AFL 2024: Mark Robinson on the Joel Smith allegations and what might be next for Melbourne

Just like with Essendon in 2016, the ‘strands’ are in play at Melbourne, writes MARK ROBINSON. And it might be time for club leaders to take a leaf out of Alastair Clarkson’s book.

In 2008, Alastair Clarkson called all of his Hawthorn players into a closed-doors meeting because the noise around drug-taking among his cohort was too loud to ignore.

In an upstairs meeting room at Waverley Park, Clarkson was typically blunt.

It wasn’t “Hey boys, who’s dabbling?”. The furious coach told the players they weren’t leaving the room until they owned up to taking illicit drugs.

Initially, there was silence. The minutes ticked. And then one player spoke. Then another. And another. In an emotion-charged gathering, there were tears as a handful of players put up their hands. And then there was the declaration: No more party-drugs.

That same year, the Hawks won the premiership.

Melbourne has had its own drugs summit, led by a leadership group that is being savaged because of the escapades of others.

Not many, mind you. At a guess, probably four players who have tripped the light fantastic, which more than likely is the average at every AFL club.

Melbourne’s Joel Smith. Picture: Tess Gellie

Melbourne’s predicament is more complex than the Hawthorn situation way back when, and worse than Jack Ginnivan and Bailey Smith being suspended for two weeks for cocaine association – the league’s two most recent high-profile cases.

No, the Demons are on their knees because Joel Smith was stupid.

Found with cocaine in his system on game day is plainly stupid, but the fact that text messages were found on his phone by Sports Integrity Australia, dated September 9, 2022, allegedly to three or more of his teammates, is off-the-charts stupid.

Smith was sub that night, in Melbourne’s loss to the Brisbane Lions. Clearly, Smith – and some of his teammates – had plans for some raucous post-match festivities.

It’s believed the text messages offered cocaine to his teammates. It’s unknown if the text messages were answered, or if any coke deals were made. But that’s not the point.

His teammates will now be investigated by SIA and this where it gets complicated for them.

Essendon was punished by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because it was “comfortably satisfied” the anti-doping code had been violated.

The “strands” of evidence were compelling, the court said. And in the end, basically Essendon couldn’t prove its players didn’t take banned drugs.

The “strands” are in play at Melbourne.

There’s practically no chance of SIA proving the players ingested the cocaine, unless a drug strike was enforced on a player that weekend, and even then that might be under the mental health program.

But if a player (or players) answered Smith with “Yes, I’m in’’, the strands thicken.

Could those players face suspension? Absolutely.

Because just like Essendon, they might have to prove that they didn’t take drugs more than SIA has to prove that they did.

And rest assured, the anti-doping bodies might as well be the Pinkertons, the notorious United States detective agency renowned for their determination to chase bad guys.

The 2008 Hawthorn premiership side.

SIA has already determined that Smith was trafficking, which requires three or more people to receive one gram or more of the illegal substance. Now their net has widened.

Still, the Demons are confident there’s not a drug culture at the club. Summer hair testing, they say, proves them right.

But the administration, led by chief executive Gary Pert, must be exasperated to the point of fury.

When Pert was at Collingwood, he famously declared that player behaviour in the off-season was “volcanic”. He said he was talking about the whole industry, but no one believed him.

Now, Pert – and others at Melbourne – beat their chest about the superb culture at the Demons. Outside of the drug scandal, he’s probably right.

But a couple of bad apples are spoiling the barrel and no matter how many times the Demons beat their chest, this drugs stuff makes the club look foolish and delusional.

Indeed, recent events add credibility to former president Glen Bartlett’s belief there were issues at the club when he was there.

This has festered for two years, and when the text messages emerged amidst allegations of trafficking, it became clear the Demons have either been irresponsible in their management or some of the players are liars, beyond Clayton Oliver.

Despite their confidence, Pert, senior football administrator Alan Richardson and coach Simon Goodwin might need to borrow Clarkson’s demeanour, if they haven’t already.

No more matey, matey. No more hugs and kisses. No more tucking them into bed at night.

Perhaps a hard-edge approach off the field to match their professional and mature approach on the field is necessary.

This season already looms tough, and made tougher again by the retirement on Thursday by Angus Brayshaw, but it’s not insurmountable.

Look at the Hawks. After the tears, and the after lies were confronted in 2008, they won the premiership.