"Of course, I think the AFL should take some blame for where this is at," he said. Essendon coach James Hird has lashed out at the AFL. Credit:Getty Images "The way it was handled early on and the way it's been handled the whole way through – media leaks. I probably won't say any more. "There are certainly some people within the AFL industry that I have no time for – who I think are ordinary individuals and don't speak the truth. They have agendas and drive really hard towards their own agendas. "The biggest issue in this is that the truth was never the desired outcome or the truth got lost along the way. There are plenty of examples of people who are working at the AFL now who have said the truth doesn't matter any more, it's not about the truth."

Hird was suspended for the 2014 season as a result of governance failures during the injecting program run by Stephen Dank in 2012. Hird twice appealed to the Federal Court against the legality of the joint investigation by the AFL and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority but failed. He was almost sacked as coach over his determination to appeal a second time. The players were charged with being administered the banned drug, thymosin beta 4, but the AFL anti-doping tribunal ruled it was not comfortably satisfied that they had been given the substance. This prompted a WADA appeal. Dank, however, has been banned by the AFL and NRL from working in their sports. Speaking on 3AW, Hird said: "The truth from the start wasn't what was sought and the people who have tried to speak the truth have been closed down and haven't been allowed to talk about it. Or, a different form of the truth has been pushed out through the media." Hird had agreed to a non-disparagement clause when he signed a deed of settlement in 2013 that formalised his suspension. This was brought into focus when his wife Tania attacked the AFL and former chief executive Andrew Demetriou in March last year. The Bombers then gave the Hirds clear "protocols" on how they were to handle the saga, with chairman Paul Little declaring: "I think it's time for James to get over his anger".

Another concern for Hird is that the Bombers' bid to revamp their playing list could be complicated by what the coach has conceded is an unwillingness of free agents and uncontracted stars from rival clubs to join the club. While they ended a five-game losing skid, with a win over Melbourne on Saturday, the Bombers appear almost certain to miss the finals. A dozen of the players who took to the field at the MCG had played fewer than 40 matches, with Hird later saying he would keep "an eye on the future" for the rest of the reason. The Bombers have decisions to make on several players, including Paul Chapman, Brent Stanton, Courtenay Dempsey, Jason Winderlich, Tom Bellchambers and Dustin Fletcher, while not everything will be in their hands, with out-of-contract tall utility Jake Carlisle tired of dealing with the supplements saga and set to consider his options. Hird has said the Bombers will look to regenerate through the draft but it appears unlikely they will snag a major name because of the uncertainty that still hangs over the club as a result of the anti-doping case.