AFL anti-doping hearing set to kick off

The long-awaited AFL anti-doping tribunal hearing involving 34 past and present Essendon players begins on Monday, with ASADA needing to make its case without first-hand testimony from potential key witnesses Shane Charter and Nima Alavi.

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that subpoenas could not be issued to Charter and Alavi to compel them to give evidence.

Former Australian anti-doping boss Richard Ings said that made it a one-all scoreline between ASADA and the Essendon players, with the penalty shootout to come.

Ings noted that while ASADA had a big win in the Federal Court three months ago when it ruled that the joint ASADA and AFL investigation into Essendon’s contentious supplements program was legal, Friday’s Supreme Court verdict was undoubtedly a setback.

ASADA was still set to present statements from Charter and Alavi at the tribunal hearing.

The tribunal – to be held behind closed doors at the County Court rooms in Melbourne – will rule whether the players are guilty of taking the banned substance Thymosin beta-4.

If found guilty, the players risk bans of up to two years.

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