The heart of the EFC issue: '... the case either suggests the club did know what was in the drug and are not telling or they did not know what was in it and injected them anyway...' http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendon-drugs-saga-clearing-players-and-clearing-club-not-the-same-thing-20150330-1mbao8.html It is completely reprehensible that they 'know and won't tell' and totally immoral that they 'didn't know and injected them anyway.

While indefensible I can understand why the AFL (are selfishly) trying to minimise the 'brand' damage and taking a soft approach to EFC. But as we saw yesterday with the 2 pies players the AFL 'can run but cannot hide'. It will keep happening!

Hopefully the latest cases spur the AFL to start a major 'No Drugs In Sport' campaign. They need to get the message out to kids and junior league staff/coaches of the dangers to health and sporting careers (and not wanting to be known as cheats)!

As you would expect today, the newspaper coverage of football is mainly about drugs. Michael Gleeson of the Age puts the view that "the Essendon players' drugs tribunal has become more a referendum on whether the club was guilty rather than a test of the players' guilt."

Essendon drugs saga: Clearing players and clearing club not the same thing

If it comes down to that with the Tribunal decision, it makes an appeal and the continuation of this long running saga even more likely. In addition, it will be interesting to see how the players can be let off the hook and the apparent main offender in Dank be sanctioned.

Too many things have to be explained away: the absence of records, the AFL's player education programmes, the invoices, quantities of thymosin supplied to Alavi, the waiver forms establishing that players had reservations about the programme and the text messages between key staff members and others including Dank, Robinson, Hird, Charters and Alavi, the inconsistencies.

What does logic tell us about all of these things and what conclusion can the three Tribunal members reach to a standard of comfortable satisfaction?

Disagree with this. This was a systematic black ops programme. They are all guilty.

No-one spends $600-700k and doesn't know what it was spent on and the results it achieved. To think otherwise you would have to believe that clubs don;t monitor their players to within an inch of their lives for skinfolds, blood tests, miles run, food intake etc etc. That suspends belief.

are we nearly there?

Yep after today verdict it's over tread must be locked.

are we nearly there?

Golden dc!

An argument strenuously put by David Grace, QC, for the players was this: we dispute the suggestion that the club sought and obtained thymosin beta 4. There was some contention that the club instead sought thymomodulin but, he said, if the drug that was administered to the players came untested out of a Chinese factory, who could be sure what it was? What was in it?

Surely if thats the case then the players have to go. If their defence is "we dont know what it was but we took it anyway" then it could have been anything!

That excuse cannot be allowed to pass. Cannot. If it did then everone would take what they liked!

Yep after today verdict it's over tread must be locked.

Why? It's only just getting started.

The heart of the EFC issue: '... the case either suggests the club did know what was in the drug and are not telling or they did not know what was in it and injected them anyway...' http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendon-drugs-saga-clearing-players-and-clearing-club-not-the-same-thing-20150330-1mbao8.html It is completely reprehensible that they 'know and won't tell' and totally immoral that they 'didn't know and injected them anyway.

While indefensible I can understand why the AFL (are selfishly) trying to minimise the 'brand' damage and taking a soft approach to EFC. But as we saw yesterday with the 2 pies players the AFL 'can run but cannot hide'. It will keep happening!

Hopefully the latest cases spur the AFL to start a major 'No Drugs In Sport' campaign. They need to get the message out to kids and junior league staff/coaches of the dangers to health and sporting careers (and not wanting to be known as cheats)!

Which is why they must go for 2 years. I have said it before but if it was the Chinese swim team we would all be outraged. If they claimed it was a rogue doctor or coach and won 10 swimming gold medals what would us self-righteous, holier-than-thou Australians be saying?? This should be no dfferent.

Off with their heads. And sorry Jobe you cheat, hand back the Brownlow.

And while we are at it you cheating scum of a club how about we take the 1993 premiership off you because you were cheating the salary cap....

Yep after today verdict it's over tread must be locked.

Totally agree! Lock this thread at 2:00 pm today! . . . At 2:01 today a new thread " The Essendon 34 - on Appeal" shall be opened!!

Followed in 2020 by a new thread "The Essendon 34 - the Aftermath" scheduled to run until 2050!!

no, they're are better paid than airline pilots and bus drivers

the clubs have a huge financial investment in them and can't afford to have them turn up stoned to training or matches, or just addicted

the aflpa signed off on the "recreational" drug testing regime

I am in the dont care about recreational drugs camp.

if they turn up to training or matches stoned they dont play, just as if they were drunk or unfit. but if it not effecting their training or match day then who cares.

So we have all been following this with great interest and all have our version of what will happen. Now that doomsday is here, what do you think the verdict will be?

For me, GUILTY.

I am in the dont care about recreational drugs camp.

if they turn up to training or matches stoned they dont play, just as if they were drunk or unfit. but if it not effecting their training or match day then who cares.

I do

jnrmac do you really believe the proposal was put to the players that they take performance enhancing illegal drugs and 34 said "yes".

How do you think it went down?

