The process:

The process is that the Court of Arbitration for Sport, of which Australian Olympic Committee head John Coates is the president, will appoint a chair for the Essendon case.

WADA and the defendants then have the right to select their preferred arbitration to form a three-person panel that will sit in judgment of the case.

I hope the CAS members for the case are carefully selected. I have in other posts mentioned the friendships between David Grace (lawyer for Ess players and Head of Athletics Australia, CAS panelist), John Wylie (Australian Sports Commission chair) and Mike Fitzpatrick (AFL Commission chair).

I truly hope that John Coates and WADA respectively choose someone outside Australia who will be seen to be truly independant because the players won't.

I do need to ask - since when did questioning under oath produce the truth ?

it might not....thats true....

Damned if they do, damned if they dont....but by crikey they can be damned !!...and they can get into that box and feel like caged vermin. Dank, alone is bound to slip up before a decent QC !! He just thinks he's cleverer than all others.!!

Unsurprisingly the Hun are not letting comments on the article, and are only publishing the pro EFC social media. Disgrace!

Im shocked

The process:

The process is that the Court of Arbitration for Sport, of which Australian Olympic Committee head John Coates is the president, will appoint a chair for the Essendon case.

WADA and the defendants then have the right to select their preferred arbitration to form a three-person panel that will sit in judgment of the case.

I hope the CAS members for the case are carefully selected. I have in other posts mentioned the friendships between David Grace (lawyer for Ess players and Head of Athletics Australia, CAS panelist), John Wylie (Australian Sports Commission chair) and Mike Fitzpatrick (AFL Commission chair).

I truly hope that John Coates and WADA respectively choose someone outside Australia who will be seen to be truly independant because the players won't.

LH...none of the CAS members will be at all sympathetic to cheats. They will be fair and to their credit will hear all before them with reasoned ears. Whats there to be heard, will be heard. At the same time however they do understand the nature of what happens in sport and what SHOULD happen.

it might not....thats true....

Damned if they do, damned if they dont....but by crikey they can be damned !!...and they can get into that box and feel like caged vermin. Dank, alone is bound to slip up before a decent QC !! He just thinks he's cleverer than all others.!!

I haven't followed this as closely as others - but the abuse of power by those in charge of Essendon is staggering.

They haven't nailed them yet and I am not as convinced as others that they will be nailed. To me this is not about guilt or innocence because with the plethora of information we have a reasonable person could only reach one conclusion.

However, those with knowledge that could make this process simple and clear haven't rolled over yet and I don't expect them to do so anytime soon.

I haven't followed this as closely as others - but the abuse of power by those in charge of Essendon is staggering.

They haven't nailed them yet and I am not as convinced as others that they will be nailed. To me this is not about guilt or innocence because with the plethora of information we have a reasonable person could only reach one conclusion.

However, those with knowledge that could make this process simple and clear haven't rolled over yet and I don't expect them to do so anytime soon.

Nut...I fervently believe the net is now closing on this lot. What WADA doesnt account for WorkSafe will.

I predict the fallout from all of this to be quite something, far wider than just a few naughty lads and officials getting sprung.

As they say...the roots spread wider than the tree !!

Funny that Little was surprised. He should engage Demonland for advice. There are a few on here that correctly predicted this outcome, come on don't be bashful. Well done! How much per post could we charge? Beeb could be rich!

Edit: maybe a few sheckles for me too.

The process:

The process is that the Court of Arbitration for Sport, of which Australian Olympic Committee head John Coates is the president, will appoint a chair for the Essendon case.

WADA and the defendants then have the right to select their preferred arbitration to form a three-person panel that will sit in judgment of the case.

I hope the CAS members for the case are carefully selected. I have in other posts mentioned the friendships between David Grace (lawyer for Ess players and Head of Athletics Australia, CAS panelist), John Wylie (Australian Sports Commission chair) and Mike Fitzpatrick (AFL Commission chair).

I truly hope that John Coates and WADA respectively choose someone outside Australia who will be seen to be truly independant because the players won't.

does any decision need to be unanimous I wonder.

Des2014 and BB, in all sincerity well done. You held the line and didn't waver. You were right. My doubts of a toothless big bad wada wolf were proven completely foundless, wrong even. Kudos also for ressiting the urge to say i told you so. I'm not sure i would have been big enough to do so in you place.

Insert gif of a b grade celeb eating humble pie.

Insert gif of chickens coming home to roost.

Normal transmission can now resume with my area of interst continuing to be the media response.

I wonder if young master Goodwin may feel the need to give evidence to secure his new coaching career if this turns bad?

Better find that Brownlow Medal Jab

It won't be yours for long....

And Jimmy's too? Bringing the game into disrepute. Hall of Fame retraction?

Or they were looking to let it go through to the keeper, only to see the ball swing back in and rattle the stumps!

Hird / Little = Gatting. WADA = Warne!

And as for Little not seeing it coming - absolutely no surprise at all, as his head is so far up a dark place that he couldn't see anything

I'm going to re-post Dees2014's thoughts from a few weeks back on the possibility of a WADA appeal. Although long, it should answer a few questions:-

Morning all. All I can say to those doubters " oh ye of little faith". It is nice to be vindicated. Fortunately my sources proved correct.

And for those of you looking for more Hird propaganda, the lovely part about it is that it will not make a blind bit of difference. It is now out of the poisonous Australian sporting culture, media and political landscape, although it won't stop them trying. I'm tipping Little will be using his status as a major donor to the Liberal Party to have some favours returned by a desperate Prime Minister, but even then it won't wash.

