A positive test to prohibited substances has seen former Gold Coast midfielder Josh Glenn suspended for four years.

The 25-year-old, who averaged 11 disposals per game in five AFL appearances for the Suns in 2015, was banned as a result of testing positive to two separate anabolic steroids while playing for Norwood in the SANFL halfway through the 2018 season.

The sanction has been backdated to August, 2018, meaning Glenn has already served just over one-quarter of his punishment.

Glenn was drafted by the Suns with the seventh pick in the 2014 rookie draft, with 2015 being his lone season on an AFL list.

“Josh admitted to taking the substances when he was not listed with any SANFL club and was therefore not bound by the (anti-doping) code,” Norwood’s president Paul Di Iulio said in a statement.

“However, the ongoing presence of the substances ... while participating in a match for Norwood Football Club constitutes an anti-doping rule violation.”