AFL waits on ASADA findings

The AFL would love to consign the turmoil of last year to history's garbage tip and return the focus to the game itself.

But on the eve of the 2014 season, the most important person associated with the game isn't outgoing AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, or Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, or Sydney's $10 million boom recruit Lance Franklin.

It's retired Federal Court judge Garry Downes.

The federal government brought in Downes earlier this month to help ASADA with the complex AFL and NRL supplements sagas.

ASADA chief executive Aurora Andruska has revealed the anti-doping body's year-long investigations are over and briefs are being prepared for Downes to review.

In other words, everything now rests with Downes. He will decide if Essendon players and/or officials should face doping bans.

Last year was messy, brutal and nasty - threats of Supreme Court action, the James Hird camp versus Demetriou, Essendon kicked out of the finals.

But if Downes decides doping charges are warranted, that's a whole new level of hurt.

There are no negotiated settlements in doping cases - they mean multi-year bans. Strict liability. Full stop.

The effects on anyone charged, Essendon and the league would be devastating.

So any cases that Downes decides should proceed would take months to resolve, if not years.

And the AFL can do nothing except wait.

But in the meantime, there is a season to run.

Demetriou justifiably points to a range of attractions, including Franklin's form at Sydney, Paul Roos coaching Melbourne, talented GWS youngster Tom Boyd, whether Gold Coast can make the finals.

Does this Hawks era have another premiership in it? Are Richmond a top-four side? How will Essendon perform under caretaker coach Mark Thompson?

"I'm a fan of the game because we have incredible athletes doing superhuman things that not many people can do," Demetriou told AAP.

"We continue to produce incredible talent ... we have wonderful clubs and what they're putting out on the field is giving a lot of people a lot of pleasure.

"What are we trying to get out of this season? There's a lot to look forward to.

"We want to put 2013 behind us - the supporters are fatigued, the clubs are fatigued.

"Everyone associated with 2013 is fatigued and we want to remind people of the great joy this game brings."

One undoubted positive for the AFL has been the performance of football operations manager Mark Evans.

After a year in the role, Evans is having a subtle but definite impact on areas such as umpiring and the AFL's often-fraught relationship with the club football departments.

The next big on-field test for the AFL will be the introduction of the interchange cap of 120 per team in a match.

Off the field, equalisation remains one of the pivotal issues.

The AFL wants the poorer clubs to have every chance of challenging for the premiership and it's a worthy aim.

But the richer club also rightly argue that they should not be taxed for their success.

It's a thorny debate that has to-ed and fro-ed for years.

And finally, there is the latest question - who replaces Demetriou?

He ended months of speculation at the start of the month by announcing his resignation, which will happen later this year.

AFL No.2 Gill McLachlan is the strong favourite to take over the running of Australia's most powerful sport.

In late February, a few days before Demetriou confirmed his 11-year tenure was about to end, he stressed others would decide who becomes the new boss.

But when asked how McLachlan was performing, Demetriou said simply "exceptionally well".

Still, off the field as well as on it, precious little is certain in the AFL.