AFL Season 2018

[Darwi]

Actually our draw ended up not too bad. I guess the AFL gave up after we won back to back despite their attempts to throw the kitchen sink at us in 2013-4.

Port have a tough start, which won't suit them (it may blunt their early advantage of speed and fitness).

Richmond and Freo with the draws of no excuse... No it that a soft draw helped the Tiges at all this year.

[Ambrose Burnside]

Eagles travel to Tassie, Darwin, Gold Coast AND Brisbane

[Peppermint Lounge]

Essendon's draw is more noteworthy for being the only normal piece of football news to emanate from the place in recent months than its toughness.

[Raven]

So who would you go for? Petracca or McCartin?

Being a Saints man, I'd be happy with either, but I'm leaning towards Petracca without any further knowledge other than hearing the description of him as a "once in a generation" player. Don't want to miss the next Judd (like last time).

Then, next year, we throw everything at a blue chip tall from GWS. That's what I'm hoping the plan is, anyway.

[Ambrose Burnside]

If the Eagles had first pick than Petracca in a heart beat. Best midfielder in the draft and despite boasting the reigning Brownlow medallist ( ) our midfield is by far our Achilles heel.

Pick 11. From what I've been reading the Eagles first choice would be Jarrod Pickett:

However, most think he'll be gone by Pick 11 so I've been hearing the Eagles back-up plan is Nakia Cockatoo. Cockatoo is a much bigger risk. Been injured most of the year but then put in a stunning performance in the Grand Final curtain-raiser:

http://bigpondvideo.com/AFL/697013/draf ... -cockatoo/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I wouldn't mind taking the risk with Cockatoo based purely on that footage. The problem is, that's pretty much the only footage of him.

[Peppermint Lounge]

Mark Thompson will not be at EFC in 2015.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2014- ... k-thompson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Darwi]

I find it bizarre that EFC would throw out Thompson... but protect Hird.

Weird choice.

But anyway, now that ASADA has issued show cause notices and the ADVRP has placed the players on the register of findings... we can finally look forward to the infraction notices (due by Monday?) and the tribunal finally sitting down to consider the evidence against the players.

Two years down the track!

Wouldn't it be ironic if Essendon had of spent all this time and $$$ for the tribunal and CAS to look at ASADA's evidence and go... "really?, is that all".

[guttermouth]

Good Riddance to this cunt!!! Piece of shit tarnished our game

STEPHEN Dank is set to face an AFL tribunal on serious doping charges that could lead to a life ban from professional sport in Australia.

The Australian reports Dank, the sports scientists accused of orchestrating the systematic use of a banned peptide by Essendon players in 2012, has also been placed on the Register.

ASADA alleges Dank injected banned peptide Thymson Beta 4 into the stomachs of Essendon players in his Windy Hill office.

He is also accused of breaching anti-doping laws by injecting an administrator with another banned peptide, Hexarelin, and providing the drug to another coach to self-administer.

Fuck!! Kerr has gone off the rails, smashed up someone's house, doused the place in petrol and threatened to burn the place down along with the people inside.......those Eagles boys still like to party hard...

[Darwi]

The Eagles of that era were certainly a different kettle of fish. I wonder how long it takes to re-establish a culture at a Club?

As for Dank... he was always going to be 'called' by the AFL tribunal. Everyone knows he wont show... but the AFL needs to go through the process before they throw the book at him.

What is telling, however, is that the EFC/players aren't calling him as a witness as part of their defense. You would think if they were not-guilty, then the one person who could come in and clear up this whole mess was Dank.

Hmmm.

[guttermouth]

Good point on that, never thought of that.

[Ambrose Burnside]

Matt Priddis has signed up until the end of 2016, and LUKE SHUEY UNTIL THE END OF 2018

[Ambrose Burnside]

DRAAAAAAAAAAFT DAY!!!

[Darwi]

Two month AAAAAAAAAnniversary of the premiership!

Sorry, but our first pick tonight is #31...

