At least two captains confronted AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder over the proposed tightening of the illicit drugs policy when the skippers of all 18 clubs dined with league heavyweights at South Melbourne restaurant Lamaro’s on Sunday night.
The dinner was held in a private dining room at the gastro pub, where Goyder was accompanied by AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon, football boss Laura Kane and fellow commissioners Andrew Ireland and Robin Bishop.
AFL captains debated the big issues with the league’s top brass.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Former champions Joel Selwood and Erin Phillips, who began roles within the AFL football department last year, also attended as they continue to act as a bridge between the league and its players. A push to bring back state of origin football was also high on the agenda.
At least one AFL representative and four or five captains sat at each table, with steak (black angus porterhouse), pan-fried veal schnitzel and seared yellowfin tuna on the menu.
But Goyder moved between the four tables during the evening to ensure he heard from all the captains, according to four guests speaking anonymously because it was a private function. Goyder declined to comment for the same reason.
Four captains spoken to by this masthead said the annual catch-up, which has traditionally been held over breakfast, felt like a deliberate effort to enhance the relationship between the league and the players.
Patrick Dangerfield at AFL captains’ dayCredit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
At least two captains expressed to Goyder serious reservations about the proposed changes to the illicit drugs policy, with privacy and mental health issues their main concerns.
The Age revealed this month that the AFL had proposed closing the loophole that allows a player to avoid a strike by self-reporting drug use once in their career. The number of officials notified of a player’s positive test would increase.
At the AFL captains’ media day at Marvel Stadium on Monday, Geelong skipper Patrick Dangerfield said health and safety of players had to be at the forefront of the policy.
“But, at the same time, you can’t turn a blind eye to those manipulating it, and that’s the fine balance. That’s the important part about being a player, you understand that you are a role model in the community, and we are, as a competition, and as a league.
“We have to get that part right. I am confident we will get there, it’s just that some fine-tweaking needs to go on,” said Dangerfield, who is also president of the AFL Players Association.
“The most important part is that it’s a health-and-safety mechanism, and it’s supporting players that do have challenging issues, and that happens in the community, at every level.”
Dangerfield said the players could fight to retain the self-reporting clause.
“It’s an important piece, and everyone has different challenges at different stages of their lives. Sport can contribute to that anxiety and stress at times, so we have to be cognisant of that,” he said.
Another AFL proposal is for a player who tests positive for a second time to be publicly named. Dangerfield said the players had refused to entertain this.
“It’s not something we are considering, to be frank. The privacy piece is such a huge part of this, and the rehabilitation process and what is best for the players needs to be at the forefront of it. I understand the argument for and against, but, in my position, our position as a union, it’s quite clear that it’s the health part first and everything else is secondary,” said Dangerfield.
Collingwood captain and players association board member Darcy Moore said any change to the illicit drugs policy could have repercussions.
“We are reviewing the whole thing, we are confident we will get to an outcome about harm minimisation and players’ well-being,” he said.
Captains day at Marvel.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
On the mooted return of state of origin, several captains said they would be willing to play in a one-off game or a series, if they received adequate compensation like their NRL counterparts. Rugby league players received $30,000 per match for representing their state in 2024.
One suggestion is for two state games played every two years, with the four teams likely to be Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and an All-Stars team comprising players from the remaining states and territories.
Dangerfield said there was a “real appetite” for origin to return, while Giants captain Toby Greene urged the league to lock in a date.
“Just book it in for next February, pretty easy, I think. We’ll just play,” Greene said.
Finding a way to revive representative football at the elite level is on AFL CEO Andrew Dillon’s agenda.Credit: The Age archives
“I think you play two practice games [for your club], anyway. Instead of playing two, you just play … one with your team. The state-of-origin game is your [other] practice game.”
Moore also backed the concept. “I would be in favour of it… I think, off the back of the Indigenous All Stars’ game, we saw how special it is for players, such hard-working and talented players from different teams to come together and put on a spectacle, really has some value,” he said.
The meeting between the AFL’s top brass and the captains happens on the eve of the season happens every year. Last year’s catch-up was in one of the newly refurbished rooms at Marvel Stadium, just before captains faced the media.
The players at Sunday night’s dinner drank sparkling water, while red wine and beer were served to some of the officials.
In previous years, the breakfasts were dominated by the likes of premiership captains Selwood, Trent Cotchin and Scott Pendlebury. The current crop of captains is seen as less combative, with Dangerfield and Moore considered the most vocal of the group.
