ESSENDON remains confident its players and staff won'treceive anti-doping infraction notices despite persistent speculation they willbe handed down.
With the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authorityinvestigation ongoing, there have been recent suggestions there is more to playout in the supplements saga, with sanctions still a possibility.
Club chairman Paul Little said that based on available evidencethe club still believed it was unlikely infraction notices would be issued.
"I think it's fair to say you would never say never, howeverin discussions we've had with the various authorities that are at the centre ofthis issue, they've given me a level of confidence that it is unlikely,"Little said on Wednesday.
"Just based on that, we're looking forward.
"Unlikely means unlikely. You don't know what newinformation may be forthcoming at some stage in the future … I guess based onwhat everyone knows at the moment, we're comfortable that there shouldn't beany problems.
"However, there could be new information.
"I think the reference in the press on the weekend thatthere are infraction notices on the way is simply incorrect.
"The AFL know nothing about that, we don't knowanything about that and I'm not concerned about that at this point intime."
The Bombers remain in contact with key bodies including thegovernment, ASADA and the AFL, but Little said they had not had contact with theWorld Anti-Doping Agency.
As the younger players started training this week with moreexperienced ones to come back on Monday, Little said the Bombers had to lookahead.
"We can spend a lot of time worrying about things thathaven't happened; we'd rather be putting our time and energy into what needs tohappen going forward," he said.
"The people that continually bring it up and fan theflames … that's clearly driven by other motives.
"I don't think they understand nor do they really caretoo much about us, however my view is at the moment we can't do any more thanwe've done and we must now look forward and plan for the future."
Senior coach Mark Thompson, who was fined $30,000 for hisrole in the debacle, said while the ongoing investigation meant nothing wascertain, the Bombers had to focus on the pre-season.
"We can't be certain but we're not spending much timethinking about it," Thompson said.
"We're thinking about our training, getting this place [theBombers' new training facility] operationally effective and efficient, gettingthe players back and getting them fit and playing better football and having agood year.
"We can't spend too much time looking backwards."
Coach James Hird was suspended for 12 months for his part inthe supplements scandal.
Little said the Bombers were intent on making sure he didn'tjust see out the duration of his sanction but returned "a strongercoach" from it, with a number of initiatives underway with the clubchampion.
There is to be no official role for Hird during thesuspension but the Bombers are determined to do all they can to ensure heemerges better from the enforced time out of the game.
Thompson said while he hadn't spoken to Hird recently, hewas confident he would "get through this".
The Bombers announced air conditioning company FujitsuGeneral as the club's new co-major partner on Wednesday.
Kia Motors Australia will continue as the club's otherco-major sponsor while True Value Solar will remain a sponsor at a lowerpartnership level.
Little said the Bombers planned on installing their new CEOto replace Ray Gunston either towards the end of this year or start of 2014.
