Where are they now? The Essendon 34 a decade on from the saga that defined them
The Essendon 34
The Essendon supplements scandal is widely regarded as one of the darkest in Australian sport, let alone the AFL.
The 2012 program primarily consisted of the playing group receiving injections of supplements to improve soft tissue recovery times and to benefit from a heavier training load.
At the time, the players were assured that all the supplements were ASADA approved.
In February 2013, Essendon self-reported to the AFL and ASADA over concerns surrounding the supplements program. No one could have predicted the grim fallout.
Thirty-four players were subsequently handed two-year bans in January 2016, backdated to March 2015, meaning the players (including those who had retired and transitioned into coaching) would miss the entire 2016 season with suspension.
Four players remain on AFL lists, however only one at Tullamarine.
Here's what all of the players and other key people who were involved in the controversy are doing now.
The youngsters
Cory Dell'Olio (pictured) - Played eight more games after 2012 before being delisted at the end of 2014.
Dell'Olio is now the associate director of investment sales at real estate company Knight Frank.
Alex Browne - Delisted at the end of 2015 season after 11 games.
Browne is now an associate director at Real estate company Colliers.
Luke Davis - Delisted in 2013 without ever playing a game for Essendon. Captains local side Aberfeldie in the EDFL.
Davis developed an app called Trackology which allows users to track how much time they're spending on various apps each day.
Ariel Steinberg - Delisted at the end of 2015 after 10 games. He signed a two-year deal to play with Williamstown ahead of the suspension taking effect.
Brendan Lee - Never played again after two appearances during the 2012 season.
Lee works as a director at Fifo Capital and in 2020 founded a bookstore in Perth.
David Hille
The former Essendon captain played one more season before retiring at the end of 2013.
He retired having kicked 153 goals from 197 appearances after being drafted in 1999.
Following jobs at Deloitte Real Estate and Sydney Metro, the 41-year-old now works as capital transactions manager at the Coles Group in Sydney.
Mark McVeigh
Retired at the end of the 2012 season having played 232 games for the club.
Has moved into the coaching department following his retirement, joining the GWS Giants in 2015.
Was briefly the Giants' interim coach following Leon Cameron's departure during the 2022 season.
Henry Slattery
Didn't play another match following the 2012 season.
Slattery opted to leave Essendon at the end of that season, but did not receive any offers from rival clubs.
He is currently coaching at the local level in South Australia.
Alwyn Davey
Alwyn Davey played one more season before retiring at the end of 2013 with 100 games and 120 goals.
Getting Davey to the triple-figure mark proved to be vital a decade later, as the Bombers snatched up his twin sons Alwyn Jr and Jayden in the 2022 draft.
Ricky Dyson
Ricky Dyson never played again after the 2012 season, having made 114 appearances since his debut in 2004.
He returned to Essendon to coach at the VFL level in 2019.
Sam Lonergan
Sam Lonergan left Essendon at the end of 2012, joining Richmond, where he played two more games.
He has continued his association with the Tigers in his post-playing days, taking up an assistant coaching role with the club in 2020.
Leroy Jetta
The talented forward played two more seasons after 2012 before leaving Essendon at the end of 2014.
Jetta returned home to Western Australia to play with the Peel Thunder in the WAFL before joining Pinjarra in the WA Amateur Football League.
Kyle Hardingham
Kyle Hardingham played two more seasons before being delisted at the end of the 2014 season.
He signed as a playing coach at Pascoe Vale in the EDFL after serving his suspension.
