC. Sometimes it takes a while to brew up a big steaming pile of [censored].

Make one of them Captain. That'll really show the kids what happens to drug cheats.

Agreed, with the addition that they should also not be rewarded. I find the idea of Heppell as captain because he's "grown as a person" whilst being banned for drug cheating sickening.

So apparently, serving time for drug cheating is a good qualification for being a leader: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/dyson-heppell-renovated-rejuvenated-and-ready-to-captain-essendon-20161124-gsx1vl.html The Heppell who returned to the club's high performance centre only a few weeks ago was the same laconic-talking, mop-haired favourite of the fans, but consequently, one perhaps even more suited to assuming the mantle of Essendon's next captain than he already was. Angry rant incomming. IDGAF if serving a year out for being a drug cheat helps you 'grow' as a person and gives you 'perspective'. If the club is serious, it should not be rewarding this behaviour by giving one of the 34 the captaincy. Apply your new found [censored] perspective after sport Dyson. You don't deserve to be captain. You failed your team when it mattered most, your character has been shown to be lacking. If you're a better person now, fine. But Essendon, or any club, simply cannot reward or condone your behaviour or lack of moral fibre. Go write some [censored] up self-help book about overcoming adversity, or get some speaking gigs and get paid a heap for it. I don't care. But you do not deserve to captain an AFL side. You have served your time and deserve to play AFL again. Nothing more, nothing less. You do not deserve to be rewarded for your actions. You said, explicitly, on AFL 360 a year ago that you knew what you were injected with and were ok with it. So you, as a person, a [censored] human being, contributed to the distress of Hal Hunter and his family because they STILL DO NOT [censored] WELL KNOW WHAT IT WAS, AND TRIED SUING THE CLUB TO FIND OUT. But no, you can't tell anyone what it was, because it was banned. God forbid you tell Hunter, lest it expose to the world what you knew and when you knew it, increasing the public knowledge of your culpability. Give me a [censored] break Dyson. And Rohan Connolly, GAGF too. Don't write this [censored] and then call yourself a journalist you [censored] cheerling [censored] merchant. Either report on just the facts, or take a proper moral stance. This fluff bs is unacceptable. Apologies if any profanity gets through the filter, and for the considerable lapse in forum etiquette. I'm just really really angry with this story.