No Oppo Supporters The ASADA Thread... from a Tiger perspective

[TheProwler]

You have to feel for the players families, they are the real innocent victims here.

The players must have had some inkling what they were about to do was pushing the limits when they signed waivers and went off site for injections and blood tests.

The club, total blame with all in sundry. They misled kids and told them all is safe and above board. Liars of the highest order.

Now what does ASADA & AFL do with them? Surely nothing short of barely allowing them to exist will be accepted by everyone in footy and general public. If this club has to linger on the bottom of the ladder for a decade before folding then so be it. We do not want this in this great game, they have damaged our reputation and who could blame parents for wanting their kids to enter an alternative sport.

Time for this circus to end, Essendon stood down for the rest of the season and byes for sides scheduled to play them. Each time this side runs out is another slap in the face of clubs doing the right thing.

Die bombers, die!

 

[jko'neal]

Totally over it now, the real worry IMO is I doubt we will ever know wtf actually happened and who turned a blind eye for it to occur. Have no issue with the players, although surely someone with half a brain should have questioned the giving of needles, then seeked their own outside information? Vlad will go out of his way to ensure a soft landing for his buddy's, and ASADA are as useful as a fart with no scent Also have a feeling Hird and his buddy Bomber will survive the whole situation and come out looking like heroes

 

[Top_4_Tiger]

They were unlucky to be the ones who crossed the invisible line on the slippery slope that is sports science warfare.

However, I hate them for being so successful at the time we were so shit. I have Essendon friends who at times had nearly seen their team miss the finals as many times as my team actually made the finals! Their arrogance is annoying - I want them to appreciate it, like us.

 

[Tigertrain9]

What has happened at their club deserves significant punishment, but I would be happy to see that punishment confined to this season only. For example the clubs loses all it points this year (misses finals), loses all of its draft picks this year (possibly next year as well), cops a massive $1+ million fine, and the guilty players are suspended for 6 months meaning they miss a few games at the end of this season.

These penalties are significant, but outside of the draft picks being stripped they won't have too much effect beyond this year.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Pretty silly to blame Demetriou for the Essendon fiasco. You can be critical of they way the AFL deal with it after the event but clubs will always try and push the boundaries.

Of course it is...
But it has happened on his watch...all the issues so far that tarnish the AFL Brand of big dollars...it is happening all on his watch...in full media glare...
The controversy over Peptides...the Tanking ie No such Thing/back flip Demons fine...Salary cap rorts...manipulated clubs/players salary caps ie Sydney/Crows/Carlscum...uneven draw...player transfers ie Tippett...the mifsud affair...McGuire and racist comments...Demetriou threatening to take legal action......I only rang the club to ask if they hah Hird about an AFL club taking peptides...I KNOW NOTHING...NUTHINGGGG...The impression is of a very highly paid ineffectual AFL Boss...but that's just me...

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

They were unlucky to be the ones who crossed the invisible line on the slippery slope that is sports science warfare.

Don't play that sympathy line here...they were not unlucky at all...they are professional cheats...
ASADA/WADA hold the obvious line against Drug taking in professional sport...
The Bummers choose to cross that line stealthily with whatever it takes...and crashed...

 

[Put a Lids on it]

Clearly tried to get an advantage and rolled the dice on a drug that wasn't on the banned list but also wasn't on the approved list but also puts it in the prohibited list. I expect them to be stripped of points and slapped numerous times with paddles then we can move on.

 

[djspank]

For me, the next most enjoyable experience in footy, after watching a Tiger win, is watching an Essendon loss. The latter experience has been robbed of me a lot lately... and for that I am bitter and want them punished to the full extent. That said, imagine footy without the hated Essendon, it wouldn't be the same, would lose its soul...would be a sad day.

 

[Morro]

Wally Matera, great OP and I couldn't agree more.

 

[Tetley Tigers]

If this situation was st kilda, the doggies, north or even Richmond - those clubs would have been nailed to the wall months ago

 

[BF Tiger]

I'm happy for them to cop their right whack, players included.

We were a big powerful club for who success was second nature. We chased it hard and it eventually led to our downfall and the past 30+ years of failure. Is there that much difference between Richmond circa early 80s and Essendon 2012?

No Bomber fan has ever cut us some slack. Let them be humbled and humiliated.

 

[Tetley Tigers]

Am tipping a $3m fine, half of which is to suspended, loss of points, draft picks and suspended sentences of up to 18 months for the players involved. Will be surprised either way if Hird stays or goes but he is the golden boy vs he has stated he is fully responsible for the player program

 

[tigertaskforce]

I want to see them humiliated...close to extinction as a Footy Club as you can get...similar to Fitzroy...
I want to see them play next year for no points at all...
I want to see Jab Watson stripped off his illegally won Brownlow...
I want to see them lose Draft Picks...first two rounds for 3 years...
I want to see players suspended from playing for a year...
I want to see those same players sue the Bummers club for player welfare negligence...
I want to see Major Sponsors drop off the bummers...
I want to see massive fine$ dishe out to the bummers..
I want to see and read in the Media that the bummers are a club of drug cheats...
I want to see them become irrelevant...
What ever it takes...

on your 1st 2 rquests wont happen esenskum are far to rich to be anything like the roys. next years points ? nah this yrs the rest ? should happen but prob wont

 

[Nostradumbass]

I couldn't give a flying **** about Essendon. I'm finding all this hilarious.

 

[richcogs]

Sick of it all, can't wait for it to end and I just do not care. WHo is actually reading all this to make them keep writing about it.

 

[Bazzar]

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

 

[Maroo]

Great post Wally.

I find it best to try and take emotion out of it and when doing so it boils down to one simple question.

