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Yuletides, peptides: Dons hearing set for festive season

The Essendon drug scandal looks set to be played out over the festive season, after a split emerged in the embattled ’34’ during a directions hearing on Tuesday night.

The date for the hearing against the players has been tentatively set for December 15 – with reports of an estimated three-week running time – but a statement from tribunal chairman David Jones said they will meet again on December 8 “to finalise procedural matters”.

Also during the hearing, a lawyer representing 32 of the players told the AFL’s anti-doping tribunal – which consists of Jones, John Nixon and Wayne Henwood – the cases should be heard behind closed doors to protect their privacy.

But lawyers representing two of the players – reported by Fairfax to be former Bombers Stewart Crameri and Brent Prismall – said the media should be given access to allow public confidence in the process.

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The arguments were made at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

Melbourne lawyer Justin Quill made a submission on behalf of several media outlets, arguing journalists should be allowed inside the hearings.

“This case has been fraught with speculation, innuendo, rumour, the whole way along,” he said outside the tribunal.

“Ultimately an open hearing would hopefully restore some of the public confidence in the process and the integrity of the game.”

The AFL was also keen for the hearings to be open, but the AFL Players Association and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) want them to remain private.

The tribunal heard that no doping case in Australia has ever been open to the media.

The AFL Anti-Doping Code states that all hearings should be held in private unless otherwise authorised by the Anti-Doping Tribunal chairman.

“If ever there was a case that would allow an open hearing, this would be it,” said Mr Quill.

The AFL anti-doping tribunal released a statement saying it would consider the requests for an open hearing.

“The Tribunal considered a number of matters and heard submissions from representatives of the various parties and a representative of several media organisations,” it read.

“It will give consideration to submissions on whether or not any hearing/s will be held in-camera or be open to media; the Tribunal will provide reasons for its decision in due course.

“The Tribunal also heard submissions on the proposed conduct of the hearing/s and has encouraged the parties to continue to work together to narrow the scope of potential issues.”

The 34 past and present players have been charged with taking the banned peptide thymosin-beta-4 as part of Essendon’s supplements program in 2012.

If the players are found guilty of doping, ASADA will push for suspensions, although any bans could be backdated to November 14 when the AFL issued the infraction notices.

-With ABC

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