Rebecca Wilson: Cronulla story will be told
Rebecca Wilson
The Daily Telegraph
May 04, 2013 12:00AM
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Artwork: Scott "Boo" Bailey Source: The Daily Telegraph
THE Cronulla Sharks successful application for an injunction preventing publication of legal advice containing a chronology from Dr Trish Kavanagh, who was retained to report to the club, will be a bit part in the Grand theatre of the ASADA investigations.
While one journalist from a rival newspaper encouraged Cronulla players not to answer questions during interviews with ASADA, the drug agency is using every weapon at its disposal to ensure that those interviewed tell all.
ASADA is in possession of information about the conduct of various clubs which will eventually surface once interviews have been conducted and submissions have been received. The current interviews are a necessary process in determining whether any particular club has breached.
Cronulla are in disarray. While the AFL conducts its own inquiry into the Essendon allegations and allows ASADA the right to conduct its investigation in an apparently transparent environment, Cronulla appears determined to use the legal process to stop any lay judgment being made of the club ahead of ASADA's official findings.
Wade Graham's appearance at the first ASADA interview should have sounded alarm bells to anyone who cares about the sport. His attire gave the impression of apparent disrespect for the process: no suit, no tie, but cargo pants and thongs. The hat on back to front capped off the look.
The interview was cut short by because Graham was advised not to provide information on teammates in return for a reduced suspension, you guessed it, another lawyer. He will act for every Cronulla player so the chances of the process running quickly are unlikely.
This week has seen the cheer leaders for players' rights come screaming out of the woodwork. For these media commentators, protecting players' rights has become far more important than anything else. While natural justice must apply to every single Australian, that is not an excuse to urge people not to tell the truth. The ACC sounded the alarm in February for a very good reason.
Rugby league and the AFL are Australia's two leading football codes. It might be stating the obvious but these sports are followed by millions of trusting fans, supported by big business and funded by governments. They are accountable to their stakeholders and must be transparent in their machinations when things go wrong.
Sports scientist Stephen Dank admitted for the first time he had provided Jon Mannah with banned peptides. He claims he has a WADA email giving him the green light to use such substances and received permission from an oncologist to give the substances to Mannah. The email is yet to be produced but Dank says he will come up with it "in court". WADA claims no such email was sent and Dank is not due to appear in court.
At the very least, it is time Mr Dank released the email and any other correspondence he claims to have received from WADA or ASADA. Frankly those emails are the very least he should produce.
Dank is suing this newspaper and various other media organisations.
He continues to leak selectively to various media outlets who are happy to publish without querying the veracity of his information.
This story has a lot more telling in it. It might take a week, a month, or a year. But it will be told.
