Collingwood has unofficially installed Graeme Allan at the helm of the Magpies' football department despite the allegations against him surrounding his role in the alleged avoidance of a drug test by GWS midfielder Lachie Whitfield.
Magpies boss Gary Pert has chosen to accept Allan's version of events and Allan has begun working with coach Nathan Buckley on the football department restructure and some decisions regarding player trades and list management.
The club is now placing some pressure on Neil Balme to reach a decision on his future this week with the demoted Balme playing no role in the football department discussions or decisions.
The Magpies insist they have delayed the football restructure announcement at the request of Balme and incoming assistant coach Brenton Sanderson. Balme, who attracted some interest from rival clubs, has yet to reach a decision.
In a series of developments on Wednesday, it emerged:
■Allan and former Giants welfare boss Craig Lambert were disciplined by GWS last year and received official warnings placed on their records of employment as a result of their conduct in the Whitfield affair following a club investigation which was dismissed through lack of sufficient evidence.
■Adam Treloar's manager Peter Blucher, suspended for his role in the Kurt Tippett salary cap scandal, was so concerned about allegations of impropriety he ultimately insisted on the presence of GWS boss Dave Matthews at all meetings with the club involving Treloar.
■Brisbane was not informed of any details of the AFL investigation into Craig Lambert when he was appointed welfare manager on a three-year deal overseeing the youngest group of footballers in the competition. The club only learned Lambert was at the centre of an integrity investigation when he was summoned to head office for questioning.
■The AFL has conceded some concern at the length of time it took to investigate Whitfield and the former GWS officials and will look to beef up its investigation resources at the end of the season.
■Collingwood list manager Derek Hine comes out of contract this year and while mentioned in the yet-to-be announced restructure has not been guaranteed a role at the club next season.
■Magpies boss Pert is insisting the decision to appoint Allan as director of football was his alone and not president Eddie McGuire's.
■Despite disappointment at missing finals for the third successive season there was no formal review into the Collingwood football operation although the Magpies have now conceded they always planned to place Allan on their list management committee after he joined the club in May.
Allan's role is central to the investigation into Whitfield who allegedly moved into the home of his former welfare manager Craig Lambert for three nights in May 2015 fearing he would be drug tested.
Collingwood have refused to disclose details of Allan's contract which is said to spread over several years. All three face bans of between two and four years.
The former Giants football boss on Tuesday denied to Pert he had deleted text messages linked to the Whitfield issue. This is despite Fairfax Media's understanding that the AFL investigation unit found that text messages from the telephones of Allan and Lambert had been deleted. The Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority will now consider the lengthy brief of evidence resulting from the AFL's 15-month investigation. The AFL has passed on only evidence and no recommendations to ASADA which will now choose whether or not to lay charges.
That evidence contains some highly incriminating text messages, strong circumstantial evidence and other records, although some of the text messages passed between Whitfield and his former girlfriend have been discredited by the investigators.
The Magpies now hope to announce Allan's controversial new role this week and claim they have delayed it at the request of Balme and soon-to-be-installed assistant coach Brenton Sanderson, who 10 months ago took over as head coach of the AFL Academy and has not yet formalised his departure.
