Suspended Collingwood forward Jack Ginnivan has reiterated he is remorseful about taking an unspecified illicit drug, as Magpies skipper Darcy Moore admitted there was grey area around the AFL’s illicit drugs code.
Ginnivan, banned for four matches, including the opening two home-and-away games, gave only a short statement as he arrived at the Magpies’ training base at 7.30am on Monday.
“Everyone knows that I am pretty sorry and remorseful for the actions that I did. I am ready to get back to work today and earn back the trust of the group,” he said.
Ginnivan, 20, had confessed on Saturday to taking an illicit drug in the bathroom of the Torquay Hotel earlier this month on a day off after the Pies had held a pre-season training camp on the Surf Coast.
Ginnivan, who maintains his teammates did not know he had taken an illegal substance, had been filmed by a member of the public, and had been unaware of the video until the media approached the club.
As the Magpies arrived for training on Monday, skipper Moore also fronted the cameras, admitting the club was disappointed in Ginnivan, but adamant there was not a wider drug problem at the club.
“Jack has made an error of judgment. We get a lot of education. I think the community knows that and that is a source of disappointment for us. In this case, it is a 21-year-old man who has made an error of judgment at a venue,” Moore said.
“He has owned that, we have owned that, and the sanction has been dealt with appropriately.
“We have over 90 male and female athletes at this club, the large majority of whom take their job really seriously and make great decisions. But having said that, we don’t operate in a vacuum, we are human beings, people make errors of judgment, and it’s something that Jack has done in this instance.”
Collingwood skipper Darcy Moore says he is looking forward to reading a review of the AFL’s illicit drugs ccode.Credit:Nine News
Moore repeatedly said Ginnivan, a “popular, bubbly teammate”, had made an “error of judgment”, and it would take time for him to regain the trust of his teammates.
“It’s not easy, but I am sure he will use this time to put his best foot forward and earn a bit of a trust from the team,” he said.
The articulate Moore, who this month has replaced veteran Scott Pendlebury as captain, is also on the AFL Players Association’s board, and has detailed knowledge of the AFL’s three-strikes illicit drugs policy. This policy has been under review for the past year, but progress has been slow.
Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett and Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge have been among those calling for change, particularly when it comes to who is informed of a first strike. AFL medical directors and the player’s club doctor – but not club management – are told of a positive first test, unless there is footage available, as was the case for Ginnivan.
It is then referred by the AFL medical officer to the club doctor to determine the best course of action, including what treatment the player should be referred to.
“It’s being reviewed. It’s been reviewed, the IDP [illicit drugs policy], over the past 12 months by the AFL, a third-party medical specialist and the AFL Players Association,” Moore said.
“The IDP is a voluntary program that players have signed up to in order to safeguard their welfare and wellbeing. It’s, obviously, something that is much talked about, especially when incidents like this occur. I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of that review and what the AFL and the independent experts have to say about how effective it is.
“Obviously, the model is designed around welfare and wellbeing and harm minimisation of drugs amongst young people, in this case, AFL players. I am really looking forward to the results of that.”
Where the number of positive tests was once publicly released and reported by the media, the players have successfully pushed for those figures to be suppressed, arguing the release of the figures only added to the strain players felt. The flipside is that officials argue this only adds to a shroud of secrecy.
“It [the policy] plays an important role around the league in terms of flagging players who are at risk of making mistakes around drug use, provides valuable de-identified data around the prevalence of drug use to the league and to the medical experts to keep tabs on how big of an issue this is,” Moore said.
“I think the challenging part of it is certainly when things become public because obviously around a welfare and harm minimisation model not everything is going to be public. When it does, it can certainly create a bit more grey area, I suppose.”
However, Moore said the current policy was a strong enough deterrent. Ginnivan has also received a suspended $5000 fine, counselling and will be target-tested. He will also take a hit in terms of lost match payments.
Moore said the Magpies were concerned only for Ginnivan’s welfare.
“I think the general public can make up their mind about someone being filmed in a cubicle but … Jack has owned his behaviour. Our main concern is about the behaviour and mistake Jack has made, and he has owned that. He has fallen short of the standards, it is disappointing, I am sure he will learn from it,” Moore said.
“Unfortunately, he sustained a bit of an injury [gashed knee] at Friday night’s [intra-club] match. He is a little bit sore, and obviously disappointed with himself. He certainly feels the weight of that. We have to make sure that we support him and safeguard his welfare.”
The Magpies must now regroup and focus on their opening practice match, against Carlton at Ikon Park on Friday.
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