Certified Legendary Thread Sympathy for *essendon II - over 6500 days since EFC won a final / AC signs w NM, EFC implode / RIP D2D and T_S

[Jade]

So you put your head in the sand and pretended it wasn't happening. Well, how very surprising. In fact, I'm shocked to be sitting here.

Did I?

Ignoring a dying rag equates to sticking your head in the sand?

How odd.

 

[Egga]

Did I?

Ignoring a dying rag equates to sticking your head in the sand?

How odd.

Yes, very odd indeed. Yet, sadly, very predictable.

 

[Jade]

Yes, very odd indeed. Yet, sadly, very predictable.

Yeah I genuinely think you don't even know what you mean to say.

 

[Egga]

Yeah I genuinely think you don't even know what you mean to say.

Sorry. I understand that you're still struggling to come to terms with things, but I'm really doing my best to help you out here man. What I'm saying is that your head is still in the sand. You can ignore Caro as much as you like, but it doesn't change the fact that your players and officials are confirmed drug cheats. just embrace it man. Just look at yourself in the mirror and say "my team are drug cheats". You'll feel better. I promise.

 

[DrZaius]

Quality banter

 

[Tas]

Not quite. The evidence coming out of *Essendon/Hird's Federal Court appeal was that the AFL tried to put in place a deal with ASADA that if the AFL made their investigative powers available to ASADA (the AFL's powers being greater than ASADA's by virtue of the terms of the contracts they have with players and clubs), then ASADA would buy the AFL into the process of what happened to the players and let the AFL have a say in that.

The AFL thought they had ASADA agreeing to that, and I suspect sold that line to *Essendon, but when push came to shove ASADA told the AFL in no uncertain terms that they weren't about to let any sporting organisation have a say in how they go about prosecuting breaches of the code.

As I understand it, this leaked recording is basically Gilligan telling *Essendon that ASADA isn't playing ball so all bets are off the table in terms of what happens to the players, and furthermore the only way to try and protect the players from prosecution is to have a show trial of *Essendon in which it gets smashed for bringing the game into disrepute, on the basis that if they do that then maybe ASADA will feel mollified that the appropriate responsible people have been punished enough and leave the players alone.

So the AFL whacked *Essendon, Hird et al, but ASADA went ahead and went after the players anyway. WADA came much later, however it is possible they had a say in ensuring ASADA didn't buy into the AFL's schemes (not sure about that)

IMO the AFL were completely naive in thinking they could influence ASADA into not prosecuting. Why on earth would a prosecutorial body like ASADA engage in such a gross conflict of interest and dereliction of duty? I agree with you however that when the AFL was talking to *Essendon about winning ASADA over, they honestly (but naively) thought they could pull it off.

Further, *Essendon was completely naive in thinking that the AFL could pull off a stunt like working ASADA over. I mean, they had lawyers all over this - where were those lawyers warning *Essendon that no matter what the AFL was saying to them, the likelihood that they could achieve what they were trying to achieve was pretty remote, and *Essendon shouldn't be relying on that happening?

Paul Little later lamented that if they knew at the start what they later knew, they never would have co-operated with the AFL/ASADA investigation. I accept this, up to a point. It is true to say that they co-operated, in that they made copious amounts of documents, emails, text messages etc etc available and made players and staff available to be interviewed, when they could have instead pulled all the stops to avoid having to do any of that and fought like cats and dogs to not have to (yes, their contracts with the AFL obliges them to, but there are always ways and means to fight about that and frustrate the process). However of course they didn't fully co-operate as it is blindingly obvious that the AFL/ASADA weren't provided with the good stuff, the real dirt about what really went on in 2012.

But at any rate, the point about Little's comment is that he was lamenting that early in the process *Essendon bought into the AFL's overtures that they could sweet talk ASADA, and "co-operated" in the hope and expectation that that would occur. Little wasn't involved at that point in time. I see him as almost saying "I could have told you so" - he knew that it was a mistake (and it was) to believe in the AFL and co-operate, and that *Essendon would have been better off fighting the process and making life difficult for both the AFL and ASADA.

It's all a bit embarrassing. The AFL come out of this as a bunch of hamfisted wannabe manipulating muppets (holy moly news flash for no one!) and *Essendon come out as being a combination of dishonest, guilty as sin, immoral and completely naive. They honestly thought that through the AFL there was a way to avoid any scrutiny, and had the gall to complain when that didn't materialise. Then - even better - Little laments that by doing so, *Essendon missed a golden opportunity to take the approach of every white collar criminal ever - deny everything, co-operate with nothing, refuse to hand over anything (that they couldn't shred in advance) and litigate, litigate, litigate until they give up in exasperation. Eventually that became the exact strategy they adopted in the Federal Court, but by that time they had co-operated enough that ASADA had enough dirt to hang the players. Too Little, too late.

