Keeffe and Thomas to face ASADA

SUPERFOOTY

Collingwood v Adelaide Saturday April 11, 4.35pm Etihad Fox Footy 4.30pm Weather: Min 10 Max 19 Chance of rain 30%: < 1mm Wind: S 22kph Betting: Collingwood $2.60 Adelaide $1.50

COLLINGWOOD players Lachie Keeffe and Josh Thomas will plead their case with ASADA on Monday ahead of the testing of their B samples the following day.
The provisionally banned pair continue to undertake some fitness training as they confront the reality of two-year bans.
They have been summoned by ASADA to discuss their positions and could know the result of the B sample by the following week.
But sports drug experts say the banned drug Clenbuterol rarely deteriorates in a sample — meaning the A and B samples are likely to be identical.
Even if they were able to convince the anti-doping body they took an illicit drug laced with a banned substance, they would receive little or no discount.
If ASADA was to heavily discount bans based on that defence it would become the default position for every athlete who took a banned substance.
If a player was to suggest they took an illicit substance laced with a banned drug they would need proof, possibly including testing of the illicit substance.
An admission of illegal drug use would open up other legal avenues against the players, which is why some players simply argue “no defence” and accept bans.
If the B sample proves positive the players will plan strategies for an anti-doping tribunal in May or June at the earliest.
It is likely the players would have limited options to argue for a reduced ban.
A “no fault or negligence” defence provides for a discounted penalty, but a player would need to prove he had no role in the drugs entering his body.
Collingwood says it has audited its supplements and dietary program and players do not take any other supplements independently.
The sole positive is that they tested positive for the banned drug before the AFL Commission rubber-stamped the 2015 WADA code.
It means they would have strong grounds to argue the league could not retrospectively apply the code, which features four-year maximum bans instead of two years.
The pair are said to be in good spirits despite the circumstances and have been offered counselling from the AFL Players Association.
The absence of the midfielder Thomas will begin to bite hard at Collingwood this week given the club’s injured midfield.
Steele Sidebottom will miss 6-8 weeks with a thumb injury and will be missed against a dominant Adelaide midfield.