When it is accepted publicly that clubs lie about injuries to cover for players who are taking drugs, or with drugs in their system, pulling out of games casts doubt on players with legitimate injuries or non-drug related personal issues.
It could have been any player but, of course, it was Clayton Oliver., grimacing, cradling his right hand, watched by this masthead. The club later said he had probably dislocated a finger, but he was expected to play.
Those claims, made by federal MP Andrew Wilkie on Tuesday night, are that club doctors were conducting tests in the week leading up to a match on players who had previously failed an illicit drug test for banned substances. Wilkie said others alleged that players who failed these tests were then rested, “ostensibly on account of injury”, avoiding the more punitive performance-enhancing drugs policy.
In pure football terms, Melbourne should contend again for the flag this year. One of the big misgivings for that is not only their ball use up forward but the destabilising impact of a summer and now autumn of discontent. Further, it was claimed doctors lied to coaches and then to fans to cover up the reason the player was withdrawn. Due to the confidentiality of the voluntary illicit drug code, it’s difficult to work out how it could be otherwise. This doesn’t make being lied to better.
Imagine, after the club’s former doctor said clubs lied about injuries to withdraw players with drugs in their system from playing, what conclusion would be drawn if in the coming days Oliver’s injury turned out to be a little worse than first expected. Imagine if it was serious enough he was withdrawn from this weekend’s game.
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