Dons hope WADA doubt will help

The Bombers remain confident in their defence.

Macca cartoon. David McArthur cartoon. WINDY HILL. (David Evans. Essendon. Letters. Consent form. Reid letter. Ziggy report.)

A CONTRIBUTOR to the Switkowski report into Essendon's irregular sports medicine practices says the club believes there are "grey areas" surrounding the World Anti-Doping Agency's banning of supplements allegedly used by players.

Sports medico Andrew Garnham worked with former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski on the report released on Monday.

He confirmed the Herald Sun's report, which said the club was considering a defence based on proving AOD-9604 was not illegal when players were prescribed substances by Dons staffer Stephen Dank.

And, while some experts have said six-month bans are certain for some players (the maximum ban for a first offence is two years), he too is confident they can be spared suspensions.

"As the information has become clearer (chairman) David (Evans) and I have been in close communication and he has had information come to him from a variety of other sources," Garnham said.

"So I think what David is putting forward (about no illegality) we would endorse."

Essendon has maintained players did not take banned substances, but has not clarified if players did not take AOD-9604 or the club does not accept it is banned.

Garnham worked as a consultant with pharmacology expert Ross McKinnon, with the pair trying to find out what was in the supplements used at Essendon.

There is a belief Essendon has correspondence or advice from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority in relation to the substances, which has increased their confidence.

Dons to claim drug was legal

"Obviously there is more information that may yet come from other sources which you have detailed in the (Herald Sun)," Garnham said.

"That potentially raises questions. I think there continue to be grey areas around these things, so it's trying to clarify those grey areas. That is the objective for all the parties involved.

"There are different drugs being developed all the time. Some of those drugs become useful in a clinical context.

"Pharmaceutical companies will say there are many drugs which appear to have potential but never go on beyond an early development phase, so this means the whole process of interpreting data and how things can be categorised under the WADA list is a difficult list and subject to interpretation."

The club's internal report recommended an array of changes about the way the club tackled supplement programs, which Garnham said the club had to take seriously.