Former Geelong player Cameron Mooney has dismissed claims that sports scientist Stephen Dank was linked with the club during its premiership era, saying he never met Dank and the sports scientist was never at Geelong.
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"Nothing to see here. I can guarantee that one," Mooney told SEN on Monday morning.
"[Dank] never stepped foot inside our doors. Never came inside the four walls.
"Never met him."
Mooney was responding to a News Corp report that contained documents from the AFL's anti-doping tribunal. Those documents reportedly stated that the Cats "used the services of Mr Dank", through then high-performance manager Dean Robinson (who was later at Essendon and was linked to that club's supplements program).
The documents said Geelong players had blood tests and that "Robinson suggested profiling players, including 'amino acids analysis' ".
"Amino acids. Everyone takes those, so what's wrong there? Nothing," Mooney said.
"Blood tests? Pretty sure everyone gets those. What an absolute load of bloody rubbish [the News Corp report] is. It's embarrassing."
Mooney said Cats players never had an injection program, but they did "powders and stuff like that".
"Never, ever did anything like that [peptide programs]. We did supplement programs, like everyone does," he said.
"Your powders, and stuff like that. As far as injections, never got injections."
Mooney said he didn't ask what was in the supplements.
"No, we got the rundown from our doctors, and the Weapon [Robinson] as well, and everything. They sat us down and said right, this is the program we're going to go on, and this is what we're doing and all of this kind of stuff.
"Doctors said yep, ticked it all off, absolutely everything was above board. Not a problem."
The News Corp report contained tribunal hearing transcripts showing emails from 2010, from the Geelong football boss Neil Balme to a club staffer, directly referencing Dank.
"Leanne, I've spoken to Dean … and he will fix this. If you need to talk to the creditor, tell them that their man Steve Dank knows all about what should be charged, et cetera," Balme wrote.
The tribunal was reportedly told that Balme, who is now at Collingwood, was referring to an invoice from a company controlled by Dr Ijaz Khan, an associate of Dank.
"Mr Robinson was the high performance manager at Geelong in the period 2007-10. He gave the same description in a CV of the objective of this position as he gave for the Manly position," the tribunal judgment, published by News Corp, read.
"Whilst there, blood tests of the Geelong players were carried out. Mr Robinson suggested profiling players, including 'amino acids analysis'. While at Geelong Mr Robinson used the services of Mr Dank."
Mooney did confirm the link between Dank and Robinson, saying: "Dean Robinson ... so he's obviously had contact with Dank for years. Years and years. For information and help and all this [sort of stuff]."
Dank and Robinson had and have since worked together at National Rugby League and other AFL clubs.
The former premiership forward said he felt empathy for the Essendon players, because he and his teammates put their trust in club personnel and "could have been led down the wrong path" the way he said the Bombers players were.
"The same thing could've happened to us, we got told by people that we trusted and we could've been led down the wrong path, absolutely.
"Because we've gone right, the doctors have said yes, the coaches have said yes, our fitness adviser's said yes. And as a playing group you go well, right, I've put my trust in you guys, we'll do as you ask. Simple as that.
"And these boys [the Essendon players] have been led down a shocking path."
He said supplement use at clubs was "out of control" and needed to be monitored.
"Thing is, you've got to remember, these supplement programs have been going on in AFL for close to 10 years - probably a bit more than that. Not the injections, I'm talking about powders and all those kinds of things ... but it just hasn't been policed and that's where it just got completely out of control.
"Because it wasn't policed from the start and people started pushing boundaries and now here we are."
Mooney said the real benefit Robinson brought to the Cats was a strength and conditioning program, and his work in conjunction with the Cats' fitness boss.
