Neuvo Classicos

[Captain_Jack]

The thought that people are talking a Carlisle trade is doing my head in.
And that‘s before I think that we‘re 7 rounds into the season, and have not had our full compliment of talls available at any time this year.
Let‘s look at this whole trade thing a bit more shall we.
There has been no evidence that GWS would even be vaguely looking at trading Boyd.  He‘s a 2nd year KP forward with 5 games under his belt.  He‘s about where GWS would expect him to be.  They invested pick #1 in him.  My feeling is that as a junior he was more highly rated than Patton, and Patton has since had a knee reco.  There‘s also talk that Patton may not fit the group that well.
So maybe it‘s Patton up for trade.  Let‘s think about that for a second.  He‘s 21 this month, with 17 games and one knee reco behind him. He‘s a year older than Joe Daniher, but at pretty much the same point in his career, having played a similar number of games and generating similar numbers this year.  Carlisle is 1.5 years older, but at a similar point in his development as a forward.  He‘s also generated similar numbers to Daniher and Patton this year, although his output has fallen away in the last month.
So what is the ‘upside‘ to a Carlisle-Patton trade?  The talk centres on getting a ‘genuine forward‘. 
Unfortunately the difference between being a 200cm forward at U18 level compared to a 200cm forward at AFL senior level is significant.   There has barely been a key position forward in the history of the drafting system to come out of the U18 ranks and translate that to being a key position forward at senior level  (Riewoldt probably the best, but it was in his second year, after missing his first with injury).
Even the best U18 forwards have to learn a completely different game in the AFL.  Being big and mobile and a good mark and a good shot at goal is a pretty good start at U18 level.  At senior level you need all of that at an elevated level (you need to be bigger and quicker and a better mark), but you then need all the rest.  Understanding and implementing game plans, being able to provide a defensive threat, knowing when to act as the decoy, or when and where to lead to provide space for your teammates. You need all of these and then some to be successful as a key position forward in the AFL.  (and we could spend hours trying to work out what a ‘successful KP forward‘ is in itself, so you need to average 3 goals a game?  How about being a key component of a functioning forward line even if you barely get a touch?)
So even if we get Patton, how his abilities translate into a key position forward career is completely unknown at this stage.  Like Carlisle he‘s tall and can take a grab and has occasionally looked like he could become a dangerous forward presence, but I am not sure whether anyone could confidently say that he‘s definitely going to end up a better AFL key position forward than Carlisle at this stage.
So how about the downside?
Well at worst with Carlisle you know he‘s going to be able to play key position defence to a very high level.  You have no idea as to whether Patton will be able to do that if it doesn‘t work out in the forward line.  You also risk upsetting group morale, if you‘re trading someone out based on him not performing in a position that he doesn‘t want to play.  You‘re also running the risk that Patton‘s knee/s don‘t hold up.  (There‘s nothing to say that Carlisle won‘t get injuries (he‘s an Essendon player after all), but Patton has already done a knee, and in a fairly innocuous manner is my understanding, so that has to be a risk.)
So by my reckoning there‘s significantly more potential downside than upside to a trade.
And yet if we wanted ‘steak knives‘ with such a trade I reckon the perception would be that we‘d be being difficult to deal with.
I can‘t see how a Carlisle trade for anyone is anything other than bad for the club.  A Patton or Boyd seems the most appealing to fans, but involves significant risk, for little potential gain (the probability that you have a gun key forward is barely increased at all).  Guys with more exposed form are generally older than Carlisle, and will command significantly more $$  (and I can‘t even work out who would be a potential candidate), and would likely be untradeable.
Back Carlisle in.  A month ago he was one of the best young talls in the comp.  If he doesn‘t work out as a forward then look at getting someone else, but don‘t throw out Carlisle when you do that.  Just send Carlisle to CHB and fill the spots around Joe with the players needed to make the forward line work.  They don‘t need to be out and out guns, because Joe will be that (hopefully).  They just need to be able to play a role.  Plenty of sides have won flags in the last decade with roleplayers in the forward half (guys like Hale and Dawes and Q Lynch etc etc).  Get the structure right, recruit wisely without selling the farm, and sit back and enjoy the rewards.  Trading Carlisle would constitute selling the farm.
 

The best post yet from the 'the hurley/carlisle swap' thread in The Hangar. A long post but worth reading every word of it. 

[Captain_Jack]

A balanced and well written post from the 'Zaharakis... the new Stanton,' thread in The Hangar. 

 

Nifty Nev, on 09 May 2014 - 5:03 PM, said:

Great post.

 

davethedon, on 09 May 2014 - 08:35 AM, said:

I agree that we overrate our players a tad, but we also attack them when out of form a tad too much. "Blitz bipolar", I'd call it.

Zaka is down a bit on form, no doubt, but he's not wildly out of form, and I don't think he's remotely close to being dropped, like some have called for. He's had good patches, but also quet times, and contests where you'd have liked him to come away with it and he just hasn't quite, but he certainly could hit the scoreboard a bit more, although you've also got to remember that he's playing much more midfield than small forward, which he did much more of early days. I just wonder whether his increased time in the midfield hasn't quite seen him settle into the hard running such that he can cover enough ground as you need to and still have that bit of burst when you need it.
Anyway given that we agree he's at least somewhat out of form, here's a few midly intersting things:
This year his disposal average is within 1.1 per game of any year of Patrick Dangerfield's career bar one year, and at a significantly higher effective disposal rate than any year of Dangerfield's career. Now, I would rather one of Dangerfield's burst-clear-bounce-and-goal possessions than 4 short handballs or chip kicks, but if getting any such touches at AFL level was so easy, a prodigious talent like Dangerfield would surely be getting Ablett numbers every game, wouldn't he....... well he's not, actually. He (Zaka) is averaging 3.5 tackles per game this year - to Dangerfield's 4.1 (this is the first year ever Dangerfield has exceeded 3.5 tackles/game, he's mostly been about half a tackle per game behind Zaka's 2014 so far). Zaka's also comfortably ahead of Ryan Griffin, Sam Mitchell and Luke hodge in tackles per game so far this year, and marginally behind Cotchin, Hocking and Watson. (I suppose on that basis Jharper would giggle at Hodge or Sam Mitchell being asked about tackling players?) All those guys are all well behind the likes Selwood and Pendlebury who are routinely up around 5-6 tackles per game, or Benny Howlett. No doubt there are some other stats that would be less flattering this year if you cherry picked compared to some other players - like goals per game, etc, but at least a few of those numbers give a little perspective.
So yeah, I'll agree he is not where we want him to be, but suggesting he is so badly out of form that he ought to be dropped, or that he's no more than a competent AFL player (he's already played about twice as many games as the "average" player drafted into AFL plays in a careeer, including some pretty handy ones, and I for one just suspect he's got a few more pretty good ones in him) is just silly. For one, I'll be urging him on and hoping he does enough to make that A-grade status that he's not yet at, but I sure won't be taking pot shots at him for just being better than most and at least rubbing shoulders with the elite.
There's little point in wearing rose-tinted glasses, but black-dark isn't the only alternative.

 

[Captain_Jack]

Sometimes it isn't a single post, but a whole thread that becomes a classic. Such is the case here with with was already a fan favourite and is sure to please for years to come. From The Hangar, the animated gif thread.

http://bomberblitz.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1328-best-essendon-gifs/

[Captain_Jack]

From the "

Well done - Non-Racist Essendon Supporters!" thread in The Hangar, two high quality posts, that address the issue of abuse, in two very different ways. Thanks to both Blitzers involved here. 

 

 

I was the one who started all this in the now locked thread, Racist Essendon supporters.
Since I wrote that message in the early hours of Saturday morning, I cannot believe the reaction that my comments have elicited.
As you would have seen in my original post, I was appalled by what an Essendon supporter yelled at Adam Goodes. Since then I have been appalled by some of the remarks made about my original post and in this thread.
Let me point out a few basic points.
It was me, not Adam Goodes that reportedd a supporter to the Etihad security staff. Adam Goodes could not have heard what was being heard on Level in the High Mark area. He was busy playing a game of footy.
Those staff shared my indignation and reacted appropriately.
Then I was contacted by the Club through this website. (Do not believe that the EFC don't watch this site, they do. The Club asked me about the details of what I had posted and I verified them.
On Monday I received a phone call from my brother who was at the game with me. He heard what was said and I told him that I had reported the guy to security. He was alerting me to the AFL website that was reporting that an Essendon member had had his membership cancelled. I checked efc.com.au and saw that it was there too as well as all the news websites.
I told a few people at work what I had done and they were very supportive of my action. Wernt to my local pub that night and the boys were not so sure. At this stage I was feeling somewhat confused. One guy (of Italian background) asked me if I had ever been subjected to racism. I replied 'no' being a white Anglo Celtic. He added that i should not be precious.
I was puzzled by his comments as he seemed to be implying that I should not stand up for any one who was a victim of racism. I didn't get it. I has to be a 'wog' to understand.
Later that evening I received a PM through this site from somebody who purported to work for the EFC. The name meant nothing to me but I left my contact details with him and said that I would be happy to co operate with any investigation of the matter. He thanked me and said he would get back to me.
I also received a PM from a Herald Sun journalist asking me to go on the record as my post seemed to indicate a different position in the ground from where a supporter was ejected. I replied to him that the matter was getting out of hand and that i did not wish to add fuel to the fire. He persisted but I politely told him to desist.
Now some six days later I am profoundly disappointed. some of the racist tripe I have read in this thread and the original made my blood boil. Referring to an indigenous person as some sort of ape is racist. Blamimg the victim is atrocious.
Some one once said "When good men do nothing, evil triumphs."
I am convinced what I did was the right thing and I sleep well at night but I do worry about some of my my fellow Essendon supporters that think that casual racism is acceptable. It is not. It never will be.
This has been a difficult week for me. I am moving house, my daughter's education in jeopardy because of this government. I thought I would have got unanimity on the racist issue,but I was wrong. And as a result iam saddened.

