An unrepentant Stephen Dank has foreshadowed further legal action after the AFL anti-doping tribunal absolved 34 Essendon 2012-listed players of doping violations.

Dank, the sports scientist at the heart of the club’s controversial supplements program, fingered ASADA for blundering its investigation and the AFL for “stage managing” the process since first announced in February 2013.

While other key figures in the controversy say they are keen to move on, Dank remains furious.

“I’ve understood from the very early days how this thing was stage-managed,” he told the Nine Network.

“I think we know the script was written from day one … by the Australian Football League.

“There are still things that I need to do going forward that I will do and my legal team will do.”

But Dank’s sharpest barb was saved for ASADA.

“They’ve been very, very poor in their conduct, execution and understanding of this whole investigation,” he said.

“The players never took anything that was illegal or anything that was against the WADA-prohibited list.

“The players were not guilty of anything. I’m very happy for the players.”

Dank also revealed a depth of support for coach James Hird, who he said was fully behind the supplements program.

“He showed a lot of faith in the program in 2012, he showed a lot of support, he believed in the program,” he said.

“We had a very, very good relationship, never one cross word.

“He showed enormous courage in the back end, particularly in relation to the Federal Court matter.

“It was a shame he never continued through to the High Court.

“I have no doubt that he got an unbelievable amount of pressure put on him by the club in relation to those appeals.”