the 10,000th post on this topic

Does that mean Dangerfield is coming to Melbourne?

And still so many Don fans aggressively defending Jird and co. slagging off the candidate for the board who is saying Hird should resign.

Essendon chairman Paul Little denies the club tried to sack James Hird in in-depth interview

Parents of Essendon players involved in doping saga briefed on on-going fight

This article details a meeting between the parents of the 34 Essendon players and what appears to be a combination of the AFLPA, Essendon Board members and Legal reps.

The meeting essentially told the parents that "their sons had become pawns in a political game."

Now I don't know what that really means - a red herring perhaps - anything to appease the parents I suppose. After all, no one likes a politician. Goes on to mention evidence still not forthcoming from ASADA and whether hearing should be open to the public.

All designed to obfuscate.

If I was one of those parents, there are a few specific questions I would want answers to, specifically (and no doubt been mentioned on this thread previously):

1. why were no records kept?

2. what was the idea behind the waiver forms - Dank was not a Doctor, and the players were not "patients"?

3. why is Hird still here?

4. why is Thompson still here?

5. why is Reid still here?

6. why did Hird receive so much ransom money?

7. where on earth is all this money coming from?

And I would immediately get my son out of that toxic environment.

All this talk about political games, production of evidence and open to the media is just fueling Hird's agenda....

That's not the first time I have read the H/S conduct an extensive interview and NOT bring up the main subject IE THE DRUG BUST in any meaningful manner....

Essendon chairman Paul Little denies the club tried to sack James Hird in in-depth interview

No matter what Robinson might do as chief advocate for Hird and Little (why is Robinson still in his job when he has zero credibility in the football community outside Essendon) it won't save Little or Hird, or the rest of the EFC board if it comes to that. The above article just recycles the litany of excuses the Little regime has been pushing since the coup against David Evans who was working towards a settlement which would have seen this debacle settled 18 months ago. Little is delusional - everyone apparently is to blame except himself and James Hird.

The football end for them is nigh, and not a moment too soon.

Parents of Essendon players involved in doping saga briefed on on-going fight

This article details a meeting between the parents of the 34 Essendon players and what appears to be a combination of the AFLPA, Essendon Board members and Legal reps.

The meeting essentially told the parents that "their sons had become pawns in a political game."

This is a bit strange when in the Robinson interview (sorry, puff piece) Little refers to a 'Chinese wall' between Essendon and the AFLPA. Seems like the wall might be more porous than it's supposed to be.

The claim that the players are pawns in a political game is completely disingenuous. They are certainly pawns and have always been such but the game is not political. Rather, they were pawns in a supplements programme established by the football department to improve the team's performance and, on that basis, if two Essendon players are found to have taken banned substances as part of the programme, here are the potential consequences:-

11.2 Consequences for Team Sports

If more than two members of a team in a Team Sport are found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation during an Event Period, the ruling body of the Event shall impose an appropriate sanction on the team (e.g., loss of points, Disqualification from a Competition or Event, or other sanction) in addition to any consequences imposed upon the individual Athletes committing the anti-doping

rule violation.

Are the Bombers inviting that sort of sanction on themselves?

The world anti-doping rules clearly apply to individuals within team sports and those individuals constantly receive education on what is expected of them including reminders that they are responsible for what goes into their bodies. The fact is that in this case, the players signed consent forms for the injection of (among other things) thymosin.

The records of those substances have mysteriously disappeared and there is no explanation given as to how this occurred although the claim is made that the players were not given ThymosinB4 which is banned but some other form of thymosin or thymomodulin which are not banned but are variously used for different purposes that you wouldn't expect to be used in connection with professional footballers. Stephen Dank, the scientist in charge of the programme is quoted in an article with Fairfax journalists Baker and McKenzie as stating TB4 was used on the players but later recanted when told by his interviewers that TB4 was on the S2 banned list. The invoices showing what was purchased by the EFC as thymosin are said to exactly match dosages used for TB4.

It's a circumstantial case but on my reading of the available evidence, it is likely to satisfy the evidentiary tests required to find to the reasonable satisfaction of a tribunal that the players breached the AFL anti doping code.

When you consider the list of items on the consent or waiver form signed by the players, there was sufficient information to alert them to matters of concern. Their education as AFL players taught them in those circumstances to refer the substances to others like parents, managers, doctors and other professionals. A simple Google search on thymosin would have told them that something might be amiss.

Pawns?

raw prawns at that

Guilty as charged.

