Stewart Crameri moves on with Western Bulldogs

[westdog54]

Stewart Crameri moves on with Western Bulldogs (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/stewart-crameri-moves-on-with-the-western-bulldogs-20140727-zxe9b.html)

The first time Stewart Crameri trained with Essendon he was trialling for the rookie list spot that it took him another 12 months to get. He didn’t know if he was good enough to play for an AFL team and had no idea what other people were thinking. The first time he trained as a Western Bulldog, he was a known name, the high-priced recruit meant to help make the team’s forward line work better than it had been. This time he knew fewer players than knew him, and the contrast was strange.

''First impressions count!'' called Brendan McCartney as Crameri jogged onto the ground, and it made him feel slightly nervous. ''It did, because in my career I’d always been an unknown, even to me, and coming into this club I knew I had to play well and kick goals and things like that. I was thinking about that a bit at the start, and for the first few weeks I didn’t want to stuff anything up,'' he said.

''It was different pressure than I was used to, but I think I handled it all right, it didn’t last very long and the club didn’t put any pressure on me. That helped, and the months went on and I started playing games and that pressure wasn’t there anymore. It was in my head but I put it to the back and after a few games it felt right, like I just had to do my best.''

Not too much fazes Crameri, who thinks the decision he made to leave Essendon for the team down the road last October will be the biggest one he ever has to make. There were many reasons to stay - it was the club that gave him his start, and he had made some very good friends there - but he woke up one morning while on holiday in Noosa and knew he wanted take the Bulldogs’ offer.

Ten months on, he’s glad he did. ''I got a lot of advice, and I didn’t know what people would think. I thought, Essendon gave me my shot and now the Western Bulldogs have made me this offer and want me to go there, what will people think of me if I change clubs? It was a hard decision and people had different thoughts but in the end I had to sit there and decide what was best for me as a footballer.

''I wanted to come to this club to try and develop my skills and my game, try and improve my leadership and my game style and keep evolving. I felt like I wasn’t getting that where I was, and you’re kind of taking a step into the unknown when you go to a new club but it felt like it would be a good change.''

It has been, and the things McCartney sold him on last year are the things he likes most about his new home. Crameri has enjoyed being, at times, the oldest member of a forward line filled up with ''a bunch of 20-year-olds, getting better every week''. He has kept himself fit, for the first time in a long while, understanding now how much work is too much for his body to handle and not guessing like he did when he was recruited out of the VFL. And he has liked kicking some goals, without being expected to kick all of the goals.

''The way Macca says it, he got me to help out with some of their issues in the forward line but not to be the saviour,'' said Crameri, who is still on track for his most goals in a season. ''I’m just trying to be part of the group and get used to everyone, learn what they’re good at so that they can help me play better and I can help them play better.

''That takes some time but I’m just trying to do my best and I think we’ve got a pretty good group down here. If we keep working on things together, then I think we should be all right. I'm getting used to my part in that and also trying to help the younger guys and guide them to play better football, which is a different experience for me.

''It made me learn the game style as quickly as I could, because I knew the team needs me to play in a certain way. At the start I was thinking, 'I have to do this, I have to do that,' but the coaches took that feeling away from me straight away.That helped, and it's gotten a lot easier.''

So has one other thing: playing against his former team. ''The first time we played them early this year I was pretty nervous. I was thinking ‘what if this or that happens?’ and I could hear the crowd. I didn’t have my best game, but it was good to confront it and get it out of the way,'' said Crameri, who played against Essendon for the second time last week. ''On the weekend it felt like a normal game, against any other team. I felt more comfortable, like I’ve moved on. This is my team now. Every week I’m feeling a bit more at home here.''



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/stewart-crameri-moves-on-with-the-western-bulldogs-20140727-zxe9b.html#ixzz38nox1RcE

[The Bulldogs Bite]

It's been a difficult year for Cram for a variety of different reasons, some out of his control (ASADA + a lack of a quality second tall) but I think his best footy is still ahead of him, providing we manage our list well, so that we can support him with better options. It makes the upcoming draft/trade period interesting, he would be the number one to benefit from a big, quality target IMO.

[bornadog]

Essendon ASADA verdict: Mum’s intuition saves son from deal (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/essendon-asada-verdict-mums-intuition-saves-son-from-deal/story-fnca0u4y-1227288429194)

When the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority was desperate for a scalp and the AFL was searching for a way out of its protracted drugs scandal, it took a mother’s instinct to prevent her son from making a terrible *!mistake.


Stewart Crameri, a former *!Essendon forward traded to the Western Bulldogs after the Bombers’ ill-fated 2012 season, may well have pleaded guilty and fractured the resolve of former teammates accused of doping had his mother not intervened.


Crameri does not believe he took a banned substance as part of Stephen Dank’s 2012 regime yet the AFL’s speculative offer in January this year of an eight-week ban for a guilty plea was sorely tempting.


