I came to Melbourne about 15 years ago from a soccer nation (I hated the game BTW). My mate told me on day 1 that I was now a Saints supporter and so I have been since. The first time he took me to a match at Arctic Park I was absolutely blown away - not by the howling wind but by the fact that oppo...

From http://www.afl.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=208&newsId=50093 A copy of an article in Thursday's Age by AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou explaining the AFL's illicit drug policy. THE AFL does not, never has and never will condone illicit drug use. I wanted to say that straight out because p...

And to the rest of you who say the AFL are doing nothing about drugs, did it occur to you that perhaps the players concerned had been detected by the AFL tests, and were at the clinic receiving the appropriate help to try and get them back on the right path? For all we know the AFL's policy is worki...

To The Top, you seem to be overlooking one very important point. There is a REASON that in civilised countries, people are entitled to medical confidentiality. It is so that they can go and seek help when they need it, without fear of getting marched away and locked up. Your little nazi-esque system...

I think essentially this debate comes down to the same problem that all debates do. Does a '3 strikes' policy promote drug use? Do injecting rooms and needle programs promote drug use? Does sex education and condom availability promote underage sex? Whether it is the AFL or the clubs themselves that...

Drugs are bad, mmkay? Seriously, they are very bad. A decade ago a bit of pot was just a bit of pot. Nowadays a bit of pot is a genetically mutated brain-freeze in a bud. Today's 'social' drugs are not as benign as they used to be, most of them have serious and unpredictable effects on the mind and ...

C'mon guys, where's this pic of Elle McPherson in a Saints jumper?

(although maybe I should just use my imagination for a while longer...)

I really suspect the problem is the AFL's (and presumably Demetriou's) arrogance - it acts like one of those annoying people that will automatically try to defend itself without giving any thought to your point and the fact that you may actually be right. Time and time again it will take a firm yet ...

Don't apologise Magic, you make good points and I'm certainly not in any position to defend the AFL. I think what we have here is a policy which would work well - I think the '3 strikes' idea is a generous one but it is done with the best of intentions. However, it is really only effective as long a...

I don't understand where all the sympathy for these players is coming from? If they are oicked up by a 'booze bus' and blow over .05 we don't make excuses for them. What about if the booze bus' is a 'drug tester' as well and they have a positive result? It isn't about sympathy Mr Magic. If a player...

I think you will find the AFL know who the players are as they would have been sent to the clinic as a result of failing a drug test. Well that's an interesting point too - I hadn't considered that. If it's true then there's really not much more to this case - the players are following the procedur...

Except they have been charged with 'theft by finding' which makes one suspect that either their story of finding the documents in the gutter is correct or there is no proof that they were stolen from within the Clinic? Interesting, I guess time will tell (enough media interest that I'm sure we'll h...

I don't think the players should have to answer charges in this case. Those are private medical records and the players are obviously seeking assistance with their problems. They are still at risk of being discovered in random tests, they are not being given any kind of immunity, but you can't allow...

The clinic involved may or may not be like this one: http://www.healthscopehospitals.com.au/info/general/Hospital/get/342/itemId/ As for any questions they'll have to answer, I actually suspect that this is going to be a bit of a slam-dunk. My guess is that 'found in the gutter' actually means 'stol...

It's a shame it's a Foxtel game, I'd really like to see it now but I'm not sure I'd pay to see it...

Surely the players on the field would still give it there all. Id find it disgusting as a supporter if a player on the field wouldn't be giving it there all, just for draft picks for next year. Well I guess this depends a lot on whether you believe that players can have their spirits affected by ex...

So Andrew Demetriou is either stupid, or he is lying to us all. It doesn't matter whether clubs go out with a deliberate intention to tank - the phrase we should use here is conflict of interest . Whether the coach actually says 'go out there and lay down' is irrelevant, the simple fact is that team...

If i as a Carlton supporter am happy to see this implemented...who is against the idea??? I guess it's just down to the AFL's pig-headedness and flat refusal to ever admit that one of their policies isn't working. Another problem with the current situation is that it pretty much automatically means...

Surely there could be some sort of 'weighted lottery' - so that the poorer performing teams get extra lottery entries, and therefore over time the earlier picks would 'generally' go to the lower teams - but this idea that clubs can predict exactly what picks they'll get based on how they perform on ...

It's a ridiculous situation isn't it. I particularly like Dimitriou's response which is basically 'tanking doesn't happen because I'm telling you it doesn't happen'. :roll: I thought Hutchy's suggestion last night was interesting, that the AFL should reverse the situation just for this match so that...

Thanks everyone - so basically Melbourne are looking at 2nd or 3rd pick regardless? If so, is 2nd pick that much greater than 3rd to justify Melbourne tanking? It seems like Carlton have more to gain from losing (3rd pick into 1st pick) than Melbourne (3rd pick into 2nd pick). Just trying to pick my...

Somebody posted the possible draft pick scenarios recently, but I can't find the thread.

Just wondering why Carlton and Melbourne are getting so excited for picks when presumably Richmond will get in first anyway?

I think, if anything, it actually shows how weak most of our wins have been. To narrowly beat a 'good' team that goes on to lose to an average side doesn't say much for their form. There haven't been many wins this season that I've taken confidence in - our opponents have often shown themselves to b...

Until recently I was very much against the 'invasion of privacy' that is testing for illicit drugs, especially out of season. However, I have changed my mind. Firstly, as others have pointed out, the line between 'recreational' and 'performance enhancing' is a very blurry one these days. Secondly, d...