Josh Thomas

This was supposed to be a one sided affair. The in-form Collingwood taking on the injury hit and sixth seeded Greater Western Sydney Giants with the result surely leading to a Richmond vs Collingwood Grand Final, to the delight of the AFL and Melburnians. The only problem with this narrative was that the Giants didn’t read the script.

In one of the biggest surprises in recent Preliminary Final history, GWS stunned the locals by first taking a big lead, then by defending grimly when a late Collingwood surge looked like taking the Magpies back to the Grand Final in consecutive seasons. The end result shows the Giants winning by just 4 points, but so much happened throughout this game. A frantic last quarter, that a crowd of mostly 70,000 strong Collingwood fans were left as empty shells in a roller coaster of a final.

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

The Rookie Draft was held November 27 with some delisted players getting a second chance. Some players, such as un-registered or international, were pre-nominated under AFL rules. The number in front of the name is the draft selection, the original club in parentheses, followed by age, height and weight.

 by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA

Young Magpie duo Lachlan Keeffe and Josh Thomas still are not completely sure how the banned steroid clenbuterol got into their systems, but believe the illegal drugs they took during what they called "a night out" were laced with the banned steroid. While accepting responsibility for their actions at a press conference on August 10, they stressed they did not knowingly take the performance enhancing drug. They have accepted two year bans as well as a $50,000 fine each. With the provisional suspension being handed down last March after the first positive test was returned, the pair will be eligible to return in the 2017 season.

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

Magpies Lachlan Keeffe and Josh Thomas, provisionally suspended since March after returning positive drug tests in February, have been issued with infraction notices by ASADA and will be required to face the Anti-Doping Tribunal. No date has been set for that hearing as yet. The pair tested positive for clenbuterol, a powerful steroid used medicinally to treat breathing conditions such as asthma. However it can also be used to boost metabolic rates to burn fat and is thus considered a performance enhancing drug. The steroid is also used by veterinarians to treat horses. Although banned in most countries for use on food animals, some countries still use it. There are documented cases of people eating meats contaminated with the drug. There are also many cases of athletes around the world who have tested positive to it. Some have been banned while others have been acquitted. Many claimed to have eaten tainted meats. During the hearings which investigated rampant drug use in American baseball several years ago, clenbuterol was one of the drugs named.

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

Just one week ago, young Bulldog Lachie Hunter was cleared of any gambling wrongdoing after he and the club self-reported a bet placed on his account which involved the NAB Challenge game between the Bulldogs and Melbourne. In that case, investigators were told by Hunter that the bet was placed by a player from VFL club Footscray. It is still unclear how that person had Hunter's account details and the VFL is investigating.