rumpole

The supposition of her tweet is an offensive slur in which she's suggesting that Dean Bailey and all those who stated the whole vault thing was no more than a 30 second aside are liars. Whether she's the real deal or not she should now put up and shut up by revealing her sources and indicating who gave her the "evidence" she's relying on and what was the nature of that evidence. After all, she claims to have information that the MFC and no other club breached AFL rules and that two of its employees are going to lose their livelihoods as a result.

I wrote this elsewhere but it's equally appropriate here. The entire investigation appears to be unravelling day by day with these revelations of Gestapo tactics used to frighten witnesses into changing their stories. My experience is that its rare for everyone who attended a meeting 3½ years ago to have identical impressions and versions of what went on at those meetings. I wonder if the UN interrogator hasn't considered the possibilty that the ones who provided the "vault" scenario of threats about their jobs are the wrong accounts embellished perhaps because they are being told by disgruntled ex employees who have it in for the club? The original "vault" stories spoke of the so-called dismissal threats as the major focus of the meeting. Now we learn that it was just an aside, a small part of a larger meeting making it even more plausible that it was all a part of Connolly being facetious - that's the man's sense of humour. In any event, after reading this latest story I'm convinced that no witness should go into a meeting with an interrogator who conducts investigations using these tactics without a lawyer in tow. Notwithstanding that, the interrogation is probably tainted already and these revelations and the leaks emanating apparently from the AFL have made the entire investigation problematic.

The entire investigation appears to be unravelling day by day with these revelations of Gestapo tactics used to frighten witnesses into changing their stories. My experience is that its rare for everyone who attended a meeting 3½ years ago to have identical impressions and versions of what went on at those meetings. I wonder if the UN interrogator hasn't considered the possibilty that the ones who provided the "vault" scenario of threats about their jobs are the wrong accounts embellished perhaps because they are being told by disgruntled ex employees who have it in for the club? The original "vault" stories spoke of the so-called dismissal threats as the major focus of the meeting. Now we learn that it was just an aside, a small part of a larger meeting making it even more plausible that it was all a part of Connolly being facetious - that's the man's sense of humour. In any event, after reading this latest story I'm convinced that no witness should go into a meeting with an interrogator who conducts investigations using these tactics without a lawyer in tow. Notwithstanding that, the interrogation is probably tainted already and these revelations and the leaks emanating apparently from the AFL have made the entire investigation problematic.

Good for the Irish PM for sticking up for Irishmen the world around, especially on whose great uncle stood side by side with Michael Collins. What I'm looking for now is an inquiry into yellow journalism in the Australian sports media and why they so willfully seek to expose what one club did when so many others have done exactly the same thing and much worse? Why did the AFL's investigation into Tony Liberatore's comments about the Kreuzer Cup last just 15 minutes? Why did the AFL not investigate Richmond about Terry Wallace's comments about the way he coached his team against St. Kilda? Collingwood 2005 anyone? Lots more? Let's also investigate the media's campaign against Melbourne and Schwab. Who leaked? How did the lie told about Mark Neeld and Aaron Davey get to see the light of day? These things might have dragged us into war with an ally. We need answers.

The opening paragraph which, of itself suggests that Melbourne is guilty as charged and the faux pas about the year in which the alleged tanking game took place, attests not only to her shoddy journalism but also to the malicious intent behind her article. It was reported recently that Junior told the inquiry there was no tanking. So what is she saying now? That he wasn't telling the truth to investigators? Like many clubs before it, Melbourne came into a game late in a season where nothing could be gained by winning or losing and shuffled its team around. Call it what you liked but the experiment would have produced a winning result but for the intervention of a 50 metre kick after the siren from a Richmond player. Unlike the 2007 fiasco in round 22 which the AFL continues to choose to ignore when Carlton players missed simple shots from 20 metres out and Travis Johnstone was prolific in his possession gathering and went all day untagged. Give me a break!

If this kid can come good and start playing regular football at AFL level, he could revolutionise our ruck and midfield set up.

The fact that it happens in a different sport which operates under different rules is totally irrelevant. The practice is calculated to manipulate and undermine the rules which the AFL put into place. Yet when someone made the suggestion last year that GWS could buy back its own mini draft pick the AFL knocked it on the head immediately. It warned Melbourne and the clubs that finished below it that a deal worked out over Jack Viney might be considered draft tampering. Yet this most obvious piece of manipulation is not only disregarded but Port Adelaide gets handsomely rewarded. It smacks of the AFL giving one of its basket cases a handout for fear that they will collapse if they don't get the help.

