BOTH the WRFL and EDFL have no reason to believe their leagues will be investigated as part of the performance-enhancing drugs scandal currently rocking Australian football.
Despite wider general consensus, the issue is only limited to the AFL and perhaps the VFL, the Northern Football League released a statement last Friday reminding all its players and officials are subject to testing and bound by the AFL’s anti-doping code.
Those within the WRFL and EDFL are also bound by that same code, but WRFL CEO Bob Tregear believes his league is clean.
“If there was any use of substances out there by players, it’s certainly not known to us and I don’t know how we would go about detecting it because it’s just too big a thing at community level,” Tregear told Star.
“What’s of more concern though is the image of the game.
“We’re attracting players into this game through Auskick and junior football, so if the backwash from all of this tarnishes the game and makes it less popular, it taints it in the eyes of parents.
“That could have a longer term effect on it, so we’re concerned for that.”
The Australian Crime Commission report that has sparked the saga made clear the infiltration of organised crime on the integrity of the game could also extend to the ‘sub-elite’ level, though no specific definition for what is considered sub-elite is ever made clear.
Tregear considers the WRFL is a ‘community level’ league, and suspects the term ‘sub-elite’ is most likely referring to the VFL and its development competitions.
He also stated if any testing was to occur within his league, it would be initiated by ASADA, and that it would only take place if ASADA had strong reason to suspect any foul play.
“I’m not aware of it, and I find it very difficult to imagine a situation where ASADA would be interested in community sport,” he said.
Tregear’s thoughts echo those of EDFL general manager Marc Turri, who like Tregear, couldn’t think of any incentive for local footballers to dope and the only concern for local footy is the rumour and innuendo attached to a problem that is not yet fully understood.
While both acknowledged there was a possibility there may be a rogue individual or two pushing the boundaries, they doubted the issue extended beyond the elite level.
“At community level, you’d like to think that we are pretty clean,” Turri said.
“There isn’t a great need for people to take performance enhancing drugs because the benefits that are on offer at community level (have) far less incentives than for an elite athlete.”
Both Tregear and Turri were asked if ex-AFL players now involved at clubs within their leagues posed any kind of risk, but both strongly agreed that no form of target testing should occur with such individuals.
Turri also assured the EDFL was not concerned by the fact that the AFL club within its heartland, Essendon, is currently at the centre of the scandal, and reiterated the only correspondence between the two is purely administrative and does not involve any club players or officials.
Both leagues indicated they will continue to push the educational and safety message out to their clubs, and until any firm evidence comes to light that directly affects their league, that’s as far as their concern will go.
