Is anybody else bothered by the AFL now cashing in on and glorifying the returning Dons?

[Demons09]

I said the players have done their time (a 2 year suspension, discounted for process delays). That is a fair penalty. They were found guilty. They were. End of story.

Lol as if it will ever be over forever drug cheats.

 

[pie machine]

Just wait until the games start and if we're winning, You'll hear about "The Fairy tale"!

So get ready to suck it up boys, The champs are back.

Do you mean the drug cheats are back

 

[pluggeranddoc]

I am bothered but saw this coming a long way off. What worries me is the lack of deterrent if you are caught doing this as a member of the football department. Why any of this department are allowed at a football game, let alone earning an income is frankly a telling piece of evidence of how the AFL sees it being an entertainment company rather than a real sporting authority.

Had it been St Kilda North or Footscray in Essendon's position we would now have a bye or a Tassie team in the AFL. Essendon like some of those U.S banks was " too big to fail".

 

[DapperDong]

Poor old silent Purple Ned Kelly. When he has no response he doesn't have the guts to actually admit it, he just slinks off and pretends his daily temper tantrum didn't happen.

There's a whole other world of crooked sport out there lavo, go and embrace it.

 

[yaco55]

That's quite naive.

If no one cared, why would the AFL be making such extreme efforts to keep telling us that there's nothing to see here and to distract everyone from the fact that 12 convicted drug cheats are about to return to the game?

I could have sworn there were 34 drug cheats - Some play for other clubs, some play at lower levels, some have retired and some play for EFC - Maybe take off your Essendon blinkers.

 

[Samsquanch]

I could have sworn there were 34 drug cheats - Some play for other clubs, some play at lower levels, some have retired and some play for EFC - Maybe take off your Essendon blinkers.

You might want to read the thread topic.

 

[jenny61_99]

The champs of what exactly?

Think he meant "chumps".

 

[jenny61_99]

Well if they have been convicted as drug cheats then why only a year? Others have got far more.
Still to this day no one knows exactly what happened and the players are still to this day saying they are innocent.

They actually got suspended for two years (which was the standard WADA penalty). They received discounts for various reasons (also within the code).

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

You're one of the best examples of it.

This "AFL making such extreme efforts to keep telling us that there's nothing to see here" you refer to is noise in your head, because this drugs scandal is all you follow in terms of AFL football now. You see everything in football through its prism. Everything.

I'm not sure what you're saying.

Are you saying that the AFL has had no involvement in the public perception of what happened at Essendon?

Are you saying that the AFL didn't attempt to choreograph a result that suited them?

And you saying that the AFL is not putting any effort into getting Essendon back to being a 'powerhouse' as soon as they can?

Are you saying that the average punter that follows the AFL no longer cares about the Essendon saga?

 

[DapperDong]

I'm not sure what you're saying.

A common problem for you I imagine. You seem to struggle with the concept that not everyone is as invested in this mess as you are.

Are you saying that the AFL has had no involvement in the public perception of what happened at Essendon?

Of course they have.

Are you saying that the AFL didn't attempt to choreograph a result that suited them?

They definitely did. In 2013. You seem to think they're still choreographing things directly related to the saga now though. That the story is still burning really brightly in everyone's mind. It's not.

And you saying that the AFL is not putting any effort into getting Essendon back to being a 'powerhouse' as soon as they can?

Maybe they are. And why wouldn't they; they bring in the cash like few other teams. Money talks. If you were ever hoping Essendon would be stripped of blockbuster games and relegated to 4:40 every Sunday though, you're an idiot.

Are you saying that the average punter that follows the AFL no longer cares about the Essendon saga?

Nowhere near as much as people like you on an internet forum do, that's for sure. You don't reflect the average football fan. I hope you realise that one day.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

A common problem for you I imagine. You seem to struggle with the concept that not everyone is as invested in this mess as you are.

Of course they have.

They definitely did. In 2013. You seem to think they're still choreographing things directly related to the saga now though. That the story is still burning really brightly in everyone's mind. It's not.

Maybe they are. And why wouldn't they; they bring in the cash like few other teams. Money talks. If you were ever hoping Essendon would be stripped of blockbuster games and relegated to 4:40 every Sunday though, you're an idiot.

Nowhere near as much as people like you on an internet forum do, that's for sure. You don't reflect the average football fan. I hope you realise that one day.

?

Ummm, so you agree with me then?

 

[DapperDong]

?

Ummm, so you agree with me then?

If that's all you took out of that, then you really are beyond help.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

If that's all you took out of that, then you really are beyond help.

You agreed with each point.

What else I am supposed to take from it?

The closest you came to disagreeing, was that this response:

You seem to think they're still choreographing things directly related to the saga now though. That the story is still burning really brightly in everyone's mind. It's not.

But then followed that with:

Maybe they are. And why wouldn't they; they bring in the cash like few other teams. Money talks. If you were ever hoping Essendon would be stripped of blockbuster games and relegated to 4:40 every Sunday though, you're an idiot.

So you agree that the AFL have bent over backwards to ensure that Essendon get off as lightly as possible to ensure that one of their biggest cash cows keeps bringing in the dough, but you think that suddenly as the new season approaches they've just relaxed and don't care anymore?

You think they've laid off all the PR staff they recruited to manage this saga over the past 4 years and are no longer about 'ensuring Essendon become a powerhouse again as soon as possible'?

You think all the recent misleading Essendon headlines about 'R1 blockbusters' and 'returning stars' from the AFL accredited media are just coincidental?

