The 'Weapon' has known Dank well since the end of '06 . Hird worked with Charter for 12 months in '04. Charter and Dank have known each other and had dealings for a number of years. Thompson worked with the weapon for a number of years at Geelong.

They are all connected and it goes back quite a number of years.

The following article is from 'you know who' so make of it what you will ...

Players' boss comes out swinging at scientists

For those not familiar, Matt Finnis is the AFL players boss ...

Hi Macca.

Maybe it was Hird who recommended the Weapon to Bomba @ the Cats.

Hird may have needed help after his foot & face issues, to get back onto the park.

Hi Macca.

Maybe it was Hird who recommended the Weapon to Bomba @ the Cats.

Hird may have needed help after his foot & face issues, to get back onto the park.

There are any number of permutations 'dl'. Depends on how cynical we want to be and/or whether we can take these people at face value any more. Not sure I can trust any of them now. Sad really, but it's not just our sport.

Not a big fan of Patrick Smith but he was right on the money when he talked about the lying that goes on in footy. Ditto for Dale Lewis re the drug issue (Dale's comments were made about 10 years ago). We were warned (in some ways).

Looks like those who said that there was a probable likelihood of a correlation between recreational drugs and PED'S were correct as well.

A form of 'zero tolerance' could be an answer but what if an athlete is set up? We may have had a whole team that has been set up, though I hope it isn't true. It's an unholy mess if it is true.

Last week, before this whole story broke, I read this fascinating article, coming at drugs from the perspective of a U.S. sports fan. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8904906/daring-ask-ped-question

As bad as the current situation is (and however bad it gets), at least here in Australia we're (finally) trying to right the ship. The level of power the players have in the U.S. makes it sound like they'll never have a week like this ... but they'll never be clean, either.

The 'Weapon' has known Dank well since the end of '06 . Hird worked with Charter for 12 months in '04. Charter and Dank have known each other and had dealings for a number of years. Thompson worked with the weapon for a number of years at Geelong.

They are all connected and it goes back quite a number of years.

The following article is from 'you know who' so make of it what you will ...

Players' boss comes out swinging at scientists

For those not familiar, Matt Finnis is the AFL players boss ...

'Macca', I'm finding it hard to believe that the players association and player managers let alone the club didn't know what was going on. 40 plus players on the list and no-one said anything, no one mentioned to their manager that they were asked to sign some document, maybe talked to their association...no-one. I mean we know that Reimers said he talked to players at other clubs, they said nothing.

There's a lot of people protecting their backsides here and I'm not buying any of it. The sports science guys are the evil faceless men, that's too easy to sell, most of us would love to see the Thursday night sausage sizzle and Sunday morning barrel back in footy, these guys are no fun. They have a fair bit to answer for but....

The EFC, player managers and the players union fiddled while Rome burned and the AFL sat on their hands. I'm not buying what they're selling.

'Macca', I'm finding it hard to believe that the players association and player managers let alone the club didn't know what was going on. 40 plus players on the list and no-one said anything, no one mentioned to their manager that they were asked to sign some document, maybe talked to their association...no-one. I mean we know that Reimers said he talked to players at other clubs, they said nothing.

There's a lot of people protecting their backsides here and I'm not buying any of it. The sports science guys are the evil faceless men, that's too easy to sell, most of us would love to see the Thursday night sausage sizzle and Sunday morning barrel back in footy, these guys are no fun. They have a fair bit to answer for but....

The EFC, player managers and the players union fiddled while Rome burned and the AFL sat on their hands. I'm not buying what they're selling.

You could be 100% correct rjay. Hard to argue with anything you've said. Most people in the industry would know what injections to the stomach means (that's if that bit is true,of course).

However, what about all the 18. 19 and 20 year olds? Would they necessarily know what was going on? At that age you may not have the life skills to make a properly thought out decision. If they are guilty, I'm not sure they can all be guilty in the same way.

If the bombers boys have been given or injected with something illegal, but is in a vitamin box, container etc and they are told its vitamins and it looks like vitamins, its hard to see how they have done anything wrong.

Of course, it makes the deception even worse, decepting players re what is going into their bodies...

You could be 100% correct rjay. Hard to argue with anything you've said. Most people in the industry would know what injections to the stomach means (that's if that bit is true,of course).

However, what about all the 18. 19 and 20 year olds? Would they necessarily know what was going on? At that age you may not have the life skills to make a properly thought out decision. If they are guilty, I'm not sure they can all be guilty in the same way.

No matter what comes of this, whether it is found they have taken illegal substances or not the club must be held responsible for putting them in this position.Their managers and their union have at best been incompetent, i think probably worse than that and the AFL have been to busy tilting at windmills.

Their fate could well be in the hands of WADA and with the Armstrong fiasco they may well be screwed through little fault of their own, surely someone asked the question.

I'm finding it hard to believe that it's been so long before anybody has been done for drug cheating..... The last time I remember someone getting done was Justin Charles..... Wow has the league been that clean or has the testing been that bad....

Part of me believes that the AFL it's self has had something to do with all this.... Maybe they have given the nod to certain clubs at certain times... Who knows....

Lol..... And we all thought that we were being bad by wanting our club to tank.....hahaha.... How bout you give us the nod AFL you pack of money hungry bastards...

If the bombers boys have been given or injected with something illegal, but is in a vitamin box, container etc and they are told its vitamins and it looks like vitamins, its hard to see how they have done anything wrong.

