Former Saint Ahmed Saad will contest an ASADA led appeal to have the small forward suspended for a full two years.
Saad was delisted at the end of the 2013 season after it was learnt mid-year that the 24-year-old had tested positive to a banned stimulant.
The first AFL player of Egyptian descent, Saad was expected to face an 18-month ban and be able to re-join St Kilda as a free agent in 2015 due to the timing of the suspension that would see him free to play in round one of that year.
According to the Herald Sun, the lively forward has spent in the vicinity of $20,000 already in legal fees and could see that amount doubled during the appeal process.
The absurdity of the ASADA led witch hunt stems from a pre-workout, caffeine-based energy drink, Before Battle, consumed by Saad that contained the stimulant methylsynephrine.
Saad’s appeal will allegedly focus on the length of the proposed sentence, arguing a 24-month ban would end his chances of again playing in the AFL, however ASADA have a strong track record in this area before; successfully appealing VFL player Matthew Clarke’s nine-month ban to the full two-year maximum.
While Essendon may still have to contend with ASADA or worse at some point during the 2014 season, a more urgent matter has affected the club’s pre-season preparation.
Emerging ruckman Tom Bellchambers has gone under the surgeon’s knife to fix his troublesome ankle.
The injury is sure to impact the Bombers’ already depleted forward line and ruck stocks with the big man now expected to miss a minimum of three months.
“To lose a player of Tom’s ability for that amount of time is not ideal, but we have to look at the positives and tommy is a resilient character,” coach Mark Thompson said.
“He’ll have the full support of the fitness and medical team to help him get back out playing as soon as possible.”
Five of the Dons’ six games in 2014 will come against stringent opposition, including North Melbourne, Hawthorn, Carlton, Fremantle and Collingwood. The likes of Sydney and Geelong lurk mid-season by which point the team could be in real danger should the early part of their schedule not go well.
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