 

[DapperDong]

Your inability to comprehend nuance or an argument is stunning.

As I said, you think everything that happens in football revolves around this saga, it's abundantly clear and it's also abundantly sad. Go and follow another sport free of sagas and corruption, maybe then you'll allow yourself to enjoy it.

 

[Samsquanch]

Your inability to comprehend nuance or an argument is stunning.

That's not an argument. And you spelled ****ing nuisance incorrectly as well.

http://www.montypython.net/scripts/argument.php

 

[MagpieJo]

Debate - yes.

Mindlessly support? No.

Those same people will buy a different phone as soon as a better one comes along.

The average AFL fan carries that shit to their grave! It's simply bizarre.

Very true
I can think of many a funeral where they have wheeled the coffin out to a theme song.

And I intend to go out the same way!

 

[MagpieJo]

I have a relative who's an apple tech evangelist, we had a discussion where I argued that apple was just another tech company (and I have an iPhone), he got so worked up I dropped it.

That was 3 years ago and I haven't been invited back. So yes there are tech heads that are quite fanatical.

Wow can I get the script? That's a hell of a way of getting out of family functions!

 

[MagpieJo]

this would all be over if:

-the afl media called it what it WAS a sanctioned drug program
-the players apologised, even if the can't / won't admit guilt


i think that would give the whole thing a natural end. the whole still in denial/boys club/heroes thing rankles a lot of people.

This is exactly what it needs.

It's that whole "accept the apology you'll never get" thing. You can chant it til your yoga pants catch fire, but you really really need the other person to hand over a sorry without an if or a but attached. Otherwise sub conciously, it's always sitting there.

 

[DapperDong]

That's not an argument. And you spelled ******* nuisance incorrectly as well.

http://www.montypython.net/scripts/argument.php

Well, no.

But good attempt at deflection.

 

[Baldur]

40 years ago I would have been. Now I just expect this sort of behavior.

 

[gavaniacono]

yoga pants

Whats this about yoga pants?

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

I reckon we all need to move on, they were found of some breach which still I am not sure what it is and they have served a year suspension. The club was fined 2 million dollars or something like that.
They are a big Melbourne club and the AFL love looking after their melbourne clubs.
The AFL state they are there for revenue more than anything and Essendon help them achieve this. What is the big deal? What on earth do you want the AFL to do?
When in your mind is it finished for them so they can move forward?
Can't be healthy worrying about this sort of stuff daily.

Lol couldn't resist taking a shot at Victorian clubs aye. How do you get around with that chip on your shoulder.

 

[Garlic muncher]

You're one of the best examples of it.

This "AFL making such extreme efforts to keep telling us that there's nothing to see here" you refer to is noise in your head, because this drugs scandal is all you follow in terms of AFL football now. You see everything in football through its prism. Everything. You probably genuinely believe that McLachlan making his recent comments about the inevitability of a night grand final are to distract everyone from the still raging (which really isn't) inferno of the drugs saga. You probably think Ablett wanting to return to Geelong was engineered to distract from the still raging Essendon saga. It's all you ever think about football-wise.

And yet you make such simple errors, basic ones too. It's not even 12 returning, learn to count properly.

If you hate football and the AFL so much, go away and support another sport.

Been thinking the same thing for quite a while myself, the amount of HTB regulars that either hate the AFL, Essendon, football or a combination of all three would be quite substantial, one extremely regular poster had no idea who Lachie Whitfield even was, I guess actual number 1 draftees don't mean anything unless they are part of some grand AFL conspiracy.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Lol couldn't resist taking a shot at Victorian clubs aye. How do you get around with that chip on your shoulder.

Wasn't a shot at all, it is factual. It is not a secret that the AFL look after the VFL clubs. I was actually defending Essendon that it's time everyone moved on. See it however you want.

 

[JayJ20]

I suppose all of you will be booing Melksham, Hibberd, Ryder, Monfries and Crameri as well? No? Not at Essendon anymore?

Who said that the players wilfully doped? Don't give me crap like "oh they took it and they were banned, which means that they knew what it was and wilfully doped". Isn't the whole controversy of the saga that the club couldn't say what was given to them? Big distinction between actually wilfully doping while fully well knowing that it is not WADA compliant and taking some substances thinking that it is WADA complaint (after putting your trust in those who supposed to know about this) while falling short in doing your own research. Did they know that it isn't WADA compliant? It is pretty naive to think that no one in the AFL except the 34 banned Essendon players would have followed the supplement regime. There were no previous examples that would lead players to be wary of what they were given in the history of AFL/VFL. Each player would have expected the club to do their due diligence in proving WADA compliant substances as part of any supplement program. That is something basic that those in charge at the time completely failed in.

Very hard to see 34 professional AFL players doping purposely while knowing that what they have taken is not WADA compliant. Even harder to see that when players from another Australian code with the same man around the club also being charged with taking banned substances provided by the same man around a similar time frame.

Why were they banned? Because the rules state that any player that was found to be guilty of taking banned substances will receive bans. They may have the penalty for it, but they didn't wilfully dope as they didn't know it was banned. This is simple logic here. Banned due to circumstatial evidence that suggests that they were given banned substances, not because they wilfully doped. Again, they were not banned for wilfully doping. They were banned for circumstantial evidence that they had a banned substance in their system.
So the comparison to Lance Amstrong is complete crap. Absolute crap. And even calling them cheats suggests that they wilfully doped, while there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that they wilfully doped while know that it is banned.

Really need to move on now. They will play. Essendon are a big club. We will be pumped up. We will be used as a cash cow. Get used to it.