 

And in the current parlance of BBlitz, the following post by represents a set of free steak knives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How much do AFL umpires make? What are their contracts like?
 
I think some NRL ref's are paid well over half a million per year, which is more than most players.
 
Anyone know what AFL umps get paid these days? If a bloke is getting booed when he's volunteering that sucks, but if he's being paid 10k a week to attend meetings, stay relatively fit and umpire for a few hours then he sould expect to cop some flak when he's ruining a good game of footy.

Do you want to explain the distinction to a 5 year old child? Would it go something like "look it's ok to boo the umpire at the MCG because he gets paid well but we can't boo the umpire at the under 12s because he is volunteer" ummmmmm OK "And Dad if I boo the umpy for making a mistake at the G does that mean I have to boo zaharakis if he kicks a point instead of a goal coz he gets paid a shitload"

 
Well Ok, firstly, I'm not responsible for raising your kid, and there's certain places where you have to make a call about whether you take your kids. Pubs, Kings Cross, Rock Concerts, Skate Parks, Footy, the Circus, the beach, etc, where you can't guarantee the behaviour of others.
 
Secondly, if someone is a cheat (umpire or player), a rapist, or some kind of terrible injustice has just occurred, I don't see anything wrong with booing. At all. That goes for under 12 games as well.
 
This is all hypothetical because  Ive never been to an under 12's game, and I rarely boo except in the case of extreme anger. I'll actually golf clap a good goal by our opposition.
 
As for booing your own player, that's just silly, because you want to encourage him. In the case of the umps you want them to fark off and get another job. They are the face of the AFL at games, and we suspect complicit in their corruption.
 
How can you suggest the exorbidant amounts of money they get paid shouldn't open them up to public scrutiny?

Ummm did you really just say that you should have to make a call about whether you take your kids to the footy?
That's game over.

 
If you're so precious that you want to protect your children's ears from a boo, let alone such choice language as '■■■■■■■,' then you absolutely have to make a call on whether to go to the footy.
 
How on earth you'd have survived Windy Hill in the seventies and eighties without falling into a dead faint from shock I have no idea.

Lolz. You misunderstand. I'm not pro or anti booing ...I don't do it myself but that's my choice.
What concerns me is the correlation between those that say ' I pay my money and I can say what I want' with those that think it's fine to yell abuse at umpires and players at junior level. I'm not sure where the line is and how one is OK and the other reprehensible.

 

Well I told you the line has a lot to do with volunteers vs highly paid chumps.

 

Grass roots footy that your kids play in isn't entertainment on a grand scale, it's a sport played for fitness and fun, and essentially run by volunteers.

 

When you go to the G you pay a lot of money for entertainment, for theatre. Thats actually how The AFL advertise the game to us these days. Ideally (for the AFL) we pay $50 or more for a ticket, we spend $100's on merchandise, we fly insterstate for a blockbuster clash that they would like us to purchase on video at a later date. They'd like us to gamble money on the games too.

 

It IS theatre and entertainment, and sometimes there are bad guys, and they get booed or even sworn at. Is it okay to boo at the WWE wrestling?

 

You do realise that the TV rights to AFL is a huge deal, right? And no one cares who wins the under 12's?

 

Then tell me why 14 and 15 yr old umpires who are learning their craft at U11 matches that I go to get abused routinely? Because it's normalised at the Big Show. I'm not a saint on this as I have booed umpires in the past, and understand that frustration, but I no longer do, well nearly always I am able to keep it under control. I know they make terrible mistakes, but I've also walked a tiny bit in their shoes. If you've ever umpired a game when you didn't really want to (I got roped in when I had a shoulder injury once during my playing days), then you'd understand how impossible it is to make every call "right". I remember making calls and immediately second-guessing them. Then putting away the whistle and letting obvious ones go by and instantly regretting that. It is ■■■■■■ hard work.

 

I've also started coaching at a junior level, and I can tell you, when kids hear parents or coaches complaining about the umpiring, they take that licence to do it, and they forget a little about what they are meant to be doing - concentrating on the pill. And as a coach, if you start watching what the umpires are doing rather than what your players are doing, you are also getting distracted. And remember, the umpires they are abusing are often doing their first or second or fifth game - they all have to go through that stage - takes a lot of guts when you think about it (and no I'm not one and nor is anyone I know directly).

 

Hate them as much as you want, but the umpire(s) is/are the most important people on the field. take two or three people out in any other role on game day, and the game will be able to go on. Take out the umpires and nothing is going to happen. They make mistakes, especially the learning kids, but even at the high level.  But the abuse takes its toll. Kevin Smith came to the coach's course I attended and explained that over a certain period in suburban football some 600 umpires had been recruited, and of those, over 400 had given it away, mostly because of the abuse. The ones that are left are the toughest ones, not necesssarily the best ones, and that's a shame.

 

These days, I try really hard to be quiet about umpiring, and not to lead my 11 yo son into some twisted conspiracy theory about what is really just inevitable human error. The trap with a kid is they will start blaming someone else for everything about losing including when they don't do what they are meant to in playing the game. Sure we all get caught up in injustices - you reckon the other side isn't thinking the same, about the same game? We got a very rough deal against Sydney, but it wasn't nearly the difference. And in other games we get a good run. I'm often shocked when I think we've gone not so well with the umpires, and when I check the free kick tally it's often much more even than I'd have guessed.

 

At the coach's course I did, Kevin Smith relayed a story about some coach who had the attitude that he most admired. Asked for feedback on how he had thought the umpires had gone, this coach replied,"mate, I have no idea at all, I was too busy looking at what my players were doing". I try and take that approach, whether coaching or watching the Bombers. I'll still stamp my feet or grunt if I think we get a rough one, but I'm trying very hard not to let that turn into abuse, especially that my son can see.

 

Call that high horse or whatever you like, but I just think it's trying to be objective, and fair to another human being who despite their undoubted faults is helping keep the show going for us all. Isn't that the attitude we're hoping others will take with our players through this asada crap? Try imagine that the umpire is your nephew or whatever, and what you would then think about what they cop.

 

I understand the theatre element, and I used to hang out on the terraces at windy hill among the toothless and beer-stinking and cigarette hazed masses, with spit flying at every roar. And in those days I loved every bit of it. But I'm no longer so sure it's as harmless and all-in-good-fun as I once thought it was. Mainly, I don't want my son to turn into a twisted loser.

 

Actually we better make it 3 high quality posts now ...

 

(I understand that this has moved beyond what happened on Friday and has now become a bigger issue about EFC supporters' reputation in the media, but I think that's a distraction from the real issue, which is Essendon members racially abusing an opposition player. I'm going to ignore how the media treats us, because we have no control over that and you'll never manage to convince the media to be completely accurate or impartial even half of the time.)

 

I spoke to police both on Friday night and again on Monday morning, and I also spoke to that journalist (Tom Minear), and after doing a little bit of research this is what I've found:

 

- There were at least two, and possibly up to four, incidences of EFC supporters racially abusing Adam Goodes which were brought to Etihad Stadium security's attention. The two we're absolutely certain of (because Blitz members were the ones complaining) occurred on level one in the EFC reserved seating area, and on level two in the High Mark members' area.

 

- According to Etihad Stadium management, all were investigated but only one man was evicted ("a 48-year-old Boronia man"). Victoria Police took a statement from me, took my contact details (and those of two witnesses from the row in front of me) and informed me that the guy on level one was evicted, fined, and his details were passed onto the club to deal with his membership. So if that's the case, the guy that Balking Heads reported was not evicted, nor was his membership revoked. And that's to say nothing of the other two incidents which may have occurred.

 

So while I'm glad that one racist Essendon supporter has had their membership revoked, there's at least one other EFC member who racially abused Adam Goodes and didn't lose their membership. I applaud the club's swift response to this issue (especially now with the #efcrespect video), but I'm concerned that they haven't fully investigated what happened on Friday.

 

Again, this may only result in us being labelled racist in the media all over again, but I'm content to know that it was EFC members who stood up against racism, even if the media ignores that angle. I'd rather the club revoke two memberships and deal with the fallout again, than have a horrible, racist fan allowed to don the sash and enter games as an Essendon member.

 

[Captain_Jack]

 

So, if the club orders pizza for the players, does that need to be included in the salary cap?

 

is it morally wrong to order pizza? what about if it is from domino's? what if hird say's no anchovies for Hepp's pizza because he doesn't like em but domino's puts them on anyway and neither Hepp nor Hirdy notice? What if the club keeps a record of the pizza they asked domino's to provide but doesn't record that hepp's pizza had anchovies? What if Hepp did notice and picked the anchovies off but didn't tell anyone? what if wally snuck an extra pizza on to the order and took it home for dinner with the fam but the club didn't realise straight away and paid the domino's driver in full? what if later, some smart bean counter with a photographic memory notices we paid for 30 pizzas but recalls we only got 29? what if wally fesses up and pays the club back but reveals he asked domino's to put achnovies on hepp's pizza and he may or may not have picked em off before he gave it to Hepp? what if dr reid wrote a letter to the board saying domino's farken sucks can i please be put in charge of the pizza order but wally (who enjoys his pizza ordering responsibilities) made sure the letter never went further than his desk?

