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Joined March 2015
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Family man (2 little boys, Riley and James), car nut, AFL tragic (Go Bombers!). Aspirational sportswriter
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It is just Round 2. With 21 rounds to go, the AFL home-and-away season has plenty left in store for all teams. So, knowing…
Like many other boys, I had a large James Hird poster on my wall as a child. On the back of my door was…
Our popular spectator sport Aussie rules has been bombarded with unfavourable stories recently, such as revelations regarding Fremantle's Ryan Crowley. Crowley's positive drug tests…
Essendon coach James Hird has been the most talked about Australian sporting figure in the last two years, despite not being in the country…
Forcing the accused to prove their innocence is directly against the structure of our legal system. Burden of proof is always on the accuser for the simple reason that it is often impossible to prove something didn’t happen.
What beating Hawthorn really means for Essendon
Lets have a look at your “facts”:
“Fact, Dank operated with Hird’s blessing.”
Yes, but that is a half-truth. The program had the blessing of everyone at the club but emails, text messages and witness testimony all stated that Hird insisted that the program was legal, safe, doc approved and had player consent. The issue wasn’t that a program existed, it was that the program was not adequately controlled.
“Fact, Hird quelled objections to Dank’s program.”
That one is not true at all. Hird on several occasions took issues to Dank’s employer, Paul Hamilton. In the end, it was Hird who insisted that Dank be removed, along with Mark Thompson and Doc Reid.
“Fact, Hird’s evidence re hexarelin contradicted that of two witnesses and looks decidedly shaky.”
Which witnesses? Dank claimed he gave Hird Hexarelin, Hird denies it. Word against word. Either way, it is a completely moot point. A coach can take anabolic steriods, clembutanol, TB4, Hexarelin and anything else he likes – it isn’t illegal so even if you are going to believe Dank’s word over Hird’s, it doesn’t strengthen your argument.
“Fact, evidence suggests Charter ordered TB4 from GL Biochem, GL Biochem manufactured TB4 for Charter, GL Biochem sent TB4 to Alavi who then compounded it for Dank who used it on the players. All protagonists believed they were dealing with TB4. At what point the tests required by the Tribunal to satisfy its definition of proof were supposed to be carried out, is unclear.”
That isn’t fact either: ASADA couldn’t prove that TB4 was ordered, imported, compounded or anything. They couldn’t produce customs documentation, they couldn’t produce an order, or even an email requesting TB4. Alavi was on record saying he didn’t know what he compounded because it wasn’t tested.
“Fact, the players escaped conviction due to a lack of records.”
Half-fact again. There was very poor record keeping at the club – no one is disputing that (except Dank). However as above, ASADA couldn’t even prove importation. Is the supplier, BioChem, and Customs Australia records poor too?
“Fact, “the truth” which Hird, Essendon and the players have continually told us they want to know, has never emerged. Dank has never been called to account in a legally binding forum by those who purport to want to know the truth. It’s all very convenient. Yet the public is now being told to “move on” without knowing what happened. Pack up the search for MH317, it’s been a year and it’s time to “move on”.”
Did you not watch the Essendon/Hird v ASADA trial? It was on national TV! A lot of the truth came out then. The reason Dank has never been called into account in a legally binding forum is that there is no evidence in which to call him – aside of course from the ACC investigation where he testified under oath that he did not give the players anything banned. Are you accusing Dank of perjury?
“Fact, the stench will linger long after Hird’s disreputable reign has ended.”
Only because you and people like you repeat what you have just said, claim they are “facts” and ignore the truth.
Essendon vs ASADA: When news reporting is hijacked by opinion
Your last comment about Hawthorn not letting it happen again easily is very true. While Essendon exposed a weakness to the entire competition, Hawthorn will have no doubt dissected the game and be working on a strategy to counter Essendons strategy. Their season is far from over and they will be a force in finals again this year.