Of course, it makes the deception even worse, decepting players re what is going into their bodies...

And it would be in their interest to say that wouldn't it??

The rules are tough but its like Contador saying he ate a steak with steroids in it. Really? Gee that's unlucky.

Its tough for the players but it will be harder on the club because it has been sanctioned by their own processes. They are cactus.

There are any number of permutations 'dl'. Depends on how cynical we want to be and/or whether we can take these people at face value any more. Not sure I can trust any of them now. Sad really, but it's not just our sport.

Not a big fan of Patrick Smith but he was right on the money when he talked about the lying that goes on in footy. Ditto for Dale Lewis re the drug issue (Dale's comments were made about 10 years ago). We were warned (in some ways).

Looks like those who said that there was a probable likelihood of a correlation between recreational drugs and PED'S were correct as well.

A form of 'zero tolerance' could be an answer but what if an athlete is set up? We may have had a whole team that has been set up, though I hope it isn't true. It's an unholy mess if it is true.

Agreed mate.

Thats why I'm cynical.

Because of the over adulteration of the issues in footy, by the afl. they twist & delay, & spin everything, to try to work an outcome, instead of letting us, the footy public, deal with it, after they present us with the truth.

They don't trust in an outcome, so they try to shape it they way they like it, for the sponsors.

THIS IS, where they start to GO Wrong... downhill from there.

This will all start spewing out on monday......Hotel rooms will be busy on the weekend having meetings

Hope 4 corners is onto it all.

This will all start spewing out on monday......Hotel rooms will be busy on the weekend having meetings

Hope 4 corners is onto it all.

They can sure swear a lot on that 'Bomber Blitz' site. Very unbecoming and rather uncouth like, I must say

They're probably feeling a little stressed so in some ways it's understandable. Reading the main thread over there is eerily like reading some of our threads (in the early days of our investigation)

Have never liked Essendon but I genuinely hope they somehow are absolved of guilt for their sake and for the game's sake.

Not looking good though as each day passes.

They can sure swear a lot on that 'Bomber Blitz' site. Very unbecoming and rather uncouth like, I must say

BomberBlitz is the least of their worries!!

Bomber Thompson could be in for a rough ride...

BomberBlitz is the least of their worries!!

Bomber Thompson could be in for a rough ride...

It's hard to believe in a lot ways. I've tried to imagine how it would feel if it were us. The repercussions would be enormous if they've transgressed.

Worse case scenario is they don't play for 2 years and because of that, they'd be set back 6-10 years. WADA have said there will be no deal done if there is guilt.(re the PED's / Peptides)

Reverse the 2000 flag and Brownlow, sack Hird and Bomber, get on with the game.

We need some easybeats in the comp.

Reverse the 2000 flag and Brownlow, sack Hird and Bomber, get on with the game.

We need some easybeats in the comp.

Bomber will go, Hird, Evans and Robson should. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Reverse the 2000 flag and Brownlow, sack Hird and Bomber, get on with the game.

We need some easybeats in the comp.

lol.... 13 flag by default..... Hehehe.... I like it....

I'm sus about the hawks in 1988 as well....

They may not be able to prove banned substances, but signed agreements outside the playing contract, prabably as a result of coercion, injecting players and in the stomach as well, (by non club personnel) and knowing about the above for at least a year, before contacting the AFL, will land the Bombers in a heavy penalty zone, even if there is no guilty finding on the substances injected.

why are injections in the stomach mentioned so often? Is there a suggestion that illegal substances require that location, or is it just a media beat-up? Diabetics often inject in the stomach after all.

why are injections in the stomach mentioned so often? Is there a suggestion that illegal substances require that location, or is it just a media beat-up? Diabetics often inject in the stomach after all.

i herd somewhere that HGH is administered by injection to the stomach..... I'm no expert, so it could be bullish!t...

i herd somewhere that HGH is administered by injection to the stomach..... I'm no expert, so it could be bullish!t...

maybe because some players have already got too many holes in their arms

Reverse the 2000 flag and Brownlow, sack Hird and Bomber, get on with the game.

We need some easybeats in the comp.

Should have taken the 93 flag off them as they were convicted of salary cap cheating from 1992-1996.

They are scum of the highest order.

Should have taken the 93 flag off them as they were convicted of salary cap cheating from 1992-1996.

They are scum of the highest order.

And give it to Carlton??

Scylla and Charybdis

The players all signed forms consenting to their being administered these drugs. The HUN today says that those consent forms listed the drugs they were agreeing to take.

The interesting thing now will be to see what was listed on those forms, and what the players actually took. If the players only took what was listed on the forms, and one or more of the drugs turns out to be banned, then the players are in trouble. The fact will be they consented to taking a banned substance, and the form will count as their knowledge of what they were doing. It might sound sad, but short of the club threatening to sack them for not taking it, they agreed.

However, if the players were given something that wasn't on the list, then it's going to raise a lot more issues. For Dank/Robinson/whoever to tell the players 'here's what we're giving you, it's all legal as you can see', and for them to then be given something else, the players, despite still being guilty, might not get punished as much as they otherwise might.

If a banned substance was administered, the punishment will be variously distributed between Dank, Robinson, Hird, the board and the football administrators, and the players. It will be interesting to see who knew what.

If they were given something that wasn't on the list, how will it be proven?

Even if one thing on the list of substances- sorry supplements they took is banned, they are toast. Ignorance no excuse and all that