Shane Flanagan shrugs off supplements rumours
December 8, 2013
Danny Wielder
The hunt for Shane Flanagan's head has intensified in the past 10 days as attempts have been made to liken his role to that of James Hird at Essendon. The rumours are so intense this column has been told - as fact - that Flanagan has been informed he will be banned for a year for his role in the supplements scandal.
It came after rumours he had been into the NRL and told he was being sidelined because he did not fulfil his ''duty of care'' as head coach. The truth is that Flanagan did the opposite. ''As soon as I was made aware there were concerns around the Stephen Dank involvement, I ordered that things stopped there and then,'' he said. ''I don't see how I didn't do my duty. And I have not been through another round of anything, nor have the staff.'' Flanagan does not seem concerned by the rumours . He is upbeat and looking forward to next season and is optimistic it cannot be anywhere near as difficult as the one just passed. As for likening his situation to Hird and the suggestion he should be hit with the same 12 months stick as the Essendon coach, that is almost laughable. For a start, even if Flanagan was fudging, there is the fact that the Dank era lasted 11 weeks. At Essendon it was 12 months.
And there was high-level wheeling and dealing to make sure Hird, an icon of the club, retained his legendary standing. Revelations the Australian Sports Commission was up to its eyeballs trying to smooth the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority drama out for Hird and Essendon are confirmation that the NRL's heavy hitters do not have anywhere near the pull of their AFL counterparts. And it appears to be a good thing. Quotes attributed to John Wylie, the Australian Sports Commission boss, show that being part of the boys club can be a dangerous thing. The settlement terms being discussed for Hird between Essendon chairman Paul Little and Wylie include the suggestion from Wylie: ''It is acknowledged by the AFL that, to the best of the AFL's knowledge and belief, Hird did not promote or encourage an unethical environment within the club.'' Now, that is where we really have to question if Wylie has a clue about what Hird did while he was head coach.
We must assume he had no idea. He might want to get his hands on the pages of text messages between Dank and Hird. Hird was up to his eyeballs in the supplement program. Dank outlined the supplements he used on the players and the injection schedule and Hird received regular updates from Dank. When a player was missing from a list of those being injected, Hird would ask, ''Any chance of talking ---- into coming?'', referring to a well-known player and questioning why he was not in the group seeing Dank for injections. Hird also asked why the players were getting injuries while on the program. He knew every single detail. To fob it off in the way Wylie was hoping is nothing short of laughable
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/shane-f...nts-rumours-20131207-2yxzl.html#ixzz2mvfogeiS
Unusually good article by one of the games biggest wankers. The Essendon & Sharks issues might be being investigate by the same body, and have one common link (ie Danks), but they are, and should be treated as two totally different situations.
Hird has gotten off extremely lightly given the information that has been reported (and the associated whispers).
I tend to think Flanno would be harshly dealt with getting 12 months. The trouble is that this investigation has gone on for so long, and there are so many mistruths and speculation out there, its hard to remember what actually happened. Did Flanno inform the board of his suspicions, or did he just sack Danks?