 

what if ? what if ? what if ? what if ? what if ?

 

From the Sorry Saga thread, because sometimes you just need to laugh. 

What if it was Pizza Hut and not Domino's?

[Captain_Jack]

 

 

 

Courtesy of the age.
was looking for the Essendon and injection gif and this came up.

I want that for my room.

Looks fake, Hirdy never kicked on his left.

 

Didn't deserve the right.

 

It has been a while l know. Now for some artistic licence from the Sorry Saga thread. 

The picture says it all.  

[Captain_Jack]

There are fundamental flaws in the way the investigation was conducted and structured. It goes to the very core of how ASADA must conduct themselves when investigating possible breaches of ANY athlete. By definition, under the ASADA Act, ASADA must conduct any investigations or inquiries independently as they are an independent statutory authority. That means independently of the AFL's investigation. However, ASADA has failed to comply with their own legislation by inviting the AFL to jointly investigate Essendon. Therefore any evidence obtain with the AFL is unlawful and inadmissible. That includes any witness accounts obtained throughout the joint investigation; which is the basis of ASADA's evidence. In any case, the evidence obtained is circumstantial and based on nothing substantial as no player has ever tested positive to a performance enhancing drug. ASADA have breached numerous disclosure/information sharing and confidentiality sections of the ASADA Act. They have consistently leaked critical information to the media rather than respecting the process outlined under the ASADA act. Furthermore, the CEO has a delegation of power from the Sports Minister to proceed with issuing 'Show-Cause Notices' if the CEO feels that there is sufficient evidence to charge the athlete with a doping breach. The CEO's role is not to provide players with advice through grand standing in the media and having a media blitz yesterday morning. 

 

Based on the above, Essendon are well within their rights to legally challenge the legality of the investigation. What is consistently misreported is once Essendon self-reported, the Club lost all its rights. Under ASADA's self-reporting rules, organisations and athletes are unable to pass comment on the investigation in the public domain i.e. the media. It is there to protect the athlete and integrity of the investigation. This is extremely disadvantageous for any sporting organisation or athlete. They must be able to defend themselves and provide a proper position in the public domain. So of course Essendon were not going to breach ASADA rules because unlike ASADA, they have fully adhered to the processes that are currently in place by ASADA. 
What has also been consistently misreported is the meaning of 'show cause notices.' They are NOT an admission of guilt by the athlete. They are an opportunity for the athlete to explain to the ADRV why they should NOT be charged with a doping offence. If that panel determines that evidence ASADA possesses is sufficient, they will proceed to charge the athlete with an Register of Findings. At that point, the player is able to defend themselves through the AAT. But the players are not even close to that point. Essendon are challenging the legality of the investigation, how the players respond to the show-cause notices is a matter for the AFLPA and their own representatives. 
Rather than pot shotting your club and threatening to pull your membership, educate yourself and stand by your club. On the face of it, Essendon have strong case and so do the players. It's absolutely not a technicality; it's a fundamental principle of ASADA's power to investigate and there is no doubt that ASADA and the CEO have exceeded with their powers under the ASADA Act. Essendon and the NRL have always been a ■■■■ in ASADA's quest to be a stronger statutory authority. ASADA will only strengthen their process because ASADA are fully aware that they will fail at this.

From the Sorry (FASADA) saga thread. Someone who knows what they are talking about from a legal POV, lays it all out. Well said Seddon bomber.  

[Captain_Jack]

With the developments over the last couple of days with the FASADA Saga, there has been a surge of interest in a single thread, such as we have never experienced before, blink and you could easily miss 50 pages, mostly highly repetitive stuff. ln amongst all that though are some gems, like the one below.

 

 

Dear Samantha, 
 
I am typing this slowly because I realise you can't read all that fast.  I will try to use small words and will spell out any big ones.  I found this for you on W I K I P E D I A.  It's a website (like a page) on the internet (which is a magical place in the ether which you can visit on your daddy's compooter) that occasionally tells you useful things and is a Q U O T A B L E source for primary schoolers and J O U R N A L I S T S: 
 
n law, an allegation (also called adduction) is a claim of a fact by a party in a pleading, charge, or defense. Until they can be proved, allegations remain merely assertions.^[1]
 
Do you remember a boy named Stevie Milne {edit - correction thanks to RBP's post below - insert Andy Lovett!} who used to play footy - you know that game they play with an odd shaped ball where they have to kick a goal through two big sticks?  Anyway, it turns out they thought he did something very naughty and made some very serious  A L L E G A T I O N S against him.  He didn't want to go to jail because he said he was innocent.  So even though the allegations were VERY big, he thought he would fight them and guess what? He won!!  Crazy,Huh?
 
It seems Sam, like lots of people do this - they fight - even those who might actually BE naughty.  The people who call them naughty have to P R O V E it, but are not allowed to do this in a naughty way themselves.  They all go to a place called a C O U R T (but not like in Tennis, which I know you like to watch), tell their sides of the story and there is someone special at the court who sometimes wears a funny hat called a wig and gets to decide who is right.  
 
Many naughty people do get punished because there is lots of strong E V I D E N C E that they were actually naughty, but if they can give a different, but reasonable explanation for the evidence (which is a lot easier to do when the evidence is only C I R C U M S T A N T I A L (which means it is not direct, and you have to try and draw answers from it and there could be lots of different answers available), even a naughty person could win, because... yes, that's right... the people who called them naughty couldn't prove it... well done!
 
So you see, it is probably not a very smart idea for the Bombers' players to just accept punishment, especially when the people calling them naughty seem to have been very naughty themselves, which is - yes, again that's right, Sam - not allowed... very good!
 
Ok, Sam, I know you will probably need a little lie down now after all that.  Please say hi to Wilson for me next time you see her!
 
Your ever loving,
 
Uncle Bomberjay07

Priceless! 10/10

 

[Captain_Jack]

 

I am very pleased the club and Hird are taking on ASADA but feel terrible this morning, moping around and miserable. When asked why, I had to really analyse but realise it's because of all the malicious vitriol out there. I am shocked at the inherent nastiness and glee others feel about the club, Hird, the players and us, the poor long suffering fans. There are people out there who have phoned Jon Faine who've never been to the football but have an opinion that Essendon is the anti-Christ. As my partner said, public stoning isn't dead, it just in an updated technological form. What a fool I have been to think public demonstrations of hate against other races, women politicians, disabled people, unemployed and now even old people, would not transcend to sport. I sit near some absolute idiots in my Essendon bays at the footy and I'm pretty sure they would never be 'friends', but at the footy we have something very strong and binding in common and that's all I care about there. Same goes for those vocal, crazy opposition fans; I have something in common with them. But hearing them on talkback, reading the papers, watching TV has indicated there are public stoners out there and my misconstrued haven of the sporting circle only reflects the wider social issue of always having to deal with self-righteously furious ■■■■ heads. Hope I feel better at the game today. I'll love any Essendon supporter as long as they don't quote Lane, Wilson, McKenzie or any of those flogs or question the writs versus clearing our name. But I'll scream and cheer with them all when the Bombers score.
I need to watch Bomber's request that we support the club and the players, and get myself going and forget about the infidels out there, don't I?
I'm glad Blitz will recess for a while. I read some posts with utter incredulity and can't believe some of these people actually buy into the media lines. Just ignore it-don't read, don't listen, don't watch. Let the independent court deal with this. The court has nothing to gain from us being found to have cheated, they seek truth and proper process. ASADA has lots to gain from its current campaign, and the media; just think of the human drama spin off stories about fallen heroes, tracking player illnesses. Opposition supporters can sit up there and disregard our endeavour and stoicism throughout this glorious drawn out frenzy and feel good about their own team that potentially did the same/worse things and got away with it.
I'm not all rose coloured glasses that Essendon and all the involved characters are perfect, but I don't need to clutch at straws to find that speck of something that proves they are evil either. I have no doubt that the players have not taken anything illegal. The people who have told me this have not demonstrated by any action that they have ever lied to me. Go mighty Bombers!

Great post, and I think you have distilled what a lot of us feel. At least by not being able to go to the footy I don't have to put up with the bulls**t. Although I would rather be there.
I think one of the other problems is that there are a lot of new posters on here who haven't read all the stuff on here that has been written previously.
As it is in about twenty different deleted threads over 16 months even if they could find it, they wouldn't have time anyway. But it means that those that have been on the entire journey are at a different level in their understanding. And some of your frustration and mine will come from the innocent questions of the true believers which were done and dusted on these threads six months ago.
I too don't only believe we have not taken anything illegal or banned, but that we didn't do anything wrong, outside the law, outside the laws of the game, nor anything that is not being done in professional sport anywhere else in the world. But it is really difficult to read and hear some of the utter rubbish, particularly today.
And I do think our media are a bunch of ill informed Luddites.
Really looking forward to today, it will tell us where the team us at.
Oh and this is not a dig at new posters. Keep on posting, ask for legal opinions, you will get a few, keep your minds open and keep reading critically. The amount some of us on here have learned over the journey is astonishing.
Go the bombers
Oh and Fark Carlton.

 

Another couple of great posts from the FAILSADA Saga thread. 

