News The AFL Investigation into the Eagles

[Ishmael_]

In other news, the popes Catholic, bears shit in woods, Richmond recruited Tambling.

KB has been beating this drum for years. His senility is well and truly on display. Someone needs to explain to him, very slowly, that a week spent on the pips is not performance enhancing.

 

[Eaglemaniac]

Too right. And play Edwards in his place. That will show them.

Luke Priddis as well...you never know what he's up to..shifty bastard..

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I'm actually glad the report has finally been published.

 

[Chris_6678]

I wonder if watching WCE during the 04-07 period is responsible for my drug tacking and partying ways.... a coincidence i think!

 

[Biggie]

Wait...

The Eagles were on drugs?

 

[Crimson King]

Let's have a ****ing good year!

 

[Brer Bear]

What about those poor traumatized kids that didn't get their hands shaken? Surely they were mentioned?

 

[bzparkes]

What about those poor traumatized kids that didn't get their hands shaken? Surely they were mentioned?

Fun fact; Guy I work with presented Judd his premiership medal.

Or so he tells me, can't find a video of it anywhere

 

[Freo Blood]

Makes us look like a bunch of weak d**** corporate numpties. Screw your strong P&L, Balance Sheet, supporter base, community programs and onfield success. Get a bit of 10 year old scandal into ya! Oh look, Eagles administration, impotent as always. It's our kryptonite and will continue to be so until Nisbett is no longer at the club.

Quoted for Truth... now I'm off to the Collingwood board to read the DeGoey dog story.

 

[Keys]

I'm actually glad the report has finally been published.

Put aside the OTT treatment from the Herald Sun, the actual report itself is a worthwhile read - it puts into context the prevailing attitude of the players, club and the AFL at the time which allowed the activities of some players to go unchecked. Most of the indiscretions are widely known but there is further elaboration to some of them which paints the club in a poor light.

IMO there are "indiscretions" listed which weaken the report overall as they are completely trivial and are inconsistent with the far more serious issues of assault, drug and alcohol abuse - players swearing, making unsubstantiated on field sledges, inconsistent tribunal evidence or eating goldfish are not noteworthy in any way shape or form and serve only to pad out a list of off field indiscretions.

The following were of interest to me :

• The report is critical of the clubs actions to sweep issues under the carpet as a damage control measure but acknowledges that this was common practice within not only the AFL at the time but in the wider corporate world
• Individual players couldn't be identified but West Coast had the EQUAL most positive tests for illicit drugs in 2005 -2006 so there was at least one other club with significant problems
• Gillard criticises the players view that they should be left alone to do as they want during their break citing that they are considered to be role models and should not be using illicit drugs. The view among the players was that provided they carried out their duties and played at their best then what they did away from football was their own business. I have some some sympathy with this view but once you tolerate drug use at certain times it becomes a slippery slope as to where the line is drawn
• When you look at the timeline of incidents and the players involved regularly there can be no argument that the club should have acted far sooner and with more authority. Even as late as the end of 2007 they were allowing Kerr to escape appropriate sanctions. Trevor Nisbett must have done some pretty sweet talking not to be asked to resign - as CEO he was the one most responsible for driving the club's culture and clearly he failed in that duty
• There was a core group of players that were allowed to believe they were untouchable and they acted accordingly which divided the playing group
• The report makes a clear distinction between PHDs and illicit drugs such that any talk of tainted flags is ill informed. Yes, a portion of the playing group behaved deplorably and the club put onfield success ahead of player welfare but none of what was done constitutes cheating nor was West Coast the only club with such issues (they were the clear clubhouse leader though)

I get why the Herald has published the story because the report was not previously available in its entirety but a 12 page liftout of events from 10 years ago is indulgent and surely this is now the end of the story as there is clearly nothing left to uncover particularly since the club has learned their lesson to eradicate this type of behaviour since the end of 2007

 

[Beutbrute]

surely this is now the end of the story as there is clearly nothing left to uncover particularly since the club has learned their lesson to eradicate this type of behaviour since the end of 2007

We haven't had the PETA based cruelty to animals line yet. Still going on at the club to this day - I've even heard that there will be some footage of us flogging some poor kangaroos as soon as this Sunday

 

[Chris_6678]

You get the feeling after 2007 Kerr was on his last chance hence why he kept his nose clean for the 2008-2012 season ( a shame we only got to see him back to his best in 2011 and 2012). There were a few rumors floating around about Kerr in the 2013 season with Woosha not being to happy with him.

