Add Category
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says he can only assume former player Harley Balic was receiving medical treatment and support for illicit drug use while playing, after Balic's father hit out at the AFL's illicit drug policy.
Balic died in 2022, aged 25, after battling drug addiction.
His case was reportedly referenced in a statement by former Melbourne Demons doctor Zeeshan Arain which was presented to Sports Integrity Australia by federal MP Andrew Wilkie last month.
That triggered an investigation by SIA.
Balic played four games for Fremantle, when Lyon was coach, before moving to the Demons and retiring at the end of the 2017 season.
"I was very close to Harley. I had a personal relationship with him, spent a lot of time one-on-one with Harley," Lyon said.
"If the AFL illicit policy is really about that medical model, my experience of what Harley shared with me, he clearly sat in where he needed support and medical attention.
"Because I have no visibility of what happens behind the scenes, I just make the judgement that that occurred."
According to the Herald Sun, Balic's father Eddie said his son could have been saved if more people had been made aware of his drug issues.
"I believe that the AFL has a duty of care to formally intervene early into young vulnerable players who have been identified as having substance abuse issues," he said.
"I also feel that had better support been put in place early for my son, it may have prevented this tragic outcome."
Current Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir couldn't confirm if SIA had contacted the club as part of its investigation but said the answers to Eddie Balic's questions lay with the AFL.
"I sympathise with Harley's dad, I can only imagine what he's going through," Longmuir said.
"I think it starts with what are they (the AFL) trying to achieve with the policy, and off the back of that, those decisions on who best supports players, and who best helps them achieve what they are trying to achieve through the policy.
"Whether that's coaches knowing, whether that's support staff knowing, I'm unsure.
"I know the policy has good intent, maybe the execution needs improving, especially in this situation.
"Maybe the support of the players needs to be more widespread than the doctors."
The AFL is currently reviewing the illicit drug policy.
Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday.