Richmond football boss Neil Balme has admitted he’s frustrated with ASADA and the AFL following the sanction the club received yesterday.
The Tigers were one of four clubs fined for not updating the league on their players’ post-season whereabouts.
Carlton ($10,000), Melbourne ($5000), Richmond ($2500) and the Western Bulldogs ($2500) each copped a whack.
Balme says it shouldn’t be the club’s responsibility to keep tabs on the players during their time off.
“There’s a setup for the drug stuff where ASADA says we need to know where everyone is in the off-season just in case they’re doing something wrong, which I kind of understand,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“I don’t think there’s any suggestion that any of these players who weren’t where they thought they were going to be were actually taking drugs.
“If they fine them for not being somewhere, I think they need to go through the process of actually testing them for drugs because I think it’s a bit disingenuous I reckon.
“The fact that it is the club’s responsibility is a pretty cheap way out as well.
“The Players Association and the AFL negotiate time off for the players, which they get and it’s significant and they need it, but then they say it is our responsibility for the player to tell someone where they are during that time and if a player doesn’t tell someone where they are, then it’s our problem.
“I’m not quite sure how we’re supposed to fix that.”
A phone app is available for players to download so clubs can track where they are and it is the second time the Tigers have been fined for the breach since 2017.