The statement from the club that there are no concerns about supplements was entirely predicated on the management of the program by Bates - who is now stood down. Before that McLardy was saying no changes to personnel contemplated, next day Schwab is sacked. I can't believe anything coming from the club.

Precisely - they have decimated any goodwill they had, they no longer have the right to expect the supporters, media or AFL to take them at their word.

"Bringing the Game into Disrepute".

This singular sentence, a vaguery of the most ill defined kind, is starting to carry with it the threat of an axe to the head, as wielded by a worryingly control obsessed Andrew Demetriou.

The most recent Fairfax revelations, about Dr.Dan Bates at the MFC, and "Dr.Ageless" this morning, are making the picture clearer for us, where the AFL have only to this stage been grandstanding with their murky threats and fingerpointing.

It seems the following points are becoming known:

*There is no evidence that any players at EFC or MFC, or James Hird have taken or been given any illegal or banned substances

*Any dealings they had with Stephen Dank were for the provision of ASADA approved supplements.

This being the case, Demetriou is trying, desperately it seems, to create the notion of wrongdoing, unfairness, or criminality at worst, where there just isn't any PROPER legal basis for such. With his beloved "bringing the game into disrepute" mantra, it seems he is giving himself carte blanche to go hunting whomever and wherever he pleases.

In this case it will be guilt by association. If, as Dr. Ageless in The Age today suggests, Stephen Dank has been involved in criminal behaviour, it DOES NOT mean that anybody at the Dees or Bombers knew this. In Demetriou's mind I suspect THAT will not matter, and he will not need proof of this to start wielding his disrepute axe.

We have seen it already with the tanking disgrace, and I mean the disgrace is all his. The MFC had a staff member suspended and were fined $500,000 for uttering the truth that there was advantage to the club to be gained via the priority pick. The policy put in place BY THE AFL to create an incentive to finish last. It was ruled by Demetriou's management that this must not be admitted by ANYONE, ANYWHERE despite everyone knowing it to be the case. We admitted it, and the disrepute axe fell.

Under Andrew Demetriou's tenure, the AFL is quickly becoming accountable only to his God complex driven ideas of how clubs and individuals should behave, and the further this moves outside solid and provable legal boundaries and into his self created notions of ethics, or governance, or propriety or whatever other non specific catch all term he wants to use next, the more this sport is going to be riven by media scandal, second guessing and blame attribution where there isn't any.

I suspect they are worried that the trail will lead to the Cats Premierships, & if so, then a penalty in the order of what the Melbourne Storm suffered, may be in line?

... and maybe Sydney too?

all the media speculation is focused on out little dabble at the edges of sport science?

& Essendon who went to the players with written Club waiver contracts?, get the nice guy treatment?

Whether Vlad is, or isn't, the best CEO the AFL has had is up for debate, but what is not up for debate is that Vlad absolutely loves the chance to get in the media and be bombastic.

Now I think that's something everyone can agree on!

The members have tried for decades to elect good Boards but we've really not had one that's excelled.

I'd ask the AFL to professionally administer the Club or recommend Board members. How on earth are we to know what Geoff Freeman will be like? We can't know and those that have elevated him are proving themselves to be less than acceptable.

Sadly I'd expect many to think they should have a say. Well I'd say so far our collective efforts have been abysmal and I want something better.

I've been saying this for a while now but I think with Jackson coming in he will be acting like an administrator anyway, the board have lost all credibility and power and will have to sign off on anything he wants done.

I believe we are going to be under administration in all but name only but the way things are going now this may well be formalised.

Actually I was referring to MFC players. Clearly there is a duty of care issue at the Bombers in respect to players not knowing what they were getting, but it is presumptuous to fit the same thing to the Dees. We know that Bates was arranging the whole thing, and as much as his non disclosure is an issue for which he has paid the price, why do we imagine he wasn't telling the players? Again, it's apportioning blame via presumption and heresay.

Also, the fact that the world's spotlight ( meaning the media who would sell their grandmother for scandal) is on Dank, does NOT mean the MFC have transgressed in ANY way. Bates has, but only by non disclosure, and it is further scandal mongering to assume any other wrongdoing.

The media drive this stuff, and Demetriou has become a slave to it.....too much so IMO

According to the club, Bates was questioned 3 times over any association with Dank and he said there was none, when in fact there was; was he lying?

If he did lie about that, then why would you believe anything else he said about the matter?

Listening to 3AW before they believe that there are quite a few others at the club who knew about our involvement with Dank. If that's correct then how many others were involved, and if there were others, why didn't they inform the club when the [censored] hit the fan over Essendon's predicament.

Does this mean that the players can get injections prescribed by the club Doctor but no one else knows about it, the Coach, the fitness staff, the whole football department; no one ever discusses it?

This is just a whole load of bull [censored].

According to the club, Bates was questioned 3 times over any association with Dank and he said there was none, when in fact there was; was he lying?

