Chief football writer Jay Clark sits down with AFL boss Andrew Dillon ahead of the 2025 season
Drugs, State of Origin, Tarryn Thomas, third-party deals. Nothing was off limits when JAY CLARK quizzed AFL boss Andrew Dillon ahead of the new AFL season.
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AFL boss Andrew Dillon is adamant the game remains clean of performance-enhancing drugs despite the specific target-testing of midfielders.
And he insists the code is well-placed to combat any threat of dodgy third-party player payments amid revelations the league conducts yearly club “audits and spot checks”.
It emerged last week the AFL – unlike the rival NRL – provided a list of 51 players to Sport Integrity Australia for target-testing last season amid fears of “sophisticated blood and erythropoietin (also known as EPO) doping in Australian sport and cocaine culture among athlete cohorts.”
In 2016, 34 Essendon players were banned for one year for doping, while former Collingwood players Lachie Keeffe, Josh Thomas, Sam Murray, ex-Eagle Willie Rioli and delisted Demon Joel Smith all failed game day drug tests in past seasons.
In a widespread interview, Dillon said EPO wasn’t a problem in Australian Rules.
“We have an anti-doping code in place for years and that hasn’t been an issue,” Dillon said.
“Our players are tested like players are in every other sport.
“But that is why we have an anti-doping code and that is why we do test the players because everyone wants a clean sport.”
The Herald Sun revealed a major Auditor General report confirmed specific testing plans were being developed for Australian football including labelling priorities such as ‘midfielder’ amid increased running demands for the game’s prime movers.
The league on Tuesday was forced to explain to the AFL Players’ Association how it formulated the list of 51 players for target testing using police information and data from its own integrity department.
It came as the league attempts to progress in talks with the PA on a new illicit drugs code which Dillon said had to be “refined and strengthened”.
It means players who abuse the system could face more severe penalties under the new system.
“There are different parts to it. There is education, the testing and the treatment,” he said.
“The last bit is where you need the punitive part and you just want to make sure you have got all the measures right.
“Over time we have seen that we need to refine that and strengthen that a bit.
“In any negotiation there is give-and-take and we absolutely know there will be that in this, but ultimately us and the PA want to end up in the same spot, it is just how we get there.”
CENTURY GOALKICKERS
The AFL in 2021 forecast the return of key forwards kicking 100 goals in a season within several years following the introduction of the ‘6-6-6’ and ‘stand’ rules.
Dillon said the current superstar forwards, such as recent Coleman Medalists Charlie Curnow (81 goals in 2023 including finals) and Jesse Hogan (77) could top the century.
“There are players who have the ability to do that and the rule changes are a part of it,” Dillon said.
“But the athletes and their skills are just incredible.
“They can do things these days that players 10 or 20 years ago (couldn’t) the way they can hit targets and move the ball.
“The way coaching has evolved and opened up, the coaches know they need to score 80 points to win a game.
“That fast movement we saw in both games at the weekend and even on Friday night in the rain the ball just kept moving forward which was great to watch.”
He said the quality of the on-field product was driving the game’s continued growth and dominance over some of its sporting rivals.
“We had record crowds last year and we had record viewership, with 40 per cent more hours watched of AFL than any other sport in Australia,” he said.
“And our club membership is up year-on-year. The fans are loving it (the game).”
THIRD-PARTY DEALS
The AFL has confirmed it was auditing Geelong and Port Adelaide’s third party player payments as rivals try to copy the Cats’ methods.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said the Saints wanted to try to emulate Geelong’s corporate relationships with sponsors such as Cotton-On which has an arrangement with new recruit Bailey Smith.
Dillon said the league was satisfied rules weren’t being broken.
“I’m really confident in our team that they know how to police that, but that is why we audit clubs and do spot checks,” he said.
“We want to make sure there is not anything happening that is either untoward or a late lodgement.
“I have got no reason to believe any of our clubs do (breach the rules).”
TARRYN THOMAS
Former North Melbourne midfielder Tarryn Thomas has been shunned by state league clubs after being found guilty of inappropriate behaviour towards a woman by the league.
Thomas trained at Swan Districts in the WAFL and met with officials from VFL club Port Melbourne.
Dillon said Thomas was yet to convince the AFL he should receive a green light to play at the top level.
“His past is well documented,” he said.
“Tarryn at the right time deserves an opportunity.
“I think you never say never. But I think he has still got some ground to make up (before he receives AFL clearance).”
TASMANIA
There are concerns Tasmania’s new stadium at Macquarie Point could be delayed in a major blow to the league’s 19th team.
But Dillon said the club could get “back on track” if the stadium plans were approved by about the end of the season.
“The planning process we are in now we will have finality on that by the middle of September to the end of October,” he said.
“Once we get that going we will be back on track but absolutely we are still on track for a 2028 start date for the club.”
He said a roofed new stadium was non-negotiable as part of the Devils’ entry and plans to attract superstar players to the Apple Isle.
“This is one of the most competitive sporting leagues in the world, and you want them (Devils) to be able to compete,” he said.
“They are going to need lots of things going right … they are going to need to attract players and retain players.
“They will do that by being competitive on the field but also having first-class facilities to first of all attract those players, but also retain them.”
He said there was zero push back on Tasmania’s plans from presidents at a meeting in Sydney for the season launch last week.
REBUILDS
The league wants to move away from handing out priority draft picks for perennial strugglers.
North Melbourne and Gold Coast have both received extra assistance in recent years to help accelerate their rise.
Dillon said the time it took some clubs to lift up off the bottom of the ladder remained an issue as the Tigers attempt to fast-track their rebuild with top talent from the draft.
“It is something we want to keep an eye on,” he said.
“What the fans want and what we all want is nine competitive games each weekend.
“If we have got teams who are off the pace, they may not be able to compete week-in week-out.
“It will be really interesting to see how Richmond go this year because they have got an incredible blend of elite young talent but they have still got 10-12 premiership players on their list.
“And then experienced players like (Tim) Taranto and (Jacob) Hopper.
“I think we will see continued improvement from the Kangas and West Coast. So I think we are looking at a super competitive season.”
STATE OF ORIGIN
The league could reintroduce State of Origin as early as next season following a strong show of support from the game’s captains on the eve of the season.
Dillon said the Indigenous All-Stars showed there was a strong appetite for representative footy.
“We have to evolve as a competition and a lot of the stuff we are talking about is bringing back things that we have had before like the All-Stars game which was a great success,” he said.
“State of Origin will work if the players and the clubs are behind it.
“If they do it the fans will buy-in and that will be a way to get footy to more people.”
Originally published as Chief football writer Jay Clark sits down with AFL boss Andrew Dillon ahead of the 2025 season
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