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Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has revealed he has yet to speak with Joel Smith since the Melbourne forward tested positive to a banned drug.
Smith was provisionally suspended after he returned a positive test for cocaine on match day after the round 23 clash against Hawthorn. The case is now under investigation through the AFL and Sport Integrity Australia.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin.Credit: Getty Images
In a pre-recorded interview on SEN on Tuesday, Goodwin said he had not discussed the issue with Smith.
“I can only go by how I feel, and when I first heard, I was incredibly angry, frustrated, to think that potentially we have a player in round 23 on the eve of a finals series not doing everything possible to help the success of our footy team. I can only imagine that same feeling would be permeating through our supporter base,” Goodwin said.
“I haven’t spoken to Joel. I am going to let that process play out, because I have a level of anger, of frustration towards it. There are the right people that are talking to Joel from a welfare perspective and are working really closely with him around that.”
Goodwin said Smith had not attempted to contact him.
“Our leadership group, they are really upset by it. They give everything they can to our footy club, and they were doing everything they could to give themselves the best crack at the ultimate success. They are disappointed, they are angry,” Goodwin said.
Smith was tested as a result of the AFL’s adherence to the anti-doping code under World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines, which runs separately to the league’s illicit drugs policy.
Smith tested positive in competition. Under WADA rules introduced in 2021, an athlete testing positive to cocaine or marijuana faces a three-month suspension if they can prove “the substance was used out of competition and that its use was unrelated to sporting performance”.
The Demons have refused to discuss with The Age several issues the club is dealing with, preferring to only give the radio interview. The interview aired Tuesday morning, but was conducted on Sunday, before Goodwin flew to a leadership course in New Zealand.
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