What beating Hawthorn really means for Essendon
It is often hard to determine if a team looks lax because they were outplayed or if they genuinely had an off game. Either way, the resolve of Hawthorn to fight back in the 2nd half and the determination of Essendon to withstand and still win is to be commended. However citing missing players isn’t really relevant given no team can field their best side. Bear in mind that Essendon was also missing key players like Fletcher, Winderlich and Myers.
As for the clubs habit of coming out strong and finishing poorly, I completely agree. This has been a trait of James Hirds coaching career. Hopefully as the team and coaching staff matures this will be relieved however only time will tell us for sure.
The swans looked terrific against Port. They are still a top side and clearly looking to make amends for their lackluster Grand Final last year.
What beating Hawthorn really means for Essendon
I think you need to stop reading between the lines. I stated quite clearly to those willing to read without prejudice that if there was an obscene amount in injections, I would not be happy. I then clearly stated that the amount of injections that went on was not unreasonable when given to a group as large as a football club. This would have been no higher than what would have been found at any other club. Again, if you were to run the numbers with say 500 injections given to 34 people you would find that this is 14 injections A YEAR. Do you honestly believe that no other club has given players just over 1 injection a month on average? Given the invoices to the club were at a reasonable level, one can safely presume that the quantity of injections would have struggled to even come close to the alleged amount.
As for the “normal people”‘s belief that Essendon destroyed or hid the details of those injections, as I suggested to AB, you should have evidence when you accuse the upper management of a large club like Essendon of a criminal offence, especially when there are exceptionally reputable people working at the club like doctors who practice outside the club who have their licenses on the line if they were to lie or destroy evidence. This is why your prejudiced comments cannot be taken seriously and I will not continue to discuss this with people who are so desperate to believe that the club has done so wrong that you genuinely believe that the club has committed crimes to hide it – and got away with it given the level of forensic data investigation that occurred which would have detected destroyed data quite easily.
Bomber faith: Why the fans flew true
Hi Richard
To answer your question would be a 2 stage process. First would be to answer if I would care if the players were injected 15,000 times and no-one knows what with. If that were the case, I would certainly care! I would be very angry that the club has put the players into that position, as I am sure the players would be. The second part of my answer would be relating to that allegation itself.
The number of injections thrown around has varied from a few hundred to tens of thousands. Running some quick sums would suggest that 15,000 injections into 34 players would equate to around 2 injections a day, every day of the year including holidays, Christmas, game day, days off. The reality is that the number of injections quoted in the interim report was derived off an assumption and a formula that does not reflect the reality. Further to that, the ultimate bill to the club for supplements would have fallen several hundred thousand dollars short if the 15,000 estimation was accurate. This number is not accurate at all – and the club has contested it. As for the substances in question, as you pointed out, the players were not desperately concerned. This would be due to the knowledge they have of what they were given. There will always be the unknown, players unable to remember if they received vitamin C or D or which exact amino acid they received given they typically have names that are difficult to remember if you are not in the industry, however it is clear that the medical staff who hosted several information nights seem comfortable with what was given, as do the players and family. Telling is todays article in the Australian regarding the Crameri family.
Thank you for your question, I am always happy to discuss with those who aren’t hell bent on shooting the club and it’s staff down.
Bomber faith: Why the fans flew true
Destroying evidence is a very serious allegation. It implies criminal behaviour from the clubs higher management. If you want to have your comments taken seriously I would suggest you back that up with some evidence.
Bomber faith: Why the fans flew true
Agreed that Hawthorn were without some key players, but you miss the point of the article.
Furthermore, Hawthorn will not blame its missing players for the loss, nor will they blame the slightly shorter break – especially when you consider that Essendon were also without key players like Dustin Fletcher, David Myers and Jason Winderlich. They may have also had 2 days extra as a break but they were traveling home from a tough game against Sydney over there coupled with an underdone pre-season competition. Hawthorn won’t use it as an excuse.
What beating Hawthorn really means for Essendon