AFL reviewing illicit drug policy as court documents reveal two AFLW players faced charges in January

Two Sydney Swans AFLW players were handed conditional release orders after being charged by police late last year for possessing an illicit substance.

Court records show Alexia Hamilton and Paige Sheppard were both sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order on January 30 at Waverley Local Court in Sydney.

The incident occurred in December, after the Swans’ AFLW season had ended with a semifinal thumping from Adelaide on November 18.

The AFL is currently reviewing its illicit drugs policy and it is unclear what penalty the players are facing.

In the men’s competition, then-Collingwood forward Jack Ginnivan copped a strike under the illicit drugs policy early last year and was suspended for two matches after admitting to drug use.

Ginnivan, who has since moved to Hawthorn, was also handed a $5,000 suspended fine after footage of him with a substance emerged.

Western Bulldogs midfielder Bailey Smith also copped a strike and two-match ban in similar circumstances in 2022, after being filmed with a bag of white powder.

Melbourne player Joel Smith’s case is treated differently because he tested positive for cocaine on game day.

Smith has been provisionally suspended since October after his positive test following the Demons’ win over Hawthorn in round 20 last season.

AAP/ABC

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Source: AFL NEWS ABC

    

Author: Ivan Robinson