but he PAID for them all up front

Shhh don't talk about the cruise companies secrets

I will say it again DF

There is not such thing as a free lunch or free anything.

Somewhere some how you pay.

Not entirely true OD as If you work for the MFC then they pay ....

I get so so sick of the good Hird bad Hird routine . . good Hird (fake tan, blow wave and boyish innocence) "geez guys love to explain but y'know it's before the courts, love the players, love the club . . no, no we are all innocent" . . . bad Hird or the team of bad Hirds ""F" you all, Asada is illegal, McDevitt a criminal, James is a martyr, James has been bullied, James is gonna sue your ass!" ..............

SAY NO TO HIRD!

Could not have been me as I was coaching the Roos at the time?

Exactly my point you pay in the end

Depends who you is. If I'm one of the people getting the almost-free (to me) lunch I'm doing a lot better than the people who pay for products and don't get any free lunches. I've not seen too many knock back a 'free' lunch because they knew they would be paying in the end. They know others will be picking up most of the tab.

Not entirely true OD as If you work for the MFC then they pay ....

They pay in the end bb

It is called loss of sanity!

They pay in the end bb

It is called loss of sanity!

Cool but I am DF not bb

ROFL

Cool but I am DF not bb

ROFL

My mind is still in the Caribbean I think DF

My mind is still in the Caribbean I think DF

All good OD but I could not help myself because of your comment about being crazy.

They pay in the end bb

It is called loss of sanity!

Or the loss of sanctity.

It's time for a 17 team competition.

ASADA, do your thing.

It's time for a 17 team competition.

ASADA, do your thing.

The time may be ripe to introduce a team from Tasmania.

The time may be ripe to introduce a team from Tasmania.

what hardtack, move gws to tassie already? reckon they will give it a few more years

The time may be ripe to introduce a team from Tasmania.

what hardtack, move gws to tassie already? reckon they will give it a few more years

They may feel they need a new team in that inner north somewhere near the old airport, Moonee Ponds, Strathmore area in a few years. Not sure what they could call them though.

Puckle Street Cleanskins??

Can't be bothered reading back to see if this has been mentioned, or if it's been mentioned in the general media...

I heard it be said that Bomber Thompson resigned from the coaches association about 2 weeks ago and has no intention of rejoining, costs about $5,000p/a. So he may not coach again, as all coaches are apparently required to be members of the CA. From what I understand, this also distances him from the AFL and the requirement to pay the fine imposed upon him by the AFL. They can't force him to pay. Bomber has significant business interests outside football and has no need to coach for a living. He is pizzed off by the AFL fine and does not want to pay it on principle. He is also pizzed that Hird hasn't been removed and is washing his hands of it all. This makes it hard for the AFL force him to pay, as their 'rules' regularly do not stand up in court. Obviously ASADA rulings are a different matter, but the fine comes from the AFL.

Don't like to gloat, but........

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-31/bomber-could-be-banned

AFP asked to investigate ASADA head over possible crime

The Australian Federal Police has been asked to investigate whether the head of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), Ben McDevitt, broken the very laws he's supposed to enforce.

The issue relates to an interview Mr McDevitt gave to the ABC's Offsiders program in August, in which he divulged information about the sports scientist at the heart of the drugs in sports scandal, Stephen Dank.

Desperate. Risible and the work of legal academic Martin Hardie, an Essendon man who has previously assisted that club in a legal capacity.

AFP asked to investigate ASADA head over possible crime

Desperate. Risible and the work of legal academic Martin Hardie, an Essendon man who has previously assisted that club in a legal capacity.

Again I noted this Hardie fellow on the news after the bumblers verdict was handed down. The man was wearing a Cronulla Sharks hoodie and went out of his way to try and shield Dank from the media scrum.

He has a vested interest in this and I am at a loss to understand why the ABC is using him as a go to on the story.

Yes very interesting isnt it. I sense Aussie sport is about to grow up big time..If WADA needs a show case to 'educate' all this is it. WADA wont give a rats about the status of Essendon, or the League itself it will only see wrongdoing and an opportunity to use its' big stick.