[Captain_Jack]

 

AFL, ESSENDON SUPPLEMENTS SAGA
COLLATERAL DAMAGE : THE MESS LEFT BEHIND BY ANDREW DEMETRIOU & DAVID EVANS
JUNE 20, 2014 THE CHEAP SEATS
LEAVE A COMMENT
As he watched the packed media conference off camera on February 5th 2013, no doubt concerned for where the game he had fostered as CEO of the AFL for 10 years was about to head; Andrew Demetriou would have been very familiar with the man explaining to the cameras his decision to ask the AFL and ASADA to investigate his club – and not just because he was the President of Essendon.
David Evans and Demetriou go back you see. Way back.
When Demetriou made the move from the AFL Players Association to the AFL 15 or so years ago it was Evans‘ late father Ron, himself a former Essendon Football Club President and then Chairman of the AFL, who took the former Kangaroo and Hawk under his wing and mentored him in his eventual role as CEO of the AFL. It was only natural that Demetriou would cross paths with Ron‘s son David, a rising businessman of similar age.
When David decided to follow in his fathers footsteps in 2009 and take over the Presidency at Essendon it was Demetriou who supported him, sending him a “very nice letter of congratulations“.
Demetriou had 2 years earlier spoken warmly at the funeral of Evans Sr, a mark of his closeness to the man and Evans family.
So when Demetriou was briefed in late January 2013 by the Australian Crime Commission on the intelligence that had been gathered about possible doping at an AFL club; while rumors had been swirling for some time about Essendon‘s supplements program run by Stephen Dank the previous season; it probably didn‘t take Einstein to figure out that the two should have a chat.
What we know for sure is that chat came via phone on the night of February 4 while Evans, Hird and a few key Essendon personnel were meeting at Hird‘s home. But from there things get a little fuzzy. One version of events – Hird‘s and apparently Essendon Football Manager Danny Corcoran‘s – has Evans getting ‘tipped off‘ by Demetriou that players at his club had been taking performance enhancing drugs (PED‘s).
The other version – Demetriou‘s and Evans‘, denied that tip off was given. Either way it was news to Hird, who was certain the accusation was incorrect.
You‘ve doubtless heard these stories before so there‘s no need for me to detail an entire timeline, but the discussions of that night and meetings at AFL House the next day would lead Essendon to “Self Report” itself to the AFL and ASADA.
The ACC briefing had clearly scared Demetriou, and it appears in turn he‘d spooked Evans into that Press Conference, seemingly giving more weight to Demetriou‘s concerns than Hird‘s. At the least Demetriou, as the AFL CEO, accepted the ‘self report‘ and helped organize it and what would follow.
It would turn out to be one of the worst decisions made in the history of Australian sport.
17 months after that Press Conference Evans is back running his Investment House while Demetriou is looking to profit from football in another way. Neither man would survive the fallout from their decision, though Demetriou, of course, wouldn‘t frame his departure that way.
Despite flippant responses to the topic from some media obvservers, the question of whether the Essendon Football Club was coerced into the decision to self report is important, mostly because it was a howler that would inflict untold damage on the game and club, damage still occurring some 17 months later. It also immediately confirmed Essendon‘s guilt before hearing any evidence against it in the eyes of much of the country, something a private investigation would largely have avoided.
Imagine for a moment an alternate universe, where Damian Barrett‘s interview with Kyle Reimers about lots of injections and ‘sciencey stuff‘ was the actual breaking of the huge story that is constantly claimed any time Barrett is introduced on any of his shows these days. An alternate universe where rumor swirled for months; as it so often does in the fishbowl world of the AFL; but was deflected by Essendon‘s media people, while a private investigation was taking place at the hands of a publicly untarnished ASADA.
Likely many competent people at all of Essendon, the AFL and ASADA would have jobs which are no longer theirs, the reputations of a couple of the biggest names in the game in Hird and Demetriou might be largely intact rather than in tatters, new ASADA chief Ben McDevitt (or likely a different hire not from such a law enforcement background) would have been under no pressure to ‘put up or shut up‘ and therefore likely wouldn‘t have brought ‘show cause‘ proceedings that are appearing more and more flimsy by the day, and finally the AFL world wouldn‘t be sick to death of hearing about this interminable story that has cast a pall over last and this season.
Oh, and a couple of journalists may have maintained the illusion of integrity for a bit longer.
Hird and the football department were (and remain) by all accounts unequivocal that the players hadn‘t taken any substances that would contravene WADA‘s doping code, so it‘s a safe bet they weren‘t in favor of self reporting. Perhaps they sensed sooner than Evans and Demetriou that trying to catch this lightning in a bottle would backfire on all involved. Evans though, somehow, was convinced enough to sensationally tell the world that he was throwing open the doors of his football club to the AFL and ASADA effective immediately, a move recently lamented by Evans‘ replacement at Essendon Paul Little.
Hird clearly didn‘t know at the time how badly it would turn out for him personally (I wonder if Evans did), but looking back his fate was sealed the moment the ‘self report‘ was done – as were the fates and reputations of just about every Essendon staffer seen to have any contact with or oversight of the supplements program. Somewhat strangely almost all that is apart from Evans himself, who after leaving the club under a health cloud in mid 2013 has surprisingly been almost immune from any public investigation in this mess.
That‘s somewhat surprising given he was the most senior official of the club during both the supplements program and ensuing scandal.
The immediate AFL and Evans strategy at the time of self reporting was clear and possibly in Evans‘ case even noble enough : ‘no matter what‘ the players needed to be spared. According to Michael Warner at the Herald Sun this week a deal was reportedly struck whereby the players were assured by those investigating that they were not the primary target of the investigation and, seemingly regardless of what the investigation turned up, they would not face sanctions. They were encouraged to openly cooperate with AFL and ASADA investigators without any real fear of repercussions and from all accounts did just that, even vaguely answering questions they did‘t totally know the answers to in an effort to assist – as it now turns out to their detriment with ASADA apparently counting some extremely vague recollections as hard admissions.
For Demetriou the need for immediate clearance of the players was obvious; losing an entire team worth of players to drug suspensions would be catastrophic for the AFL as a body, it‘s competition, and the lucrative media rights deal Demetriou had fought so hard to get.
Evans‘ motivations aren‘t quite so straight forward – certainly they could have been genuine concern and protection for the players, but doubtless he also knew that having his entire team suspended for 2 years – or as it appeared at the time from the wild speculation taking place in the media possibly even longer – could spell the end for the club he loved.
What it all added up to was simple, if the players were to be spared, the off field staff, and most vitally coach James Hird, would have to be sacrificed. And not sacrificed in a ‘good luck and here‘s your golden watch‘ kind of way, rather a ‘these are the evil doers of bad deeds so gather your pitchforks‘ kind of way.
Enter James Hird, whose main crime it appears in hindsight was wanting his club to have a better and more cutting edge supplements program than 11 other clubs around the league – but despite all the innuendo certainly wanting a legal one.
Two things really made the scapegoating of Hird both vital and possible.
Vital because it appears the AFL thought, incorrectly in hindsight (seriously you‘re going to see that phrase a LOT over the coming months and years) they were going to be confronted with massive PED use by the Essendon players based on the intelligence from the ACC report. Getting ASADA to agree to a ‘no fault‘ no penalty type deal was one thing, but if the players were shown to have been under a systematic doping regime using multiple illegal products for extended periods, ala East German athletics in the 70′s (such was the hysteria of the time), someone had to be blamed for it, or the public simply wouldn‘t accept no sanctions on the players.
Possible because of that same deal that the AFL had struck up with ASADA. That deal being in place meant that the AFL could really go hard on building a circumstantial case using a mixture of fact, irrelevant but scandalous information, unproven intelligence and hearsay, without fear of it blowing back on the players in the shape of suspensions.
Evidence from certain people that helped build the AFL‘s case was considered and included, while evidence to the contrary which helped Essendon‘s case was not. It was the kind of case building that can really only be done for show and not if it‘s going to be tested at trial.
It never was, of course.
Ironically this method of building the damaging yet untested so called ‘charge sheet‘ may have helped lead to the players eventually getting their show causes notices from ASADA last week. The AFL‘s ‘charge sheet‘ built a circumstantial case of thymosin beta 4 use or attempted use as part of it‘s campaign to quickly get Hird and Essendon to accept their own sanctions. Bet they wish they hadn‘t included it now.
Anyway from all of the sensational stories we read, all of the cat calls, the lists as long as your arm in both major Melbourne papers of wildly exotic sounding supplements and drugs (it‘s called conditioning folks, note the difference in tone from articles in this saga to this from 2009 when describing treatments) – who would have thought after 16 months of investigating, the whole thing would have boiled down to maybe one dodgy substance, maybe given to some players by mistake in place of a legal close relative? That the chief of ASADA would be playing “let‘s make a deal” via the media the day show cause notices were issued in order to try to wrangle a face saving win?
This was worth self reporting for rather than just letting ASADA do it‘s job David and Andrew? Really?
Unfortunately for Evans and Demetriou, at some point the political wind changed around ASADA‘s thinking. Certainly no one was kind to them after the release of the ‘Interim report‘, a disaster of a decision made to enable the AFL to exact it‘s judgement on Essendon before last years finals, thus giving the appearance (and reality) of draconian punishment being applied to the club and coach – going along no doubt with the initial deal struck. Rather than shut the whole thing down at that stage ASADA decided to leave it open, presumably while they waited to interview Stephen Dank. But as time passed and details started to emerge about deals done to spare players in one code and not another you could feel the pressure begin to mount on ASADA. Certainly by early this year it was apparent this case wasn‘t just going to be closed, and by the time of Ben McDevitt‘s first press conference when he talked so tough about players being responsible for what‘s in their bodies, it was clear what was to come.
It can‘t have been a great position for McDevitt either. If after 16 very long and very frustrating months he admitted defeat and closed the case ASADA‘s image may have never recovered, not that it probably will anyway. After all this wasn‘t a desperately secretive Lance Armstrong they were investigating, the Essendon players and administrators had agreed to all interviews and reportedly been open and extremely cooperative during them.
His alternative was to do what he‘s done now. Issue show cause notices that may or may not stand up (or may be usurped by other legal action). Even if he ‘loses‘, at least his Agency would be seen to have found something, anything, maybe justifying the incredibly drawn out process.
Either way, for the men responsible for the Bombers self reporting in Evans and Demetriou, ‘show cause‘ at all let alone possible suspensions was a horrible result. But honestly, the damage from their foolhardy decision was done long ago, a death by a thousand cuts that could and should have been avoided.
The position they were put in prior to that February 5 Press Conference was an unenviable one certainly, particularly knowing what we know now about the contrived nature of the ‘Blackest Day‘ and scare tactics surrounding it. That said, the decision they took was all wrong.
They thought that by getting on the front foot they could contrive or at least shepherd an outcome that would best suit the league. They were wrong.
They thought that by coming forward, self reporting and fully cooperating, the investigation would go easier on Essendon, they‘d receive some goodwill and be kept abreast of developments. They were wrong.
They thought they were doing the right thing for both the game itself and the Essendon Football Club. They couldn‘t have been more wrong.
Both men have plenty to answer for, or at least plenty of questions to answer.

