News EFC asks AFL and ASADA for probe into own training regime

[The_Reaper]

In a hospital they would, all hospital medicine is clearly labelled. In private the nurse would likely only be hired solely to safely administer the treatment. I doubt anything that is illicit is going to have the skull and crossbones on it or advertise it.

Transfusions and injections alone is not evidence of illict drug use, WADA approves of Intravenous infusions and/or injections of non-illicit substances up to a certain point, or quantity over a period of time.

It is pretty easy to guess at what kind of wrong doing has occurred but people are innocent until proven guilty in this country. We have to be mindful of that and not allow circumstantial evidence to lead to a trial by media.

I have to agree.
I'm strongly hoping that Reimers was telling the truth when he said that the club was pushing the boundaries or what was legit.
Would still deserve a punishment somewhere around what was given to Adelaide and Carlton, but the club itself would be in no real danger.

 

[vast]

Well it could be worse guys, I mean we could have just appointed nick maxwell captain for the 5th year.

 

[The_Reaper]

Too be honest if you don't go down the Gold Coast/GWS route and just pick the best player from each SANFL/WAFL/VFL club then you won't be too far off AFL standard.

 

[Topkent]

I have no idea if this has been asked cause I'm not wandering through 27 pages but if any of the essendon players have taken anything illegal, how has the Afls own drug testing not discovered anything yet.. I find it impossible to believe

Anyway welcome to the controversy hanging over ya head club

 

[The_Reaper]

I have no idea if this has been asked cause I'm not wandering through 27 pages but if any of the essendon players have taken anything illegal, how has the Afls own drug testing not discovered anything yet.. I find it impossible to believe

Anyway welcome to the controversy hanging over ya head club

AFL doesn't take blood tests.

Some of the alleged substances can only be detected by blood tests.

 

[LeverPuller]

Too be honest if you don't go down the Gold Coast/GWS route and just pick the best player from each SANFL/WAFL/VFL club then you won't be too far off AFL standard.

You're probably right, but will a lot of them leave? VFL I think they'd take the chance, but are SANFL/WAFL players going to ship off to Victoria, particularly if they have jobs and/or families, just to get smashed by AFL teams for two years? Some will, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if it'll be as easy as that.

 

[The_Reaper]

You're probably right, but will a lot of them leave? VFL I think they'd take the chance, but are SANFL/WAFL players going to ship off to Victoria, particularly if they have jobs and/or families, just to get smashed by AFL teams for two years? Some will, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if it'll be as easy as that.

Some blokes who want an opportunity at AFL would.
Have a good season and you'll be picked up.
There are 9 WAFL clubs and 9 SANFL clubs so Essendon wouldn't have too much difficulty picking up players.

 

[Tas]

Yet it's reported the club received bills surrounding this. Would be interesting to know what the bills were for. Is it for the product, for the medical professional injecting it etc. Surely a medical professional would need to document what they inject and the dose as due care to cover their arse if something goes pear shaped.

That is what the investigation will try to uncover. Medical treatment isn't cheap, even legal treatment. I am sure they recorded what was printed on the label but I doubt it would be difficult to re-label the treatment even if something illicit was being used.

 

[Charliebrow 16]

Not that I ever really did it anyway, but I will never again take some sort of twisted interest in how low a club can fall... Okay, maybe unless it's Carlton.

I've watched on during the Adelaide and Tippett saga wondering how that will all unfold, and I've witnessed the Melbourne tanking investigation and have wondered what consequences might come their way; but through it all I never really put myself in the shoes and mindset of their supporters and members. It's like you witness these events and as an opposition supporter, you're so far removed from it. You're essentially on the outside looking in. However, when it's your club under the microscope, it really hurts and you feel utterly helpless. It's not a great feeling and I suppose as a result of these shocking events/allegations I can finally, belatedly relate and sympathise with the likes of Melbourne who have endured such a horrific off-season themselves.

I just hope this all gets cleared up as soon as possible and we're able to look ahead to the opening round of the NAB Cup and season proper.

 

[LeverPuller]

Some blokes who want an opportunity at AFL would.
Have a good season and you'll be picked up.
There are 9 WAFL clubs and 9 SANFL clubs so Essendon wouldn't have too much difficulty picking up players.

You're probably right. The other problem is (with a couple of notable exceptions) the AFL clubs have been picking the eyes out of the SANFL/VFL/WAFL for 3-4 years now, so even now they're going to be okay at best.

I spose you could build a side though. Throw in guys like Bate, Valenti, Gartlett...take a punt on a Manson because you've really got nothing to lose.

 

[The_Reaper]

Not that I ever really did it anyway, but I will never again take some sort of twisted interest in how low a club can fall... Okay, maybe unless it's Carlton.

I've watched on during the Adelaide and Tippett saga wondering how that will all unfold, and I've witnessed the Melbourne tanking investigation and have wondered what consequences might come their way. But through it all I never really put myself in the shoes and mindset of their supporters and members. It's like you witness these events and as an opposition supporter, you're so far removed from it. You're essentially on the outside looking in. However, when it's your club under the microscope, it really hurts and you feel utterly helpless. It's not a great feeling and I suppose as I result of these shocking events I can finally, belatedly relate and sympathise with the likes of Melbourne who have endured such a horrific off-season themselves.

