News Clubs operating league-sanctioned drug testing program - Harley Balic’s Dad Speaks

[Chief]

AFL Statement

As well as being a signatory to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code via the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code, the AFL has an Illicit Drug Policy which has been in place since 2005, and at the core of the policy is a commitment to player wellbeing and welfare.

The AFL Illicit Drug Policy (IDP) is a policy that specifically deals with the use of illicit substances out of competition and is focussed on player health and well-being. The policy seeks to reduce substance use and drug-related harms for AFL players and aims to inform and rehabilitate players through education and intervention.

It exists alongside and in addition to the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code which covers prohibited substances including some illicit substances in competition as prescribed by the WADA prohibited list.

Urine tests conducted by doctors to determine if a player has used illicit substances are part of the AFL’s Illicit Drug Policy medical model and have been for some time.

Doctors may use those urine tests to obtain an immediate result to determine whether any illicit substance remains in a player’s system. This is normally conducted at the club or in the doctors consulting rooms.

If the test shows a substance is still in the players system, a doctor will take steps to prevent a player from taking part in either training and/or an AFL match both for their own health and welfare and because having illicit substances in your system on match day may be deemed performance enhancing and a breach of the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code (depending on the substance involved).

It is absolutely imperative that no doctor or club official should ever allow or encourage a player to take the field knowing they have recently taken an illicit substance that may be harmful to their health and/or may be deemed performance-enhancing (as many illicit substances are on match day).

We support the WADA code (as it applies to our sport through the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code) and support the fundamental premise on which it is founded that any player who takes the field with a performance-enhancing prohibited substance in their system should be treated in accordance with the Anti-Doping Code and face heavy sanctions.

The AFL observes that AFL players are not immune to the societal issues faced by young people with respect to illicit substances and also acknowledges that illicit drug use problems commonly co-occur with other mental health conditions.

While the AFL’s medical model involves a multidisciplinary healthcare management plan, the monitoring of players is highly confidential. A doctor or healthcare professional generally cannot disclose the nature of the clinical intervention or condition to others unless the player willingly consents.

We understand that the Illicit Drugs Policy can be improved and we are working with the AFLPA and players to improve the policy and the system to ensure we are better able to change the behaviours of players. But we are unapologetic about club and AFL doctors taking the correct steps to ensure that any player who they believe has an illicit substance in their system does not take part in any AFL match and that doctor patient confidentially is upheld and respected.

The AFL will always be required to make decisions which seek to balance competing rights and interests. The medical interests and welfare of players is a priority for the AFL given everything we know about the risks facing young people generally and those who play our game in particular.

 

[blue harvest]

 

[memoryofmchale]

“ it is an AFL problem with multiple players coming to Melbourne from other teams with pre-existing cocaine dependencies more than suggesting that drug testing workarounds are commonplace elsewhere in the AFL.”

Interesting comment.

It could tie into the recruitment of certain players. I’m thinking of one who also has a bullying allegation.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Enough here for ASADA to get involved. I suspect faking an injury to avoid a test - is as serious as refusing to give a sample. Which usually results in a 2 to 4 year ban.

I wonder if any have been caught while 'injured' outside of game day.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

View attachment 1940536

I feel like my housekeeping has been called out.

 

[Elixuh]

Shocked that 6 month calf injuries may have been a fib.

 

[kyri]

It could tie into the recruitment of certain players. I’m thinking of one who also has a bullying allegation.

http://demonwiki.org/Trades

interesting list of trade ins from 2017ish onwards.

 

[memoryofmchale]

Cocaine is actually a performance enhancer.

Lots of illegal drugs can be performance enhancers if used in certain ways.

Very correct. Not ideal to legalise it because a) drugs can be masked and you don’t know what someone’s on b) it encourages drug usage and therefore if players are revved up, become unpredictable.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Forget long term injuries, you're looking for "hamstring awareness" and they're back the next week. The rolled ankle at training no one in the media knew about until the team sheets went up.

They have to be back in a week

 

[Corkintheocean]

On the plus side for the AFL, this is going to overshadow the Fagan and Clarkson mediation hearings this week.

League is shambles.

 

[kyri]

On the plus side for the AFL, this is going to overshadow the Fagan and Clarkson mediation hearings this week.