 

[Benji85]

Club has one of the best player management systems in the league now, is the most profitable and financially secure club and spends the most on community programs of all the 18. It's ludicrous that we'd be constantly pilloried for problems 11 years ago

I'd love to hop off the rollercoaster at some point

 

[ep2018]

Season is pretty much over if we **** up against North on Sunday so we better fcuking not let this shit get to our heads unlike the lead-up to the 2015 GF.

And people still wonder why we hate the vics so much.

 

[Ochre]

Season is pretty much over if we **** up against North on Sunday so we better fcuking not let this shit get to our heads unlike the lead-up to the 2015 GF.

And people still wonder why we hate the vics so much.

I genuinely can't tell if you're taking the piss here.

 

[Chris_6678]

Season is pretty much over if we **** up against North on Sunday so we better fcuking not let this shit get to our heads unlike the lead-up to the 2015 GF.

And people still wonder why we hate the vics so much.

Over after a round 1 loss?

 

[ep2018]

Just kidding guys.

 

[Ochre]

Just kidding guys.

Dear god... it's become self-aware.

 

[Moose1414]

I get why the Herald has published the story because the report was not previously available in its entirety but a 12 page liftout of events from 10 years ago is indulgent and surely this is now the end of the story as there is clearly nothing left to uncover particularly since the club has learned their lesson to eradicate this type of behaviour since the end of 2007

I guess that depends on whether we reach Grand Final week this year, will be hard for the media to resist putting a call in to a certain former player and asking for a quote or 2 so they can revisit this and control our playing groups narrative leading into the game. "Congratulations on making the Grand Final, what do you have to say in regard to allegations your 2006 Premiership is tainted? Is there a toxic culture at West Coast that persists even to this day?" etc etc.
The Hawthorn psychological warfare unit [aka the Herald Sun] was employed to great effect in 2015, I'm sure similar tactics will be used in future especially if West Coast just continue to meekly accept these kind of articles being written about them.
I think they need to use this current story as an opportunity to make a bit of a stand and call the media out a bit and ensure this is the last time we're going to revisit that era, it'll just keep happening forever otherwise. But with Nisbett still being there it makes it much harder to call for this kind of clean slate without putting himself in the firing line for another round of criticism. Which is unfortunate for the club, the optics would be a hell of a lot easier to manage with a different person in the CEO chair.

 

[06Premiers]

Season is pretty much over if we **** up against North on Sunday so we better fcuking not let this shit get to our heads unlike the lead-up to the 2015 GF.

And people still wonder why we hate the vics so much.

Now it feels like the season is just around the corner.

 

[MaxHunt]

I agree with the Nisbett calls. Should have fallen on his sword.

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

I agree with the Nisbett calls. Should have fallen on his sword.

Disagree on allowing/tapping Nisbett to fall on his sword. The Board should of dismissed him. When you want to make a point, you normally do so by making the tough call at the top and not allowing someone to sneak away.

 

[dave123]

I've always said the afl is lucky our players did drugs


We would have won more flags if our players were not on the gear and snorting coke

Anyone who thinks drugs make you win games is silly ....I'm a drug counsellor and I'm yet to see one human who performs any skill better on illicit drugs ...it's rubbish

Kevin Bartlet is a dead set flog and mike Sheehan is the same ...two old fossils who have no idea

 

[dave123]

As much as I hate West Coast, this rehashing of something that happened over 10 years ago is getting boring. The fact that it's being brought up again in the week of the AFL season opening is just desperation from the Vic media because they have nothing else to talk about.

And to KB saying the 2006 premiership should be removed is a joke. They were recreational drugs, not performance enhancing, so if anything, it makes that premiership win even more unbelievable.

I'm a drug counsellor with six years of clinical experience and I can say this is fact

Our boys would have had less sleep. Less recovery time and more muscle fatigue from using drugs after games

Why is driving under the influence of drugs banned ...because it affects the front cortex which affects coordination ...Derrr

There is not one bit of evidence that suggests using illicit drugs would enhance performance ...

 

[KamakazeSalami]

Disagree on allowing/tapping Nisbett to fall on his sword. The Board should of dismissed him. When you want to make a point, you normally do so by making the tough call at the top and not allowing someone to sneak away.

Agree. This is a call they should've made a decade ago. They've put themselves in a difficult place. By backing him in over the last 10 years they've essentially wiped his slate clean. To get rid of him now would make the board look weak and like they're pandering to media pressure. But by not getting rid of him they are always going to be on the back foot on this issue.

So best case scenario is that Nisbett walks during his contract or the Board looks to someone else at the end of his contract.

From what I've read though, it seems Nisbett has a lot more power than he is given credit for. Could almost say its a case of the tail wagging the dog.