ESSENDON chairman Paul Little will front players' parents and partners for the first time next week.

The club released a statement this afternoon in relation to the briefing, as part of the ongoing ASADA investigation that has rocked Windy Hill.



"...this briefing is part of the club's commitment to keep the parents, partners and players up to date with the status of the investigation," the three-paragraph statement read.



"It is also an opportunity for the parents and partners of the players to be officially introduced to new chairman Paul Little for the first time."



The Herald Sun today revealed Essendon players were to receive 1500 injections of AOD-9604 and Thymosin, according to an AFL charging document seen by the newspaper.



The document also states more than 16,500 doses of Colostrum and 8000 doses of Tribulus were planned.



The revelations come as lawyers for Essendon and club officials James Hird, Mark Thompson, Dr Bruce Reid and Danny Corcoran prepare a strong defence to charges they have brought the game into disrepute.



In an echo of the Essendon-commissioned Ziggy Switkowski report, the charging summary says Essendon and officials had engaged in conduct prejudicial to the AFL because the club had implemented a "scientifically pioneering program".



The charge sheet also says the club allowed the administering of prohibited drugs or alternatively is unable to determine whether players were administered substances prohibited by the AFL anti-doping code and World Anti-Doping Agency code.



It is understood lawyers acting for Essendon and club figures will argue that few if any of the grounds for the laying of charges can be sustained because:



THE AFL must prove there was conduct - which became public - that has discredited the game.



THE Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act does not allow for a joint investigation with the AFL.



THE AFL or ASADA must prove the central substance in the Bombers program- anti-obesity product AOD-9604 - has not been passed fit for human consumption.



THERE are legal impediments - including privacy reasons - that do not allow the AFL to use ASADA's 400-page interim report as evidence in hearing the charges.



It is understood that AFL investigators recorded their own information during the joint AFL-ASADA investigation, with a strong focus on governance issues.



The league is comfortable with the amount - and level - of information it has as a basis for hearing the charges, separate to ASADA's report.



Lawyers in Essendon's camp may now argue information collected during the period of the joint investigation should not be used, and are also questioning the validity of the Switkowski report as evidence.



Dons warned in February



The document alleges some at the club engaged in practices that exposed players to significant risks to their health and the use of supplements prohibited under the WADA code.



Other allegations include:



THE program was to push the legal limits.



THE program involved the use of allegedly "beneficial" and "exotic" compounds.



THE program's fitness strategy and use of supplements varied sharply to previous practices at Essendon.



IT involved injecting players with abnormal frequency.



THAT club figures were aware that the implementation of the program was determined without meaningful input from appropriately qualified people.



An AFL Commission hearing is set for August 26 - but sources on both sides of the case have indicated that a court of law, at a time yet to be determined, is the more likely venue.



It is believed lawyers for the Bombers will maintain that AOD-9064 is approved for human therapeutic use in Australia when supplied by a compounding pharmacist and therefore has Therapeutic Goods Administration approval in Australia.



This would not allow for it to be banned under WADA's SO category. WADA has maintained its stance that the drug is banned under this category.



The summary does not elaborate on whether the Thymosin referred to is the approved Thymosin Alpha or the banned Thymosin beta 4.



Colostrum is extract of cows' first milk while Tribulus is a plant extract purported to boost testosterone levels.