AFL targets Essendon Royalty

[Bulldog4life]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

A guy at work said that if the AFL were real keen to punish Hird properly they should make him coach Melbourne for 12 months.

Received a text from my cousin in WA saying the same thing. It must be doing the rounds.

[The bulldog tragician]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

I could maybe agree with MJP if there was remorse and contrition. The EFC has instead insisted all along up until 3 days ago that only a bit of poor record keeping took place. If the AFL hadn't released the full list of charges, we would still be in that same spot. Rehabilitation approaches only work when the offender knows they've done something wrong and commits to do whatever needed to root the problem out.

Stating they will reemploy Hird as soon as a suspension is served doesn't sound like remorse.

As for the fans, they have taken the lead from the club. Wearing sombreros..making fun of it on their banner...In Hird We Trust..much though I love our club..I would like to think that the knowledge that our kids had been used as human pincushions would override that natural loyalty.

[Bornadog]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

What in the hell are the AFL doing by negotiating with EFC and the four people charged. This is just stupidity of the upmost And makes a mockery of the AFL's ability to administer this game.

[LostDoggy]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

What in the hell are the AFL doing by negotiating with EFC and the four people charged. This is just stupidity of the upmost And makes a mockery of the AFL's ability to administer this game.

Agree bornadog. This may be oversimplifying the situation but in my book they're either innocent or guilty. Either way, "negotiations" between the accused and the accuser is unnecessary. The whole thing smells.

[jeemak]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

What in the hell are the AFL doing by negotiating with EFC and the four people charged. This is just stupidity of the upmost And makes a mockery of the AFL's ability to administer this game.

Agree bornadog. This may be oversimplifying the situation but in my book they're either innocent or guilty. Either way, "negotiations" between the accused and the accuser is unnecessary. The whole thing smells.

Why?

Because the AFL's evidence and case may not be as good as they've made them out to be. You couple that with a need to resolve the matter urgently and you end up where we are now.

[Hotdog60]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

Bomber Thompson said "We're trying to scrub off as many [charges] as we can to be responsible and to be charged for what we think we are responsible for."
"I would say the fines and the punishment the club is going to receive, based on what I've heard the last couple of days, is quite severe," he said.

"Then you look at it and you say, 'Well, we actually haven't been charged, we've broken no AFL rules or codes, and no players have used prohibited substances'.

"For us to accept what we're being offered I think is being very generous and kind."

Good to see the AFL has got balls and can adjust the charges to make the offenders happy. You are either running the show or your not. The penalties should have been discussed with the other clubs and if they backed them the AFL should implement them no negotiations necessary.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

How so GD? If the final ASADA report confirms that PED's and banned substances were taken by the players, infraction notices will be handed out at a moment's notice to all players that have done so. That means automatic 2 years if proven, and the burden of proof for ASADA is nowhere near as strict is it is for the courts. We already know there are vast quantities of Hexarelin and TB4 imported by Dank (through Charter), and we also know there are invoices for both substances are linked to EFC. We've seen numerous text messages between Hird and Dank discussing the merits and benefits of TB4 and other substances on various players - already the circumstantial evidence is very compelling, and the testimony of Dank will be all that ASADA require to finalise their report and (potentially) start issuing the infractions notices to the playing group.

The AFL's charge sheet from last Wednesday reveals about 10% of the dirt that the AFL has on EFC, according to the non-cheerleading scribes out there. This more than likely will still get very ugly in the off-season when the final report is issued.

The blind acolytes might still buy a membership, but when players have their livelihood taken away for 2 years, I'm not expecting them or their greedy managers to hold out their arms and give the club a big sloppy kiss. And if there are upwards of 38 players possibly involved, doesn't take much mathematical knowledge to suggest that fielding a team will be an impossible task in 2014 and 2015.

Today's decision will be made on governance only. ASADA will be making the final decisions on doping when their report is finished.

Not going to happen Sedat, and there is one overriding reason for this: The paperwork to ping individuals is simply not there. This makes it impossible to bring individual charges.
I honestly think that, like Melbourne and their tanking, we will look back in 2-3 years time and wonder in amazement how Essendon were made to walk the plank and still managed to fall into a swimming pool brimming with membership cards. Their popularity will have grown, their group will be galvanized, and they will be better off than before. Ridiculous, heart breaking, but that's the way I believe it will go. Irrespective of penalty. Melbourne storm a case in point in my view. Hoping it's more a Carlton circa Elliot scenario, but that's a wish really.

[A Ford]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

Since when has asada/wada needed individual paper work on each player to suspend the team?
Where was the paper work for Lance Armstrong?
When they have thrown cycling teams out, where was the evidence every individual in the team was doping?

[Topdog]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

No remorse what so ever shown by Bomber.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

Since when has asada/wada needed individual paper work on each player to suspend the team?
Where was the paper work for Lance Armstrong?
When they have thrown cycling teams out, where was the evidence every individual in the team was doping?

I would love to believe this. Would just love an international sporting agency to cut the crap.But ours is a provincial code that thrives on protectionism - live in hope A Ford.

[SonofScray]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

No remorse what so ever shown by Bomber.

He was very smug. Treated the process and charges with disdain through his tone, body language and actual comments.

The whole Club needs to go.

[A Ford]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

I would love to believe this. Would just love an international sporting agency to cut the crap.But ours is a provincial code that thrives on protectionism - live in hope A Ford.

Why wouldn't you believe it?
The AFL is under the ASADA/WADA code.
They go it alone, they forego government support and become a joke competition at the same time.

[LostDoggy]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

No remorse what so ever shown by Bomber.

He's never struck me as the head-in-the-hands, despairing type. I recall a fuss made about him eating a (sandwich or roll was it?) in the middle of a game.

He's also in a precarious position in regards not just to his own legacy in the game but his standing at Essendon, his career moving forward and I imagine he's quite hamstrung as to what he can talk about. Not knowing what he's been up to behind closed doors makes it hard to determine he has no remorse. Hird on the other hand has clearly demonstrated such.

[Mofra]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

Not going to happen Sedat, and there is one overriding reason for this: The paperwork to ping individuals is simply not there. This makes it impossible to bring individual charges.

By signing consent forms, ASADA may have enough to go off on that alone. No positive test or proof of injection is required - players have been banned for ordering substances off the internet that didn't even make it through customs.

There are also team provisions if more than 2 people from the same team are caught. Essendon are in a world of trouble.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: AFL targets Essendon Royalty

The thing that riles me is Bomber Thompson saying they are 'Kind, very kind and generous' to accept responsibility for their part. Let's all bow to Essendon and thank them for being such good sports about this.