The time has come for Evans to talk.

 

Not a post by a Blitzer, but as succinct a summary of this entire sordid FASADA saga as l have read anywhere. l have not heard of the Cheap Seats blog prior to this summation, but l will be seeking out more of their views from now on. After more than 650 pages of rehashes and repeated info, someone has got it spot on. The main issue this article raises for me, is how come the police haven't been called to account for their OTT assessments. The whole saga was kicked off by their investigation and the picture they painted, but they have largely been allowed to slip away unscathed.    

[Captain_Jack]

Another summary of the FASADA fiasco from the Sorry Saga thread. Again this one is quite a lengthy read, but the number of words is needed to do some sort of justice to the subject matter. This was done on a phone, and l am not going to edit it anyway, in order to present this post in its original form.

 

 

So tin foil attempt number two at describing this mess.
Essendon finishes the 2011 season poorly, we are undersized and failing to keep up with teams. The fast running knights players lack durability and we need a fitness coach.
The weapon did a good job a the Cats, has some big ideas on how to push the boundaries of players on the track sells Hird and the coaching team on a big weights program, stringer bodies and allot of sprint work.
Half through the preseason players are tired and fatigued they need some supplements if they a re going to keep up this workload. Robinson recommends Dank. Dank outlines the program and gets his mate Charters, as he knows Hirdy, to validate the program.
The program is approved and Dank, Robinson and Charters start ordering the supplements. Reid pipes up and says he doesn't think it's going to do much, and he worried about the doping code. Dank and weapon say he's old and hasn't kept up with modern sports.
Hirdy decides to be cautious, demands that everything is compliant with WADA/ASADA. Dank and Robinson keep the program going.
Dank decides to get the players blood tested to see how bad they are. Probably Testosterone and HGH as they are the two things that plummet when you over train.
Results come in, players are worse than thought, dank goes to his mates to see what can be done, they say nothing, their cooked and will start breaking down. Dank recommends a couple of other drugs that are skirting close to the line to try and help.
Meanwhile Chartes is out with his Sons or A mates and they start talking about how they could fix a match. Especially now that Shane is chief supplier of supps to some major clubs, Essendon being the prime example. All they have to do is spike one batch then tell the players to miss shots or they will out them. The ACC is listening, start getting the proverbial intelligence chubby.
Alvi and Charter are all suppliers of PEDs to their Sons of A mates and Dank provides them with the guidance of what to take and when. They also run a Medicare scam on the side for some extra cash, covers up the supply of PEDs to you average gym junkie, they decide to try and pull a few swiftest on Essendon too as why not, they got boat loads.
The ACC start pulling records from computers, Alvi and Charters are up to their next in supplying all kinds of PEDs, to an array of drugs mostly illegal for sports people. The call Dank in to check if he's party, ask him about his roles in the AFL and the bombers. He says all above board, but I advise and give to regular folk actual PEDs. Especially through my clinics.
Meanwhile back at Essendon, the Robinson plan has fallen in a heap, Danks cocktails are not working, because they are not PEDs and Danks scams are thought to be skirting the Medicare laws and he is let go. Players continue to ping hamstrings whilst eating breakfast, are advised to cut training for recovery, the season falls in a heap, Robinson is demoted to the weight room checking form as his contract is too big to pay out.
The ACC are not convinced Dank gave them enough, they want to tie up the racket, call him in again, give him immunity from the supply of PEDs to you gym junkies is he squeals on where is coming from, he buries Charters and Alvi. A preliminary report is sent to govt.
Over on Capitol Hill Gillard is getting hammered, start telling the minister to find some thing, anything to get me off the front page. They offer up the ACC report, decide to go full media blitz, better call the sporting heads before we do it, give then a detailed briefing.
Vlad and Gill go to Canberra get the crap scared out of them, especially about the cocktail of PEDs Charters is peddling and his connection to Dank and the EFC.
Vlad wanting to protect his good mate Evans, phones him, tells him about the cocktails, Hird and Co deny any wrong doing, Evans backs Vlads version, goes digging only to find the dodgy work of Dank on the books and Medicare. Reckons Vlads right calls in ASADA before the ACC report public display to head of the media frenzy about his boys being drug cheats.
Barrett gets wind, finds the dumbest player he can with no allegiance to Essendon. Reimers spills enough to send them into a frenzy. Blackest day happens, the saga begins.
ASADA, Vlad, Gill and Evans get together run through the ACC, decide the player were duped to a cocktail of PEDs play let's make a deal. Players are not banned as they never intended to cheat and didn't/still don't know they were duped. Vlad and Evans offer up Dank and Robinson as the Evil culprits, players to be honest and drop everything on Dank and Robinson in the interviews.
ASADA go through the club with a microscope start realising they have not much, AOD is a grey area and TB4 is the only maybe, but testing says unlikely.
Vlad calls for a governance report to Waco the club on in case the PEDs angle is a bust, have to be seen to be doing something at AFL house. Ziggy report ensues Vlad asks for it to be worded differently to give them the ammo, the famous line gets printed.
ASADA Decide for the charade to continue, they need a few more scalps if the player are to be cleared for optics, they wants the whole management and coaching team, Robinson, Hamilton, Corcoran, Thompson and Hird. Vlad agrees. AFL agree as the ziggy report is damming. Evans says I'll give you Robinson Hamilton, Corcoran but not the other as they said get faarked, we ain't done anything wrong.
Vlad turn up the pressure to save the players, Hird says get faarked, we've done nothing wrong.
Vlad and Gill still think the cocktails of PEDs are true, as the ACC said so. Evans start to believe they may have actually done nothing wrong.
Meanwhile the Sons of A start worrying the ACC report has them cold, tell Charters and Alvi to go squeal and drop Dank in it as revenge. Charters goes to the media and ASADA, send them on a wild goose chase covering up their illegal PEDs ring and giving them a few scalps in the meantime.
Clothier decides to help Vlad to turn up the pressure on Hird, backdated a few things and starts leaking to the press.
ASADA briefs gill and Vlad on charters, they tell Evans he's gotta play ball, Evans is torn between what he knows from the club, his mate Hird and his family friend Vlad. He start to go ill from stress.
Finals are closing and Vlad and gill done want them to be tainted by a potential PEDs club, want it closed by the end of season, push ASADA for anything, ASADA say they have nothing, Vlad goes the governance. The interim report is written to back it up.
Vlad and gill threaten to deregister the club unless they take the sanction, Hird and little say no, Evans has a melt down.
With little in charge they fight back, Vlad turns up the heat, uses CW as the mouthpiece, and the PR team go full retard on eds show. Vlad calls in the chairmans tells them, we know you up to you eyeballs in this and potentially worse, burry Essendon as the scape goat now and it will all be swept under the carpet, and over, next season will not be disrupted.
We loose the public battle, and negotiate some reduced sanctions, as you can't fight city hall. Hird takes the wrap, as long as the players are clear. Vlad and gill guarantee it, ASADA plays ball for now.
The media not being satisfied with an interim report and lacking news over summer turn up the heat on ASADA, new government tell them to justify their existence, or we will smash your budget.
Andruska gets made a fool of in the media, new government find a replacement that can hopefully put and end to it. ASADA start digging for more to get the players.
Media catch wind if the Hird deal, Tania goes after Vlad, Hirds continued silence is bought by further guarantees.
The AFL commission gets wind of the ASADA digging and says to Vlad goodbye, as you have failed to save the competition.
Gill gets the job as he knows where the saga bodies are burried and may need to cover things up to save the AFLs face, nobody new could possibly understand the mess in time.
Essendon look for assurance of the originals deal, ASADA with McDidiot in charge go harder, and ignore all sports people involved like they should have already.
The judge is brought in to assess the stacked evidence is enough to have a crack, not being privy to the back room shenanigans and contradicting testimony.
McDidiot strapped for time and wanting to make a good impression in the new role, plays loose and fast at senate estimates, takes the criticism to heart and goes the players shortly after, with a lack of connection between charters, dank and the players. Goes on the assumption thymosin means TB4 and the consent forms mean intent. Goes on a road show and cracks into the players trying to drum up a bit more to get them. Unknowingly breaks the deal with Essendon, brokered by Kelty, Vlad and Evans. The SCs were never meant to come, report was meant to say they may have been duped but insufficient evidence to says it actually happened, nothing more to see here.
Essendon decide enough is enough. Starts a full scale assault they have been contingency planning for 18 months.
They go they whole investigation, they start leaking the deals, they go after McDidiot, they go after the AFLs PR campaign, and they start dropping a wet blanket warning shot across the clubs to pull them into line through WHS.
Gill, McDidiot and ASADA run for cover trying to ■■■■■ how bad they are in it and scramble to find a way out, nothing ensues, including whatever remaining ammo they have for CW.

