Bombers' first top-up player former banned doper Crowley

As way of background - I'm a WC fan and Woosh has rarely let me down in the last 30 years and I don't believe that he will disappoint at Essendon either. So it's not blind faith - he's earned the benefit of any doubt in my eyes. I can see why others wouldn't have as much faith, and yes there is an element of faith but it's not blind. Point taken on the comparasion, my bad. Woosh isn't just a coach, you can build a club around him - he'll drag that club back up and take everyone with him. I don't know how long that will take and some of that will be out of his hands eg the emotional state of the group, board and everyone's buy-in and support, potential departures, potential lawsuits between players and the club and who knows what else. But I do know that if anyone can get them through this it is Woosh. I'd like people to draw a line in the sand and let them get on with it but that's me. It's a new regime, Woosh earns and demands a big say in how things are done inside any club and he can control a board and lead an entire club through cultural change. I'm leaving the baggage of the last few years behind and I'll be fascinated to see what happens next. I'm over the Essendon bashing and I categorised your comments as just that. If I have that wrong I take that back. You're free to question their decisions and I'm free to support them. That's something to be thankful for, cheers.

"I still can’t believe that you compared him to Hird." Jax I didn't compare him to HIrd, I compared your trust in him to the trust the Hird fanatics had in him, and your outrage at me questioning just a couple of the EFC's recruiting decisions only adds to that comparison. You say you don't have blind faith in Worsfold but then admit that you don't know the reasons for his decision but are happy to accept his decision as being correct because of his history - that is the definition of blind faith. If you wait for someone to stuff up before you question the decision it is to late, I have plenty of respect for Worsfold and I agree he has done an amazing job everywhere he has coached - but that doesn't mean I can't form my own opinion on the decision he is making.

I didn't say that he gets everything right every time or that he is perfect. I don't have blind faith, you're drawing long bows. I just have to look at his 25 year career to know that he gets it right more often than not and that gives me a fair bit of confidence. That's why I'm prepared to give him the benefit of any doubt until he gives me reason to reassess. There could be many reasons behind their recruiting decisions eg he wants them to be competitive so as to instill some pride and confidence back into the group. Confidence and the game that is played between the ears is just as important as the one played on the field. We don't know their reasons but I'm quite certain that they do. I forgot to mention what Woosh did at Adelaide last year or in his role at the AFLCA. It's a very impressive resume by anyone's standards. I still can't believe that you compared him to Hird. You forgot to include Michael Voss and Tony Shaw - all premiership captains, all favourite sons that coached their original club and all failed except for one - that's where the similarities end. Woosha left them all in his wake after that - he's in a different league altogether,

All the more reason to have an experienced midfield that can hold their own and minimise any clean ball coming into the defence. Let's wait and see what they do with the back line now that they have some mids locked away.

What so because I don't think Worsfold is infallible I must be a hater? Yes Worsfold has had more coaching experience than Hird but that doesn't mean he gets everything right everytime. The way you have flown off the handle at my criticism of your blind faith (not of Worsfold but your attitude towards him) makes me expect the Spanish Inquisition. As for nothing going to be good enough for me about Essendon, they have already recruited 2 players I suggested they should (Dea & Simpkin) so that statement clearly isn't true. In fact I actually think this suspension will be the bes thing that has happened to the Dons in a while, they will get a chance to follow a good couple of draft picks last year with another good couple this year which when added to Daniher will give the a solid core to build around for 3 or 4 years time - and I think Worsfold will do a great job in doing that building - I just don't accept that every decision he makes is correct and unchallengable.

You're more foolish than I had previously realised. You still believe that you know better from behind your keyboard. For the record I'm not a bombers fan. Woosha captained WC from age 22 and took them to two flags as a player. He came back to the club after two years as a Carlton assistant. Parkin said you will not meet a more impressive individual. Judd says Wososh is the my homest man in Australia. Does any of this sound anything like Hird? Hird didn't serve an apprenticeship. Woosh immediately took them into the finals and quickly took them to the flag. He rebuilt the culture after 2007 and handed Simmo a dream list ie he left the club and list in better shape than it was when he arrived. Compare that record to Hird's and you want find many parallels. Comparing a rookie coach in Hird (and his coacjphing record) to Woosha is a disgraceful comparison, and stupid one. It's obvious that you hate Essendon and nothing is going to good enough for you. Your a hater

Because he isn't a sound kick. Or was he operating under Ross' instructions to miss 50% of his shots on goal? I love the way that with no evidence of Crowey being able to play as a forward (and his own words that he can't) and no evidence that Crowley is a sound kick (and evidence that he isn't) I am the dill. This 30 goals prediction will join the long list of your predictions that hasn't come close to being accurate.