[Ambrose Burnside]

Pick 11 - Liam Duggan

Left-footed medium midfielder/defender with excellent decision-making skills. Uses the ball well and poised under pressure. Finished equal-seventh in the 3km time trial in a time of 10:11 and registered 26/30 in the kicking test at the NAB AFL Draft Combine. Finished the home and away season for the Western Jets with 30 disposals and 12 tackles against Gippsland Power, and averaged 15 disposals at 76 per cent efficiency in five games in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Won the Ben Mitchell Medal in the NAB AFL Academy Level 2 squad.

Pick 32 - Tom Lamb

Tall forward/midfielder with elite endurance, excellent goal sense, footy nous and strong hands overhead. Showcased running power at the NAB AFL Draft Combine, finishing second in the 3km time trial with a time of 9:45 and third in the beep test with 15.5. Averaged 14.8 disposals with 50 per cent contested in five matches in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Member of NAB AFL Academy Level 2 squad. Father Wayne played with Melbourne and Fitzroy.

Pick 51 - Jackson Nelson

Medium defender/midfielder with excellent game sense. Quick and uses ball well by hand and foot. Contributed in his six NAB AFL Under-18 Championships matches for Vic Country, averaging 12 disposals and four tackles at 67 per cent efficiency. Averaged 20 touches in 12 games at TAC Cup level for Geelong Falcons. Member of NAB AFL Academy Level 2 squad.

Pick 66 - Damien Cavka

Elite endurance player with the capacity to run all day. Can play variety of roles, including shutting down opponents through the midfield, as well as rebounding from half-back. Shows excellent character and work ethic. Performed well at NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, averaging 18 possessions, seven tackles, five marks and three clearances at 70 per cent efficiency in four matches. Averaged 23 possessions in 11 games and kicked 17 goals for Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup.

Pick 76 - Alec Waterman

The son of West Coast dual premiership player Chris Waterman has already secured a spot on the Eagles list next year with the club committing to using their final pick in the draft to select him as a father/son recruit. Prolific inside midfielder who is a good user and a good decision-maker with ball in hand. The left footer is capable of pushing forward as well and had a consistent season with Claremont's colts side.

[Vince]

Not long now till the season begins. I'm even really excited for the nab challenge or whatever it's called! Any footy is good footy!

Pretty optimistic about the Blues this season. Been pretty hard hit with injuries and unfortunately we needed a full team to do any damage. So far we basically have a full squad to pick from. Mick Shithouse has pissed off the layers of shit to slowly come out with a team that might (one day) achieve something. Still think it might be a 3-4 horse race this year between Hawks/swans/dockers/power but at this point of the pre season it's anyone's premiership to take!

[Darwi]

Yep... Can't wait.

Think it's a two horse race... Hawks and Power.

Swans and Dockers hanging on courtesy of disciplined game plans... But hopefully the beauty of the attacking teams holds out.

[Ambrose Burnside]

Hoping our end of season form isn't a false dawn like our 4/5 win end to 2009 (followed by wooden spoon in 2010).

Should win more games this year based purely not not playing three ruckmen.

Great backline and forward line. Need the midfield to stand up. The opposite issue to the mid-2000s team

[guttermouth]

Just pissed off Foxtel this week. Not missing it at all. Come footy season might be a different story, but I will never go back.

[Darwi]

My early ladder for 2015.

1. Hawks - getting older, but have recruited beautifully (Frawley and O'Rourke) plus get a couple of players back from long term injuries (Whitecross, Anderson). Draw a bit softer than last year as well. Surely couldn't have as many injuries as last year.

2. Power - should improve... but will be up against a tougher draw and opponents who will have prepared for their speedy chaos tinted game plan. I'm also not sure that Ryder improves them (their game plan doesn't suit traditional lead up forwards and playing two ruckmen will take away the extra runner off the bench).

3. Swans - will struggle a bit. Losing Malceski from across half-back is a big blow. Talent is a bit top heavy. But disciplined game plan and significant home ground advantage should see them finish well inside the top four. A lot will depend on the psychology of their outside runners... they were brutally exposed by Hawthorn's targeted aggression in the Grand Final.

4. Dockers - on the slide and probably too reliant on the old guard... but like Sydney have the game plan and home ground advantage that puts them in the box seat for a well ranked finish. Will need games at Subiaco to go deep into September.

