Fisher, who performed 228 video games for the Saints from 2004-16, didn’t seem in courtroom final week, and has most popular to stay in custody. Riewoldt mentioned the AFLPA’s response to issues he had earlier raised about Fisher had been gradual and insufficient.
Marsh, nonetheless, mentioned golf equipment additionally wanted to take higher duty when serving to gamers transition into life away from skilled soccer.
“This needs to be a joint duty, transition doesn’t begin when a participant leaves the sport, transition begins when a participant begins within the recreation,” he mentioned.
“We, as an trade, run induction packages for the gamers, the golf equipment all have participant improvement managers that work with the gamers everyday, and that is about making an attempt to arrange gamers for his or her life after soccer.
“There’s quite a lot of sources and assist out there whereas they’re enjoying. So while, finally once they depart the sport gamers will faucet into the sources of the AFLPA, it has to occur whereas they’re enjoying as a result of it’s too late if you get to the top to start out fascinated by what you’re going to do subsequent.
“I believe the golf equipment do take their duty on this area severely. I’m not pushing the duty solely to the golf equipment, I believe all of us need to work collectively on this problem, that’s what we’re making an attempt to do.
“Sure, we’ve had some points just like the one we’re speaking about right here, the place in Nick’s phrases, ‘gamers have slipped by means of the cracks,’ however there have additionally been many success tales by means of the packages that we’re working.”
AFL chief Gillon McLachlan (left) and AFLPA chief Paul Marsh are working in direction of an upgraded illicit medication coverage.Credit score:Getty Pictures
Membership officers have advised The Age the numerous lower in football-department spending, because of the monetary hit the sport took throughout the pandemic, meant golf equipment have been flat out predominantly coping with their present checklist. There are occasions, although, when golf equipment assist distressed former gamers financially or with different assist.
Sydney coach John Longmire mentioned on Monday that soccer departments have been struggling.
“When $3.5 million was carved out of footy departments, there was going to be much less [for] the enjoying lists, and what occurs is you by no means wish to give your gamers much less service, so that you’re doing it on much less employees and people employees are nonetheless on large pay cuts,” he mentioned.
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“So I really feel for footy departments throughout the nation as a result of they’re all type of completely working their fingers to the bone, and I simply don’t suppose it’s proper what the trade is doing to footy departments the best way it’s been dealt with. You’d have thought there would have been some comeback, nevertheless it nonetheless appears a good method off, sadly.”
Underneath the illicit medication coverage, a primary strike results in a suspended $5000 sanction, obligatory counselling and schooling, earlier than a four-match ban and $5000 sanction for a second strike, when a participant’s identify can be publicly disclosed. A 3rd strike ends in a 12-match ban and $10,000 sanction. Nonetheless, solely former Hawthorn participant Travis Tuck has been publicly discovered to have had three strikes.
The “wiggle room” Riewoldt alluded to are by means of loopholes, the place gamers who’ve examined optimistic greater than as soon as could be handled, quite than banned, in the event that they’ve been identified with a medical situation, together with a psychological well being dysfunction. There’s additionally low season hair testing of gamers.
