Dear members,

It was great to finally see our players in action last night on the Gold Coast. Although we didn’t quite manage to come away with a win, I’m sure you will agree there were a number of positives to take from the game, including the performance of our younger players.

Unfortunately Alex Browne injured his knee and will have scans later today to determine the extent of the damage. Lets hope for some positive news and a quick recovery.

In relation to an article published in The Age newspaper today, we are disappointed by what the Club deems as inappropriate comments made by Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson.

Alastair Clarkson's comments, made after he attended a two week Harvard Business School course, come at a time when our Club and James Hird are making very good progress with rebuilding and moving on.

The comments made by Clarkson relating to James Hird are neither helpful nor informed.

The events of the ASADA investigation into the previous supplements program are very complex matters and the report is still to be finalised.

There have been many lessons learned from this issue for our Club and indeed all AFL Clubs including Hawthorn. As a result we have made significant changes to our governance, compliance and risk management framework to protect our Club in the future.

The Club and James have accepted responsibility for the mistakes that were made and received significant sanctions from the AFL. We are now committed to moving on and restoring the trust of all stakeholders within the game.

We have no doubt James Hird is the right person to coach the Essendon Football Club and we look forward to his return to the Club later this year.

James appreciates the ongoing support he has received from other AFL coaches and the AFL Coaches Association.

Thank you for your support and loyalty to the Essendon Football Club.

Paul Little

Chairman