The question is what next? I would be interested to hear WJ's take on this, but the immediate next step is for Arbitrators to be appointed from the CAS dedicated Australian list ( as outline in my detailed post on this). My understanding is there will be three appointed, one by Essendon, one by ASADA/WADA, and one by CAS itself. I think by far the best qualified is John Boutlbee, a brilliant legal brain, a former Associate of a High Court judge, a senior official in the AOC/IOC, 2IC at the FFA, and a great mate of John Coates. Both Coates and Boultbee come from a rowing background originally and very much share the opinion that all Australian athletes, whether Olympic or none Olympic, should be treated equally when it comes to drug taking, including all professional footballers. Whether his role in the FFA Excludes him under CAS rules remains to be seen, although he has recently been sole arbitrator on ( I think) a major cycling case which is sort of Olympic related. I would suggest he would be a great appointment for CAS itself to make, assuming there are 3 Arbitrators.

What are your views WJ, and who do you think Essendon will appoint from the list, remembering they cannot be football related. any Essendon supporters amoungst them?

I do need to ask - since when did questioning under oath produce the truth ?

They can be jailed if they do not tell the truth and it is discovered.

Nut...I fervently believe the net is now closing on this lot. What WADA doesnt account for WorkSafe will.

I predict the fallout from all of this to be quite something, far wider than just a few naughty lads and officials getting sprung.

As they say...the roots spread wider than the tree !!

I hope so.

As I said before, I have some sympathy for the players but understand why they need to be whacked, but I feel that officials/coaches/management at Essendon got off way too lightly. Rubbed out of the game for life as a minimum for me.

Oh Really!!

Ash35, on 11 May 2015 - 1:42 PM, said:

I read this on the weekend in The Age :

Fairfax Lawyer and Media columnist Darren Kane, analysing the case, recently said ASADA's case, which relied on "a dumpster full of circumstantial evidence such as emails, intercepted text messages, possibly bogus invoices, transcripts and newspaper scrapbooks" fell "so horrendously short of the mark".

This from someone representing Fairfax media, so pretty safe to say not an EFC/Hird apologist.

Tim Watson closing comments on SEN this morning quoting verbatim from this very article " this is an independent legal expert" say's Tim "this is not just my opinion!!" he squealed as the music swelled! Sad quite sad, sadder than sad! Squirm Essendon you son's of dogs!!

LH...none of the CAS members will be at all sympathetic to cheats. They will be fair and to their credit will hear all before them with reasoned ears. Whats there to be heard, will be heard. At the same time however they do understand the nature of what happens in sport and what SHOULD happen.

I like your confidence bb. Unfortunately, I have seen far too much pulling of strings and calling in of favours to believe what SHOUD happen DOES happen.

The AFL Tribunal only confirmed my belief. Yes, I know that CAS is a different and an outside jurisdiction. But take another look at my post and the names and roles of each. The scope for subtle influence/favourable interpretation of subjective rules is still there.

If 2 of the 3 on the CAS panel are not from Australia and are not from Athletics, my concern will continue.

They can be jailed if they do not tell the truth and it is discovered.

I understand the consequences of not telling the truth under oath.

Again - if you believe that raising the hand and swearing to tell the truth is going to actually get the truth...well...hmmm....

They can be jailed if they do not tell the truth and it is discovered.

Interesting re jailing - in which juristriction would that happen?

I hope so.

As I said before, I have some sympathy for the players but understand why they need to be whacked, but I feel that officials/coaches/management at Essendon got off way too lightly. Rubbed out of the game for life as a minimum for me.

That's what I like, mind you firing squad comes to mind, could this be held in Indonesia? Too soon?

Des2014 and BB, in all sincerity well done. You held the line and didn't waver. You were right. My doubts of a toothless big bad wada wolf were proven completely foundless, wrong even. Kudos also for ressiting the urge to say i told you so. I'm not sure i would have been big enough to do so in you place.

Insert gif of a b grade celeb eating humble pie.

Insert gif of chickens coming home to roost.

Normal transmission can now resume with my area of interst continuing to be the media response.

Bin, I simply believed it was the only course that could run, .If all roads lead to Rome as they say then it followed ( for mine ) that all paths of this debacle must surely end up back in WADA's hands. Thats all. There is just to much at stake for it not to have come to this. I can certainly see where it looked a bit 'iffy' at times. The campaign by Little and large , the Fanboys brigade and Hirds' servants was quite brilliantly orchestrated. Its still not over indeed but alas for them it matters not now. Nothing they can really do can effect the course as it now progresses.

There will now be a lot of damage control enacted by those that look to be worst out-comed. It will be comical to us that know what it is we're really witnessing Hopefully this will end up clearing out the scum form Ash's club, indeed the sport.

Theres a lot who need to be called to account for their complicity in this affair. Some have already run. Ill watch who else does..lol

The Age is reporting that Paul Little has said that the EFC was "blindsided" by the appeal. Assuming The Age is reporting correctly, if it's true the EFC was blindsided, the club is being incompetently led. If it's not true, it's being dishonestly led. Either way, if I were an Essendon member, I'd wonder why he was still Chairman of my club.

Surely they can't have thought they had gotten away with it?

I wonder what Bomberblitz is like this morning

It is understood appeals to the CAS – of which Australian Olympic Committee head John Coates is president – are heard “de novo”, meaning the whole case will start fresh and will not be restricted to what has already been argued.

From the Guardian.

Can't wait for WADA to start digging.

I wonder what Bomberblitz is like this morning