AFL targets Essendon Royalty

[Greystache]

The only reason I can see that Essendon were not stripped of premiership points and dropped to last was because of the can of worms it would open up with betting markets.

I can see no other reason to simply drop them from the finals, to be perfectly honest.

I think it was also due to the draft. If they were dropped to 18th then they would have the first pick at the beginning of each round they were eligible in (ie 3rd, 4th etc), but dropping them to 9th it means they'll have a mid-round pick instead.

[Sedat]

Time to look at the main penalties imposed

- Loss of Premiership points.
Very tough on the players who have worked their backsides off. No other option though.

- Hird gone for 12 months without pay but could coach the team in the finals in 2014.
Better than was being touted but I feel 12 months is on the light side

- Loss of 1st and 2nd round draft picks in 2013 and 2014 however, they will receive one pick at the end of the 1st round in 2014.
Seems about right. Tough but fair that limits them but doesn't break them.

- The club can trade anywhere into the draft in 2013 and 2014.
Seems fair to me because the players should be able to move.

- $2 Million fine
This will hurt the club with their football spend and their redevelopment work. Coterie groups might chip in but it's a significant fine.

The AFL have been harder on Essendon than I expected. I think this is a decent result for all concerned.

If Essendon think the AFL have been hard on them re: governance, just wait until ASADA/WADA are finished with them on doping in a couple of months' time.

Last night was all about ensuring the 2013 finals series was not contaminated - AFL have done their job on that front. Now it is time for the powers that be to rule on suspected doping, and that is out of the AFL's jurisdiction. The most interesting thing Vlad said last night was that he re-iterated that AOD-9604 is unequivocally a banned substance under the WADA code, and that nobody at ASADA told Essendon otherwise. That's (I think) 38 players right there in deep trouble. Then there's the small matter of Thymosin Beta-4, Hexarelin and 2-3 other assorted nasties that have already been strongly linked to the club and players.

AFL needed to take the heat out of this issue so that the finals series was not adversely affected by a) a tainted team being involved, and b) so that we are talking about the on-field exploits and not trashing the AFL brand in the media any more. They also stretched this announcement out as long as possible to minimise the number of dead rubbers involving Essendon late in the season. Job done on all counts yesterday, but this issue is a million miles from being finished as far as Essendon and the players are concerned.

[Go_Dogs]

I think the punishments are sufficient for this stage. Remember this merely addresses the governance issue and the whole actual drugs issue is effectively untouched atm. I still think that ASADA/WADA are going to come in and absolutely destroy them.

Did anybody think it was odd though that last night Paul Little was allowed to get away with the statement "there's no point trying to uncover the truth."??? Very bizarre comment and I can't believe not one journalist questioned it.

Crazy, isn't it? It seems to be an empty threat to ASADA not to bother with pursuing their investigation because the people whose testimony on the matter will have significant impact, will, for whatever reason, not testify. I wonder if Dank is receiving monies from a source greater than the level of fines he is/will be accruing by refusing to attend to answer questions?

[Topdog]

The only reason I can see that Essendon were not stripped of premiership points and dropped to last was because of the can of worms it would open up with betting markets.

I can see no other reason to simply drop them from the finals, to be perfectly honest.

Its because quite a few bookies had Essendon at $251 to finish last hours after the scandal broke out. My mate had $50 on that.

m sure AFL house got phone calls from betting agencies saying they can't finish last.

[Topdog]

I think it was also due to the draft. If they were dropped to 18th then they would have the first pick at the beginning of each round they were eligible in (ie 3rd, 4th etc), but dropping them to 9th it means they'll have a mid-round pick instead.

Another load of rubbish from the AFL. Why do Essendon move up the draft order? I dont care that it is only 3-4 places, they should be given the draft position where they finished (6th or 7th) not where the AFL place them.

[Bulldog4life]

Another load of rubbish from the AFL. Why do Essendon move up the draft order? I dont care that it is only 3-4 places, they should be given the draft position where they finished (6th or 7th) not where the AFL place them.

Their pick will be only in the third round. Somewhere in the 40's.

[Ghost Dog]

This is only the first round of the issue.