If he did lie about that, then why would you believe anything else he said about the matter?

Listening to 3AW before they believe that there are quite a few others at the club who knew about our involvement with Dank. If that's correct then how many others were involved, and if there were others, why didn't they inform the club when the [censored] hit the fan over Essendon's predicament.

Does this mean that the players can get injections prescribed by the club Doctor but no one else knows about it, the Coach, the fitness staff, the whole football department; no one ever discusses it?

This is just a whole load of bull [censored].

I agree, RF. It seems almost inconceivable that no one else in the FD would have known about it.

Does this mean that the players can get injections prescribed by the club Doctor but no one else knows about it, the Coach, the fitness staff, the whole football department; no one ever discusses it?

Of course they know about it, who's ever said otherwise? Injecting athletes is a standard procedure in all sports where applicable and necessary.

Except, perhaps ironically enough, in cycling where since 2011 there's been a No Needle policy, unless where medically justified.

Edited April 20, 201312 yr by bing181

I respect AD more than any administrator mfc have at the moment. its sad but the afl taking over the demons can be nothing but a good thing. thats where we are at now

I agree, RF. It seems almost inconceivable that no one else in the FD would have known about it.

But, but, but, but what if he was a rogue Doctor with only evil on his mind ? That's possible isn't it ?

There once was a bloke named Midas who could turn everything he touched into gold. Over the last, particularly 6 or so years, the MFC has exhibited the exact opposite ability. We have been masters at turning strawberry jam into pig shite. The only place to lay blame is inside the club. Unfortunately we are now unable to solve this mess ourselves and will end up going cap in hand to Demetriou and his minions for help.

Edit typo

Edited April 20, 201312 yr by Bitter but optimistic

There once was a bloke named Midas who could turn everything he touched into gold. Over the last, particularly 6 or so years, the MFC has exhibited the exact opposite ability. We have been masters at turning strawberry jam into pig shite. The only place to lay blame is inside the club. Unfortunately we are now unable to solve this mess ourselves and will end up going cap in hand to Demetriou and his minions for help.

Edit typo

So we have been run by King Sexyfingers?

So we have been run by King Sexyfingers?

More like stinkyfingers!

More like stinkyfingers!

Maybe we should get the manager of "The Conchords".

He's available!

It's comedy festival time - plenty of suitable candidates to run the current farce.

Did anyone else hear today that AD has come out in support of The Bomber players (alleged to have been taking illegal substance) stating it would be ok for them to plead ignorance???

Edited April 26, 201312 yr by Rusty Nails

Did anyone else hear today that AD has come out in support of The Bomber players (alleged to have been taking illegal substance) stating it would be ok for them to plead ignorance???

Maybe we should have used that defence when we were accused of tanking.

Maybe we should get the manager of "The Conchords".

He's available!

the messiah is not dead. He is resurrected.

now i know the definition of indefinite banning

Stuie will be Spuie

I would have given you 3 months

Edit: Ooooooops, just saw the date. - premature exultation

Edited April 26, 201312 yr by daisycutter

disagree.

vlad is the best ceo the game has ever had.

I don't agree at all, & while it may not be his fault the game as gotten awasy from where it was wanted to get under his reign. under this commission.

the sports sciences & the rotations, + the abuse of the draft & the priority picks by the whole competition, has been going on for over 15 Yrs.

the professional era has allowed the players to get ahead of themselves & the game itself.

I'm starting to wonder with every new day whether the right hand at the AFL knows what the left hand's doing.

Vlad is a terrible CEO, so what he got a huge TV rights deal for the AFL which any monkey could have gotten but what else has he done?

Continually change the rules?

Americanize our great game?

Turn the AFL into something more resembling the WWE than the game of Aussie Rules we all know and love?

Bring in two forced and soul-less franchises from suspect geographic locations while Tasmania, a great footy state, continues to get the shaft and languishes still without an AFL team?

He is a terrible CEO and its a joke he has lasted this long.

If there is one thing the MFC should do right now...

Get some heavyweight legal eagles ready standing by to defend this club to the hilt against the overt bullying by the AFL. I find it incredulous that the DimWit CEO did not declare that the MFC briefed them fully about Dank in February.

As a paid member of an AFL club I have had a enough of the AFL blaming everybody else other than themselves each and every time. DimWit CEO has a messiah complex and needs to go,

If there is one thing the MFC should do right now...

Get some heavyweight legal eagles ready standing by to defend this club to the hilt against the overt bullying by the AFL. I find it incredulous that the DimWit CEO did not declare that the MFC briefed them fully about Dank in February.

As a paid member of an AFL club I have had a enough of the AFL blaming everybody else other than themselves each and every time. DimWit CEO has a messiah complex and needs to go,

He probably didn't know.

Jumping to conclusions and threating clubs with sanctions before anything has been investigated properly, is poor diplomacy by some one who is in charge and gets paid too much.

Someone should investigate the AFL....law into themselves