Bombers under scrutiny on rookie draftPeter Ryan
afl.com.au
November 28, 2013 2:01 PMTHE AFL is investigating whether Essendon breached rules on which players are allowed to train with clubs in the lead up to the rookie draft.
Clubs must notify the AFL if unlisted players are training with them before the national, pre-season and rookie drafts, but some clubs believe Essendon had players training without being given official permission, or who were ineligible to receive permission.
Training lists are issued publicly during the pre-season, and all clubs are notified whenever there is a change in the permission to train lists.
AFL.com.au understands that several players who trained with the Bombers were subsequently rookie listed with other clubs at Wednesday's draft.
The only player Essendon named on the official permission to train list made public last week was Michael Sikora from the club's VFL team.
He was overlooked, with the Dons drafting Queensland ruckman Fraser Thurlow and Essendon VFL player Patrick Ambrose.
AFL rules say that clubs are not permitted to request, invite, allow, require or direct a player who had attended a combine or state screening session to be tested, evaluated or to do any form of training with either the club or an associated club before being drafted.
Clubs can face a financial sanction of $10,000 for a first offence and a $20,000 fine for subsequent breach of the rule.
Essendon will be hoping it is able to satisfy the AFL it has not breached any rules as it endeavours to recover from a shocking 2013.
After a dramatic year in which the club was fined $2 million and excluded from the first two rounds of the draft, new Essendon coach Mark Thompson told reporters the club had some work to do to rebuild faith.
"It's really important that we restore that faith and respect. A lot of people are close to this football club. It's like their family, it's their association, it's their tradition. So for them to lose 1 per cent of respect for us, it hurts all of us. So we have to give our time and our efforts and make them happy again about our club."
When asked about expectations for 2013 the two-time premiership coach at Geelong said: "We're going to try and just do things right."
An Essendon spokesman told AFL.com.au the club was cooperating: "We are working with the AFL to have this matter resolved as quickly as possible."
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