Who is Stephen Dank?

Steve Dank in 2005 with NRL club Manly. Source: The Daily Telegraph

Essendon call in AFL and ASADA to investigate the club's training regime and suppliments given to players.

HE'S the mystery man who made a name for himself with innovative sports science methods including delving into the genetic build-up of players.

Stephen Dank would research the DNA of star NRL players to help structure their training programs.

He worked at Manly with Dean "The Weapon" Robinson before the pair reunited at Windy Hill.

But 2012 didn't go to plan and Dank was a quick casualty. The club and Dank parted company late last year. The Weapon has been stood down by the club pending the investigation from the AFL and ASADA.

CLICK HERE TO START PICKING YOUR SUPERCOACH SQUAD NOW

Most of us had not heard of Dank before the Essendon press conference, and while it is not known if he is linked to the current investigation, let's find out more about him...

WHO IS STEPHEN DANK?- A physiologist from Sydney who became known in Australia's sporting landscape a decade ago, when working for NRL outfit Manly Sea Eagles

- Dank grabbed headlines in 2004 when, working for NRL club Manly, he pioneered testing players' DNA to increase performance.

- This allowed Manly to tailor speed, power, weight and endurance programs to suit the make-up of their stars.

- In 2008 Dank put it on the record that he did not do media interviews

- Dank was known to work with calves' blood, altitude training machines, while his DNA program made Manly global pioneers

- Dank worked closely with Manly coach Dessie Hassler before joining Essendon

- Dank was sacked from the Bombers at the end of last season amid the fallout from the injury epidemic and Essendon's dramatic demise in the second half of the year