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 by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

Here are reactions from around the footy world to the replacement players allowed for Essendon, but not for other affected clubs:

Journalist Martin Blake, who has a weekly spot on Kevin Bartlett's show Hungry For Sport, said that since the players had been convicted, there should be no compensation. He accused the AFL of compromising, saying the league didn't want a powerhouse club like Essendon to not be able to field a team. He said the club should just have elevated the rookies.

Former Bulldog and Tiger coach Terry Wallace queried why Port Adelaide weren’t allowed to replace Angus Monfries,

considering he was picked up by the Power before the drug scandal surfaced, “What about the Port Adelaide situation with Angus Monfries ... He was picked up before they (Port) had any knowledge whatsoever of any problems at ... Essendon ... I think that’s a bit of buyer beware, but the Monfries one I think Port Adelaide have every argument.” Kevin Bartlett took a different view, suggesting once the players were ruled ineligible, it should be the same rules for each club affected, “It just seems to me it doesn’t seem fair to say you can get top-up players, but you can’t,” he said.

Journalist Francis Leach and former Demon David Schwarz were of the opposite view on their morning show. Leach said it was hypocritical of the AFL to allow the Bombers replacements and not the other clubs, "So, Essendon can top-up its list yet that principle doesn’t extend to the other clubs, why? ... The only reason why is that Essendon is too big to fail ... because Essendon is too big to fail it would cause untold and unprecedented disruption to the competition ... and the commercial relationships the AFL has with all of those that are tipping the money in ... This is policy on the run of the worst possible kind, it is self interest all the way here.”

Co-host David Schwarz agreed that the AFL had to allow Essendon replacements but that ruling should have applied to the other affected clubs as well, “The AFL’s justification is that they needed to make Essendon semi competitive ... the last thing we want is a side on its knees ... where the reality is it’s a bad look for every body ... the policy for Essendon is right but the policy for the other four clubs is incorrect.”

Source: sen.com.au, adelaidenow.com.au

Article last changed on Thursday, February 11, 2016 - 3:45 PM EST


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