It’s just to create discussion in a limited footy weekend
I remember having a grand final party when Collingwood played St Kilda. We had a great turnout and everyone had a terrific day, but then the game ended up in a draw.
I threw another grand final party the next week, and only two people turned up. Everyone was sick of it by then. I can’t imagine entertaining three of them.
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Just like st Kilda
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Old mate LETHERS really does land on his feet every time he’s ousted from a high paid executive job. Wish I could land cushy jobs like this…
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100,000 people turned up at the MCG.
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Why the hell would they publish that?
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You obviously don’t know the right people. Once you get in you are set for life
Old school tie and all that…
Dill, Lethers and BDB all move in the same circles…
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What about the extraordinary amount of money gill gave to the saints during the time lethlean was CEO. The club gill supports as well.
Finnis had to be accommodated for his support to AFL against the players in the Saga ( when he was AFLPA CEO).
He was appointed CEO of the Saints, Gil’s mate Simon got the Football Manager’s job.
With Gil’s departure, the Saints were able to get rid of both of them ( Finnis a little sooner, he landed a job with a so-called ethics body that the AFL outsourced to).
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THE AFL has broken its all-time crowd record for a single round of football, with more than 413,000 people attending the nine games in round one.
I guess opening round didn’t impact r1 crowds / enthusiasm.
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Thursday night games help bring the focus on another game during the week.
And allow for Fox Footy to run their all day of footy back to back stuff on Sunday. Just like the NFL do it.
I expect Essendon Hawthorn will be Saturday night next year Rd 1 (figure the heat suppressed the crowd a little on Saturday) and they’ll draw the pies against a Victoria side Friday night (saints or cats). 3 mcg crowds over 80k. Then draw eagles at home against someone they can beat, Norf, 55k. Ditto crows at home for 45k v gc. Swans at home v cats saints for another 45k. Dees v dogs 40k. Freo v gws in Perth for 45k. And bang new Rd 1 record.
Hamstring awareness is actually code for cocaine in the system.
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i hope bartlett takes all these ■■■■ bags down, but i fear he will be swept aside quicker than you can say “integrity unit”
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At Essendon hamstring awareness is a month. How much coke is in our players system?!?!
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I JUST WANT TO WATCH THE WORLD, and specifically the AwFuL, BURN.
I mean, this could cost the AFL hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
… but I also wouldn’t be surprised if this is never mentioned again, after one news cycle. BFY, TW.
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Read the last line…
A Melbourne Football Club doctor has sensationally admitted to conducting “off the books” illicit drug tests – allegedly authorised by the AFL – to help players evade detection on match days.
The doctor-turned-whistleblower says players who confessed to having taken drugs in the days before AFL games were given secret tests to ensure their systems were clear or were advised to “fake an injury” so they would not risk being tested and suspended for breaches of the World Anti-Doping Agency code.
Federal MP Andrew Wilkie told parliament on Tuesday night he had received a signed statement from former Demons head doctor Zeeshan Arain in which he accuses the AFL of facilitating the clandestine drug tests at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg.
Mr Wilkie called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to intervene in the scandal.
In a stunning address, Mr Wilkie said: “I rise to bring the house’s attention deeply troubling allegations of egregious misconduct within the AFL provided by former Melbourne football club president Glen Bartlett, former Melbourne football club doctor ZeeshanArain and Shaun Smith, father of Melbourne player and now alleged drug trafficker Joel Smith.
“The allegations include the prevalence of drug abuse and other prohibited behaviour across the AFL, off the books drug-testingof players at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg, facilitated by the former chief medical officer of the AFL Peter Harcourt, the resting of players testing positive in these secret tests, ostensibly on account of injury, wilful inaction by AFL chairman Richard Goyder, and former CEO Gill McLachlan ….
“Here is what happened as has been described to me: The AFL wants the player to play at all costs and so the cover up begins.
“If there are no illegal drugs in the player’s system they are free to play and if there are drugs in their system the player is often asked to fake an injury.
“They are advised to lie about a condition, while the results of the off-the-book tests are kept secret and are never shared with Sports Integrity Australia or WADA.
“In other words, hundreds of thousands of Australians will watch the game not knowing that the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL and thousands of Australians will bet on that game not knowing the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL.
“So next time you hear a player has a hamstring injury, you could be forgiven for wondering what is really going on.
“But as Dr Arain explains this isn’t just a Melbourne problem, it is an AFL problem with multiple players coming to Melbourne from other teams with pre-existing cocaine dependencies more than suggesting that drug testing workarounds are commonplace elsewhere in the AFL.
“The documents in my possession also indicate a shocking unwillingness of senior AFL executives to address drug abuse by players and executives, particularly in relation to cocaine use.
“For instance here are very detailed notes of a telephone meeting between Gill McLachlan, Richard Goyder and Glen Bartlett.”
The AFL has a longstanding contract with Dorevitch Pathology to conduct testing for its controversial out-of-competition illicit drugs code.
Match day drug tests are conducted by SIA officers under the world anti-doping code.
The stunning claims are likely to draw the interest of WADA chiefs, SIA and the Albanese Government, which has responsibilities under the global anti-doping code.
Mr Wilkie said the allegations were deeply troubling and called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to review the signed statements and “personally intervene in this matter”.
“It is not an exaggeration to say the off-the-books testing scheme I’ve described sees the AFL effectively involved in a multi-hundred million dollar fraud on governments and taxpayers.
“Aussie Rules football is far too important to our nation. I call for intervention at the highest level and ask the PrimeMinister to personally intervene in this matter … because right now Deputy Speaker the term white line fever has taken on a different and sinister meaning at the AFL.”
Joel Smith failed an anti-doping drugs test last August after traces of cocaine were detected in his system from a urine sample taken by SIA testers on match-day.
He has since been accused by SIA of cocaine trafficking and faces a lifetime ban from sport.
In Shaun Smith’s statement, detailed by Mr Wilkie, he said: “If I had known of a massive drug problem in the AFL when my son was 14 I would have said you’re playing baseball, you’re playing something else.
“Something is not right when you get so many broken players.”
Cocaine is considered to be a performance-enhancing substance if detected on game day.
Dr Arain was sacked by the Demons in October 2020 after eight years as head doctor – just days after raising serious concerns about the club’s culture with chief executive Gary Pert.
Lawyers for Dr Arain hit the club with an unlawful dismissal claim, which led to a significant settlement. Dr Harcourt, an AFL life member who became embroiled in the Essendon drugs scandal, stepped down as the league’s chief medical officer in October 2021.
The AFL and Melbourne are being contacted for comment.
The government Tuesday night blocked attempts by Mr Wilkie to formally table the signed statements to parliament.
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Shows yet again that the AwFL is the most powerful organization in the country. Everyone else can come under criticism and be replaced. The AwFL just sweeps ■■■■ under the carpet and keeps rolling over its victims and moving on.