Dank worked under coach Des Hasler in 2008 when Manly won the grand final.
In the wake of the scandal surrounding the use of supplements in the AFL, after the code spruiked a major crackdown on drugs, Orford revealed to News.com.au that calf blood was injected into his muscle tissue.
“The doctor experimented to see if it would help heal my groin,” Orford said. “It failed.”
Orford was the 2008 Dally M player of the year and instrumental in the 40-0 win over the Melbourne Storm in the premiership decider/
“I’m the hardest person to convince of a new product. I have a routine in how I do things, I wouldn’t even look at (any other supplements).
“The only bit I’ve experienced is the calves’ blood.
“It would be injected into the injury itself to see whether it would help in any way whatsoever but I don’t think there was any true fact or anything behind it. They were searching for something just to help me get onto the park.”
“There was nothing illegal about it.
Essendon is at the heart of an investigation into the use of supplements in AFL, and one of the two AFL clubs and five NRL clubs Dank is said to have worked with.
Essendon has stood down high performance manager Dean Robinson, who went to the club to work with Dank.
Exercise and Sports Science Australia has stated that Dank is not an accredited sports scientist.
“While the news media has mistakenly labelled Mr Dank as a ‘sports scientist’, there is no record of him being an accredited sports scientist or having professional membership with Exercise & Sports Science Australia.
“In the absence of a professional alignment, he cannot be disciplined or de-registered by ESSA, which is the peak professional body for the exercise and sports science industry.”
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