 

 

This post was followed up by a couple more to expand on some of the original points, they are also worth reading to illustrate the issue in even more depth. 

 

 

 

Nice work Nocturnal.
I reckon you're pretty close and reducing two or three assumptions in there (as per Occam's Razor) may well be scary close. Don't forget there are things that happened which were just part of being caught up in the hysteria - Madame DeFarge if you will.
Whilst you've nailed the change of management / attitude at ASADA rather well; I personally think you've credited the government with too much responsibility on the investigation direction. I believe ASADA's management at the time knew they couldn't possibly manage an investigation of this size and when the AFL offered to 'assist' in that investigation, it was then that they messed up by breaching their own rules.

Probably didn't cover that bit as well as I should have, I agree ASADA couldn't handle the workload and didn't have rights to everything like phone records etc, so they partnered with the AFL, I kind of took it as implied I guess.
I also took allot of side stories and tried to ignore them, the whole CW thing is really a side act, she was a mouthpiece that gets under our skin, but is not part of the main game. There are a few other media relationships there that also distract from the main plot, b1 and b2 interviewing dank is one, whilst it ramps up the media abuse of the EFC, it's not part of the main story, I guess I see it as noise and just made it easier for CW and co to believe Vlad and keep his story front page.

 

 

 

 

 

Barrett gets wind, finds the dumbest player he can with no allegiance to Essendon. Reimers spills enough to send them into a frenzy. Blackest day happens, the saga begins.

Its the plot for the next Underbelly series. Well done Nocturnal.

Great post...
With my tin hat on, you're missing one thing IMO. When you're referring to 'the dumbest player with no allegience' I think you've forgotten the company that said player kept. I might be clutching at straws, but in retrospect his interview with Barrett seemed very coached. Whose gym gym was he training at in the 2013 pre-season before this broke? Why did he knock back an AFL contract with Carlton?

Yeah I had forgotten about that one, although again it's more of a side issue. But it goes to the whole Sons of Anarchy angle. Which one charters and co was involved with I can't tell.
The thing that has bugged me for so long is the charters bunny incident and why he decided to come forward. People don't back off when you come forward they to squeal on them, they go harder, particularly those who are not worried about the law. So for me, the bunny was killed to make him talk, why, well the only logical conclusion I could think of is to protect their other investments. Let the Feds have this small but public supply line and we can keep the real money spinner going elsewhere. A star whiteness in a public case certainly does that.
I also think his recent arrest was part of that, make the Feds think he is bringing something in, then when he has nothing you have to release him without charge. Feds may have even picked that one off of something with dank, certainly give charters some cred if he comes out clean and Danks found to be wrong.
Alvi, I'm not sure where he lies in this, my belief is he is dodgy and was in with charters purely for the cash. But when the heat came he folded to cover his own ■■■ and has been doing so since.

 

[Captain_Jack]

 

simply brilliant BD

 

This is the sort of post that Sorry Saga thread has been lacking for far too long. Long time Blitzers will not be surprised at who is the author of this classic post. l agree with GB's assessment of this post, brilliant. 

[benny]

Hi CJ, have always loved this thread, however your classic posts used to cover broader topics (sometimes humorous or even non footy posts IIRC). Of late posts re the Asada saga seem to be flavour ( which as we can all attest can get heavy at times). This thread is a classic for me and while I get it needs to reflect current discussions I love how it always had a light hearted element, removed from heated topics, as well and would love to see it continue. Maybe some classic non- Asada posts to remind us the world is still spinning (if they’re worthy of course!)

[Captain_Jack]

Point taken Benny, l do realize l have become a bit too FASADA saga conscious. l will keep your words in mind as l trawl rather than troll through BBlitz, Two of the best threads in all of the Blitzland are represented here, but as entire threads, rather than as individual posts, l refer to the Essendon gifs and Funny pictures threads. ln the meantime here is some humor, once again from the Sorry Saga thread, sorry about that chief.

 

 

There's a reason why the bloods overseas came back negative:

 

Monfries' vile fell to the floor without provacation

Gumby's arrived completely broken and leaking all over the place

Crameri's ■■■■■■ off to a far inferior place

Jetta's looked fine, but failed to deliver

Winderlich's vile became injured by the bubble wrap

Dempsey's arrived bloated and unfit for use

Carlisle's blood had his surname tattooed into it

Myer's blood travelled far but to the wrong person

Colyer's arrived quicker than all the others but in an indistinguishable form

Ben Howlett's will arrive when it is finished its unofficial pre-season

Hurley's and Steinberg's may have gotten mixed up

Nobody knows where Browne's is or who he is

Stanton's bloodwork was hissed and booed for insufficient reason

Jobe's was taken to a holy site and used for idol worship

Bellchamber's missed the microscope from straight in front

Kommer's had to be taken away because it was niggling and upsetting all the other viles

When the testers put their ear to Heppell's it spoke bogan

Lonergan's was fine when at the bottom of the pack, but once released was utterly useless

Reimer's didn't contain blood but featured raspberry cordial and remnants of crayon

Absolutely brilliant!

 

Need to add:

Cory Dell's were contaminated en route by Peeto

Slattery's when examined closely had nothing of any substance

Ryder's sample had to be thawed because it was considered too chilled

Davey's sample rendered useless when they insisted it must be a CHF

Hooker's can still be seen chasing Buddy's

Fletcher's upon inspection appeared to be the fountain of youth

Dyson's have been seen in a local ■■■■ shop after being traded for the 3rd round pick

NatRat's sample had be destroyed after it intimidated the testers

McVeigh's told the testers to finish their tests and f**k off because he only took vitamins

 

 l can only that when Crameri's left, it was on a bike. 

Cheers all. 

[benny]

Love your work CJ - you're hall of fame in my book.

[Captain_Jack]

