25% of Collingwood's list tests positive

[Neil Appleby]

Robbo is tweeting that up to 11 Collingwood players have recorded positive illicit drug after off-season hair tests. Two other "unnamed clubs" had more than 25%. I wonder why they weren't named?


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Collingwood drugs scandal: Up to 11 players test positive for illicit substances
4 minutes ago
Mark RobinsonHerald Sun

Up to 11 Collingwood players have tested positive for illicit substances.
A QUARTER of Collingwood’s playing list recorded positive tests to illicit drugs over summer.

The bombshell revelation is evidence the AFL and its 18 clubs are losing the fight against the use of illicit substances.

The Herald Sun has confirmed up to 11 Magpies players had tested positive to drugs over the off-season, despite two teammates — Josh Thomas and Lachie Keeffe — being rubbed out for two seasons after being caught with illicit drugs in their systems.

But the Pies — who will face Sydney on Saturday night — are not the only club with alarming hair-testing results.

Industry sources said there was at least two other clubs with higher readings than Collingwood and several clubs in the vicinity of Magpies’ results.

The AFL, Collingwood and the other clubs could not discuss the revelation this evening because of a confidentiality agreement struck between the AFL and the players.

But sources have said several clubs have been shocked by the amount of positive results at their clubs despite strong warnings to players before they departed for holidays.

The Herald Sun has learnt that three positive tests, which was recorded by one club, was considered very low by the AFL and celebrated as a successful intervention.

The Magpies believe the drug code must change because the players’ behaviour isn’t being altered by the current policy and are in favour of a suspension after a single positive strike.

Chief executive Gary Pert has previously warned that some players were guilty of ‘volcanic behaviour” during the off-season.


Two weeks ago the Pies’ boss reiterated his concerns about drug use.

“For the last four or five years I’ve been in conversations with drug and alcohol experts, police, players and past players, and AFL about tracking what I still believe is the biggest issue in the AFL,” Pert said.

“I haven’t heard anything from the people I chat to ... that has lessened the importance or the relevance or the priority (of the issue).

‘’It is still as high a priority, if not more of a high priority, even though we have made some changes (to the AFL drugs code).”

Changes to the drugs code were made last year after Thomas and Keeffe were suspended.

The Herald Sun had previously revealed Collingwood and other clubs were exploiting a loophole in the illicit drugs code by “self-reporting” the use of drugs to avoid a strike.

Changes to the code saw the three-strikes policy move to a two-strike policy this season, which will see players publicly named, fined and suspended if they test positive to an illegal substance a second time.

Pert said the new policy should be reviewed even further as part of the discussions surrounding the new collective bargaining agreement, which was supported by outgoing Gold Coast chairman John Witheriff.

“I know there are some people in the industry — and I must admit that I have got some pretty strong views on it, if we move to a model that is designed to stop the behaviour rather than just a medical model,” Pert said.

The hair-testing was a voluntary process by the players and the results do not count for a strike.

It is, however, the true reflection of drug use among players.

Illicit drug use in the AFL have made headlines in recent years.

Former Gold Coast players Harley Bennell and Karmichael Hunt were also linked to illicit drug use last year.

Keeffe and Thomas received their suspensions after a banned performance-enhancing substance was detected in their system, believed to have been ‘cut” into an illicit drug they had consumed.

Bennell, who was traded by the Suns to Fremantle, received an automatic strike after photographs of him with drugs in a Tasmanian hotel room were published on the Herald Sun front page in July.

Hunt pleaded guilty to charges of cocaine possession last year.

[Troppo]

Just turned on Footy to hear an amazing reveal concerning 11 Pies players on this year's list tested positive to illicit substances over summer break ... wtf!!

More info, puhleeze

[mandy]

Not sure why it's a Collingwood headline when the article states some teams had more positive tests than we did.

[Troppo]

Neil and I must have been typing at the same time ... go with Neil's post and, admins, strip mine ... thks

[Culprit]

The Positive tests are so alarming the AFLPA are doing everything possible that they don't get released. It's not just Collingwood Players, just ask Maxy.

[John Wren]

not as exciting a headline if it was someone like the dogs or kangaroos.

pert has been banging on about this for some time now.

it's hardly a surprise but the disappointing thing is the keeffe and thomas suspensions have not been the shot across the bow that many thought it would be.

[Neil Appleby]

I think we know why Mandy; we bring in the clicks on social media. I wonder who the others teams are. Any whispers?

[swoop42]

I guess it goes to show that all these years of rumors of players abusing drugs at a level that would surprise most of us was close to the mark.

Honestly how dumb are these blokes.

[Piesnchess]

Errrrr, is this an early april fools joke or what, eleven players, who sourced this out, if true, this would have hit the fan ages ago, i find it very hard to believe, scuttlebutt from ch seven at best.

[John Wren]

^ don't be so naive.

[stui magpie]

[Piesnchess]

They are out to get us,. the media, they loathe us and the Pies sell their dwindling papers, so this shit gets up all of a sudden, naming us as chief offender. They oughta check out the piss and poop players, they have been playing above themselves for years now.

[mattys123]

Not bad, I'd say that's below average for a group of 45 young men in the age group of 18-32.

Note we aren't the worst off either.

I dare say 12 months ago (when Keeffe and Thomas got caught) there would have been more than 11 testing positive at our club.

[Piesnchess]

[Culprit]

After being made to look like a bunch of idiots after the Dustin Martin Chop Stick affair you would think the media would wake up. Never let truth get in the way of a good story.

No doubt it's true but the worry is this affects every club.