Renewed ploys to force disgraced Essendon sports scientist Stephen Dank to face Darwin Local Court

Darwin prosecutors have attempted to extend a warrant for the architect of the Essendon Football Club’s supplements scandal.

A bid to extend a warrant for disgraced sports scientist Stephen Dank has been dismissed by the Territory courts.

The architect of the Essendon Football Club’s supplements scandal faces 21 charges, including forgery, fraud and causing serious harm.

The charges that were laid in 2019 are understood to relate to his time working as a peptide consultant at Darwin’s Ageless Health Clinic two years earlier.

In 2021 Darwin Local Court issued a warrant for the 59-year-old and NT Police were preparing to extradite Dank from Victoria following repeated failures to show up to the Darwin court.

Stephen Dank, the architect of the Essendon Football Club’s supplements scandal, faces 21 charges, including forgery, fraud and causing serious harm. Picture. Phil Hillyard

On Tuesday, Judge Tanya Fong Lim questioned why a new warrant application was appearing, 19 months after it was initially issued.

“We weren’t sure why the matter was called,” Ms Fong Lim told the court.

“I think it’s unnecessary, this man has warrants issued in relation to these present charges.”

The court heard the application was to extend the existing warrant to cover all charges but Ms Fong Lim said no order would be made.

Sports scientist Stephen Dank, who was at the centre of the Essendon football supplements scandal, leaves a health clinic in Darwin, Nothern Territory.

“If he wishes a warrant on fresh charges, he has to ask for it in the first instance,” Ms Fong Lim said.

The fresh application comes after the 10-year anniversary of the bombshell Essendon drugs saga.

In February, Dank told this publication he was the victim of a “set up” and has never admitted to administering the banned peptide, thymosin Beta-4, to 34 Essendon players.

In 2013, the club self-reported concerns after 34 Bombers players were injected with substances such as anti-obesity drug AOD-9604 and thymosin — later concluded by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to be the banned performance-enhancing thymosin Beta-4.

As a result all 34 players were hit with a 12-month ban, the club was barred from the 2013 finals series, handed a $2 million fine and had draft picks taken away.

Dank was identified as the mastermind of the Bombers’ supplements program, he was given a life ban by the AFL anti-doping tribunal in 2015 after being found guilty of 10 breaches of the anti-doping code.

It is understood Dank continues to contest this decision, with a Freedom of Information dispute lodged in the Brisbane Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The scandal also contributed to the resignations of Bombers’ coach James Hird and assistant coach Mark Thompson.

Dank was also tied to the NRL supplements scandal at the Cronulla Sharks, which resulted in a 12-month ban for the NRL club’s coach Shane Flanagan as well as backdated, year-long suspensions for 12 players.

Following the scandal the disgraced sports scientist moved to Darwin to work at the Ageless Health Clinic.

It is unknown when his matter will return to Darwin Local Court, with the 59-year-old still facing 17 counts of obtaining benefit by deception, as well as forgery and knowingly utter a forged document, unlawfully causing serious harm, and recklessly endangering serious harm.

Originally published as Renewed ploys to force disgraced Essendon sports scientist Stephen Dank to face Darwin Local Court