Sam Murray cocaine case: AFL boss calls for more transparency from ASADA

Collingwood’s Sam Murray is finally awaiting a ruling on his football future after a year-long delay for his AFL anti-doping hearing and the league wants greater transparency from ASADA.

Sam Murray will learn his fate soon, but AFL boss Gillon McLachlan wants more transparency from ASADA.

The AFL is in high-level discussions with ASADA about quicker resolution and greater transparency for anti-doping cases as Sam Murray nervously waits to see if his AFL career is over.

The Collingwood flyer had his AFL anti-doping hearing on Thursday and will now wait until an official finding on a ban as long as four years.

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It is understood that process could be as little as two weeks, but could drag on without any public finding if Murray immediately appeals that verdict.

He will be hoping to reduce a cocaine match-day positive in Round 19 last year to a two-year verdict which gives him hope of playing AFL football again.

The Herald Sun understands McLachlan has told his senior integrity executives to discuss with ASADA how the league can fast-track cases given the year-long delay in a resolution for Murray.

He has been in no particular hurry to have his case heard given he has little to no prospect of reducing a penalty to under two years.

But in the case of Gold Coast 20-year-old Brayden Crossley, who legitimately believes he has an excuse for the cocaine in his system in a recent match-day positive, the year-long delay would be agonising and career-threatening.

Murray is being paid by Collingwood and training away from the club and while the Pies could keep him on as a rookie despite a drug ban, it seems unlikely.

He accepted a provisional suspension immediately last year so a two-year ban would allow him to play in the 2021 season, when he would be only 23 years of age.

Sam Murray will learn his fate soon, but AFL boss Gillon McLachlan wants more transparency from ASADA.

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McLachlan said the verdict would be handled by a retired Supreme Court judge

“We have certainty now that it’s heard or in the process of being heard and I don’t know how long it will take, but hopefully soon,” McLachlan told 3AW.

“It will play out and we’ll know clearly when the decision’s made, but I spoke to my team and we’ll pick it up with ASADA.

“I understand the confidentiality for the person who’s been charged is primary, but there’s potentially some challenges with that which we’ll pick up (with ASADA). (There’s) a little more opportunity with transparency.”

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Collingwood has had little visibility on the progress of Murray’s case which has made it hard to plan for whether he is any chance to remain on their list.

Collingwood’s Lachie Keeffe and Josh Thomas served what were then maximum two-year bans when clenbuterol was found in their system after taking illicit drugs.

The Pies kept them on their list as rookies after their suspensions and both went on to play AFL again.

In 2013, St Kilda’s Ahmed Saad received a six-month discount on the maximum two-year ban for taking the substance Methyl Synephrine HCL contained in an energy drink he consumed before a game.

In 2015 Fremantle’s Ryan Crowley received a 12-month sentence for taking the “specified substance” methadone for back pain