If any players suffer bans when ASADA releases the final report, there is the possibility of legal action against the club.
The players may also be free from their contract if they wish, hurting their list
They are unlikely to be able to attract existing talent to the club, hampering their trade activities
Some sponsers may leave, hurting their bottom line even more
They will also be open to legal action if any long term health implications of the program are detected.

This is a stink that will hover over Essendon for years to come.

Disagree. It will galvanize them, and their supporters will rally around them like never before. Excellent article in The Age by Emma Quayle ( who I just spotted at the Pound Cafe, a lot taller than I thought! ) about how Essendon coped admirably when they were last stung for salary cap breaches.

[LostDoggy]

I believe work place lawyers have been consulted and their opinions are players are able to leave the club if they want to due to a number of reasons.
Read below

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-new...822-2sekq.html

Clearly the penalties imposed on Essendon tonight do not set a precedent for the individuals at other clubs.

What I think Webby and I are suggesting in this unprecedented saga is that the club has failed to provide a level of governance with their duty of care and as a result and given the pressures the players have been put through it's reasonable to suggest that if they want to leave then there should be an avenue for them.

It's fine for the players to attempt to break their contracts on that legal advice, but for the AFL to do it is a totally different matter. The contract is between the EFC and the player, NOT the AFL. Likewise, free agency is not available to contracted players in the regular sense.

Only either of the two parties should be breaking that contract. If the AFL wants to provide free employment lawyers to the players, all power to them, but that's probably as far as they can go.

I am happy that Essendon cannot play finals this year ... this seems fair. I don't think this should allow a club that was not as good to now play finals. Why should Carlton, North, Brisbane, West Coast, Adelaide have the opportunity to play finals when they havent been good enough all year??

Re-jig the finals so that the best team gets a bye and the other 6 fight out for the other places ... of those, one team drops out of the first round of finals.

I don't think that a team who will win a possible 10 games only, should play finals.

Those teams would argue that Essendon beat them X amount of times and those 4-8 points should be theirs anyway.

[Scraggers]

Did Essendon have an unfair advantage due to their supplements program? They have developed this over two years and may or may not be still benefiting from it. If they are then they are not one of the best and fairest teams in the 8 and I see no reason whatsoever why 9th place shouldn't come into 8th.

If this is the case, and Essendon did have an unfair advantage, then Jobe needs to be stripped of his Brownlow ... pure and simple.

[Scraggers]

Those teams would argue that Essendon beat them X amount of times and those 4-8 points should be theirs anyway.

It's still rewarding the first loser !!

The only up-side is that it is grating on Richmond supporters, who after finishing 9th for ten years got nothing and the first time they don't the 9th team makes the finals

[LostDoggy]

It's still rewarding the first loser !!

The only up-side is that it is grating on Richmond supporters, who after finishing 9th for ten years got nothing and the first time they don't the 9th team makes the finals

Yep, bloody brilliant! I have quite a few Richmond mates (don't tell nobody!) and they are all genuinely pissed off about that. “Why couldn't the bloody Bombers cheat in 2006?”

[Ozza]

Yep, bloody brilliant! I have quite a few Richmond mates (don't tell nobody!) and they are all genuinely pissed off about that. “Why couldn't the bloody Bombers cheat in 2006?”

They probably did.

3rd time losing draft picks. Lets not forget that. Its the third time.

[LostDoggy]

In my view, they have been left off lightly. Perhaps I consider the whole saga a little more seriously, being a teacher. Melbourne Storm played an entire season without points. What Essendon have done is far more serious. A salary cap breach leaves no effect on health, but these EFC players may have serious side effects for years to come. Birth Defects ? Cancer? It's far more serious.

I think you have jumped ahead a little GD. The charges are for bringing the game into disrepute, incorrect documentation etc, the drug side of things are still ongoing with the anti doping authorities. (or have I missed something?)

[Sedat]

Apparently Roy Masters was on radio in Sydney earlier today and his information from Canberra is that ASADA infractions are "a certainty" - November for Cronulla, December for Essendon.

Also from Sydney, Rebecca Wilson highlighted the fact that Cronulla undertook Dank's AOD and TB4 programs for 11 weeks, whereas Essendon undertook them for an entire season.

[Dry Rot]

Have this been posted before?

AFL HIRDYS LIE - * SUNG TO THE TUNE OF AMERICAN PIE *

http://twf.com.au/showthread.php?t=33836