Rather than face the uncertain outcome of an AFL tribunal hearing, the talented forward could guarantee his availability for his new club for most of the season.


To understand what was on offer, he need only consider NRL players already back in training after serving token bans.


Crameri’s lawyer, Patrick Gordon, the son of Bulldogs president Peter Gordon, was worried about the strength of the case against his client. Crameri’s father Bernie just wanted the saga to end for his son.


Mandy Crameri, a 59-year-old former schoolteacher from the Victorian country town of Maryborough, was having none of it. “We talked about it as a family,” she told The Australian. “I kept coming back and saying no, you can’t take a deal, you have got to keep pushing through. If you take a deal you will pull everyone down with you. You have got to keep hoping that the truth will eventually come out.”


When ASADA first offered a six-month deal to all 34 players in June last year, it paid special attention to Crameri in the belief he would be more likely to cop a plea than footballers still playing at Essendon. ASADA expected Crameri to jump at the offer of a six-week ban and for others to quickly follow. It didn’t believe it would ever have to prove its case at a hearing.


What ASADA didn’t realise is Mrs Crameri held no fear for what its investigation had found. In February 2012, when Essendon players were asked to sign consent forms to be administered with four substances including the Thymosin peptide at the centre of the doping case, Crameri took the form home to his mum. Together, mother and son researched the various substances and checked their status on the WADA website. Mrs Crameri says their belief then and now is the Thymosin administered by Mr Dank was a natural supplement also known as Thymomodulin. “I am a great believer in eating properly and doing the right thing by your body,” she said. “I couldn’t see there was any problem with it.”


Mrs Crameri believes ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt’s rhetoric since the collapse of the doping case continues to distort what happened at Essendon. Mr McDevitt has accused Essendon of treating its players like pincushions by administering “hundreds if not thousands of injections”.


Mrs Crameri said injections were only a problem if they contained banned drugs.

[bulldogtragic]

I would've taken the 8 weeks, backdated.

[Remi Moses]

The problem is they don't know what was taken.
Pretty silly of Paul Little to say the players didn't take anything illegal and not know what they took.
Essendon fans gloating and playing " the victim " card is truly a sad sad effort

[jazzadogs]

The problem is they don't know what was taken.
Pretty silly of Paul Little to say the players didn't take anything illegal and not know what they took.
Essendon fans gloating and playing " the victim " card is truly a sad sad effort

That article actually makes it sound like they DID know what they were taking, and had the opportunity to look it up. This is the first I've heard of consent forms outlining the exact drugs to be administered, admittedly I've been following pretty loosely...

[Before I Die]

That article actually makes it sound like they DID know what they were taking, and had the opportunity to look it up. This is the first I've heard of consent forms outlining the exact drugs to be administered, admittedly I've been following pretty loosely...

They know what they signed off on with the consent forms. They don't know what they actually took as no records have been provided.

This is the first time I have seen it stated that thymosin was actually listed as one of the drugs on the consent forms.

[hujsh]

I agree with very little of what Mrs Crameri said

[Remi Moses]

This is Enron all over. Pretty overused shredder

[Ghost Dog]

Boyd, Redpath, Stringer, and now....Crameri, one positive out of all this. Now our forward line is looking pretty potent.

[always right]

I agree with very little of what Mrs Crameri said

I think she argued her particular case well. What don't you agree with?

[hujsh]

Mandy Crameri, a 59-year-old former schoolteacher from the Victorian country town of Maryborough, was having none of it. “We talked about it as a family,” she told The Australian. “I kept coming back and saying no, you can’t take a deal, you have got to keep pushing through. If you take a deal you will pull everyone down with you. You have got to keep hoping that the truth will eventually come out.”


Mrs Crameri believes ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt’s rhetoric since the collapse of the doping case continues to distort what happened at Essendon. Mr McDevitt has accused Essendon of treating its players like pincushions by administering “hundreds if not thousands of injections”.


Mrs Crameri said injections were only a problem if they contained banned drugs.


I think she argued her particular case well. What don't you agree with?
No obligation to Essendon players if the deal's in his interests, the criticism of Essendon's injections are fine and injections are a problem if you don't know what's in them.

[LostDoggy]

They know what they signed off on with the consent forms. They don't know what they actually took as no records have been provided.

This is the first time I have seen it stated that thymosin was actually listed as one of the drugs on the consent forms.

Funny thing is they actually signed consent forms to be administered Thyomosin, which is a the banned drug the were accused of taking. So on the circumstantial evidence it goes like this;

1) Essendon get the players to sign a consent form to take Thyomosin - proven
2) Essendon import unmarked drugs from China - proven
3) A systematic injection program is commence where 34 are given thousands of jabs in a clandestine lab -proven
4) Several text messages from 'sports scientist' Stephen Dank to other members of Essendon staff outlining the importance of Thyomosin to their program - proven
5) ASADA accuse Essendon players of taking Thyomosin - unproven

Good luck Stew I agree you did nothing wrong.