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After some recent BANG‘s, felt we needed a tin foil attempt number THREE at describing this mess. Go easy on the English guys, although it should be better than last time. Lots of new events scattered throughout, hopefully this is now a more complete picture of what happened, happy for people to point out mistakes, or alternate theories.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Essendon finishes the 2011 season poorly, we are undersized and failing to keep up with teams. The fast running Knights’ players lacking durability during games and we need a fitness coach.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
 [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
Dean ‘The Weapon‘ Robinson did a good job at the Cats, he has some big ideas on how to push the boundaries of players on the track, he sells Hird and the coaching group on a big weights program, stronger bodies and allot of sprint work. He was hired by the Suns, approved by the AFL, so we thought we would have a good addition to our coaching team.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The 62 grand final loss to faarkcarlton becomes the impetus to do more to compete. (???) Robinson’s program is approved and we start a new preseason fresh with hope, in 2012 we will be more competitive.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Halfway through the preseason players are tired and fatigued, early indications suggest they need some supplements if they are going to keep up such a frenetic workload. Players had already started doing soft tissue injuries. Throughout the preseason Alex Brown, Leroy Jetta, Lachlan Dalgleish and Michael Hurley do hamstrings whilst Courtney Dempsey does a calf. This is on top of the normal recovering long term injuries and structural damage like a broken thumb to Travis Colyer. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Weapon recommends his mate Steven Dank, sells him as a cutting edge sports scientist who can design a program that will enable the team to keep up this kind of work load. Dank also worked with Weapon at the Gold Coast as a part time consultant, Weapon recommends we go for a far more professional approach and get him in on a more permanent basis. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Dank outlines the program at the infamous ‘black ops‘ meeting at Hirdy‘s residence. Whilst on a football trip to the gold coast Dank organises a pop-in by his mate Shane ‘Dr Ageless‘ Charters, Charters has previously worked with Hird and would help Dank sell him on the program, also Charters would double as a reference, validating the program for Hirdy.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Early in 2012 the program is approved and Dank, Weapon and Charters start ordering the supplements. Once outlined to the players they insist that they want everything to be ASADA and WADA approved, to ensure they are covered the senior leadership group goes to Hirdy and requests more information and for everything to be signed off by Reid.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Reid pipes up and says he doesn’t think it’s going to do much and he is worried about the doping code. Dank and Weapon say he’s old and hasn’t kept up with modern sports. Reid writes a letter to the board and Hamilton, who decides to ignore the concerns of Reid and not forward them to the CEO or board.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Hirdy decides to be cautious, demands that everything is compliant with WADA/ASADA. Dank and Robinson get the program going and arrange for the players to sign consent forms outlining the substances, their effect and their compliance to the WADA/ASADA code, this keeps the program going. Dank recommends a couple of other drugs that are skirting close to the line to try and help, AOD9604 and Thymosin (the common name for Thymomodulin). Danks decides to check their status with ASADA and receives confirmation of them being ok according to ASADAs interpretation of the rules. The consent forms are for AOD9604, Thymosin (Thymomodulin), Colostrum and possibly a couple of others. All are ASADA/WADA compliant. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Dank decides to get the players blood tested to see how bad they are. Probably Testosterone and HGH, as they are the two things that plummet when you over train.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Results come in, players are worse than thought, Dank and Robinson go to Danks mate Dr Robin Willcourt to see what can be done, he says nothing, they’re cooked and will continue breaking down.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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No doubt at the same time Dank attends a conference, seeking to find other alternatives to the supplements he has begun, at the conference Gerard Healy overhears Dank asking questions about GHRP-6 a WADA banned growth factor peptide. Healy, knowing Danks connection to the Bombers phones Adrian Anderson indicating they are doping.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Its about this time that Hirdy has a chat to an ASADA drug tester, asking their opinion on peptides, the news of this obviously gets back to AFLHQ and Clothier and Harcourt  decides to have a chat to Hirdy and some other coaches, managers. According to Clothiers statement to ASADA, he ‘warned‘ Hird about the use of peptides, according to all others present it was a general chat about the use of peptides in elite sport. There is now some suggestion they may have encouraged the use of the program that is similar to the AIS. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Meanwhile Charters is out with his Sons of Anarchy mates and they start talking about how they could fix a match. Especially now that Shane is chief supplier of supplements to some major clubs, Essendon being the prime example, but not the only one. All they have to do is spike one batch then threaten players in exchange for some inside information or lack of effort on game day. In Feb 2012 the ACC is doing some digging into drugs in sport and organised crime, no doubt whilst listening to the Sons of Anarchy phone and building taps they get wind of some chatter. As the ACC listen they start get the proverbial intelligence chubby. Project Aperio has some meat on the bones and they can keep digging further.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Dank and Charters hook up with a compounding pharmacist named Alvi, he being the ‘cook‘ or ‘mixer‘ for their supply of PEDs to their Sons of Anarchy mates. Charter imports, Alvi mixes and Dank provides them with the guidance of what to take and when. The Sons of Anarchy mates handle the distribution to the local gyms and meat heads looking to get massive for stereosonic. They also run a Medicare scam on the side for some extra cash, and it helps to cover up the supply of PEDs to your average gym junkie. Dank also decides to try and pull a few swifties on the Essendon FC too, as why not, they’ve got boatloads of cash and do lots of testing, and can certainly raise enough funds to fix a front gate from 34 players heart scans that never happened. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The ACC start pulling records from computers, Alvi and Charters are up to their necks in supplying all kinds of PEDs, to an array of drugs mostly illegal for sports people. They call Dank in to check if he’s a part, ask him about his roles in the AFL and the Bombers. He says all above board, but I advise and give to regular folk actual PEDs. Especially through my clinics.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Meanwhile back at Essendon, Jake Melksham strolls out in the preseason with arms to rival Phil Coleman, and the boys at faarkcarlton are jealous, Jarrad Waite could never put on that kind of size even with all his masturbation over selfies of himself and Gibbsy. Marc Murphy craps his pants crossing the white line, a feat he will repeat as captain in the early rounds of 2014. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The new look bombers get off to a flyer of a season, with all the rumours of a full time Dank and explosion of size Carlton chases down the supply of supplements for the bombers and has an interview on how to better them, they tape it, but Mitch Robinson accidentally eats it for lunch. If only they had kept their conversation for next year.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Given the Bombers recent good early form and the rumours swirling around, the AFL decide to target test the players for a whole range of peptides, with GRHP-2, GRHP-6 and CJC1295 being WADA banned intended targets. Initial testing is negative, so they send the samples to Cologne for a closer look. Again they are negative, which should be expected from what the players consented to taking.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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By Mid season the Robinson plan has fallen in a heap, Danks cocktails are not working, players are breaking down constantly. Hamstrings, quads, calfs and a range of other persistent injuries continue mounting, to a total of 25 by the seasons end. The cocktails are not working because they are not PEDs, at the same time Danks scams are thought to be skirting the Medicare laws and he is let go. As the players continue to ping hamstrings whilst eating breakfast, they are advised to cut training for recovery, the season falls in a heap, Robinson is demoted to the weight room checking form as his contract is too big to pay out.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The ACC are not convinced Dank gave them enough, they want to tie up the PED racket, call him in again, give him immunity from the supply of PEDs to young gym junkies if he squeals on where it is coming from, he buries Charters and Alvi. A preliminary report is sent to the govt.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Over on Capitol Hill Gillard is getting hammered, she starts telling the minister to find “something, anything to get me off the front page”. They various ministers concerned about the next election offer up the ACC report. They decide to go a full media blitz for maximum effect, but felt they better call the sporting heads before they do it, give them a detailed briefing on what a bunch of dirty cheats they have all been.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad and Gill go to Canberra get the crap scared out of them, especially about the cocktail of PEDs Charters is peddling and his connection to Dank and the EFC, the list of drugs in the document is staggering and consistent with the rumours they have been hearing from Healy and faarkcarlton. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad now concerned about a number of things, starts being concerned about saving his own ■■■. You see the players are contracted to the AFL, in the end they are responsible. How can it be that they didn‘t pick this up, or put a stop to it earlier? To add to that Vlad wants to protect his good mate Evans. David Evans father Ron Evans was Vlad’s mentor and got him the job as AFL CEO when he was chairman, he also needs to protect his long time family friend. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad meets with Gill, Clothier and Harcourt to assess the damage, they decide to get Essendon to jump early, and self report in the hope they can keep all the attention on them whilst they clean up the rest of the competition. Given the rumours, Vlad knows there is no way the Bombers can escape some kind of attention. They decide to confine it to Essendon. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad phones Evans whilst he is having dinner with Hird and co., tells him about the cocktails the testing and the evil goings on at his club, Hird and co. deny any wrong doing. Evans decides to investigate Vlads version, goes digging only to find the dodgy work of Dank on the books and Medicare. Evans thinks Vlad is right on his information and decides to go along with the self report, he calls in ASADA before the ACC report can go public with a massive media blitz from the Gillard government, something he now knows will be linked to his boys being drug labeled cheats.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Barrett gets wind, finds the dumbest player he can with no allegiance to Essendon. Reimers spills enough to send them into a frenzy. Blackest day media conference happens, the SAGA begins.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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ASADA, Vlad, Gill and Evans get together, run through the ACC report, decide the players were duped into a cocktail of PEDs, play let’s make a deal. The deal outlined with ASADA is, the players are not banned as they never intended to cheat and didn’t/still don’t know they were duped. After all we have them signing consent forms for ASADA/WADA compliant drugs. Vlad and Evans offer up Dank and Robinson as the evil culprits, players to be honest and drop everything on Dank and Robinson in the interviews. The joint investigation ensures that everybody must play ball, unprecedented combined power to both entities should enable them to uncover everything. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The NRL gets wind of the deal, ASADA starts to worry the AFL cannot contain this anymore and start to be concerned they have gone outside their charter. They start backing out of the deal, the AFL decides to offer up some scalps as insurance to keep the pre-determined ending.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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ASADA go through the club with a microscope, start realising they have not much, all of the intended targets of GRHP-2, GRHP-6 and CJC1295 are a bust, AOD is a grey area considering they advised the club and ACC it‘s legal, yet since this has blown up WADA has deemed ASADA‘s interpretation wrong, TB4 is the only maybe, but testing says unlikely, they only have a bad invoice that was refunded. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad now starts getting concerned, if there is nothing at Essendon then where did all the other drugs go, he decides they need something else to keep the story on Essendon, starts making up the governance argument. Vlad calls Evans and asks for an in-house governance review, hoping to use it to whack the club on it case the PEDs angle is a bust, have to be seen to be doing something at AFL house and ASADA are taking longer than expected, especially considering they cannot find anything. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The Ziggy report is undertaken and after very little actual digging its swiftly completed. Vlad asks for it to be worded differently to give them the ammo, and the ‘famous line‘ gets printed. The report shall enable the AFL to hit the club if they need, thus ensuring the club is punished even if they cannot find anything, also the deal will be upheld as the club will already have been punished, separately they also appear to have done something about PEDs in the AFL.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The AFL decide to keep the focus on Essendon, ASADA decide to dig a bit deeper. The AFL and ASADA decide they need a few more scalps if the players are going to be cleared, for optics. They decide they want the whole management and coaching team, CEO Robinson, Hamilton, Corcoran, Thompson and Hird. Vlad agrees as his Ziggy report is damming and he has justification. Evans says I’ll give you CEO Robinson, Hamilton is already gone and Corcoran but not the others as they said get faarked, we have done nothing wrong. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad fearing the deal may go south if he can‘t control the natives, turns up the pressure to save the players, Hird says get faarked, we’ve done nothing wrong, the Bombers take free in Subiaco.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad and Gill still think the cocktails of PEDs are true, as the ACC said so, they have Healy and Jake Melksham’s arms. Evans start to believe the club may have actually done nothing wrong.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Whilst this is all happening the Sons of Anarchy start worrying after the media circus the ACC report has them cold, tell Charters and Alvi to go squeal and drop Dank in it as revenge. Danks has already been offered up by the AFL. Charters goes to the media and ASADA, sends them on a wild goose chase going after footy clubs, whilst not affecting their illegal PEDs ring, and giving them a few scalps in the meantime.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Clothier decides to help Vlad to turn up the pressure on Hird, backdates a few things and starts leaking to the press. The more they can keep the pressure on Essendon the more time they have to cover up other aspect of the PEDs in the AFL and dodgy governance practices. The screw up with the supplement survey and Melbourne text messages certainly has everybody scared. One rogue club is the Club and Mad Coaches fault, systematic doping and crappy governance across the league is Vlad, Clothier, Gill and  Harcourts fault.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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ASADA briefs Gill and Vlad on Charters, they tell Evans he’s gotta play ball, Evans is torn between what he knows from the club, his mate Hird and his family friend Vlad. He now knows his mate Vlad has put him in the ****, made him nearly destroy his friendship with Hird to save his own ■■■■ and he starts to get ill from stress.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Finals are closing and Vlad and Gill don‘t want them to be tainted by a potential PEDs club, they still believe the rumours are correct and want it closed by the end of season, they push ASADA for anything, ASADA say they have nothing, Vlad goes for the governance. The AFL push ASADA for the interim report to be written to back it up. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad and Gill threaten to deregister the club and go the full whack on the players unless they take the sanction, Hird and Little say NO, Evans melts down. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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With Little in charge the Bombers fight back, they out the conjecture behind AOD9604 assuming thats the only real grey area they can exploit, TB4 is too circumstantial. Vlad and ASADA really want a scalp to cover their ■■■’ and justify the whole thing. So Vlad turns up the heat, uses CW, DB, SL, PS as mouthpieces, and the PR team go full retard on Eddie’s show with the now highly probable fake ‘Sarah call‘.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Vlad calls in the chairmen, tells them ‘We know you are all up to your eyeballs in this and potentially worse, bury Essendon as the scapegoat now and it will all be swept under the carpet, next season will not be disrupted.’ We have a deal with ASADA and they will take their medicine this year and that will be the end of it.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The ‘Sarah Call‘ ensures we loose the public battle, and negotiate some reduced sanctions, as you can’t fight city hall. Hird takes the wrap, as long as the players are clear. Vlad and Gill guarantee it, ASADA plays ball for now. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The media not being satisfied with an interim report and lacking news over summer turn up the heat on ASADA, the new government tell them to justify their existence, or we will smash your budget.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Andruska gets made a fool of in the media, the new government find a replacement that can hopefully put an end to it and satisfy the media frenzy. ASADA start digging for more to get on the players, they try and drum up some more circumstantial evidence for TB4.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Harcourt and Clothier write an article on the success of extraordinary powers from the joint investigation, decide to get some street cred for it and publish it overseas. Harcourt attends a FIFA drugs conference in Zurich, he lets drop the whole inflammatory dirty version of the SAGA of Essendon and a bunch of other medical issues in the AFL. Most likely to big note himself and Clothier as future PED tzars. In doing so he unknowingly breaks the deed of settlement with Essendon. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Media catch wind of the Hird deal, Tania goes after Vlad, the Hirds’ continued silence is bought by further guarantees and an expansion of Tania into the settlement deed. A mistake that will most likely comeback to haunt the AFL.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The AFL commission gets wind of the ASADA digging and says to Vlad goodbye, as you have failed to save the competition and cover up your own mess.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Gill gets the job as he knows where the saga bodies are buried and may need to cover things up to save the AFL’s face, nobody new could possibly understand the mess in time. Also he becomes a great fall guy should this all go south and the dirty secrets come out.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Essendon looks for assurance on the original deals, ASADA with McDidiot in charge go harder, and ignore all sports people involved like they should have when they first started. But now must justify the constant hard-on for Essendon they were pushed into by the AFL.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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The federal government, wanting closure, bring in a federal judge to assess if the evidence is enough to have a crack. Not being privy to the back room shenanigans, contradicting testimony and most likely not shown all the relevant evidence he recommends having a go. However, several rumours still exist that the judge didn‘t make such a recommendation and was far more critical of the department. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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McDidiot strapped for time and wanting to make a good impression in the new role, plays loose and fast at senate estimates, takes the criticism to heart and goes at the players for TB4 shortly after, even with a lack of connection between Charters, Dank and the needle injecting the players. He goes on the assumption Thymosin means TB4 and the consent forms mean intent. McDidiot heads out on a road show and cracks into the players trying to drum up a bit more to get them, reminiscing about his old days of phone booking crims for confessions. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Unknowingly, because he refused to talk to Gill and Little, McDidiot breaks the deal with Essendon, brokered by Kelty, Vlad and Evans. The SCs were never meant to come, the report was meant to say they may have been duped but there was insufficient evidence to says it actually happened, nothing more to see here.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Essendon decide enough is enough, and starts a full scale assault they have been contingency planning for 18 months, launching a federal court action on the Joint Investigation.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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They go after the whole investigation, they start leaking the deals, they go after McDidiot, they go after the AFL’s PR campaign, and they start dropping a wet blanket warning shot across the clubs to pull them into line through WHS.[/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Once the court case starts, the Bombers legal team start going after key players persecuting Essendon and covering up for the other clubs, Clothier is subpoenaed, Harcourt’s dirty video is revealed and the responsibility of the AFL in directly contracting the players is brought to the fore. After 18 months of media events from Vlad, and more recently McDidiot, the AFL and ASADA are silent, now busily readying a range of discovery notices to send to Essendon’s crack legal team centred around the key parts of the SAGA. [/font][font=‘Helvetica Neue’]
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Meanwhile CW is absent, the remaining mouthpieces of the AFL are throwing every last idea at discrediting Essendon. Dr. Larkins is brought in to defend Harcourt, ASADA sink to desperation and scramble to find anything they can to save their case. The whole sorry SAGA is about to be broken open. [/font]
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No words can summarise how I feel about this.  :o
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This needs to be re-quoted every 5 pages until new info comes. Great summary.[/quote]

