Dank I think

Makes sense!

If the players are found guilty I expect all the support staff to be subsequently charged. Including Hird and Reid.

This may see Goodwin at risk too. I am I interested to know what the club has done to mitigate this. Hopefully, enough.

Or the dog Wallis.

But with our form it'll be Goodwin for sure.

When they say one unidentified former Essendon staffer is on trial for using TB4... they aren't referring to Goody, right?

Dank I think

They are not naming names but it is Dank that has the infraction notice.

If the players are found guilty I expect all the support staff to be subsequently charged. Including Hird and Reid.

This may see Goodwin at risk too. I am I interested to know what the club has done to mitigate this. Hopefully, enough.

I doubt it. Goodwin was not in charge of any part of the program and I wouldn't think he injected any of the players.

The assistants don't have a direct relationship to the program and it's implementation whereas Dank does. Even Hird could escape ASADA sanctions but if players go down he won't have a job anyway.

Dr Ried will have his own problems with the medical authorities and the board with supporters, player litigation and maybe workcare.

is it over yet ?

did they get 2 years or 2 days

honestly had enough of this

either suspend them or do nothing

all it is doing is hurting the afl

One thing that I can't believe has not been reported in the Australian media is that on the 1st of January, WADA increased the minimum sentence for a doping violation from 2 years to 4 years (see BBC article http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/30648392 )

If this applies to the 34 accused then it would double the time out suspended and have major ramifications for the AFL, even if as expected the players recieve a discounted sentence for cooperating. Whether or not the players are subject to this new rule or whether they fall under the law that was in place when the doping violation occurred I don't know?? If there's any lawyers out there reading it would be great to get clarification on this.

This is exactly what Essendon's strategy is: delay as long as possible, complain loudly about the length of time it is taking via their cabal of tame journalists, and then blame ASADA for the delays, and hope everyone will get bored and it will all go away. Exactly the same strategy was pursued by Armstrong and his army of lawyers in the US: it eventually got him nowhere, as this will with Hird.

ASADA/WADA will be vindicated here too.

By the way I have been predicting for some time on here that some personnel on here will get more than 2 years, incLuding Hird getting life. A number of my fellow Demonlanders thought this was fanciful. Armstrong got life in all sports: so will Hird, although not through the AFL tribunal system who are responsible for handing out local penalties. It will come via the WADA appeal to COS in Switzerland some time later.

We have a way to go here yet. The local penalties will be far from the end of it.

If the players are found guilty I expect all the support staff to be subsequently charged. Including Hird and Reid.

This may see Goodwin at risk too. I am I interested to know what the club has done to mitigate this. Hopefully, enough.

At the time Goodwin was appointed Roos said that Goodwin had been very open and honest with him, PJ and the Board about the Essendon supplements and his role.

I would be surprised if the club didn't put and 'out' clause into Goodwin's contract to cover any surprises. But Goodwin seems pretty smart so I doubt he would have held back telling about any nasties that could implicate him. No need for us to worry.

unbelievably quiet week for the "blackest day in australian sport"

No leaks when Essendon is out of the picture.

"No evidence" has become 5 days of presentations. I can't imagine ASADA has 5 days of "nothing".

Will be interesting to see how long the defence is.

Any idea how long the panels usually takes to pass judgement on these cases? If there was a positive sample it would be quick but this may take weeks.

unbelievably quiet week for the "blackest day in australian sport"

I read an internet report yesterday that said that the hearing had a lot of days to go dc.

So far the "in camera" brigade are winning no information and no one besmirched.

It is when the decision is announced it will hit the fan.

Whoever is on the losing side will cry foul and their accusations will be believed because no one will be able to show why they are wrong.

No leaks when Essendon is out of the picture.

"No evidence" has become 5 days of presentations. I can't imagine ASADA has 5 days of "nothing".

Will be interesting to see how long the defence is.

Any idea how long the panels usually takes to pass judgement on these cases? If there was a positive sample it would be quick but this may take weeks.

If there is a decision before the season starts I will be surprised.

I read an internet report yesterday that said that the hearing had a lot of days to go dc.