[westdog54]

The problem with Thymosin is that there are several forms of it, not all of which are banned. ASADA needed to price it was Thymosin beta 4

At the end of the day, ASADA didn't reach the burden of proof to establish this, ironically because of Essendon's diabolical record keeping.

[Go_Dogs]

The problem with Thymosin is that there are several forms of it, not all of which are banned. ASADA needed to price it was Thymosin beta 4

At the end of the day, ASADA didn't reach the burden of proof to establish this, ironically because of Essendon's diabolical record keeping.

I'm well on the way to moving on from the issue, but it's ludicrous a lack of governance has seemingly got them off the hook.

I wonder if the AFL would have been firmer with the penalties they applied knowing the outcome of the ASADA case? Actually, who am I kidding...

[Bulldog Joe]

The problem with Thymosin is that there are several forms of it, not all of which are banned. ASADA needed to price it was Thymosin beta 4

At the end of the day, ASADA didn't reach the burden of proof to establish this, ironically because of Essendon's diabolical record keeping.

This is the MOST unbelievable part.

Of course it would having nothing at all to do with them being given sufficient notice and time to self report.
It would be interesting to see the record keeping in place prior to the self reporting.

[Hotdog60]

I get a vision of the Allies matching on Berlin with the Germans shredding all the documentation they can load in before the allies knock down the door.

All very suss.

[The bulldog tragician]

I've never really understood why it was one of the Hirds' accusations against the AFL that Essendon were tipped off by Demetriou. It seems that may have worked out pretty nicely for them giving plenty of time to get rid of evidence.

Anyway back to Stewie, I suspect we will see a really good year from him. Liberated from the expectations of being our forward line saviour, free from the ASADA sword hanging over him, and in his second year with us, free from being the guy who bailed on the Bombres.

[westdog54]

I'm well on the way to moving on from the issue, but it's ludicrous a lack of governance has seemingly got them off the hook.

I wonder if the AFL would have been firmer with the penalties they applied knowing the outcome of the ASADA case? Actually, who am I kidding...

And that's the thing that has killed me the most out of this.

The tribunal hasmade it glaringly obvious that as a Club, Essendon's conduct in the affar was disgraceful, but the upshot of that was that it meant there wasn't enough evidence against the players.

And then James Hird has the hide to call the decision a 'vindication'.

His time to simply walk away from football has come and gone, now there is no other fate befitting of him than a swift, devastating fall from grace.

[westdog54]

I get a vision of the Allies matching on Berlin with the Germans shredding all the documentation they can load in before the allies knock down the door.

All very suss.

The picture I've got is from Underbelly: The Golden Mile, where the Kings Cross CID is shredding documents in a panic before the royal commision comes knocking.

[westdog54]

As a side note to all this, is anyone else concerned about how much Crammers' parents are in the media, and how vehemently they are defending Essendon?

[boydogs]

I'm well on the way to moving on from the issue, but it's ludicrous a lack of governance has seemingly got them off the hook.


This is the MOST unbelievable part.

Of course it would having nothing at all to do with them being given sufficient notice and time to self report.
It would be interesting to see the record keeping in place prior to the self reporting.

What's being overlooked in all this is that the injections took place in 2012, and ASADA only became aware of them when Essendon self reported in Feb 2013. What sort of monitoring and testing regime was in place from ASADA that allowed routine injections of questionable substances without any of the players being questioned or tested before the club put their hand up the year afterwards

Being that what they did is not illegal, it makes it hard to compel witnesses to testify and hold Essendon accountable for destruction of evidence, you need to catch them red handed. Given how extensive Essendon's program was, that's where ASADA really went wrong, they should have discovered what was going on back in 2012. Even AFL fans thought something was up when they kept having players go down with muscle tears in the second half of the season

[westdog54]

What's being overlooked in all this is that the injections took place in 2012, and ASADA only became aware of them when Essendon self reported in Feb 2013. What sort of monitoring and testing regime was in place from ASADA that allowed routine injections of questionable substances without any of the players being questioned or tested before the club put their hand up the year afterwards

Being that what they did is not illegal, it makes it hard to compel witnesses to testify and hold Essendon accountable for destruction of evidence, you need to catch them red handed. Given how extensive Essendon's program was, that's where ASADA really went wrong, they should have discovered what was going on back in 2012. Even AFL fans thought something was up when they kept having players go down with muscle tears in the second half of the season

With all due respect, how is it that ASADA "should have known", as you put it?

[boydogs]

With all due respect, how is it that ASADA "should have known", as you put it?

Drug testing them during 2012

[Before I Die]

Drug testing them during 2012

My understanding is that thymosin beta 4 is not detectable via the current testing regime.

[boydogs]

My understanding is that thymosin beta 4 is not detectable via the current testing regime.

Well there's your problem

Unless cheating in sports suddenly becomes illegal and people like Dank can be held properly accountable for destruction of evidence and failure to testify, you need to catch them in a test