TL;DR - hahahaha suck on it Bombers flogs.

I think the timing of events is critical though. I think when WADA came in and they changed the head of ASADA the relationship between AFL and ASADA changed. Despite all that, the AFL tribunal found the players innocent. WADA appealed it to a court in which drug doping is taken a lot more seriously than the AFL takes it.

I still think Gilligan, in terms of the timing of events, did not misrepresent the AFL's position to Essendon.

 

[Jade]

Quality banter

We need Bill

 

[Gasometer]

Great article by Caro

 

[naturally north]

Dunno why this is still news worthy? It's * and most years they're up to no good.



1996 draft......


7 Port Adelaide Adam Kingsley 170
38 Carlton Sam Smart 1
39 West Coast Nick Stone 20
40 Salary Cap Breach Essendon FORFEIT
41 Richmond Matthew Manfield 6
42 North Melbourne Martin Pike 187

 

[Gasometer]

* has become the post 1975 Gough Whitlam of the AFL.

 

[Nate7]

We need Bill

Are you attending the game at Arden St tomorrow since you are a North Melbourne fan? Will you be wearing the jumper you were forced to buy in that bet on whoever loses in Ess v NM? ☺

Wild Bill does that bet sound familiar?

 

[Nutjob]

No I think you forgot the magic of a search engine.

Speaking of magic, how was * so diligent in recording hirdy having a tanty. Yet so inept when it came to bookkeeping.

Oh and I searched hird. It just came up with various cheating articles and a picture of him wearing a north top, which made me vomit.








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[Jade]

Are you attending the game at Arden St tomorrow since you are a North Melbourne fan? Will you be wearing the jumper you were forced to buy in that bet on whoever loses in Ess v NM? ☺

Wild Bill does that bet sound familiar?

Ahhhh Arden St.

You got tarps to cover the empty areas?

 

[Jade]

Speaking of magic, how was * so diligent in recording hirdy having a tanty. Yet so inept when it came to bookkeeping.

Oh and I searched hird. It just came up with various cheating articles and a picture of him wearing a north top, which made me vomit.








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh silly rabbit. It wasn't Essendon doing the recording.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Oh silly rabbit. It wasn't Essendon doing the recording.

You're right. It was that Geelong plant, Mark Thompson. Sent to destroy you from within.

It worked.

 

[Jade]

You're right. It was that Geelong plant, Mark Thompson. Sent to destroy you from within.

It worked.

That son of a bitch...

 

[Groucho]

Great article by Caro

Sure was! Whackety whackety whack!

 

[Hearts to hearts]

I haven't even read it; stopped reading the desperate click bait crap at Fairfax years ago - genuinely giggled when people started losing their jobs at that failure.

Until a couple of years ago, no-one would have been happier to see her and The Age go down than us. Abd she actually joined in an attempt to kill our club for doing nothing wrong except be less rich than Carlton back in 1895.

But she is still on the money with this article. Anyone releasing this or thinking it helps is doubling down on delusion. Just when the club and players and fans finally have clear air, it's wrecked by rank opportunism and hypocrisy.

 

[Jade]

Until a couple of years ago, no-one would have been happier to see her and The Age go down than us. Abd she actually joined in an attempt to kill our club for doing nothing wrong except be less rich than Carlton back in 1895.

But she is still on the money with this article. Anyone releasing this or thinking it helps is doubling down on delusion. Just when the club and players and fans finally have clear air, it's wrecked by rank opportunism and hypocrisy.

We're in full agreement re: release. Helps no one.

 

[Horace]

We're in full agreement re: release. Helps no one.

Ah but you are wrong there, Jade. Every time something new happens it brings you racing back here to peddle your unique brand of (in your mind only) humour, littered of course with the traditional levels of donial that reeks of all things *essendon. We don't mind getting yet another laugh at the *efc and of course your expense as well.

 

[Nutjob]

Oh silly rabbit. It wasn't Essendon doing the recording.

Surely a drug lab would have tight enough security, then to let someone waltz in with a hidden voice recorder?


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[Jade]

Surely a drug lab would have tight enough security, then to let someone waltz in with a hidden voice recorder?


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Don't be silly.

The drug lab was off site.

 

[Jade]

Ah but you are wrong there, Jade. Every time something new happens it brings you racing back here to peddle your unique brand of (in your mind only) humour, littered of course with the traditional levels of donial that reeks of all things *essendon. We don't mind getting yet another laugh at the *efc and of course your expense as well.

Racing back?

I never left!

 

[Horace]

Racing back?

I never left!

Sorry!!!

In that case, please make sure you post on this thread daily from now on. Then we'll know you never left.

 

[Jade]

Sorry!!!

In that case, please make sure you post on this thread daily from now on. Then we'll know you never left.

I aim to please...