Mega Thread AFL to investigate Essendon for controversial fitness program - PART3

Status
Not open for further replies.

Woodie99

Premium Platinum
Joined
Oct 10, 2012
Posts
1,140
Likes
532
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
Knights & Jets
In regards to Essendon and all the jokes about fielding a reserves team, does anyone here legitimately think there is no middle ground and they're just going to wipe out an entire list of players for a couple of years?

Be realistic, they can only ban players they can prove have taken PEDs and that to begin with is sketchy. The fact is that we have no idea of the evidence that lead to the ACC report or whether it can be even be acted upon. My personal belief at this point is that the evidence will be strong in regards to officials and more importantly criminal charges against certain individuals (Doctor, if that IS his real name), but I'm not sure whether that evidence will also be beyond reasonable doubt when it comes to who took the PEDs and when, especially if they were unaware what they were being administered.

ASADA clearly weren't on the ball throughout this whole thing and, as much as it absolutely pains me to admit it, Caroline Wilson actually had a good point. What the hell were these people doing if they only acted when the case was taken to them?

While the case against certain officials may be sound, nothing I've read thus far makes it sound like the players themselves will have anything more than a circumstantial case to answer. It just doesn't sound like they have enough or they'd have come down like a hammer already.

It is a stink that will no doubt linger for a long time over Essendon and a sad one at that, but I don't think much will come of it in terms of player suspensions, and what does come will probably be, at best, a small selection of players and certainly not the whole list.
Agree with you post, but I think you have to take into account that the report wasn't to be released until march, why is this? Maybe they were still gathering evidence, IMO EFC goinr to the AFL over this was a very smart move.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Boxhead_31

Rompinwins is my Chauffeur
Joined
Oct 12, 2007
Posts
32,456
Likes
41,666
Location
This Drinking Team has a Football Problem
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
South BHFL, 49ers

BlueTouchPaper

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Posts
5,009
Likes
452
AFL Club
Carlton
To be fair the 'sports scientists' are only in the early years of self assessment from peers, are not required to be certified or registered with a goverment body. It also was said of that self assessments that only about 6 from the afl would qualify.

This area needs alot of work.
In isolation, it's not an issue - although it definitely will become one after this.

But when it coincides with your club being targeted by a criminal investigation and the largest single PED investigation into Australian sport, it is massively concerning. Not to mention it coincides with the worst soft-tissue injury run we've seen in a long time.

I feel for Hird, he would be oblivious to most of this - but the players and coach, as far as I am concerned, need to have unwavering trust in one another.

Maybe that still exists.
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Posts
5,854
Likes
4,070
Location
Uncle Ho's City.
AFL Club
Fremantle
If it was us, I could understand the pedantry. There's still a chance that they're not.

Essendon haven't been explicitly named as the club on p. 17. Caro reckoned her source said they weren't. Based on the number of NRL clubs involved there's still a chance that the p. 17 club is an NFL club. Dank has worked with a number of them.

Point missed I do believe.

It was all rumour and innuendo as to why Essendon called the presser in the first place.

Now it has been revealed that Essendon has MULTIPLE players under suspicion for using PED's. But Boncer is desperately trying to deflect attention to page 17 of the ACC report.

As if that changes their culpability!
 
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Posts
59,848
Likes
61,045
Location
Down the rabbit hole
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Fatebringer
lovely day on the golf course today. Probably could have hit them a bit better but what do you do. Somewhat fittingly Dusty Martin was in the group in front of us.

So what's happening guys? I imagine all these alerts and tags I have are some friendly how do you do's for a quiet, boring Sunday? :D
 

ziad

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
May 2, 2009
Posts
14,095
Likes
6,576
Location
Sydney
AFL Club
West Coast
If essendon re found guilty, how can they be allowed to play in a comp which starts in a month (less if you count pre-season). If they start the season and then get kicked out it's going to cause chaos. How long does it take to investigate whether there was something dodgy going on?
surely the will do the right thing and stand out for the season (and next) now:p
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Joined
Apr 26, 2008
Posts
34,560
Likes
43,525
Location
Hate Hut
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Moderator #1,863
lovely day on the golf course today. Probably could have hit them a bit better but what do you do. Somewhat fittingly Dusty Martin was in the group in front of us.

