So, let me get this straight...

If you accidently trip someone, it's more serious than deliberately trying to elbow someone in the head.  I'm gobsmacked.

The full AFL MRP report can be found here. What I'm worried about is:

Contact between Essendon’s Paul Chapman and the Brisbane Lions’ Jack Redden from the second quarter of Saturday’s match was assessed. The force used in the contact was below that required to constitute a reportable offence, with a free kick paid at the time for the high contact. No further action was taken.

 So, the MRP was happy to put Viney through the ringer for this:


Where it's plainly obvious that Viney's going for the ball, but is completely OK with this:

Where Chapman is clearly playing the man and not the ball.

I reckon Chapman (who I hate with a passion equal to my loathing of port adelaide) has gotten off purely on the back of the Viney incident (not to mention Redden doesn't play for a Victorian team so he doesn't matter). Personally I reckon both players should have copped at least a week for their efforts.  The only consolation is that Chapman is going a week anyway because of his dog hit on Zorko.  As I said in my earlier blog, these players need to be protected.  They're human beings too remember, not just cattle for us to enjoy getting slaughtered.  How hard is it to bump someone cleanly between their shoulder and their knees?  The MRP and the Tribunal are nothing more than a Court of Public Opinion, hang the rules!

In other news, after a horrible night that I'd rather not talk about, this afternoon I got into the garden to see how my plants are doing.  I won't be getting a bumper crop of snow peas and tomatoes this season, but at least most of my plants have survived and started flowering.  The rookie mistakes I've made include being a little neglectful and overplanting, but I'll know better for next season.

I was born on a Monday

This morning on the train to work I was listening to the AFL favourite "Hunters and Collectors", more specifically a song that embodies the hope and passion of our beloved sport.  The lyrics at the end made me feel like there was hope, and that these past three games were just an aberration.

                         I followed orders.
                         God knows where I'd be.
                         But I woke up alone,
                         All my wounds were clean.
                         I'm still here.
                         I'm still a fool for the Holy Grail.

We're all still here.  We're all still fools for the great Brisbane Lions, and they're still fools for Premiership Glory.  They won't give up so easily, and nor should we.

Of course, then the rest of Monday happened.

First off, the Undertakers Wrestlemania Streak was ended by Brock Lesner, who IMO is the LEAST deserving person to end it.  It should have been the new creepster Bray Wyatt who did it if it was going to be done at all, and then the Deadman could hand over the mantle.  But no.

Secondly was Dan Rich and his ACL.  Like I said yesterday - FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We really didn't need that, and neither did he.  But "Bam-Bam" is a tough little cookie, hopefully he'll come back bigger and better than ever.  Of course, we now have a gaping hole in the middle of our already woeful team, and things aren't looking very bright for the Lions.

And just to put the cherry on the cake, Mickey Rooney passed away.  RIP Mickey, you are and always will be an acting legend.

It wasn't all bad news, it looks like the Big Sauce Dan Merrett is only going to get two weeks for his stupidity on the weekend (personally I would have given him 3, but we all know how pissweak the MRP are) so we shouldn't be in that much pain for too long.  Still, I have no idea how our backline is going to function, given that thanks to our dopey midfield they're already under more pressure than the Titanic. But miracles do happen, so I'm not about to write my boys off just yet.

Plus although one of my snow pea plants was stunted, it still tasted pretty good!

Although I did listen to another song on the way home today by Tears for Fears...

                   There's a room where the light won't find you,

                   Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down....

Essendon again.

The only thing I like about the Essendon Saga (AODgate?) is that it took a lot of the heat off the Brisbane Lions as we went through our own Pinksiergate scandal.  What should have been a simple investigation into an alledged incident of doping at the Bombers has turned into a multiple ring circus with plenty of guilty parties and victims (and some who are both!).  Personally, I think the biggest victims are the supporters who willingly and lovingly tip their hard-earned money into the Club.  They've had to deal with the friction between their Club and a favourite son, they've had to deal with the taunts, and they've had to deal with the uncertainty - has their beloved team been cheating?

As Members of our Clubs, I fully believe that we have the right to hold our Clubs to account.  Whether it's guernsey issues, Board issues, drug scandals, poor on-field performance, players behaving badly, we have a right to hold the people we pay to account if they fail the standards we have asked of them.  I know if I upset a customer at work, I am definitely held to account for it.  When the Brisbane Lions Board went too far in messing with the guernsey (for the record, I am a Paddlepopper through and through, even though I love both logos and have both tattooed on my person), the members stood up and held them to account.  We pay for our say (and to those who say we only pay to get into games, why are some memberships more expensive than others then hmmm?) and for our emotional investment into our Clubs.  The Essendon Members who have been hurt by this scandal (and believe me, they've been hurt) should exercise their right to hold the Essendon Board and the AFL to account.  They've put their hearts and their money into the Club, they deserve to have a say in how this gets handled.  Personally, I'd be calling for a complete clean-out and start again.  Sure it would set the Club back a bit, but what's the price of a well-run Club?

I love my ink.

Anyone who knows me will know my addiction to Cherry Tomatoes.  They are so yummy.  So instead of wasting $4 a punnet at Coles I'm trying to grow my own. Had a look this afternoon after work and found sprouts.  Not only that, but my snow-peas are sprouting too!  Now to decide whether I want snow-pea sprouts or the actual peas, both are sooooooooooooo yummy!

A nice surprise after running in the rain this morning!  I must admit it felt good to go for a run in the rain at 5.30am this morning and seeing all the other people in New Farm who still got up and gave it their all.  Much respect to you all!