So far the "in camera" brigade are winning no information and no one besmirched.

It is when the decision is announced it will hit the fan.

Whoever is on the losing side will cry foul and their accusations will be believed because no one will be able to show why they are wrong.

true, but still i thought the media apologists would be campaigning up a propaganda war given their past history. they never relied on facts before.

i wonder if their silence indicates anything

If there is a decision before the season starts I will be surprised.

probably right, i won't be surprised but i will be disappointed

So the entire Essendon defense is basically their attempt to prove the players took Thymomodulin, rather than TB4.

But I thought they had no records, nor any clue what the players were injected with? (Oh, except that it was definitely not illegal!)

Amazing how stupid they take the public for.

Incredible how quiet the media is about this story atm, given this is the denouement (well not really a denouement - there is bound to be an appeal) of what has been the most over analysed and certainly longest running football story ever.

Also the media seems to have forgotten about the turd appeal.

WJ any idea when that is going to land? Surely they must be close to having a decision?

Incredible how quiet the media is about this story atm, given this is the denouement (well not really a denouement - there is bound to be an appeal) of what has been the most over analysed and certainly longest running football story ever.

Also the media seems to have forgotten about the turd appeal.

WJ any idea when that is going to land? Surely they must be close to having a decision?

Is it possible that the media have an inkling of what is coming and are preparing for a media storm of unparallelled proportions in the sports arena. These days journalism is roughly 10% news and 90% marketing after all, and it's the best strategy that sells the most copy.

Has to be 2 year bans for the players and Hird banned for life

Otherwise the AFL may as well fold being the joke it is

true, but still i thought the media apologists would be campaigning up a propaganda war given their past history. they never relied on facts before.

i wonder if their silence indicates anything

Iz bin thinkin the same thing, all this silence, where are the Doper PR twaddlers? Hope I'm not going too early . .

If there is a decision before the season starts I will be surprised.

That will "reset" the provisional suspension date to the date of their last match. I bet the players want this sorted before then.

WJ any idea when that is going to land? Surely they must be close to having a decision?

No idea at all. Let's not forget that judges have to work very hard and they need holidays etc.

In a perfect world, they would be aware that some rather expensive proceedings of a quasi-legal nature are taking place and their decision might impact those proceedings. However, it's not a perfect world.

No idea at all. Let's not forget that judges have to work very hard and they need holidays etc.

In a perfect world, they would be aware that some rather expensive proceedings of a quasi-legal nature are taking place and their decision might impact those proceedings. However, it's not a perfect world.

Part of the reason is that the major journalistic proponents in this are still on holidays, but mostly it is the lull before the storm. Coming up is the decision on the hird court action, I understand in late January early Febuary, and then the decision from the AFL Tribunal on the player infraction notices. This will come sometime preseason, but may even extend into the season start. You would expect the AFL would like this out before the season starts, but even then I don't think it will stop there. I think there is every likelihood this will be appealed to CAS by WADA - how long that would take is anyone's guess, but maybe even much of the season

No idea at all. Let's not forget that judges have to work very hard and they need holidays etc.

In a perfect world, they would be aware that some rather expensive proceedings of a quasi-legal nature are taking place and their decision might impact those proceedings. However, it's not a perfect world.

God forbid they uphold the appeal whilst the doping tribunal is sitting.

true, but still i thought the media apologists would be campaigning up a propaganda war given their past history. they never relied on facts before.

i wonder if their silence indicates anything

Yeah they're probably all on summer vacation.

If the players are found guilty I expect all the support staff to be subsequently charged. Including Hird and Reid.

This may see Goodwin at risk too. I am I interested to know what the club has done to mitigate this. Hopefully, enough.

We are now being run by professionals and I would sincerely expect that they would have done full due diligence on Goodwin and his time at EFC before appointing him to this vital role.

IF they didn't then I seriously think I may give the game away entirely

Might have missed something here - but aren't the provisional suspensions active following the issue of infraction notices? I would have thought this meant that if there was no tribunal verdict before the beginning of the season all players involved would be suspended from playing regardless?