First can I say, yesterday's result was totally predictable. I predicted it many times in previous posts. It is the first step in a number we are about to go through. By the way I have previously said there is no way the an AFL Tribunal will find in favour of ASADA. The AFL is not going to allow their own tribunal to shoot them in the foot, in spite of their protestations of independence. It has always been and always will be a tribunal,under the control of the AFL. Last time I wrote that in here there were howls of outrage that I would dare to impune the integrity of the former judges on the panel, who are paid two or three times more by the AFL than they would have been as judges. Of course they are going to find in favour of their employers, and meet the enormous political pressure from all sides just wishing this would go away. It will not.

The next step is that ASADA will appeal to the AFL appeals tribunal - a bit like soviet dissident appealing to the soviet Central committee. Nothing will come of it, which means WADA will step in and take it to CAS. This may take several months but it will happen. We just need to be patient.

The playwright ceased revising this drama long ago.

But how was the third act? A dramatic finale i thought, though the fore-shadowing was far too overt which made the twist altogether too predictable. I am also a bit concerned that the twist will make the fourth act come over as a little dull. It has, however, certainly set things up for a compelling final act and apotheosis.

[edit=i can't quote for shhh...]

Guys I'm back....

I read some of the stuff on here and couldn't help myself from commenting.

First can I say, yesterday's result was totally predictable. I predicted it many times in previous posts. It is the first step in a number we are about to go through. By the way I have previously said there is no way the an AFL Tribunal will find in favour of ASADA. The AFL is not going to allow their own tribunal to shoot them in the foot, in spite of their protestations of independence. It has always been and always will be a tribunal,under the control of the AFL. Last time I wrote that in here there were howls of outrage that I would dare to impune the integrity of the former judges on the panel, who are paid two or three times more by the AFL than they would have been as judges. Of course they are going to find in favour of their employers, and meet the enormous political pressure from all sides just wishing this would go away. It will not.

The next step is that ASADA will appeal to the AFL appeals tribunal - a bit like soviet dissident appealing to the soviet Central committee. Nothing will come of it, which means WADA will step in and take it to CAS. This may take several months but it will happen. We just need to be patient.

Howled down because in real life conspiracies are fairy tales.

But good to have one of the afl are corrupt zealots back on board. So much more fun seeing a not guilty verdict as evidence of afl corruption rather than the mundane reality that asada ballsed it up (eg by not getting sworn affadavits)and were unable to make their case

Howled down because in real life conspiracies are fairy tales.

But good to have one of the afl are corrupt zealots back on board. So much more fun seeing a not guilty verdict as evidence of afl corruption rather than the mundane reality that asada ballsed it up (eg by not getting sworn affadavits)and were unable to make their case

I never said the AFL were corrupt. Just self interested and will pull every lever available to them to get the outcome they want. As Hird and Essensdon will. That doesn't mean they should get away with it though.

I'm still waiting for War Crimes charges to be laid against USA for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Big enough is untouchable, I know...

But surely Essendon have trashed WADA's authority? How big? Who?

Waiting, with scissors poised over my interest in AFL. Thank goodness for Dees2014's insight, for the moment - resulting in suspended disbelief, for the moment. But maybe it's just all too clear, already.

Yeah, I think we need to lay off the conspiracy theories here. All the available evidence points to TB4 being used - and I think it certainly would have passed the "balance of probabilities" test - but there's no inherent reason to suggest a tainted tribunal process. The AFL got the result they wanted, but I'd like to think they got it without the need to resort to brown paper bags or ransom notes. ASADA were hamstrung by failing to get Charter and Alavi to appear, and that was always going to endanger a case built entirely on a chain of circumstantial evidence. It sickens me that Essendon and their fans feel vindicated by all this, but let's not stoop to their level by invoking vast conspiracy theories and persecution complexes. This is going to be hanging over them for a while yet (player lawsuits, workcover, Dank's trial, the appeals process etc.) so let them have this moment of joy. There'll be plenty more material to hit them over the head with shortly.

As for what happens, I think we all need to hope WADA steps in and takes this to the CAS. At the CAS it will be possible to subpoena Charter, Alavi and Dank, as well as forcing key EFC members to answer questions under oath. It may not have any prospect of reaching a guilty verdict, but it's the only way we're going to get any answers, and therefore a more clearcut resolution to the saga. Essendon are going to do their best to wash their hands of this whole situation now, but they shouldn't be allowed to until they've given a full and frank account of what really happened in 2012, and who they believe should be held responsible. Until now, they've been permitted to say nothing more than "you can't prove what we took, so ner-ner-ner" but that cannot be allowed to hold. If I was an EFC member, I'd be demanding the entire club be turned upside-down until concrete answers are provided about why they were put in such a compromised position to begin with. The fact that they're celebrating a "no comfortable satisfaction" decision like a premiership tells me that enough about the moral fibre of the EFC fan-base to known that this well never happen, so the CAS (or player lawsuits) are the only option. No-one should have to accept this decision until some key questions (like what thymosin were they really injected with?) are answered.

Trial's over and we move on to the next phase. The aftermath.