In deference to benny, this summary of the Sorry Sage by nocturnal is just too good not to be considered a classic. l have taken the liberty of editing this one lightly to clean up the spelling and general expression in a few places, something l am usually loathe to do. One thing l am confused about is the reference to the loss to Caaarlton in the '62 Grand Final, which is simply incorrect. Perhaps nocturnal can send me a PM to explain what is meant. Cheers all.

[Captain_Jack]

Surprised there's no vision of the incident.  You'd reckon there would be at least some footage from stumpcam.

From the Oscar Pistorius thread in the Newsroom. Blink and you would miss it. 

[Captain_Jack]

 

 

I am new to the Blitz Forum, and I am not so sure you have any Blitz awards. But it could be fun and serve to collate whats best about the Blitz for the season, which has given me some great laughs this year.

 

There are a lot of clever, caustic, contentious , controversial, and hilarious posts and some threads that have made me ROFL . GIFS and the Age headline threads.

 

I could kick it off with this one.  Great bit of photoshopping by the Chapman.

 

By popular demand, from the Chappy thread in the Hangar. 

[Captain_Jack]

 

 

Ha ha .. good onya Tan.

 

 

Tania Hird @tania_hird  Â·  Aug 26

Taking the dog for a walk & I realised I forgot to bring the poo bags, luckily a discarded copy of The Age was nearby. Perfect!

 

As if there wasn't enough crap in a copy of the Age

 

A couple of recent wry comments from the Sorry Saga thread. Gee it really has been a while since l have been in here, too long. Guess that means l have been busy elsewhere. Oh well, ho hum another post has become. 

[Captain_Jack]

Another recent post form the Sorry Saga thread. This one sums up the feelings of many while pointing out a new area for discussion. 

I am completely farking done

 

sticking fat by the club for two years now while we have copped it every corner of the media, week in, week out. As much as we all love the club and the membership has never been stronger, whether we like it or not our reputation has taken a hammering which it is going to take generations to recover from. That last piece from SWSNBN has summed up how everyone else out there regards us and the club. The club can't even put out a statement on retaining one of its players without being badgered about its reprehsible moral failings blah blah blah. I don't give a toss about her, but it is the realisation that every other reader of the paper is nodding their head in agreement that has finally started to sink in, and brought home the realisation of the damage the club has suffered.

 

This "let's not say anything that might rock the boat" media strategy has failed utterly. I am really beginning to feel that for all the support we have given the club, the club is not doing its bit and keeping its part of the bargain to back it members and supporters. We have cut a figure of abject submission, and been meekly slapped back down whenever any objection has been taken by one of a handful of media trolls. Enough is enough. We all know that the Hird-Responsibility line is a total sham. We also know that the situation at the club has for two years been blown completely out of proportion, all part of the David Evans capitulation to the AFL-ASADA deal to portray an "out-of-control" environment that would exonerate the players from doping that it now emerges never actually took place.

 

I for one am sick of the club allowing its and our reputations to continue being trashed. When is the club going to finally stick up for itself? When are we ever going to be allowed to hear the full version of what took place - including the brief glimpses of the truth that came out via Bruce Francis, that portrayed a vastly different picture to the AFL-sanctioned one that we have allowed to run unchallenged now for two years? People on here and on twitter keep holding out the hope that Hird will go bang out of the blue and slap everyone in town with the defamation suits that have worked so hard to earn. Forget it - if it was ever going to happen it would have happened by now.

 

I think the current administration of the club has done a fine job asking all of us to stand by them and the club, but I for one am beginning to ask when they are going to start doing the right thing by us and the other supporters who have stuck fat, and finally show some genuine backbone - to get our story out there (the full, unvarnished truth) and to slap back into place some of those professional trolls who have made a living out of ■■■■■■■ on us every day.

 

I don't know what can be done to force the issue but this "let sleeping dogs lie" strategy has failed now for two years and only continues to serve the club poorly. At this stage, all I want to accomplish from this is to get a sense of whether others are as fed up as I am.