5. Kangaroos - just don't quite get it. They have the talent to beat anyone, but not the capacity to back it up week after week (and September is all about backing up). Either their game plan is not sustainable (ie, too exhausting to implement two games in a row) - or it is too reliant on a couple of vital cogs. Their recruiting of older 'discards' smacks of desperation.

6. Suns - the big improvers. Will be knocking on the door of the top four for part of the year. If Ablett stays fit they could

7. Cats - will finally slide after an epic era of consistent brutally talented footy. I know I've been predicting this for a while... but the one thing that kept them in the loop was their outside run (particularly against the Hawks). Losing Varcoe and Christianson takes away that advantage in the short term. They have some young talent on their list... but they are still a few years away from being able to cover if their big guns are taken out.

8. Tigers - the perennial tease. I think they are improving in terms of coaching and on-field structures... they just don't have the foot skills to take their game to the next level.

9. Eagles - just a bit meh. Treading water?

10. Giants - slowly improving. Won't curve upwards as quick as the Suns as they have invested more in youth than established players from other clubs. Will be dangerous in three or four years time.

11. Lions - actually look fairly handy. Need some key forwards to emerge before they can truly start climbing back up the ladder.

12. Blues - I still look at their list and see nothing in terms of structure or planning. They have no aerial capacity in defense, their midfield is pretty much one way with average kicking skills, and their forward line is stagnant (recycled ruckmen only get you so far). I get the feeling that once the playing group lose confidence in Malthouse's long term planning that it will fall apart very quickly.

13. Magpies - on the slide. Buckley needs to start a major rebuild.

14. Crows - the playing list looks to have fractured.

15. Bulldogs - youth, pace and enthusiasm will only take you so far.

16. Demons - Sorry, Roos is not the messiah. Their list is woeful - but at least they are well coached rabble now.

17. Saints - just horrible. Can't see them being around in 10 years.

18. Bombers - ASADA.

[Ambrose Burnside]

My rough and ready attempt at a best 22:

B: Ellis Mackenzie Waters
HB: Hurn (c) Brown Bennell
C: Rosa Priddis Gaff
HF: LeCras Kennedy Masten
FF: Darling McGovern Cripps

R: Naitanui Shuey Yeo

IC: Lycett Selwood Hutchings
Sub: Hill

We have a lot of players drafted over the last couple of years that haven't stepped up. Since the 2010 super draft (Gaff, Darling, Lycett, McGovern), and excluding the most recent draftees, we haven't seen much of: Colledge, McInnis, Barrass, Karpany, Main, Tunbridge or Newman (a year in prison doesn't help ). Whether this is because they're all long-term prospects (who would have predicted McGovern would have a season like he did after showing very little prior to 2014?) or poor drafting I don't know yet. But this will be Simpson's second year in charge so will be make or break for a LOT of players. I rate Simpson as a coach and like what he's trying to achieve. I got so frustrated watching us play decent footy for a half or three quarters only to panic and revert to the Woosha 'bomb it long and hope' style. If we can eliminate that element from our game we'll do well.

[guttermouth]

So what now for Hird??

Appeal failed and has to pay ASADAs massive court bill. Didn't bother turning up to the hearing, to busy in the US....

And now the bombers are threating to boycott the pre-season games if the players charges are not back dated....WTF!!! Not turning up to pre-season games isn't a first for them..

Man I want the season to start now!!! Missing my footy.

[Darwi]

I think that's the end of the line for Hird. He's already sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into his legal proceedings (millions if you count Little and EFC as well)... and even if he wanted to take this to the High Court - it costs a lot and takes up to six months just to apply, let alone have the case heard... and by then the ASADA case will have finished and the resulting dirty washing aired for all to see.

Besides... that is now four judges who have summarily dismissed EVERY one of the points of their case.

(And by the way... I still think it would be hilarious if ASADA fail to nail the case and everyone gets off scott-free in spite of the $$$ spent by Hird/EFC et al to suppress the inquiry).

Rumours on the footy site (I think originating from a Blues supporter on BigFooty - so take it with a grain of salt) that one or more of the ex-Bombers who are now playing elsewhere have pleaded guilty at the tribunal to knowingly being injected with TB4 AND saying that everyone else was too.

