When Independent MP Andrew Wilkie made claims of secret illicit drug testing within the AFL, the sporting community went into damage control.

At the centre of his parliamentary speech was a whistleblower - a former doctor for Melbourne Football Club who alleged that players in some instances underwent off-the-book drug testing ahead of a game.

If they tested positive, he claimed, the player might fake illness or injury in order to avoid match-day testing conducted by the independent sporting integrity body.

So what’s behind these allegations? And why does it matter what players do in their own time?

Today, chief reporter Chip Le Grand on the latest AFL drugs scandal.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.