Benny Boy will be under no misgivings as to what he needs to do upon his return and if he doesnt do it, WADA will and Benny will be out of a job.

The curiosities.. How far will WADA go with penalising the players ? I cant cant see much change out of 2years reduced to 1 personally.The players have not helped themselves in all of this. The AFLPA hasnt helped anyone and only seem to be unwittingly aiding Essendon. The Club has displayed callous disregard for just about everything.

Hard to predict the outcome as no real precedent. In the great scheme of things this is an opportunity on a plate for WADA. its potential as a deterrent on a global scale is possibly far too tempting to ignore. Why would it care about any collateral damage in little ol' Oz if it could send a HUGE message back around the world that its serious about all of this.

I hope it does. Why should any sporting entity think it might escape the wrath in its entirety only because its deemed integral to some competition ? Maybe this is the great wake up needed. Maybe Essendon do need to be vanquished, offered up as the sacrifice to show that you cant hide behind anything.

What if Essendon is belted out of existence ? Well a gap can be filled by another team ( of sorts ) but in and of itself that ought not be any consideration in determining the fate of such heinous actions by a club towards its players.

WADA also need to remind the world there is NO...absolutely NO excuse for not being responsible for yourself in sport.

WADA may well go the distance(COAIS) if ASADA cant bring itself to do whats needed.

I agree there are no direct precedents, but there are plenty of indirect ones. It is just, as far as I know, there are none where there has been such a systematic attempt to cheat through drug taking in a major sporting club at a major sporting code. I go back to the WADA world congress in South Africa last November when John Fahey was still President. They apparently had a half day session on I think the topic was something like "Drug taking in major professional team sports". It turned out to be almost entirely about Essendon and to a lesser extent about Cronulla.

As I have said before on this forum, the world is watching Australia on this issue. We have been regarded in the past as having the gold standard when it comes to drug control in sport as well as having the gold standard in our overall excellence in sports performance. In sporting politics, we are a superpower. The sporting world was greatly shocked at the revelations relating to our major football codes as we were previously regarded as probably the least likely to have this sort of thing happen. Now world sports have expectations we will keep our previously high standards in place, and that is exactly the reason why this issue was given such extensive coverage at the peak world anti doping body's world congress. Basically, if we can't clean this up, no-one can, or could reasonably be expected to.

We simple can't afford, neither can WADA, to let vested interested bodies like the AFL, or if it comes to that, the Federal government influenced ASADA, drop the ball in this issue. If anything, since that congress, Essendon and the players' association have become even more intransigent. For this reason, it would not surprise me if WADA are thinking a penalty of even greater than two years is in order for the players and a life ban for Hird.

Then watch the writs fly.

It will break Essendon in its present form, and some directors will go to jail under Workcover rules, The old Essendon brand will be sold into a new entity by the liquidators, and the AFL will wipe their hands of it. It will take "the new Essendon" though years to recover, as it seeks to build a brand new set of players, and to recover financially. The financial fallout though will be felt by a multitude of entities tied up in this for decades to come.

Let's hope it doesn't diminish the strength of the code itself though in the face of increasing challenges from Football and changing lifestyle stemming from Social Media and other technological changes.

AFP asked to investigate ASADA head over possible crime

Desperate. Risible and the work of legal academic Martin Hardie, an Essendon man who has previously assisted that club in a legal capacity.

These guys will do anything, absolutely anything - playing the man, killing the messenger, getting stuck into the legalities with a fine tooth comb - to avoid facing the reality of what they've done.

Not one iota of concession or admission that they might have inflicted great harm upon the game our kids play.

Hope you're right, Dees2014.

I agree there are no direct precedents, but there are plenty of indirect ones. It is just, as far as I know, there are none where there has been such a systematic attempt to cheat through drug taking in a major sporting club at a major sporting code. I go back to the WADA world congress in South Africa last November when John Fahey was still President. They apparently had a half day session on I think the topic was something like "Drug taking in major professional team sports". It turned out to be almost entirely about Essendon and to a lesser extent about Cronulla.