As for the boycott of the preseason? Not a smart move by Essendon... I was under the impression that any penalties could only be backdated if they were 'suspended' pending the result of the tribunal. If they seek exemption and get approval to play (which the AFL has the right to do)... then they can only be backdated to the last game they played?

But yes... bring on the footy. Only 64 days for Hawks Round 1... and I've decided that this year I can be a real smarmy prick about supporting Hawthorn into the three-peat. After all, it's merely another step into their destiny of FOUR IN A ROW.

[Vince]

I think that's the end of the line for Hird. He's already sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into his legal proceedings (millions if you count Little and EFC as well)... and even if he wanted to take this to the High Court - it costs a lot and takes up to six months just to apply, let alone have the case heard... and by then the ASADA case will have finished and the resulting dirty washing aired for all to see.

Besides... that is now four judges who have summarily dismissed EVERY one of the points of their case.

(And by the way... I still think it would be hilarious if ASADA fail to nail the case and everyone gets off scott-free in spite of the $$$ spent by Hird/EFC et al to suppress the inquiry).

Rumours on the footy site (I think originating from a Blues supporter on BigFooty - so take it with a grain of salt) that one or more of the ex-Bombers who are now playing elsewhere have pleaded guilty at the tribunal to knowingly being injected with TB4 AND saying that everyone else was too.

As for the boycott of the preseason? Not a smart move by Essendon... I was under the impression that any penalties could only be backdated if they were 'suspended' pending the result of the tribunal. If they seek exemption and get approval to play (which the AFL has the right to do)... then they can only be backdated to the last game they played?

But yes... bring on the footy. Only 64 days for Hawks Round 1... and I've decided that this year I can be a real smarmy prick about supporting Hawthorn into the three-peat. After all, it's merely another step into their destiny of FOUR IN A ROW.

Don't know why you'd take what a blues supporter would say with a grain of salt cause he's a blues fan...? Anyway, what exactly was said Darwi? It's been removed from Bay 13 now... Just super curious!

[Darwi]

I found a copy of one of his posts...

Originally Posted by Go_Blues!, post: 36925979, member: 32196
What do you want me to expand on. My post is pretty self explanatory. It is not from the interim report. It is clear evidence that an Essondon player admits to taking TB4 and he witnessed other players doing the same. The player in question, I believe, was under the impression that TB4 was not banned at the time he took it. The point is, that it would seem that players lied to ASADA. Yes, they did not know it was banned but they still lied. This in itself is not a game changer but it does point to some pretty insidious stuff going on at Essendon. In addition, there are a whole host of financial entries that Essendon did not conceal, that correlate to Alavi's own financial records some of which include banned substances including, but not limited to TB4. I do not think that Essonden are screwed but they do have some explaining to do. From what I can tell, there were at least 14 different orders of peptides to Essendon. Many of them may have been legal but it does seem that at least 8 different orders contained TB4.

The general follow up / thread vibe seems to indicate he's a reliable poster (despite being a Blues supporter!).

I also get the feeling that the tide has finally turned on Hird. A lot of Essendon supporters I've spoken to have finally twigged that he's the problem and want him gone.

Hird's recent quotes in the Age pretty much sums it all up...

But I felt very strongly about the fact that our players weren't given the right to go through a lawful investigation.

"This was not about suppressing evidence, this was not about trying to get the players off on a technicality.

"It was about trying to get the players a fair, I suppose, system.

"We were forced to go in and give evidence... and we weren't provided with the confidentiality that one would expect."

Um... yes, it was all about surpressing the evidence!

[Vince]

Go blues supporter!!! Wow, if that is indeed true (plus the other stuff I've read on a demon land forum) the Bombers are in seriously huge trouble. I guess we will find out sooner or later but I just can't wait till it's all over. I'm honestly sick and tired of Hird's bullshit. From day 1 after he said he'd take full responsibility for it all, he's denied everything. He's not only ruined what was once a very proud club, but he's gone a long way to fucking up our great game, possibly forever. Nice legacy he will leave as his shithouse time as coach.