Essendon coach James Hird is said to be handling the pressure well. Source: Herald Sun
ASADA officials will interview James Hird on Tuesday over the Essendon drugs scandal and the intravenous injections program that could see him banned from football.
An Essendon side that was basking in the afterglow of an extraordinary win over Fremantle could soon be jolted back into reality.
The embattled coach was understood to be standing up well to the intense pressure.
AFL commissioner and bomber supporter Bill Kelty visited Hird at his Toorak home to support the coach and discuss the club's problems.
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The ASADA officials will likely be joined by the AFL's own integrity department on Tuesday and will question his knowledge of the intravenous injections which are banned under the AFL's drug code.
Essendon coach James Hird is set to reveal he received two injections from sports scientist Stephen Dank for health reasons.
Hird's interview is likely to last several days. Players have been told their ASADA interviews could start the next week, which coincides with Anzac Day preparations.
The Essendon champion says he will fight to clear his name and has stated he approved a program which is World Anti-Doping Agency compliant.
But the mention of intravenous injections or drips in the text messages with Stephen Dank raised red flags this week.
The WADA code prohibits the use of intravenous injections - no matter the substance used - if the doses are more than 50 millilitres, or are administered more than once in a six-hour period.
The sanctions for using "banned methods" are as lengthy as those for banned substances - up to two years for players and the same for coaches administering substances using those techniques.
There is no suggestion Hird administered substances, but if ASADA can prove knowledge of those banned methods as senior coach he can come under significant heat.
He was adamant on Friday night the truth would come out and put him in a "very, very good position".
James Hird celebrates Essendon's thrilling win. Picture: Alex Coppel
The league's stance on Hird's position as coach seemed to have softened yesterday, as former teammates Mark McVeigh and Scott Lucas urged him to continue coaching.
The AFL said that despite misgivings about Hird's role in the supplements saga it would not strip him of his role or apply pressure to Essendon to do so.
Former ASADA boss Richard Ings told the Sunday Herald Sun ASADA would definitely ask questions about the techniques used by Hird.
"The fact the text messages made reference to intravenous injections would be of great interest to ASADA as they seek to determine whether that form of administering of substances was in itself a banned method."
While the investigation might challenge Hird's position at the club, his players' devotion to their senior coach is not in question.
But Essendon captain Jobe Watson gave a greater insight into the club's unbeaten run when he said the club's performance was the only thing the players could control amid the maelstrom of allegations and claims.
"(Hird) is obviously someone we care about immensely and there is no hiding the fact it's been a very difficult time for him personally and the footy club,'' Watson said.
Andrew Demetriou says Essendon coach James Hird should consider standing down over drug allegations.
"Through adversity people who care about you come close.''
Hird revealed the players were so determined to smother him with care they barely left his side this week.
"They have been amazing. They won't leave me alone. They won't leave me for a second to have my own thoughts ... the support they have given me is outstanding," he said.
Bombers midfielder Heath Hocking rejected calls for Hird to stand aside as coach, saying he had the support ''of every single player on our list.''
''We're there behind him every step of the way,'' he said.
Hocking said Hird was handling the pressure of allegations he injected banned substances last season as well as he could.
''He's got a great character,'' he said.
''It's been pretty tough on him but he's put it aside and he's focused on us as players and the club.''
- with Peter Rolfe
THE STORY SO FAR
February 12: Former sports scientist Stephen Dank drops new bombshell claims
February 15: Drugs scandal takes huge toll on Essendon chairman
February 17: Essendon drug probe expected to last six months
February 22: Signed forms may save Essendon players
March 20: Essendon could face Senate inquiry
April 11: Hird will fight drug claim
April 12: Hird to admit: I was injected twice
April 13: Hird vows to stay after fighting win
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