While not everyone is completely sympathetic, there has been an underlying tone throughout all the drama involving supplements at the Essendon Football Club this year that many people do feel for the players involved.
While ignorance is not an excuse, many players were possibly just doing what they were told and, not wanting to cause ripples, they asked no questions.
Some perhaps put their trust in those they believed knew what they were doing, and because of that trust, would any have really thought what was going on was illegal?
Sure, have some sympathy for them as they await the outcome of the investigation and its potential sanctions.
But now please put aside your own football biases, and whatever dislike or hatred you may have for the Bombers, and spare a thought for the members and fans of the club.
As a fan you support your team – financial and emotionally – through thick and thin, the painful losing seasons, the finals near-misses, the agony of tight losses in big games, and the anguish of being beaten by arch-rivals.
A football season can bring so much grief, but it can also deliver so much excitement, joy, jubilation and celebration.
All those good and bad emotions are what being a passionate supporter of a football team is all about.
So put your feet into the shoes of any the 55,500-plus Essendon members or of those who are simply Bombers supporters – just for a moment.
You have your guernseys, maybe one for each of your kids, at the very least t-shirts and other paraphernalia. You go to games, some you even fly interstate to, others you sit glued to the box watching.
You do what you can to support and help your club, because – as all football clubs tell us – you are part of the club.
Entering 2013, you, like members and fans of the other 17 clubs, had hopes, dreams and anticipation about what lay ahead.
Your Bombers had been thereabouts in recent years. Although only playing two finals in eight seasons, led by the Brownlow medal winner there was a real feeling among you and the other faithful, this could be the season where the premiership window comes a tiny bit ajar. This could be the year the Bombers made some serious noise.
Well, they have, but not the noise you wanted, nor ever expected.
As a fan, you knew nothing about this supplement scandal. Sure the story came out before the season began, but what did it mean? Fines? Suspensions? As time went on, who knew?
There were no answers just speculation. The team was still allowed to play games, and win games, and lots of games.
And now there is talk that when penalties are finally are announced, the club – your club – could face losing all their competition points, and being relegated to last on the ladder.
Imagine that as a fan. Your team is comfortably sitting in the top four with maybe six, five, four – who knows how many – games until the finals. You are excitedly planning your September, and bang… gone.
No finals. Season over. Season wasted.
As a fan, you haven’t done anything wrong, yet you are also being punished just as harshly as anyone at the club.
If it does happen, and the points are taken away, then that anguish will be far, far greater than losing any matches, or even spending a season watching a team with no chance of playing finals.
You will have had your hopes raised to lofty heights, only to have them chopped off at the knees.
I remember back in 2002 when the Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL were found guilty of salary cap breaches.
At the time the Dogs were top of the ladder, with 18 wins and a draw from 21 games. They were two and half games clear on top, with just three rounds to play.
They were going to be playing a major role in deciding who would be the premiers, but for their breach.
The club was hit with a heavy fine, and the competition points they had earned – all 37 of them – were taken away. They went from first to last.
I understand the wrong doing and there should be severe punishment. Some would say if they didn’t breach the cap, would they have been in first place?
Who knows, but just imagine being a fan of the Dogs right then. From smiling to shattered.
In 2010 the Melbourne Storm were also penalised for salary cap breaches, but it was earlier in the season.
They lost all eight competition points they had earned at that early stage, but also couldn’t earn any points for the rest of the season, so the timing of their penalty makes it a little different to the Canterbury story and what could be the Essendon situation.
But what can Bombers fans do? Nothing really. Keep fingers and toes crossed that the penalty – when it does come – won’t impact too heavily on what has been a successful year. Hope that everything won’t be taken away from you.
I know if the club has done wrong, they deserve punishment. What have the fans done wrong though?
If the worst case scenario happens and all points disappear – and the season with it – if I was a Bombers member (and I’m not), I’d be asking someone at the club, those responsible for getting the team into this situation, for a full refund of my wasted 2013 membership.
That won’t go close to stopping the pain, but it will make a point.
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
Markie, everyone in football is on drugs and then has to sell them to make ends meet.
macca
Guest
Sorry Jeff - I suppose I shouldn't take someone admitting they were administered AOD as proof they were administered it, or the signed documents authorising the players to be administered it and other drugs.
Mark
Guest
Agree, perhaps the crowd at ANZ last night should have got one, should have got extra for a complete lack of atmosphere and passion at the game as well, total snooze fest. thanks for your continued interest ralphie :)
Mark
Guest
I dont know, but it appears 100's of soccer players are in jail as we speak for dealing drugs. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4588254/126-ex-footballers-are-in-prison.html That seems very bad Ralphie.
Mark
Guest
Wrong, most fans of most codes dont want players taking drugs.
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
I think the Essendon AFL club still has some questions to answer and its not bias Brian.
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
What about a refund when the team plays like crap or the coach takes off the wrong players at the wrong time and your team loses?
Jeff
Guest
Macca, I'm still disturbed by your judgmental attitude. You quote reports and say everything is proved. I think you I have misread too many facts into articles devoid of facts. You say Essendon has been proved to have done this and that. Actually it seems that it's you - you want them to be found guilty - trial or no trial - facts or no facts. You probably thought they should have hung Lindy Chamberlain! Have some common sense mate and wait for the verdict. WADA have made contradictory statements to ASADA. The ACC declared AOD to not be illegal. The AFL have said there's some doubt. There's questions over "substances" vs "supplements" - no it's not clear, it's quite confusing. We still need to know who is "guilty" and "what" they are guilty of. Then we can conclude what punishment fits what crime and who should be punished. Until that time Macca, hold your judgment and then let's hit the guilty together!!! It doesn't matter if you're a Blue or a Bomber, let's get the AFL clean of all performance enhancing drugs.