Ask yourself why...you dill.

You claim you don't need it simplified and yet you still miss the point. Crowley isn't a sound kick - he has converted at less than 50% in the last 3 seasons.

Geez I don't need it simplified. Casboult is irrelevant to everything. Why would anyone read it?

Don Freo - I'll make the Casboult stuff simple for you - You said Crolwey is a sound kick yet in the last 3 seasons he has kicked 30.31 - worse than 50% - that isn't sound. Given Crowley himself has stated he probably wouldn't be playing AFL is he hadn't become a tagger I think it is safe to say that is the role he is best at but if that isn't enough for you maybe you could consider the logic of not playing someone as a forward when it is the role they are best at and your team has issues scoring goals? I mean surely you would try it at least once. As for Crowley's comments yesterday I am sure he is ging to give away the bombers game plan in an interview in Feb but even if he is only a tagger "on occasion" I would expect the other roles would be a back pocket or back flank or maybe a defensive forward. There is absolutely no way he will kick 30 goals in that side.

I won't bother with the Casboult stuff. Saw the name...didn't read it. Irrelevant...too long. Crowley played as a tagger...because he's good at it. That doesn't mean he's better at it than as a forward...just that he's good at tagging. He said yesterdsy that Bluey and Woosha have him working closely with Parish and Laverde on the defensive aspects of playing in the midfield. He said he expects to be used as a tagger only "on some occasions".

Jax - "I trust Woosha to make the best decisions for the club" That phrase reminds me a lot of what we have been hearing from Essendon supporters about their former coach for the last 3 years. Blind Faith is never a great perspective from which to get a good view. And this year Worsfold isn't building anything - he is just trying to salvage something from the wreck.

"He has been playing as a tagger not as a forward" Exactly - and the reason he has been playing as a tagger and not as a forward is that he is better at being a tagger than being a forward. So to expect him at 32, after a year out of the game off a limited pre-season (where he may not even be ready to play round 1) in a team that struggle to score last year and will be even worse this year and play a role that he isn't best suited to to a level where will average 1.5 goals a game and go close to being the teams leading goal kicker is just ridiculous. And being a tagger isn't an excuse for him converting at under 50%, not what I would call a sound kick (after all Levi Casboult kicked 24.12 last year and still get criticised). Good grief!!! Send me a Don Freo that gets lost in the mail!

The midfield isn't the problem, their back line has been decimated (especially losing Hooker and Hurley and the next best key defender in Pears) and up forward Hooker was second in their goal kicking last year and considering how they struggled to score last year that leaves a big hole.

I'm tipping that they will win some games. Their forming an old but decent midfield now.

You made the GF in 2013. You finished 4th in 2014 You finished 1st last year, 2015

Train and Axle Players are human and they take their fair share of illicit drugs. The statistics prove that - at one stage last year the Pies had 10 players with drug strikes through testing and self-reporting. It's on AFL.com,au or one of the ofher major sites. That's over 20% of the list - that we know about. The AFL conducts approx 2000 tests per year yet they have 800 players, not including rookies etc. That 2.5 tests per listed player, per year. When one considers that the Pies had 10 players with strikes with a 2.5 per year policy - surely it has to be higher. The AFL is walking a tightrope. The players don't want an increase in the number of tests and the AFL wants a game that it can promote. Lots of optics. Come back to reality please.

I have a different perspective Macca. I trust Woosha to make the best decisions for the club - he's focused, he's a cool head in a crisis - and he has an underlying ruthless, competerive drive to succeed. He knows how to lead men and build clubs and that's what he will do at Essendon. His body of work over 25 years is outstanding bar a couple mistakes and at this stage there is no logical reason to doubt him. He built the WC list twice. Let him do his job and slow down on the keyboard. The club is in the best of hands. Or do you just hate Essendon that much that you need to keep laying the boots in while they are on the ground?

It was years ago...more than two.. almost 3. A kid. The photos were more than a year after the alleged event. What ex-footballers turned th0gs did after all those years of experience is far more reprehensible.