Aussie Rules may never be the same again.
Sports fans in Australia are coming to terms with the news today that one of the county’s’s most popular sports may have a major doping issue.
While most of us were sleeping, the Court of Arbitration for Sport found 34 Essendon players, past and present, guilty of doping violations and will be banned for the entire 2016 season.
The authority upheld the World Anti-Doping Agency appeal early on Tuesday to a decision made in March of last year by an AFL tribunal, that had initially found the 34 current and former Essendon players not guilty of taking the banned substance thymosin beta-4 in 2012.
Players were handed mandatory bans from CAS, and the AFL side will be without 12 of their squad until November 13th with five players  at other clubs banned also.
Skipper Jobe Watson, vice-captain Dyson Heppell and 2015 club champion Cale Hooker are all set to miss the season due to today’s ruling.
Essendon have been granted some leeway by the AFL to be able to field a team this season, as they can sign 10 ‘top-up’ players to their roster and upgrade five rookies to the senior squad – all of which could be good news for one Irishman.
Tyrone’s Conor McKenna signed on as a rookie for the Bombers in 2014, and the news could mean the former county minor will feature much more this season for the AFL side.
McKenna played twice at the end of the 2015 campaign and made an immediate impact on his debut back in August
Conor McKenna kicks his first goal less than five minutes into his first game! #AFLDonsTigers http://t.co/Bv3EYDnO0Z
— AFL (@AFL) August 29, 2015
The squad may look something like this for the new season with the Irishman’s inclusion:
@srahul_35 according to the Age. pic.twitter.com/z88muOYbC4
— Barrels (@Uncle_Barrels) January 11, 2016
However, reports today suggest the banned players may seek to take legal action against the AFL and Essendon, with a lengthy series of appeals against the various bans expected.
Legendary AFL player and former Essendon coach James Hird described the bans in very strong language.
“I am shocked by this decision. I firmly believe the players do not deserve this finding.
“They do not deserve to face a twelve -month suspension from the sport.
“This is a miscarriage of justice for 34 young men.’’