Essendon chairman Paul Little denies the club tried to sack James Hird in in-depth interview

When they're trying to rewrite history, they do realise we can see everything !!

They are totally delusional.

Parents of Essendon players involved in doping saga briefed on on-going fight

This article details a meeting between the parents of the 34 Essendon players and what appears to be a combination of the AFLPA, Essendon Board members and Legal reps.

The meeting essentially told the parents that "their sons had become pawns in a political game."

Now I don't know what that really means - a red herring perhaps - anything to appease the parents I suppose. After all, no one likes a politician. Goes on to mention evidence still not forthcoming from ASADA and whether hearing should be open to the public.

All designed to obfuscate.

If I was one of those parents, there are a few specific questions I would want answers to, specifically (and no doubt been mentioned on this thread previously):

1. why were no records kept?

2. what was the idea behind the waiver forms - Dank was not a Doctor, and the players were not "patients"?

3. why is Hird still here?

4. why is Thompson still here?

5. why is Reid still here?

6. why did Hird receive so much ransom money?

7. where on earth is all this money coming from?

And I would immediately get my son out of that toxic environment.

All this talk about political games, production of evidence and open to the media is just fueling Hird's agenda....

maybe they really meant that essendrug was playing political games........oh no, they wouldn't have done that

pot kettle black

They dont know what they gave them

But they are pawns in a political game.

Riiiight

So little has said if a player is banned the members get to decide if hird keeps his job, of course the members will let him stay they are just as delusional as the club, to me it reeks of a board who doesn't have the balls to pull the trigger and sack hird.

They are in a political game.... all of their own creation. They've deliberately exerted efforts to morph it from a point of transgression to portraying a victimisation.

Smoke and mirrors...... buts no ones buying it.....save those of the Hird Herd !!

Things are certainly flowing along at the moment at Essendon.

Get the feeling they might somehow know WW3 is close.

IMO yesterdays fan club meeting at the HUN is due to the coming board election at the EFC.

Perhaps Mr. Little can smell a changing of the guard and is trying to get the members via the HUN.

They dont know what they gave them

But they are pawns in a political game.

Riiiight

... "They dont know what they gave them" but whatever it is, they do know that it can cure cancer.

Riiiight

Have I got this right because it hard to believe what I have read?

If Messydrugs has any of its 2012 players suspended for taking illegal drugs in a club based supplement program. The Senior Coach who was a leading figure in establishing the supplement program could still keep his job as the members would decide his future.

This club is clearly in disarray and a blight on the competition.

CULT CULT CULT CULT CULT CULT CULT

Surely their sponsor will not want to be associated with such an unethical club?

Or maybe their Senior Management are also Cult members.

... "They dont know what they gave them" but whatever it is, they do know that it can cure cancer.

Riiiight

That would be the "placebo effect"

Danny Placebo? Played for Essendon in the eighties and later went on to be a GP? Can cure anything, obviously.

Danny Placebo? Played for Essendon in the eighties and later went on to be a GP? Can cure anything, obviously.

Only if you have faith in him

... "They dont know what they gave them" but whatever it is, they do know that it can cure cancer.

Riiiight

EFC must be the most pro-active club on the planet, inoculating their players against cancer! . . . James then is the new cancer Jesus (taken over from (Lance!) . . Where can I donate?

ps to Whispering; is there a way to retract once the post button has been hit? Think I made a blunder last nite! Thks

I hope that the evidence against Essendon is made public because it will likely expose the spin and probably outright lies from the Club that are contained in the Slobbo HUN interview.

Eventually this will all come out, too many people know the truth for it to remain buried. When it does the whole house of cards will collapse.

To suggest that because of the Blackest Day in Australian Sport presser that the players are political pawns is at worst lies and at best denial. The Federal Court case showed Essendons hand, They want the bury the evidence and the only reason for that is that they know full well they did it and want to get off on a technicality. Little states he is working in the best interest of the players but their interest is best served in Essendon fully cooperating to ensure any health issues are identified and dealt with. Any sanctions and records the players end up with are secondary. Anyway the only way the players can clear their names is have all the evidence considered and get found not guilty. Where is the Essendon legal action to supeona Dank and his records, or Robinson and his records. If he gave the players Thymomodulin he had to buy it from somewhere and pay for it some how and someone must have witnessed the injections or done the injections. These injections would be to the recommended doseage for Thymomodulin. Where is this evidence?

This all adds up in my mind to Hird, Little and the Club being a pack of filthy liars and how anyone including the suporters and players can support their position is unbelievable