Tired, hungry and sleeping in groups of eight under tarpaulins the size of a handkerchief, the Essendon players had plotted to take down and dump the coaching staff tents to give them a real taste of what it was like to rough it. The coach’s tents were basically first-class accommodation in comparison to the players’ sleeping conditions.
All players and coaches were due to meet at the players’ campsite for a team meeting at 8pm at which time four players would sneak off and re-arrange the coaching staff’s accommodation. Everything was in place until the coaching staff said there had been a sudden change of plan and the nightly meeting would be held at their campsite instead of the players. They had got wind of the planned sabotage.
The players’ plan had been foiled but just who was the leak? There will be some serious investigation done over the next couple of days.