One individual Essendon will not be able to negotiate on behalf of as part of any deal is its coach James Hird whom the club appears to have lost control of. Interestingly, Hird received a copy of the ASADA report late on Tuesday, 24 hours before the AFL Players Association received a copy. Still adored: Essendon fans are sticking by James Hird. Credit:Robert Prezioso The AFLPA was planning to address the Bombers players at the club early on Thursday and remained firm in its belief they would not be charged by the anti-doping agencies. But the union remained disappointed at Essendon's view it had no case regarding its failed duty of care to answer. Dean Robinson, who was stood down in February but not told why and also faces charges, was denied a summary of the ASADA report on Wednesday, as were more than 30 other Essendon staff and coaches. It has been obvious for some time that there is one rule for Hird and another for everyone else. Hird has worked passionately behind the scenes to create a narrative pitching him as a victim of the AFL and certain sections of the media he believes have been determined to destroy him.

He has shot the messenger and muddied the message and placed himself at odds with his close friend and former chairman David Evans, whom, if the latest round of Hird stories are to be believed, he mistakenly thought was trying to remove him albeit temporarily from the Essendon coaching job. Had Hird been Matthew Knights or any one of the majority of other coaches in the competition, he would have been forced to stand aside by now. His determination to keep his job and preserve his reputation is one reason this saga has continued for so long. In fairness to Hird, the report has found he did not deliberately set out to cheat or break the rules. The bad news is that he is one of several parties guilty of poor management and worse in that he failed to provide adequate welfare for his players. It is difficult to argue that Essendon's favourite son should not face charges of conduct unbecoming to the game. The AFL never managed to prove that Dean Bailey or Melbourne deliberately set out to lose games but Bailey was charged and suspended for 16 games for conduct unbecoming. Surely Hird, Danny Corcoran and Robinson deserve a lengthier suspension than Bailey, who was seen to be acting under instruction. The long-awaited ASADA report into Essendon has failed to provide the punctuation mark everyone in football was longing to read - a full stop. The only true certainty involving the Bombers' plight right now is that the AFL fixture is immovable and the finals start on September 6 - one month from now. Timing is everything for Essendon. Every other club, every other player involved in the game, both on and off the field, wants this sorry story completed before then.

Every other club, every other player ... wants this sorry story completed. Having damaged the game and dirtied the narrative of the 2013 season, Essendon will do so much more harm if it declares war on the AFL. Loading So while the Bombers and their coach and both parties' teams of highly respected legal minds enter into negotiations with the AFL, the truth is that the club will not get an easier punishment than anything that comes its way before the end of the month. The Bombers have their collective heads in the sand if they truly believe that now is not the time to seal the deal.