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
I don't think most AFL fans give a stuff about whether players are taking performance enhancing drugs or not, as long as they are all doing it and the restrictions are lifted for all players so its a level playing field.
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
West Coast don't have much to complain about when it comes to AFL players using and dealing in illegal drugs, do they?
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
The AFL and its media department are very good at circling the wagons when there is a sniff of trouble. AFL players and administrators can be as bad as they like, because the AFL 3 Strikes policy and their inept discipline and lack of punishment will mean that nothing happens to them. In any other sport, drug cheats are eliminated from the game. Can't you people see how its damaging the integrity and reputation of AFL as a sport?
richard
Guest
if they take points off the bombers shouldn't they take premierships off geelong or any team that had the same person doing that job for them. that would be a real smart move by the AFL....NOT... that is ridiculous as it is only alleged that this happened and hearsay and know one will ever know the real truth as it is one persons word against another. 1 thing i do know the instigator of the allegations who was an ex bomber player ( what an ass hole he is) needs to take a good hard look at themselves and ask themselves why they said something they didn't have proof of, it is just appealing that he said things like that just to get back at a club that supported him for the years he was with them. the AFL need to take some prospective on this and just make new guidelines so no other teams put themselves in this position. yes each club is responsible for their own employment, however i believe that any employed by any club should be put through a check by the AFL then the AFL has some of the responsibility. Especially when they are very quick to take money from clubs like essendon, carlton etc...anyway ask yourself this if you needed a job done and hired someone to do that job you would need to have trust. if that person kept telling you that everything was above board you would trust them as that is their job. now if that same person was lying to you but had no idea, is that your fault for knot knowing..off course not it is the persons fault you had trust in and their the person who should be charged(if the wrong thing was being done)
Brian
Guest
You guys at the roar just don't let up on displaying your biased against the bombers,and in so doing,your COMPLETE lack of any professionalism.Your website belongs in the recycle bins of computers everywhere on the web.Have some balls and post THIS comment.
Nathan
Guest
If your club is so successful, how come you've done nothing for 10 years while the Saints have made Grand Finals? For the last two years they've managed to rort the competition with a performance-enhancing drugs scheme. If they're so much better than the Ain'ts or Shemons, why did they need PEDs? Besides, only 1 club has won 16 Grand Finals (Carlton). And you can't pull the old salary cap rubbish out because YOUR club cheated then too, and got away on an amnesty, didn't it? How delusional. Oh well, you'll have plenty of time to polish your ill-gotten premiership cups while you sit out season 2014. Perhaps you could take them to Cash Converters to cover Hirdy's legal fees.
Aransan
Guest
It will be good when some facts come out rather than having to rely on speculation and bulldust. The question should be whether ASADA has compromised the entire investigation with the leaks that have occurred. If the author of this article had seen how the Essendon membership numbers have been increasing through the season he would understand that the members are supporting Hird and the Club through this difficult time.
Jack
Guest
I am a dons member and a passionate one too. If any thing happened to the bombers i would still be a bomber and still get a membership.
Gavan
Guest
Don't hang your hat on that, old mate. All Essendon has to do is produce this mystery letter. If it existed, it would have been scanned and put on the back page of every newspaper in the country. Essendon can't find it and ASADA say it doesn't exist. Because it doesn't. You Bombers fans are in understandable denial. The club is lying to you. Job said,"I took it," Both ASADA and WADA say it isn't approved for use. Brace yourselves. It's going to be ugly. The only hope the players have is that they were told they were getting vitamins and that they were lied to otherwise they are gone. We know they knew what they were taking because they signed the waivers so there goes that argument.
GazzaW
Guest
heh it seems the media and AFl came down a lot harder faster of cousins than they Seem to have on Essendon I agree. But the cousins saga had been brewing a long time and fell out in a rush at the end. The problem the eagles had was the way they tried to hide and shove the whole thing under the carpet In some respects that caused it to be a worse situation that it should have been. in hindsight they should have come out earlier and cleaned up their mess on their own. cousins would have been better off too I think. It would have short term pain long term gain. Hindsight is wonderful. If it comes out that Essendon have been caught with a performing enhancing drug program that is a whole new level of disaster for the AFL makes the cousins saga looks inconsequential. And it comes back to club management Essendon have let down their fans big time. I think it's very fortunate for Essendon that the media is so friendly to them many of hirds contemporaries are in the Vic media and his father is prominent in the footy media the eagles had none of that. Also the potential damage the scandal could do to the sport means the media is been much more guarded than it has been in the past. Essendon fans deserve an apology from their club. they won't get a refund though
Bob
Guest
Stumpy! The human experiment/s all ran into a roadblock about round 10-11 in 2012 (think they were 9/1 or 10/1?) Their bodies couldn't take the speed,sustained efforts etc.. that AOD let them do over 3 months! So they finished 11th - So the human experimentation failed at so many levels...I bet you the other 5 were midfielders
Bob
Guest
GazzaW - The WC / Cousins thing was a disgrace really when you think about it, the AFL disappeared from sight, the media destroyed him, the club abandoned him - he may as well been taken to the front of the MCG and hung, and what was the real crime when its all said and done? Makes the AOD / EFC fiasco look like WW3