Were the Essendon players administered banned (on non-approved) substances (and/or did they use banned methods)?

If the answer is yes:

Then I feel sorry for the players, I truly do, however they must be suspended purely to uphold the integrity of the WADA code. It is only the most extreme circumstances under which athletes should be exempt from bans, but these circumstances are not extreme enough. The bans should clearly be reduced from the 2 years to the 6 months though, as the players were clearly duped.

Watson must be stripped of the Brownlow, because he won it with an unfair advantage.

The club must have their points stripped from them for the season, as it has been participating with players who have had an unfair advantage.

The club should be banned from this year's national draft.

The club must be fined HEAVILY.

The administration should be purged to remove those in power at the time so as to give the public peace of mind that there is a fresh regime taking them forward. This includes Hird, Thompson and any other football department staff that had any say in it.

The club should NOT be banned from receiving premiership points next year, this will ruin the competition.

All of this must happen to maintain the integrity of the competition and show that these actions won't be tolerated.

If this happens, it will be a dark day for the sport and I will feel sad for Essendon fans that their club has done this to them, but I will be content that justice has been served and that we can move forward.

If the answer is no:

I don't see how any penalty whatsoever can be applied.

It may come out that other actions undertaken have brought the game into disrepute, however that would be separate from the banned substance issue and should be treated as such by the commission.

The way people are falling, I think it is going to come out that banned substances were taken. I can only hope that the AFL has the integrity to hand out appropriate punishment if it is the case.

 

[Cotcho]

Essenscum...the last half specialists....who just so happen to find an extra 2% to get over the line in close matches....coincidence? Previous spuds in Hibberb, Myers, Pears and Howlett turn up in 2012/2013 as tanks, who are able to burst through tackles and kick the ball 60m+....

^This is the problem.

It matters little to me whether the players knew what they were doing or not. What we need to do is get several leading scientists to conduct a independent investigation into the effect these drugs have on performance in the long term and rub the players out for that length of time. Simple! Not as a punishment....but to make the competition as fair as we can make it.

I hate that every Essenscum win has to be questioned, I hate how for the last year we have to ask ourselves if the Bombers have fast tracked the physical development of a lot of their players....thus fast tracking confidence to play at highest level...Who knows whether Myers/Hibberd would have been delisted at the end of this year if they didnt improve. I wonder what would have happened to Tambling if he was on the same extraordinary program at the beginning of his career and was able to get confidence from breaking tackles and running on top of the ground...

The thing just stinks, mistake or not, Essendon have a chemically enhanced advantage and need to be out for at least the time it takes for that advantage to diminish.

I don't care about ticket sales, I dont care about not having a rivalry with Essendon in the next year or two....but the AFL do <-----In fact that's all they care about. $$$$$$ And it is why nothing will come of this.

 

[theflea]

Great thread.

I feel for the players as it seems they were given wrong info, however that doesn't abdicate responsibility. It doesn't matter how they want to spin it, but the message via WADA is clear. If you play against an opponent with an unfair advantage via doping then your gone. Its as simple as this.

I think what has happened is Dank went to ASADA and enquired about the S2 category but however they inferred that meant it was a clear substance to use. ASADA has stated that they haven't stated it was ok to use and WADA has restated the procedures were adhered to. Now the bombers mat have been given dodgy advice via Dank and even by ASADA maybe, but WADA will not care. If and when they are given infraction notices, don't be surprised if WADA go over them with a fine tooth comb to make sure the integrity of the WADA code is maintained. Whether that's unfair is irrelevant to WADA. Its just like getting advice from your accountant with your tax yet they make a mistake, you still hold the burden of that ruling.

I can invisage players will be handed 6-12 mths bans( and they then sue the pants of everyone), the AFL give them a 3-5m fine, loss of points this year, draft penalties for 2 years.

this is not the players faults, however that doesn't absolve their guilt in the matter and I hope they bring a class action to all the relevant people.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Bummer players are professional athletes being paid top dollar to play a sport...being paid to win games in their chosen sport...its their livelihood...
When they win games they are the Media darlings...fetted on radio...tv and newspapers...by the public in general...
When they win games they can expect lucrative bonuses...awards...endorsements...increased player payments...write articles...become well known faces and commentators...become player agents...work in the AFL...become financially secure for life..
Winning games means big dollar$...AFL footballers know that...bummer players would know all about the gravy train...
But to say they didn't know what was being injected into them...or question why the odd off club injection procedures...the collective signed waivers...
Or why they were having faster physical recovery times than ever before...not one question?!?!...query?!?!?...that is hard to accept...
No they are complicit in the alleged cheating drug programme just like the Clubs Admin and Coaches...
Feigning ignorance or understanding of the Drug Laws is no excuse for a professional athelete these days cos the financial temptations are too great..
Bummer players need to take some responsibility for their actions...hand back that Brownlow you cheat...

 

[Frustrated Tiger]

Wow, a lot of great responses so I thought I'd just keep it short, sharp, sweet and to the point F@#K THEM !!

 

[Bazzar]

Disturbing some of sympathy for Essendon and their players.

 

[TheProwler]

Disturbing some of sympathy for Essendon and their players.

Yep, have no problems seeing this club die a slow death on the back of huge sanctions and penalties

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Lloyd on Sunday footy show "for essendon supporters sitting at home, James Hird is going nowhere. He wants to coach the side and will do so until someone tells him otherwise...

Thick as Bricks and thick as thieves....

 

[CoggaRules]

PR mobs get paid to have people starting these types of shit feel sorry for them threads. Get real, they have lied and continue to lie, but when you lie, you forgot what the last lie was and you get to the current shit sandwich. Lets face it, the first report on this saga had Hird shoooooooooocked..