League is shambles.

convenient timing for the AFLW saga.

 

[memoryofmchale]

Shocked that 6 month calf injuries may have been a fib.

It is obvious to anyone who has some degree of knowledge with sports injuries that the mumbo jumbo on selection tables competition wide is all too often covering up other.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

The MFC doc left in Oct 2020.

‘Are we f****en fair dinkum’: Goodwin’s alleged X-rated rant at doctor revealed over concussed star

‘Are we f****en fair dinkum’: Goodwin’s alleged X-rated rant at doctor revealed

www.foxsports.com.au

In retrospect they probably needed to keep the doctor and sack Goodwin

 

[SC_Power]

Get ready for the old “this is a society problem” line getting spun out by every media channel tomorrow.

It will indeed.

There’s lots of societal problems which aren’t tolerated in certain professions and careers. Sporting codes no different. Some sporting media will ignore that often.

Maybe AFL can now be represented at the Enhanced Games. Call it AFL-E.

 

[Strange Cat]

Why is this a bad thing?

Because the AFL is sanctioning and participating in covering up drug tests to protect players from being pinged by WADA …there’s a reason why recreational use is banned as it can cover up PED usuage in the drug tests

 

[memoryofmchale]

Forget long term injuries, you're looking for "hamstring awareness" and they're back the next week. The rolled ankle at training no one in the media knew about until the team sheets went up.

They have to be back in a week

There’s too many strange injuries in the AFL. By global sporting standards, it’s another unique aspect to the game.

This will blow-up league-wide. Not for a moment do I think it’s isolated to Melbourne.

 

[Roogene]

Do the umpires get tested? Just curious.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

There’s too many strange injuries in the AFL. By global sporting standards, it’s another unique aspect to the game.

This will blow-up league-wide. Not for a moment do I think it’s isolated to Melbourne.

I'm sure if we sat down and reviewed injury updates over the last few years for all clubs we could identify a few

 

[Strange Cat]

Makes a complete mockery of having a anti drug policy and WADA drug testing if you’re just going to sanction ways to avoid being caught.

 

[SC_Power]

I'm sure if we sat down and reviewed injury updates over the last few years for all clubs we could identify a few

Years? Try weeks…..

 

[memoryofmchale]

It will indeed.

There’s lots of societal problems which aren’t tolerated in certain professions and careers. Sporting codes no different.

Maybe AFL can now be represented at the Enhanced Games. Call it AFL-E.

Correct.

It’s not like it’s abnormal to expect workers to be clean. If you work on some construction sites or mines, you have to be clean. If you’re driving trucks, you have to be clean and for good reason. There are people on less than $20/hour held to this standard. Whilst illicit drugs might not seem like a big deal, for game days, for their wellbeing, it is. It’s a massive breach of integrity to do what has been alleged. If they have addictions, there’s a duty of care to help, not try and encourage the behaviour.

16 year old apprentices lose their job over drug usage so it’s not unreasonable for AFL players to follow. If they do in during the off-season when they’re not at work, then that becomes a dumb decision you expect for the demographic (as much as I hate saying that). But at work, they should be clean and that means showing up to work clean with the rules set for the competition to follow by ASADA, WADA and the AFL.

 

[AlecDuncan]

You can bet that if one professional code is doing this, then another would be. NRL has had its own issues with nose candy.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Because the AFL is sanctioning and participating in covering up drug tests to protect players from being pinged by WADA …there’s a reason why recreational use is banned as it can cover up PED usuage in the drug tests

But their method of avoiding in-competition drug tests is to… remove them from the competition?

I can see the logic tbh. It’s not like they’re playing and avoiding the subsequent test.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Just come clean.

3 weeks nasal perforation
2 weeks conditioning block due to excess doritos and pop tarts
4 weeks psychotic episode

 

[teagueyubeauty]

Do the umpires get tested? Just curious.

Doubt it, they don’t even get their eyes tested


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Roogene]

The number one priority for the AFL is money.

We watch games lost because of totally poor umpiring decisions and they do absolutely nothing. How many times do we have to watch players kick goals from out of bounds before the actually review it. Its the worst umpired game in the world, they don't even try. Their solution to the problem is to gag the media.