AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said last week it could be two to three months before ASADA’s investigation into Essendon is concluded, but in the meantime, allegations by sports scientist Stephen Dank that he injected Bombers coach James Hird with a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned substance ‘hexarelin’ last year has thrown the AFL and the club into disarray, with Hird contemplating stepping down from the coaching position in favour of ‘Bomber’ Thompson.
Earlier Demetriou doubted there would be any revelations before mid-year and dismissed the suggestion that adverse findings would result in Essendon being penalised or deprived of a finals spot. Demetriou said a number of factors contributing to the time the investigation was taking, including players and officials waiting to be interviewed and tests of particular substances that have yet to be analysed.
Despite the cloud hanging over them, the Bombers continue to win by big margins and sit on top of the ladder with a percentage of 255 plus. A couple of weeks ago they rolled over the Crows in Adelaide and last week demolished Melbourne at the MCG. If their current form carries forward to the game in Perth against Freo, surely questions will be asked by the 17 other clubs, raising concern about last year’s alleged ‘fitness’ injections and any collateral performance advantage that Essendon players may be carrying into the current season.
In the cold light of day, should the WADA and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) investigation find that the performance enhancing drug code was manipulated or broken, the AFL hierarchy will be caught between a rock and a hard place.
No matter how unpopular, tough decisions will have to be taken against the Essendon Football Club and its personnel despite the AFL’s so far reluctance to consider far reaching and effective penalties. Or is the AFL waiting for the season ending round 22 before stripping the Bombers of all their points, otherwise supporters will stop going to the games, severely affecting revenue if the team is penalised earlier?
