"The Essendon football club has paid its penance. At the end of 2013 they couldn't compete in the finals. They've copped their whack and now for the decision to be made that they can only replace 10 of the 12 players. The extra strain that will put on that young group I would have thought replace the 12 and let's move on," he said

"The Essendon players have been treated like a European cycling team who should know better. Well, no, they shouldn't know better because they had no grounding to work from."

He said Heppell was "the most telling and extreme case in the whole saga".

"Dyson was an Essendon supporter and the coach of the day (James Hird) was his idol," Beveridge said. "Now he turns up at the Bombers, I know, many of us have been there (as a player), and when the coach stands in front of you it's 'yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir' and anyone who steps out of line or is a boat rocker probably doesn't last that long.

"When you think about Dyson's plight right here in 2016 … How sad is that?"