Bombers start supplements probe

Essendon call in AFL and ASADA to investigate the club's training regime and suppliments given to players.

Essendon players training at Windy Hill in 2012. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON has called on the AFL and ASADA to assist an investigation into inappropriate use of supplements by some players.

At a hastily called media conference this afternoon, Bombers chairman David Evans said the club has received information about supplements given to players over the past 48 hours.

They would not reveal where the information came from.

Essendon say they have contacted AFL integrity officer Brett Clothier and Australian Sports and Drug Authority as a result.

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"The integrity at the club is critical, and that's why we've moved quickly to contact the AFL," Evans said.

"Of course this is a very distressing time for our club, we believe as a club we have done everything right to be compliant with the AFL and ASADA.

BELOW: See a snapshot of the Bombers' 2012 season

"We have moved quickly to call the AFL and ASADA to seek a clean bill of health.

"The info we gathered over the last 24 or 48 hours is slightly concerning, and we want to dig a bit deeper but we want the AFL to help us.

Who is Stephen Dank?

"We believe we have acted in a sensible and proper way.

Bombers coach James Hird said he was disappointed with the situation.

"I'm shocked to be sitting here," he said.

"As a coach I take full responsibility for what happens in our footy department.

"It's my belief we've done everything right."

Essendon has confirmed to the Herald Sun that the club had parted company with its sports science guru Stephen Dank late last year amid concerns about his conduct with players.

It has emerged Dank was the major casualty from Essendon's calamitous 2012 season which saw the cub slip from second to 10th on the AFL ladder in 11 weeks.

The Herald Sun can reveal Dank raised the ire of the club chiefs over his performance.

A former Essendon player told Channel 9 that the club knew it was pushing the boundaries with its program.

"From what they were saying, it was right on the borderline of what they were going to give us," he said.

"Everyone signed it, it was a personal choice as to whether they took it.

" ... it does seem very odd the type of stuff we were taking.

"They admitted to us it was right on the edge of the levels you could be taking."

Additional reporting by Mark Robinson and Mick Warner

ESSENDON'S 2012 IN A SNAPSHOT

- The Bombers soared to an 8-1 win-loss record and were second on the table heading into June. Their premiership odds were crunched as Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton and Dustin Fletcher led the charge.

- The Dons' opening nine weeks eventuated despite a spate of early-season injuries and included a stunning 30-point win against Carlton, which was the current flag favourite.

- A shock loss to straggler Melbourne in Round 10 lit the fuse for Essendon's dramatic demise in the second half of the season. The Dons were the first side to lose to the Dees under Mark Neeld.

- Dons chairman David Evans was forced to publicly defend high performance manager Dean Robinson ("The Weapon") for the injury curse in August. Essendon's soft-tissue epidemic claimed about a dozen stars, including Michael Hurley, David Zaharakis, Brent Stanton, Paddy Ryder, David Hille and Stewie Crameri.

- Essendon petered out to finish with an 11-11 record, dropping 10 of the final 13 matches to finish 11th on the ladder.

- The Dons recorded embarrassing losses to Richmond (45 points) and Carlton (96) in the final month of the season.

- Jobe Watson became the first player since Shane Crawford in 1999 to win the Brownlow medal from a non-finalist, polling 30 votes.

- Essendon sacked sports science guru Stephen Dank in the fallout from their wretched collapse last season.

- Football manager Paul Hamilton reportedly walked out in September, with Danny Corcoran taking charge at Windy Hill.

SANCTIONS

AFL players and officials found in breach of the league's Anti Doping Code face one year to lifetime bans, for repeat offenders, from participating in any AFL competitions.

Provisional suspensions can also be handed down prior to the findings of an investigation.

Meanwhile, AFL clubs could face hefty fines and exclusion from the national draft.

ASADA also has a range of sanctions against doping at its disposal including warnings and suspensions ranging from one month to lifetime bans.

Coaches, support personnel, parents and friends involved in the life of an athlete can be subject to breaches of the World Anti-Doping Code. While substances found in an athlete's body are the athlete's responsibility, support staff can also receive sanctions.

Former Richmond player Justin Charles was suspended for 16 matches in 1997 after testing positive to anabolic steroid use. There was no anti-doping code in place at the time of Charles' ban.

The AFL agreed to adopt the World Anti-Doping Agency Code in 2006.

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