As I have said before on this forum, the world is watching Australia on this issue. We have been regarded in the past as having the gold standard when it comes to drug control in sport as well as having the gold standard in our overall excellence in sports performance. In sporting politics, we are a superpower. The sporting world was greatly shocked at the revelations relating to our major football codes as we were previously regarded as probably the least likely to have this sort of thing happen. Now world sports have expectations we will keep our previously high standards in place, and that is exactly the reason why this issue was given such extensive coverage at the peak world anti doping body's world congress. Basically, if we can't clean this up, no-one can, or could reasonably be expected to.

We simple can't afford, neither can WADA, to let vested interested bodies like the AFL, or if it comes to that, the Federal government influenced ASADA, drop the ball in this issue. If anything, since that congress, Essendon and the players' association have become even more intransigent. For this reason, it would not surprise me if WADA are thinking a penalty of even greater than two years is in order for the players and a life ban for Hird.

Then watch the writs fly.

It will break Essendon in its present form, and some directors will go to jail under Workcover rules, The old Essendon brand will be sold into a new entity by the liquidators, and the AFL will wipe their hands of it. It will take "the new Essendon" though years to recover, as it seeks to build a brand new set of players, and to recover financially. The financial fallout though will be felt by a multitude of entities tied up in this for decades to come.

Let's hope it doesn't diminish the strength of the code itself though in the face of increasing challenges from Football and changing lifestyle stemming from Social Media and other technological changes.

Pretty much my thoughts. The only other systematic type issues have come from swim teams etc and the east german athletic teams of the 70s. Can't think of too many more of recent times. I keep saying just imagine the global outrage if this was the Chinese swim team at the Olympics. The world would be calling for lifetime disqualification for China from the Olympics.

Ess are dreaming if they think can litigate their way out of it. Staggers me the players are sticking with the club and not screaming blue murder about a) their health; and b) their careers that are about to be trashed.

As for worksafe Victoria they are a [censored] disgrace. If it was my workplace they would be all over me and my directors would be in jail by now. If it is true they are 'waiting' for ASADA to finish that is appalling. Imagine the cops waiting for someone else to investigate for them...'oh, we aren't investigating that bank robbery yet because the bank are running their own internal investigation. We'll go in after everyone has corroborated their stories and the evidence has been destroyed or tarnished'.

Beggars belief like so many aspects of this despicable case.

Not one iota of concession or admission that they might have inflicted great harm upon the game our kids play.

Hope you're right, Dees2014.

Let alone great harm upon the kids who play the game.

Hardie from Deakin Uni is at it again on ABC radio. Getting the Fed Police to investigate McDevitt for criminal act in mentioning Dank's name in an interview.

This guy will attack anyone but EFC.

The fact that he is or was employed as a consultant to EFC doesn't seem to have penetrated the minds of the ABC journos.

Obviously unaware that McDevitt was a former high ranking Policeman. Might find himself getting investigated.

Obviously unaware that McDevitt was a former high ranking Policeman. Might find himself getting investigated.

He just needs to do the same thing as the EFC, deny everything and blame everyone else.

The impact of "The blackest day in Australian Sport " comment has not and should not diminish.

However the ONLY reason we are where we are now is because of the journalethic free media...

AFP asked to investigate ASADA head over possible crime

Desperate. Risible and the work of legal academic Martin Hardie, an Essendon man who has previously assisted that club in a legal capacity.

Some possible spanners for him maybe

Dank was given a SCN in March 2014 ASADA summons Stephen Dank as Hird talk in this his lawyer indicates he will most likely ignore it. Due to them having no Jurisdiction over him.

The NAD Scheme states ASADA can release information NAD 4.22 if

(a) ASADA: (i) considers the publication to be in the public interest; or (b) any of the following apply: (iv) no sporting tribunal has jurisdiction to conduct a hearing process in relation to the finding concerning the information; and © (iii) the athlete or support person has not applied to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review of the decision within the applicable time frame.

IMO If Dank ignored the SCN and he was put on the RoF. Then if he did not appeal ASADA may be able to disclose the information.

This Hardie guy has been possibly the biggest scumbag of the whole sage and thats saying something

Related to Brad?