NORTH Melbourne legend Wayne Carey has called for the AFL to ban all pain-killing injections, claiming they’re “performance-enhancing” for injured players.
Carey’s comments come after Cats skipper Joel Selwood returned to the field on Friday night, despite suffering a serious ankle injury during the second quarter of Geelong’s clash against the Sydney Swans.
Selwood underwent successful surgery to address his syndesmosis injury on Monday night, but is in a race against time to be fit for Geelong’s 2017 finals campaign.
Carey claimed Selwood would’ve received “injections in his ankle to come out and play the game” on Friday night, but added that the star on-baller shouldn’t have returned in the first place.
Speaking on 7Mate’s Talking Footy, Carey called for the AFL to ban all pain-killing injections, predominantly for the long-term health of players.
“We don’t talk about protecting the players, because they won’t protect themselves,” Carey said.
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“Players will do anything they can. They’ll get as many injections, whether it be during a game or at times to train during the week to get up for a game. Clearly that’s performance-enhancing, because you’re not able to play without that injection.
“We’re protecting players that have headknocks these days, but we’re not protecting players who are that courageous and will come out after having two or three injections. Joel Selwood would say ‘jab me every week and I’ll play for the next three’.”
Carey said he regretted having injections when he was playing, but would’ve said yes as a younger footballer because he just wanted to play.
“We’ve seen players suspended in this competition for having an energy drink that’s got a small (stimulant) in it for two years. Then we’ve had Essendon go through what they’ve gone through — none of them tested positive, they don’t know what they’ve taken,” Carey argued.
“They’ve been through all of this and yet we can inject players during games and before games to get them up to play? I think that’s performance-enhancing.”
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Originally published as AFL legend’s shock injection ban call
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