Quote: Watson, who is the father of current skipper Jobe, told radio station SEN that he was experiencing a lot of emotions but that he was "relaxed".

"I believe that there will be a not guilty [verdict]," he said "I believe that because I am privy to a lot of what has taken place to this point in terms of the evidence. "On that alone I'm confident that the players wont be found guilty." He also said that one of the tribunal members has a reputation of his decisions being very hard to appeal against. More softening up!

This isn't the first time in the last few weeks, that he has come out with 'his predictions'. He might be the father of the captain but surely that does not give him the right to use (abuse) private info to make public statements in his employed position as a member of the press. The press is supposed to have been 'shut out'. It seems Watson has continued the EFC 'snubbing' the official process to achieve EFC spin (and protect his son's brownlow). And no-one (ie AFL) has tried to stop him. There seems to be no limit to EFC arrogance. I just hope he is proved wrong today.

I am in the dont care about recreational drugs camp.

if they turn up to training or matches stoned they dont play, just as if they were drunk or unfit. but if it not effecting their training or match day then who cares.

I certainly care. If either of my sons came home stoned or drunk I would certainly care. I know standards in society might be dropping but there is no excuse for professional sportsmen to turn up drunk or stoned. How sportsmen train and play is affected by how they prepare and how they look after their health. It also tells you a lot about their personal standards and how seriously they take their profession or sport. As a supporter we should expect that our club and its players are seeking to attain the highest standards in regard to preparation and playing.

.

Quote: Watson, who is the father of current skipper Jobe, told radio station SEN that he was experiencing a lot of emotions but that he was "relaxed".

"I believe that there will be a not guilty [verdict]," he said "I believe that because I am privy to a lot of what has taken place to this point in terms of the evidence. "On that alone I'm confident that the players wont be found guilty." He also said that one of the tribunal members has a reputation of his decisions being very hard to appeal against. More softening up!

This isn't the first time in the last few weeks, that he has come out with 'his predictions'. He might be the father of the captain but surely that does not give him the right to use (abuse) private info to make public statements in his employed position as a member of the press. The press is supposed to have been 'shut out'. It seems Watson has continued the EFC 'snubbing' the official process to achieve EFC spin (and protect his son's brownlow). And no-one (ie AFL) has tried to stop him. There seems to be no limit to EFC arrogance. I just hope he is proved wrong today.

Have you seen the Channel 7 promo ad for this footy season?

I can't find it on YouTube or elsewhere but is basically Tim Watson boasting that Channel 7 has "exclusive inside access" to the AFL.

Not a good look.

Quote: Watson, who is the father of current skipper Jobe, told radio station SEN that he was experiencing a lot of emotions but that he was "relaxed".

"I believe that there will be a not guilty [verdict]," he said "I believe that because I am privy to a lot of what has taken place to this point in terms of the evidence. "On that alone I'm confident that the players wont be found guilty." He also said that one of the tribunal members has a reputation of his decisions being very hard to appeal against. More softening up!

This isn't the first time in the last few weeks, that he has come out with 'his predictions'. He might be the father of the captain but surely that does not give him the right to use (abuse) private info to make public statements in his employed position as a member of the press. The press is supposed to have been 'shut out'. It seems Watson has continued the EFC 'snubbing' the official process to achieve EFC spin (and protect his son's brownlow). And no-one (ie AFL) has tried to stop him. There seems to be no limit to EFC arrogance. I just hope he is proved wrong today.

If this was a real Court he would be in contempt with comments like that.

Is there a equivalent rule in this case? Was there a punishment for breaking the "in camera" rule?

http://www.sen.com.au/news/tim-watson-on-dons-verdict-dank-pies

Tim Watson:

“I’ve had three conversations with Stephen Dank and he rang me to tell me that the players were not administered any banned substances, which included Jobe,” said Watson,

There you have it folks, we may as well not bother with the verdict. How this bloke can call himself a reporter/journalist is beyond me. The level of bias and conflict of interest is unreal.

Tim Watson is a gullible moron

Yep after today verdict it's over tread must be locked.

Why? It's only just getting started.

Thanks Seraph, I had no idea what NAA meant. "over tread"?

I agree, there will be many more posts after today, I am guessing at least six months worth. Mod's please let it continue. If NAA doesn't like it don't read it.

Tim Watson is a gullible moron

Let me guess

You don't like him?

Which is why they must go for 2 years. I have said it before but if it was the Chinese swim team we would all be outraged. If they claimed it was a rogue doctor or coach and won 10 swimming gold medals what would us self-righteous, holier-than-thou Australians be saying?? This should be no dfferent.

Off with their heads. And sorry Jobe you cheat, hand back the Brownlow.

And while we are at it you cheating scum of a club how about we take the 1993 premiership off you because you were cheating the salary cap....

And 2000 for good measure.

Tim Watson is a gullible moron

No he's not, he's a father and a club legend. He is most definitely not an unbiased reporter with a balanced view as he tries to portray, but gullible moron? No.

Media outlets are portraying Lloyd, Thompson and Watson as outsiders giving considered balanced views.

Its not professional and poor form.

Hey Timmy....wanna buy a bridge ???