Non-Lions Footy Discussion

[WA Lion]

Agreed; it is ridiculous and flies in the face of the penalty itself that Kelly or Stokes etc can be selected before any the other 30 something senior and rookie listed players are selected.

I said it last week, I am firmly of the view that the additional 10 players they're acquiring should not be allowed to play until the initial squad of 30 odd players are unable to form a 22 due to injury or suspension.

It should be irrelevant as to the impact that has on the club. They cheated and that should be the repercussion regardless of the impact.

Interesting and fair point that I don't disagree with, but would you get the likes of Kelly, Stokes, Crowley etc if they knew it was purely to sit on the rookie list for half a season?

 

[Dylan12]

Interesting and fair point that I don't disagree with, but would you get the likes of Kelly, Stokes, Crowley etc if they knew it was purely to sit on the rookie list for half a season?

Possibly not , but I'd doubt they'd have any trouble finding 10 players willing to be on an AFL rookie list and in the AFL system for a season.

 

[Skoob]

Possibly not , but I'd doubt they'd have any trouble finding 10 players willing to be on an AFL rookie list and in the AFL system for a season.

I agree in principle, but you have to weigh up the commercial interests of everyone else, including other teams and the AFL, against such a punishment. To render Essendon completely uncompetitive, damages a lot of others as well.

 

[Scubaveg]

Is Warnock that bad Essendon wouldn't consider him as a top up this year?

 

[POBT]

Is Warnock that bad Essendon wouldn't consider him as a top up this year?

I believe he's got some sort of degenerative injury (on top of a complete lack of football talent).

 

[scott_the_man]

Polks has joine the bombers. Oh dear

 

[Doss]

Polks has joine the bombers. Oh dear

He has. I think it's a good choice; he won our VFL best and fairest last year.

He may not set the world on fire at AFL level, but they're top ups and we can't really expect them to be trail blazers. They've got roles to play.

He adds some good experience to shield the kids and that's all you can ask.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Go Polks!

 

[M Malice]

He has. I think it's a good choice; he won our VFL best and fairest last year.

He may not set the world on fire at AFL level, but they're top ups and we can't really expect them to be trail blazers. They've got roles to play.

He adds some good experience to shield the kids and that's all you can ask.

no disrespect to polks, that shows the enormous jump up that is required to go from VFL level to AFL level. x lion jordan lisle also made the VFL team of 2015 as well as isaac conway. this demonstrates the enormous step up our young boys have to go through from NEAFL to AFL.

 

[Doss]

no disrespect to polks, that shows the enormous jump up that is required to go from VFL level to AFL level. x lion jordan lisle also made the VFL team of 2015 as well as isaac conway. this demonstrates the enormous step up our young boys have to go through from NEAFL to AFL.

Yep, no doubt. For every Sam Mitchell who can make the step up with aplomb, there are probably tens who attempt to but just don't quite cut it.

I'm happy for Polks though. He was fantastic for us last year. Nearly dragged us into a VFL Grand Final.

 

[Davemonkey]

Yeah good news for Polks. Let's hope he wins one against the Eagles for you with a torp.

Sigh. I loved that torp.

 

[KissKiss]

He may have always been a bit of a whipping boy around here and he often seemed one of those players too good for the lower level but not quite full AFL standard. But I'd guess a lot of people here are really happy to see him get a second chance and have fond memories of him. Especially that torp

 

[Hollow Knight]

Must be mowing Woosha's lawn

 

[blynd_freddie]

Must be mowing Woosha's lawn

Is looking after a few down here TBD - looks as though he's gone 'hipster' too!

 

[Doss]

Is looking after a few down here TBD - looks as though he's gone 'hipster' too!

Hmmm.

A certain Jim has mowed us down well enough as is...

 

[POBT]

Polks was an obvious choice, I thought. Sends a really good message to the VFL side that they are part of the club. He knows the club and their systems. He's shown he can contribute at senior level (if not always consistently). He's a good age where he has maturity on his side but hopefully is not as big an injury risk as veterans.

Every single player available to Essendon has been deemed not good enough for senior football. I think singling out Polks is a bit unfair. I hope he does a really good job and plays his way on to their list for 2017.

 

[alscotoz2]

I agree in principle, but you have to weigh up the commercial interests of everyone else, including other teams and the AFL, against such a punishment. To render Essendon completely uncompetitive, damages a lot of others as well.

And there's the 'sport' in a nutshell. C'mon Skoob, please.

 

[James North]

Polks will do enough for the Bombers this year - a very good choice by them.

He was never amazing all the time, but he did have some seriously good games - a lower risk than many other options.

 

[Skoob]

And there's the 'sport' in a nutshell. C'mon Skoob, please.

Don't get your distaste for the importance of 'commercial interests'. If our own commercial interests aren't protected, the Lions would fold, along with a few other clubs. It's a reality, that without careful commercial consideration, the whole competition would die, and the best we can expect for a footy fix is suburban leagues.
Can't ask for sport to be 'pure' and forsake commercialism and still expect a national competition with live broadcasts.

 

[Skoob]

no disrespect to polks, that shows the enormous jump up that is required to go from VFL level to AFL level. x lion jordan lisle also made the VFL team of 2015 as well as isaac conway. this demonstrates the enormous step up our young boys have to go through from NEAFL to AFL.

Not sure about that. He was still a serviceable AFL level player, with worse players still running around in the AFL. He'd simply run his course here and was overtaken. Not quite good enough, but I wouldn't say he (or Lisle for that matter) were an "enormous jump" away from getting games.

 

[M Malice]

Not sure about that. He was still a serviceable AFL level player, with worse players still running around in the AFL. He'd simply run his course here and was overtaken. Not quite good enough, but I wouldn't say he (or Lisle for that matter) were an "enormous jump" away from getting games.

agree. might not have worded it quite right. what i probably could have said was, just because you are a standout in VFL or NEAFL competitions doesn't necessarily mean you are going to be a consistent AFL level player.

 

[alscotoz2]

Don't get your distaste for the importance of 'commercial interests'. If our own commercial interests aren't protected, the Lions would fold, along with a few other clubs. It's a reality, that without careful commercial consideration, the whole competition would die, and the best we can expect for a footy fix is suburban leagues.
Can't ask for sport to be 'pure' and forsake commercialism and still expect a national competition with live broadcasts.

My distaste is for propping up a club of cheats so that 'commercial interests' are protected. In reality, it leaves the AFL as a competition with no 'integrity'. Perhaps 'commercial interests' and 'integrity' are incompatible?

If the competition could not survive a club who has brought the game into disrepute 'struggling' then that speaks volumes about the strength of the AFL. Do you really think the 'product' is that weak?

 

[Hollow Knight]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-29/homesick-cam-mccarthy-granted-indefinite-leave-by-the-giants

Hmm.

 

[Lace Out]

I can't deny Polks the cash but as the season wears on for Essendon I can see myself not wanting to watch him trying to stem the tide

 

[Caiphus]

I think taking on 10 players who have been on AFL lists but aren't any more isn't going to be a significant advantage to Essendon in the slightest. I mean 1st round draft picks are enough of a lottery already when you add in blokes that have already been through the system and deemed surplus to requirements it will be a massive anomaly if they do perform reasonably well. There is no possible way I see Essendon getting into the 8 on the back of these "concessions". If they do, then it's another nail in Hird's coffin and we don't have to worry about them getting easy access to top draft picks. On a week to week basis, though, if they are more competitive than getting Giants or Suns (or Carlton, Melbourne or us) level floggings then it's probably a positive thing over all.