I'm having some trouble understanding the proposition that Moloney and Byrnes cancel each other out for the purposes of determining compensation under free agency. Shannon Byrnes was born 7 April, 1984 and is 175 cm 77 kg and has played 108 senior games. For the past two seasons, he's spent most of his time in the Cats' VFL team. He managed only 5 senior games in 2011 (47 disposals) while he played only 4 in 2012 (40). Brent Moloney had a stellar season in 2011 winning the club best and fairest and polling 19 Brownlow medal votes. He was born 28 January, 1984 and is 182 cm 88 kg. He has played 145 senior games (22 with the Cats). He featured in all 22 games in 2011 (509 disposals) and in 2012 he played 15 senior games (256), a fair result seeing that he was considered well down on form. He played only 4 games in the VFL but three were at the end of the year when it was clear that he most likely wouldn't stay on at the club. Remember, his manager made it clear earlier in the season that Moloney would pursue his free agency options at the end of the year. By what measure does the author of this piece come to the conclusion that their value is at par? Melbourne must not accept such a result. It would be a complete injustice.

Anything happening with this player. I'd be interested to see what happens with him.

The door for Goldsack remains slightly ajar because this article says he is finalising the contract - Goldsack set to stay a Pie. It's an outside chance but I'd be making a play for him ahead of Dawes or Wellingham.

... and so the idiot wind blows ... He makes the AFL look stupid with its two month long unfinished investigation based on the say so of this brainless imbecile who was set up by some mischief making ratings seekers on a television programme. Nobody on that show bothered to ask him whether his new club paid him more than his old club and whether that (and not the "experimentation") had anything to do with him leaving. They didn't bother to ask why someone of lofty principles who doesn't like the philosophy of "experimentation" ended up at Carlton. Neither did the AFL which somehow ignored the revelations in the Brendan Fevola book about "experimentation". Yeah, we know they investigated that thoroughly too. How long did that investigation take? Do they take seriously allegations from someone who twitters on about giving someone's mother AIDS? Really ... Idiots, all of them!

What sort of Micky Mouse competition is this SANFL? No clash jumpers?

Sports News First are all over the Roberts story Dale Roberts aims high

No Ratts ... No Rocket ... You must be the favourite for the job.

IIRC, Luke Ball was able to nominate his remuneration and, as a result he nominated front loaded terms which had been pre-arranged with Collingwood. Ball made himself unavailable for interviews with other clubs and his medicals were also off limits to everyone but the Pies. Ultimately, this made Ball a less appealing prospect to clubs that might otherwise have drafted him. Since the AFL allowed this to happen, it was not regarded as tampering with the draft and, in the end, Collingwood was able to pick Ball up with a second round selection after several clubs passed on him. My question therefore is whether a first year player is able to nominate his terms and, if so, could Viney and Melbourne agree to a front loaded contract for two years which would make it prohibitive for GWS or GCS to select him?

My money's on a very much changed AA selection panel in 2013.

This flies in the face of everything I've seen at the club and the things that Rude Boy, one of his mentors, has stated on this site. If what McAdam is reported to have said was actually stated by him on the programme, I trust that someone will be given a right of reply. It's a touchy subject, part of which remains subject to future court proceedings, but it sounds like McAdam has accepted rumour and innuendo to slam the MFC without considering Jurrah's conduct and what he's given to the club that employed him over the past 12 months.

I hear what you're saying LS but in the end, I'm not sure that we as a club can, in it's present state, compromise with best practices. If a player requires surgery then from the point of view of the forthcoming season then it's best that he gets it done and is right to start the preseason on time in October/November. Based on what we've been told, the coming preseason will be an important one in getting the list up to speed fitness wise as against the rest of the competition. If and when that happens, Casey will benefit from having better and stronger depth at the MFC and in the meantime, as WJ mentioned above, Brett Lovett is doing a great job with his young troops.

I think you've come up with something really novel there Tex. Instead of being his own man and attempting to mould a dysfunctional team with a list which failed to cut it against the leading teams in the competition, Neeld should revert to the methods of coaches and football philosophies that got us into this mess in the first place. If the football department holds the view that a particular player doesn't fit in with the style of play the coach is adopting, if he doesn't play or train hard enough, if he's lost interest or if he's just no good, let's keep him on the list for a decade or so and something might just happen!

Why do you beat your wife?

Not a big fan of Sheedy whose coaching at the end for the Bombers and this year with the Giants has been woeful but he won me over with his slagging off at that arrogant piece of crud Paul Roos. Check out this video on YouTube:

Here. Here. Well said.

From the MFC site: Jamar a chance to return Round 22 Melbourne injury list Mark Jamar (calf) - test Clint Bartram (knee) - season Jamie Bennell (knee) - season Mitch Clark (foot) - season Aaron Davey (foot) - season Max Gawn (knee) - season Stef Martin (foot) - season Cale Morton (shoulder) - season Ricky Petterd (Achilles) - season Rory Taggert (back) - season

I'm looking at the photograph on the back page of today's Herald Sun which shows a dejected looking Aaron Davey after the siren sounded to end the Sydney Swans v Melbourne game in 2009. That is not a picture of a man who is tanking.

What about the hypocrite Roos who, as coach of the Swans tanked all the way through every NAB Cup series while he was coach and openly flaunted the spirit of the competition? It was good enough for him to pick inferior sides and experiment with players for the long term good of his club, wasn't it?