So what's happening guys? I imagine all these alerts and tags I have are some friendly how do you do's for a Sunday? :D
Shoulda stayed on the course I imagine. Hang on I'll get the bomb shelter ready
 

yibbida

Premiership Player
Joined
Oct 5, 2004
Posts
3,807
Likes
1,106
Location
In a House by the Sea
AFL Club
Carlton
Despite boncer34 trying to derail the tread, the interesting thing that came out of today's press conference is that the investigation is likely to take months before any players or officials are sanctioned (if there is to be sanctions).

If there are a number of players that are suspended in 3 months time, how will the teams that played against (and possibly lost to) Essendon feel? If it were one or two players any club would likely suspend the players until the investigation was complete, but if it is 80% of the team what should they do?
 

vonn

Bigfooty Legend
Joined
Sep 29, 2008
Posts
20,493
Likes
12,065
AFL Club
Sydney
I normally read the last few pages of a thread to get any idea of what the discussion is about. All I have gotten now is confusion with boncer34's insistence on semantics. If you cannot make the connection between the report and a direct quote, I can't even begin to imagine the internal struggles you have when living and conversing with others day to day.

Aside from that, is their any precedent to go from to get an idea of what the AFL will do & punishment?
 

Ancient Tiger

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Posts
15,116
Likes
29,209
Location
Richmond
AFL Club
Richmond
lovely day on the golf course today. Probably could have hit them a bit better but what do you do. Somewhat fittingly Dusty Martin was in the group in front of us.

So what's happening guys? I imagine all these alerts and tags I have are some friendly how do you do's for a quiet, boring Sunday? :D
Nah. Just another lovely Sunday!

Enjoy the 19th hole Lance!
 
Joined
Jul 28, 2006
Posts
33
Likes
33
Location
Beach-town
AFL Club
Geelong
In the first paragraph you are certain that the said piece of information from the document will ruin Essendon, "...part of the document that is GOING to ruin your football club...". In the second, you say "...to see how deep of a mess your club MAY well be in", indicating an element of doubt in your assumption that Essendon is screwed. Which one is it?
The first paragraph refers to my state of mind on the matter.

The second is in reference to what boncer34's mindset would be if he had the comprehension skills of a 5th grader.

You are clutching at straws that do not exist.
 

BlueTouchPaper

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Posts
5,009
Likes
452
AFL Club
Carlton
sure it does. If Hird asked if the substance was legal, got told it was, and it turns out it was, then it's no problem...
No it doesn't. He cannot confirm what his players have been taking. That is the crux of it all. In light of all that has happened, this in and of itself is a massive red flag.
 

strobe00

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Posts
5,081
Likes
2,493
AFL Club
Fremantle
If essendon re found guilty, how can they be allowed to play in a comp which starts in a month (less if you count pre-season). If they start the season and then get kicked out it's going to cause chaos. How long does it take to investigate whether there was something dodgy going on?
Could be a while. Will depend entirely what Dank and co. have done, and what they say about it.

I reckon ASADA will have a sh*t of a time trying to prove anything, and Dank wouldn't be forthcoming even if he had administered dodgy substances, which he still mightn't have. He'd be stupid to do something that couldn't be explained away.

So I reckon it'll drag.

Not allowing the Dons to field a team until everything is wrapped up would be a hell of a lot more distruptive than the case you mention.
 

TennisPlayerAndy

Klay Thompson's Jumpshot
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Posts
38,688
Likes
51,267
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Liverpool, Raiders, GSW
lovely day on the golf course today. Probably could have hit them a bit better but what do you do. Somewhat fittingly Dusty Martin was in the group in front of us.

So what's happening guys? I imagine all these alerts and tags I have are some friendly how do you do's for a quiet, boring Sunday? :D
Go and have another round Lance... :p
 
Joined
Jun 28, 2011
Posts
16
Likes
9
AFL Club
Fremantle
the 'sports scientists' are ... not required to be certified or registered with a goverment body ... This area needs alot of work.

Spot on. There is nothing a "sports scientist" knows that a doctor involved with professional sport does not. However, there is much a team doctor knows that a "sports scientist" will never know, let alone understand.

There is a reason for the reported conflict between team doctors and "sports scientists" within the AFL/NRL ....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom