Development: McGuire refutes positive drug test claims

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has refuted claims that up to 11 Collingwood players returned positive hair tests to illicit drugs in the off-season.

“Tomorrow morning both the AFL and Collingwood football club will claim the figures are inaccurate. But that’s not to say that Robbo’s story doesn’t have the gravitas to be continued upon,” McGuire said.

“We are not going to try and be pedantic about this. Whether he’s got it wrong by five or four or three or 10. It doesn’t make a difference. There’s a big issue here that needs to be addressed.”

The Herald Sun reported on Thursday evening that 11 Magpies' players tested positive to illicit drugs during the off-season.

Collingwood was not the only club to have a quarter of its playing group test positive to illicit drugs according to the report.

The Herald Sun reports that "industry sources" understand that at least two other clubs returned higher readings than the Magpies and that several clubs returned a similar number of positive results to Collingwood.

However, the clubs, nor the league are able to discuss the revelation due to a confidentiality agreement between the the players and the AFL.

Clubs are reportedly shocked at the number of positive tests that were recorded during the summer.

Earlier in the night, McGuire was less scathing of the article, saying the report could well be true, with clubs unaware of the number of positive tests.

“As far as I know it could well be the truth because we don’t find out,” McGuire.

“We get piecemeal information. We’re speaking to the AFL in the next couple of weeks about the hair-testing results but until the clubs have actually got some control over it there’s no point talking to the clubs.

“It’s an AFL and AFL Players Association matter.

“We’ve been talking about this for a long time, Collingwood’s been very strong about it as well.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it so there’s no further comment from the club.

“If we had any further comment we probably couldn’t anyway because these things are supposed to remain confidential.”