I must admit that this puts the whole West Coast fan siege mentality of the mid 2000s into perspective.

 

[Ess_don]

One tiny positive if the unthinkable happens and a majority of our players are banned for 2 years.. surely Ben Duscher finally gets a chance to show his stuff on an AFL list!

 

[Donakebab]

AFL doesn't take blood tests.

Some of the alleged substances can only be detected by blood tests.

But the story goes that the AFL were advised last year what the substances were. Wouldn't they take blood tests if that was the only way of detecting the substances they had been informed about?

 

[Lord Nicholson]

Gartlett...take a punt on a Manson because you've really got nothing to lose.

It is perhaps amusing in retrospect that we had the temerity to knock them back.

 

[Tas]

Tas- I think we're already heading down the trial by media route, in fact we're a long way down that path.

Sadly we are. But, I don't like to presume guilt, especially something this serious. If there is guilt then it will likely come out in due course, I think it is a reflection of poor character for people who revel in the misery or misfortune of others.

 

[LeverPuller]

I must admit that this puts the whole West Coast fan siege mentality of the mid 2000s into perspective.

Looks like you are going to have a year like our 2012 to be honest. It sucks. To be honest, 2012 nearly broke me...by the end of the season I honestly needed a break with everything that happened.

Be prepared to book a holiday. Just to get away from it. When it gets that bad, it's all-consuming, it's not just sports media. We had the Jurrah story, the Davey-Neeld-Mifsud shit, the EnergyWatch stuff and then all the tanking stuff on top of being awful onfield. It was getting on the front page of the newspapers let alone the back.

And just...keep the faith. All you can really do is keep pumping your passion and love into the idea of the football club. They can take away your draft picks, they can make you awful onfield, they can give you no hope for a season...but they can't take away your love for the red and black, your admiration of past players, your premierships. That's what you really need to focus on.

And don't stop going to games. Really. There's nothing worse than going to a game in Week 17 where you've won 2 games for the season and hosting an interstate side with about 4 other blokes there. Keep it up, not just for solidarity but to actually show the blokes out there that there are fans who'll stay tough no matter how hard it gets.

 

[Tas]

But the story goes that the AFL were advised last year what the substances were. Wouldn't they take blood tests if that was the only way of detecting the substances they had been informed about?

Our policy does not allow for blood or hair tests, they would need to change the policy first and players would have significant notice. Even then, for something like hormone treatment, you have to take blood test within a small window, talking hours here, not days/weeks/months.

It is not like steroids which hang around in your system for ages.

 

[The_Reaper]

Looks like you are going to have a year like our 2012 to be honest. It sucks. To be honest, 2012 nearly broke me...by the end of the season I honestly needed a break with everything that happened.

Be prepared to book a holiday. Just to get away from it. When it gets that bad, it's all-consuming, it's not just sports media. We had the Jurrah story, the Davey-Neeld-Mifsud shit, the EnergyWatch stuff and then all the tanking stuff on top of being awful onfield. It was getting on the front page of the newspapers let alone the back.

And just...keep the faith. All you can really do is keep pumping your passion and love into the idea of the football club. They can take away your draft picks, they can make you awful onfield, they can give you no hope for a season...but they can't take away your love for the red and black, your admiration of past players, your premierships. That's what you really need to focus on.

And don't stop going to games. Really. There's nothing worse than going to a game in Week 17 where you've won 2 games for the season and hosting an interstate side with about 4 other blokes there. Keep it up, not just for solidarity but to actually show the blokes out there that there are fans who'll stay tough no matter how hard it gets.

I'm an Eagles supporter lol
Though I don't don't want any supporters. to experience this sort of shit

Bombers fans probably appreciate this post though

 

[Doss]

Sadly we are. But, I don't like to presume guilt, especially something this serious. If there is guilt then it will likely come out in due course, I think it is a reflection of poor character for people who revel in the misery or misfortune of others.

Right you are. If only more people in the media and this site agreed with you, mate.

 

[LeverPuller]

On a serious note - can I ask you guys what Daniher's training program was like last year? Was he around the club a lot? We had Viney at every second training session and playing for Casey, and I know the Dogs ran similar for Wallis and Libba.

The worst thing would be if Joe got done for this before he'd even joined the club.

 

[Zach Package]

Wasn't as extensive as that

Not sure on deets though, it was more just about getting him around the group than him actually trying to eat into afl shape a year early.

 

[daz17]

On a serious note - can I ask you guys what Daniher's training program was like last year? Was he around the club a lot? We had Viney at every second training session and playing for Casey, and I know the Dogs ran similar for Wallis and Libba.

The worst thing would be if Joe got done for this before he'd even joined the club.

Daniher was around the club for the last 2 years. Mainly just pre-season.

 

[LeverPuller]

Wasn't as extensive as that

Okay, fingers crossed he wasn't involved then...you'll have a full forward at least.

 

[BrewSmackerVeiny]

All you can really do is keep pumping your passion

Plenty of that happening on the main board.

 

[LeverPuller]

Plenty of that happening on the main board.

I think DOP has been pumping for hours, shocked he can keep going, I know I'd be red-raw and bleeding by now...